What are your souvenir buying habits?

Your comments put a smile on my face! Yes—there are multiple ways to tackle this mess. What boggles my mind is how I didn't realize what was happening. At one point, the second set of shelves didn't exist, and so there were boxes and piles of books on the floor, and when I wanted something, I was happy to move those. When I got tired of moving, I got new shelves built. Seriously? That just makes me shake my head now. But then? It seemed the perfectly normal thing to do. 

THANKFULLY, I saw the light about ten years ago - well, it's more than ten now. And I haven't looked back since. 

I know I can't make every quilt or attempt every technique I want to, so it's going to require a lot more culling. I know that. For the moment, I just need to get these books sorted and then get everything back on the shelves. And yes -- I have done the first cull (albeit weak!) of the books, but it's a start, and we need to start somewhere. The mental mindset has now started, and that is the hardest!

By the time I put together all the piles that I've culled, I think I've done a pretty good job for a first round. And everyone who comes to my house will be obligated to leave with at least one book! You laugh, but there was a lady here to drop off some quilts yesterday, and she went home with two books. 

While this decluttering process is mostly about getting rid of physical clutter, it's amazing what it can do for your mind. Knowing that I'm clearing this stuff up and won't have to deal with it again is amazing. Knowing that the junk is going to be gone is just an incredible feeling, and it allows one to start doing the things they want to do without the guilt. 

It's also freeing to know that packing and unpacking for a future move will not be an arduous task. Given the state of my house right now, a move would be very traumatic, but since I've started the culling process and the junk is gone, it's going to be so much easier to cull when the time comes. But this culling is a constant. The minute I finish one area, it's time to start at the top and do it all over again. I NEVER thought I'd be able to do what I'm doing right now, and I have mostly avoided Studio B. But now that I've started, it's "easy!"

And I see it's going to be a challenge to get rid of books through my blog -- no takers. That's OK. I'll just start packing them up (I have a small stash of smaller boxes in the garage), and then I'll start donating them - several boxes at a time to the thrift store. 

Oh, shoot —I didn't take many pictures while I worked yesterday. But I decided that if I was in a mess, I might as well make the shelves the way I want. 

I decided to completely empty that bookshelf and moved the stuff from the top three shelves to empty shelves, and then dealt with the items one at a time. I have emptied ONE of the three shelves. 

Dealing with the smaller stuff on the top three shelves

Here's a bit better picture of the situation on the left-hand side of the two bookcases. I moved all the scrapbooking stuff to the other set of shelves, which required emptying some piles of magazines onto the floor, which I'll have to deal with later today. 

Now all the picture/history books of quilting are on the six shelves on the left. The machine embellishment, beading, fiber art, etc., are on the five shelves on the right. YES --- I do not need that many of those, and that will be an area to cull. But for the moment, they are sorted, and you need to amass all like items together before you can start a serious cull. 

The state of the bookcase this morning

That leaves eleven shelves to put the books back onto. I think I'll have no problem doing that. I may or may not cull as I put them back. I've already been at this for three days, and I'd like to be finished so I can do something else. So I may just put the sorted groups back on the shelves. I've made huge strides, and when I'm ready to tackle it again, I won't have to go through this process. I can just pull off a group and sort through it. The first step is always the worst! 

As I was unpacking when I got home from vacation, I realized that I was missing some souvenirs. Now, we try to tame souvenir-buying as well, because what the heck are you going to do with all those things? We have been limiting purchases to fridge magnets. But DH spotted thimbles and asked why I wasn't buying thimbles. So I bought a few, but where were the three items I bought in Taormina? 

While out walking Lexi, I remembered I had put them in my little pouch of sewing supplies I took with me. And when I got back, there they were!!! The one on the left is from Vatican City, the middle one is from Sorrento, and the last is from Taormina. 

New additions to my thimble collection

There was some discussion when we were shopping for magnets. You only need to buy ONE magnet from each place - there is no need for two. And the magnet should represent something you visited or saw. That involved a lot of discussion, and M and Dillon couldn't settle on just one magnet. One of them wanted two. They eventually only purchased one. That was while we were in Taormina. But I was thinking to myself that if I couldn't find mine, I could beg for one of theirs, but since they only bought one, that wasn't a possibility! 

