Do you believe in coincidences?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. While it wasn't my most exciting birthday, nor my most productive, I was happy to just putter around. And that's what life is like when you're as "old" as I am! 

I'm just kidding—someone mentioned that old is ten years older than you actually are, and I think that about sums it up. 

The good news is that my leg, sciatic, and knees seem to be doing so well. Knock on wood! We don't want to jinx anything. But I'm feeling so much better from the stretching. Being able to sit for those long drives was a miracle, and I dreaded long drives because of that. Everything is going in a positive direction, and let's hope I can maintain my stretching routine to keep it up. 

Hmmm --- do you believe in coincidences? I'm listening to a book called Signs by Laura Lynn Jackson, who is a psychic. Do we really get signs from others who have passed? I don't know, since it's never happened to me, but some of what she talks about is profound. If any signs have happened, I wasn't paying attention. She is finishing up the book with just general "feel good" things like prayer, meditation, eating, etc. 

One of the things she talks about is positive energy. And I strongly believe in this. You wake up, and you didn't sleep well, or there is something terrible you have to do. By telling yourself that today is going to be a good day, you can really have a great day. Positive outlook is a wonderful thing!

How do I know this? BEFORE I read that in her book this morning, I told myself that very thing as I lay in bed planning my day. I said, "This is the day you are going to get your mojo back. This is the day when you are going to start to be productive again." And you know what? I have probably done more this morning than I have done all week! 

The other thing that happened is I took a picture of some fabric that I purchased at Michaels wherever I was last. Regina, I guess it was. 

Harry Potter fabric from Michaels

Over the years, there have been all kinds of Harry Potter fabric, and I thought this was subtle, yet, you know exactly what it is if you are familiar with the books. 

I took that picture this morning because I was going to tell you this story about Harry Potter (it's coming), and then Laura mentioned Harry Potter in her book! It's amazing how when you spot one thing, it seems to be everywhere. 

Did you know that Tim's is sponsoring some promotion with Harry Potter? You can buy donuts with an edible sticker for each of the four houses. The icing and sprinkles match the house color. They don't look too exciting, but I snapped this picture in North Battleford last week. Wait—each donut has a different flavor. Check out the link. 

Harry Potter donuts at Tim's

And you can buy a snitch (the golden prize in Quidditch, which is the big game in Harry Potter) that can be filled with Timbits. 

The snitch!!!

And when I was at Peachtree Quilting (also called Northgate in Regina), I spotted a Harry Potter apron. I did not get a picture of it, but I found it online. 

It's just so bizarre, and after reading about messages from those who have passed, I wonder who is sending me the sign of Harry Potter? Who is trying to communicate with me? It could be true—do you know otherwise? 

Remember the jigsaw puzzle that I'm working on. OK - the one that I finished last night. The artwork is by Diane Phalen.

Jigsaw puzzle is complete.

This morning, I happened to be putting some cards away and VOILA—Diane Phalen artwork. I also have a couple of tins I use constantly (sewing machine needles), and some other supplies, and both tins have Diane Phalen artwork. 

Diane Phalen artwork on cards

That puzzle is done, and I MUST wait a day or two before I open the next one. The biggest reason is that I need the table space to hoop some fabric for machine embroidery. 

OK -- I admit it - My name is Elaine, and I love to hoard jigsaw puzzles. OK - I'll hoard anything I can get away with, but I have a bad habit of acquiring jigsaw puzzles faster than I can make them. 

I bought several things earlier in the month from the local thrift store, and if you spent enough, you got a $10 off coupon. I can never say no to a coupon, so I went to the thrift store yesterday just to check out the puzzle section. Imagine my dismay when a lady with a cart was also browsing the puzzle section. And GASP—she had four very nice puzzles in her cart. 

Hmm - do I take one and run? Do I get a cart and run her down? I decided not to make a spectacle and let her quietly shop for more puzzles. BUT I scooped up a couple that she may have wanted. There was an excellent selection yesterday. I have not run out of space in the storage cabinet where they are stored, and if I arrange things nicely, I'm sure I'll find more room!

I still have one more coupon to use before the end of the month. THEN - I will stop. And I hope to get myself organized to attempt one puzzle each week. I find I am getting faster, and that is a good thing since I have those three speed puzzling events coming up in October and November. 

There are times when you think it's nearly impossible, as I had several moments with this last one, but once you separate the pieces or shape-sort (no need on this one), you are good to go. It's amazing how your eye can pick up such slight color and shape differences, and it's all a good use of the brain! 

