When you hear PLOP!

Oh boy—this paperwork is going to be the death of me! I spent the entire morning at the computer, and I swear the desktop doesn't look cleaner! Emails and phone calls got done, but I don't think any physical paper disappeared. I'll try again this morning, but I also have a lot of sewing/embroidery to do, and I need to be downstairs! 

But any progress is progress, and we just keep moving forward. I tackled a few more CDs, and the pile is almost gone. What did I find? I found three photos that I wanted to keep. The rest of the stuff went in the garbage as there was nothing of any value on the CDs. That's so bizarre - I kept that entire stack, yet nothing was important! 

That happens when things get put away and become invisible. 

Here are the pictures that I transferred to my hard disk. They are of a quilt that I made years ago and sold. I LOVE this quilt! I'm glad I have pictures of it. 

Blowing in the Wind - a quilt I made

I used yarn for the dandelion, which was perfect! Gosh, I made this quilt many years ago, but I always remembered it! 

A close-up of the quilting

The yarn detail

Someone sent me this quote, which is fantastic. While I'm happily doing the first one and have to say I'm working well on the other two, this month will drive people mad. I knew people who would stop sewing for the entire month so they could prepare their house for Christmas dinner. That's a bit much—at least at my house! 

Great quote

Again - some of those traditions become invisible, and we don't realize that even though we're doing the same thing because we HAVE to, we don't have to! I was talking with someone yesterday who threatened her three adult children to come home for Boxing Day (they all live close to her) because none wanted to go for Christmas. Not that that is sad, but it shows that our children move on, and it's OK to change what we do!

I was getting ready to take Murphy for her walk when I noticed a box at the front door. Oh my—it was largish but extremely light. Could this be my running shoes? Yes, my three identical pairs of running shoes have arrived. 

My running shoe stock for 2025

I stacked them sideways in the hall closet, and I'll dig the first pair out on New Year's Day. The pair I have right now are perfectly fine until then. 

Stored discreetly in the closet

Several weeks ago, I bought new bird feeders, and it was time to get them out. I also have a new stand, which I need to install, and since it's warm out, I might try for that later today. This is the suet feeder. It holds two things of suet, and it's supposed to be squirrel-proof! I haven't seen anyone visit it yet, but it might take a day or two for news to travel. I've not been a good birder, and I'm sure I've been taken off the bird-feeding route!

My new suet holder

DH is getting into the swing of decluttering as well. If you think my desktop is bad, you should look at his. It's like a tornado went through. There are stacks of business cards for people I'm sure are no longer alive! He has a two-drawer filing cabinet, as well as two portable boxes. He emptied one of the boxes, which basically had NOTHING in it. He needs to empty the second one and then go through those two drawers, and whatever he doesn't need must go!! I do NOT want to be saddled with going through his crap! And I told him so!

Empty file box

I will hold onto the box and the hangers for a bit. I aim to empty that four-drawer filing cabinet in my office, so I may need a place to put files. This box takes a lot less room than the bigger cabinet! 

I was standing at the long arm, prepping a quilt, when I looked up. Good grief—that girl is like an Elf on the Shelf! And she just sits there and watches! It's kind of creepy sometimes!

MOM -- it's me! 

I'm running between the long arm and the sewing area as I try to prep something for later in the day. I hear PLOP, and oh my - what happened? Ah - the spool of thread was near the end, and it popped off the stand and onto the floor. That was an easy fix, and nothing happened to the stitching. I babysat that until the row was done, as near the end of a spool, the thread sometimes "sticks" to the plastic cone. 

The thread fell off the machine

I had just enough thread to finish the row, but only after the bobbin also ran out!

I won!

The community project quilt was done, and it's partially trimmed. I'll finish that later today. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I'll load the next one later today and get to work on that. Then, it was over to the embroidery machine to work on a project I'd wanted to do for a while but couldn't get my act together. 

I read the instructions, which is a good thing. I did not print them out but kept them on the computer, which sits by the sewing machine. Gathering all the threads, fabric, and other tools consumed much time. 

The supplies

And then it was time to start! I will share what I'm working on once it's delivered, but it's super cute!!

Starting the embroidery

And after close to 20K stitches, the first part was complete. Only three more parts!

The embroidery is done!

I will try something slightly different with the next part, and we'll see how that goes! 

I'm off to spin class this morning, and let's see if I can reach the water bottle. The constant stabbing pain has abated, but that doesn't mean I'm out of the woods. The pain is still there, just a lot more manageable, and that's good enough for me—for the moment! I want it fixed, but what if it can't be fixed? We won't go there. 

It will be another day of total chaos with loads of stuff to do. But I'm relaxed, and I do what I can. Let's say I go to bed exhausted, which is good because I'm sleeping through the night like a log. 

Good luck with the decluttering in your house. Remember, this is a new lifestyle you're trying to build, and it will take time! But also look at your schedule - how crazy is it? Are you overwhelmed? If so, you may want to cut back! While I'm busy, I'm NOT overwhelmed, and I'm not running or doing things for others. If I don't have time for this project, it won't get done, and that's OK. The presentations are coming along nicely. One is complete except for adding student photos as they are posted. The second one should be done today, leaving two to complete over the next couple of days. I'm good! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!