I have a couple of other things to share, but my focus is on those books. Speaking of which, here are two more. And there are a lot of piddly small books that I need to deal with today. Then, if I can get everything back on the shelves, I'll be happy. I need/want to move on to something else. 

Two more books up for grabs

And yes -- I will need to develop/use some kind of database/list for the books. But now that they are in similar categories, that will help enormously when I need to find one. I can't wait to search for a book! Oh my -- I have a "few" books on scrap quilts which I'll be using for research on the upcoming (fall) scrap class. 

And I have an upcoming quilt retreat, so I need to start packing. I'm going to take sewing, not cutting, because the cutting tables are in another room. WAIT --- I could raise my table in the room we are sewing in and cut. I may consider taking some stuff to cut and cut for half the retreat, then sew or something like that. It's a great opportunity to do a lot of cutting. 

Speaking of walking the girls, I started out with Murphy, then remembered I didn't have poop bags with me, so we had to come back. She is never happy about that. And then when we were walking, we spotted one tied to a post. But you never know when the incident will happen, so one must be prepared at all times. I know that people attach them to the leashes, but I don't, and I've never forgotten them before. 

MOM -- there's a poop bag!

And YES—there are some trilliums. I thought I had missed them all, but I found a couple. 

A trillium in the forest

And I spotted something else in the forest, which I should have taken a picture of, but I fixed it, and then it was too late. I spotted a plant growing up through a dead leaf. The leaves were pinned to the main stem, while all the plants around it were pushing up their umbrella-shaped leaves. I rescued the plant by removing the dead leaf. It was pretty cool to see, and well, there's no picture. As soon as I removed the dead leaf, the leaves started to open. 

I went to the movie in the afternoon and enjoyed some popcorn. The movie was great! It was the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, and of course, there was a fashion show. Can you guess where? In Italy!

But I wore shorts to the movie because it was a somewhat decent day. When I exited the theatre, it had rained, and the temperature had dropped by 7 degrees. OH -- a wee bit cool on the walk home!

So it's Wednesday, and I'm typically off to spin class. But since I am boycotting the spin class, I'm taking another class this morning. Incorporates weight training and cardio. I'm sure I'll be a bumbling idiot, but that's OK. I think the instructor is my personal trainer, so that will help with the transition. 

I still want to write a note about my dissatisfaction with Joseph being let go, and I will attempt to do that this week. I am NOT meddling in the situation; I am merely stating my displeasure and providing feedback. I am not trying to find out why he was let go - I could ask him if I wanted, but it's none of my business. 

So now that the books will be sorted by the end of the day and hopefully back on the shelves, it's time to continue processing the magazines and books. I need to set aside some time each day to make that happen. While there might be some people who have nothing to do all day, I (like many of you, I'm sure) have so many things to do that we just don't have enough time in the day. I'm bad with reading material; I start something and then set it aside. I need to stop that and focus! I will also finish reading something and then just throw it in a pile instead of putting it in the recycle bin. Or there might be bits that I wanted to blog about, and I never do that. I MUST change that behavior. 

I'm also listening to an audiobook, which I've already finished, but I just missed some major signs along the way (too focused on sorting books), so I've had to go back and listen to the last two hours to figure out what is what. And AHA—the incorrect name was used in two places. And since we are talking about an affair, it's important to know who did what to whom!

On that note, I'd better get organized so I can make it to Brooke's class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Paved paths

What a surprise when the girls and I took our morning walks to find this. 

The path is paved!!!

Yes, all five entrances are now precisely the same as before. I suspected it late in the afternoon the day before because I could smell the tar on one path, which is relatively close to our backyard, and I thought I could hear the equipment. 

But as before, they only go so far, and they stop. How they determine that length is beyond me. As I said, some paved parts are short and yet quite long in one section. 

The pavement just ends!