I'm glad I resurrected that hobby. 

Here's one I got yesterday, and I bought it because of the town name it depicts. 

Petty Harbour

I know someone who is a puzzler, and that name is special to them. I'm sure they already have this one, but I'm going to offer it to her when I'm done. One of our upcoming monthly themes is a destination. I have quite a few now, and it will be a challenge to know which one to pick. I might pick this one so I can get it out of the house when I'm done. 

This is why things take me so long to complete. I took the handles off that small tote bag and realized that the stitching was very loose and the binding on the edges was crap. So I took the bag completely apart. Sigh.............

Then I noticed some holes in the plastic, so I decided to fuse some interfacing on the wrong side. Well, the entire thing is plastic, so that was a challenge, but with a press cloth I was doing great. Then I decided to press the top (hem) over, and that worked, until I turned the iron temperature up and part of it shrunk a wee bit. 

A small amount of shrinkage

No worries—that's the hem on the inside; no one will notice. I found new strapping in my bag-making supply box, and I want to put new binding on the bag. The original is just strips of plastic that are deteriorating. I don't have the width of bias tape maker that I need, so I'll just find some double-fold bias at the fabric store and use that. I have some errands near that store, so I'm all set. But it's ready to sew the new handles on! It shouldn't take long, and now - I'd better use that darn bag after all this work. But it's so pretty - I hated to throw it away!

Part of my "reluctance" to get downstairs and work is the total mess that the room is in. The ironing board has stuff, as does the cutting table, and yes, there are things on the sewing tables. So this morning, I got myself in gear and put away all the fabric and felt on the ironing board. I had pulled it for a project that I likely won't make now, so it's all back where it belongs. 

The mess on the ironing table

I found a basket in my stash of containers (this was the last basket, so it's not like I have hundreds) and put all the half square triangles that need to be pressed and trimmed in it. As I did, I found these wires, which were remains from when the electricians were here. Oh boy—I am still cleaning up the debris. And that makes sense, since I never totally cleaned up Studio B from when they were here. By debris, I mean little bits of wire that they missed --- this is the only bit I missed, and it's because it got buried in the crap on the ironing board. But the floor and table surfaces need to be swept or wiped. Some of that happened this morning. 

Some wiring debris

I even got some half-square triangles pressed and trimmed, so those can be put away. 

Trimming half square triangles

Plus, I would like to get that farm quilt together and off the design wall as I'm going to need that soon for some other projects. I was certain that I had some farm fabric in my farm fabric pile that might work for the border. This is what I found! 

Farm fabric for the border

It's perfect and might require some fancy piecing as the fabric is directional, but that's OK. I think there will be enough, and I'll do a bit of math and make it work. The border will be as wide as the quantity allows, up to a maximum of 6 inches. 

And I still have all this farm fabric in my pile. Some of this will be great for backing, and I might pull the orange one for the backing. But FIRST, I need to remake that turtle block, and perhaps I can do that today. 

My farm fabric stash

If you ever want something you think I might have, be sure to ask!!! Someone asked me the other day if I had any tuffet kits left. I taught tuffet making many times and got into manufacturing the kit (foam, legs, upholstery batting, buttons, etc) that you needed to make the tuffet. I was happy to sell the last of those kits, and I think everyone finished the tuffets. 

But WAIT—I have one more, and it happens to be square. I promised to dig it out for her, but I wasn't 100% sure where it was. This morning in my fit of tidying up, I found the box. Oh my -- it's a big box. 

What's in the box?

As long as we agree on a price and I'm sure that won't be a problem, here is the kit. It appears that EVERYTHING is in the kit except for the fabric you want to cover it with. The legs, the button, the batting, EVERYTHING. Oh my!!!!!! 

A complete kit for a square tuffet

Now, when I opened that box this morning, I thought, OH MY—that is too nice to get rid of; I should make this. That thought quickly disappeared from my thought path. I've had it for about 9 years, and I haven't made it. The tuffet I made is stuck in a corner of the bedroom, so why would I want to make another one? I'm happy to part with it for a price, of course. 

So, if there is a pattern or anything else (sorry - sewing machines are NOT mine to sell, but I can get you a deal on a PFAFF Creative Icon 2 if you want) that you think I might have, ask away. I'm in a get-rid-of-things mode, and it will be wonderful to free up the floor space that this kit occupied. 

