What constitutes expensive?

 LOL --- I have entered a couple of things into my electronic to-do list, but it's going to take some work to get started to make it truly useful. Baby steps. Meanwhile, I had made a paper list of 12 things I wanted to accomplish in Studio B this week, and I crossed two off yesterday and almost completed 3 more! These are all small things - not actually piecing a quilt, but finishing off bags, or other small items. But all is good!

I get a daily email from the to-do app listing my tasks. I'll have to check it out later as I'm away this morning. Yep -- finally off to the adventure that I thought was last week! 

Yes - more shoveling yesterday, but the driveway is clear, and I heard the plow and the sidewalk plow in the night, so all should be good. Even though the sidewalk plow had done most of the sidewalks right after the storm, there was so much snow, and the banks were higher than the plow could reach, so the sidewalks were not in great shape, and we ended up walking on the road. Hopefully, today will be better. 

But seriously, I am shocked by what people in this neighborhood do. This house is right on the corner, near a high school, and this sidewalk is very frequently used. What? You can see the sidewalk behind that huge mound of snow. They literally shoveled the snow from their driveway onto the sidewalk, and not just a little pile - that is about four feet high! Seriously? 

There is a sidewalk under that snowbank!

Are they so car-centric that they don't even realize there is a sidewalk there? Do they not care? I'd love for the city to hire me, and I'll walk around and slap everyone with a fine that does something stupid like this. It's annoying and just shows how entitled people are! These are drivers who probably don't even watch out for pedestrians. 

I see the girls are making their trails in the backyard, but the snow is so deep that they haven't made many! But Lexi had fun romping around and hopping through the snow. The Husky side of her is finally showing in the snow. Look at her face - she is positively beaming in the snow!

MOM - I LOVE the snow - sometimes! 

Although Murphy is truly the one who is spending the most time in the snow. She is in and out of the house many times in a day. Not because she needs to go, but just to plop in the snowbank on the deck!

MOM- I LOVE the snow - it cools me down!

We had a pretty sunny day yesterday, and there are actually bare patches in the driveway!

Here is one of two tote bags that needed finishing. I mean, why do we let this stuff just sit around and never get done? The second one is almost finished. They are a bit narrow for the depth, but they would be great as a shoe bag! I made the bottom a bit too square, but it's OK. 

Completed tote bag

And I finally got the second sleeve of my sweatshirt done! Again - how long did that take? Not long to finish. Most of the tasks on that list for this week are finishing up small projects, so I hope to get through them and add more! Remember - I CAN, and I WILL -- WATCH ME!!!!

The sleeve for my sweatshirt

And there's one more spool of thread that bites the dust!! I have zero qualms about using up thread -- that's why we buy it! 

One more spool of thread gone!

Speaking of buying things, here's something to contemplate. Remember, I mentioned buying the expensive bras the other day and how much they cost per year? Someone on our Monday call lamented the high cost of purchasing a new rotary cutting mat to replace her THIRTY-YEAR-old one. 

Let's just contemplate that for a second. This existing mat has lasted 30 years -- and yes, so has mine, although mine should be replaced. It still works, even though it looks terrible. 

Here are some properties of the mat that I'd look for: 

• Minimum size (provided I have room): 24" by 36".
• Folding mat - NO!!!!!!
• Mat larger than 24" by 36"? Unless I'm cutting garments, I do NOT need a larger mat than 24" by 36". When have you cut a piece of fabric larger than that for a quilt? Bigger does not always mean better! 

Now let's do the math. Let's say that the mat (24" by 36") costs $150 CDN. WOW -- that's a lot of money. But is it? If you keep that mat for thirty years, and probably the last one you'll buy at our age, then that mat costs you $5 PER YEAR to own. Is that a lot of money? Heck - that's the price of two coffees! STOP looking at the cost of the item and look at the cost per year, per usage, per whatever --- then the cost is not huge at all. It's all about how you look at it --- glass half full, or glass half empty! 

$150 CDN for a 24" by 36" mat is CHEAP, and I'd be rushing out to buy a new one if I needed it. I have three pretty much brand-new mats in my house, so I will never have to buy another one. I need to just move the new one to where the old one is! You can't just look at the cost—you need to consider the price over the projected use period. If you buy a cheaper mat because it's cheaper and then you have to replace it - that isn't a bargain. Buy QUALITY. Buy something that was made for this purpose - not a cheap substitute!

And here's the other thing that drives me mad. We are among the fortunate people who still have a Fabricland (somewhat similar to Joann's) in our city, which sells home decor, garments, and quilting fabrics. It sells yarn and lots and lots of notions. Many do not like to shop there because they feel the items are overpriced. And yes, they have a funky pricing system that really tries to get you to buy a membership, so you save on all the prices. I believe a one-year membership costs $25. I usually save that $25 on the first trip after renewal. 

Here's the thing -- if you do NOT shop at Fabricland, it will close, like MANY of their other stores in Ontario have over the last couple of years, and they are NOT reopening. If there is no Fabricland, then where the heck am I going to buy a 22" burgundy invisible zipper when I want it? 

I can't go to my local quilt shop—they don't stock that kind of thing. Where will I buy those random notions? Again, the local quilt shop doesn't sell that kind of stuff. It's like everything else - buyer beware. Don't just run in and buy willy-nilly. Check things out -- I have never felt price-gouged buying at Fabricland because I look first. 

