When the world of puzzles and quilting collide!

Ah -- the weather! Yes -- it's pretty amazing how different the weather can be, even in nearby locations. Those different weather conditions have given our sewing group a chuckle from time to time. Because we all live in different locations but are somewhat close to each other, we can forecast what is coming to the others! It's especially neat during a thunderstorm! OK -- that's when we are on a call. 

Most of our snow disappeared yesterday, even though it was only zero. The sun was out for a bit, and that sun is mighty powerful! One had to be mindful of the somewhat icy sidewalks yesterday, but it was manageable. Today it should be dry. But I'm always watchful! 

I had loads of fun in Studio B yesterday. I accomplished a lot, but can't share anything with you yet. As I work on those half-square triangles, some of them are too large for what I want. So those ones get turned into hourglass blocks. I have a collection of hourglass blocks in various sizes. 

Making hourglass blocks from scraps

I was asked yesterday what I am going to do with all those half-square triangles. Well, I made an hourglass quilt from one set of hourglass blocks. It went into the A Needle Pulling Thread magazine a couple of issues ago. It's from Issue 69 - Scrappy and Spectacular. Here is the Table of Contents—I'll let you find the quilt. 

Can you spot the scrappy hourglass quilt?

My goal for the half-square triangles is to make a scrappy quilt, or several, when I get around to it. I want to get the pieces under control (seriously???) before I start sewing the units together. You have to keep in mind that I prefer to sew little bits together rather than sew with yardage. I'm thrilled to rescue something or pull it apart and remake it, rather than start something new. And I always joke that when I need to downsize my sewing space, those units don't take up much room and will provide hours, days, and weeks of entertainment. 

The other thing to keep in mind is that I don't sew for the end product. I have way too many quilts and am working to get rid of them, but my LOVE is the process of sewing. I don't care what I make, as long as I make! 

Speaking of which, I'm trying to find a particular small quilt. I don't think I gave it away, but I couldn't find it yesterday. But it makes me realize that it's time for a tidy-up. The quilts are strewn in multiple places, and I need to take some action. Perhaps I'll schedule 15 minutes or so a day to start sorting. 

It's so nice to have so much free time! Seriously? I actually have time not to freak out or get stressed. It's just too unreal! But I'm not complaining. I love it, and I made good progress on prepping for the classes next weekend. I might as well get it done rather than rushing on the day before, which was always the case, and then the homework never got completed. I'm in good shape, except that I took a presser foot off the machine that I was using and set it aside. And now I can't find it! Of course!! I'm hoping it'll jump right out at me when I get down there later today. 

I was going to take that GREEN jigsaw puzzle with me when I went to my parents, but I've decided to hang on to it and swap it with a friend who has the blue and red ones. I have the green and orange, so we can swap (not for keeps) two for two. That leaves me to track down the remaining three colors - purple, yellow, and pink. I may have to break down and buy those. Finding them at the thrift store is unlikely, but you never know. 

In the meantime, I have loads of puzzles to work on, so I do not need anything new. I had pulled out a 1000-piece puzzle to take with me, but then decided to swap it for this one. 

My new puzzle

I thought the guy might appreciate the tool puzzle more than the butterflies and birds that I had originally dug out! There is a green elastic band on that box!!! 

Thank goodness for quilt mini design boards, although the bottom two are 18" square. The puzzle pieces are larger than they were for the green puzzle, and I wasn't careful when placing them down. I required FIVE boards. Thankfully, I still have two more, and they are currently in use as I work on my project for next weekend. 

The pieces are laid out.

As I moved the pieces to the boards, I pulled out all the border pieces. That doesn't seem like enough pieces to make the border of this puzzle. 

The border pieces

However, shortly thereafter, the border was together, but MISSING two pieces. 

It's funny how that happens. You have to touch EACH piece to place it on the boards, and you would think you would see all the border pieces, but nope!! It happens every time. At least these pieces are more regular than the last one, but a lot is going on in this puzzle. I started by pulling most of the red pieces and working on those. There are a few more to pull tonight, and I'll work on all things red. Then onto the next color or item. But it's covered for the day. And see -- it only takes the end of a banquet table to work. I LOVE using those design boards as you don't need a large space to spread out. 