In this case, the pavement goes from this point to the street, which is off in the distance in this photo. 

The longer path

But for some reason, they won't pave this little patch. 

An unpaved patch

It has some kind of circle base, and they just leave it as is. This is another mystery of how the city works. 

A base of plastic circles

It's just very weird how they chose the start of the pavement. But it doesn't matter—the pavement is back. 

One more path

One entrance never had pavement, and it still does not, yet this part gets muddy.  

An unpaved entrance

It was another busy day. Some of the Monday sewing group went out for lunch, so I knew I had to finish most of my stuff in the morning, even my walk! I was going to walk to the restaurant, but I knew I was getting a few things from the Pony Express, so I had to drive. 

This is what I took. 

What I took on the Pony Express

And this is what I came home with. 

What I came home with on the Pony Express

It's not exactly how I want things to work, but that's OK. I was expecting all of it, and I'll process it and move it along. 

On my walk, I stopped and got the Goo-Gone, which allowed me to remove the sticky stuff from the tin and those two thimbles. 

The stickiness is gone from these items

I still have one thimble to glue back together, but the rest of them are finally back on the shelf. 

The thimble collection

I may be slow, but I eventually get there!!! On my way home from the restaurant, I dropped a box off at the thrift store, so now I have a 20% coupon to use whenever I want! Those are very handy, and while I could save up my giveaway boxes and make one trip, the thrift store is close to my house, so if I have an outside errand in the car, I drop off a box when it's full. That gets it out of my house, and no danger of me going back into the box. Plus, you can get a coupon for every donation! 

One more quilt got quilted. It's a little one, but still - it's done. 

Community projects quilt - DONE

And one more binding is complete. 

Community project quilt with binding

I hoped to get the other two bindings on, but at least the quilts are trimmed. I'm taking a wee break today and have a giant customer quilt on the long arm ready for later today. That will allow me to get those bindings caught up!!!

And yes -- the journey on the two Cabin in the Woods continues. I won't share what's happening, but it's all exciting.

It was so exciting that as I lay in bed this morning, my mind went to the next project for the UFO class. I could go for another applique, but seriously? Don't I need a break from applique? I was trying to visualize what other UFOs I have and what I could pick. There are many, and yet nothing came to mind. So I got up and dug out my book with the lists. 

The book of lists

Hmmm --- Oh yes -- I had forgotten about some of these projects, which is why I made the lists. I picked an easy project for the next time (yes -- I am determined to finish the Cabin in the Woods by our next class). Then the question was - where is that project? I had to search through three tubs before I found it, but that took less than five minutes. I can see myself going through those tubs under the long arm and creating an inventory of them, just like I've done for my "to be quilted" pile. That will happen in a bit. 

I'll need to cross-reference the UFO list to ensure that everything that is a UFO gets on that list, and well, I'll figure out how to make it work when I get there. But an inventory (and labels and lists) of everything under the long arm would be great. 

Of course, my helper was back yesterday! Isn't it wonderful to see how clear that floor is? It is very exciting and so easy to keep clean. I may have some stuff on Mount Projects, but the floor is clear! That's a new rule at my house. NOTHING sits on the floor. 

Mom - I'm here for you!!!

Last night, I was sitting in the chair, and Miss Murphy was asleep in her bed. I happened upon a video of someone calling a dog or something, and look how alert she became in an instant!!! She was so cute and ready for action. But I told her it was bedtime, and she settled right down. But if I call her in from the backyard for bed, that's another story. She's slow as molasses on that one. I think they call that selective hearing! 

MOM -- what's happening? I'm ready! 

The change in temperature has been pretty drastic. The windows are still wide open in our house—well, some of them—and it felt cold, so before I walked the girls, I checked the temperature. TWELVE! I put long pants on! 

Even Miss Murphy finds it cool and is back curling up in her tiny dog bed!!! 

MOM - it's cold!!!

