Shopping or Quilting?

I was engaging in a little retail therapy today. It started with taking my Janome Memory Craft 6000 into Johnson's Sewing Centre/Quilter's Dream. The 6000 hasn't been used in quite a number of years and I figured I'd better have it serviced before I start using it again. Actually, both sewing machines and the serger had all been neglected while I got my life, my career and my education going the way I wanted them to (post divorce). I intend to take them in one at a time as I can't afford to get them all serviced at one. Nor do I wish to do without at least one machine. So I can still sew while one is in the shop. I'm planning on making the 6000 the machine on which I will do my quilting as it has a decent cabinet. The 8000 just sits on a desk. My dream is to get a Sylvia Design corner unit cabinet. They're found at this link: Sewing Machine Cabinets. The model I'm wishing for is the 1810Q. Quilter's Dream also sells them. They're pretty awesome, in my opinion. Here's what I picked up at Quilter's Dream today:

They were having a buy 3, get one free, on thread. Could be any thread, mix or match, and they have lots of it because they sell embroidery machines, so carry lots of options for embroiderers, not just quilters. The orange-y thread is Sulky 30 wt. long staple cotton. The greenish spool is King Tut 40 wt.
I enrolled in a "Learn to Machine Quilt" class on Annie's Crafts. I intend to take the plunge soon and try free motion quilting. In my previous quilting life, I only used stitch-in-the-ditch and straight lines. While at Quilters Dream, I bought some supplies: quilting gloves, a teflon mat and a couple of metres of fabric for doing a machine quilting sampler. Just love those batiks. The course actually recommended a solid fabric and all the same fabric, but these batiks were on sale!  And why not have the back different from the front? I also picked up some fusible basting for batting. I thought that sounded like a great idea. Finally, a couple of patterns for placemats, one includes a runner. I figure I can practice my new FMQ skills on these before I tackle one of my quilts. But I have to actually finish a quilt top first. :-)
While in Quilter's Dream, I also met a new quilting buddy. She's probably about 20 years older than me, but we just got to talking in the store and found a "common thread." She said she will be moving to the island soon (around here that means Vancouver Island, which has about the most mild climate in Canada) and doesn't know anyone there, plus a lot of her friends her age have passed away, so asked if I would be an email pal. So we exchanged email addresses. Her name is Gloria and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better via email and sharing our quilts and our lives. 
After Quilter's Dream I went to look for a new pair of glasses. I had received a coupon for 50% off plus a free pair of Kardashian sunglasses from Sears Optical. I normally buy my glasses locally, but this sounded like a deal I needed to check out. And since I was going to the city anyway, I decided to find a Sears Optical outlet and explore. I decided to go to the one at Southgate Shopping Centre since it's been a long time since I'd been there. It will probably be a much longer time before I go there again. It's probably the second busiest Mall in Edmonton, second only to West Edmonton Mall. Yes, you know that world famous huge mega-mall, which is always busy. And I very seldom go there either. Maybe once every 4 or 5 years. I don't remember Southgate being so busy. Maybe it's because school's out. I had to park 3 miles from the door. Yes, I"m exaggerating, but only slightly. LOL. I had lunch in the food court and could hardly hear myself think. Sears was quite peaceful, however, for which I am thankful. I do NOT like crowds. Or noise. And I was the only customer in the optical outlet for most of the time I was there. When I got there, I was informed that they were having a 2 for 1 sale, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that or my coupon. Surprisingly enough I found 2 frames that I really liked quite quickly. I say surprisingly because I can take hours sometimes. It can be time consuming switching back and forth between my glasses and the new ones I want to try, having to practically stick my nose on the mirror so that I can actually see what I look like with the new ones on. Then switching back and forth between different new ones to make the best decision. So, as I said, I found 2 I really liked quite quickly. But I had prayed about it, too. God knew that I didn't want to waste a whole lot of time trying on glasses. Then the Kardashian sunglasses - we -the salesperson and I, that is - found a pair that I liked right off. Well, what good are those sunglasses when I can't see with them on? I never wear contacts. So, I opted to have prescription sunglasses put in those frames. Now I'll have two pairs of clear lenses, plus one pair of prescription sunglasses, all for around the same price as what I normally pay for one pair plus clip-ons or fitovers. And I still have my fitovers. I'm hoping they will fit over the new glasses as well. Unfortunately, I did not find any green frames. That's what I've really been wanting. My office glasses have a purple frame and I had a previous pair in purple. Now I wanted to do green, but twas not to be. I'll have to take a picture of the new ones when I get them. That will be easier than describing them. 
I really do enjoy shopping. But do I enjoy shopping more than quilting? Tough choice. What do you think?
Hmm, worst part about today was all the construction! We have a standing joke in Alberta: there are only two seasons in Alberta - winter and construction. Just about every major street/highway I was on today had construction going on. The Anthony Henday was terrible - slowed down to about 10km/hr at times. I skipped the worst part of the Henday on the way home by going through Sherwood Park, only to find constuction blocking my way there as well. Oh well, I'm home safe and have my new purchases to be excited about.