I have one of those puzzle roll things, but I might give it away - anyone want one? I've never used it, and now, based on this setup, I don't think I will either. And I certainly will never use the sorting trays -- that's a waste of time as far as I'm concerned. A few sheets of foam core from the dollar store and some inexpensive felt from Fabricland, and VOILA -- design boards. Well, I already had them because I use them for quilting all the time. 

I finished reading the romance book yesterday. I see there is a new genre called MM Romance. MM meaning man with man. Now I'm that much smarter! Still reading the other two books. That paranormal one is just weird. But then I guess that's how that genre works. I started a new audiobook, which is interesting, but all books are interesting. You just need to open your mind and realize that the world beyond my doorstep is very different. 

The book is called Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese. A story that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! How will the ragtag group of people cope with a big lotto win? I honestly wonder where I get all the recommendations from. This didn't come from my usual sources. 

I see Margareta Magnusson has passed. She wrote the book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. I believe I read that book, but it might be time to reread it. Although I am doing very well, thank you very much!!! It might be as slow as one folder a day, or even a couple of pieces of paper each day, but I am definitely well on my way to cleaning up the mess. She wrote another book - the Swedish Art of Aging Well. I might have to get that one, although I think I'm doing pretty well and in better physical shape now than I was one year ago! 

The biggest issue is letting go, and I'm there. Remember, the point is not to get rid of everything, but to get rid of the things you no longer want/use or need. There is no sense in leaving it for your children to clean up the mess. That is just wrong. I'm still actively sewing, and I'm not ready or need to get rid of that stuff yet. But the time will come, and then I'll be very much ready to deal with it. But the rest of the stuff? I'm happy to part with it, but in my way. 

And lastly, here is a picture of the girls hanging out with Dad. They just won't sleep close together, but close enough! 

The girls have some downtime.

I think I forgot to mention that Microsoft called me last week and is still monitoring the situation. Everything seems fine, and  I need to take one more look at Outlook Classic to see what else I have questions about. The support person is very patient, and I suspect they are using me to collect data. No need to check into my computer, but just to see what the heck is going on, as I'm sure they have tons of issues with people as they migrate to Windows 11. We have another call scheduled for Monday. 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I have the UFO Club this morning, and everything is ready to go!!! Then I have a "free" afternoon, which means I'll likely be sewing and then reading after dinner. WAIT -- I have a few puzzle pieces to put in as well!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Progress is tracking positive!

In case you are wondering, Lexi and I did some real tree hugging along the walk. Why not? The trees are right there. We both got a chuckle out of it and wondered if anyone was watching. It's hard to miss me in the forest with my bright orange jacket!

At the moment, I'm reading three books - one audiobook, one ebook, and a physical book. I don't do that often, but it just worked out. All three are completely different genres. The ebook is about our brain at rest, and I have to say I agree with it and thankfully practise many of the things it mentions. One statement I completely believe in and have been saying for years is that people seem to be losing their ability to be alone with their thoughts! The need for constant entertainment, whether from another person, social media, TV, white noise, or other distractions, is eroding people's ability to be alone. God forbid that someone say they are bored! They are the owners of a brain, which provides way more exciting entertainment (if you let it) than anyone else can provide! 

According to research, solitude is important for regenerating our brain and especially our memory. And so much creativity (a fancy name for problem-solving) comes from solitude. I vote that everyone should have at least one hour a day with no outside stimuli. Not even music - just let your brain wander and learn to love yourself. 

The physical book is creepy. When you have Freida McFadden say it will affect your dreams, you know it's creepy. It's based on paranormal (please tell me it is!), which I didn't realize when I picked it up. But that's OK. Now I'm 2/3 of the way through the book and realize there are words spelled out in Morse code throughout. Hmmm—now I have to go back and decipher that! I randomly picked this book off the display shelf at the library when I was picking up a book for DH. 

And the third book—well, I'm not sure how it got into my library app, but the audiobook showed up, so I decided to read it. I wasn't far into the book, and WOW --- what the heck is this book? After chatting with DH last night, it appears that this book has been turned into a Crave TV series that people (women in particular) are going bonkers about. 