I do NOT even consider buying many of these things at that online store. As I've mentioned many times, Jeff does not need my money, which is most likely supporting things that I disagree with - NUFF SAID!!! Personally, I think we need to boycott that online store for 24 hours to show that the power is in the consumer - NOT the owner! And while Wal-Mart tries to have basic notions, it wouldn't have a 22" burgundy invisible zipper. 

Do you not find that there is an annoying habit going around these days? People do NOT LISTEN when you are talking. Twice, if not three times, yesterday, I asked questions on our Monday Zoom call, and every time, the person I was asking responded with an answer that did NOT answer my particular question. The answer was related, but it did not answer my question. And one of them was somewhat snarky about it. I rudely interrupted their snarkiness and said -- MY QUESTION IS THIS!!! Sheesh --- what is wrong with people? 

And I know that everyone wants to be helpful, but people -- on a ZOOM call, do NOT take over a conversation because you think you know better than the person who is being asked the question! I target specific people to get them talking!!!!!! 

The other day, I was chatting about the 150 Canadian Women quilt, and Judy sent me pictures of what she has done with hers. She gave the quilt a modern twist and even made it reversible to accommodate all the blocks. 

A modern version of the 150 Canadian Women quilt

The second side to accommodate all the blocks

And she put this dedication to the most important Canadian woman in her life, her mother, on the quilt! That is a very touching addition! 

A dedication to a mother!

Well, there you have it -- another crazy day at my house. No decluttering got done, but that's OK. OH - I did have a long nap. I had lunch and then realized it was one of those "I need a nap, and I need it NOW" moments, so I went to bed. I typically set the timer, which I did, but I was still exhausted, so I went back to sleep for a double nap. I got up and felt so much better. All that shoveling did me in! I had zero trouble sleeping last night, except for when I heard the backup beeper on the front-end loader! 

Have a fabulous day!!!

Ciao!!

Clearing up paper is "fun"

The unspeakable happened! I'm happily getting rid of more paper in the office. 

I had some paperwork that needed to be done, so I sat at the computer, finished it, and got it sent. Someone wants a quilt pattern I designed in 2013, and I'm recreating it for this group. That was the one I couldn't find. I still have a bit more work to do on it, but the finished product looks so much better than my hand-scrawled instructions, never mind how much more professional the diagrams look! My knowledge base with computers, despite my issues with them, has increased a lot!

As I was sitting here, I was also trying to think where I put my mailbox key. I couldn't find the darn thing, so I looked under the computer desk in case the key had fallen there. Hmm -- I spotted a box and two books. What's in the box? You have to love the name on the box!

How appropriate

OH my --- I found it filled (well, almost) with a quilt book, two quilt magazines, and then a bunch of USELESS paper. At first, I was going to put it back where it belonged, and then I thought-"you can do this, and you can do it NOW." So I took a few minutes, and I emptied that box. The book and magazines went downstairs to their respective places, one piece of paper got moved to the filing cabinet, and the rest of the stuff in the box went into the recycling! YEAH ME!!!! 

While I went through the box pretty quickly, I still flipped through all the paper. It is getting so much easier to just toss stuff. I still need to look through it, and I sorted the stuff and removed a couple of plastic pouch folders that went into the giveaway box. I was practically giddy with delight!

The two books that were sitting there went onto the bookcase, leaving that one shelf under my computer desk EMPTY!!! It crossed my mind to take other things and store them there, like from the table or the desktop, but I have decided not to do that. It's easy to put things in a spot like that, and they get forgotten. I'm OK living with the visible mess for a while longer. 

But I took the box and filled it with some of the paper sitting on the table, so at least it looks much neater. While the table is still covered with crap, there is only one layer of crap, not three or four like there was in the past. 

The tabletop is looking better

And the best news is that there really isn't much hiding in the office to put on the table once that gets cleared up! Oh, I'm sure I'll find things that need sorting, but the bottom line is that significant progress is being made!

I took a few more minutes and consolidated TWO folders in the filing cabinet. I recycled what I could and put the items that needed to be shredded in that box. Now that the paperwork is more or less organized, it's a whole lot easier to grab one folder at a time and deal with it. It also makes it somewhat easier to file things, although labelling and reducing what's in there will make a big difference. I don't have the time or the energy to do it all at once, but I'm whittling this mess down! 

Two more folders got tidied

Can you imagine if I left this until we decided to move? Some papers would get dealt with, but the majority would be moved, leaving them to be dealt with after the move. Not so!!! And if we were to move in the next couple of years, and I'm still not done, it wouldn't take more than a couple of focused days to put it in shape! By then, my brain will be fully trained to toss, but not without looking first! 

The recycling bin needs to be emptied AGAIN! Which is all good news! I have a stack of GOOS (good on one side) paper to last me a long time for printing. 

The recycling bin is full!

And the desktop, although a wee bit messier this morning, is looking better and actually making me want to work! Go figure! I'm still not in the habit of the before-bed tidy-up, but that will come. It's in the back of my mind!

The desktop

Did I find the key? Yes -- it was in a jacket pocket!

Back in 2017, I started the quilt called "150 Canadian Women" by Kat Tucker from Calgary. The quilt was to celebrate Canada's Sesquicentennial year. There were 150 blocks, each celebrating a famous Canadian woman. A short bio of each woman is included in the patterns. The blocks had NOTHING to do with the women. 

