3 surgeries in 6 days and only 24 more days til trip!

[sewdisney]

Welcome to my PTR. I’ve never done a TR before so hopefully I’ll do it right - please bear with me.

Let’s start out by letting you know that on October 31, my family and I are leaving for Florida. (Those that are going are my DH, DS, other DS, DDIL, DGD and me.) We will be at the MK for 2 days and then on November 2, we leave for a 7 night Disney cruise on the Fantasy!

As my title shows, I had emergency surgery and because of complications, I ended up having 2 more surgeries in only a few days. I was already behind in all my sewing and this has put me MILES behind.

This is a short list of the items I need to sew:
Matching T-Shirts for all 6 of us on 7 different days for a total of 42 shirts.
1 formal dress for my daughter-in-law
1 formal dress for my granddaughter
1 formal dress for myself
3 Hawaiian shirts and 3 matching Hawaiian dresses
3 embroidered jackets with the Haunted Mansion logo for the men
3 Embroidered jackets with the castle for the ladies
4 pirate outfits for DH, one DS, DGD and me
2 sun dresses for myself
3 dresses with large amounts of embroidery for DGD
3 hipster purses
1 autograph pillowcase


Obviously, everything is NOT going to get done. I need to decide what to ‘cut’. I planned for months what to make and I had a perfect time line created. It is so hard for me to decide what to get rid of. I don’t want to disappoint my DGD (she is 7 years old) and she is expecting several outfits. I’ve always wanted photos of all of us in matching clothing. We always wear matching Tshirts while on vacation. Both my DIL and I need new purses. I suppose I can ‘cut’ the pirate costumes because with this being Halloween season, I can buy those. I can probably buy DGD a formal dress and I assume my DIL can do the same. I have never been able to find clothing that fits me so I am pretty sure I will have to sew my formal. I am keeping my fingers crossed that that will be enough items to get rid of but I guess time will tell!

I checked to make sure all our suitcases are in good order and it’s the weirdest thing – one of our suitcases is gone! We keep all of the suitcases in the same place in the basement. We’ve searched and searched and it’s just not there. I am going to give it a couple of days and if it doesn’t show up, I guess I will go and buy a new one.

I made arrangements for our doggie to go to the kennel. I’ve double checked our airplane flights, our rental car reservations and our hotel reservations. Something wasn’t right – stay tuned tomorrow to find out what the problem is!

 

[eyehartdisney]

You could try some matching shirts that don't require sewing. I used iron-on t-shirt designs for the girls and I last time made 18 shirts in one evening... easy peasy! Or try the tye dyed or bleached mickey shirts.

 

[sewdisney]

You could try some matching shirts that don't require sewing. I used iron-on t-shirt designs for the girls and I last time made 18 shirts in one evening... easy peasy! Or try the tye dyed or bleached mickey shirts.

WOW! 18 shirts in one evening! Thanks for the idea. I will do the iron-on!

 

[sewdisney]

As I stated yesterday, I called to check on our airplane flights, our rental car reservations and our hotel reservations. The flights were fine, but the car rental company had us in a little Ford Escort car. There are 6 of us (5 being adults) along with luggage. Unless 3 of us are running alongside the car, it ain’t happenin! We paid for an SUV or similar car and the car company agreed that’s what we paid for – they just couldn’t give us an explanation as to why we have an inky dinky car. They are looking into it and I am supposed to call back tomorrow to see if they have it worked out.

Then, when I called the hotel, they only had one of our reservations. We booked 2 rooms and we have 2 different confirmation numbers. I don’t know how you can have confirmation numbers but not have a room ready. They said they are booked full and can’t accommodate all of us. I told them they had better find rooms for all of us – in the same hotel!

My DH always makes fun of me when I check and double check our reservations. This is the exact reason why I check! I’d rather deal with these problems now instead of after a LONG flight when all of us are tired, hungry and cranky!

Had an appointment with the doctor today to check how things are going. I am still in TONS of pain and he really isn’t happy with my healing. It’s a lot slower than he’d like, but that is ALWAYS the case with me. Hopefully, I am done with the surgeries but he won’t say that for sure for at least a little while more.

I am just so thankful that this happened when it did. If it had happened 4 weeks later, I would not have been able to go on our trip and if this had happened 5 weeks after it did, I would have been in the middle of the trip and I would have had to fly home and missed out on the rest of it. It wasn’t fun going through the surgeries, and I will still be recuperating on the trip but at least I am able to go!

I decided to do what eyehartdisney suggested. I changed all the designs from embroidery to iron-on. I was able to design all the iron-on transfers and I had hubby go out and buy all the shirts I need from Hobby Lobby. I actually made 6 T-shirts today. Thanks eyehartdisney! I cut out the pieces to my DIL’s purse. I would have liked to have gotten more completed but at least it’s a start.

