A Day I Don't Believe for Even Me???????????

We have to settle for pictures of my shy little boy - Bandit. Was it because I did not try - NOPE!  I tried every which way I could & I Hate our phone company & our electric company. Why ? You might ask-well let me tell you a story.

It was nice this morning & I did all the chores & was quiet proud that I got it accomplished in a reasonable amount of  time. All I had to do now was feed us & be on my way to projects I was dreaming of accomplishing . After all , I had almost a full day in front of me.

I did put a load of laundry in while I was studying what to tackle next. Well - our oldest son has a birthday this coming Monday & I had hopes of getting him a shirt made out of the black & white camo fabric . I wanted to embroider him a deer or something hunting related to the front of it. I decided that a light brown deer would really stand out on the dark black shades.

In order to accomplish this goal I would have to tackle that green shirt for me -the one that got stuck on the embroidery machine when it froze up?? Yes, I have it saved in the drawer right here! My first thought was Is there ANY way that I might get lucky enough to line up the project in the hoop with this Brother PE-700II embroidery machine????? Well, I was going to give it my best shot.

I found the design & the size that I needed & downloaded it into the machine . That part worked -yea!
The next problem was that the design showed up UPSIDE DOWN!  Hum? Warning , Warning?
I worked for two hours -using every trick I could think of  - then I pulled out the manual & read everything they had written (which did not include any information on downloading designs from the computer to your machine??) Well, another hour into the problem I sweet talked that design into standing upright in the position I was aiming for -(miracle)  It has a test button to mark off where you design will be sewn & I discovered I was a little off target, which did not surprise me one little bit. I was PREPARED!

After another sweet talking session I finagled it into the right position ! (Another miracle)  I checked it on the computer & I rechecked it on the machine & I let it plunge that needle down to see what would happen?
Miracle ! This has to be too good to be true for me -it is in the perfect place where it should be. I was delirious with joy , so I hit the on button & she roared to life - ONLY _ everything in the house went off. Yep, our electricity went off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (We are having terrible winds) I know I looked like a blown up toad frog , as my eyes bug out & my face turns blue!!!!!!!!!!!

No , he is not growing - he is Smiling - but his expression made me think of me!!!!!!!!!!
About the time I get over fit number 1 -the electricity comes back on? I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but I go check & Sure Enough my hard earned design is no longer on the machine?????

Well, since I had found it once -maybe luck would be with me ? I check & find it on the computer once again -but EVERYTIME that I attempt to send it to the computer it goes back to being UPSIDE DOWN.After an hour of fighting with it I get the bright idea to pull out my flashdrive & see if I had saved a copy there? Yes, I do find the flashdrive & YES the design is on there.  So, I poke that booger into the computer & download that "puppy" onto the machine . YEA  again!

So, I work & work & thing & fuss and finally run that check to see if I am anywhere in the right position & discover that this makes the second time I have pulled  off a miracle for me. ;-)  Summoning my courage I hit that run button & heave a sigh of relief when the machine takes right off like it is suppose to -But- yep everything in the house goes off once again. (can you see the steam starting ?????)  I just cannot believe it- who in the world would ever be that cruel to me. As I hit the living room the electricity comes back on & everything roars to life -except for DH's television that he is attempting to watch an old western on. Does it come right back on - NO- it takes a half an hour to reprogram itself & now DH is not too  happy either because he misses the end of the story.  (I told him I was thinking about taking a  gun & going down to the road & shoot their transformer -maybe then someone would actually Fix something ???

of course I know what is facing me so I decide to take a break & eat an apple . I use DH's neato apple peeling tool that peels the apple & cuts it in slices -does all the work for you- only it does peel the apple - only it does not cut it into slices. (Is this a warning of some kind?????)

I decide I will put that crockpot of  lima bean soup on to heat while I go back to the dungeon(wellllll - it is starting to feel that way)

OK - back one more time & same deal all over again -another hour of time desperately hoping that things will go right this time before I do go shoot that transformer. OK -once again I get very lucky & am so happy. I actually get the eyeballs sewn on the birds I have been working on -only the white is just too pale & does not show up good-so I decide to use a brighter white . The first eyeballs start & I like what I am seeing -when all of a sudden the thread gets locked up in that take up lever & yep the thread is tied up !

