Signs of spring

Wow -- it's the start of another week. While I'm thoroughly enjoying each and every day, it just seems that Monday comes along very quickly!

We have no snow left. We had two days of temperatures in the low teens, and you could almost see the snow melt. It was crazy because I was thinking it was going to take forever for all this snow to melt, and then poof — it was gone. I did more cleaning up in the backyard and hope to finish this afternoon. Then we need a nice, gentle rain to clean things up. But WAIT-- we have snow in the forecast. But still, it'll be nice to get some of the backyard tasks done before we get more snow. It's not a lot and likely won't stick around. 

It's still muddy and wet, but there's no danger of falling on the sidewalks, although the well-trodden path in the forest is still slippery, so I continue to avoid that for a few more days or weeks. 

I even spotted new growth in someone's garden on our morning walk. 

Green shoots!!

And this opossum took it upon himself to walk down our street in the morning, which causes no end of excitement to Murphy. 

Opossum crossing the street

One more sign of spring - the first e-scooter of the season passed Murphy and me on our walk, and Murphy was beyond herself. She hates those things and would tear them apart if I let her. I keep a very tight grip on her when she spots one. And if someone comes from behind me and surprises us both, there is no telling what will happen, but god help the e-scooter driver! 

I'm not quite finished with the Smartphone Nation, but I've got enough information. The last chapter talks about regulation, defunding hate, harm, and disinformation. I'll read it this afternoon. 

My takeaways from yesterday's readings are that you should keep a phone journal for a day or two. Write down why you picked up your phone. What you eventually ended up doing on your phone. Did you actually do the thing you picked your phone up for? How long were you on your phone? And how did you feel when you were done? 

There is something called algorithm resistance (gaming the algorithm), which means you are working the algorithms to work for you, not against you. I'll see if I can dig up more information on that, but not this morning. 

Ensure your screen time is ACTIVE by spending time on education (including language learning, games, math tutorials or quizzes), creativity (making or reading), communication (keeping in touch with friends and family), and participation (searching or gaming). 

AVOID the passive activities of mindless scrolling. 

The bottom line in this is to be MINDFUL of why you are reaching for your phone. Were you bored, so you watched reels to entertain yourself? Were you going to do an active activity with your phone and then got sucked into social media? Like all aspects of life - be MINDFUL of what you do, don't let time just pass you by!

In addition to making samples for my upcoming Facebook Live, I finished the customer quilt. 

Customer Quilt - done

I've got some trimming to do later today. I also took an "emergency" trip to Fabricland yesterday. I was making samples for the Facebook Live, and as I made some, I started thinking about others I could make (typical), and I needed a few extra supplies. I arrived at 4:41, and they close at 5. I grabbed an employee I knew, and we got everything I needed. OH MY --- once you get outside the world of quilting cotton, there are so many exciting things in a fabric store! But I was mindful of what I bought, and less than $50 later, I was on my way home!

As a reward for the day's activities, I worked on the jigsaw puzzle. I'm loving working on it this way!! I have all the pieces of the puzzle laid out on those boards, which I could never do using the trays. I started by working on the circles. 

Progress on the 1000-piece green puzzle

Now all the pieces fit on one board, and I scour it for specific pieces. Then I grab those pieces, bring them to the puzzle, and see if I can find a home for them. When I find the home for all, then I go back to the pieces board and look for more distinctive pieces. It is working just fine. But I doubt that method will work for all puzzles. There are so many things in this one, and I spend a LOT of time looking at the picture to figure out where some of them are. I know there are different colors in other puzzles. I think I have the orange one. I might just have to find all the other colors, since I really like this puzzle style. i think my friend has the red one! 

Just like that -- I found that there are SEVEN puzzles in this series. I want/need to do them all. They are a lot of fun!

I'm having great fun, and it's a great way to leave that phone alone. Not that I'm on my phone a lot, and I'm much more conscientious of it after reading that book. 

I have to investigate a bit more about changing the algorithms, but I'm in pretty good shape, so I'm not really worried. But being mindful about everything you do is so important. It's easy to slip into a rut and just get caught up, but then I don't get to do the things I REALLY want to spend my time on, and that makes me feel bad, so I try to be as mindful as I can. 