Oh yes -- I managed to get some stuff cut for one of my upcoming projects, but I need to have a significant cutting session later today, or it's going to become a mad dash to get all that work done. I'm also big on visualizing this stuff in my head, so all I need now is the time to make it happen. I'd like to get those ten quilts out of the way and then I can focus on those projects. I have the time, so all is good.  

And WAIT—there's a virtual retreat this weekend, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. Be sure to pop by and say hello. I had initially scheduled it for the following weekend because I'm not supposed to be home yet! I gave myself the entire month off. But the following weekend is the long weekend, so this one works better.  

Here are the links:

Saturday, August 24

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, August 25

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

On that note, I'm off to spin class and then back to work!! I take advantage of the times when I'm 100% motivated. I want to get as much done as I can. But I have to say that by dinner time, I'm done! Which is good—I'd rather go to bed exhausted than bored—I said that earlier this week—I know!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

What is a collection?

I had an interesting chat yesterday morning. After spin class, I walked the girls separately, and when I was walking Murphy, I saw one of the city workers inspecting the damage in the forest! Yes - I know it's a woodlot, but I call it a forest. I'm allowed! 

We had a great chat, but he was only a worker bee, so he didn't know much. I asked about the removal of the pavement, and he said that it was "lifetime" maintenance, that they were waiting for the ground to settle, and that they would repave just those spots that had been paved. I don't understand why the entrances were paved. In some cases, that was 50 feet; in others, it was close to 200 feet. This area has five entrances, all of which are treated differently. One included a hill, which now requires repair to the gravel surface before it can be paved. 

At least that's good news: they will be repaved. The question will be when? 

Then we talked about the flood damage. Yes, I know we are having some torrential rainfalls, but we've ALWAYS had torrential rainfalls—just not perhaps as many as now. There was never as much damage as there is now. I won't understand that, and I'm not even going to try. 

However, we discussed the preventative measures in Spain and how they prevent washouts on the hills. I asked why the hills only could not be paved and leave the remaining path, which is fine alone. He mentioned they should bring in some engineers, and there goes the neighborhood! For the engineers to do a study will take forever, and in the meantime, they are spending huge amounts of money to bring in workers, new fill, and equipment to fix something that was never broken before. 

I'll write a letter to the city and give them my perspective on this situation. It's a terrible waste of money.  

The other question in the comments was about pre-wound bobbins. I don't reuse pre-wound bobbins, but I suppose you could. You could rewind thread on them; they just don't have the little hole I use to hold the starting thread. And I have tons of bobbins, so I don't need to save something that I will never use. If you don't know what I mean by the little hole, I'll try to remember to take a picture tomorrow. 

Some people LOVE the pre-wounds because of their convenience. I happened to use a pre-wound in the long arm yesterday, and I quilted an entire quilt (a small one) and only changed the bobbin once. Oh, what a pleasure that was. Those pre-wounds are cardboard, and once they are done, they are done. 

I dug the plastic pre-wounds out of the garbage, and they went into a giveaway bag because someone would use them on fidget quilts. They string a cord through them, an excellent way to reuse them. There are now three in that pile!!! Actually, there are times when I could use plastic bobbins on a string to relax!!! I think everyone should have a fidget quilt! 

I should mention that while I spoke to the city employee, Murphy was a pretty good girl. She just had to bark, but after a few attempts, she settled right down. Can she be learning? I doubt it. Maybe she was tired? 

Here is the quilt of the day. 

Community project quilt - DONE

And here is the binding of the day. 

One more quilt has the binding on

The next quilt is ready to be quilted, so that's a job for this morning. Step one of the next binding is already done, so I should be able to catch up on the binding today. 

More applique was done, and I'm right on track. Between those three things, I don't seem to get a chance to get anything else done, so I may have to switch things up a bit as I need to start prepping some projects. But all is good. I have half of the ten quilts quilted, and three are bound, so I should be done with that task in one more week. As for the applique, slow and steady wins the race. 

I also worked on the thimble collection. It has been off the wall since the windows were replaced a few years ago. I'm terrible, but it's time to get it back up. I took all the thimbles out of the case and dusted it. Phew—there was a lot of dust in there. Then, all the thimbles went into a soapy bath—a quick one—and then left on a tea towel to air dry. 