Still no sign of the missing suitcase!

Will our car reservations get fixed? What about the hotel? Are we destined to sleep in the car? (If that’s the case, I hope we get the bigger car!) Tune in tomorrow to find out.

 

[stasijane]

Goodness! you are a Busy, busy girl, and right after surgery also!

 

[DMGeurts]

HI there - I made it over from my TR! WHOOT! Glad to see you started one!

I love the idea of switching to iron on transfers... That will help your whiddle down on that list of yours.

As for the rest of it - I am just the same as you are... I am always winding up our last few days trying to finish everything we need... So, I have no advice for you - except to keep your list handy and keep trudging away at it.

WHOA! Where are you staying that they don't ahve all of your reservations?

And seriously - that is a BIG mix up with the car rental company. Hopefully they get it figured out soon... Lucky you called to check.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

D~

 

[sewdisney]

Goodness! you are a Busy, busy girl, and right after surgery also!

I have always had a full schedule. I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have a full plate! Right now I feel like I am moving at a snail’s pace though! I've never taken this long to complete projects!

HI there - I made it over from my TR! WHOOT! Glad to see you started one!

I love the idea of switching to iron on transfers... That will help your whiddle down on that list of yours.

As for the rest of it - I am just the same as you are... I am always winding up our last few days trying to finish everything we need... So, I have no advice for you - except to keep your list handy and keep trudging away at it.

WHOA! Where are you staying that they don't ahve all of your reservations?

And seriously - that is a BIG mix up with the car rental company. Hopefully they get it figured out soon... Lucky you called to check.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

D~

Hi D! So awesome to see you over here. Thanks for stopping by! Yeah, I am really happy now that I've switched to the iron on transfers. This will make my life much easier.

I am sure I will have some VERY late nights before our trip. It seems like I am always cutting the last threads, turning off the sewing machine, tossing the newly make garment into the suitcase and then running to the car to get to the airport!

 

[sewdisney]

I called the car rental company again. I was on hold for over 30 minutes. FINALLY they worked things out. They tell me that we will have a Suburban or similar type vehicle. I am glad, but I am still worried they won’t have it correct. Basically, I’ll believe it when I see it!

I called the hotel and they still tell us they can’t accommodate all of us. I told them to cancel our reservations but they said we booked at a “non-refundable” rate and they said they will still charge our credit card whether we check in or not! We really can’t stay at 2 different hotels. We have one car for all of us and it would be a huge pain in the neck to deal with 2 places. I called our credit card company and they are seeing what they can do. I am so angry with this hotel and because of the way they are dealing with this; I will NEVER stay at this hotel.

I called a different hotel and they were very helpful. I booked 2 rooms and I got 2 confirmation numbers. I called back to double check, and I still had reservations for 2 rooms – WOO HOO!

I wasn't feeling very well today so I didn't get much done. I did manage to pack most of our Fish Extender gifts (Thankfully I had finished making those a couple of months ago). I would like to ship these to the boat ahead of time. I've heard that most people who've done this have good results. And if I can ship them earlier, then I have more room in my suitcase for all my other junk!

I was able to do iron-on designs for another 6 T-shirts. Those really do go pretty quick – MUCH faster than making the t-shirts and then embroidering a design on them!

The saga on the hotel will continue tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

 

[DMGeurts]

Grrrr... How upsetting about the hotel. I sure hope that the CC company is able to step in and resolve this for you.

I am very relieved that you now have new hotel reservations...

WTG on getting your shirts knocked out!

D~

 

[sewdisney]

Grrrr... How upsetting about the hotel. I sure hope that the CC company is able to step in and resolve this for you.

I am very relieved that you now have new hotel reservations...

WTG on getting your shirts knocked out!

D~

Yeah, it is really maddening about the hotel.

I am hoping to get more sewing done in the next week or so. I am getting into panic mode now!

 

[sewdisney]

My daughter-in-law came over today. She brought us several meals so we wouldn't have to worry about cooking. We are so very lucky to have her for a daughter-in-law. We absolutely adore her. She is wonderful. My son kind-of likes her too, so that is good! DIL also helped to clean the house a little. It truly looks like a disaster area. I love my hubby, but he couldn't clean if his life depended on it! Since I've been in the hospital, between hubby and DGD, my house went to pot! It still has a long way to go to get back to decent, but at least it’s better than what it was!

I am trying to find the correct address to ship my package to the port. I've seen a couple of different addresses and I want to make sure I get the correct one!

I talked to the credit card company about the hotel fiasco again. They basically said they couldn't help me. Until the charge actually goes through, they can’t deal with it and they said once the charge does go through, since we originally booked a “non-refundable” room, they most likely can’t do anything about it. I can’t believe this. I don’t see that we have much of a choice, we are going to have to stay at this hotel for the 2 nights we booked and the rest of the family will have to stay at the other hotel.