I need to do more of that, says me who is buying puzzles like it's the end of the world. But I have no intentions of keeping them. I do them, and they are gone! By the way, does anyone want a Diane Phaolen quilt-themed puzzle? It's yours for the asking, or it will be donated back to the thrift store. Bought at the thrift store and all pieces are there. If the pieces are NOT in a plastic bag, I always put them into one. That makes it less likely a piece will go missing. 

We need to have one of those free libraries, but for puzzles. Hey--- they exist!!! Can you imagine? OH MY GOODNESS -- I found one that is about 40 minutes from my house and in a city (Georgetown) where I visit, especially if I want to buy from the Puzzle Warehouse. DO NOT go to Georgetown! But puzzle swapping could be fun! 

Here is the blurb about my Facebook Live on September 9. Well, good grief -- that's a crappy picture. And it's not posted on the website yet. Let me get a better picture tomorrow. I'm running out of time. Studio B is going to need a major overhaul to prep for that event. I need to get started on that later today. 

My Facebook Live event on September 9

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat;

Saturday - August 29 - from 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, August 30 - From 3 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Working on the distribution lists. Hope to get most of them out today.

Have a wonderful day --- just say it -- Today will be a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Visiting for old times sake!

It's my birthday! Another trip around the sun, and I'm still here to talk about it! I'm sure I say this every year, but one always reflects on past birthdays and remembers the special moments. And I have done many neat things on my birthday. Today? Just an ordinary day! Although I think I'll spend a good part of the day in the car as I have a few errands that must be done, and they are in opposite directions! But I must get them done. 

And I really must get some more paperwork done! 

I did some observing on my walk yesterday morning. Remember we had those bad house fires a couple of weeks ago? It's been a month - July 25th. I mentioned that one of the houses was torn down within a week of the fire, or maybe that was ten days. 

Lexi and I decided to take a walk to see if anything was happening. OMG—they have started rebuilding that house. It's not even a month since the house burned, and the basement has been redone and capped off for the framing? 

The new basement is capped?

That isn't possible. How could the owners and the insurance make decisions that quickly? I can't see how that is possible, but it seems to be. I'll keep an eye on it from time to time to see the status. Meanwhile, the other three badly burned houses are sitting there. It looks like they might be trying to save one, while the other two are definite teardowns, and the fifth one will need minor repairs to the siding and roof. 

On our way to that house, we passed some city employees - I think they were summer students. Three of them left their city truck with pails and hand pickers to pick up garbage. I spotted the male walking through the soccer field by himself, while the two females walked together, chatting up a storm. They stayed on the path. Why? The grass was very wet, and they didn't want to get their feet wet. Or who knows what they were thinking. 

When Lexi and I walked back through this park, I spotted FIVE relatively obvious pieces of garbage. The girls would have seen them from the path - I took the same route that they did. To pick up the garbage, they would have had to get their feet wet. I was tempted to report them. Seriously? If they were hired to do a job, then they should do a good job! And if they hadn't been together, they likely would have seen the garbage. I'm sure they have work boots on to prevent their feet from getting soaked as they rescued those bits of garbage! Sigh....................

Garbage was left in the park after the workers passed by

You can't see it very well in that photo above, but there were three bits of garbage in a row - the final one is pretty obvious in the picture. 

I had company yesterday! Neil was my main cycling buddy on the cross-Canada trip by bicycle in 2013. He and his wife, whom I have met many times over the years, are driving the same route in their car with their cute dog. They were in the neighborhood and dropped in for a visit. OK—I've known they were coming on that day for weeks! Here is a link to the final cycling day. At that time, I wasn't equipped to add pictures. I really should go back and add pictures to that blog. I remember cycling that last day with Neil, and it was the worst day of the trip. I was done!

Look at the beautiful flowers they brought me for my birthday! 

Birthday flowers

Neil and I spent both of our birthdays on that trip. Neil's was in Outlook, Saskatchewan, and mine was at the ferry dock in Sydney, NB, as we got ready to board the ferry for Newfoundland. The things we remember. 

What Neil and Susan have discovered is that many of the things that we thought were so wonderful on the trip aren't that good! Small cafes that we stopped at with amazing cinnamon buns were just ordinary now. Was it all that sweat (lots) and tears (not so many) that made the cinnamon buns and chugging a 1-liter of chocolate milk after a hard day of cycling taste so good? 

Many campgrounds have closed or been revamped, and while they are enjoying the trip, it's just not the same in a car. We had a long visit, and it was fun to catch up. 

We had lunch at the house, which I coerced DH into BBQing for me! 

