On ordering food

Happy Canada Day!!!! Look—I found a new pattern yesterday, and while I won't have time to make it for this year's Canada Day, it would be simple to make next year. I got it at Stitcharie, but I think I bought the last one, as someone else in the class purchased the second-to-last one. And we can celebrate Canada Day any day of the year! It will be great to use up some red and white scraps. 

New Canada pattern

I'm home! It sure feels great to be home, and I didn't find the drive that bad last night, though I did stop at one of the OnRoutes for something to eat. AH -- there is a Booster Juice at this location (Woodstock). I swear the two girls in front of me, one of whom was chatting merrily on her phone instead of with the person she was with, took forever to place their order. I had no idea what they ordered, but seriously - pick a flavor and be done with it. 

The world is getting so fussy, and there is a certain coffee chain that caters to this. The orders are so long and so complicated that you wonder why. If you want a coffee, then just order a coffee, and maybe you put sugar or cream in it, but all these options? Some of those "coffees" are laced with hundreds of calories, and then you wonder why our society is so unhealthy. But I digress. 

Wait --- while the staff member was preparing my Berry protein drink, the lady with the phone came back (still on the phone) and asked if she could have her smoothie thinned out as she couldn't drink it through the straw. It was a slow process to get my smoothie! When she first came back and asked for the drink to be thinned out, I didn't hear what the staff member said to her. The customer's response? "I don't have time for that!" 

My smoothie was the perfect consistency. I have no idea what the other lady's problem was. There are just customers like that, and there is nothing that you can do to please them. 

Anyway -- I digress. I will admit that I am tired this morning and will probably need a nap, and then we are on to change the leaders on the long arms - mine and hers! I'll remove my leaders this morning and clean the rails. WAIT --- I have to sew the metal bits in for the magnets. Yikes -- I completely forgot about that. Hmmm -- there might not be time for a nap!

We had great sessions on software at Stitcharie yesterday, with loads of questions, and many people went home with their heads full of information. Now it's up to them what they do with it. 

I wish I had access to a session like that when I was new to software. At least when I would have opened it, I would have had some idea of where to start. 

When I left the hotel in the morning, I decided to use the luggage cart instead of making several trips. It worked very well. 

Using the luggage cart

It was so cold in that hotel, I almost froze. The first thing I did, and I do in all hotels, is turn off the AC. It is set so high that I'm about to freeze to death. The lobbies and hallways were like ice boxes. I get it that people are hot, but the more you are used to the heat, the less it will bother you. We are NOT AC people at our house, and with a couple of strategic fans, it's just fine. 

Perhaps by the fourth day of this heat wave, we will turn on the AC just to get rid of the humidity in the house. But the basement is like a refrigerator, and with the dehumidifier going, it's comfy once you start moving. 

Before "work" yesterday, I went to Tim's, and this sign is located on the side of the building. 

Outside the Tim's

Other provinces have similar signs with their own provincial symbols. Wait—after a little bit of research, I found the artist and some other information. Here's a screenshot from Cindy Scaife's Facebook page. 

The art at Tim's

I see they also have magnets for various areas of Canada. I am NOT buying the magnets. 

Tim's magnets

Nor did I buy a donut. 

The donuts stayed at the store.

But one thing that I noticed is that the person who comes into the store is THIRD in line to get served. What do I mean by that? Well, Tim's has always had a drive-thru. Well, maybe not at the very start, but it's known for its long drive-thru lines. And many staff members are assigned to fulfilling the orders from the drive-thru. 

A few years ago, they introduced mobile pickup ordering on the app. That has now taken second place for fulfilling orders. I watched a guy walk into the restaurant and step in front of me. He was older; I didn't argue, but I was standing at one of the order counters, and he went to the other one and got served first. 

He got his coffee and left, and I'm still standing there. So I moved to that order desk. The staff member said, "Wait a minute," while he fulfilled a few orders and placed them at the Mobile Order Pickup spot. That location is for any orders placed on the app or at the in-store kiosk, which this store didn't have. Or at least, I didn't see it. 

The mobile order pickup 

This reminds me so much of being with a person, like the person at the Booster Juice stand. It's more important to talk to the person on the phone or to fill the order for the unseen person than to deal with the person standing in front of you. I felt invisible!!!!

One day, I will get the ordering right! But now that I am home, I don't need to worry about ordering anything. If I want a tea, I just go to the kitchen and get it. 