As I was sitting by the embroidery machine making samples, a book on the bottom shelf caught my eye. Actually, the coil-bound spine did. I pulled the book out to find a book of quotes I had purchased a long time ago. I really have some great books, and sadly, one day, I will need to start culling them. 

I found an entire category of quotes dealing with "to-do" lists. I got a chuckle and then started reading them. OH MY!!!! These are amazing quotes. 

Here is one:

"Every person you meet knows something you don't: Learn from them." H. Jackson Brown

So true—do not be afraid to ask others questions, and stop talking about yourself unless you are asked. And then we want to acknowledge your woes or your family, but do NOT belabor the point unless it's a close friend. Share your KNOWLEDGE. 

WOW --- I think I'm going to have to keep this book out as there are so many good quotes. The book is called "Quote" Unquote - Volume 2: Inspirational Quotes for Meaningful Moments. It was a book meant for scrapbooking, but it can be used in daily life. 

OH MY—time is running out, and I need to get to the gym!! Still not putting full pressure on the bike, but slowly increasing the intensity. Keeping an eye on my knee -- I have good days and bad. 

Have a super day and be MINDFUL - whatever you do, do it mindfully!!!

Ciao!!!

Here is the link to the Facebook Live on Wednesday, as I always have trouble finding these links. Once the session starts, select the ONLINE button to get in. I'll post this link every day for the next two days so you can easily find it. I think that is the correct button. I think the other button works once the video has been saved. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/3548708531933619

Do you sew?

And just like that - the quiet and calm is shattered in a million pieces, just like my patio tabletop!

I was doing so well until I received two emails announcing two short (2-hour) events near me. With travel time, each event will consume a lot more time. I don't need to attend these events, but I want to. OH—and they are both this week when I'm supposed to be prepping for a couple of events and my blog posts. 

I signed up for both events, meaning I will have to forego the leisurely tea on the front patio, work late to catch up, and probably only two quilts will get done this week. Technically, only one has a deadline, but the community project quilt is already loaded, and I will only take that off the long arm when it's quilted. 

Don't worry. I have time, but it will make things a bit tight. It's nothing I can't handle. And those deadlines can't be pushed. I have to be on a plane next week. 

Thank goodness I decided to set the Cabin in the Woods applique aside for a bit; otherwise, I would have no choice this week. The break is good anyway, and the project is NOT forgotten!

I made excellent progress on one of the projects and the blog posts yesterday. It was a slow and methodical day. It was an audiobook day, although I didn't finish it. I'm not sure why some days I work better with an audiobook and others without. I rarely have the radio on any longer. I used to use Alexa to listen to the radio, but that doesn't work well at my house. The connection keeps cutting out, and it's very frustrating, so I end up yelling at Alexa to play the radio. I finally gave up. 

Now I use my external speaker (I love my SONOS Roam) and the app on my phone, which also works through the internet when I'm in the house, but it never cuts out. Can you tell me why? 

I now have three Alexa Dots in the house that we don't use, so if anyone is interested in an Alexa Dot, they are up for grabs. I'll never use them, and they are collecting dust. Some people love them, but me? Not so much. I really don't have things for her to do, but she does a lot! We have one in the kitchen, and DH uses it as a timer. That's the extent of Alexa's usefulness for us. 

I broke down and bought this book the other day. I've wanted the book for quite some time, and I ordered it on my birthday, which arrived yesterday. I'm sure it's a very interesting story, as she accomplished much in her lifetime, wrote a ton of books, and filmed countless hours of TV. 

New book to read

How is the decluttering coming along? I may have to set it aside for the moment with the extra time those events will consume. I'll attend one of the events today and share it with you tomorrow. It's so easy to grab a drawer or a shelf and just look at what's on it. What's amazing is how the little things - mostly things we do not know what to do with, get tossed aside and become clutter. That's the hardest for me. The pioneer spirit in me wants to make use of everything, and that's not possible. So, it's OK to throw something out if it can't be used, but try to find the proper place for what you are tossing. Recycling, can someone else use it, electronic waste, and finally, the landfill if no other place. 

Better yet -- STOP accumulating those junky little things. I think the worst thing is the marketing crap that stores and events hand out. You know -- the FREE stuff that we COVET, as if these things were gold. Why? I've no idea. But swag bags at events are one of the worst. Going to a trade show (quilt show) and picking up all the crap with a name on it. In all the stuff I'm in the process of decluttering in the office, there's a lot of swag stuff, and don't get me started on quilting swag. Most of what is in those bags is garbage or stuff that you'll never use. Save the planet and just say NO. 