While my quilt top is made, I never read the stories. I'm ready to pass this pattern along to someone else, but before it goes out the door, I decided to read those stories. OH MY!!!!!

The stories for the 150 Canadian Women  Quilt

I don't think most of us Canadian women, or from any country for that matter, understand how few, if any, rights women had back in the day. You couldn't work and be married, your work was presented by men, and they took credit for it, you couldn't vote, and so many other things. Women were treated with zero respect. It was extremely shameful, but true, and there are still gaps in what women can and can't do, although much less so now. And let's not forget the people of color, Indigenous, children, and other indignities that were put upon our non-white, male populations. 

Many of the stories are about those women and how they overcome the hurdles to make our world a better place today. Many of them were brilliant, but were never recognized publicly for their work. It's disgusting that some of them had to disguise themselves as men to do what they wanted to do! 

I love this quote from Charlotte Elizabeth Hazeltyne Whitton, "Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, it's not difficult!"

I embroidered the names of all 150 women on the backing for that quilt. After reading the stories (only 1/3 of the way through), I'm so glad I did. It will remind me of just how much they did to make my life easier and to give me the freedom to do what I do! 

I pressed the label for that table runner, and I know why the darn thing is not stitched on. I have temporarily pinned it here for now. 

The label is temporarily pinned in place

I wanted to quilt the white sashing. So it will go on the current project tables and will pop up in a UFO bin sometime soon! 

The sashing needs to be quilted

I did a bit of rearranging in Studio U yesterday as well. I know more quilts need labels, and I should make a stack so I can work on them one at a time. So much to do and so little time! Although time isn't as big an issue as it used to be. 

I managed to get my projects stitched that I wanted to yesterday, but it seemed to take forever. Well, that's not true - the stitching was super easy, but I had a bit of a struggle with one thing; however, I finally solved the issues, and all is good! Now I have to be at the computer again this morning!

Look at my bag of spools and bobbins. These are the empties, and it seems a day doesn't go by when I'm not putting one or the other in the bag. These will be donated to a group that makes touch quilts for people with Alzheimer's.

My giveaway bag of empty spools and bobbins

Even though I haven't quite got into the habit of tidying up the office, I sure have it for Studio B. That place is pretty clean. Lots of stuff, but it's all neatly stored, and that's all I ask of myself!

I am starting to get that way in the office, but it will take some time. Just like it took time in Studio B to get into the habit. And the more organized the space is, the easier it is to follow the tidy-up habit. I'm getting there. My mindset is there, and the basic organizational structure is now in place; it's just one small step at a time to finesse the mess. 

This is how I work—can you imagine coming in here and spending one day just sorting, filing, and pitching? I wouldn't have learned a thing, I wouldn't have acquired the patience required to maintain it, and I sure the heck wouldn't have appreciated all that it took. Plus one huge day, and I would be mentally exhausted and probably never recover! 

I know there is one more box under the computer desk, and should I open it up? It's larger than the other one, and I've no idea what's in it. I also know there are boxes on the bookcase. Wouldn't it be nice to get to the point where I deal with one box at a time? OK -- I couldn't help myself -- I pulled out the box. More paper crap. I may just bite the bullet and go through it this morning. 

I also have a couple of items that need to be returned on the table, as well as two giveaway boxes that should be delivered. That would make a big difference in the look. I might just take a few minutes this morning and do that. I have a couple of other car errands - why not do this as well? 

I also need to go through the pending folder on my desktop, which is looking mighty messy, and deal with whatever is still pending! 

Plus, the embroidery and sewing machines are calling me. It's a busy time right now, but not crazy busy! 

And on that note, I'm off to the gym. Brooke is away this week, so I'm on my own, and I'm debating whether to go. Silly me -- just get your butt in the car and go! 

Have a great day!!

Ciao!!

Yeah me!!!!

Progress on the UFOs

I'm going to have to do some research. Those following the blog by e-mail are dropping off -- I have no idea why it's not getting picked up. Remember, you can use a third-party RSS Reader to make it happen. Follow.it is working. And what's up with the comments -- sometimes it works for people, and others it does not. I'll find an answer to both. 

Sigh --- some things are beyond my comprehension and my control? Well, we need to figure this out! 

I accomplished a lot yesterday, so I feel happy about that, and while I have a hectic week, I'm home all week, so I can squeeze in little bits here and there. I fall behind on the sewing part when I'm away from home! 

So how did the UFO projects go? I'm tired of my 150 Canadian Women quilt but don't want to abandon it, so I'm determined to get it done. I was supposed to finish the quilt top last month, but that didn't happen. I was going gangbusters and got one border together. When I went to put it on, it was too long by four inches! That's what a sliver of extra seam allowance can do. So one must always check that. 

Why didn't I? I was in a hurry and felt I didn't need to. And all I got was an ugly surprise at the end. So that border was taken apart and redone. This time, the border went on without a hitch. Then I worked on the opposite side. The clock was ticking, and I was tired, so I took a break. This all happened on Saturday. 

I had no idea what to do for the corners. Did I want to put something fancy in the corners? As the clock ticked down, I decided to go with plain corners. I managed the last border, and it was late on Saturday night. The final seam was pressed; I took a picture and went to bed!

But I'm happy to report that the top is done. I started it in 2017, so it's not that old of a UFO. 