Drying the thimbles

Oh, I see this one is now in three pieces. I didn't bother gluing it back together. Someone gave me this thimble, but it has ZERO meaning and wasn't worth repairing. 

A thimble not worth repairing

I found this thimble that obviously had something glued to the top, or it was supposed to be an egg yoke! 

Something is missing

So this brings up an interesting point. And I'm sure that everyone you ask will have a different answer. What constitutes a collection? Technically, I think it's when you have three or more similar items. So - when you start collecting something, do you have a purpose? Like magnets - there are millions of magnets in the world, so does that mean anyone can buy me a magnet and I can add it to my collection? Technically no! I want my magnet collection to represent places we have traveled. 

But so many people will buy you something if they know you collect it. My sister collected angels, and my mom used to buy her random knickknack-type angels just to add to that collection. My mom was doing it out of the goodness of her heart, but it didn't go over very well. There is a lack of communication in that family of mine! My Mom used to sell Regal products, and I think that's where my broken thimble came from. That company was BAD for adding to anyone's hoarder tendencies. 

As I put those thimbles back on the shelf, I noticed that there were some I had no idea where they came from. But the collection isn't huge, and I haven't added to it in a while, so I'm good. 

I've got all the ceramic ones back on the shelf except for a couple that must be repaired. 

Part of the thimble collection

The metal ones now need to be added. Since those two photos were taken, I've transferred a lot more, so I hope to finish today. 

More thimbles to add

That is one of my biggest issues. I am good at starting things but not so good at finishing them. Here's an example—this is the leftovers of stuff that I was attempting to sort and tidy that I brought down from Studio U. I got bored of a pile and brought more down. So, before I bring anything else down, I MUST deal with all this stuff on the table. It shouldn't take long, and it would be good to say that this is done!!!! This is the kind of stuff that's left in the office. I got partway through, and the leftovers got shuffled into the office. 

STUFF that needs to be dealt with

So here's one of the reasons I don't like sticky labels. This was my binding supply box, which has had a label for many years. When I attempted to pull it off the other day after switching the threads to a larger box, some of the label remained on the tin. 

Label bits left behind

I do not have any Goo-Gone in the house, as my bottle sprang a hole a while back, and I had to toss it. That will be on my list of things to get today on my walk. I also have a couple of thimbles with sticky stuff on them that need some TLC. 

OK—so what's up with Murphy? I caught her coming into the house and heading right for her dog bed in the window. It looks like she has the end of a hotdog in her mouth, but NO—that would be some mulch, and she's taking it to her bed to chew into splinters. Why does she do that? 

MOM -- don't take my mulch away!

And then I couldn't help it. She likes to lie under the sewing table and lick my feet. My sandals were lying there, and well, what a cutie. She's a trooper, to be sure!

MOM -- these shoes are too big!!!!

I wore shorts all day yesterday, but boy, it was cold! Last night, I curled up in a chair with a quilt, hot chocolate, and a book. I fell asleep after I drank the hot chocolate. I even shut the backdoor, which the girls are NOT happy about because they usually have total freedom to go in and out, and now they have to wait to go out. Not good news!!!!

Anyway --- all is good, getting loads of stuff done and trying to remember to look at things in small bits. Like the Camino, like applique --- if you look at the entire picture and attempt to do it all, it's impossible. But break things down into manageable bits, and it doesn't seem so bad. We run into trouble when we leave things to the last minute, so here is my goal. Try to be timely in the planning, so a little each day will accomplish the task with little or no stress. Leave it until the end? And it's a nightmare!!!

On that happy note -- have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!!

I CAN DO THIS!!!!!

I think I'm almost back in my time zone. I slept great—only woke up once and actually got up to do some work. I went back to bed, and I should be good today, although a nap every once in a while is highly recommended. 

Getting back early from a trip is great, but what does one do with the "free" time? OK -- you know I'm not one to sit around, so I've been busy! 