Neil and I

WAIT—I did manage to get some work done! Not sewing, but paperwork, and it's not my favorite work (expense reports), so it was good to get that out of the way. 

After dinner, I confess that the puzzle pulled me away from doing anything constructive. 

Progress

I made excellent progress, as you can see. I decided to change tactics and worked on the quilts. While that may have seemed easy, it wasn't. Then I had all those flowers in the bottom, and I was determined to get that done. I still have two pieces to find, but Murphy was "demanding" to get upstairs and to bed, and it was getting late by this time anyway. Not late, but later! And if Murphy was ready to settle down upstairs, then I was going to make that happen for her. 

Then I got hooked on this novel I've been reading. I've tossed the plot around multiple times. Is this plausible? Can this happen? I like the character, then I hate the main character. I'm on the fence. The book is The Cleaner by Mary Watson. I wouldn't rush to read this again. 

I have avoided the gym all week, and I feel like a slug. So I'm off to spend some time with Brooke this morning. 

One thing I want to alert you to is the SECOND Teach The World to Sew Day!! It's on September 19th, and you'll find it at many of the PFAFF, Husqvarna Viking, and Singer stores around the world. You'll find a list of stores on that link. Now, YOU don't need to learn how to sew, but if you know someone who has wanted to learn, get them signed up at their local store! They will be making an eyeglass case - so it's a small, simple project. 

Let's fill all the seats and make this a hugely successful day. I don't think there is any age restriction on the event, and everything is provided. You just need to register so they don't overbook themselves. 

If memory serves me correctly, one of the Canadian stores did amazingly well last year. So if you have a friend, a granddaughter, or a grandson, and their friend(s)—get them signed up for this event. It is OUR job to encourage the younger generation to learn to sew. That allows them to repair clothing, make their own clothes or other items. Check it out!!!!

WAIT --- if one of those stores is NOT close to you, then check out Michaels. They are selling Singer sewing machines, and some stores are setting up sewing machines for Teach the World to Sew Day. I think you have to check out each store individually to see if they are participating. 

We also have a Virtual Retreat on Saturday (6 PM - 9 PM) and Sunday (3 PM - 9 PM). I should be back in work mode by then. OK—let's face reality—I need to be back in work mode this afternoon after I finish my errands! Tick tock!!! And I will place those design boards over the puzzle to keep my fingers off it until I've done some work! I think the question for me is -- where the heck do I start? I'm going to have to pick one item and start with that, then move on to the next. It's a bit overwhelming right now. 

I also need to finish up those distribution lists! It better be a productive day! 

By the way, I bought cake for lunch yesterday, so no need to worry if I'm getting cake today! I've already eaten some!

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

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao!!

 

Murphy is on the mend!

Yes --- so true about the words of wisdom. There are times when we feel compelled to criticize a loved one - usually our significant other. But was that absolutely necessary? NO -- so the next time you want to be the backseat driver, or mention that the dishwasher shouldn't be loaded that way, just be quiet. They are loading the dishwasher - be grateful! 

Not saying things that you know will cause issues can improve a situation by 1000%. Don't be the one who invokes the negativity! As they say in Frozen - "let it go!"

OK -- I confess - I was a slug for most of the day. I did get some work done, but I'm in slow motion mode, and I'm OK with that. The rest of the week, I can kick it up into high gear, although I have things to do that aren't work-related.

I had a few "spare" moments, so I ended up in the garage. This is the workbench, but as you can see, there really isn't much space to work, and it's just cluttered. I took this picture this morning, AFTER I tackled part of the shelves. Everything is coated with years of dirt and grime. But I made a start. I would love to get through the entire shelf before the end of September, and that is doable. 

The garage workbench

Even if the stuff only gets separated by category, put in boxes, and the junk thrown away. I'll see how I make out with that. 

BUT - look what I found. A good pair of scissors and WHAT???? It's that gardening tool that I have coveted for a while, but this one has a handle on it. Are you kidding me? I already had one of those tools? I bought the second one for the same purpose, but since it was buried under loads of debris, I didn't even remember buying it. Sigh...................

Finds in the garage debris

We have a wooden deck and lots of debris gets trapped between the boards. There is a gap to allow for expansion. The debris mostly collects on the joists below, and if it isn't cleaned out, it will cause rot faster. The wood on the deck is not treated. 

At last - Mom is cleaning the debris from the deck.

It would also help to get rid of the weeds growing between the flagstones. 

The weeds are back

I'm not surprised to find that tool, but I'm stunned that it's been so long that I don't even remember buying it. 

