Author: Teresa

Quilts, good books and dogs. Plus a cup of tea. Life is good.

Never be afraid to advocate for yourself

March 14, 2024

One thing I learned from my mom early on is I’m the best manager of my money and myself. I may hire professionals to guide and help along the way, but it does not mean I abdicate total responsibility to them. I still manage, track and ask questions when necessary.

Think about it. The professionals you hire to help maintain your home, manage your money, and keep you healthy all have one thing in common – they’re human. As such, humans can and do make mistakes.

Do you regularly read your credit card, bank and brokerage account statements? Sometimes erroneous charges do appear. Your window to challenge those charges is usually 30-60 days.

Did the doodad you ordered online arrive broken or not work as expected? If it came from Amazon, be sure to return it within 30 days. Otherwise, you might be charged a 20% restocking fee, if they accept your return outside the return window. Ask me how I know.

Do you use a cleaning service? Lawn service? Painting contractor? Pest control service? HVAC maintenance? Even if you are away when these services are performed, be sure to inspect periodically. Do not be afraid to call the service to come back and redo something that’s not up to par.

Do you use insurance to pay for medical, dental and other covered services? Just know there are many moving parts behind the scenes involving dozens of subcontractors. Most of the time, things run smoothly, but when they don’t, it can be a real headache. Occasionally, you have to reach out for help to resolve an issue. In my case, I tried for over a week to resolve an insurance coverage issue on my own. Thoroughly frustrated, I finally reached out to the legal department of my teacher organization for help. He said my issue was the result of too many cooks (subcontractors) in the kitchen. All it took was an email to the state contact to get things sorted out. This morning, I checked my health insurance app and our coverage was finally correct! Hallelujah!

With medical professionals, trust but verify. Remember, you are in a partnership with your doctor to keep you in the best health possible. Ask questions if you don’t understand. If surgery or the pill advertised on TV is automatically suggested on your first visit, go get a second opinion. Most care plans start simple with surgery as a last resort. There’s nothing wrong with seeking a second opinion. It’s your body and your choice.

When advocating for yourself, BE POLITE. Be concise with what the problem is and the resolution you seek. Make a note of the name of the person, time/date of contact, summary of conversation and next steps. Follow-up as necessary. Ask to speak to a supervisor or to escalate your case when needed, but ALWAYS BE POLITE. If you can’t resolve the issue on your own within a reasonable amount of time (say 10-30 days), then reach out to a 3rd party for help – the organization’s own designated advocate, the better business bureau, state insurance commissioner, local consumer advocacy group, or a local attorney who specializes in the area you need help with. Don’t meekly accept something you know isn’t right. Advocate for yourself.

Shhh! A sneak peek at classes coming this spring…

March 11, 2024

Well, one is already being advertised – Sewing Machine Maintenance class on Saturday, April 20th from 1:30-3:00 p.m. You can find sign up information here.

The other class is Orphan Blocks to Bench Pillow – date TBD, but probably in May. Wondering what to do with single or a small group of blocks left from a previous project? How about a bench pillow?

Here’s the completed pillow front with my 1 – 10″ finished and 4 – 5″ finished blocks. I’ll quilt it using a loopy meander and then do a modified envelope closure for the back.

These truly are from 2 different projects. The center block is week #3 from the 2024 Riley Blake Designs designer challenge. It has too much of a Mardi Gras vibe compared to the other blocks I’d made in that series, so I remade it. The four flower blocks are from Lori Holt’s Flea Market Flowers book and were part of a table runner project that was pushed aside.

Bench pillows come in assorted sizes. This one will finish at 14″ x 28″, which is perfect for the small glider bench on my back porch. Kimberbell and other designers use a 16″ x 38″ size for their bench pillow projects. Remember, you are the boss of your bench pillow! Make it whatever size you like.

Don’t need a bench pillow? How about a table runner or door hanger instead?

Thrifty Craft Supplies & Storage Solutions

March 7, 2024

Nothing beats the back to school sales for stocking up on basic craft supplies like glue sticks, crayons, markers, scissors, construction paper, etc. For items such as yarn, ribbon, pom poms, felt, wiggle eyes, craft foam, pretty craft paper, feathers and the like – check for sales at Hobby Lobby and Joann throughout the year.

Otherwise, I’ve found Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree to be the best places to buy general craft supplies everyday.

Dollar Tree is usually my first stop. I’ve picked up small caddies in the school supply section to hold scissors, glue sticks and crayons. The book section is a great resource for simple workbooks, puzzles and stickers. The crafts aisle generally has a little bit of everything in smaller packs so it’s perfect for small scale crafting or just trying out a project without spending a lot of money. If you need to scale a craft project for a large number of kids, I suggest shopping for supplies at Wal-Mart or Amazon.

My find this week was SureFresh round containers to store our bagged/random Perler beads by color. You’ll find them in the kitchen section near the zipper bags and plastic wrap. Each container holds at least 1,000 beads and you get 5 containers in each pack. This works out to 25c per container. Much less expensive than some of the other options I’ve found available. BTW, these also work great to corral wiggle eyes, pony beads and buttons.

For storage solutions, I like the bins that latch with a carry handle. I picked this one up at Michaels, but you can find some variation of it at most craft and big box retailers. All 20 bead boxes, beads to be sorted, tweezers and small Perler templates are in the box. Ironing papers and design charts fit on top before adding the cover. Once the beads are sorted, there should be enough room to add the larger Perler templates. This means I’ll be down to one carry bin and one large jug of assorted melty beads. Perfect!