Had a set-back in my recovery: I've been having a hard time breathing lately but it got really bad today. My asthma was bad enough I went to my primary care doctor. He figures that because of all of the anesthesia I had to have, it has created problems with my lungs. He put me on nebulizer treatments and has upped my dosage of my other asthma medicine. I am really hoping I don’t end up in the hospital again.

I didn't get anything sewn today but I did pick out the embroidery designs for one of my DGD dresses that I am planning on sewing. So assuming I ever get to sew it, at least I know what the embroidery designs will be.

Have a GREAT day everyone!

 

[DMGeurts]

That was so wonderful of your DIL to come over and help out! She sounds wonderful!

HOpefully you are able to get your box shipped to the right address - I have never shipped to the port, so I have no idea where to start with that. Sorry.

And Grrr about that hotel... I am a bit annoyed for you. I hope it all works out in the end and you are able to enjoy your trip anyways.

As for your health, I am glad you went into your Dr... Hopefully everything is resolved and there will be no need to worry about it on your trip... YOu still have 3 weeks - so hopefully you will be fully recovered by then. Sending prayers out to you.

Have a great day!

D~

 

[Iamthequeen]

My daughter-in-law came over today. She brought us several meals so we wouldn't have to worry about cooking. We are so very lucky to have her for a daughter-in-law. We absolutely adore her. She is wonderful. My son kind-of likes her too, so that is good! DIL also helped to clean the house a little. It truly looks like a disaster area. I love my hubby, but he couldn't clean if his life depended on it! Since I've been in the hospital, between hubby and DGD, my house went to pot! It still has a long way to go to get back to decent, but at least it’s better than what it was!

I am trying to find the correct address to ship my package to the port. I've seen a couple of different addresses and I want to make sure I get the correct one!

I talked to the credit card company about the hotel fiasco again. They basically said they couldn't help me. Until the charge actually goes through, they can’t deal with it and they said once the charge does go through, since we originally booked a “non-refundable” room, they most likely can’t do anything about it. I can’t believe this. I don’t see that we have much of a choice, we are going to have to stay at this hotel for the 2 nights we booked and the rest of the family will have to stay at the other hotel.

Had a set-back in my recovery: I've been having a hard time breathing lately but it got really bad today. My asthma was bad enough I went to my primary care doctor. He figures that because of all of the anesthesia I had to have, it has created problems with my lungs. He put me on nebulizer treatments and has upped my dosage of my other asthma medicine. I am really hoping I don’t end up in the hospital again.

I didn't get anything sewn today but I did pick out the embroidery designs for one of my DGD dresses that I am planning on sewing. So assuming I ever get to sew it, at least I know what the embroidery designs will be.

Have a GREAT day everyone!

Hi, I'm joining in too. I found the embroidery file for the fireworks it was from WhimsyBelle dot com. I bought a couple of designs from her, but I much prefer Frou Frou's designs. The fireworks stitched out ok though.

I have a dil like yours too. She is perfect for my son and we love her too. I can't believe that if you have 2 confirmation numbers at the hotel that they don't have 2 rooms for you. Maybe one is under a different name?

I'm sure the stress of the trip is not helping your health, so take care.

My philosophy on getting things done for the trip is that I get the most important stuff done first and then if I run out of time, its usually on the "nice to haves".

I'd love to do a cruise one of these years!

 

[sewdisney]

That was so wonderful of your DIL to come over and help out! She sounds wonderful!

HOpefully you are able to get your box shipped to the right address - I have never shipped to the port, so I have no idea where to start with that. Sorry.

And Grrr about that hotel... I am a bit annoyed for you. I hope it all works out in the end and you are able to enjoy your trip anyways.

As for your health, I am glad you went into your Dr... Hopefully everything is resolved and there will be no need to worry about it on your trip... YOu still have 3 weeks - so hopefully you will be fully recovered by then. Sending prayers out to you.

Have a great day!

D~

Yes, my DIL is wonderful. We are so happy my son found such a fabulous girl. He loves her very much and she makes him quite happy.

Yea, I am very annoyed about the hotel too. I won’t let it ruin our trip – It’s just that it’s going to make things difficult for us being in 2 different hotels. Not to mention, I don’t want to give this hotel even one red cent! I think that’s the part that really gets me the most mad!

Thanks for the prayers. I know I will not be totally recovered from the surgeries when we go on the trip, and I won’t get to do the shore excursions I wanted, but I’m happy I still get to go and I’m sure there will still be lots of things I can do. Hopefully the asthma will start behaving itself soon. I know I have 3 weeks, but I’m still getting nervous.

Hi, I'm joining in too. I found the embroidery file for the fireworks it was from WhimsyBelle dot com. I bought a couple of designs from her, but I much prefer Frou Frou's designs. The fireworks stitched out ok though.