While I was in the garage, I had my helper with me. She was snuffling around, and next thing I knew, she was digging through the open top of a garbage bag. What the heck is she after? Oh my goodness - she found an old bone of hers that I tossed. When we went back inside, she immediately took it to the backyard. 

MOM - you threw out my bone!!!!! 

I'm not sure what was so important about that bone. I threw the old one away because she got a new one last week. Now I have to find a way to get the old one back into the garbage bag! I've heard some people mention their significant others have done similar things from time to time! 

My name is Murphy, and I'm a bone hoarder.

She is definitely feeling much better, which is a relief. That whole episode was a good wake-up call, though. I caught her flipping her NEW outside toy around. She managed to escape the house with this one, and well, I'm not bringing it back in. 

MOM - this bear needs a good shake! 

To top it off, when I was sitting outside in the gazebo, I saw her hanging out by the fence and wondered what the heck she was doing. 

MOM - I need a new stick

Oh great -- pulling a stick into the yard through the fence. That girl!!! As if she doesn't have enough to play with! What a goofball. 

She has no issues coming in the house at night now, but she needs to be upstairs with us, and she is currently still upstairs. I'm OK with that. I was getting a little freaked out by her need to be outside. I'm not sure what that was all about, but we seem to be moving forward positively. 

And what about Lexi? She is just chilling all the time. She loves sleeping under this table in the hallway, and it's OK to stick your head between the legs. What a silly girl. She's a little turned around because her buddy is not with her at night, even though they never slept together. But she looked a bit lost this morning, wondering why Murphy wasn't bothering her! 

MOM - I'm low maintenance

I finally got my new addition for the backyard. I was tempted to buy a new chair, as this zero-gravity chair has been around for a very long time and the seat canvas was getting a bit scratchy. I realized that I could buy a cushion for that chair and OH MY -- I may never leave the gazebo. It's super comfy. 

A new cushion for my zero-gravity chair

It was supposed to be delivered before I left last week, but only arrived when I got home. It had been compressed into a very small package that neither of us could figure out what it was. Then DH let the air in the bag and the thing just grew. It's a great way to resuscitate my chair. 

And then it was time to move downstairs. This is what I have to deal with. While the cutting table is NOT clear, I made good progress on clearing part of it. I don't want to put some of that stuff away because I'll need it for my Facebook Live, but I need to clear the space so I can work. It's all easy to access and pull out when I need it in two weeks. 

Trying to clear the cutting table

I also left some of my samples out because some of them need to be finished. And even if I get one a day or week done, that is better than not getting them finished. Some of them only need the edges serged to look a bit more presentable. 

While I was at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio, I stocked up on green thread. This is a color I seem to gravitate to, and I was very low, so now I have five shades of the same color, and I'm happy. 

My new green thread colors

Before adding those colors to the box of green embroidery thread, I did NOT have this color. 

My box of green embroidery thread

Over the years, I have used and taught MANY of the Marti Michelle template sets. I spotted this one on the shelf at Heather's that I didn't have. So I bought it. It looks pretty funky! 

A "new to me" template set

And now it's added to my shelf of the other Marti Michelle template sets. 

The rest of my template sets

When I dug my bike out the other week, I found this little tote bag in the basket. Once I park the bike, I need a small bag to carry things. The handles were eaten off? I have no idea what happened to the handles, so I'm going to seam-rip them off and resew them on. They will be slightly shorter, but that's OK. 

Handles to fix on my small tote bag

OK—so I need some discipline to deal with the latest puzzle. Instead of working, I was tackling this. 

Progress on the latest jigsaw puzzle

Yes - that is a quilt on the puzzle. This one is dated 2008, and the artist is Diane Phalen. Remember how her artwork was on everything!! Boxes, bags, puzzles, tins, cards, etc. I was trying to work on the flowers, and finally gave up and pulled the pieces for that quilt. Then I went back to the flowers. I got a few more pieces in and gave up, and now I'm working on the other two quilts in the picture. 

I MUST put the design boards ON TOP of the puzzle, so I won't get distracted! I need to get to work today. 

I managed to get a couple of the distribution lists together and am starting to review the patterns we will need for the classes. I need to go through all the emails before I send out the lists, as some people signed up for more than one class in one email and it's a tad challenging to sort that. But no worries—I'm catching them all, or so I hope. By the end of the week, you should all have your confirmations. If you're missing a confirmation, just send me another email, BUT don't send me something if you have already signed up. Only if you haven't!

