Change is good (and necessary)

Do NOT YELL at me, but I fail miserably at ergonomics at my house, especially in the office. Hence my poor posture, which was never good, and whatever other ailments that brings. 

What happened? Well, you know I have this silly pain in my leg, and sitting on a hard chair is a tad uncomfortable. I've been good on my sewing chair in Studio B because it's somewhat cushy. But my office chair is not too well padded. Last night I hauled a comfy chair from Studio B to the office, and well, I'm embarrassed to say that the chair I've used for years sucks! 

My NEW office chair

The chair is a little bit higher than my unadjustable one. Guess what happened? My arms are now probably at the proper height for the keyboard. I tilted the monitor up, and I sat straighter. Good grief - I'm such a dolt. I already feel 5" taller! And my leg doesn't hurt nearly as much when I have lots of work and have a deadline. 

There are days when I wonder why we don't change things that aren't working. We get stuck in a rut, and this chair was just sitting in the basement with a roll of batting on it! It's not like it was being used. All is good, but I must be much more aware going forward. 

No birds have visited my suet feeder yet, but I know they are around. The birds have loved my feeders in the past. But the squirrels are not interested either. They may have tried and were discouraged or are not interested. However, I've noticed the squirrels sitting on the ice in the pond having a drink. However, they ran away when I sneaked to the window to take a picture! 

The squirrel making a getaway from the pond

Where do birds and animals get their water otherwise? There is little water lying around at this time of year? Well, they are welcome to use my pond! 

So here's our Murphy. After she ripped the dog bed apart, I moved the blankets to that spot, and she is pretty happy to lie there. Lexi? No - she insists on sleeping on the couch! No floor sleeping for her! You know how they say pets mirror their owners? Lexi is DH, and Murphy is me! 

Mom - this bed is just fine!

OK—I am my own worst enemy. In the morning, I noticed an F11 error on the dishwasher, but there was no time to fix it because of all the Zooms. Once the Zooms were over, I opened the drain and spotted some paper from a plastic cup that I was "rinsing." DH told me I was NOT supposed to put that stuff in the dishwasher. Rinse and put it in the recycling. OK!!

F11 error

Then I started the dishwasher. Guess what? I got a second F11. What? There was NOTHING tomato sauce-related in the darn thing. OH - I put a jam jar in there, and the label came off and got stuck. OK - note to self -- NO paper labels in the dishwasher! I'm so silly!!!

The four Zooms went very well. It takes a lot to prepare, but things go smoothly when you are prepped! I'm working on the follow-ups today and got two of them done; two more to go. And then there will be two more follow-ups after the Zooms today. I don't just send the recording link; I often have other links to send, clean up the slides, and add notes if necessary. I try to take notes of what I need to follow up with, and I have one person who sends me the notes in case I forget! Thanks!! You know who you are!

I was on a roll this morning as I prepped all the follow-up stuff. Perhaps it's the new chair. I even started a list of all the assignments and dates for the January classes so I could quickly review it and see where I am and what needs to be done! As I send out the follow-ups, I'm adding what needs to be done for January to that list. WOW—I'm going to be so organized!!

At least I'll know what has to be done! 

We are zipping right along with our EXIT Game Advent Calendar. We have completed five puzzles and were able to figure them out without looking at the clues. And the last two were relatively quick, so what do we talk about now? It was hilarious! 

Here are a couple of my blocks from the Spice Market quilt. This is a great quilt, but the pattern could be better. It's a "bit" confusing in spots and obviously wasn't tested. 

Spice Market block

Spice Market block

Hot and spicy colors are where I'm going with this. 

Thanks for the feedback on the classes. I've decided to go with another series of lectures for the Saturday Sampler at Thimbles and Things. And thanks to discussions yesterday, I now have most of the 6 topics chosen. I'll let you know when that goes out or get on the newsletter for Thimbles and Things, so you'll be alerted when the new classes are posted! 

Once everything is set, I'll post the information again—what classes, how to sign up, and all the relevant details. It's a great way to learn in the comfort of your home, and you won't be disappointed! I'm trying to divide my teaching between techniques/lectures and projects. I don't want to overload anyone or myself!

On that note, I need to get organized. This morning, I have two Zoom meetings. One is ready to go, and the other requires some work. However, they are very relaxed Zoom meetings and less work than yesterday's!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!