Decluttering is so much fun!! (for real!)

Now you see why I'm not a gardener! I got the names of these flowers wrong. These are hyacinths, not hibiscus. Why did I do that? I know these flowers, but obviously had a moment. Oh yes - flowers - love them, but not my thing! I just enjoy the beauty! Thanks for catching that! I went back and changed it! 

Hyacinths! 

And I spotted another TREE that's in bloom. What kind of tree? No clue! And I don't really care - it's just pretty! 

A blooming tree in the neighborhood

A lot of things happened yesterday! If you remember, as I was writing the blog, I moved several boxes from the office to the kitchen counter. It looked like this. 

A mess of things to tidy!

And what usually happens when I do that is that it stays that way for days. I get all fired up and then - I get distracted, lose interest, and it all goes back to where I pulled it from. 

BUT not this time. By 9:20, after walking the girls, it looked like this. 

It's almost all dealt with

And by lunchtime, this was all gone! Yes — this decluttering is going to happen, and then I won't have to worry about it. I'll just need to stay on top of it! It makes me so happy and I can literally feel my life lengthening by dealing with my crap!

There are a few extra boxes at the door to be dropped off - one to be shredded, and a few for the thrift store. 

Now that all the items designated to go somewhere have been taken care of, it's time to find more things to get rid of. 

No danger of that - here's what the table in the office looks like. 

The table in the office

Yes -- we can actually see the edges of that table, which is good. Now that the other stuff is gone, my head is clear to deal with this stuff. And the best part is that there isn't really anything left on the floor that could go on the table. So when I clear a spot, it'll stay clear. Or so I hope! Remember, you MUST deal with everything! 

I'm happy to report that I'm not shuffling most of this stuff. In other words, I'm not putting things in the basement or the garage. I'm getting it out of the house! 

This is the top of the buffet, which has a few items to deal with. 

The top of the buffet

And there's the desk - still a disaster, but its turn will come! 

The desktop

And this is all that remains on the floor in the office. 

What's left on the floor

Those boxes are empty, and I use them for my sorting. I could technically put them in the garage so it looks neater in the house, and as I need a box, I can pull one from the shelf in the garage. I might do that today. That will leave three things behind the boxes, and I might just deal with them today. Oh yes - the more you get into decluttering, the more you want to get rid of! Just gone! It's been hanging around way too long. 

Then I can tackle the table, the top of the buffet, and that darn desk. All that will remain is what's on the bookcases. I'm getting there. Slow and steady - that's me! I'm also very methodical and need to go through everything. And you can't even yell at me for that because it's happening. If nothing was being done, then yes, you could yell. But I'm making progress, albeit in a roundabout way. 

The difference from a few years ago is a miracle! And I feel so much better about the space. I can't wait for the day when it's all clear. But that won't happen for a year or two at my pace. And the best part? When I bring the mail into the house, I deal with it right away. I don't think anything hits a surface unless it's supposed to! 

Wait -- I have this, which is currently at the front door, ready to be thrifted. If anyone wants it, it's yours. It's not functional - purely decorative. But it's been sitting in the office for a while, waiting for its turn to find a new home. 

Up for grabs

And I will NEVER knowingly buy anything that comes in these "decorative" boxes. These were sheets or something, and what a ridiculous packing system. I'll buy sheets that come in those zippered bags, but I'll never buy one in a stupid box like this again. I don't even know if they are recyclable, but I put them in the cart anyway. 

Stupid packaging!

WAIT -- I should write to the company to tell them how silly these boxes are! The ridiculous thing was, these weren't even on the shelf at Sleep Country. The staff had to go to the back to get the boxes, and then they wanted to give me a huge bag to carry the stuff home in. I refused the bag several times, as I already had my own shopping bag. Hey, people -- we're trying to reduce packaging. Cell phones and iPads are another item that comes in ridiculous boxes that never see the light of day on the shelf. Well, cell phones for sure. 

