It's good to be back home!

While being away on this retreat was so nice and relaxing, it's sure nice to be back home again. This was one of the best retreats ever -- I've never been so relaxed. The energy in the room was exciting, yet even-keeled, and we all just worked together in a way that - well, it just seemed magical with the mix of people. Not to say that I don't enjoy the other retreats. I guess you had to be there. 

The day dawned bright and sunny, and I got out for a short walk in the morning after a couple of people left early. Three of us stayed until after lunch, and we had some glorious chats, and I came home with two new friends! People I knew, but not well, so it was all good. And yes -- there were the usual things left behind - a rotary cutter, some bread, and a pair of boots! I ask people to check, but they don't! 

The view from the retreat house

The car is a muddy mess as the road past the house is not paved, so I think I'll be off to find a car wash later today. If I have time, I have a few other things to do. 

Just had a quick look at the calendar for the remainder of the week. I have THREE Zooms during the week and FOUR Zooms on the weekend, so I must start prepping later today so none of it becomes a rush. I know I already have a LOT of the work done, but not in presentation form. 

I promised pictures of what others were doing, so here they are. This is what one person made. Sorry, I'm not putting names. Some people are OK with names, but others are not, so it's best to just keep the names out of the story. 

She had brought some rope with her and had made rope bowls in the past. But look what happened when she used that variegated thread. 

A rope coaster made with variegated thread

It's a coaster, and she made four of them. They looked amazing. And then she whipped up a small bowl to put them in. I LOVE the trim!! And the thread color change!

The container for the rope coasters

Now that I think about it, many NONE quilt-related things were made. The pattern is the Double Flip Shoulder Bag by Emmaline Bags, but someone made the purse and put iron-on vinyl on the bottom to protect it and prolong the wear. The bag was complete except for adding the strap, as they were missing a bit of hardware. It was awesome! 

Double Flip Shoulder Bag

And after a few hiccups, one of three stacking tubs was made. I LOVE the design of these and how they looked on the inside, where the lining was NOT floating. And look at those web handles. We bought the webbing at one of the stores. I might just have to make one or two of these. This pattern was by Among Brenda's Quilts & Bags - Storage Solutions Bucket Bags. 

Storage Bucket

When I arrived home, I didn't know who was more excited. Little Bear or Murphy. Both of them were beside themselves with joy. And probably not so much from seeing me, but from knowing they would be "saved" and could now go for a walk! I did take them for a short walk individually, and all was good in their world. Lexi was excited but remained aloof! 

I immediately emptied the car, as DH had to do groceries. Later than usual, but that's OK to change the routine up a bit, every once in a while. And everything got taken to the appropriate spot - kitchen, bedroom, or Studio B. I have this to put away. I managed to put some of it away last night, but I need to unpack the projects I didn't have time for yesterday. 

Retreat stuff to put away

I still need to tidy up the stuff I brought home from the farm. 

Stuff from the farm that needs a home

And this is on the cutting table, and I need to deal with it. Much of that relates to classes for this week, so I can tackle that this week. 

Stuff on the cutting table to deal with

But that one end of the cutting mat is free! 

Part of the cutting table is FREE

I've decided if I need to shop for fabric or supplies, doing so at one of the retreats is a good idea! We got discount coupons at several stores, and we appreciated that and bought a fair amount. All is good! 

We have Monday sewing today, and rather than actually sewing, I think I'll be puttering and trying to get these three areas tidied up and put away. 

I have an ebook that will disappear in 13 hours! Yikes --- I thought I had more time than that. I still have 100 pages to go, and I'm not sure I can finish it. WAIT -- I can renew it, which I just did. This book had a long waitlist, but I guess the system can see that I'm madly turning pages, so it granted me an extension. Phew -- but I still want to finish it. So that's what I was trying to do last night, and yes - I had a circus to entertain me while I read in the living room. 

Bear was sleeping quietly beside me while Lexi and Murphy were up to their antics again. Lexi, in an attempt to get away from Murphy (as if), jumped up on the footstool, which she NEVER does. And when I told her to get down, Murphy was right there to harass her, so she stayed on the footstool. 

The three-ring circus

There is NEVER a dull moment with those three around. It's like living in a three-ring circus, to be sure. I think they'll be happy to get back into their routine this morning!

DH and I went out for dinner since we missed Friday and were chatting about my email woes. Then when we got home, he showed me his email. YEP -- he has all the components that I do NOT have. How can that be when we supposedly have the same version? He has a setting (very clearly marked) for Out of Office, and I do not. His signature file setting is where I would expect it, and I do not have that. I think I'm going to snap some photos of his screens and then have them ready for the Microsoft support team. They are making my life difficult by not including those commands!!!

WAIT --- one more very exciting thing happened at the retreat before we left. I finished sewing all that I had cut! Can you believe that? Yep -- so I tackled the jewelry case, and we came up with the most amazing remake for that. So that is very exciting, and I have a bit of homework to do before I can start on that. And I played a bit with the tote bag that I was working on, and YES -- I made some decisions on that as well. So technically, I made an advancement on EVERY project I took to the retreat. That has NEVER happened. 

Well, I'm off to spin class this morning. And then I'll be "back to work" for a somewhat intense week. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!