Turkles

What the heck is a Turkle? Good question... and since I made the word up I will tell you.

Turkey Turtles

Someone had posted the link to these cuties and right away I knew I -had- to make these at the cabin next month, but with turkey and turkey bacon!!!

Bacon Cheese Turtleburger

Help! I'm trapped under a yarn-slide!!!

Today I decided it was too hot to be overly domestic. I pulled the curtains closed, turned the fan on and grabbed the yarn stash.

I took a break from the Yule list and wanted to do something fun, easy yet still needed.

Elvis, Diva and I are taking our vacation at the end of July. I plan and plan, and the more I wonder what will be available, the more things I think I need to take with us. Exactly how much -does- a Yaris hold???

~~~ The "What if the cabin doesn't have pot-holders" Potholders

This was super simple, and if I need them I have them, if not... well, they make cute coasters. I used 2 strands of Red Heart Super Saver together (yes, they should pay me for my loyalty) and used size 9 needles.

Cast on 4

Row 1: Knit

Inc: K2, YO, knit to the end 

(repeat Inc. until 25 stitches)

Dec: K1, K2tog, YO, K2tog, knit

(repeat Dec. until 4 stitches and bind off)






~~~ The "I don't want to bring my wallet" Wallet
I used 2 strands of Red Heart Super Saver together and used size 10 needles.
Cast on 34
Row 1: K2,P2
(repeat until 8 inches)
(1) K2,P2,Kx,P2,K2
(2) K2,P2,K2,Px,K2,P2,K2
(repeat 1 & 2 - 5 times)
K2,P2,K4,yo,k2tog,Kx,k2tog,yo,K4,P2,K2
K2,P2 (for 5 rows)
Bind off in pattern
Fold-up bottom of the bag to 4"
Sew sides together, sew on button

TADAH!!

Mid-Year Check-in

Summer Solstice is today. Six months until Yule.
  
Six months????

When everyone else is thinking summery thoughts, I am focusing more than ever on completing the gift list. My plans for having hand-made items under the tree are coming together. 

Slowly.

I had hoped to have more finished by now. I did manage to finish Diva's hat, and more than halfway finished with the matching scarf. The mittens - well, the cuffs are done, and not much more. I have yet to get to start the others.

My list so far --

 ~Diva - hat (done), scarf (done), mittens, bookworms, HP pencil brooms, HP pencil holder, HP secret book box,
HP bookscarf - All 4 houses, tube socks, fish soap
 
~Elvis  -$94 Neck-warmer (can’t find the pattern anymore, look for another)

~Mom  - 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf 



~Misc - Christmas dishcloths, cloth napkins, coffee can crafts, dishtowel & dishrag set, fabric drawstring bags, fabric gift bags, knit apron, pillowcases, scrubbers, spicy shortbread cookies, teacup candles

I'd love to stay and chat more, but my knitting needles are getting cold! 
(I'll update as I finish) 

Vee's Patterned Scarf - Knitting

I love to make things. Every once in a while I design something and want to share with others.

I use Red Heart SuperSaver yarn mostly, but a thicker yarn would work as well. 

size 10 US (or larger) 

Cast on 22
 
rows 1-20 ~  knit

start pattern

10 rows ~ kkbp
20 rows ~ knit 
10 rows ~ kkpp
20 rows ~ knit

repeat pattern until scarf is long enough ** end after 20 knit


*pictures will be posted as soon as I finish

Summer Vacation Isn't Just for Kids!

Today is the last day of school for Diva and I have been looking for fun (and frugal) things for her to do this summer. 

First thing is check your local library! There is usually a summer reading program where the kids (and adults at mine) sign up and receive prizes for reading.  (cost - free)

TD Bank is having a summer reading program too. Kids under 18 get $10 for 10 books read. The money is deposited in to their Young Savers accounts. They will open one if they do not already have one (cost - free)  

National Amusement Bookworm Wednesdays - "Every Wednesday at 10:00 am beginning July 7th for six weeks. A fun and rewarding summer reading program developed to encourage young children to read during the summer months. BOOKWORM WEDNESDAYS entitles kids to free admission to a select children's film when they present a book report at a participating Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas or Cinema de Lux box office. Accompanying parents or guardians and children under six receive free admission and do not need to submit a book report." (cost - free)


AMC Summer Movie Camp - "Looking for a cool getaway for gobs of kids this summer? Bring them to AMC Summer MovieCamp and enjoy the magic of movies! Summer MovieCamp will be offered at 10 a.m. each Tuesday morning this summer at participating theatres, from June 15 through August 10. At only $1 admission, it’s an affordable option for summer fun for families and groups. All admission and concession proceeds will benefit two AMC charities, Variety – The Children’s Charity and the Will Rogers Institute." (cost - $1 pp)

Half Price Books Feed Your Brain - "Kids ages 14 and under can earn a $3 HalfPrice Books shopping card for each week they read at least 15 minutes per day" (cost - varies)

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading -  "Earn a free book when you read 8" (cost - free)