150 Canadian Women Quilt top

Looking at the picture, I think I chose the corners correctly. The quilt will get a red binding and that will be enough to hold those corners. So yeah -- the top is done. My assignment for next month is to get the binding done and to piece the backing. Then it can go in the "to be quilted" pile, and I can choose another UFO. 

I think I'll be picking up some small projects for a while. These big ones can suck the life out of you. 

But even the small ones can be troublesome. For the second UFO class, I wanted to get the borders on this project - for the second time in two months. I didn't quite make it the previous month. Well, I got ONE of two borders on this time. It's not huge -- about 30" square at this point. This isn't technically on my UFO list, but it's still a UFO. 

The second border is on the quilt

That lighter fabric is where I had mere scraps left over, and it was a good color choice. It didn't take long, but it still took time. The final border is the fabric on the right, which is my goal for this month. Get that last border on. I should really focus and complete all that this week, and then it would be done, but I have something else that needs attention first, so this will get set aside - AGAIN! 

Then I have to design some embroidery for this small quilt, and I've got a plan - so I'll work on that. I could do that while away since I'll design using the mySewnet embroidery software. 

It's disappointing not to get more done, but one must let that go! I'm thinking of how much I got done and know that every little bit is one step closer to completing it. One must think about the half FULL glass, never the half EMPTY one. 

Three of five homework follow-ups went out last night, and the remaining two will go out this morning. Then I'm completely up-to-date with homework, but I have more to prep this week. Yep -- it's a never-ending cycle, but I'm OK with it. 

And to boot -- I'm in the process of finding NEW quilts to teach in the fall. That's crazy! I have some excellent suggestions from some people in the current classes, so thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions. 

I went for a walk, and yes -- I'm quickly making up the lost distance as I walked close to 15 KM yesterday! The plows were out in the morning, and the sidewalks were passable - no issues with slipping. Yeah! I spotted this in the afternoon. The cinema is not opening soon, as in within the next couple of weeks, but hopefully by the summer. Then I might make going to the movies a more common thing. 

Is the new cinema opening soon?

I am off to the gym. Yeah! It's been a while - perhaps I've forgotten how - but I doubt that. 

Remember that the Etobicoke Quilt Show is THIS WEEKEND - March 24 and 25, so be sure to put it in your calendar and get out to the show! If things keep going well, I might be able to eke out some time, but those Zoom calls are messing up my day. OH -- and I'm intrigued by the quilt on their poster. It's a scrappy quilt and looks terrific -- a lot of pale fabric in that one. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!

I'm falling.......................

So I'm feeling better this morning. I did NOT walk much yesterday - I started by walking to the end of the driveway and back. OK --- that wasn't so bad, but let's not push the envelope. Later in the day, the snow started, and I was getting a wee bit restless, so I went to the end of the driveway again and then went for a bit longer walk. It wasn't my day because, YEP -- I slipped and fell. 

There's that moment when time stands still. You know you're off balance, and I could feel my body saying, "NO -- we do not want to fall," and then it said, "CRAP, you're going to fall!". It was hilarious. OK -- so I'm exaggerating when I say that. So down I went. I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but no broken bones or bruises. I got a little bit of a strain in my pelvic muscles, but I always have issues there, so it's nothing new. I have my lovely daughter to thank for those strained pelvic muscles. 

A lady driving towards me saw me fall and stopped to see that I was OK. The kindness of strangers! 

Anyway, I did a total of 4 KM yesterday! My body is in shock --- what the heck is happening? 

I'm wondering if I have strep throat since my throat is sore, and that's my only symptom. Should I go and get tested? And where did all this come from? It's a total pain, to be sure. One of the ladies came to the retreat sick, so I'm not thrilled about that, and I perhaps picked this up from her. I will have to remind people that if they are sick, they should stay home a day or two so they don't bring it to the retreat. 

As for sewing, yesterday wasn't much better than the previous day, although I actually did some sewing. I wanted to do some serging and got everything set up. Could I get the serger to work with the threads I wanted to use? Nope! It wasn't meant to be, so I got the sewing machine out and sewed this border together. 

It's for my 150 Canadian Women, and I was planning to have the entire border on the quilt for the next UFO, and that isn't going to happen. 

One must realize that we are talking about non-life-threatening issues here! I'm making progress, just not as fast as I would like. 

So my speaker is working fine these days. What did I do differently? NOTHING. However, I suspect there might be some operator error happening. I thought it was on, but I can't hear it. I realized that I turned the volume down. Sigh...........   Perhaps I am in denial about how well I am! 😅😅

There isn't much to talk about without my girls to keep you entertained and not much sewing! You don't need to hear about my napping, although I napped very little yesterday, and we were up quite late and had a great chat about everything and anything. It was all very relaxing and what I would expect from a sewing retreat. Six is the perfect number for that kind of thing. Too many people, and it isn't going to work. Six is an excellent number for the retreat!!

I'll sign off and get myself organized for a walk. Will I go for my long walk? No -- but I'll go a bit further than the end of the drive. And NO falling!

Have a super day1

Ciao!!!

Work on the UFOs

It was another glorious day! I went out for a long walk in the afternoon with no hat, and by the time I got home, my jacket was open, my scarf was dangling, and my mitts were in m pocket! I LOVE days like that. But it was cold when I took the girls out in the morning, and my legs were a bit red when I got back!