I had taken a drive around Petrolia earlier, and there are some amazing old Victorian houses. Some made from brick and some made from wood. All are beautiful, although some of them needed a bit of TLC.

But as I was walking back to the store from Tim's, I spotted a giant Canadian flag on top of a building. Hmmm—can you tell me how they get the flag up there? It would weigh quite a bit, and well, now I want to know!

How did this flat get on top of the building?

When I got home, I unloaded the car and unpacked the suitcases. I was tired, but not so tired that I couldn't at least empty the suitcases. I hate having my samples crammed into them, and when I pack up wildly as I did, I'm not always neat. So the two big suitcases got unpacked, and the items moved to their respective locations. Upstairs for finished samples, downstairs for working samples. 

This is what I faced this morning when I went downstairs. Of course,  Murphy was there to assist. It was more like supervising than helping. 

Mom - I'm here to help if you need me!

And there was a stack of items on the chair that needed to be dealt with as well. 

More items to sort

There were items on the cutting table, but as I made progress, they were put away. With the two trips back-to-back, there was no time in between to deal with stuff. I now have a handful of thread to find a home for and then to tackle putting away the remaining things on the right-hand side. I have one urgent project to work on, and I have two weeks to make that happen. The items I need are in that envelope. Stay tuned! 

The cutting table is almost clear.

I'm happy to report that the items on the table and on the floor around it are put away. Yeah!!! I now have room to move the stuff from the chair to the table. That will leave my chair free to operate the sewing machine, which I will need as I sew the metal for the magnets into the leaders. 

Good progress on tidying up!

There is a pile of samples beside the sewing machine that I want to tidy up. 

Samples that need some tidying up

I love making technical samples. The ones that show you the good, the bad, and the ugly. But often the edges of the single fabrics go unfinished. It would take no time (yeah right!) to trim them to a nice size and serge the edges. 

Samples need to be upped in finished quality just a bit.

So I set those samples aside, and they will look a bit more professional the next time I pull them out. 

I also have a pile of things on the stairs to bring up. Don't yell at me; this is a good place to put them, and they never stay long. I have already brought up a fair amount of it. I am super careful of stairs, both up and down. I am very aware of that stuff, and since I am the only one who does the stairs, I'm not worried. By the time my helper comes for the long arm, this will be all dealt with. 

Things to bring upstairs

And that's it for today. I can't wait to see how this leader thing goes. I have THREE leaders to sew the magnets into. That means marking the stitching lines and then sewing. Neither should take too long, but there are three of them! 

The girls are happy that I'm home because that means they are going to get a walk despite the heat. I might make it a bit shorter, but they will tell me what they want. They don't care about the heat, at least when it comes time for a walk. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

NO more donuts!!!!

What will I do with two weeks at home? I should be answering some of those comments! Your comments always make me smile. 

And yes -- those unruly kids? We were saying to each other at our table who would sue whom if that kid fell while playing fireman on the patio umbrella pole. Those parents would be quick to sue because the kid got hurt, completely forgetting that they were not taking care of their kids - it's always someone else's fault. Sigh......... It's a very sad world we live in. 

Victorian houses being a money pit -- you got it. I can't imagine the heating bill for a house like the Fairbanks Mansion. 

But I took a picture of it yesterday. Well, there are big NO TRESPASSING signs on the tree, and you know the morals in me would never let me cross that property line. I remember another instance a couple of months ago where a single sign refrained me from crossing a property. Hmmm -- I think that was the golf course near a quilting retreat. I was going to cut across it, but I was deterred by the signs. 

Signs work for goodie two-shoes like me, but not for others. 

The Fairbanks house is huge, and there are a lot more trees around it than in the picture I posted yesterday. I bet that originally, it was sitting on a huge piece of land with nothing for miles! Now it is just steps from Stitcharie and the town of Petrolia. 

The Fairbanks Mansion

According to the floor plan I shared yesterday, that turret is the library on the ground floor and a bedroom on the top floor. Right beside the turret is a large window in the den on the ground floor. Hmmm -- why a library and a den? Yesterday, the ladies guessed that one might be for the gentlemen to smoke in after dinner, while the ladies shared the library. 

