It's amazing how much of a bed a small cat can take up. Random maxed out at 9 pounds (but usually was closer to 8) and if she was determined to she could get in the middle and shove us both to the edges of a queen size bed. Even with claws fully sheathed those little paws are pointy as heck, and a couple of those planted in your kidneys or belly are pretty effective at moving a sleeping or semi-sleeping person. We had to pick her up and move her down to the foot of the bed when she pulled that trick. (We're both allergic to cats AND dogs, but it's just permanent snot and somewhat itchy eyes so it's never stopped us from having critters.) Her favorite place to sleep was under the covers, curled tightly into a ball right behind my knees, and even though it's been 2 years and a month since she left us sometimes I wake up and could swear on any holy book you'd care to produce that she'd been there. She had a lovely little bed of her own - actually several over the course of her lifetime - but she wanted nothing to do with it until about the last week of her life. She preferred any cardboard box she could jam herself into, draping herself over piles of books (the more pointy corners the better, go figure), the computer monitor (tail flicking back and forth across the screen; we had to take the case to both the monitor and cpu apart regularly to vacuum out the cat hair), and the very moment someone got out of bed she was curled up against that pillow while it was still warm. Pointless to make the bed, mustn't disturb the cat! She even decided to take a snooze in a plastic tarp... My 35 pound dog does the same thing, but neither as effectively nor as subtly as Random did. He just overtly shoves. Remember that a second cat means double the vet bills and there's certainly no guarantee that they're going to get along. I prefer to have a solo cat - I've had a pair twice and won't do it again - and some cats just prefer to be solos as well. Once I "inherited" my roommate's pair of littermates when for all intents and purposes moved in with her BF, and the second time I fell into the trap of "kitty must be lonely while I'm at work (even though kitty showed no signs of loneliness or distress when left alone) so must get kitty a playmate". With the first pair, the littermates, they were so completely bonded to each other and except for "humans are where the food comes from" couldn't have given a poot in a high wind about the very existence of my BF and me. Play with the humans? Cuddle with the humans? Yehrite! When roommate moved out she took them with her - they were legally hers per the adoption papers from the SPCA - and I cannot say that I was terribly brokenhearted to see them go. The second time, the two cats did not get along particularly well even after months together and rather than fight with each other, they redirected their dissatisfaction into wholesale destruction and attacking ME, and neither showed interest in being affectionate or playful with me even when the other one wasn't around (such as digging a hole in the bottom of my box spring to create a hiding place or pooping in my shoes). I rehomed the second cat with a co-worker and original cat's disposition improved dramatically, she returned to being the chatty, playful "Velcro kitty" I had adopted. At shelters I took to looking for the cards marked "does not get along well with other cats"!

To get an idea of the range of prices charged for quilts, check etsy.com. Charging by the hour may not be the best plan because your customers really don't care how long it takes you. Probably they wouldn't believe how long it takes! They care about the finished product. The quality of the materials used, the skill of the quilter, the overall beauty of the quilt, how the piecing and the quilting interact and balance, the ease of care, the uniqueness of the design - these are some of the things that influence the value. I have to agree with Teresa in that mixing fabrics can be very tricky and usually not very pleasing. Your customer might want that and you might agree to do it, but I would discuss the issues with them first. Keep in mind that by charging an unreasonably low price, even to get started, you may be influencing the perceived value of quilting in your area. You are charging for more than your time and the materials - it's your skill and creativity that make quilting an art. Tell us more! It sounds like an interesting project. Kate

Since she is paying for the materials, etc. I would charge her an hourly rate for your time. What is the minimum wage in your area? That is the cost of unskilled labor. You are skilled labor. You should get at least around twice the unskilled labor cost. Perhaps more. It depends on your area and what people will pay. Why do you charge less than the dry cleaners? Is it to get more business? Is it because your location is inconvenient to your customers and you feel you have to 'make it up to them' in price? If you're doing this because you have 'extra time', that doesn't mean you have to give it away to people. As a person who has taken the time to learn sewing skills, and does a good job, you are valuable! Don't give it away for free! :-)

>>but I don't see how becoming a single parent and putting my kids through that constant struggle is better than what's going on now. >> My Asian parents stayed together for eight years after things went sour, because they had the whole "we're together for the sake of our children." My spouse's mother agonized for almost two decades about divorcing her husband and marrying a family friend. He and I have been together for, oh, about 40 years now. We BOTH agree, the idea of "staying married for the kids" is one of the cruelest and most self-deceptive things parents can do. Both of us were infinitely relieved when our parents respectively divorced and married people who suited them better. Your kids know there is trouble already. They may not be able to verbalize it and are certainly not old enough to analyze it. But they KNOW there is trouble in Paradise and that there is tension 24/7 in their lives. Children are very sensitive to those kinds of emotional messages; you can't hide from people you are living with day-to-day. If she can't or won't be a good mother, let her go. Maybe she will be able to better express affection for them when it's on her own terms and she isn't feeling pressured by outside expectations. If that means she's a part-time mom, that's not the worst thing in the world for them. Children need to be loved and encouraged. They don't need a fantasy that they're the center of everybody's world, because they aren't. Give them a good life. Give them joy, reassurance that you will be there for them, and a sense of hope. Don't try to give them the "perfect" life, because you can't. No parent can.