Here is the list of classes again—and if you know someone who might be interested, forward this along. 

There is a Virtual Retreat this weekend - Saturday from 6 PM - 9 PM and then from Sunday 3 PM - 9 PM. I'll post the links later, but this is just a reminder. 

And I'm sure by now that you've heard about Dolly Parton. She was such a classy lady, and her nephew (part of her security team) posted the official video about her death. The video was amazingly well done. We were fortunate enough to meet Dolly's design team (a team of 3) who designed her clothing and helped with her onscreen image. 

Steve had been with Dolly for over 30 years as her stylist! You get to know someone very well after 30 years. All three of them couldn't say enough about how amazing Dolly was and that they were family. It was kind of an emotional moment to hear them speak about her. They will be devastated, as will many other people. I feel very fortunate that we were able to hear them speak. 

And on that note, I'm out of here! There's a lot to be done, and I feel a bit more motivated! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

A treasure trove of batiks!

I am home! Except for a couple of errands by car, I don't have to budge (unless something comes up) until September 21, which then involves another two silly weeks of travel, packing, and unpacking. But I have not quite four weeks to "lounge" around!

The drive was pretty decent yesterday, although one minute it was raining and the next it wasn't. It was like that on the way there and the way back. But that's OK. 

I did require a wee nap on the way home -- just too much going on. Please do not compare your life to mine - it is not glamorous by any means. Packing and unpacking, loading the car or lugging stuff into an airport. Thankfully, this is not an everyday occurrence. I would die! 

I'm getting old for this, but yet I'm not. I love being in front of people and telling my stories, and I'm still young enough to handle that! 

The more I listen to myself with my stories about machine embroidery and the new PFAFF creative icon 3, the more I love it. I unpacked everything last night, and it's on the right floor of the house. Now I just have to deal with it, and I don't want to take too long because I'll need it for my Facebook Live in two weeks. 

The big question will be, "how to condense three hours into one!"

I'll figure it out. 

I had never been to Heather Bell's Sewing Studio before, and it was quite the surprise. She does a lot of machine embroidery and so has loads of patterns, BUT if you are looking for batiks, this is the place to go. This is just a small portion of the batiks. 

Batiks galore at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio

I am thinking of pulling out one of my Jacqueline de Jonge patterns that requires lots of rainbow colors in batik. You typically don't want the batiks with the patterns, and Heather has a HUGE range of "solids." They have texture, but no print. Oh my --- I already have some set aside for one of the quilts, but I'm missing a lot of values in various colors. I think this is going to be the place to go. 

I could make it a day trip, since there are a couple of other shops along the way that I would like to stop at. 

When I got home, I spotted this box on the kitchen table. OH -- my box of puzzles arrived from the Puzzle Master store in Saskatoon. 

Another box of puzzles

DH doesn't usually comment on my purchases, but he asked why I needed more, and he is right! I don't need more. Good thing he doesn't know the half of it downstairs. I'd better puzzle faster!

We had been talking about setting a budget, and he mentioned that now I was home, I need to work on the budget (for both of us). We have some serious financial goals, and to meet them, we need a budget. 

I know my Excel gurus would be dying to give me a lesson, and perhaps they can, or I'm just going to wing some numbers in and hope it all turns out. I'm sure there is an app that could help, but I'm happy to just play. 

It would help if I could pull numbers from my bank statement. I think that is possible and I'll have a look later today. 

What am I going to work on today? I have no idea - there is so much, and while Studio B isn't in too bad of shape, there's still a lot of stuff in various places where it's not supposed to be. I also need to get that long arm back in business. 

And there are a few techniques I want to experiment with further on the creative icon 3, so there will be no end to what can keep me amused today. It will just be nice to eat what I want, when I want, and to have a nap when I want if I need one!

But I have more events for the PFAFF creative icon 3, and I'll keep making up new samples or finish some of the ones I have been working on. I have two things in mind that I can't wait to remake with the new tools on this embroidery machine. Hopefully, I can make them by September 9. 

The cleaning service is coming this morning, so I had to get things squared away, which took about 10 minutes, if that, and that included making the bed. It really does help when everything has a home, and you keep it looking tip-top throughout the week. 

I'm a little strapped for time this morning because I was exhausted last night and I slept in. Murphy seems to be settling in as well, and she asks to come upstairs at night. She will NOT sleep on the main floor by herself, even though Lexi is there. I have no idea why, but at least she is in the house. 

I found this word of wisdom, which is so true. Although I question the brick wall inside the ear. What am I missing? 

