Getting back to normal

YES --- I like SmartWool as well. I have one pair! When I first bought hiking socks, I bought several brands! It was just that I noticed the bottom disappearing slowly on the WrightSock! 

My SmartWool sock

I just went to their website, and WOW—it's easy to pick what you want, as they have a checklist. It's very civilized. I signed up for the newsletter and got 15% off. I might be buying some new socks today! 

I must check with my brother, as the socks he buys have a lifetime guarantee. They are more expensive, but they never wear out! That's worth the price! 

Anyway --- back to the regular stuff! 

I had a terrible night of sleep. My brain just would not shut off. I finally slept, but did not go to spin class this morning. I slept some more! All is good, and hopefully tonight, all will be better. That doesn't happen often, but it does sometimes and annoys me. The more I get annoyed, the more I can't shut my brain off! But that's OK. I'll get back on track. 

We had two great Zoom show-and-tell sessions in the morning. I LOVE show-and-tell, and I don't mind those ones since I only have to put the presentation together. I must prep something for my show-and-tell, but you know what I mean. There are no detailed step-by-step photos to deal with! 

And after the Zooms, I settled in to deal with all the stuff that came home from the retreat. 

Stuff to sort and put away

That is a lot of stuff, and I needed to deal with it all before I could do any work. It all has a home and just needs to be put away. I'm happy to say that all was good by the end of the day. 

All that was left at the end of the day

There is still one pile of things on the cutting table, and that's because I'm doing a Facebook Live on Wednesday, and this is some of the stuff I need to prepare or sort through. 

The topic is Decorative Stitches in Embroidery Mode. I'll demonstrate my techniques using the Husqvarna Viking Onyx 30 and the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3. The Onyx 30 is NOT an embroidery machine, but it's there to get started in the process. If you want to watch live, here is the link to sign up. I will demonstrate STEP-BY-STEP how to get decorative stitches into embroidery mode. 

Check it out—it starts at 3 PM EST on Wednesday, June 4. If you watch it afterwards, you don't get to ask questions—if you watch it live, I'll answer them. Be sure to stop by and say hi!!

I have to spend some time today getting all the cameras hooked up. I got a third camera, so hopefully, all the switching will be good! I'll do a test run tomorrow. 

I got a customer's quilt quilted. It was so small compared to what I did last week. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And here's the 60-minute-or-less project of the day: I stitched the binding on two of the five placemats. 

Two of five placemats - DONE

I have three more to stitch, and hopefully I can get those done today.

I sorted through my stabilizers a while back, and they are mostly in order, but I need to do it again. Then I can put some more tubs away downstairs, and hopefully, I can have an empty one where I will put all those small 60-minute-or-less projects in. It'll stay beside the sewing machine; each day, I'll reach in and grab one! They NEED to be done! That tub will sit right beside the tub with all the quilts that need the binding attached. No lack of things to do even when my brain is dead! 

It's funny how you seem to work, but not much gets done. Well, I had those presentations in the morning, and then lunch, a walk, a snack, and a 30-minute nap—and next thing you know—it's four p.m.! 

But that's OK—sorting through all the stuff from the retreat took several hours to put away. I have three more Zooms this week (the week ends Sunday), a Facebook Live, and an in-person class. Plus, Miss Lexi must return to the vet for a booster shot. So it's a relatively quiet week, and I'm looking forward to it! 

Speaking of the girls, Miss Lexi is so quiet, but Murphy? She's just everywhere. I could hear her barking her head off yesterday, and when I quietly went out and looked around the corner, I spotted her sitting there, fully alert and barking at something on the other side of the fence. Why? 

Miss Murphy is our alarm!

Later, I went out, and she was lying on the path. I swear, when she sits out there, she ensures she's sitting beside one of the windows to spy on me!!

MOM - just saying HI!!!

Then I spotted her on her dog bed after she ripped the blanket bundle apart. She's trying to get at the pink ball in that toy. She can do it if she flings the toy, but she's having a DUH moment! 

MOM - I'm busy!

And then, while I was having my snack in the gazebo, she was on the other side of the yard watching me. 

MOM -- can you see me? 

Can you tell that I love that new Zoom setting on the phone camera? Oh yes, I'm using it a lot more because it's so easy to touch the button instead of zooming in. Thanks, Samsung, for making a great change! 

I had helped Murphy get the pink ball out of the toy, and what did she do? She brought it outside and dropped it in the pond. I swear she was looking at me as she did it! I told her not to do it. 

MOM - it slipped - I swear it slipped!

And there's the lilac near the gazebo—it's almost in full bloom, and it smells wonderful as I sit in the chair. The scent is pretty intense to bring into the house, so I'll leave it outside and go there and enjoy it!

My blooming lilac

I have a new water bottle. I found it on my table during the retreat. Thanks - you know who you are! I like it because the base is small and should fit in the cup holder in the car. The other one does not, and it's always rolling around on the floor or the seat. I noticed yesterday that the base size isn't much smaller, but it looks like it was made to fit in the cupholder. I must try it out, as that will be quite handy when traveling. 

The new and the old water bottles

We have Monday sewing today and lots of great show-and-tell, thanks to the members. It's a great place to share ideas, and well, I LOVE Monday sewing. It's my therapy and a great way to stay in touch. Without Zoom, I would almost live in isolation! At least as far as quilting goes. 

Well, it's time to start the day, and the girls need to go out for their walk. They are so habitual! But then, so am I, so it all works out! 

I have loads to do—when will I ever have nothing to do? I have lots of emails to respond to and write, and I MUST now focus on Quilt Canada. There's a lot to get done before that show, but first, I need to finish some samples for the Facebook Live. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!