A bit closer on the house

But doesn't it make you want to see inside the house? And that massive veranda on the front of the house? How fun would it be to lounge out there on a summer day? The back of the house is where the kitchen is, with a maid's sitting room, and upstairs in that area are sleeping quarters for the maids. Just fascinating how ornate they built those big fancy houses, and I can only imagine the millwork on the inside.

The rumor is that there is a ballroom on the third floor. And yes - that rumor is true; however, there was a major fire in the house in 2002, and it sounds like a lot of the interior was damaged. OK -- I still want to see inside!!! Do I dare just go and knock on the door and ask for a tour? Of course, I won't do that, nor do I have time. 

I might have to come back, do a bit more exploring, and look for a house! Just kidding -- we are not moving, but I am enamored with this quaint town. Plus it has a quilt shop! That's a bonus. 

OK -- so I said, "NO MORE DONUTS!" However, it seems the world wants me to eat donuts. This is what I spotted at breakfast yesterday morning. 

Mini donuts

The donuts weren't very big, and how many calories can be in one donut? So I had one! The hotel chain I stay at includes breakfast, so I always have breakfast there and then get Tim's tea to start my day. The tea is purchased on the way to work. 

When I was finished yesterday, I went out for dinner; more on that in a moment, and since the dinner was light, I decided to stop at Tim's on my walk back to the hotel. I wanted a muffin. Imagine my disappointment when I saw this. 

The muffin side of the baked goods shelves was empty. 

No more muffins

But the donut side was still stocked. NO...................................... I don't want to eat another donut. 

Of course, there are still donuts!!!!

Thankfully, I asked, and they had removed the muffins from the shelf and still had bran muffins, so I was able to get what I wanted. Phew!!!! I wonder if they will have donuts downstairs this morning? I have never seen donuts at the breakfast bar before. 

While I'm talking about food, let me tell you about dinner.  I decided to explore the local restaurants, and since I had eaten at a dockside restaurant the night before, I checked out a brew house this time. Yes - I had one of their local offerings. They had minimal offerings for dinner - hot dogs- but that's OK, since it was the picture of the hot dog on Google that intrigued me. 

My hot dog for dinner

It was very messy to eat, but it was good. That's why I had to stop at Tim's for the muffin. I'm hungry now, so I'll soon be scooting down for breakfast, and I'll let you know if they have donuts this morning! 

We had a great day yesterday, with everyone learning what Creativate is and how to use its various components to be creative! I know many people went home extremely excited about what they can do in the embroidery/quilt world! I'm excited and can't wait to be home. What will I do first? Unpack? I have a few things to repair. I have a puzzle I want to start. I have samples to finish. But first, I need to get that long arm ready for its spa day, and then weed the garden. With this heat, I'll be out there with a flashlight in the middle of the night!

While I think we are in a very safe area here, I was leery about leaving all my suitcases in the car. What if by some weird occurrence, one of my suitcases disappeared? That is hours and hours of work that would disappear, and I would be devastated. So I lugged them all into the hotel. And now I have to lug them all back out this morning. 

All my luggage on the left 

I had to resort a few of the bags this morning to add a few things to what I'm showing today. And we have some great demos on how the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 3 works with all its amazing placement tools. Be sure to come by Stitcharie if you are free. 

Last night when I was approaching the hotel, I spotted "sun dogs" in the sky. Now I have seen these in the winter, but never in the summer, and it's hot outside. Well, it turns out that they can be visible in the cold and the heat. Where the ice crystals form, allowing the sunlight to refract through them, is always very cold. 

Sun dogs in the heat

And that is our science lesson of the day!

Can you tell me why that hotel in Winnipeg had the controls on the opposite side of the shower from the showerhead? I have NEVER seen that anywhere in my life, and this hotel is back to normal with everything on one end, so you have to stand out of the way while the water heats up. It's just weird. Something as simple as splitting the components on two sides makes life easy, BUT I bet it would drive the plumber mad with all the extra plumbing required. I bet that is why it isn't common—it's much more expensive! 

I had some extra time yesterday morning, so I scheduled all the classes for 2026/2027. You know what that means  - I'll be able to post them soon. Expect that to happen later this week. And there's no need to rush to sign up - the first classes don't start until September. I just want you to make wise choices as you start seeing which classes other teachers are offering. 