Bowling - "Once you register, you will have the opportunity to purchase the family pass. The Family Pass was created to allow for adult family members to enjoy bowling throughout the summer as well. The Family Pass starts from $24.95 and includes 2 GAMES PER PERSON PER DAY. The Family Pass covers up to 4 adult family members. You may have 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults on the family pass." (cost - $24.95 for up to 4 adults, kids bowl free)

Home Depot Build. Learn. Create. - "The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit." First Saturday of the month at 9am. (cost - free)

Lowes Build and Grow Clinic - "From project basics to giving your child the opportunity to say, "I built it!", our Build and Grow kid's clinics are a great way to help build confidence! Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project." Saturdays at 10am (cost - free) 

Oh Kia, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

The Toyota Saga has been put on pause while we wait for the title. Our car journey did not end there though, seems as if there is a few new chapters to toss in.

Thursday (I'm starting to think Thursday's are a bad day for cars) Elvis and I jumped in to my cute 2006 Kia Rio Lx. Destination: Local car dealers -  sans rats. While we were traveling, we hear a woman yelling in our direction. Seems our brake lights weren't working.

Easy fix, right?

Slight delay as we stop to buy fuses. Neither of us were able to get the old one pulled out, so back in to the car and to the mechanic. He checked the fuses, he checked the bulbs. Diagnosis was a bad brake switch. Since the Kia is still under warranty, onward to the dealer!

When we finally arrived at the dealer, I spoke to the Service Manager, and he thought I was someone else who had the same problem (is a recall in the making?). He assured me that it is covered under the warranty, but the part is not in stock - anywhere. After a few calls, he was able to locate one, but it wouldn't be there until Friday.

Now what? Elvis and I are both at the dealer. Our only car was resting in a bay.

After a back and forth exchange of ideas trying to get us a temporary replacement, I suggested he speak to the Head Manager about it. A few more phone calls and the SM arranged for us to split the cost of a rental until Friday. Finally, something going our way.

Or so we thought.

Fast forward a bit, we now have a rental (same make and model as mine). We were back under way. We checked out a dealer that advertised good cars, and financing. What he failed to mention is the cars are over-priced, and the interest rates if you go through his bank is 21% !!!

Another rat.

Almost giving up, I suggested we stop at the dealer our mechanic suggested. I looked at their online inventory and knew we didn't have the cash to buy one outright, no clue if they financed. At that point I was tired and yes, somewhat cranky. The salesman came over to us and asked what we liked. Point blank I told him he wanted something that wasn't a 2010, but with low miles and a factory warranty. He showed us 2 cars. I wasn't fond of either. Elvis was starting to show signs of fatigue and would accept a horse and buggy as long as the horse had at least 3 legs.

There it was!

Sitting among bigger, more expensive cars was a black 2008 Toyota Yaris. What caught my eye was the stickers on the window. Low Miles (25K), 1 owner, Carfax, Factory Warranty. It was as if the car was dropped from the sky just for us. He signed papers on it and as of Friday afternoon after picking up the loan check from the credit union, Elvis had a new-to-him car. We just needed to get the check to the salesman to make it official.

My automobile pride and joy, my Kia, was finally ready. We returned the rental and left the dealers feeling good. We have my car back, we have another car. The sun and clouds were dancing a tango. We were on our way to drop off the check for the Yaris and surprise Diva with the 'new' car and take her out to celebrate.

The celebration was short lived however.

I jumped on the Connector to take the highway home. I hated taking the Connector, but it was the closest entry to the highway I needed. I missed my jumping on point, I always do. Go north, turn around, go the right way. No big deal, I've done it a handful of times. Usually when I have done this in the past, the car would happily accelerate until I was able to get to the next exit.

Usually.

Of course, when you have something really special and you're happy, something just has to come along to mess things up. How lucky for us that we didn't have to wait long. The car wasn't accelerating. Worse still, I wasn't able to maintain the 60 mph I was traveling. I called the dealer as soon as I realized what was happening to have them meet us with a truck. I can only imagine what it sounded like to the guys in the garage when I started screaming because we were almost taken out by an 18-wheel truck that was traveling behind us. At that point I had had my flashers on and looking desperately for any signs of a break down lane. Even though I was less than 7 minutes from the shop, they told me I would have to call Kia Roadside assistance for help.

Gee, thanks.

I was going 20 mph! There was no place for me to pull off to. The first exit emptied to a rotary, there was no way I was going to try to crawl through it. It was dangerous enough in a car that could get out of the way of the other cars. Finally I was able to get to an exit that I knew would be safe, as long as I could get far enough away from the end of the ramp. I was feeling a bit better now that I was off the highway and heading to a plot-able location. It would have been nice if my brakes worked when I hit the end of the road.

No Acceleration--No Brakes--No Battery--SMOKE

Elvis and I jumped out of the car and ran up the street a bit. We were convinced the car would explode. The pitch black smoke and the loud popping sounds worried me since I was now parked across the street from a gas station. Many calls back and forth to the Kia Roadside people. Shrugs and Diva came up to get Elvis so he could drop off the check and they would meet me at the dealer since the tow truck was on it's way.