Don't start with how many people on social media will offer giveaways. Most of what's in the giveaway is something that you will never use; you have to tag your friends to quality (please do NOT tag me - I hate that, and it's very intrusive and rude), and the person giving the item away is just trying to increase their reach. Just say NO!!!! 

We must learn to get over the "it's free or on sale or cheap" mentality because we're just going to end up having to get rid of it later. Gift baskets are another clutter accumulator!! Or gifts, period—just don't bother giving a gift if you don't know what to buy someone. It's just clutter and often ends up being regifted or thrown out. Find a better way (gift card to their favorite store or NO gift) - maybe write them a letter or send a card, but don't waste your money on something just because it's the "right" thing to do. 

Wow -- where did that come from? 

I'm learning so much in the decluttering process. One thing I've learned is to NEVER save the good stuff. There is no reason to save it; use it now, or that special day may never come. That special day may come, but you won't be around for it! 

That's like my two bone-china teacups. I purchased them many years ago, and they were still in their boxes in the cupboard. They were expensive, and well, I was saving them. Then, a number of years ago, when I was decluttering the cup section of the cupboards, I happened upon them and decided to use them. I use one or the other every day—well, every day I have tea at home, which is most days. 

One of my SPECIAL tea cups

I bet they weren't meant to go in the dishwasher, but I put them in. If the paint fades, then that's the patina of that cup. I'd rather drink from a faded, well-used, and loved cup every day than die with a brand-new cup in a box in the cupboard. Thankfully, we have no china or silverware to deal with in our house. We have some crystal, and I'm tempted to get on DH's case and get rid of what's there. There's not much, but we don't use most of it. It's all wine glasses. 

But use the good stuff—put those gold-rimmed dishes in the dishwasher—wear the gold off. Who cares? You can't sell the stuff, so you might as well enjoy it. Get out the new sheets or towels or whatever else you are saving. Stop saving it and use it or give it away. 

I walk past Tim's almost every day, and there are days when I think I deserve a treat because you can't just buy tea; you must also buy a cookie. Then, I tell myself that I do not need that treat. I have healthy snacks in the house, and I'm saving money. Yes, I pick up Tim's from time to time if I'm on the road, but it's not something I need every day. 

So the other day, when I was at the drugstore, I spotted the brand of tea I like (Yogi), and they had two different flavors, so I decided to buy them. I looked at the price - $7.99 for 16 bags. I thought it was a bit expensive, but then I got to thinking. If I had bought tea - that would have cost almost $2.00. The Yogi tea costs 50 cents. OK -- looking at it that way, the tea I buy is cheap!!

I also get a nice quote on each teabag. I wish they were not individually wrapped, but I guess that keeps them fresh. The sachet can be recycled, and with my china cup, there is NO waste. 

The quote from the Yogi teabag

It really is how you look at anything. Expensive or cheap, it needs to be used. Nothing is sacred at my house any longer. I am happy to use everything and anything. Sometimes, it takes a minute for me to remember that, and then I use it!!! 

Speaking of tea, this is the face that I see when I'm sitting outside. She stays there for a while and then leaves. I've brought her out a couple of times (on her leash), but then she gets bored and wants back in the house. She can stay in the house by herself for an hour!

MOM -- can I come out to play?

I had a thread emergency and needed to go to Fabricland for thread and more zippers. As I was browsing the notions wall (just looking and taking two pictures), a lady was browsing the needles and asked me, "Do you sew?" LOL --- she had a question about needles and which one to buy, so she got a mini-lecture in the store about needles. It was her lucky day. I hope it worked out for her! I ONLY bought what I went for, despite looking at other things. 

Back to the EXIT game last night. Oh boy—we were stumped on one puzzle, and despite our mutterings out loud and the "discussion" about what we were really saying, we figured out the clue. But not before we had to peek at the first clue (there are three per puzzle). And it was DH's eagle eyes who spotted it. I can barely see it with my glasses on. 

But do you see something written on these? They are small - about the size of a thumbnail. 