The last thing we want is for you to be overwhelmed by the offerings and get so bogged down that nothing gets done. Remember that quilting is our hobby, and we need to have fun with it, or we are in big trouble. While there are times when I get stressed by sewing, machine embroidery, and all my technology woes, it's usually my fault. I didn't plan well enough, and I'm very good at procrastinating. Or I struggle because I can't find the correct tools. However, I am much better than I used to be, which gives me more time to enjoy my hobby at my own pace. 

But I have so much more I want to learn - software, embroidery techniques, and the long arm. I will never stop learning stuff. How could you not? 

I just can't imagine getting up each day and NOT having something or some purpose in life. Being retired and only being there for my children (well, child) and grandchildren would be the most boring thing in my life. Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a good reason to get up, but they won't be around forever. Nor could I read all day. It sounds so exciting, but I would be bored as well. Learning is a way to expand my horizons, and new stuff keeps coming out!

I am not a soccer fan; I don't watch it, but OK -- even I am excited for Canada. This is a historic moment that they have made it to the round of 16 in the World Cup. Go Canada Go!!!!! If you look at this chart, I wonder why it takes so long for these games to be played? I must ask DH when I get home. I could learn it, but there is no room in my brain for the details of soccer! I have more important things I want to learn!

Can you believe it's June 30th today? Where has HALF of the year gone! Make sure you are taking advantage of every day!!! I know someone (no need to mention names, as they know who they are) who is counting the days to Christmas!!!! And before we all know it, it will be Christmas! 

And on that note, I'm out of here!!

Have a super day!!!!

Don't tell me that computerized machines do not provide quality craftmanship!

It was a rainy day in Winnipeg. I didn't go for a walk because I had to pack, and since I didn't sleep well, I decided to take a nap before the day actually started. How crazy is that? 

And now I'm writing late at night because I have an early-morning flight and likely won't have time to write in the morning. EDIT: I wrote the blog last night and am editing this morning. 

This was the condition of the room when I left near noon to go to Carellen's Sewing Center. I had one suitcase mostly packed and most of the stuff off the beds. So that was good. EDIT: Just had a shower and everything is now packed, except for the computer. Then I'm off. 

The packing process

I wonder if, after any major quilt show, the X-ray people at the airport question these "things" in suitcases. There are many spools of thread in one of the suitcases. While these are loose spools of thread, there are two boxes of thread in another suitcase! 

A pile of threads in one of my three suitcases

We had a great time yesterday and saw a lot of inspiration for quilting with your embroidery machine. There is so much to share, and I get so inspired myself that I can't wait to get home and get to work. There is so much to do!!!! I have a load of samples I want to make, and I need to make a list of the things I need/want to make, as well as the things I need/want to learn. 

And it was great to see Brenda. Brenda is part of my machine embroidery club, and it's nice to see the people in person! 

OH my -- I should tell you what happened at breakfast yesterday. I was sitting at a table, minding my own business, when I noticed four women nearby talking about Quilt Canada. One woman seemed to be dominating the conversation. I tried not to listen, but how could I help myself? 

She was lamenting that so many of the quilts in the show were NOT hand-made, and that her quilt, which she had spent over 5 hours hand-embroidering a small section, was NOT accepted into the show. Then she told the others that these machines have no craftsmanship in their end result, and all the makers do is push a button and walk away. 

I think she was in particular talking about the jacket that won first prize, I think. It was beautiful and machine-embroidered on silk. It would have taken weeks/months to do all the satin stitching by hand. I have a picture somewhere. 

OK -- so I couldn't help myself. I had finished my breakfast, and I walked over to chat with them. I identified myself as someone who works with computerized machines, and I politely gave them a wee lesson: people with computerized machines still need to worry about the impact of what they have done, which involves choosing the design, fabrics, and threads. We also need to be skilled at using the computerized machine. It needs to be set, we need to know how it works and how to solve the problems, and a whole lot more. WE do NOT just push a button and walk away. 

I don't think she was too impressed. I was very polite. She then started to talk about how she teaches children to sew. So I piped up that if she was doing that, why didn't she sponsor children in her groups to participate in the Youth Challenge at the show? OH -- she didn't know what to say to that. But then she agreed that it might be a good idea. 

I then suggested that she write an article or contact CQA to see if they would be interested in publishing one on what she is doing in her community. It's not about embarrassing these kinds of people or making fun of them. Just ask them why they aren't making a bigger impact!!!! That's partly because they live in small bubbles and are not exposed to other things! 