Now I have written Brother & asked them IF this machine has some kind of mechanical flaw to it???? This is what they said:
Dear Brother Customer,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.  We apologize for any
inconvenience you have experienced.

There is not a defect in this machine.  Unfortunately, especially if you
are doing a lot of embroidery, thread can break and get caught in the
thread take up lever.  This is something that can happen in any
sewing/embroidery machine.  We are sorry that the Authorized Service
Center did not find this problem when you took it to them.

In the future, we would recommend that you clean the machine often of
any excess lint and thread.  If any issues occur, please contact our
Customer Service Department at 1-877-276-8437.  The hours of operation
are Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:45pm CST.  Someone will be happy to try
and assist you by phone.  We also have several Authorized Service
Centers that aren't in Danville and may be new ASC locations.  Please
check the link below for up to date ASC locations:

http://www.brother-usa.com/service/

You can also send the machine in to our in-house repair group for
repair.  You just need to contact our Customer Service Department for a
Return Authorization.

Again, we apologize for the trouble you have experienced. We hope this
information will be useful to you.  If we can be of further assistance,
please let us know.

Sincerely,


Facsimile E-mail Support
Brother International Corporation, USA
faxsupp@brother.com

http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public_s/index-usa.html

Well, time to take another break so I go check on that soup in the crockpot to see if it is hot enough to eat. I should have know better - for some reason it is just as cold as it was when I took it from the fridg.??? I wiggle the buttons just to make sure I turned it on -yes, I actually did so next I make sure it is plugged in & yes it is ?

So, I call Mr. Magic Fingers in to take a look at it. He repeats the same steps that I did & yep - it starts to heat!

So, I decide to run outdoors & complete my night chores. It is now BLUE - BLAZING COLD! It is horrible! I wrap up with double clothes & two scarves & it is still miserable. It is so cold that it takes my breath. I drop the treats to the guinea pigs & dump out everybody's almost frozen water bowls so they won't be so hard to deal with in the morning. I start up the hill to lock up the chickens & they all come running TOWARD me?? What in the world is going on - I give them grief all the way up to their house & then discover the wind has blown the tire & wooden prop that I use to keep the door open until they go to bed- shut on them & they cannot get in????????????? I prop it back open & tell them to hurry into their house. They seem very glad to do what I ask them for a change. Those little tail feathers are really whipping in the wind. As the last one enters I lock the door & step over & pick up an armful of small wood laying at their house. The wind & temperatures are really starting to hurt me now so I take off to the gate -only to be met by one lonely little hen. !!!!!!!!!!! I want to just say heck on her & head to the warn spot-but no - that would not be right . I circle back around their house & open the door & step back so she will not see me &  bang that door blows closed once again. O-Golly - Jeepers!!!!! If I were not so cold I would have a "wind-fit" . I grab it & hold onto it begging her to come on -and she finally does. She squeezes in with her flock members so their body heat will help all of them together -and I do not have to worry about something eating her.

Back to the wood stove & I put more wood in the stove & I learn a new lesson- Scarves that flop loose can get hung on the wood that you throw into the stove & almost catch fire & it is still hooked onto ME! Yipes!  O Glory Be - let me go to the house & HIDE somewhere. This bitter cold is so bad.

Yes, that dumb machine is still hung up - it did not fix itself ! I have taken the front off of it & can see the thread hung up down in there -but I cannot figure how to get to it? I do not want to break it because I would lose the chance to get to where the problem is.

Well, I guess my DS will not be getting a birthday surprise -unless - the surprise is that his Mom forgot his birthday for the first time in 39 years.

I sincerely hope that each of you have had a day like I"dreamed of" - not like the day I have lived through It feels like a whole day wasted. But , I guess that is the way that the cookie crumbles.  LOL