Forest bathing at its best

Where are the days going? Yikes-- before we know it, the end of the year will be here. I'm not ready! 

I spotted this on Facebook yesterday, and I thought it was so appropriate for us sewists. This is what happens to me. 

It's all the prep work that takes so much time, and the actual sewing is just a small part of it. 

I have sewn part of the sixth binding onto one of the dog quilts. It was the black one, and I knew I would need more strips, but how many? So I sewed what I could. Then I got stalled doing other things, so I've pulled out some black fabric and I'll get to that later today. 

However, I've completed a customer quilt! That is such a pretty design - I think it is a block of the month. I could try a Google search, but I won't make it, so I don't need to know the pattern. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I have four more customer quilts to get completed by the end of this month. However, a few events are coming up, including some time away, so I don't really have a lot of time. It's all scheduled, so there shouldn't be an issue. 

When I was searching through the thread cupboard, I spotted several spools of thinner thread, and I decided to try winding my own bobbins. And it worked! Those spools were set aside for use on the long arm. I usually use that thin thread for applique, but I have enough set aside in those same colors. I'll take a picture to show you. Each spool did almost three rows - it was glorious and looks fantastic. 

The current EXIT game has been sitting on the kitchen table for a while, and with a lot of coming and going in our house, there really hasn't been a quiet evening to focus on it. Last night was that night. 

Our current EXIT Game

It is a three-circle puzzle, categorized as a moderate difficulty level. The first two puzzles were easy, and we thought we had it covered. Then they start throwing in rogue cards, and you have to figure out which cards to use for which puzzle. We had that figured out, but we also had an issue. We got the riddle, and we were on the right track for the answer, but we missed some visual clues. 

We are getting good at searching everything that comes in the box, and we did - several times, except we missed a couple of minor things in our search, and of course, that's where the answer was! DUH!!!! I hate when that happens - it makes me feel like an idiot, but such is life! Then we went on to solve the following puzzle, and no issues! I feel vindicated!

It was a snowy day yesterday. I don't think our first snowfall of the year has ever been this snowy. It snowed all day, although there wasn't much accumulation. The little guy got out his winter jacket! It's bulky and stiff, and I don't think he likes it, but he needed to go out. 

Grandma - I HATE my winter jacket

Lexi, on the other hand, was prancing around. This is her element! And Murphy was happy too; several times during the day, she went out and just flopped on her stomach on the deck. That girl runs hot!

Mom - Snow, snow, beautiful snow

But then she joined me downstairs and is getting used to the new spot for her rug in Studio B. 

Mom - I need a nap!

OH -- I should mention that while I was working on the long arm, I also had another machine working, but it wasn't an embroidery machine. Nope - it was the digital cutter. 

The Brother Scan n Cut

I hadn't used it in a while, and I needed to get something cut for the Digital Cutter Club. I feel pretty comfortable with it now for the things that I want to do. I still have a lot to learn, and, well, there just isn't enough time. BUT in twenty minutes, I unearthed the cutter from under a stack of batting, found the pattern I needed to cut, cleaned up the image after it was scanned, added seam allowances to the image, and within nineteen minutes, I had my homework ready to show! 

It's never good to leave the homework until the last minute, but what could go wrong? Nothing! I have also developed some good habits, aside from leaving things to the last minute. After a cutting session, you should ALWAYS clean that mat. There is nothing more satisfying than getting out the cutter and having everything ready to go. And yes, even though the mat wasn't too dirty, I cleaned it before putting it away. 

Nothing like starting the day with a clean mat

So I don't need to cut something every month, but when I do want to cut, I need to know how to use it, and so far, so good! Yes, I have three different digital cutters, and I'm okay with that. Each one has a purpose, and the Brother Scan and Cut was the perfect tool for yesterday. 

And now back to the weather! There are still many leaves on the trees, so the forest was quite beautiful. Yep -- I had to go to the grocery store in the afternoon. I know -- who in their right mind walks to the grocery store in a snowstorm? I do! It's not far and I needed a walk. 

Snow on the leaves

And honestly, you never know what you'll find if you look. Remember, we talked about the Tactile Warning plates on the sidewalk? Isn't it nice to know the names of things? I love it!! Well, look at these. Hmmm --- there must be a bar or something on the underside to cause that image with the snow. You would never have seen that from a car! Yes - I've learned a great deal from walking around and then using Google to help me understand. 

A cool pattern on the tactile warning plates

The one thing I've noticed is that I don't really feel those plates when I'm wearing my running shoes. I suppose if I were visually impaired, I would be walking at a slower pace, and I would be feeling for them. But just walking? I don't feel them. And your foot only touches them ONCE when walking by, so you have to be on your toes or you'd miss them. Again, I have zero experience with being visually impaired. Hmm — wouldn't it be interesting to take a walk as a visually impaired person? You would "see" things from a completely different perspective. 

Honestly, how can you not enjoy a walk through the forest on a snowy day? The trees protect you somewhat from the wind. It wasn't super windy, but enough that the snow was nasty on your face. But here? It was forest bathing at its best! 

Forest bathing

More video watching and more reading were accomplished during the day. As well as a long nap! It was just one of those days. My "to-do" list is waiting for me, although it's Monday, so I don't think I'll get too much done on the paperwork side. 

And on that happy note, I'm off to spin class this morning. Stay safe on the roads, as I imagine they are slippery. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!