I've got mail!

And????? Do you think I made it? I did!! The eighth dog quilt is quilted! However, I finished it this morning - too heck if it wakes up the family! I had a lot of interruptions yesterday afternoon, and I was too tired to stand at the machine last night. So it's done, but it's still on the long arm. I'll take it off once the girls have their walk. Oops -- girls and the boy!

A lot happened, and it was all for the better. Instead of my having to chase a couple of people down, they contacted me! And that is now one thing I can cross off the list. I have several things on the "to-do" list for today, and some of them involve finishing cleaning up the backyard before the snow comes. I hear we may have snow this weekend. Ugh! BUT -- we must remember that the city is going to clear our windrows at the end of our driveway, so I don't really care!

It's incredible how many appointments you need to book. I'm not good with booking them, and well, I booked TWO of them yesterday ONLINE! I know it's totally faster than calling, so I decided I needed to get my butt in gear and do that. It was quick and easy! Then DH, SIL, and I had a discussion at dinner about how AI could do that. BUT would AI pick times I wanted? No -- it would only book according to my parameters, and by the time I did that, I could have the appointments booked. 

Additionally, when you provide AI with parameters, you have no idea what the options are for appointments. Thank you, but I'll book my own appointments. Maybe one day, but not today. 

But someone got a haircut yesterday. Murphy was looking pretty scruffy and was in desperate need of a deshedding and a haircut. 

MOM - I don't need a haircut - I'm a shaggy dog

What makes this so amusing is that when I first saw her as a one-year-old, I thought the feathers (the hair along her legs) were gorgeous. Her previous owner was taking her for a grooming before I picked her up, and I asked her to keep that hair. Now? I just tell the groomer to take off as much as he can without making her look bad! She is a magnet for bringing all kinds of debris into the house. We might as well be living outside, as there are that many leaves on the floor. OK -- it's not that bad! What's the point of cleaning them up? More will come in. Then, when there is more than one, it's worth my while to pick them up! Yes - our house is not pristine - dogs and people live here. 

MOM -- the hair keeps my privates warm

She did NOT want to pose for pictures when I got her home. And even though the groomer (Daniel) said she was good, it was exhausting for her. And she did NOT like the fact that he shaved her feet. She wasn't happy about that.

Here's her "before" headshot. 

MOM - I don't need to be groomed

And after. OK -- this does not show Murphy's new haircut off well, as she would NOT put her ears up! What a silly girl. 

MOM - I'm so pretty!

But look at those feet! Beautiful! It's like she has socks!

MOM - I have socks!

This is the best picture I could get of her. 

Mom - enough pictures, I need to get out!

And she even came home with a pretty flower! Don't worry - I gave him a big tip! AND I booked her next appointment. 

Murphy's pretty flower

So my other SIL and niece popped over for a bit, which is what put me behind in getting my quilt done. They are here on a very short visit to attend a wedding. They had found a small package on the front step, and I didn't know until they were leaving, as I then saw it on the half-wall by the front door. Hmmm - I don't remember ordering anything. It has my name on it - I was excited to open it and see what it was. 

OH MY GOD - I almost had a heart attack when I opened it. No, it was not some obscene thing that someone sent me. Can you guess? Something I ordered a month ago. Something I ordered more than once. And then the problem got fixed, so I never gave it further thought. 

The remote! 

Yep, that would be the remote. Are you kidding me? And it came by courier. The first of the three orders we placed was on October 8th. Who knows what will happen about the other two? What's hilarious is that I ordered something yesterday morning. By the afternoon, I had a tracking number. Like seriously? 

I need to take a closer look at this today, but I spotted a circle of fungi on the lawn. Make that two lawns as it crosses the property line. What would make fungi grow in a circle like that? 

A circle of fungi

Back to the dog quilts. There was this large mass in one of the battings, and at first, I was OK with it. But as it was going on, the long arm - wait, it was already on the long arm - I knew I didn't want that in a quilt.

A batting mass

So I chopped it out and added in a patch. I felt much better about that. It was obviously several errant layers of batting that got caught up, and that area was significantly thicker than the rest. 

The batting needed a patch

While I had the long arm working this morning, I needed to get my head around the bindings, and I even pulled out the basket of black fabric. 

WAIT a minute - I remember having a rogue brown binding that I had made for a quilt. I had forgotten I made it and used something else. Where is that brown binding? AHA -- it was on the current project table. Easy to find. That will work for one of the quilts. 

A brown binding is already made

Then I decided it was better to get out my leftover bits of binding to see what I could find in there before I started making new ones. 

The box of batting bits

Hmmm —that's intimidating, so I started sorting by color. I found a large hunk of black binding, along with many other pieces of solid black. That should work for at least three, if not four, of the bindings. 

A long length of black binding

I also found some binding in one of the fabrics I've used in the quilts. 

A dog fabric binding bit

And I managed to get it all sorted. I'm not sure how I'll put it back in that container - should I press some of the bits first? I may just do that, although I don't really have time. I'll see how the day goes. I need to work on my writing assignment, and I have four customer quilts scheduled for this coming week, in addition to binding those eight quilts. 

The box for the binding bits is empty

This is where I store my thread for the long arm, as well as some other threads for sewing and appliqué. The entire cabinet is devoted to thread. I needed some thread to finish quilting the quilt, so I started rummaging in the cabinet. 

One of my three storage areas for thread

This is a rogue basket of thread. The threads (quilting) are sorted by color, but this basket has whatever wouldn't fit into the appropriate color basket. There was some empty space in some of the baskets now, so I've removed some of the spools; however, there is still more to deal with in the future. I need to take a closer look at this basket before I place a thread order.

Extra threads

Funny how quickly one thing leads to another! And down the rabbit hole you go! However, I'm pleased to report that all my threads, fabric, binding bits, and other materials are now sorted. They are at least stored in the same spot, and when I sort through something, I'm seeing all that I have. That's huge! It never used to be like that in Studio B, and it was a nightmare. I'm sure I'll continue to find some rogue things in various places, and there are a few missing things, but all is good!

As you know, I've been nagging about learning. And I need to take some time to learn new things. Well, I even had time yesterday to watch some instructional videos. YES -- I know they are videos and not a book. That's because I've read the book and am now looking for a different perspective from others. As much as I feel I know this subject, I learned a couple of new things, and it reinforced what I already knew. There are many more videos! Learning is a never-ending thing! The next time you have a few minutes to "waste" by watching reels on Facebook, find an instructional video of whatever your subject is and watch it! 

Now I need to learn how to give Bear a dog facial. He has goopy eyes, and I wasn't clearing them well, so now he's a mess again. I'd better get him cleaned up before he goes home. Thankfully, I still have time! Warm compresses - he needs warm compresses!

To end today, this is what happens when you rummage in the cupboard where the treats are. And yes -- there are two leaves on the floor with a few more in the background. Murphy deserved a few treats because she was such a good girl, and of course, the other two needed some as well. They were her emotional support dogs! 

Mom - It's TREAT time!

And that's it for today. Another busy day (when is it not?), but I'd like to spend most of it downstairs or in the backyard. However, I have a couple of emails and appointments to attend to, so I had better get those done as well. Don't you worry about me and time - I read every day, both audiobook and ebooks, and I walk a lot. I'm getting plenty of ME time! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!