LaVieEnRosie

On the homefront... Part 2

Random thought... I will never need to buy another kitchen towel, napkin or coffee mug.  Ever.

And I'm not moving again anytime soon... unless I get rid of some of my stuff - more of my stuff.  Oy vey.

It's done.  At a few minutes after 4:00 pm, Wednesday, December 17th, I closed the garage door, hugged the dear, sweet friend who had helped me get everything packed and cleared out of the house and pulled out of the driveway.   

It was odd driving away... and a little bit sad.  This is the house my Mom had called "home", and I could still see her there.  And Rosie had lived here - with furniture being pulled out, there were random tufts of dog-hair to be found.  No matter how excited I am about the adventure ahead, this was still an ending to a good, happy chapter.

I wasn't sure how far I would get but I made it to Lordsburg, New Mexico that evening.  There was some rain along the way but the conditions were good and there wasn't much traffic.  Thursday was a longer drive - but not a longer day - with my goal being Abilene, Texas.  That left a relatively short drive to Dallas on Friday morning - I arrived a few minutes before Noon.

I went from "empty" to "empty".   

And yes, I spent Friday night in my apartment.  I'd planned ahead and brought some "camping" equipment - an air mattress, a couple of quilts, towels, a stereo, a couple of forks, a plate, a bottle of wine and glasses, and my favorite scented candle.  Though with electricity, I didn't need that last one but it was sure nice for a little ambiance.

Okay, so I also ran to the grocery store.  The movers were coming early Saturday morning and I didn't know when I'd have the chance.  Or the energy.

Long story short - the move went really well.  While it did take me almost a week to find the power cord for the bigger television, nothing was broken.  A week after, I'm settled enough to be comfortable, only my sewing room remains to be unpacked and put in order.  (That's it in the picture.)

And then there was Christmas.  

Casey and Mark - brother's dog and brother - arrived Wednesday afternoon and I actually managed to make Christmas Eve dinner!  A Prime Rib Roast - Mark's request - that came out perfectly, thank you very much.  The pie, bread and green bean casserole were from Central Market.  Christmas Day was nice, quiet and really relaxed... naps were involved for all present.  While we had plenty of leftovers available, we decided to venture to a nearby sushi restaurant for dinner on Christmas Day.  It was perfect - dinner was great and the restaurant was a very short walk from my apartment.

I'm off to get my license plates today - and then I'll try the "getting the driver's license" thing again.  It turns out I need to register the car before they'll let me drive it.  Then I have to run by Home Depot, the Container Store, Staples and I don't remember where else before trying to finish the unpacking.  I hope to be able to do a little bit of sewing by next weekend.

Groceries!  I need soup!  It's definitely soup-weather in Dallas right now.  The high temperature on New Year's Day is supposed to be 34 degrees.  With a chance of ice pellets!  Ice pellets?

I was excited to spend the day watching the NHL Winter Classic - the Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals... I just didn't think they'd be able to play the game in my apartment.    

And no, it doesn't make me feel better that it's almost as cold in Phoenix.

Okay, maybe just a little bit.  

On the homefront...

Random thought... if I'm packing boxes that are only going to be unpacked a few weeks later, why am I not using "temporary" tape?

Just curious.  

Come-On-A-My-House.  Circa 2005.  

A friend asked me the other day if I was excited about moving - despite the craziness of packing.  That depends on when I'm asked.  I admit to having had moments where I'm completely overwhelmed by having to pack so much "stuff"... I feel like I'll never get it all done.  But as it is with anything, you just pick a drawer, closet or cupboard and start packing.  Or in my case, sorting.  I am cleaning out clothes and household "stuff" that I can honestly say I will never use.  Ditto for all those things that I like but don't love, those things that will probably not be used in the foreseeable future.  That's all quite liberating.   

Then there are the moments where I start thinking about where things will go in my new apartment, the different sort of schedule I'll have and what it will be like to have a "traditional" job again.  (How silly is it that I still feel like I have to put "traditional" in quotations?)  I do get energized and excited about that - a lot.  Then I realize that I haven't gotten around to telling you about how it all happened.  

I sent an e-mail.  

That's the short version - the really short version.  But it's also how it happened.  

Here's the longer version... Last Fall, when I made the decision to skip going to Market, I started focusing on Spring Market and thinking about "direction".  What's next?  