Something bad happened this morning. I have three Zoom sessions today, and I've been working on the presentations. Everything was going just fine. Except when I needed to grab some slides from one to put into another, and WHAT? One of the presentations with the changes was not there. I'm using autosave, and the files are stored on my OneDrive, but it reverted to the files from last month. NOOOOOOOOOOO

Thankfully, with the help of my handy filing system, I was able to recreate the presentation in about 20 minutes, but it was still a pain! I was all excited about how well everything was going. It could have been me, it could have been a gremlin. We'll never know, but let's hope that it doesn't happen again. 

OH -- here's a flower that I do know. The trillium, which is just about to bloom. 

Almost-in-bloom trillium

I am certainly not about fuss, especially in the kitchen. We had some Calphalon pots and pans, which were supposed to last forever, or something like that. Even though we used wooden or plastic spoons, the inside of two of them is disgusting. We've probably ingested a ton of metal. Anyway, time to replace them, so I went to Homesense and found two inexpensive Cuisinart pots. If they crap out - no worries. 

But while I was there, I wandered around for a bit, and here's all the stuff I didn't buy, but would have in a past life. 

The plastic Buddhas would look cool in the garden! But not bright enough! 

Plastic Buddhas for the garden

The miniature 3-D kits, which are $10 cheaper than at Indigo. I already have one that I haven't done yet, I don't need another. 

Miniature 3-D kits

Markers - who doesn't need a new set of markers? I don't, so they stayed in the store, but I wonder if they work on the digital cutters? 

Markets -- lots of markers!

Funky reading glasses, but alas, they did not have my strength (1.25), so I didn't buy them. 

Funky reading glasses

And let's not forget these large letters. I don't know how many I've purchased over the years. I don't need more! 

The letter E

So yes, I only bought what I went for and I'm pretty proud of myself for that! 

However, I went to the library to pick up a book that I ordered, and I came home with three. At least they are free to borrow, and they do have to be returned! I also took pictures of about five other books that looked interesting and will add them to my list to read. That list is enormous and seems to grow almost exponentially!

I put on shorts this morning when I got up, but I've since put on pants. It's a bit cool even though the temperature is 13 - it's cloudy and I think it's going to rain. 

My sad, faded shorts

So the only fast fashion that happens at my house is running shoes. I've had those shorts for eons! And they still fit (a bit big, if I might add!), but there's nothing wrong with them, except that they've faded big time on the legs! They are no longer black but have faded to a brown color. I'm sure DH is mortified when I wear them, which is probably why I keep wearing them! But they are still functional, with no holes or tears! I have sweatshirts in the same condition. They are faded, but why should they be replaced? 

I'm not into shopping for clothes at all. The most boring thing in the world, and such a waste of money to buy new, when the old still works. 

On the other hand, I replace my running shoes several times a year as they wear out. As you saw last week, the treads were entirely gone on the previous pair, which means they were long overdue for replacement. I wonder what we could do about recycling them? 

Anyway, I noticed that on this pair of HOKAs, they have changed something. They have reinforced the second hole at the top. I bet lots of people are using those little holes. I do! 

Reinforcement at the top

You loop the laces through that hole and then use that loop as a hole. It helps prevent your feet from sliding into the toe box and causing lost toenails. Especially handy if you have a lot of downhill to do. I learned that from walking the Camino! Of course - AFTER I had issues the first time. 

Creating a second loop

Oh, one last thing, and speaking of the mail. We got this letter in the mail yesterday. 

A letter from the government!

You all know what that is for - jury duty, but who got the letter? Apparently, DH has something in writing (he insists he has a picture of it) that he will never be called for jury duty again, so it wasn't him. I've been called twice and had to stay for one day the first time. The second time, I was interviewed to be on the jury, but I was rejected because of what I do. A bit too artsy fartsy for the lawyer. And I've never been called back. Drat - I like going! 

Nope - this was addressed to my 87-year-old MIL, who, well, as far as I'm concerned, needs to be in assisted living, but DH is in denial. I'm not going there! Of all the people to be called, and this is not the first time - her name seems to come up very frequently! 

Here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. I forgot to post them yesterday. 

