The never ending little job list

The little jobs around the house NEVER end! 

I "fixed" the bubbler for the pond. I had brought the entire thing into the house and realized that the teeny tiny hole at the end of the tube was clogged with debris. So I poked that all out, put some water in the sink, and VOILA - the bubbler is working again. Now, to put it back into the pond. 

Then I opened the door to the furnace room to get a basket and saw water on the floor. The furnace, which is only a couple of years old, has sprung a leak. Not my problem - we rent it! But I need to call them, but not before I clean the reusable filter, which I've been meaning to do for the last couple of months. 

I now have to add that service call, which actually needed to be done a month ago, to the list of things to do. I'm feeling pretty good about the paperwork - there will always be lots, but I think I have the critical stuff under control, and that's a good thing! However, it's a constant struggle to complete all the small tasks. 

However, there is even better news this morning. Look! This is dog quilt number SEVEN!!!!! 

Dog quitl - Number seven

I have loaded the final quilt in that series onto the long arm this morning, and if all goes right, it'll be done by the end of today. That will keep me on schedule to get these quilts quilted by Friday, and then it'll be a push to get the binding on, so they can leave the house sooner rather than later. I'm not doing so bad, considering I made these in September. Of course, as I watched the long arm in that tricky spot, it worked like a charm!

Taking stock of what still has to be quilted before the end of the year, I came up with this. There are eleven quilts in the "favor" pile, and 7 more of the children's flannel quilts. There are customer quilts, but I'm not counting those. They will get done, but I use new batting for them, and the backings are made. 

I still have this much batting from that closet. WAIT -- -there is still the top shelf in that closet - this is all that remains from the piles I brought down. Keep in mind that all these 18 quilts are smallish -- 50 by 60 at the largest. There is enough batting in these piles to easily make the batting for those quilts. And I'll bet there will be some left over! 

Batting bit that I want to use by the end of the year

I would love to get these quilts out of the house by the end of the year, along with whatever customer quilts I have. That's my goal, and it's a lofty one considering how much time it took to quilt those eight dog quilts. Those eighteen also need the backing made and the batting sewn together, so it won't be quick. I'll do them in groups of four and then take a day or two break, so I should be OK. 

Let's see what happens, but I have a goal! 

It would be nice to start the new year with a "clean" slate of new community projects and no more favors! 

There are times when I worry about myself! I am pretty enthusiastic, not quite as bad as Murphy, but energetic. I sometimes buy things and then forget that I bought that item. It has resulted in duplicate purchases on occasion. 

I've been chatting about prewound bobbins for the long arm for the last couple of days and how much I love them. I am fortunate that my long arm is excellent at maintaining tension. I can change thread weights and batting types, and it just loves everything I throw at it. So that's a positive. 

Anyway, I noticed two boxes sitting ON TOP of the little cabinet where I keep my long arm tools, that I use EACH time I use the long arm. OH - what's in these boxes? OH MY GOD -- they are prewound bobbins - exactly the kind I'm going to purchase. How long have they been sitting there, and where did I buy them? 

Boxes of prewound bobbins

You know what they say -- a hoarder doesn't see the junk in their house because they are so used to seeing it. Well, that was the case for these two boxes. I cannot believe I've overlooked them for how long? 

What colors are they? I bet Cathy knows just by the numbers, but I had to open them up! I'm very excited that I found these before I place my order, hopefully next week. 

Neutrals

And they allow me to function in the real world and drive a car? It was when I went to get a basket from the furnace room to store all the pounds that I spotted the water on the floor. It's not a lot - probably a hose that came loose, and it's all going in the drain, so no issues. 

The accounts will be set up, allowing me to purchase the pre-wounds and the new thread brand going forward. I understand that the price of thread is going to be affected significantly by tariffs, so having a Canadian source for the thread going forward is a good thing. 

Speaking of Canadian sources for thread, have any of you spent any time on the Wonderfil website? You should because they have a ton of information about threads. And for those VISUAL learners, guess what? It's all on YouTube! Be sure to check it out, because then you'll know just as much, or more, about thread than I do!

While the cutting table is looking a bit disheveled these days, it won't be so bad when I start binding those quilts. I have quilt number seven to trim, and I'll do that while number eight is being quilted. Then I need to dig out fabric for the bindings. 