A couple of friends had been harassing pestering encouraging me to do fabric again, perhaps even submit a fabric proposal to "other" companies.  Multiple times.  (Pests.)  But after really thinking about it, I knew that my feelings hadn't changed, I still had no interest whatsoever in doing a fabric line.  None.  I've written about that before, but there is always that little voice that says "don't close the door completely... you never know..."  The reality was that I wanted to slam that door shut.  Nail it closed, if need be.  So if not fabric, what next?

Three Barns.  Circa... I don't remember.  Maybe 2009?

So if I could do anything, what would it be?  After working mostly by myself for twelve years, I loved the idea of working with people who would push me to do better - to be better.  And if there was anybody that would - might - be a good fit, it was Moda and United Notions.  But what the heck do I know?  (I used to think bell-bottom pants were a good idea too.)  So I decided to e-mail the lovely folks at Moda and tell them that I wanted to work for them.  Just as it was when I went to my first Quilt Market, what's the worst that could happen?  

So that's what I did.  I send an e-mail.  (I said it was really that simple.)

In the e-mail, I actually wrote that I knew I was applying for a "job that didn't exist".  What else do you include when you apply for a job for which there is no job listing?  The funny part is that writing the e-mail was easy... sending it was the hard part.  It took a dear, sweet friend - one of maybe three people who knew what I was thinking of doing - telling me to "just send it already!" to get it on the way.   Then came the waiting... I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.  A quick... "No. Thank you for your interest." wouldn't have been a huge surprise.  Nor would a... "uh, thank you... we'll be in touch... eventually".  What I didn't expect was to hear back a few hours later... "We'd like to talk to you... we have a few questions."

Uh, sure.  (Holy guacamole!)  What do you want to know?

A day later, I was asked for a resume and - if I was willing to share - sales figures.  Uh, sure.  

Resume?  I hadn't used one in... hmmm... a decade!?  FYI - they've changed.  A lot.  (Thank you, Monster.com.)  I wrote that on a Sunday afternoon with the help of another friend... seriously, what did we do before texting, screen shots and e-mail?  As for writing the resume, that was comical.  I never would have guessed that I have "initiated", "created", "launched", "designed", "developed", and "managed" so many things!  It also created a weird paradox - everything it included was entirely true and yet still, it's the greatest work of fiction ever.  Like most resumes, right?  

Just Ask.  Circa 2003.

A meeting was held to discuss hiring someone for a "job that didn't exist" right before the Labor Day weekend holiday.  A few weeks later, I flew to Dallas for an interview... and the next day, I got a call asking me if  I'd like to work for Moda.  

Crazy, huh?  

So there you have it.  

Yes, I'm very excited about the new challenges and okay, a little bit nervous.  Can I do this?  What was I thinking?  

But it's all good - life begins at the boundaries of your comfort zone.  To get better, you have to push the boundaries of what you know.  And boundaries are there to be pushed.  Right?  Yes, I love motivational quotations.  

Home for the Holidays.  American Patchwork & Quilting - 2003.

Now I just need to finish packing.  

Just so I can un-pack it in a couple of weeks.  A new address is coming soon.

401?

As in, this is my 401st blog post.  

And I couldn't think of another title.

More later - tomorrow - but I had a couple of things to tell you about.  

Pat Sloan.  You know Pat, right?  Of course you know Pat!  Quilt designer extraordinaire.  Amazing teacher.  Fabric designer!  Thread guru.  Radio talk show host.  I know I'm forgetting about 78 other things but the main thing is, Pat is the brainiac behind the Aurifil Block of the Month.  This is the fourth year - don't quote me on that - where Pat has invited a lovely group of quilty-people - designer types - to create a block for a Sampler Quilt.  This year the designers included Brigitte Heitland, Amy Gibson, Emily Herrick, Angela Yosten, Amy Smart, Heidi Pridemore, Camille Roskelley, Pat Wys, Jane Davidson and Scott Hansen.  And the amazing Natalia Bonner has provided all sorts of great tips and advice for machine quilting - you know she's uber-talented at that.  

I'm Miss December.  

You can read all about it on the Aurifil blog - and catch up with everybody else, their blocks and their interviews.

This is my block - Not Afraid of Flying

You can download the pattern for this block here.

I also want to let you know that the shop will be up for another week as there are some "new-old" PDF patterns coming in a couple of days.  The "moving sale" continues - Code: MOVING for 30% off.  :)

I'm off to run some errands today - big surprise, I need more moving boxes! - and then it's back to packing.  

Happy Monday!