Saturday, April 26 - starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, April 27 - starts at Noon

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And on that funny note, I'm out of here! Hopefully, the presentations won't glitch out, and everything will be fine! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Backyard updates

 And the merry-go-round continues! But there is good news! My entry for the Trendtex Challenge is complete, it's in the mail, and is scheduled to arrive before the judging cutoff date. Not that I expect to win any awards for this quilt, but I'm just happy to get it in on time. 

I had planned to finish it before noon, but that didn't happen because I had a couple of other things on my plate, and I had to deal with phone calls and some emails first. And then I was madly sewing the final part of the embellishment on, and that took a bit longer than planned. As always!!

And there's the proof of the last embellishment! 

The holders for the last embellishments

No glue required. Putting the bits on together would have been a challenge, but putting them on separately, it all made sense. Thank goodness for walks with Murphy!

A sleeve was made and hand-stitched in place. The label got made, but not before I had computer issues. I create my labels on the computer and print them on my ink-jet printer. When I went to TOUCH Send, the printer was offline. Which was bizarre as I had just used the scanning features for something else earlier in the day, and no one was home but me. 

I turned the printer off and back on, but that didn't help. And at that moment, my guard dog did NOT alert me to men in the backyard. I was working in the kitchen and saw the landscapers were here to open the pond. So I chatted with them as I have known them for years. Then I turned the water on for them, only to find that the pipe had burst under the deck AGAIN!! 

That's it - we're moving that pipe - I don't care how much it costs. It doesn't matter how carefully the pipe gets drained in the fall; this is the fourth (?) year in a row that the pipe has burst. Not a big deal, you say? It's a big deal because part of the deck has to be torn up. It's a silly, idiotic design. But that's where the outlet was when the house was built. We NEVER had issues in the beginning. 

Of course, that happened just when the printer was acting up. I rebooted the computer and the printer, and the printer finally came online. Thank goodness. And here's the label. 

The label for my challenge

Here's the back of the quilt, so you can get an idea of what it looks like. OK -- I'm kidding about that!

The back of my quilt

I could show you the front, but it's a challenge, and although you don't get to vote on it, I'd prefer to keep it under wraps for now. It could be a surprise for those going to Quilt Canada. I realized after I mailed it that I had forgotten to color one small part with my fabric markers, but who's going to know? 

Thank goodness that's done, as look at my finger! It's a little rough from all the hand stitching. 

A hole in my finger!

Yes - I know there are thimbles for that, but I was too lazy to get it out, so I guess I can't complain. 

And I managed to get some other sewing done, but it wasn't until I started sewing that I realized part of the cutting I did earlier that week was incorrect! I'm making do with what I have, and I can recover from it! All is good. 

I'm back to wearing the bright-colored HOKA running shoes. I love this color, and they are cheery to say the least. Do you think the girls got in the picture because they want new shoes? 

New shoes!

After I returned from the post office to mail that package, the owner of the landscape company had arrived, as we had other things to discuss in the backyard besides the silly burst pipe. As we were talking, guess who was outside? She can bark her head off at other beings, but the two-legged kind? "Oh, MOM - these are my friends. I don't bark when friends come." Murphy is an attention seeker - there's no question!

I should mention that I love the flat-rate shipping by Canada Post. A tracking number, an easy-to-use box in four sizes. I'm a convert, and the $20, including tax (for an extra-small), no longer bothers me. They are so easy to use! I LOVE them. 

But as Steve and I started chatting about what needed to be done, Murphy grabbed her toy and wouldn't keep quiet. It was very annoying, and of course, she doesn't listen. 

I don't know how many times that outdoor toy went into the pond, which they were cleaning, so all the dirt was riled up. 

MOM - I love talking to everyone!

Let's just say that the toy is now 100% relegated to the outdoors as it's soaking wet and filthy. But look how happy Murphy looks!!!

I had a phone call earlier in the day, so I took it outside to prevent my voice from dropping. Stupid cell service! Murphy wouldn't stop barking then either. Why is that? This dog gets attention, but I think she's trying to tell the people I chat with something. I can just hear her, "Rescue me - I'm not getting enough attention!"

Mom - I'm a good dog - I just like to talk!