We had our UFO Clubs in the morning, which is always a hoot. Who did or didn't get their homework done? If they don't, $10 will be donated to the food bank at the end of the year, and I swear that people do NOT want to give up that money. Hey -- it worked for me! 

As you know, I've been working on the 150 Canadian Women quilt, which started in 2017. My blocks have been done for a while, but I needed to get them together. I had recently sewed the rows together but needed to add the sashing between the rows. Well, I decided to go for it! And this is the state of the quilt at this point. 

The current state of my 150 Canadian Women quilt

The top is now in three pieces. The bottom row only has six blocks because I'm going to add the name of the quilt in machine embroidery along the bottom. Then the rest of it is in two halves. That will make adding the label much easier than handling the big quilt. I MUST get that done this week. 

I used my embroidery software to create a machine embroidery font that matched what the designer did in her handouts. 

The font in the handouts

It's hard to tell in the photo, but the one I created for the software is the third one on the left. You have to love all the software tools available to us, and once you know how to use them -- ANYTHING is possible. 

The font is recreated in embroidery software

All 150 names are embroidered on the quilt backing, so I must get that assembled and find something for the binding. OH -- and I need to add two borders. 

I used EQ8 to design the outer border and figure out how wide the inner border needed to be to accommodate the outer border. Yep -- I love software and how I can marry it all together to get the job done.

The borders for my 150 Canadian Women quilt

I should also figure out what to do with the corners. But it's going to look amazing. And I will confess I "stole" the border idea and the machine embroidery idea from someone's quilt I saw online; although I did mine differently, but her quilt inspired me to do my thing. 

And to make things interesting for myself, I'm doing TWO UFOs a month -- one for each of the two groups. I know --- a sucker for punishment, but I'm getting things done. 

So when I was tidying, I discovered this project (among MANY others), and it's not on my list, so I deviated a bit there. 

Another UFO

The pieces were cut (from one fabric), and this is what I ended up with. The quilt is only 4 blocks by 4 blocks. And the texture of it looks fantastic. I now have to find something for the borders. 

The start of my next UFO

And I have a few blocks left over with a LOT of gold color in them. They just didn't go with the blocks above, and I'm tempted to rotate that one block (leftmost in the second row) as it's got a light spot that my eye goes to every time I look at the quit. 

The leftovers

The issue now is that I want to add the embroidered sunflowers, like the original pattern. However, that design is long gone. So I have to create (or buy) something. That is my goal for this month. Oh boy!!!!

I'll share some of the other UFO projects later this week. It's always exciting to see what they are working on, and one must avoid getting FOMO when looking at all the creativity. We must focus on getting things done! Our items, and not adding to those already lengthy lists!

I found a taker for almost everything I put up yesterday (THANK YOU). But the person who got the Barbie panels got a bonus! I knew I had this play mat for fashion dolls (11" -- because we don't want to say Barbie and have to pay royalty for that!). Anyway, I also had FOUR printed panels that look like Barbie's house, including a craft room. Does anyone remember this? I bought it at Jillybean's Pride, and we all know how long ago that store closed! 

Fashion Doll playmats

So that all must be bundled into a Canada Post box and mailed later this week. Another trip to the mall! It was easy to find that mat. Why? Because the box it was in was labeled. 

Labeled project boxes

I had a good idea where the box was, but since I was looking for that other project, I looked in a few other places. I believe the missing project is in a plastic bag, which is not good. I don't have a visual relationship to the location of any project in a plastic bag, so I may or may not find it. Those labels are VISUAL reminders!

But in the meantime, I found this pattern I had lost years ago! I had to borrow the pattern from my Aunt Irene to make these two quilts for my Mom. Wow -- that pattern was "lost" for over 10 years! 

A missing pattern is now found

Now that my items are more or less sorted, I need to go through them thoroughly and make lists of what is where. This will be a pain in the butt, but it would make it much easier to find something. Even the process of doing that would make me remember where things are. There was so much switching around as I found homes for everything that some stuff got "lost." And I can sort them depending on where they get stored. 

I hate to admit it, but there are FIVE areas where projects are stored, and it would be nice to have one place just for UFOs. OH - they are all UFOs, so I need to develop a better structure than that! Something to think about on the next walk. How to sort the UFOs. Mostly done? Barely started? Are they on my Master Lists? It would be good to have all the projects I've highlighted on my annual lists in one spot. The missing project is on that list! Do I have time for that? I should make time!  

And as I was rooting around where that lost pattern was, I found other boxes filled with a background fabric and a pattern. Those can be pulled apart, as I'll likely never make them. Oh boy --- as Elle said, I will be at this sorting and organizing for a long time. But the more I do, the better it gets, so I just need to keep sorting and decluttering. 

Lots of e-mails went out the door yesterday. I still have more distribution lists to create and double-check. And there are two more follow-up e-mails, and then I'm caught up with that. Just in time to have more classes this coming weekend! 

I've got more writing, and I NEED to get the long arm fired up!!!

And we've had several SERIOUS conversations about one car versus two cars. You'll have to wait with bated breath as to what we decide. It's not a done deal yet. 

But right now? I'm on my way to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Yesterday was a much calmer day! Phew --- I've had so much excitement lately that I wasn't sure I could handle more! 

Before I forget, let me share the story of the lotto scratch ticket. I found the ticket when I was cleaning up - wait, I have another funny story to share about that! So I found this three-part scratch ticket. It wasn't completely scratched, and when I looked on the back, there was NO expiry date, so why not? 

