A Snail's Pace

 

Yes -- I promised some homework pictures, and well - it's not going to happen this morning!

I had one of the most productive days that I've had in a long time. I was just like a snail - slow and steady. Or was that the turtle? The other day after the rain, I saw two snails trying to get into the house! At least they were climbing the front steps. I've never seen them on the steps before, and when I got home from my walk, one had crossed the step, and the other was gone. So those things can move!

A visitor on the front step

The second snail ascending the stairs

This is the one I saw when I got back to the house. He had completely crossed the step.  Have you ever noticed that their shells don't seem to be straight? 

Snail on the move

We have a pair of cardinals in the backyard. They are very noisy, and the male is not scared. Well, they are skittish, but he's pretty OK to hang out on the birdfeeder. They sure have a BIG beak. The picture is fuzzy as I had to take it through the window. He's not shy, but he wasn't hanging around when I went to the door. 

The cardinal pigging out at the birdfeeder

The little lady, in the dull outfit, flew up to the top of the gazebo. 

Mrs. Cardinal keeps a safe distance

Remember the other day when I said I couldn't find the foot controls for a couple of my sewing machines? I had glanced in the bucket where this stuff is supposed to be stored, but I didn't see them. Well, when I looked a little bit harder - there they were! Two of them - now how could I miss that??  Too much in a hurry!

My foot controls for the sewing machines

I decided to get my butt out on my bike, but I didn't want to go too far - I did have work to do. So I zipped around the neighborhood for 25 KM. WOW -- I discovered some bike paths and trails that I never knew existed in the city. So that was kind of fun, and I should do that more often - just zip around the city - there's no need to go out into the country. 

And I will say that there were NO incidents with cars. People were quite accommodating, so that was refreshing. 

A beautiful bike path in the city

I finished off the binding on the customer quilt, and I hope to get it dropped off later today. 

Binding is done on the customer quilt

A little more sewing happened, and I've got all the leaves ready for the large flowers on the All in a Row quilt. And I got some going left and others going right!

Leaves are sewn but not trimmed

Then I got myself busy doing some cutting. 

Cutting the rest of the flowers

I'm pretty much up-to-date on most projects but a wee bit behind on the All in a Row quilt. So, I spent some time yesterday and this morning and prepped a whole bunch of stuff. I'll be focusing on that later today as well. It's on The Task Master, so I need to get the prep done this week. Next week, I can worry about sewing. Remember, The Task Master isn't about getting things done - it's about focusing and getting the RIGHT things done. No new things will be added this week as I need to get some of the stuff from the last three weeks done that didn't quite get finished. 

The flowers are all cut

In addition to prepping what should have been prepped before the last class, I'm working on the prep for the next class. And I'm happy to report that I'm almost done. So I'll be able to have a sewing marathon. There's a LOT of work in this quilt. OK - there's a lot of work in most quilts!! But I'm happy with the colors, and I think it will be a fun quilt. 

I got my copy of Boho Heart yesterday. This is a class that I'll be teaching in the fall at Thimbles and Things. Registration will take place in late August. It will be taught in conjunction with Gypsy Wife (which I hear is now called Wanderer's Wife) or something like that. Why change the name of a pattern??? 

BOHO Heart booklet

And the giant quilt is done! I'll trim it later today. It's HUGE. But it quilted up pretty nicely. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I don't think I'm going to have time to get another one done this week. I had hoped for tomorrow, but I've got some embroidery and writing that NEED to be done. And then I'm stealing away for a couple of days. I can hardly wait!!!! It's going to be so exciting to run away from home! It is time to leave yet? 

I see our dishwasher has an issue, and the drain is clogged. I googled it, and it sure looked easy when the guy did it on Youtube, but we don't have a little valve on our countertop to stick a long brush thing through. Hmmm - more Googling to see if I can find another solution. There is a gizmo inside the strainer that I can check. 

I accomplished a LOT of paperwork yesterday. For some reason, I was super focused, and it was glorious. I just kept plugging away, and before I knew it, I had ONE piece of paperwork that is urgent to finish, which I'll do today! Now how did that happen? Oh, don't worry - I still have lots to do, but that was a great way to finish off the day. 

I hate allergies. Have you ever wondered why celebrities and the royals don't seem to have allergies? My nose gets so itchy, and I have a hard time stopping myself from itching it. Or you get a dog's hair stuck right at the end. So what do famous people do when that happens? 

It's Monday sewing!!! I'll miss part of it because of an appointment, but I hope to get more cutting and prep work done! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!