Slow Down & Take Your Time, So You Don't Waste Your Time!

This has been my motto for a long time, but I don't always remember to adhere to it. I am going to make a BIG sign and put it up in my sewing room. The problem is not always with my sewing, though! You may remember that I made some outdoor chair covers for a lady recently. They were very easy to make, but I wasn't sure on the center casings if the right sides or the wrong sides should be sewn together. So, of course, I did them the wrong way. No problem, she went ahead and paid me anyway, and I brought them home and fixed them. Easy!

• Then, I put them in a plastic Walmart bag and put them in my car so I could take them to her.
• Well, the same day I decided to take some shoes and a few clothing items to a charity center between my house and where this lady works. I had those things in Walmart plastic bags, too. You can probably figure out where this story is leading! LOL!
  
• Anyhow, I stopped at the charity place which was closed, but that's not a problem because they have outside bins that you can put your stuff in. Now I know you know where this story is leading! Yes, when I got my stuff out of the car, I did not pay attention to what I was doing, and yes, I put her chair covers in the bin along with my give away stuff! ARGGGG! Of course, I didn't realize it at the time.
  
• I went on to where this lady works to deliver the chair covers. I also had these towel shorts to deliver to my friend who also works at the same place. (Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to sew simple repetitive things anymore for anyone except for my grands, but these are sooooo simple and I really didn't mind making these. I am planning to make more for my littles.

Back to the story.

• I got out of my car and looked in the back seat which is where I put the bag with the seat covers along with the things I was taking for charity.
  
• Yep, that's when I realized what I had PROBABLY done! Actually I KNEW what I had done at that moment; I was just hoping that MAYBE I had failed to put THAT bag in my car.
  
• So, I took in the shorts and told a little fib,( shame, shame, shame on me) that I had left the chair covers at home and that I'd be back.
  

• All the while, I'm thinking......
• can I go buy more fabric and make some more?
  
• Or, can I go back to the charity place and hope that my bag hadn't really gone into the bin, maybe, just maybe, the bin was full enough that my bag was just kind of laying on the top, and I could get it back without anyone seeing me get it?
  
• Or, if I couldn't get it, who could I call, what could I do? So, I first went back home, knowing full well that it wasn't there. And, I was right, it wasn't.
  
• Then, I went back to the charity place, which by the way is on a VERY, BUSY, MAIN highway. I looked in the bin and, nope, I couldn't see anything. My stuff obviously was at the bottom. I found out later that it had been emptied just before I put my stuff in it. I guess that was one lucky thing for me. At least I hadn't put my stuff in just before it was emptied.
  
• I called a couple of people who I know who volunteer at this place. NONE of them answered their phones. PANIC!!!!
  
• Okay, so I could go buy more fabric and make another set of covers, but then I would have to admit to this lady what I had done because I had already given back her old one that I measured by, etc.... AND remember, she had already paid me.
  
• Okay, what to do, what to do? I called the number that was on the bin and got a lady from Alabama; I'm in Tennessee. She didn't really know what to tell me to do, but she said she'd check and call me back. She did. Bless her. But, she wasn't much help. She gave me the number of someone in Chattanooga, more than an hour drive one way.
  
• I decided to go by the house of one of our friends who volunteers at this place, maybe he would be in his yard. LUCK WAS WITH ME FINALLY! He was out in his yard. His nephew was there, too. Anyhow, he called someone who had a key who would meet me there in 20 minutes. YEA!!!! I mention the nephew, because this gentleman, his nephew, and his whole family go to our church. I really didn't want my DH to know I had done this, and so far he doesn't. I guess he will if he decides to read my blog, but I don't think he ever does. This nephew almost slipped and told my DH at church yesterday!!!lol
• But, the good news is that the gentleman he called did meet me in 20minutes,he unlocked the bin where I found my bag of chair covers at the very back. Thank goodness there wasn't much stuff in there at that point!!! I felt so guilty TAKING something from this bin! Who knows who all drove by and recognized my car and saw me getting something OUT of the bin!!!!!! Remember this is a small town.
• I got them delivered to the lady without her ever knowing about my drama. Of course, she will probably find out, but at least she didn't know what was going on at the time.
  
• I'm sure my DH will hear this from someone sometime. Actually, a lady at my church who always knows everything about everybody asked me about it yesterday. She has radar!!
  
• I can imagine that my DDs, who do read my blog are thinking, "What's so surprising about this? It's just one more really embarrassing thing our mom has done! What will we do with her when she gets even worse? Yep, she's showing signs, and has been for a long time, of dementia, or insanity, or whatever!"
  
• I felt certifiable that day for sure!