I think it won $10, so I might as well cash that in. When I went to that kiosk, they couldn't find a code to scratch. So I brought it back home, and when I was dealing with the other issue, I tried to resolve this as well. The woman at OLG has me searching the ticket for numbers, and they were NOT matching. 

OH NO --- this ticket is from Atlantic Lottery, NOT Ontario Lottery. It was a teeny tiny logo on the back of the ticket. Seriously?? When did I get this ticket? The last time I was in Atlantic Canada was -- well, quite a while ago. I apologized to the woman at OLG, and she laughed and said it happens! So I contacted Atlantic Lottery to see if they could help me.

That process transpired via e-mail. I could download the app and check the ticket that way. DUH! So I did, but again, NO codes would scan. So I e-mailed back, and it turns out that this is an OLD ticket, and I have to send it to the head office and see if they will process it. Of course, they have to -- there is NO expiry date. 

I tell you --- all these little follow-ups to things take time! I still need to mail it off, but I'll try to get that done later today. 

So the cleaning up story? I was writing in my journal last night (I LOVE it now that I have a good system), and I read the entry from January 13, 2013. Yes --- TEN years ago, and what did it say? "Will this tidying up ever end?"  OH MY GOSH --- I about died laughing when I read that. It didn't say where I was tidying up, but I bet it was downstairs in Studio B. I have said numerous times that this process has taken a long time! Ten years --- good grief! While one should always be tidying, I bet that in another 10 years, I'll still be going through stuff that we don't need or want. That's why we need to act NOW -- don't wait and let your kids do it! That's NOT fair. Just because they did it to us is no reason to carry that tradition down. STOP IT NOW! 

To add to that cleaning story, here is the cutting table this morning. It looks pretty spiffy, and that basket of fabric is there because I'm looking for something to go with the box's contents beside it. I got a call from Diane, and she needs more sewing projects! WOW --- she is going through stuff like gangbusters, and there isn't much flannel left, and then I'll be digging through my stash. And you know what? I don't even care -- I so want that to be depleted. I'm so pleased with how things have turned out, and well, Diane was a gift to me! 

The cutting table this morning

I sewed one more row on the 150 Canadian Women quilt, leaving 1 1/2 |rows to finish. That means I need to start sewing the rows together. Everything is cut, but I need to get moving on that. Guess where I'll be later today? 

150 Canadian Women quilt

I'm also trying to squeeze in videos concerning software and digital cutters, so thankfully, I'm done watching the baking shows and can focus on "learning" or "educational" videos. A much better use of MY time than watching entertainment shows, and that's just not my thing anymore. That habit got killed over 13 years ago, and I've never looked back. 

So we awoke to a winter wonderland yesterday. But seriously, we got barely any snow, and I managed to clear the driveway, our sidewalk, and the neighbor's (on both sides) sidewalks in about 15 minutes. Yep -- that doesn't count as a storm. 

But the walk was pretty. 

A winter wonderland

And it looked like Murphy was trying to make snow angels. That girl is just one crazy dog! 

MOM -- making snow angels here!

Then they came in from playing outside, and they must have been tired because they lay facing each other, trying to play fight. 

Too tired to stand but still wanting to play

And then it wasn't enough that Murphy had to move the large dog bed and take the quilt out of it, but she got into the small dog bed as well. You can't see in this photo, but her big squeaky ball is in the dog bed, and whether she was trying to toss it out without touching it? No idea, but I sat in the kitchen and watched her and was killing myself laughing. At one point, she had the bed flipped over, then right side up, and well -- it was a hoot. Meanwhile, the princess was sleeping somewhere. 

MOM -- I will get to the bottom of this! 

We had our Jen Kingwell remedial class last night. I had to laugh as one participant stated that she was glad to see she was not alone. Out of all the classes I've taught over the years, the attendance at these classes was probably the highest, and the number of finished quilt tops was perhaps the greatest I've ever seen. We worked on Long Time Gone (twice), BOHO Heart, Wanderer's Wife (used to be Gypsy Wife), and Green Tea and Sweet Beans. Many made more than one pattern. 

They are some of the best sew-alongs we've ever had, as there was a lot of work in them, and I'm so happy with what the groups did! However, some quilts were never finished, so the remedial class is for us. There are 25 of us in the class, and I've got FOUR quilts to finish. 

Now the tops of two of my quilts are done, the binding and the backing are made, and they just need to be quilted, but I thought I'd use this class as an excuse to get them completely done. One still needs a few blocks to be made, and then we have the BOHO Heart quilt. 

So this is my BOHO heart, and it's technically together. I have the backing and binding fabric, although they still need to be made. Someone (who should have spoken up sooner!) decided to make the quilt a bit wider, adding several strips of background to each side (that's easy to do) and making the quilt taller by adding 6 inches to the top, making the heart float in the background as it does on the bottom. 

My BOHO Heart quilt

Some people added a border all the way around, and others left the quilt as per the pattern. But I've decided to add the background to the sides and top to make the heart float, and I kick myself for not paying attention to that when it was time to cut the background. 

So adding strips to the side will be easy. But the top --- that's a whole different ball game. I was going to add a row of strips (in the same pattern as the rest of the background strips) to the top of the quilt, so there would be a seam right across the top of the quilt but six inches down. Then I saw that one of the ladies in the remedial class ripped all that top background part out (it's really not that much when you think about it) and cut LONGER strips and is going to redo the top, so it'll be longer and have no seam across it. 