The current state of the cutting table

I thought I'd pop into the thrift store. It's on my way home from the dentist. I had an appointment to rebuild a tooth whose filling had broken off way back in the summer. I went to the dentist to report it, and well, it never got followed up on. I know I've mentioned this before, but as a child and young adult, I had a strong aversion to the dentist. Now - it's no big deal. Just zone out when he does the nasty part, and then just lie there and think. I probably would have had a nap because I'm so relaxed now. What happened? My dentist can never retire, but he's about my age, so I know that's inevitable! What will I do? 

I had a look at the purses. One of my students mentioned she finds purses at the thrift store and takes them apart to use the materials. I would definitely ONLY do that on a sale day because it's much cheaper to buy vinyl by the yard! And you get a lot more. Some of those purses are going for over $20!!! But if you're looking for a small amount of something unique, this could be the place to find it. Plus, you get a great zipper and lots of fancy hardware if you make bags, which I don't make a lot of. 

One-half of the purse selection at the thrift store

I spotted new packaging for the Dowdle puzzles. Is that new or a new line of puzzles? If you have a puzzle fan in your house and Christmas is approaching, the Canada series is a fun option! I see a few on the website that I've not seen before! They also have US cities and parks. I love these puzzles. The old packaging is on top and the new one is on the bottom. I couldn't find any information on the boxes on the bottom - no size, no number of pieces. Are they knockoffs? OH -- it's the FOLK ART series. 

Dowdle puzzles at the thrift store

OK -- I looked, and the website directed me to another website, which led to a rabbit hole. There are so many puzzles. I do NOT need another puzzle. I cannot buy another puzzle - I have no storage room left. I will NOT buy another puzzle! 

What do you think? Is this quote accurate? 

Is this you?

It certainly seems that way when it comes to learning. We become so settled in what we know that we forget how exciting it is to learn or explore new places by immersing ourselves in a book or any kind of learning environment. I've said so much on that, but it's true! I won't become a broken record, but don't be afraid of trying something new. If you make a mistake - guess what? You are fortunate! Because you won't do that again, and now you have learned something! 

I have to laugh because I'm probably the only one who stops and takes pictures of "nothing" when I'm out walking. I spotted the school bus for the school that M used to attend. Her friend's pictures were on the back of it for years. Now it's just the name! But I grabbed a photo and sent it ot her!

Then I spotted this on the sidewalk. By the way -- all those CUT S/W places on the sidewalk? They are all shaved flat now! 

Another sign on the sidewalk

I guess this metal plate will eventually be inserted. It's quite a big job to put those metal plates in there. What is the purpose? 

Tactile Warning Plate

Well, in fact, they are called Tactile Warning Plates and are designed to alert the visually impaired that they are approaching a corner. I walk over them a thousand times a day (OK - not that many), but I walk over them all the time. Since I don't have any visual impairment, I guess I ignore them with my feet. BUT if I were visually impaired, I'd be more aware of them! 

Now here's that little guy with attitude! He is pretty feisty and not afraid to use his outside voice in the house! 

Grandma, you are not listening to me!

DH said he spotted a lady walking by on the sidewalk. Bear was turned around and staring out the window, which is one of his favorite things to do. The lady was laughing so hard at him and took his picture! It's even funnier when Murphy is in the window too!!! You can just see his tiny head from outside! 

But this morning, he was fast asleep in his bed while I loaded the last dog quilt. Or was he sleeping? 

Grandma -- I'm watching you!

It's undoubtedly a three-ring circus with three dogs. My girls are more needy when he's here - they don't want all the attention to go to him. And between letting them in and out of the house, feeding, walking, and other tasks, it can consume a lot of time during the day. But it's all in the name of love, so I don't mind. 

I have one appointment this afternoon, and you have to wait to see what happens at this appointment! The rest of the day is mine! 

I have nine items on my paperwork list - can I complete them all in a couple of hours? None of them should take a lot of time, so I'm hopeful! And I was looking for a piece of paper in the filing cabinet yesterday and came across a whack of service records for my 2011 Toyota Matrix, which was two cars ago! Let's just say that a large stack of paper has been dealt with, and one more empty file folder now sits in the filing cabinet. That cabinet is NOT super jammed, and I really should take one folder a day and deal with it or whatever, and then I can file new stuff in it that is sitting out on the spare desk. 

It's time to get the day started!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!