I have been lamenting the fact that I am not at Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, PA this weekend, but you know what – in the long run, it turned out that HERE is where I am supposed to be.
I want to thank those who sent me photos of my display in the Kansas City Star booth! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!
It made me happy to know that you were trolling the aisles, soaking up the excitement and getting all that fabric and color overload. Hopefully you left eager to start new projects and have a renewed passion for those things we love most….QUILTS!
Jill sent me some great shots and I want to share them with you:
I Spy a Book Display!
Winston Ways, Easy Street and Lazy Sunday!
Midnight Flight!
This cracked me up….can you SEE the large book cover placcard there hanging in front of the quilt? It’s like it is in camouflage! But I’m happy with the display that Kansas City Star put up…SO much color….front and center! There is no way you could miss this display in the booth.
A farther away shot! Yes, this is a Quiltville Corner!
HALF of market! WOW!
I wish all those who traveled from far and wide and near as well a safe arrival home ---
Now for the reason I am GLAD that I am here at home….you know about the electrical strike we had here. This morning we found out that we will also most likely have to replace the washer/dryer combo as the strike took out the pump on the washing machine. I was washing a load of sheets this morning getting ready for the NEXT time we are able to come up ---and the machine unceremoniously dumped a full washer load of water on the kitchen floor, seeping it into the dining room carpet, and through the floor to the sewing area/work room in the basement below.
It’s a complete and utter mess and there were not enough towels to handle the disaster.
We have $1,000 deductible on our insurance, so we were on the fence as to whether make a claim or not. Claims make your insurance rates go UP. Heaven forbid you ever need to use the money you have paid in premiums due to a disaster such as this ---
But the old 1999 washer/dryer stacked combo may have tipped us in favor of making a claim. Or….were they on the outs anyway and it is just one of those things that need to be replaced after 15 years anyhow? Is it worth making a claim?
So…..soppy towels hanging from the outside deck railing, I’m glad we are tackling this pain-in-the-neck disaster the two of us instead of me arriving alone to find it, or bringing up quilt friends to deal with it when all we wanted to do was spend a weekend sewing.
It’s Sunday. There is no getting the washing machine guy or the electrical guy out to come do an assessment. So we are planning on a long hike with Sadie, and will head down the mountain this afternoon. I still have a trunk show to pack for heading to Los Angeles in the morning ((6:15am flight…ugh… so fun to arrive at the airport at 4:30am…NOT!!)) and there are other “at home things” left to be done before I go.
And the upside is – I now have a VERY CLEAN kitchen floor at the cabin!
31 comments:
sorry to hear you have so many things to replace! happened to us years ago but back then BC - before computers lol - it was things like the toaster, phone, a light, the freezer! a clock - I can see conflicted on if you should go through the insurance or not - guess you will need to wait and see what happens with the wet floors and if things dry out - carpet might have to go!
Bonnie: So sorry to hear about your disaster at home. That is a lot to deal with. Our washing machine went out last night when we heard an odd whirring noise. Washer would agitate but not expel the water. After dumping 5 buckets of water down the bathtub drain, I realize how HEAVY all the water is in our washers. But to have it go on to your floor and carpet, UGH!! I feel for ya! But just another bump in the road. You will get a new machine and it will be ready for all the fabric you will buy in future for quilts!
bellemarie58@comcast.net
Hi Bonnie
Just like you to find the upside of things! I am sorry for all the troubles at the cabin. Safe travels tomorrow.
So sorry to hear of your problems, but yes, that is where you needed to be. Also, THANK YOU for your nine patch tutorial, loved it! You help us work with the scraps we have to make the steps easier to make beautiful quilts! 22
Do have an electrician check all the wiring, with all the damage you might have more than you realize. Have a safe trip tomorrow!!! Great booth at Market!!!!
Hugs!!!!
Before you make a claim, you should see if the surge protector company has insurance for those items plugged into those.
Your quilts on display at market look great! Sorry about the mess at Quiltvilla, but as you've said, it could have been much worse. Keep smiling...this too shall pass!
man, I feel for you girl. It is hard enough to work all day and come home expecting a nice relaxing weekend and boom more work. I hope everything goes good for you in LA and maybe think about flying in a day early so you're rested and relaxed for your Quilting gals? It might be better for everyone if your not so tired and rushed. Just think about it. Take care of yourself we really love all you do for us. Have a wonderful weekend
I know this an expensive pain in the neck for you. Sounds like your cabin may have actually been hit by lightning. You may need to go old school and unplug what you can each time you leave.
WOW I hope that is the end of the broken things for you. My(electricly inclined) hubby says if plug ins and panel box are secure and not damaged, it was a good surge you got. Not that that is a consolation at all. But you are great at looking on the bright side...new machines to use and a clean floor! Hope you next visit to the cabin is better!!
Oh, Bonnie. So sorry you have to deal with this headache. I hate to add more to the worries, but Roberta has a good point. You may want to have an electrician thoroughly check everything to be sure, including all the power lines and the breaker box. You never know when some bit of damage might cause worse problems down the road. Hang in there, and safe travels tomorrow!
