I’m so mad I had to add this on my blog whether it’s ever read or not.   Friday I was told I was a bigot because I said the phrase white privledge was racist.  Well it plain is.  I don’t care what color you’re talking about but defining someone or saying they got something because they are white is no different than saying they got it or deserve it because they are black.  I won’t be told I got where I am in life because I’m white.  I got where I am because I worked my ass off.

With a child at 17 and a 10th grade education I could have sat on my ass and taken a welfare check but I didn’t.   I was married for 8 years and worked all those years so we had the income to raise our child.  Did she need more than we were able to give her, probably.  Would she have been happier had we been able to afford more, probably.  But we did what we could without asking someone to pay for a child we choose to have.

When I got divorced at 26 I didn’t call the government and ask what programs I could get and where I could get money or free rent because I chose to have a child.  I did what everyone needs to do.  I got a job.  Then I got another one.  I worked 2 jobs and went back to night school and got a diploma.  Yeah it took me till I was 30 to get it.  Life isn’t easy and it was never meant to be a free ride.  I kept working 2 jobs and after 2 years of night classes got a degree as a certified vet tech and for the first time in my life I was able to work 1 job.   But I kept working on educating myself.  I went to admin seminars, working in a team seminars, classes in microsoft programs, quickbooks, etc. and eventually got a job for a tax and investment firm.  Again I still kept educating myself and 2 years ago earned a degree as a paralegal.   Sure it took a year or so but I did it as I could afford.  Never have I asked the government to feed my child or pay what it costs to raise her.  I lived on what I earned and $100 month in child support.

So, to be told I have what I have and am where I am because of white privledge is plain bullshit and damn insulting.   I got where I am and have what I have with family support and hard work.   This country needs to start looking at people just as people and not care what color they are.  To say someone deserves something because they are black is racist itself.  It tells people that someone black doesn’t have enough brains, determination, education, etc to earn it themselves.  I know the black men and women in our country fought and lost so many battles in the 50’s and 60’s to be given equal rights and they kept on fighting.  I also know a lot of whites that fought that battle right alongside of them but never felt what it was like to be treated as less based on your color.  The physical and emotional abuse was horrendous and our country should be ashamed of that heritage.  I watch our government right now and listen to the speeches and comments that are driving that wedge of color right back into America.  I have black neighbors and black friends and I guess I never look at what they do or have based on their color.   What if everyone in the country had to spend a year never referring to someone’s color?   Our government needs to work on promoting equality among races, sexual preference, etc. without using hate against white people to achieve it.   Hate is hate regardless of who it’s aimed at.

This coming Sunday (July 31) a couple of the jeep clubs are doing a Back the Blue event.  Hoping I can get to this one.  Delivering pizza to the local police office and then a convoy up to Citrus Parkway and a bbq for sale to raise funds for local police offices.   I was able to drop off pizza’s at the Zhills police station last week but would like to join this event also.   Got my t-shirt ready from the Tampa Jeep Krewe but I’m riding with the Blackwater club.

Just one of my kits I was sewing up for someone.  I didn’t learn any new techniques on this one but I did work out some ideas on color placement.   I am not overly fond of pastel fabrics as I like bold, stark colors.  Piecing this is was just so pastel that I added the black to the center pinwheels as it had the same blue roses.  I did NOT like the final piece once it was done.  I hoped by adding the same black to the outer edge it would pull that color into line with the others so I used it for the binding.  It did pull it together some what but I learned that pastel all by itself is ok sometimes as well.   Once in a while someone sees a quilt they just love or sparks a memory and they immediately love it.   Well one of Shannon’s friends immediately loved it so it will go live with Ms. Allison.

I don’t get a lot of time to do the actual quilting of my tops since I got the pups.  It requires I pay attention and trying to stop every 5 minutes and see what the mongrels are doing is tedious and ends up looking like bad quilting.   The cubes came out terrible.  I tried to do a stitch in the ditch and not only was it my first time trying that, you really can’t stitch a straight line on a long arm without doing ruler work or using a regular machine with a walking foot.   But it’s ok as this is one of the quilts I was doing to learn new techniques. It’s going to stay at my house so I can live with the fact it’s not perfect.   I learned a lot quilting it also.   It’s just stitched down the vertical rows then thru the top of every other set of cubes horizontally.   Simple but I learned about straight stitching on a long arm.

I hosted an adult coloring party for Shannon and her friends last week.  It’s great to see her socialize with the ladies outside of work.  I think they all had a good time.    There was certainly enough food.

It’s one of those weeks.  After dealing with the furniture people since June over ink the pups got on my sofa, they were to send me new cushions or come recover the whole piece since I have a stain warranty.  Today they decided to just give me credit for the purchase price for a replacement sofa.   But. . . .. they no longer sell that one and don’t have any other style in the same sage green.  Hello I just bought it in April.   It took me over a year to decide on that sofa and I have the matching oversized chair.  I can’t have a beige or brown sofa and a sage green chair.  I hate looking like I have flea market unmatched furniture after spending so much money.

Then comes the tablet saga.  My Surface Pro 2 table quit while under warranty so I shipped back and they sent a refurbished one.  Got it yesterday and power cord is defective.  Called back and they have no more so I’d have to pay another $110 to upgrade to the Pro 3.  Instead he gave me the new Dell convertible touchscreen tablet for the same price.  Problem is I have the cover and virtual keyboard for the Surface Pro so now my virtual keyboard is unnecessary and my cover and case don’t fit.

Getting something replaced is not always better than what you already have.

If you do not ask my permission and receive it, DO NOT repost my pictures to other blogs, social media, etc.  They are not for public use.

Ok we all have a fabric stash or a stash pertaining to whatever your hobby is but one day you realize how much you really have.  While I was in Ohio visiting my amazing sister Jill, she gifted me a bag full of plastic storage boxes she wan no longer using.   Once I got home I realized they would hold my pre-planned quilt kits so much nicer than the plastic bags there were in.  I had no idea till I started pulling them from the closet how many I have.   Not to mention the couple I got while in Ohio.  Here are the 25 I have stored so far and labeled in boxes.  I still have half a closet of fabrics on shelves and in decorative storage boxes.   Luckily you can’t see the top shelf.

I know I wanted to try new things but I’m finding my quilt skills aren’t nearly what I thought they were.   Sewing these half hexagons was tedious but ok.  Now that I am starting to sew the hexies together to form rows I am learning I need a lot more practice in sewing those weird shapes.   Initially I thought I’d never make another one but realize then I’ll never get better.    Here’s what she’s going to look like before the rows are sewn and added together.  I changed how she was laid out numerous times before i settled on this one.  I’ll repost when I get this and the five others quilted and finished.

I did add one last mod to the jeep this past weekend.  If you’re in our group of gamers you will instantly know what this is.  I was surprised when I posted it on facebook that most of those that commented were the 30+ age group rather than young kids.    I think this came out awesome and looks good on the hood.