I didn't stay too long to chat, but enough to make them think. However, I think she was the kind of person who would continue to complain about the computerized machines simply because her handwork quilt didn't get in. 

People do NOT get it that submitting your quilt to any show, even with exquisite handwork, doesn't guarantee that it will get in. What other quilts is it competing with? Just because you do exquisite handwork doesn't mean the overall impact is desirable, and there are so many other factors.  And each person's definition of exquisite handwork may not meet the judges' standards. 

And people, the rejection letter they send is NOT directed to you. It's a canned letter - it has no reflection on your work. She was quite offended by the letter. And let's face it - if your pictures are crap, that is all the judges see, and your quilt won't get in. 

So many factors—you can be disappointed, but you can't criticize. 

But to complain so publicly about it and to put down the computerized machines -- well, that was too much to let slip past! BUT I was as polite as could be, praised her for what she was doing in her community, and encouraged her to do more! I am not a mean person. Just like to set the record straight and stand up for us techies. 

Later in the day, I ran into someone who complained about the show's layout. People—the show coordinators are at the mercy of the space they have been given. Some shows are big, some shows are small. I don't know if the number of quits was the same as in past shows, but it's amazing how people remember shows differently. Oh, when the show was in "city X," there were so many more quilts. It was better laid out, it was bigger/smaller or whatever. I wish I were better at remembering statistics (which I don't even know myself),  so I could prove a point to people. 

And it is a show—there will be lots of people; the booths are small; it is all about MONEY!!!! If you have accessibility issues, then DO NOT go during the busy times. I do not know how many times I need to repeat that -- go when the crowds are lesser (later in the day). Don't go when it's crowded and then complain! I'm not sure I could handle being a coordinator of the show -- the complaints would drive me mad. 

But the one issue with the facility was the stairs between floors 2 and 3. There was a slow elevator and one escalator that went up or down beside that set of stairs. I believe they had to swap the convention hall at the last minute due to an issue, and I'm not sure if the stair issue was the same on the other side of the hall. I don't know the details of that, but I do know that we were NOT in the hall that we were supposed to be in. 

For someone with mobility issues, taking the stairs either up or down could be quite the issue, or they had to wait for the slow elevator. Thankfully, I am very mobile, so I took the stairs up and down all the time. My knee wasn't always happy, but I told it to be quiet - I was in a hurry! 

The previous day in class, we were talking about donut shapes, and well, on the way to Tim's, guess what? I spotted this donut place and decided to stop in on my way back. 

OH Doughnuts!!!

I ordered from Tim's kiosk because the line was long. Then I was fiddling with my phone when I realized the line was gone, and I still didn't have food. One of the staff asked me what I was waiting for, and I said I had ordered at the kiosk. OH -- turns out my food had been waiting at the other end of the restaurant. Sigh............  I might get all this stuff sorted out at some point. They shout out the in-house orders to the customers, but not the orders in the pickup line. The kiosk qualifies as a pickup line. 

Ordering at the kiosk

So, on the way back to the hotel, I stopped by the donut place. OH MY!!!!! And yes, I had my cup of tea and several Tim's bags in my hands. Good grief. 

But look at those donuts!!!! OH MY -- they looked amazing. 

OH Doughnuts is right!

I bought the key lime donut, and let's say they weren't cheap, and I'm sure there were two days' worth of calories in each one. The lady asked me if I wanted a bag to put all my things in, and I said yes, because I had a lot of small bags from Tims.  

The donut was so thick I could barely get it into my mouth, and at one point, I had key lime pie cream on my chin and whipped cream on my nose. Thankfully, no pictures were taken at that time. 

Now that's a donut!!!

But oh my—it was delicious and well worth it. Not as good as if I had ridden my bike to the shop, but at least I walked there. 

I forgot to mention that after breakfast, I told the lady at reception that we had some excitement in the hotel earlier that morning. She apologized and then asked what room I was in. Later in the day, I got a text, and they gave me a slight discount on one night's rate. That was a very nice gesture, and it pays to talk to people!!! 

I'm back at the hotel, and I have everything more or less packed in the suitcases. I will have to carry a tote bag on the plane in addition to my backpack. Thank goodness for airline status, which allows for three 70-pound suitcases. Having access to the lounge? Useless for me. 

Hopefully, there will be no issues, such as flat tires on the plane, and I'll catch you when I get home!!! I can't wait!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!