DAMN HER!!!! I was going to take the easy way out, but now I agree with her, and so this will become a major repair job, but the end result will be much better. Let's get the seam ripper out! 

My goal for the month is to get that quilt top DONE! The more I look at this quilt, the more it irks me that it's not centered. It could have been a better design element, and it would have been easy to change it slightly to make the heart float. I'm almost tempted to cut a strip off the bottom of the quilt, but those little colored bits will have to be considered, which might complicate the entire process. For the moment, I'm focusing on the top!

Today is class one of the One Block Wonder quilt. Oh boy ---- I've got a lot for them to consider, although I have gotten a few e-mails from people saying they have started a One Block Wonder quilt but have no idea how to finish! But today, it's all about fabric! 

Tomorrow is UFO Club, and I'm not quite ready for that, so it's going to be a heads-down to the sewing machine day! 

Oh, I can congratulate myself on one thing in the tidying department. When I tidied 10 years ago, I bet not many things had a home. Today, almost everything has a home. I've come a long way! And I'm also at the point where almost anything can go. Ten years ago, I HAD to keep everything and merely shuffled it to a new spot. Imagine where I'll be in ten more years? I'll have NOTHING (LOL) to move around!

Stumbling upon that little book has been a hoot! I MUST endeavor to keep up with it!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!

On an adventure!

OH --- I just remembered that I had to tell you about the second package I sent with Canada Post. Remember, the first one went in a bubble pouch and arrived sometime the next day but late in the afternoon. The second one (in a box) arrived the next day but before NOON. So when the post office says better service, they mean it! Was that a fluke, the location of the receiver? No idea, but both packages were delivered! 

Well, I did it! I tackled that darn table in the office. I can do anything when there's a REWARD at the end. I like rewards. I am NOT done, but I want it DONE. 

Here's what happened. 

I remembered to take a before picture, and you can see a lot of crap on the table. That's also something I inherited from my Mom! That mess makes it a tad hard to work. But I don't want to work at the table -- well, I would like to, and eventually, I will, but for the moment, I need a spot to keep my class material, or I'll go crazy trying to keep track of it all. And especially when I'm sorting through other papers, I have no home for certain things. 

The crap on the table

I started by moving the printer paper tray to the small cabinet beside the computer. Let's say that the office clean-up will take a long time, and unlike Studio B, only some things have a home. So there will be lots of shuffling back and forth until I get it right, but I need this space for the moment. 

OK -- the paper tray is gone. I've started. 

HEY -- there's that second green dust cloth that I couldn't find. OK -- so the dust cloths need to go in the laundry room first to be washed and then second to stay there, so I know where they are when I need one. 

My second green dust cloth

Then I found this mess in that basket. This is CLUTTER, and we end up with odds and ends and no home for them. This is primarily the kind of thing I have to clean up in this room, and it's going to be a little messy. Oh -- who am I kidding? There's a LOT of crappy paper that needs to go as well. 

Odds and ends

I found more keys, and when I went to put them with the other keys, I couldn't find the other keys! ACK!! I know I put them in a safe place in this room. But where? So I put these keys where I thought the other ones were, and they will all be together one day. 

But while doing that, I found a lottery ticket. Well, a scratch ticket. And while I watched a video, I scratched it and won $5. I checked for an expiry date, and it says "no expiry date," so I can take that off to the mall on one of my trips!

A "found" scratch ticket

Look at all this crazy stuff that accumulates. Why???? 

CLUTTER

Some of it got put away or tossed. All that FREE marketing crap seems like such a good idea at the time. But imagine if we didn't have that? No clutter and no garbage in the landfill. My new policy is to SAY NO to free stuff! Consumer shows are the biggest culprit of this! You pick up little trinkets because you think they are so cute and have ABSOLUTELY zero use. 

And what about this? Two small remotes for electronics that I no longer own are now in my electronics waste box. 

Two remotes for what?

And these are devices for an iPad, but my current iPad doesn't use that adaptor, so these will also go into the electronic waste. 

iPad adapters

And tags that look like they came from a golf course. Good grief --- maybe that belonged to DH. When you have kids or a husband, you seem to inherit their crap because they don't know what to do with it, so it comes to the Mom! Yep -- we do our kids and husbands a disservice by dealing with their crap. We need to teach them to NOT pick it up and to learn to find a home for it or put it in the donate box. Or it could be a key chain. Whatever, I do NOT want it!

A golf bag tag

So I ended up moving everything else off the table. OH MY GOSH -- I found the pattern that I was looking for!!! Yeah!!!! That was a happy moment, and it's back on the table, but in an appropriate pile. Yes, once the table was clear, I started putting things back on it, but now there's a pile for each of the classes, and it may have books in the pile, paper, homework assignments, or whatever, but now when I want to find something I know where to look. 

I didn't take a picture, but I will do that later today. This makes me very happy. Now I have to deal with the rest of the crap on the kitchen table. It's the kind of stuff you don't want to spend hours dealing with, but it must be done. I'll try to spend a half hour every day dealing with it, and now it looks really messy in the kitchen. DH is away for a few days, and I seem to be better at decluttering the house when he's not here. Perfect timing! 