The fish were all agitated yesterday, as loads of leaves and other debris were removed from the pond. They can't fill the pond and get the pump going because we don't have water! Some of the leaves have already reached the surface! 

A somewhat debris-free pond

A plan has been put in place to fix the water, and we're going to relocate the tap so it comes directly from the utility room downstairs, which is located on the side of the house. Murphy will be far removed from the tap, as the position of the existing tap is such that Murphy can accidentally turn it on or off, even with a turning one. That dog is powerful, and as she runs past it to get to a rabbit or whatever, her body hits the tap and moves it. I'll take a picture so you can see exactly what I mean. 

It's very annoying, to put it mildly. The new location will fix that problem and the freezing issue, so that's good. There are also a few shrubs that, after 25+ years in the backyard, are just tired and need to be replaced. Not many, but a few. I'll take some before pictures so you can see what I mean. But it's all in my gazebo corner, so I'm excited about that. 

Well, you can kind of see it to the right of the gazebo. There are some cedars and boxwood, and they need to be removed. Plus, we have a little wooden bridge that has seen better days (over 25 years), and it's starting to rot badly, so it needs to be replaced with something. We have a plan, and now I wait for them to come and fix it all. 

Murphy and her toy

Yes - we could do it ourselves, but seriously? That is NOT going to happen. We focus our expertise on areas where we are experts, and gardening is not one of them. Besides, it keeps the landscaper in business! 

As for those four urgent emails, two of them are done. One of them, of course, required a lot of follow-up, and I need to complete the last of it this morning. And then I can sew and make samples all day, which is good. I have three days to prepare two articles, or at least one of them, and prepare for five sessions this weekend. 

And then there's the matter of the Cherrywood Challenge, which is due in a month - OK, less than a month. I need to get to work or I won't finish mine on time. I hope what happened with the Trendtex Challenge isn't an indication of what will happen with Cherrywood. After this weekend, I will be able to devote two whole weeks, more or less, to completing it. 

We have a Virtual Retreat this weekend! I plan to attend, but I'd better have my head down to the sewing machine! Or hopefully, I can finish the Cherrywood top and work on the hand embellishments! That would be perfect!!

Remember, the Virtual Retreat is open to anyone. It's just a super way to stay connected. 

Here are the links: 

Saturday, April 26 - starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, April 27 - starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838


Putting those links on my blog will put Zoom into a tizzy because I'm posting the links publicly in an insecure way, and I get emails every time I post the links. That is new! It drives me crazy. It's my link, my meeting - I can post it wherever I want! 

And on that note, I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

When you hear PLOP!

Oh boy—this paperwork is going to be the death of me! I spent the entire morning at the computer, and I swear the desktop doesn't look cleaner! Emails and phone calls got done, but I don't think any physical paper disappeared. I'll try again this morning, but I also have a lot of sewing/embroidery to do, and I need to be downstairs! 

But any progress is progress, and we just keep moving forward. I tackled a few more CDs, and the pile is almost gone. What did I find? I found three photos that I wanted to keep. The rest of the stuff went in the garbage as there was nothing of any value on the CDs. That's so bizarre - I kept that entire stack, yet nothing was important! 

That happens when things get put away and become invisible. 

Here are the pictures that I transferred to my hard disk. They are of a quilt that I made years ago and sold. I LOVE this quilt! I'm glad I have pictures of it. 

Blowing in the Wind - a quilt I made

I used yarn for the dandelion, which was perfect! Gosh, I made this quilt many years ago, but I always remembered it! 

A close-up of the quilting

The yarn detail

Someone sent me this quote, which is fantastic. While I'm happily doing the first one and have to say I'm working well on the other two, this month will drive people mad. I knew people who would stop sewing for the entire month so they could prepare their house for Christmas dinner. That's a bit much—at least at my house! 

Great quote

Again - some of those traditions become invisible, and we don't realize that even though we're doing the same thing because we HAVE to, we don't have to! I was talking with someone yesterday who threatened her three adult children to come home for Boxing Day (they all live close to her) because none wanted to go for Christmas. Not that that is sad, but it shows that our children move on, and it's OK to change what we do!