Pieces for the EXIT game

These puzzles are going to drive us to drink! But they're so much fun. We're almost done with this one—it's one of the games, not the Advent Calendar, so there are ten puzzles in each box. Well, I've got more! And there are many more that we still need to purchase - but we are using them! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class. And then the merry-go-round starts, and it won't stop until the middle of October! Yeah!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A focused mind is a wonderful thing

One final word on doing things alone. It's not that I don't have friends - I have friends and acquaintances I could call on to do some things. It's not that I couldn't drag DH along, but here's the thing. We need to learn to live with ourselves and FOR ourselves. When we are alone - how do we handle a crisis? How do we handle the good times when we have no one to share our victories with? How do we handle the mundane things that happen every day? If we don't know how to live with ourselves, what will we do as we age and friends and loved ones disappear? We will be lost. I have no intention of getting lost. 

We've all had some problem areas in our house that we want to tackle. I mean, in the decluttering or organizing world. It's an overwhelming space—like my office. Well, I'm chipping away at that space. But here's the upside to all this sorting. Studio U became a dumping ground for a lot of stuff, but after I got that large rolling cart, I was able to find a home for many things. 

Once you find a home for some things, you want to find a home for everything. The beauty is that the more times you hit the same room, the easier and faster it becomes. 

I sorted the small wall hangings into two piles. One is for quilts that I will likely never need—I wonder who would like a small quilt, or what I can do with these small items? The other is for quilts that I want to keep. I found a spot in the guest room at the bottom of the closet to store those two containers. 

The mini quilts

Then, I was able to clear the pile of Trendtex quilts, and I took pictures so I could share them with you one day soon. There was a pile of medium wall hangings, and I also found a space on the rolling cart for those. 

The larger wall hangings need a home. The next time I need samples, I'm going to have to rejig the rolling cart to make that easier, and I hope to find a home for these larger wall hangings then. In the meantime, they will reside in Studio U. It'll also help when I donate a quilt or two from the rolling cart to make room for these. 

The larger wall hangings still need a home

Do you know how good it feels to have a home for those quilts? I can roll that cart from room to room if I need to move them, but no more rolls of quilts, no more piles of quilts to move! It's so darn exciting!!! And NO quilts are under any bed. Those areas are free of anything, except maybe dust bunnies. 

The desk in Studio U is completely clear. I've eliminated all the small drawer units in this room except one under this desk. It has some knitting stuff in it, so it can stay. I need to review the cabinets under this desk, but everything is pretty good. There are knitting UFOs in there, but we're not going there today! 

The desk is clear

There was a small basket of stuff where the sewing machine sits, and I sorted through all that, and it's dealt with. It takes so little time to buzz through and clear up those odds and ends, but it takes a long time to get there. Is it worth it? You bet!!!! 

All that remains of the "junk" in this room are a few boxes sitting on the cutting table. That stool is likely going to be donated, as well, as I won't use it. I also have a bicycle stand that is used for indoor training. Unless someone wants it, it's going to hit Facebook Marketplace. Don't worry about the price - it's going cheap - just to get it out of the house. 

The cutting table needs a bit of work

Now that this has been dealt with, more or less, it's going to be a breeze to keep neat and tidy. I love being able to buzz around a room and tidy it within ten minutes. I think I'm down to three minutes in the kitchen. Everything has a home, and only a few small things sit on the counter, so if you're diligent about putting stuff away - it's super easy. I also put things away as I use them. DH does not, so when he cooks, the kitchen is a disaster - it drives me crazy, but I say nothing since he eventually puts it away. 

In my cleaning process, I found dried-up glue sticks and dried-up Krazy Glue. All of them are now in the garbage. It's so nice to be able to take a few minutes to do this. 

Dried-up glue sticks

So here's a bit of advice for you. I understand you may be so busy that you need more time to clean and tidy. I tell myself that I'm going to have so much MORE time because I'm cleaning and tidying. And I deal with the little things right now, like the garbage. Getting to this point has not been easy, and I swear it's something that most of us have to train ourselves to do. I wish I had started earlier, but I have no regrets because I'm doing it now. But I wish I had taught my daughter about this. 

I need to go through that batting closet in Studio U the next time I need batting bits. There are lots of other batting supplies besides the bits, and I'm going through it all and will use it up for my community project quilts. I'll probably use the other stuff on the shelf BEFORE the batting bits. It all has to be sorted, and it all has to go!!! I want that closet clear, and I have a plan! 