WAIT -- let me tell you about my souvenirs. I'm not a huge fan of souvenirs and certainly NOT a T-shirt. As a matter of fact, when I put on my cotton T-shirts that I usually wear, I'm NO LONGER a fan. In the heat, they just feel gross. And these shorts of mine have ZERO pockets. Hence, I will start wearing the stuff I wore on the Camino. It was cool, wicked sweat, and the shorts had nice pockets for my phone. 

Everything is now washed - thank goodness, because things got a bit stinky on that last long day - even for me! And hand washing is not the same as washing in a machine. 

Most of the stuff is now put away, which was easy since there wasn't much. That backpack, minus a few things I took on the plane with me, weighed 4.5 kg. That's impressive because that number includes the weight of the backpack and the walking sticks. One can get by with very little in life—we just don't realize it. 

So, there were three things in my bag that I never used on this trip; however, I used one of them on each of the two previous trips. They were nice to have if I needed them. If I had gone at a different time of the year, I would have probably needed them every day. Can you guess? 

Rain gear and a long-sleeved T-shirt

That would be my rain jacket and the cover for my backpack. Both of them are brand new —never used!! The orange item is a long-sleeved shirt that I used last year but not this year. 

We had rain one day this year, and I was waiting for the train at the Santiago train station. I think it would have been a horrible decision to make: get wet and possibly cool or be warm (hot) and dry. Thankfully, I never had to find out. 

OK—so at the middle and end of the Camino, you have the option to visit the Pilgrim's office and get your Compostella (certificate). I never knew about the one in the middle, and I did have an opportunity to get it, but I didn't. So what did I do at the end? I decided not to get the certificate. GASP!!!! 

Hey, I'm in the process of getting rid of stuff in the house, and what was I going to do with it? I've seen some people who framed it along with their shell, their credentials, and photos and whatnot, but seriously? I'm past that stage of my life. I've become a minimalist (not in the craft room, obviously), but everywhere else, I'm making a massive effort towards minimalism. 

So, there was no certificate, but I did get the final stamp on my credentials. This was the little book that we had to carry each day and get stamped to prove that we were pilgrims and allowed to stay in the pilgrim hostels. 

Pilgrim Credential

This is what the inside looks like. I used the same one for the entire Camino—last year and this year. You can put 12 stamps on each page, but some of them are huge, and I was running out of room at the end, so I just went for the essential ones—no extra, and the last one went in the last spot in the book. 

The stamps in my Pilgrim Credential

That is way more important to me than a certificate. Certificates are way overrated these days, and I think they need to start issuing virtual ones. I would have gone for that. With all the changes to what is required to get the certificate, what exactly does that certificate mean? I won't go into the politics of the Camino, but it's a hot spot! The stamps show the dates and where I walked. That makes me happy, as it more accurately reflects what I did. 

As mentioned, I'm not a big fan of souvenirs, but I caved and bought a magnet. I should have bought one with a big yellow arrow on it, but I saw enough shells, the pilgrim sign, and the colors that I thought this one was appropriate. 

My fridge magnet

It is now on our fridge with all the other magnets. 

The magnet collection

I think I need to clean that fridge up. There is stuff on there from when M lived at home, and quite frankly, it needs to go. Not always, but most times, we buy a magnet when traveling somewhere new. It's a happy reminder of where we've been, and we appreciate it every day. 

And then I couldn't resist when I saw the little running shoe. I mean -- how cute is that. 

The mini running shoe

And I started a collection (more than three items) of little shoes somewhere along the line. 

My mini-shoe collection

They are attached to a small day hiking bag and are easy enough to remove as they are all connected to one ring. 

The last thing I bought (I know—THREE souvenirs) was a thimble to go with my collection, which is still on the table and must be hung up. I might get myself in gear and do that today. It would free up a lot of space on the table. 

My thimble

It wouldn't take long, except I think the thimbles will have to be removed so they don't fall out in the move. That will take some time. But they need to be up so I can enjoy them daily since they sit right in front of my computer. 