I was getting ready to take Murphy for her walk when I noticed a box at the front door. Oh my—it was largish but extremely light. Could this be my running shoes? Yes, my three identical pairs of running shoes have arrived. 

My running shoe stock for 2025

I stacked them sideways in the hall closet, and I'll dig the first pair out on New Year's Day. The pair I have right now are perfectly fine until then. 

Stored discreetly in the closet

Several weeks ago, I bought new bird feeders, and it was time to get them out. I also have a new stand, which I need to install, and since it's warm out, I might try for that later today. This is the suet feeder. It holds two things of suet, and it's supposed to be squirrel-proof! I haven't seen anyone visit it yet, but it might take a day or two for news to travel. I've not been a good birder, and I'm sure I've been taken off the bird-feeding route!

My new suet holder

DH is getting into the swing of decluttering as well. If you think my desktop is bad, you should look at his. It's like a tornado went through. There are stacks of business cards for people I'm sure are no longer alive! He has a two-drawer filing cabinet, as well as two portable boxes. He emptied one of the boxes, which basically had NOTHING in it. He needs to empty the second one and then go through those two drawers, and whatever he doesn't need must go!! I do NOT want to be saddled with going through his crap! And I told him so!

Empty file box

I will hold onto the box and the hangers for a bit. I aim to empty that four-drawer filing cabinet in my office, so I may need a place to put files. This box takes a lot less room than the bigger cabinet! 

I was standing at the long arm, prepping a quilt, when I looked up. Good grief—that girl is like an Elf on the Shelf! And she just sits there and watches! It's kind of creepy sometimes!

MOM -- it's me! 

I'm running between the long arm and the sewing area as I try to prep something for later in the day. I hear PLOP, and oh my - what happened? Ah - the spool of thread was near the end, and it popped off the stand and onto the floor. That was an easy fix, and nothing happened to the stitching. I babysat that until the row was done, as near the end of a spool, the thread sometimes "sticks" to the plastic cone. 

The thread fell off the machine

I had just enough thread to finish the row, but only after the bobbin also ran out!

I won!

The community project quilt was done, and it's partially trimmed. I'll finish that later today. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I'll load the next one later today and get to work on that. Then, it was over to the embroidery machine to work on a project I'd wanted to do for a while but couldn't get my act together. 

I read the instructions, which is a good thing. I did not print them out but kept them on the computer, which sits by the sewing machine. Gathering all the threads, fabric, and other tools consumed much time. 

The supplies

And then it was time to start! I will share what I'm working on once it's delivered, but it's super cute!!

Starting the embroidery

And after close to 20K stitches, the first part was complete. Only three more parts!

The embroidery is done!

I will try something slightly different with the next part, and we'll see how that goes! 

I'm off to spin class this morning, and let's see if I can reach the water bottle. The constant stabbing pain has abated, but that doesn't mean I'm out of the woods. The pain is still there, just a lot more manageable, and that's good enough for me—for the moment! I want it fixed, but what if it can't be fixed? We won't go there. 

It will be another day of total chaos with loads of stuff to do. But I'm relaxed, and I do what I can. Let's say I go to bed exhausted, which is good because I'm sleeping through the night like a log. 

Good luck with the decluttering in your house. Remember, this is a new lifestyle you're trying to build, and it will take time! But also look at your schedule - how crazy is it? Are you overwhelmed? If so, you may want to cut back! While I'm busy, I'm NOT overwhelmed, and I'm not running or doing things for others. If I don't have time for this project, it won't get done, and that's OK. The presentations are coming along nicely. One is complete except for adding student photos as they are posted. The second one should be done today, leaving two to complete over the next couple of days. I'm good! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

A LIGHTBULB moment

I was in a bit of a huff yesterday, not because anything significant happened. OK -- DH did NOT solve the EXIT Game puzzle before he went to bed. So we attempted it again in the morning, and we were stumped. I had to check the first clue, and OMG. You have to be kidding me. We missed something so blatantly apparent that it put me in a funk for part of the day! 