I have a dil like yours too. She is perfect for my son and we love her too. I can't believe that if you have 2 confirmation numbers at the hotel that they don't have 2 rooms for you. Maybe one is under a different name?

I'm sure the stress of the trip is not helping your health, so take care.

My philosophy on getting things done for the trip is that I get the most important stuff done first and then if I run out of time, its usually on the "nice to haves".

I'd love to do a cruise one of these years!

Thanks for coming over. It’s nice to have you here.

Thanks for the info on the “firework” design. I really liked how you made the “ears” the same color instead of 2 different colors like she showed on her web site. I love Frou Frou’s designs. I have bought a ton of them and I have never had one sew out bad.

I always like to hear when someone likes their DIL. My mother and father-in-law absolutely HATE me. They hated me the second I walked into their son’s life and they haven’t changed since. They have made my life miserable. My hubby and I have been HAPPILY married for 28 ½ years. You’d think that after that long of a time, they’d be tired of being such meanies!

I like your philosophy on getting things done. My hubby keeps telling me the same thing. I've always done TONS of things for everyone when we go on trips and it’s hard not living up to “my standards”!

I hope you get to do a cruise soon!

 

[sewdisney]

DGD didn't have any school today. (I have custody of her so we are more “Mom” and “Dad” to her than grandma and grandpa.) When she is out of school, pretty much nothing gets done. It is our “Fall break” so she will be off of school for all of next week so I am not planning on getting much sewing done! I let her have a friend over to play. It is much easier with 2 kids than with 1. They entertain each other.

The girls played “Disney Cruise”. They packed their suitcases, they went to the airport and flew to Florida. They went to the kid’s club and road the AquaDuck (that is the water-coaster that is on the ship). It was so adorable! I guess DGD is excited about going! Her little friend told me as soon as she gets home, she is going to tell her parents she is going to go on a Disney cruise (not “wants to” but that she “is going to”). I guess I’m going to have a parent to two that is not too happy with me!

We booked the shore excursions for when we are on St Thomas. Sons, DIL and hubby will do one thing while DGD and I go off and do another. DGD wants to bring a sea shell back for every kid in her class at school so I assume we will spend quite a bit of time hunting for them.

While DGD had her friend over, I was able to make the Haunted Mansion embroidered jackets for my 2 sons. (In order to save me some time – and sanity - I decided that instead of making the jackets from scratch, I had hubby go out and buy them for me instead and then I just embroidered them.) Wish I could have gotten more done, but what are you going to do?

Where is that gosh-darn suitcase???

Have a Disney day everyone!

 

[LB1122]

Love reading this. Hope you are feeling better each day as you get closer to your amazing trip.

Love all the fun info on your shirts. and where you got the designs...gong to share with my Mom who will be helping me with shirts/

Have a blast

 

[Pooh2]

Sounds like you are very blessed with a wonderful family! Take care of yourself so you do not have any setbacks, and have a wonderful trip!

 

[sewdisney]

Love reading this. Hope you are feeling better each day as you get closer to your amazing trip.

Love all the fun info on your shirts. and where you got the designs...gong to share with my Mom who will be helping me with shirts/

Have a blast

I'm glad you are enjoying reading this. I've never done a TR before and I've never been much of a writer. I will be posting pictures of our shirts, etc on a TR after our trip so please look for those in November!

Sounds like you are very blessed with a wonderful family! Take care of yourself so you do not have any setbacks, and have a wonderful trip!

I am so very blessed to have my wonderful family. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to have them.

Thanks, I am hoping for no more setbacks and I am planning on a wonderful trip!

 

[sewdisney]

Today DH and I had a TON of shopping. I bought a lot of food at the grocery store. I haven’t been grocery shopping for over 2 ½ weeks so we were at the bare minimum.

I got several nice cuts of meat and some nice fruits and veggies.

We went to my niece’s birthday party. DGD had a great time – there was face painting and balloon animal sculptures. Honestly, I was very tired and not feeling well so I didn't enjoy myself all that much. But as long as all the little ones had fun, that’s what’s important.

We booked the shore excursions for St Maartin. One son and DIL will go do one thing. Other son and DH will do a second thing and DGD and I will go off by ourselves.

Several months ago, we made a “countdown chain” to help DGD figure out how many days to go. It is now to the point that it is short enough that it keeps falling off our railing. DGD was getting mad at it until I told her the reason it keeps falling off is that there are not many “links” and the reason that there are not many “links” is because there isn't many days left before we leave. Boy, that certainly made her happy! She wasn't so mad at that chain anymore.

It was a very busy day and after all that shopping and the party, I was too tired and hurting too much to sew so nothing got made today.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

 

[DMGeurts]

Sounds like you had a busy day and you were able to get a lot accomplished.

Too funny about the chain - glad dgd is happier at it now. LOL

I hope you are feeling better soon.

D~