Yes -- I should dive into the office and get it cleaned once and for all, but I'm chipping away at it, and it's going to happen. It will --- I'm just "savoring" the process!!! 

I completed a customer quilt. It wasn't too large, but because she likes dense quilting, it took some time to complete. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And then, I tackled the applique for the day. Yesterday was the worst day in terms of the quantity and shapes of the pieces. 

A lot of work to get these leaves done

However, the good news is that those leaves are done! No -- I'm not done, but like anything else, I'm chipping away at it, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Little bit by little bit - it WILL GET DONE!! I am not going to let myself down now. I'm still determining where this focus comes from, but I'm taking advantage of it as much as possible. 

I thought this quote was rather interesting in the light of what I'm trying to do these days. 

Interesting quote

I swear this works!!! I'm gaining energy from the clean spaces in my house and checking things off the lists. I'm almost always happy, but I feel happier and more content, knowing I'm finally taking charge of this stuff. I don't know why I waited so long or what my tipping point was, but I'm well over the other side, and this will hopefully be the new me for the rest of my life! I want to prove everyone wrong and say that I sewed up my entire stash!!!! Good luck with that one, and you can stop laughing now!!!!

You know the saying, "She who dies with the most fabric wins?" I want to be the one who dies with the least amount of fabric. 

Since the book I bought on sale at the thrift shop the other day is sewing-related, I thought I'd share it with you. It's called Fabric Science and looks like a textbook. This is the 9th edition and was published in 2010. I paid about $7 for it. The latest edition is the 11th edition, published in 2015, and costs much more! Yes --- there is new stuff in the 11th, but for my purpose of educating myself, this edition will suffice. I don't need the absolute latest. It's a fascinating book on how ALL kinds of fabrics are made. 

Fabric Science book

Do I need another book? Probably not, but I hope to read these books soon. 

Here's something else I'm trying to do, and it's easy at the moment because of my schedule. But that is being mindful of many things. I used to come in from walking the girls and make a cup of tea. I'd tidy the kitchen while the kettle boiled, then go downstairs or to the computer and drink the tea while I worked. The tea was always cold at the end and took hours to drink. 

I'm trying to be mindful about enjoying that cup of tea. I take it outside and sit on the front patio with a novel, reading and enjoying my tea. Then I start to work! We need to do the same with food! We eat so much without realizing that we are eating—it's very unhealthy!!!

As we were having dinner last night, DH piped up with, "Where's those games we were playing?" OH GOSH—that totally escaped (pun intended) my mind. So I ran downstairs and grabbed the first one I saw in the stash. We start tonight!!!!

Our NEXT EXIT adventure game

This is a small game with ten puzzles, so hopefully, we can complete it before the craziness of September travel hits both of us. 

I promised to talk about classes today, but I'm running out of time. 

I will post the links to the classes so you can sign up for them. I'll start with the Hobby Horse. This link will direct you to THREE classes—two of them are INPERSON machine quilting. The third one is a Zoom class (9 - one-hour lectures) that will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about binding and finishing off a quilt. The sign-up and payment are online. The class on finishing will be loads of fun and very informative, and you won't want to miss it. 

The best part of all three classes is that they are TECHNIQUE classes, so they will help you make better quilts, learn something new, and hopefully finish up some UFOS without starting a new project! That's a win-win!

OK—I'll deal with the next set of classes tomorrow, but be sure to check those out. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

On being MINDFUL

 OH --- there are days when I throw caution to the wind. Like signing up for a new project - I mean, how hard can it be to add another project to the schedule? I will NOT be held responsible for adding another project to your list! However, we have enough people to make Barn Star Sampler a go!!

Barn Star Sampler

I will use batiks since I have so many in that box! I checked out Shelly's sew-along, and there are hundreds of people in that sew-along. We'll get lost! If you are still debating, the book is available at her website -- hard copy or pdf, and I'll send out a confirmation e-mail before the end of the week with dates. While it's a big quilt, you don't have to make the entire project -- more on that in the sessions, and it's not a ton of repetitive stuff, making it interesting! 