So last night, when we opened the next room, it was with great trepidation. And we fiddled, and we fiddled, and we chatted about it. And we were going down the road of overthinking again. I'll blame DH for that - he is a bit more black and white than I am and is trying to relate the puzzle to the "real life" of the story. That's not important. 

He walked away, and I was left to puzzle alone. I mulled over it, and then I literally had a lightbulb moment. Literally --- the idea just popped into my head! And the worst part is that DH asked the question that provided the answer, except that we didn't think it was important at the time. DUH!!!!! 

Of course, just like Murphy, I SHOUT - "I think I have the answer!"

So, without looking at the clues, we solved the puzzle. And we live for another day! I must admit, I'm hooked on the darn thing, and I look forward to dinner to solve the puzzle. Yep -- I'm getting way more enjoyment from this one than I would from one where you open a gift!

The jigsaw one? Oh dear - it's sort of got abandoned a bit. Who would have thought? But I'll get to it, as it's an excellent way to take a mini-break in the day. I now have six of them complete.

One more jigsaw puzzle done!

They all have these pieces in the bottom corner. 

Unique pieces to the bottom right corner

I'm not looking at any picture while doing them, so a few are "challenging/"

A bit more challenging with all those colors

And here's the last one that I have completed. 

One more puzzle - DONE

I promised a list of classes for 2024, and well -- it won't be formal. Good grief! But then, it doesn't need to be. Some details need to be written up, so I can only provide you with some information now. But you're going to get a basic idea of what's coming. 

THREE software classes will be hosted by THREE different Husqvarna Viking/PFAFF dealers. The software we are working with is mySewnet embroidery software, and I'm happy to talk about anything related to mySewnet, including the NEW VAULT, which I LOVE. This software can be used by ANY brand of embroidery machine. The topic for the first class in all three will be the same, but they will be different after that. They will run once a month for ONE hour on Zoom. I'll provide the days of the week and times once that is all firmed up. 

I'll be continuing my two Zoom classes at Thimbles and Things. There is Everything you wanted to know about Applique and Tequila Lime. I will also do a two-part APPLIQUE SPECIFIC PROJECT to help those (or anyone else) who "refuse" to make samples. It's a cute wall hanging and will be loads of fun and a way to try some of the applique techniques we've been working on. 

At the Hobby Horse, I'm going BACK IN PERSON! Yep, returning to the classroom will be good, but only ONCE a month. We'll host some machine quilting classes and demos on good sewing habits, so watch for more details. 

As for what I'm teaching privately, I'll continue with Heartfelt until it's done in April. 

And then for what else is happening. I will NOT teach any new large projects in the year's first six months. But I think my arm can be twisted to teach more Jen Kingwell. So watch for that, but it won't be until October. 

As far as clubs -- here's what's happening. These are all ONE HOUR per month on Zoom. The point of these clubs is to do something (each month) that you can share with the group. That's what a club is all about. I fully appreciate that we cannot do something every month - life gets in the way. But the idea is to participate in the group and show your work so we can all learn from what you are doing. 

UFO Club

There are TWO sessions of UFO Club, and one or two spots might open. I have to check the numbers. 

Machine Embroidery Club

IT IS A GREAT way to learn what's happening in the world of machine embroidery, and we have some beginners and some pushing the envelope. Some have small machines, and others have top-of-the-line. It's OK -- we are there because we love machine embroidery. 

If you don't have an embroidery machine, did you know there's a new machine in town -- the Singer SE9180. It's a small machine that connects to the mySewnet ecosystem and is currently on sale for about $1,300 CDN. Yep --- it's pretty exciting. Check a Husqvarna Viking or PFAFF dealer if you want to dabble in machine embroidery, but the cost was a deterrent. 

Applique with the Digital Cutter

This is the one that I'm so excited about. My goal is to marry all the technology in my house so I can create appliques from anything and have them cut by the digital cutter. The ultimate step will be to make the machine embroidery files and let the machine do all the work! If you don't have an embroidery machine, that's OK. You can still learn to transfer your paper designs to SVG files and have your digital cutter do that. Then, you can stitch them on a swing machine. I had "loads of fun" with this yesterday!