THREE HOURS LATER the tow truck arrives.

I won't bore you with the details of my 'stuck on the side of the road woes'. Just know it was hot, I was dehydrated, my cell phone was dead and I was ticked off more than you can imagine. By the time I was dropped off, the garage had been closed for well over an hour. Being Friday, nobody would be in the shop again until Monday morning. I dropped my keys in the box with a description of what was wrong with the car. I think "Dead. Won't move, lucky it didn't blow up" will catch their attention.

Fast forward to Monday

Elvis is enjoying his little Yaris. I am borrowing Shrugs second car. Diva is starting her last week of school. The Kia has been looked at. The SM said that they intend on going over the car with a fine toothed comb because they can't understand why it happened. The calipers locked up. With the brakes locked, I couldn't accelerate. He also said he's never seen anything quite like this.

And, here we are, at the end of another installment of "Car Wars".

The $2400.00 Lemon Aid

Sit back with a cool drink for the tale I am about to tell is as true as it is long.

Thursday started out like every other day... the sun was shining, the weather was comfortable. The only thing different about that day is that we handed $2400.00 in cash to a rat.

The rat didn't have a tail, but a rat all the same. He was a used car dealer. Now, I don't think all dealers are scammers, but this one was the shining example of why people don't trust them much.

 We needed a car - in the most absolute definition of need. Not having a car was putting stress not only on my household, but Shrugs as well because he was having to leave work early 3 days a week to bring our daughter home from school.

We wanted to avoid another car loan. So, with that in mind, we bought what we thought was the 'responsible choice'. The car only had 69K miles on it. It wasn't 'pretty' but we dismissed cosmetics for the extremely low miles.

69K may not seem very low in miles, but it was a 1990 Toyota Corolla. Before we took possession of the car, the dealer changes the oil pan, a router, a caliper and some other 'thingy'.

 Elvis took the car to work Sunday and all the guys at work ranked on him up one side and down the other. They pointed out flaws that we weren't properly educated to notice. They all said we should take the car back.

Massachusetts doesn't have a buyers remorse. The only way we would be able to return it was if it failed inspection and the costs to repair the car to passable status was more than 10% of the purchase price. It's Massachusetts' Lemon Aid Law.

Since we didn't take possession of the car until Friday night, we had to wait until Tuesday morning to get the car inspected.

As I was waiting in the line of waiting cars, the head mechanic came over to me. I didn't know why he singled me out, I wasn't next in line... my radio wasn't too loud.

He smiled and said "Ma'am, I just wanted you to know that I don't think your car is going to pass inspection." He looked confused when I responded with an over-joyed "That's the best thing I have heard today". I don't think it's the usual response to failure.

IT FAILED !!!

First thing to fail was the wipers; they didn't 'park' when you turned them off. I honestly didn't realize that was a failing offense.

The next failure actually made me smile. The exhaust had a leak.

The nice mechanic told me to call the dealer and if he was a gentleman (which the mechanic truly is) he would take the car back without a hassle.

I went home, called the 'gentleman' to tell him the car failed inspection and I would be returning it. He said "No, I will fix what is wrong, you can't bring the car back".

CAN'T ???

He made the mistake of thinking because I am a jolly rolypoly that I must also be a complete moron. When it comes to cars, I am still learning. The law, I know!

When he presented himself as the rat he is. I told him I would be getting the estimates for repairs and sending the letter of intent via certified mail and will be pursuing the Lemon Aid Law.

Off to the muffler shop. I explained to them what was happening and they were more than happy to put it up on the lift and give me an estimate.

$819! Everything needed to be replaced. I was under the car. There was nothing to weld patches on to other than rust. Where there wasn't rust, there was holes.

That was MORE than enough to force the return. While we were under the car trying to avoid the rain of rust, he pointed and said "The manifold has a crack in it. The estimate is only for the exhaust. Go to another mechanic and get the estimate for that too".

And, that's exactly what I did. When I returned to the garage that failed the car earlier that morning, they were more than happy to write up an estimate to replace the manifold.

 They offered to check everything else for me, but I said no. At that point, I knew I was going to definitely return the car. Over 50% cost for repairs.

If I had not gone for the exhaust estimate, I wouldn't have known about the manifold. I highly doubt the dealer would tell me out of the kindness of his heart.

 That brings us to today. Elvis and I brought the car back to the swindler... er, I mean dealer. I think he realized it was the easier thing to do because I came armed with estimates, forms and various printouts. That, and I looked rather bitchy.

We exchanged unpleasantries. Him yelling that he didn't tell us to buy a 20 year old car... me volleying back with how he did not disclose everything that was wrong with the car and had we known upfront, we wouldn't have!

He gave us a check for $1000.00 (which we cashed as quickly as my car could get us to HIS bank). We will get the other $1400.00 when we give him the title. We applied for the title on Friday, I called Tuesday and it is being expedited to us. The sooner we get him out of our lives, the happier I will be.