I'm going to have to sit down this morning and go through some email - I have some email to answer, several phone calls to address, expense reports to fill out, and tidy up where I can. 

And I have a couple of things to return from the electrical escapade. I'd better do those today if I can drag myself to the car and drive there. It's not that far away. 

By the way, the Facebook Live for the PFAFF creative icon 3 is on September 9. I see it's not advertised on the post yet, but this is the page. I believe it's at 3 PM EST, or maybe it's 2. 

There is a Virtual Retreat this weekend, and I'm super excited about that. It will be Saturday evening from 6 PM - 9 PM, and on Sunday from 3 PM to 9 PM. I'll post the links on Friday. 

And it's the week for the final call to sign up for my classes. If you or anyone you know might be interested (anywhere in the world works), you can sign up for these classes. Remember - the scrap class is full. 

And that's a wrap for today. I must get at least one girl out for their walk by themselves before the cleaning crew comes. It's been tight for time, so they have gone together, which no one likes, but at least they are getting a walk in. And so am I! I'm feeling like a slug! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

A mystery is solved in the middle of the night

The other day I wrote about leaving my wallet at the store and thinking I didn't have access to any money, so I wouldn't be able to buy any food except what was in the hotel snack bar that I could charge to my room. I considered setting up a digital wallet on my phone so I could have access to my credit card and perhaps even my debit card. I really don't understand the wallet, so I have never investigated it. 

Then I realized I have a digital wallet with my Tim's app. When I pay for something at that restaurant, I use my phone, not a credit card. Hmm  - I would not have starved! 

I am HOME! But not for long, as I'll be leaving in less than a couple of hours for West Lorne, and I have two presentations on the PFAFF creative icon 3 at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio. That's exciting, as I love showing the new features and benefits. As I say to everyone, you don't necessarily have to be in the market for a new machine, but it's fascinating to come out and discover what is changing in the world of sewing and embroidery. 

I do that with competitive brands - not that I want to buy their brand, but I want to see what is happening in the sewing and embroidery world. 

It was an early-morning flight, and the first gas station I went to wasn't open, but it did solve a mystery. 

The night before, when I had walked to Michaels, I was mystified by this. 

The parking lot is a mess.

The parking lot was covered in bird poo and feathers. It looked like a massive explosion had occurred with a flock of birds. 

Well, imagine my surprise when I circled through the gas station to find myself facing this. 

AHA - the source of the mess

The parking lot for that entire plaza was covered with birds. I'm not sure if they were pigeons or some other bird, but they were everywhere!! They were not in the gas station parking lot, so I didn't disturb them when I drove through. I have never seen that before, but then I'm not usually in a parking lot at 3:45 AM either! 

I filled the car with gas, then headed to the airport, and everything went smoothly. I didn't have to use the automatic bag drop, so scanning wasn't an issue. 

The car rental place was open late when I needed to pick up the car, but it wasn't open for drop-off, which I knew, but it's not a big deal. There is a drop box for the keys and a small piece of paper you are supposed to fill out with the mileage and something else. Of course, I forgot to get the mileage, and I couldn't find a pen anyway, so I simply dropped the keys. I got my receipt later in the day, so someone got the mileage from the car. 

And while I attempted to clean the bugs off the windshield, someone will have a bit of scrubbing to do! Thank goodness for unlimited mileage - I didn't have to pay extra for that trip to the Battlefords! Just gas. 

My suitcase was a wee bit over the 50 lbs limit, but I didn't care! My status allows me to carry suitcases as heavy as 70 lbs, but who in their right mind wants to manhandle a 70 lb suitcase? Not me - 50 is bad enough. By the way, I made my 35K status on this flight, so I'm good for next year. If I make the next status level, great - if I don't, it's no big deal. That status allows me access to the lounge, which I would rarely have time for, so I won't miss that perk. And I'm certainly NOT going to the airport early just for the lounge. 

This plane was interesting. After I book my flights, I then have the opportunity to apply for an upgrade. I hadn't purchased the same level of ticket I typically do, and I thought that was why there was no chance to request an upgrade. BUT when we got on the plane, I saw what the "issue" was. This plane had NO premium economy or business class. All rows were economy! I've never seen that in a plane before. It was like getting on a giant bus! The plane was new as well, so that must be something they are implementing on some of the routes. The seat looked very uncomfortable, but it wasn't bad. 

I purchased a couple of things, which made my suitcase heavier on the way out than on the way home. There are two Halloween fabrics. Yes—I do not need Halloween fabrics, but they were darn cute, and one was on sale at the quilt store, and one came from Michaels. 