So what did I do with my day? I returned to "work" as I was pumped to get some bonus stuff done. Sitting and reading was not relaxing since I've read so much over the last two weeks. I need a break from reading. 

A while back, I removed some of the boxes of junk from the office and put them in Studio U. It's a great space to work in, and I was doing very well, but then I got busy, and some stuff remained behind. It's been sitting on the floor under a table. So, it's time to get that done!!!!

I grabbed a pile of papers (the worst) for me and started to pitch and purge. Actually, the more you do this, the easier it becomes. 

A pile of papers to deal with

I found some interesting things that I've kept. I will reference them in the blog from time to time, and then they will likely go. 

Here's an engagement calendar from 2002. 

A diary of quilting

Oh, gosh. I started to write about what I worked on that day and included a snippet of fabric. I lasted until February 6, and that was only with the gluing. I'll hang onto the calendar for the moment because of the interesting quilts in it, but one day, it will go. 

I found a letter for a swap—like a chain letter. Good god --- I know I got put on the list, but I never sent it anywhere, so the two squares of purple are in the purple scrap box, and the letter is gone. 

A chain letter!!!!

And as the day passed, the pile got smaller. There is very little left for today. Hey -- it's very mental work to get rid of paper!!! 

What was left by lunchtime

I know I'm going to have quite the challenge when I get to the office, but I've already been working on it, so I don't expect it's going to take forever. 

The more junk you process, the easier it is to let go and the easier it is to know what to do with it. I feel so energized knowing that the end is close. Other than what's left upstairs, it's only the office. And when I want to clear a new area (like the fridge), it's only going to be a small job; the huge stuff is almost out of the way!!!!!

Still to sort in Studio U

This is what's left upstairs. Don't worry about that big box—it's a giveaway box with stuff that is ready to go. So there is not much left up there. Then I will have absolutely no excuse not to work in the office. 

I don't really care what gets worked on - I'm just happy to be getting rid of stuff. And so much of it is junk. I could work faster, but I could not be doing anything at all. My speed works for me. 

Then, it was off to the long arm to get some quilting done. This is a jelly roll quilt, and it's now quilted and trimmed. I'll attempt to put the binding on later today. I don't have time today to tell you the story of this quilt, but I'll try to remember to tell you tomorrow. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I got lucky with the top thread!!!!

Almost didn't have enough thread

The next quilt is loaded and ready to go this morning. It's going to be a challenge to quilt, and I'll share with you why tomorrow. It's one of the community project quilts, and the quilt itself is fine—the backing is just barely larger than the quilt, but it can be done!!! 

If I weren't such a strong walker, I'd be using these scooters. One is at the end of my street. 

MOM -- can we try the scooter?

These were on the way to the grocery store. It appears we have scooters for rent from Uber and the city. I just need to train the girls to sit on the platform, and we could go places!

More scooters

Look what Miss Lexi did—that clumsy dog. She got up quickly from under the table, ran into her dish, and spilled it. The food could have sat all day in her dish (which it had), and Murphy would NOT touch it, but spread it on the floor like this? Murphy was charging in while I had to pick it up. 

MOM -- I'm a klutz!!!!

And look at that lazy girl!!! At least she is calm in front of the TV. Murphy went wild when a TELUS commercial came on with dogs and other animals. 

Mom -- just chilling

OH -- I didn't take a picture, but I spent a LOT of time doing machine applique yesterday. That Cabin in the Woods is almost like my last day on the Camino. I want to finish it, but it's a massive pile of work. It will NOT get done just by looking at it, so I plunged in. I got an audiobook set up, and away I went. Let's just say that, like the last day on the Camino, I shocked myself at what I could get done. 

NO - I didn't finish the Cabin in the Woods quilts, but I made a huge dent, and it proved that I CAN DO THIS!!!! 

So my toes aren't perfect—one looks pretty ugly as it's a hardened mess of skin, and the other has an annoying little blister on it—but I think I'm good. My knees feel great, and I'm not quite back up to my usual walking distance, but I'm close. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have lots to do today, and I can't wait to get started. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!