Spring break, lemon pies, and a *pop!* *fizz*

  I have to say that I am very excited for the next week! Alex finished up all his schoolwork for this term and now he doesn't have to do school until the 28th! We plan to take advantage of every free minute to spend together. One of the days next week we're going to visit the antique shops downtown, the thrift stores, quilt shops, and the old pharmacy where we can get a phosphate soda for a quarter! A different day we'll probably drive up to the nearest big town and spend a day at the mall, maybe try on weird clothes, and laugh at how expensive clothes are at mall stores. *Happy sigh* I'm also looking forward to getting to sleep until I'm not tired anymore! These past few days Alex has been working really hard at getting his schoolwork done, we had a couple very late nights, followed by an insistent alarm after what seemed like hardly enough sleep. I can't bear to lay in bed and keep sleeping when he has been so diligent about getting up and working, so I've been getting up with the alarm too. I'm very proud of my hard-working husband!

  I also discovered that there is something about lemon pies...I just can't get one to turn out right! I have tried three different times in my life, each and every time the lemon part doesn't set up. I was rather bummed because the meringue was beautiful on this last one! It still tastes good, even if it is runny, and the meringue part is super sticky because of how many days it sat in the fridge trying to set up.

  You know what else? I am apparently not meant to handle older sewing machines. I had a friend give me a sewing machine last week because of all the projects I have been working on. She wasn't sure if it was in working condition or not, so the other night I tried messing around with it for an hour or so. The dial for the bobbin tension is broken off so I have no way of knowing what it's set at. I'm also not very experienced with fixing sewing machines, or knowing what they are supposed to be set at. So after a while of having it seem to be working then suddenly the top thread snapping and flying away, I put the machine away. I'm hoping to take it in to get an estimate this coming week.
 So, today I stopped by Mom and Grandma's house to say hi, and while I was there I asked if I could borrow their sewing machine. They said that would be fine, and I carted it back up the hill with me. I was excited to get started on altering my dress. (The one I mentioned a few posts ago.) I should have known the the little exposed wire in the cord was more than a minor problem when I tried plugging the machine in and the needle immediately started moving up and down, as if someone was standing on the presser foot! No, I just moved things around a little bit then started threading the machine. Suddenly there was a loud *pop* and a flash right where the cord plugged into the sewing machine. The light above the presser foot flashed, then went out, and sparks flew at me. I watched them fizz out on the carpet and just hunched my shoulders feeling a bit of despair. The cord fizzing out had also flipped a breaker, which I didn't realize until I went to fix dinner and the refrigerator light didn't come on. I got the breaker flipped back though, and had dinner ready by the time Alex got home. After we ate, we walked down and told Grandma I had blown up her machine. She explained that it was actually her mom's machine and has been around for about 64 years! It probably was quite ready for the cord to be replaced. My smart husband is going to cut off the shorted ends, strip off some of the wire casing, and re-wire it to the plug. One of these days I will get that dress finished.

Meanwhile, we're gonna relax, eat some pie with a spoon, and watch a movie together!