As a result of the cleaning, I emptied this nice box. So that box now becomes my "current paperwork" box. I put stuff in there that was sitting on the floor. 

My current paperwork box

And then, while I watched another episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show, I sorted. I now have a small pile at the computer that NEEDS to be addressed today. I just have to spend an hour and get some e-mails answered. 

Sorting paper while watching the baking show

And then I must be diligent about keeping up with what's in that box. And as the amount of crap in the box goes down, I'll add more to it from other places. The goal is to keep at it until it's all gone or put away. I MUST develop new habits, with the reward being LESS time wasted on finding things and having a nice clean space that I can be proud of. That one will take some time to develop, but I'm trying! 

So I've been doing The Conquerer Challenges for a couple of years -- actually, this is my fourth year. I always set an aggressive goal for the yearly one, and then you can do the specific walks, like The Appalachian Trail, Route 66, etc. Once I finished the Pacific Crest Trail last year (August), I haven't done any specific walks. Well, that is about to change. Look where I'm going this time. 

My new walk!

Yep -- -that would be The Shire as in Lord of the Rings. I even borrowed The Hobbit from the library (audiobook!), and I have the other three books (Fellowship of the Ring trilogy) on hold. 

The Lord of the Rings challenge is in five parts, and I'm set to do the first one. It's 233 KM, so I set myself a goal of three weeks! Easy peasy, since I walked almost 15 KM yesterday! Why do I do that? Honestly, that afternoon walk is a HABIT, and I always go out. Even when my feet were a mess after returning from Spain, I did NOT miss that afternoon walk. I may have walked slower and with sandals, but I was NOT missing that walk. Nor did I walk 15 KM on those days, but I still got out. 

So then I decided to have some fun with this little guy. As I walk The Shire and into unknown territory to destroy the ring, I'll have to climb mountains. 

Bilbo Baggins climbing mountains

Walk through scary forests. 

Scary forests

Figure out how to cross vast expanses of water. 

Crossing large bodies of water

And deal with scary monsters. 

Scary monsters

It'll be an adventure, and I'm already on my way! Wish me luck!!

The entire journey is 2,920 KM, so that will keep me busy for a while. 

I mapped my yearly challenge on the African continent (for paid subscribers only) and missed many geography lessons by not following the map every day. Well, I was in the desert for a while, and there was not much to see. I'm back (another habit) and keeping track of my daily progress. I'm in the middle of Africa, and it's fascinating to see Google Map pictures daily. Here's the divided highway I'm currently on. 

A divided highway in Nigeria

This is SIGNIFICANTLY different from the highway I was on in the previous territory! Just like here, some have more money than others! But it's fascinating to watch my progress and see the daily picture. This is in Nigeria, but as in all countries, it's divided into territories. OMG --- and if you zoom in (you can't), but I just did, and under that large tree coming up on the right is a "gas station." Some guy is standing there with barrels of gas, jerry cans, and a big funnel!! WOW!!! I NEED to be watching this every day; what a different lifestyle!!!

I was productive on the writing as well and making good progress. I have a looming deadline, but it's far enough away, so I don't need to drop everything and focus only on that, but close enough to give me that edge. The first article took forever to write because there was no deadline. The second one took a lot less time. So I need to keep this timing in mind for the future. I'll be writing again today AFTER some of those e-mails get sent!

And then, I was in Studio B, working on the 150 Canadian Women Quilt. There are THREE rows left to sew together. Once you get into a routine, it's pretty easy, and all the sashing pieces are cut, so that is good. 

Progress on the 150 Canadian Women Quilt

 

I read somewhere that at some point, you start to look like your dogs, or they start to look like you? Well, we have two dogs; one takes after me, and the other takes after DH. Yesterday morning, this is Murphy -- already up and alert and watching the "nature" channel. 

Murphy, watching the nature channel

This is Lexi, who is NOT like me and resembles someone else in our house. 

Don't bother me -- I'm sleeping!

It's hilarious how their personalities somewhat match us. Lexi is definitely out of sorts (well, they both are) since DH is away. Where the heck is our Dad? He is ALWAYS home. We NEED HIM!! 

This is Murphy -- that dog practically vibrates with excitement - just like me!

Are we there yet? 

OK -- so that's it for today. I have a few extra minutes before my spin class, so I might just get an e-mail or two out. I thought if I did the blog first, then people wouldn't cringe at the time the e-mail went out! 

How are your habits coming along? I think our whole lives can be changed significantly if we change our habits. Someone mentioned the book Atomic Habits, which I really want to read (I've already read it), but there is a waitlist. 

OH -- speaking of wait lists. I am on the waitlist for the fourth book in The Seven Sisters series. Currently, the wait is 24 WEEKS. Yet -- when I checked this book while I was reading the third one, it was available to download immediately. What happened? So I checked books 5 and 6, and they are sitting on the shelf, ready to be borrowed. But I will NOT read them out of order. I know --- I can't make myself do it. Another darned habit! And I'm OK with that. But where did these 12 people come from on that waitlist? 

As mentioned in this book -- The Power of Habit, the author talks about changing or eliminating bad habits. You can't just eliminate them. You have to understand the CUE (I think that is the MOST important thing) and then how you change the cue and the reward. Oh boy -- -it's quite interesting. Now I have to think about my bad habits and what would I like to change? 

I'd like to be more timely, which means less time searching for things. That is happening -- slow, but happening!

OK -- so now I'm off. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!