Here's the deal with this kind of quilt. You could buy a fabric bundle to make your quilt EXACTLY like the original. Although the fabric bundles are currently sold out and may or may not be available. But WHY would you want to make this quilt in EXACTLY the same colors? That's the beauty of signing up for a new project. Here's an opportunity to try out a new colorway. Try out a new fabric collection you found, or simply use up stuff you have in your stash. As mentioned, I'll use batiks because I found several boxes. What color? I might go for green and cream? How about blue and white? Or maybe I'll make it multi-colored. I need to do some fabric pulling and quick! 

Send me an e-mail if you want to join the fun!!! elainetheriault@gmail.com   And let your friends know as well. We do not need to be lost in a sea of hundreds -- we can have much more fun in a smaller group. 

While on the Monday sewing Zoom call, I puttered and managed to get quilts trimmed (now to send e-mails to the owners), and I ripped out that border for my 150 Canadian Women. OK -- so I'm obviously having an issue with my seam allowance. Each section in the border is supposed to be 8½" long. Oh -- they were consistent but at 8¾". If you take that extra ¼" over 11 sections, that's almost 3 extra inches. How the heck did that happen? 

The border sections are too big! 

So I ripped the pieces back until I had pairs of strips and trimmed off some excess. This doesn't look like much but can add up, as we saw. Now I aim to sew them back with a slightly larger seam allowance. I'll MEASURE each section as I go. I usually do, but I was in a hurry, and there was no time for measuring. If I had measured, I would have known immediately that there was a problem. If only I had followed my own advice! 

Trimming my border sections

But that's OK -- It's sometimes a good thing to have a humbling moment! I had to cough up $10 for not finishing my UFO, and I have only myself to blame. It would have been fine if I had started earlier than the night before. Did I really have time to start earlier? Oh yes -- I spent how many days at the retreat working on something that I didn't need to do!

As I was quilting another quilt yesterday, I noticed something funny. Remember that gold thread from several years ago that I couldn't get rid of? Well, now it seems to be a red thread.

A stray red thread

This is a blue and white quilt, so it's not stray from that quilt, and it's not because I just ripped out something red. Those darn red threads show up all the time. From where? Another of life's little mysteries. 

But here's the customer quilt - DONE. 

Customer quilt - done

This is one of those tricky ones. Why? It's the color. Significant areas of high contrast, so do you use a white thread to blend in the background but show up like spotlights on the dark blue? Or do you use dark thread that shows up on the background but blends into the border? 

I didn't like either choice, but if I had to go with either of those two options, I'd choose the white thread to blend in the background and show on the border. 

However, I used a light blue thread that shows up equally on both. If you're close enough to the quilt, you can see the light blue thread, but it doesn't scream at you from the dark blue or the background. Was it the best choice? I think so. 

Can you see the light blue thread?

And so more work got done yesterday after Monday sewing. More writing, and there's still more to do. I have three classes today, so I was working on some prep for that, but there is more to be done today. 

I was chatting to someone about MINDFULNESS the other day. Do we even know what that means? 

Here's a definition from Google. 

Reading about habits and how habits can save time and improve our lifestyle is interesting. I would say that habits are almost the opposite of mindfulness. Habits are performed subconsciously, while mindfulness is when you are in the moment.  

Which is better? Both are important. Let's take TV watching. I haven't watched TV in a long, long time -- since 2010, so that's 13 years ago when I decided not to watch TV. Zero regrets. I was in the habit of watching show after show, which is a habit, and I was NOT deciding to stop watching. It was a habit to spend the evening watching. Can you believe that about me? Yep -- I was a reality show junkie! 

Now if I want to watch something, which is extremely rare, however, I do watch shows from time to time. I never sit on the couch in front of the TV. I will watch whatever I can stream on my computer, and it's usually one of three things. The baking shows (British or Canadian), a Youtube video on digital cutters, embroidery, or The Quilt Show. 

But here's the thing -- I will watch ONE show when I have time (which is rare these days), and then I shut that off and do something else. 

So while you may say I'm still watching TV, it's extremely mindful. I make a big deal out of it and plan it, and I don't just plunk myself down and watch endless hours of something - just because. 

While I appreciate my habits to take over the mundane part of my life, I want to be MINDFUL in relationships with other people, in my neighborhood, and in many other aspects of my life. I don't want to get to the end and wonder how I got there! 

On that note, it's time to get moving! Loads of things to get done today, and one must make it all happen -- MINDFULLY!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!