Many Blocks

This is for those of us with one of those crazy projects with MANY blocks - such as Dear Jane, Town and Country Quilt, 365-day challenge quilt, and so on. It would be preferable if you have already started the quilt. The idea is NOT to give you another project to start but to help you finish one you are currently working on. 

Out of the Box

This has been a fun class that we've done for several years. Each month, you get a prompt (word); from that, you must create something. You can use any medium (paper, wood, vinyl, fabric, etc.); you don't have to finish it (make a sample - experiment), and some people will keep on a specific technique topic for several months as they explore. It's open ended and LOADS of fun and the levels of creativity I'v seen will blow you away. 

Have I cut back? You bet -- I used to host ELEVEN monthly events that I ran privately on top of the two software clubs and four one-hour Zooms with two stores. Those eleven private events are SIX, so that's almost half. And did you notice that ALL of them are about specific learning, creativity building, or FINISHING stuff? No BIG sewing projects! The in-person are easy to prepare for, even though they take time to get there, but that's OK. I really hope that 2024 is going to be more about learning, exploring, and getting creative!!! And so far - it's looking like that's going to happen. 

And the calendar is LOCKED in -- no more additions are allowed - at least until October 2024! 

To keep you entertained, here are a few pictures. 

I spotted this on the internet the other day, and it's hilarious! Yep -- that's me. 

Love it

In between everything else, the cleaning, sorting, and decluttering continues. 

Even though I haven't been wearing them for the last couple of weeks, my Camino shoes still sat in the hallway. I said goodbye to them the other day. 

Camino shoes are now gone

Their quality was excellent (Thank you, HOKA), and my toes did NOT come through the front even with about 1,000 KM on them. That's impressive. The soles are history, and not only that, but the support within the shoe breaks down, and they just aren't suitable to wear. Not as we get older and have knee and other joint issues. So they are gone. 

The soles are toast

Then I looked at my shoe pile (I don't have many shoes), but they are mostly all in one spot. I spotted these mismatched ones on the bottom. Something happened to the other of each pair, and I wore them like this. However, I can't longer wear those non-supporting shoes, and they are probably too small, so I put these in the giveaway box. 

Shoes are now in the donation box

I thought you'd have a laugh at the table in my office. This was clear at one point, with only my class information sitting there. And that information is still there, but a few boxes are now on top. The boxes are waiting to be filled with junk or donations. I could put them in the garage, but I'm good with it for now. 

There is a table beneath all that stuff

Here is the area around the other desk. Things look pretty good in that area, although the desktop still needs some TLC. But a few items a day for a month could make a HUGE difference, and that's what I'm going for. There is ZERO rush to get this stuff cleared out, but I am NOT waiting until we have to downsize. That would be a terrible job to do all at once, and dealing with Studio B will be a challenge. Even DH is in the swing of things. 

The mess from the day before is gone

I need to come up with a solution to the computer area. I'd like more room to work - not a lot more, but I'd love space on the right-hand side. I'm not ready to make a decision yet, and a LOT of decluttering needs to happen here. Slow and steady is my motto. It WILL get done. 

The desk area is a bit untidy

I guess I'm doing an excellent job because Miss Lexi is coming further into the room and has tucked herself behind the table. This would never have happened before. She's so skittish and afraid of being closed in somewhere. What a big, brave girl you are, Lexi!!!! 

Lexi - my big brave girl

Well, that's enough for today! If you are interested in any of the SIX PRIVATE classes (machine embroidery, Applique with a digital cutter, UFO (times two), Many Blocks, or Out of the Box, send me an e-mail, and I can add you to the list. elainetheriault@gmail.com. There is NOT a lot of room in any of them - it depends on how many of the group members continue on, and I still need to get that sorted out. 

As I walked yesterday, I thought how nice it would be to give out some of my enthusiasm (yes - I'm just like Murphy - except I don't bark!) to everyone. I can only hope that by sharing my stories on the blog, you can catch some of that excitement for what each new day brings. There is never a dull moment, yet I don't live a very exciting life. It's how you choose to look at that glass -- is it half full or half empty? 

Have a super day!!!! 

Ciao!!!