The Quilt Progresses . . .

Time and inspiration were with me, today, as I continued work on my recent quilt order. Every 'bump' you see on the front represents pins holding the back together and awaiting handsewing. I was happy to get the basic body of the quilt together today. It is now down to where I can work on it while I watch television this evening. I keep records of the time spent each day on it for preparing my bill for the quilt. I'm blessed as my customer understands that $10 an hour isn't overcharging and a quilt can't be finished in two hours! I had someone consider $20 for a quilt as overcharging!

My favorite (NOT!) episode in my quilt-making dealt with a woman who told me she was ordering the quilt and would, in turn, be donating it to a charity event. Given that information, I went to some extra effort on the quilt and didn't charge all that I could given the intricate pattern she demanded. I presented her with the finished quilt and the detailed bill showing time spent, fabric costs, and hours employed in making it. She grabbed quilt and bill and cheerfull told me that she would see that I get a tax receipt for our income tax returns, and left. She didn't pay me! She decided that her donation was going to be my donation! I was in shock. My husband was livid as I had put aside family time and chores to get this done for her and was counting on the extra income of $175 which was not what it was actually worth. A priest friend joined the ranks of us base human beings and offered to slash her tires for me.

Live and learn . . . The same woman has mentioned needing to order another quilt from me . . . I just head in the opposite direction! Lesson given, lesson learned! Oh, and I never got that tax receipt, either!

Easy and popular dinner . . .

For some reason, pork seems to be on sale a lot lately. There are only so many pork chops one can put in front of their family before you are faced with a mutiny. I'm always looking for ways to use a bargain meat purchase, save money, and make the family happy, too. This is a favorite method and the family will actually look forward the leftovers . . . if there are any!

Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

About 2-3 pounds of lean pork
1 small can of diced chilies
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves of fresh garlic, smashed and chopped
1 16 ounce bottle of favorite barbecue sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1-2 teaspoons chili flakes

Mix all the ingredients in a crock pot. No need to cube or cut the pork. Set on 'high' for six hours and forget about it. About 20 minutes before serving, shred the pork and let it simmer with the top off the crock pot so the sauce can simmer a bit.

On toasted hamburger buns, place a slice of your favorite cheese (I like Provolene) and top with a generous amount of the pulled pork, top with the rest of the bun and serve. You can serve it with a salad on the side but I doubt anyone will notice it!

Kind of figures in this world . . .

According to some breaking news, the fact that I didn't jump on the Susan G. Komen bandwagon and send in a 'thank you' donation proved correct - they just reinstated funding to Planned Parenthood. How sad that they propose to do something of merit and then cave. I feel badly for all the people who raised their donations based on the first news only to find out that their money will continue to help fund Planned Parenthood in one way or the other. They are letting politics rule their mission and dilute the meaning and purpose of 'walking for the cure'.

Given the ways of the modern world, today, I can't say I'm all that surprised just saddened at their lack of backbone as I assume they initially made the decision based on good reasons.

A Friday Smile . . .

"Humor is everywhere, in that there's irony in just about anything a human does."
-- Bill Nye

"I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays."
-- Henny Youngman

"In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite."
-- Paul Dirac

As our freedoms continue to erode . . .

I continually find the mind set of the world to be confusing and interesting. The basic premise in our country is freedom of speech yet, over the years, there has been a certain protocol put into place about exactly who is allowed this freedom. If you make untrue or rude remarks about conservative parties, that is brushed aside by the media and news and life goes on. If one should, however, speak an uncomfortable truth about the liberal faction, retaliation is immediately put into play. Tolerance is one-sided. Once freedom of speech is minimized, other freedoms can bite the dust.

The recent news that the Susan G. Komen group has decided to break ties with Planned Parenthood certainly reflects a one-sides approach to our freedoms. As long as Planned Parenthood was getting the annual donation, the factions that disappoved of this were basically told to honor the Komen group's option to act freely when it came to their disbursement of donation money. It's a free country, after all. Now that the group has disengaged from it's association with Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood is out to get them. Why does one group feel they should have a say over where another group shares it's donations?

We don't have other churches coming to our doors on Sundays demanding a share of our collection. Why? Because we have the freedom of choice about where we give our money. If we donate to one church, it is because we don't wish to support another one.

Planned Parenthood has never lacked for money. In fact, according to news reports, their followers have donated enough already to cover the amount annually given them by Susan G. Komen. Just following the news, the uproar about Susan B. Komen changing their donor's list is very sad and petty. The Komen group made a choice about where they wanted to share their money. Where does Planned Parenthood come in demanding it back? Just the word donation implies a choice.

The saddest part about this whole matter is the verbal abuse from women about Susan G. Komen no longer helping to fund Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood's major 'product' is abortion not women's 'health'. Why is the concern over money with no regard about the tiny lives at stake.

As an interesting aside, one report said that Planned Parenthood doesn't provide mammograms . . . so why the need for the funding? As far as I have ever heard, their women's health program provides contraception and abortion. Why does their choice override another's choice?