Left from the quilt store, right from Michaels

I also bought this panel which was on sale at the quilt shop. It's darn cute and would make a great quilt for a child with an up-and-coming green thumb!!

A cute panel from the quilt store

I knew it was raining before we landed as DH had let me know. But it was raining quite hard, and of course my luggage got wet. I have to laugh because as part of my status, my bags are supposed to go priority. That means they're among the first to come off the plane. The ticket agent even flagged them with the red stickers. But alas, they weren't anywhere near the front of the bags that came off the plane. But they didn't take too long to arrive at the carousel, so all was good. 

BUT they were wet, and that was concerning since one was filled with my samples. I don't bother putting them in plastic as that would be a hassle. I've only had issues with wet bags once before, and that was in Montreal, when one of my samples with a red binding bled slightly. 

So the minute I got home, I unpacked, and sure enough, water had penetrated the sample suitcase, but not much got wet and nothing was damaged. I am in the market for a new suitcase because one of the wheels on this one doesn't work as well as it should, and it's a hassle to push it anywhere. 

Everything got removed, sorted into what I need to take with me and what stays home. Then I sorted them into the groups I need for the new features. I have one small thing to add this morning and then throw the suitcase into the car. 

But my oh my --- there were two happy girls to greet me! Lexi now has selective hearing and didn't hear me come home, but when she realized, she was happy. Murphy? She was beside herself. Which, typically, I don't mind. However, she was WET from the rain, and she got sprayed by a skunk - again! Thankfully, it wasn't much, but she still stinks! 

And she wants to rub against my leg? I was instantly wet! 

MOM's home!

Yes, our crazy dog in her demented state seems to think it's fun to lie outside in the pouring rain. Then she comes in and shakes, and well, it was a disaster zone. But it has stopped raining, and the house is dry. She slept upstairs last night, and all was good. She doesn't seem to want to be alone by herself on the main floor, and even with the crazy storms we had, she is not interested in hiding in the stash room like she used to. Oh well—life changes for us, and it does for our girls. 

Currently she is curled up in her tiny dog bed in the office, which is something she hasn't done in a long time - since the beginning of the summer- so that is a positive sign. 

We are learning to cope, and that is all that counts. 

I wasn't ready to jump into sewing, and what else could I do? I started a new ebook and worked through a third of it, but I also opened up the next jigsaw puzzle, found all but one of the border pieces, and started on the sky. 

Progress on the next jigsaw puzzle

I was a bit hesitant to start on the sky, but as you can see, there wasn't a lot of it, so it was perfect. I don't think all puzzles put a date on them, but this one did, and it's dated 2008! Almost 20 years old. Let's hope that all the pieces are there - it's only 750 pieces, so it shouldn't take too long to put together. This will be a quicky to get me to the end of the month, although that is a week away, and then I can work on the theme puzzle for September. It's actually not a theme, but a brand - Eurographics! 

I'm not going to set a quota, but it would be nice to do one a week! I need to do one a week to work through my stash. I am not alone—I see pictures of people's puzzle stashes online and OH MY!!!! Puzzlers are hoarders, just like quilters!

The good news is there is a Virtual Retreat this coming weekend! Yeah!!! It feels like we haven't had a proper Virtual Retreat all summer, and I miss chatting with my "virtual" friends. It will be good to catch up. I'll post the links on Friday to try to keep Zoom off my back. They do not like posting links online. 

Once I'm back from today, I need to get myself working on the distribution lists for the upcoming classes, so be sure to watch for that. And if you are still on the fence about signing up, this is the last call. After this week, I should have everything set. If you or a friend are interested, then check out the list. Send me an email—the scrap class, by the way, is FULL. Don't even bother going to Thimbles and Things to sign up. That filled up FAST. 

I want to warn you that I may need to switch a date or two from what I published because of work, but you'll get that information shortly. I'm super excited to get started on our new projects!!!

I'll let you know when the emails go out, and if you don't get it, you can get in touch with me and see what happened. Everything will be in good time, but it all needs to be done by the end of this week. 

I will be hosting a Facebook Live on the new PFAFF creative icon 3 on September 9. I'll share more details later this week. It is only 1 hour, and my in-person presentations are 3. Hmmm—how am I going to condense that information into one hour? At least I don't have to make any samples—that is done! 

And on that note, I have to get the fabrics for my demos into the suitcase, then walk the girls, and I'm off. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!