Read ALL the instructions

I need to spend a bit of time this morning answering the comments. So many good comments!! Thanks so much - I appreciate them all! And I especially appreciate you following me along with my craziness! I don't write for you - I mostly write for myself. That sounds somewhat unusual, especially when it's published for everyone to see. 

But I write because it helps to clear my brain, which would explode if I didn't get some of this silliness, creativity, and knowledge out of my brain! I've also used it to follow up on things because, let's face it, with so much stuff going on, it's easy to forget. 

It's an easy activity to keep my brain stimulated, even if AI is helping me with the editing. Don't worry - I will NEVER let AI write the blog. I use it for editing, so you won't have to suffer through bad grammar and spelling mistakes. There are days when I love AI and days when I hate it because it tries to turn my sentences around and say something that is NOT what I am trying to say! 

I wonder if AI is reading my sentiments about it and forming opinions about me? Of course it is!!

Speaking of writing, I am finally back to my writing assignments and have made good progress yesterday and so far today. I have to get back in picture-taking mode, and sometimes that is the most challenging job of all. I take what I think is a good picture, but when I review it, it's not what I want or I have forgotten some element, or even worse, there is something in the background that I don't want there. So lots to keep me busy. 

I have a goal in mind, and I'll accomplish as much as I can today. I would LOVE to be done by Thursday afternoon, which is doable! Just FOCUS!

Did I get any more tidying up done? Absolutely NOT! I wanted to finish the last seam ripping task, and I focused on it for Monday's sewing. Then, I had to work on my writing assignment. 

I have known for a long time that sewing on a Zoom call doesn't work for me. I end up chatting and not getting much done. I have a stack of cutting, pressing, ripping, or other small hand projects that I can work on, which allows me to get work done while chatting with the groups. 

What am I ripping? Well, it's this. This is my Cherrywood Challenge for the Prince theme, which was several years ago, in 2019. I never finished it, and it sat there unquilted. I decided to add it o my UFO list and my goal a couple of months ago was to quilt it. I did it with a swirly pattern, but there wasn't really enough room between the raindrops to get a good flow, and I hated it. 

My Prince-themed Cherrywood Challenge

So I ripped it out. Now I need to find a design so I can quilt it again. I was contemplating hand quilting it in straight vertical lines. WAIT - I first contemplated quilting it in straight vertical lines by machine. But imagine all the stops and starts that would be! Then I thought of hand quilting, and that would still take some time, but at least it would be easier to travel from one raindrop to another or behind the raindrops. 

I managed to finish ripping out all the quilting yesterday. Now I have the absolutely delirious, crazy idea of removing all the raindrops and aligning them in vertical straight lines in some form of a pattern. Then I could quilt a straight line between the columns of raindrops, and I could stitch a line connecting the columns of raindrops. Those raindrops are fused down with a satin stitch. I was thinking of a triple stitch on the sewing machine and adding some sequins to give it sparkle. 

I know it sounds ridiculous to do that, but that is how my brain works. I really want that look now, and I'm not a fan of what I did. Can I live with it? I suppose I could, but I think it could be better. I'm going to try to lift one of those raindrops off and see what happens. How much adhesive will mark/stain the background, and can I even get the raindrops off? 

Call me crazy -- but I'm good with that. This is an excellent example of why one needs to think about quilting before actually finishing the assembly. If I had considered the logistics of quilting the piece, I might have come up with a different arrangement for the raindrops. Is it essential to change it? It's important enough for me to attempt it. 

I am loving the Yogi teas, and whenever I have the "harsh" tea from Tim's, I find it bitter, even though it's just water on a tea bag. What I get from Tim's is black tea (Orange Pekoe), which isn't so bad; I can't even imagine drinking the steeped tea. I find that very bitter. The Yogi teas are not flowery and fruity, but have a pleasant taste and are not bitter. Additionally, each sachet includes a daily quote. I'm now using each tea bag twice, and it works for me. Such a waste to make one cup of tea and throw the tea bag away. There is still a lot of flavour in there! 

Yogi tea this week

Oh my --- I decided it was time to crack open another EXIT Game. My friend picked up the Advent Calendar a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't picked it up from her yet. We'd better get ourselves back into the swing of things, or we're going to be in trouble. 

An Exit Game

We did not start off well. Why? We didn't read the instructions! OK -- I didn't read the instructions well. I just started by reading the storybook on the right-hand side of that picture. Ooops - I need to read the actual instructions, which are on the left side. But I thought I knew it all, so I didn't read through ALL the instructions. When we looked at the clue, something wasn't right. So I read a bit further - oh yes -- we are on the right track, but it still didn't make sense. Oh farce! When I finally read ALL the instructions, it became quite clear, and we quickly solved the puzzle. 

Just because it works one way in one game doesn't mean that the rule applies to each game. You must read the instructions to understand how the game is set up and how to use the materials provided. However, our searching revealed a couple of things that will help us later! 

Well, it didn't take Murphy long to get all the treats out of that toy! That dog is so food motivated! I wonder if she would eat herself sick if she had access to food all day? Probably! 

MOM - I need a refill of treats!

I took a few minutes in the afternoon to sit in the living room and read my book, and then have a nap! Lexi doesn't want or like to jump in Murphy's bed, but is happy to sit in front of it. That's not the best view, but she seems happy. 

MOM - I'm standing on guard! 

Then you have Murphy, who likes to prop herself against something because she is so wide that she slips on the floor. Oh Murphy! So even though she has been off this medication for a couple of weeks and she hasn't had any accidents, she still pants like mad on the walks. That's her. In the dead of winter, on a very frosty morning, she will come back panting like mad because she gets herself so worked up over walking! 

MOM - this chair leg is a perfect place to rest

And then while I sat in the chair, the two of them picked up their play fight routine! I swear, there is a smirk on Lexi's face. Does Murphy get down on the floor to make Lexi think she is winning? Lexi really is the instigator of these play fights, although you wouldn't know it to look at her demeanor! 

MOM - I got Murphy on the floor - I'm winning! 

You know - I did tidy up a little bit in Studio B, but nothing significant. Now that I have no Zoom calls today and only writing, I will take a break from writing to try to tidy up some things. I also have some sewing to do, and oh my goodness, I am loving the freezer paper method of paper piecing. What is nice is that when you are done, you simply remove the template, and there's no paper to rip off! You need to be careful, but it works! 

I have almost finished the first set of houses for Colour My World, and I'm loving the process. It hardly took any time at all, but then I had precut the fabric pieces. 

OK -- it's time to get myself organized for the day! A lot to accomplish (on my own time!). I must say that I don't mind a lot of work, but I just don't like it when it's under pressure. And the pressure often comes from my lack of time management! 

On that note, have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!