Also meant to say that I noticed the 'camo' book cover in front of Midnight Flight when you posted the other day, and it made me chuckle. Your quilts (and books) look amazing in the booth - they just sing! No one could walk by that booth and not feel uplifted.
I know how much you were looking forward to a relaxing weekend after your 10 day trip and the last thing you needed was to have to find one problem after another. Spit, spit and spit some more!! And this too shall pass, and hopefully all will be just fine for the rest of your summer there. Feeling your exhaustion though....take care of yourself and get lots of rest!
So sorry you are having to go through so much because of storm damage. Lightning came in on my phone line about 15 years ago, and everything electrical in my house was damaged. I had my electrician check everything, and he suggested I not file a claim for several months since lightning damage may have caused additional problems we did not experience initially. We found several more problems as the months passed. but i did finally file a claim. I also had a whole house surge protector put in - just in case lightning struck twice!
just because you file a claim on your insurance it does not mean that your premiums will go up. It depends on your insurance company. We have had to file claims on ours and have yet to have a rise in our premiums because of them. Allstate has an ad on tv now that states that your premium won't go up just because you file a claim. It would be worth it to check it out.
I think you should investigate replacing your cabin washer and dryer with a similar set from Craigslist or something somewhere between home and the cabin... would be an adventure and thrifty enough you wouldn't have to file the claim! lol Sorry all that happened tho. I had a hard saturday myself and quilting today to Thursday nites quilt cam repeat sure was fun! thanks for doing those when you have time.. safe travels to the opposite coast! Kathi
Bonnie, it seems that with all the damaged items you have had to replace you would be fling a claim already. This is all due to the same event so it would seem that only one deductible would be charged. I would definitely talk to my insurance agent to see what the options are. I had a claim once after a similar situation and never experienced a rise in premium.
Sounds like your house might have gotten a lightning strike. You might want to look into a whole house surge protector that's tied into the electrical panel. Some recommend individual surge protector for each appliance in addition to the whole house protector.
Barbara in MD
www.stashoverflow.wordpress.com
I can hear Gilda Radnor saying, "It's always something!" Bummer. Have a good trip...
That lightning strike is sure causing you all kinds of headache. Do you have someone who can go into your cabin an make sure things dry out properly? Carpets can mold, floors can buckle. And, don't be surprised if your fridge gives up the ghost before too long. Actually anything that was plugged in. Damage sometimes doesn't show up in some things until weeks or months later. That's why if you do put in an insurance claim, you don't sign off on anything until a good amount of time has passed....though they will want you to sign right away that the claim is complete. Have a good flight and enjoy your time in CA with a bunch of quilters.
Bonnie, I had a similar situation a number of years ago. Guy replacing my water heater disconnected the washer drain to drain the water heater and neglected to reconnect it. $16,000 worth of damage to my 3 year old laminate flooring. Insurance company paid and my rates did not go up. They did go after Sears and after several years they settled. I was able to get back half of my deductible. File the clsim.
Our house was hit by lightning and caught on fire two years ago, it was an almost $200,000 claim. It came in through our electrical system. Our rates did NOT go up but they did require us to get a surge protection system so that it never happens again. You may find a bunch of other things that are damaged, add it up and if it's over $1,000 I would go ahead and file a claim. That's what insurance is for, right?
File with the insurance and note the amount of time you put in on replacing and cleaning. The insurance company usually reimburses for labor for the clean up-at a semi-decent rate! been there, done that (put in 17 hours the first day alone hauling stuff out of the basement and drying wet fabric!) Also, if anything else goes out, you have the claim started and up to a year to add to it if needed!
Personally I'd say don't file the claim unless your damages & such total at lEAST twice your deductible. After that, go for it.
There is only so much one can do, then a walk in the woods is the solution.
Your premiums might not go up at all. We had a full roof replaced through State Farm and our home owner rates stayed the same. Now if you wreck your car......that is another story!
What a mess! But I love how you are always so positive about things - you are inspiring in so many ways.
Prayers for a better day filled with the joy of those you love and those little things that make you smile. :)
So sorry you had such a mess. I know from experience what a job it can be. Our house took a direct lightning strike years ago. Hit the antenna on the house and came in through the attic and left the house through the electrical services and hit the transformer, killing the power. We were lucky it didn't burn the house down. Sheet rock was blown off the walls and all of the wiring had to be replaced plus lots of things. $15,000 later it was all put back together. As for the water damage, we know about that too. The fill tube on the upstairs toilet came out of the large tube and sprayed water out against the wall. It was flushed at 10:30 am and we didn't return home until 5 pm. We have a split level house, and there was a water fall in the stair way from level 4 to level 2. Water in hall carpet, bedroom carpet and so many other places. Took a lot of shop vac time and then some had to be replaced. It all works out in the end and a positive attitude helps so much.
Glad you didn't have anything more serious.
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