I’m beginning to think there’s some truth to the old wives’ tale that things happen in threes.

We built our current home 11 years ago. This the longest we’ve lived in any one place. To celebrate:
(1) The garage door springs broke and we were housebound until the repair guys could come the next day.
(2) The ice & water dispenser in our fridge has gone haywire, so that’s on the schedule for next Monday.
(3) The plumber was here today to replace the sink stopper & drain assembly in the main bathroom.

Insects love me. So far I’ve been bitten/stung by:
(1) Many, many mosquitos – annoying and itchy
(2) A spider – on my finger
(3) A bee – on the back of my arm and very painful

I am now “officially” retired. First real paycheck in two years hit the bank account today. Two more things left to follow up on (health insurance premium adjustment and sick leave add-on) until everything is done. The mental load I’ve carried for the past two years as we navigated uncharted waters can finally be thrown overboard. I’m past ready.

The third time trying to get reading dogs in my former school district was not the charm. We meet all the requirements under the new Animals in Schools policy, yet the AAI focus is so narrow all we can do is show up and get petted under the guise of mental health services rather than help with reading intervention. I’ve decided to just move on. We have as small city school district inside the larger county one. Sadie and I may be taking over an existing program there.

My desire to teach sewing classes at Monday enrichment did not materialize for yet the third semester. Initially, there wasn’t going to be a sewing class. Now we have someone doing fashion design and sewing with machines. Guess I’ll have most of the boys again in my classes since I’m opposite the sewing class on the selection menu. The sewing instructor had a lot of interest during meet & greet and she’s definitely more talented than moi when it comes to garment sewing. She did seem open to collaboration between our classes. We’ll see how it goes.

This lovely little lady is 1934 Singer Featherweight school bell edition. If you look to the lower right of the sewing machine, you’ll see a silver plate. This is the bobbin tension device. It was dubbed a school bell because…well…it’s supposed to look like a vintage school bell. Yep, the bell’s missing here. It screws on the business end of the screw you see sticking out. School bells were made from 1933-1935 and are considered highly desirable by serious FW collectors.

I like to visit area estate sales for vintage sewing notions and kitchen ware – especially Pyrex. Normally FWs are prominently featured in an estate sale ad. Not this one. I just happened to be there because a couple of sewing friends told me about the massive Pryex collection for sale.

All I can say is that is the stars certainly aligned for this transaction to happen. After I looked over the FW, I left to go research options for replacing the missing school bell. If I could replace the missing part and if the FW was still there when I returned, it would be coming home with me – provided the FW was eligible for the 50% off last day discount. It was and the estate sale rep even took off an extra $50 to pay for half of the school bell replacement part.

A sewing machine repair shop label on the bottom of the machine indicates she once lived in the Tampa, Florida area. The cobwebs on the box and peanut butter like grease stuck on the gears tell me she was sitting in someone’s attic or utility room for quite some time. The sewing machine’s actually in great condition other than being extremely dirty. Her case is a hot mess on the exterior, but sturdy, clean on the inside and definitely restorable. BTW, she also sewed beautifully right out of the box.

I’m going to put my FW skills to work at servicing/cleaning the machine and restoring the case. The missing parts have already been ordered. We’ll see this 1934 FW gets flipped or I keep her and sell Jane to a FW restorer who’s looking for a 1935 transitional to repaint for client.

Anyway, this will project keep me busy and engaged for the next couple of months – exactly what I need right now! Inflation is putting the squeeze on everyone. Parents are definitely cutting back on extracurricular activities. I’m still teaching private sewing lessons/sewing classes, but it’s about half of what I did last year at this time. The profit from selling either of the FW machines will help offset not teaching as many sewing classes.

Familiar with this song by Kenny Rogers? Well, the stock market craziness right now does not mean it’s time to fold ’em. The market moves in cycles and this week’s market shenanigans are but a blip on the radar of your long-term financial plan. Assuming you’ve worked with a financial planner and/or you have a sound asset allocation in a mix of investments that are appropriate for your stage in life, you will be OK.

Turn off the TV and social media.

Go back to your quilt cave, stream your favorite audiobook, podcast or YouTube video and get busy quilting. Make a kid themed quilt to donate to a local charity or pillowcases for Ryan’s Case for Smiles. Challenge yourself to use only the supplies you have on hand.

Keep your hands busy with EPP, embroidery and cross-stitch. Learn how to crochet or knit. Take your laptop to your quilt cave and learn some new features about EQ8 or your Cricut (or other cutting machine).

Organize your fabric and notions stash. Set aside unwanted items to pass along to a young stitchy friend or add to your guild’s free table at the next meeting. Coordinate 3+ yard bundles (I do 1.25 yards for each fabric) and set them aside, along with your favorite 3 yard quilt pattern(s) from Fabric Cafe. This makes a great grab & go project for sew days or to add an easy project to take to a quilt retreat. Not familiar with the popular 3 yard quilt patterns from Fabric Cafe? Visit their website and download the current freebie pattern, (which changes on a regular basis).

You can always pull out your quilt themed deck of cards – play solitaire or enjoy a fast game of crazy 8’s with the kids/grandkids.

Remember, you will be OK.