Confessions

 A quick note about the Barn Star Sampler. 

Barn Star Sampler

A number of you have realized that you can purchase a PDF of the book directly from the author, and there are other places where you can buy different versions. The Hobby Horse still has about 8 copies! Whether we run the class through The Hobby Horse or I do it myself, we WILL have a class on this quilt. Sooooooooooooooooo    --- if you bought it -- just wait! 

If you want to go ahead and sew it, there will be no need to sign up for the class. Part of the fun is checking out what the others are doing or how they make changes. If you have already sewn it, then well --- no need for the class. 

I just need to squeeze that in, and I know where, but then to squeeze in something else we had in mind. I must look at the calendar this morning. Yes -- I know I'm a sucker for a new quilt, but it's the only way I can allow myself to start a new project! 

I had a very successful morning of paperwork. There's still lots to do, but I'm happy with the progress. And I made significant progress on my blog projects, so I can start writing today. My goal is to be ahead of the deadlines, so I've downloaded many pictures and will be browsing them later this morning and writing. Then back to the sewing machine -- it's pretty "sad" when you wake up thinking -- I could use this stitch on the sewing machine for this part! 

I'm still recovering apps and logging in. That will take a long time, and I will only know I'm missing something when I need the app. 

Plus, I logged into my french quilting group last night. There were only three of us, but it's so much fun to get to know these ladies in french! It was loads of fun, and I managed to repair something while I chatted. 

I'm now down to 36.6 KM to finish off my cardio KM goal for the year. That should be easy -- 12.2 KM for the next three days. I can do that! I've never been quite this close to the end of the year in meeting the goal, but hey --- what's life without a few deadlines! It was glorious to be out without a hat yesterday on my afternoon walk. No hat! And it's going to be warmer today. 

AHA -- I went to Fabricland the other day to get something I had seen a couple of weeks ago, and it was niggling in the back of my mind. I'll share it with you when I make something out of it. And I NEED to make that soon. However, I happened to wander through the yarn section, and oh my!!! I found GREEN chenille yarn. I had been looking for eons, and there it was! 

Green and yellow chenille yarn

When I went to unload the dishwasher yesterday, I got a bit of a shock. My FAVORITE plate was snapped in half and nicely arranged in the dishwasher, which I assumed was luck. 

My broken plate

YES -- I did check to see if it was dishwasher safe and it was. I check that detail BEFORE I buy anything, and if it doesn't go in the dishwasher, I won't buy it. 

Dishwasher safe

You know how sometimes we buy things and don't use them. Well, I bought this about one year ago, and while I didn't use it every day, I used it often enough. I like to eat off a small plate, and this was perfect. When I put the two pieces together, enough small bits are missing that it won't work. So I tossed it. 

The broken plate

But I knew it was in a different place than I had placed it in the dishwasher. So when DH rearranged it, did it get hit with something? Everything else seemed to be OK. However, when he got up, he confessed. He dropped it when he rearranged the dishwasher -- seriously?? The plate fell onto a pot and snapped cleanly in half. So why did he wash the bits? He thought I might be able to rescue it, and better to rescue clean bits than dirty ones! 

At least, he confessed, otherwise, I would have been none the wiser and just thought the dish snapped in the dishwasher! How many other dishes have disappeared this way? I only had ONE of these plates, so it was hard to hide the fact that it broke, whereas we have multiples of most other things. Sigh......................

After some research yesterday, I realized that the Ravensburger Escape Puzzle I bought is one of the kid's puzzles!! There are only 368 pieces (about half of the adult ones), and I'm guessing the puzzles will be easier. Should I try to exchange it? Or do it for a quick afternoon's entertainment? 

Only some of the puzzles are shown on the US site for Ravensburger, but you can see more on the french site. I bet some of them are NOT translated into English or were not created in English. And you can always check out Puzzles Canada to buy them! They had way more than this in the store, so they may be hot items. 

And two more quilts got bound. These are for Project Linus, and I plan to get them out of the house by the end of the year. OK -- that is NOT going to happen. 

Binding on Project Linus

Here is the second one. 

Binding on Project Linus

There are still six more to bind, which shouldn't take that long since two are smaller, and only the topstitching needs to be done. I'll have to find the contact phone number again as I lost all that when the phone got switched over. No -- wait -- all that is still in my phone. What a nasty mess -- some stuff came through, and some didn't. Some data is coming back as I log in, but I'll never attempt that again on my own. 

I now have a screen protector, and I must drop the old phone off today. 

I've six hours left in The Shadow Sister. It's incredible how the author winds the story around historical events. OK -- so I understand the past, now where's the connection to the sister? I should be able to finish by the weekend. I only listen when I'm doing mindless sewing and there were times yesterday that I wasn't doing mindless sewing. Even then, there are bits I miss and have to go back to, which is the hardest part about the audiobook. While it's easy to go back in 15-second intervals, it's not easy to find a passage you missed, except by randomly going back. Sometimes, it takes me a few minutes to locate my phone and then I have to go back even farther because the missing word/passage is now that much behind me! 

Well, the sentence isn't missing; I didn't hear it! But you know what I mean. 

All the pots from the garage were picked up yesterday. There was no rush, and I told the person to pick up this week when the weather was better. Better for her, better for me. WOW -- that emptied a bit of the space around the workbench. Since it will be so warm today, I might dig a few more things out. I have some stuff that needs to go to the hazardous waste and recycling center, and today would be the perfect day. That leaves less to clear out in the spring. I guess a good solid morning would have the garage spic and span. OK -- make it a solid day! But I only have part of the day -- I want to get rid of those odd things!

Well, that's it for me! I've got loads to do today, and there is no time to waste! I have to laugh as last night, one of the ladies asked if I was taking time off between the holidays. Hmm --- NO -- I never seem to take time off, but then I LOVE what I do, and I could do it forever. And since I'm my own boss, if I want to slack off for a day here and there -- I'm allowed. I would bet I put in way longer hours than someone who works a nine-to-five job, but I'm OK with that. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!