I'm almost embarrassed to tell you it's a romance. I never read romance, and it's published by the same company that Harlequin - wait, I can't fact-check that, but I saw something related to Harlequin last night. So you know that it's going to be hot. EXCEPT that it isn't about a heterosexual relationship, but a male gay relationship. Apparently, women are going mad over the series. 

Here's the reference to Harlequin: Cover Art Copyright 2024 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. I'm not up on the publishing world, so I don't exactly know what this means - by that I mean, what does Harlequin Enterprises Limited do? Just book covers, all the publishing? Were the books republished? I think so. Anyway -- it's not important. 

I got curious and found this very interesting article about women and their motivation to watch the series, which uses the first two books (of 7) in the TV series. The TV series is going global and is being viewed in many countries. Read the article -- it has some very interesting points about gay and heterosexual relationships. 

Should you choose to read these books, I will warn you that the content is extremely explicit. And there are a lot of four-letter words. I will read the first one, but I don't really want to read more. The second half of the first book is better than the first because it deals with coming out of the closet and what that means to the people involved. 

And now onto something tamer! 

I was downstairs working, and when I came up for lunch, I looked out the window and OH MY!!!! The ground was covered with snow. The girls had fun, and then it warmed up a wee bit, and some snow melted, but it's minus 2 this morning, so I bet the sidewalks are going to be slippery. 

MOM -- more snow!!!!

All the cables are labelled and in one large bag with the switchbox. So when it's time to set up again, I can just grab that bag. I put the Cricut power cord back with the Cricut, but I made myself a note. I probably don't need to, but I did anyway!!

All the cables for the film studio set-up

And OH!!!! There is some good news about my labels. I decided to check the new tracking number. If you are tracking something from another country, it won't show up in Canada Post's system until it enters their system, but there is a GLOBAL tracking system you can use to track it from the country of origin. 

This is what happened the first time my package went into the system. 

When I realized that I could see the tracking on that global system, it seemed apparent to me that the package never left France. 

Now look at the new tracking number. 

It actually looks like it's moving. And LOOK what happened yesterday. Do I dare believe that the item has arrived in Canada? And that I might get it next week? Fingers crossed. 

YEP --- I see that number in the Canada Post Tracking!! Yahooo!!!! I have a pile of items that need the binding stitching in place. What I don't understand is why, if the package was returned to the sender, they didn't contact me or try to resend it. Why did I have to track them down (through their Etsy Canada site)? Other than a phone number, that was the ONLY contact point I had. And that is NOT where I ordered the labels from - I ordered directly through their website! 

Remember that blue box with this month's UFO items. Well, I'm making good, but slow progress as I plow my way through it. I had put a lot of small things that need to be repaired or done. For the moment, I'm happy to work on those small things, as they account for much of the clutter on the current project table, and it would be nice to clear them up. 

I had two Conqueror medals whose lanyards needed fixing. The way it comes is twisted, so I unpick the stitching, untwist the lanyard, and stitch it back together. I had two sitting there to be fixed. 

Two lanyards fixed! 

And now they are hanging on the wall with the others. I have FIVE more medals from the Lord of the Rings series, and, well, I'm not sure I'm going to hang them up. They are very heavy. That represents a lot of walking since 2020.

My Conqueror medals since 2020

I have this rug, which I need to fix. I made it years ago from fabric and batting, and when I stitched it together, I didn't use a tight enough zigzag stitch, so during washing, several seams came apart. OH -- if only I had done it correctly the first time!! 

The stitching in the rug came apart.

Murphy will be able to use this when it's back together properly. I made good progress on it yesterday, and hope to finish it today. 

I'm not adding anything to the blue bucket for this coming month, except all those bindings - I think there are seven items in the pile and six of them are small, so it won't take long as the bindings are made. I'm also traveling some this month, so I won't have much time. My goal is to completely empty the bucket, and then I'll find other things on the table to put in it. Each month, I'm just a wee bit overambitious and don't quite finish, so this month the goal is to completely finish and then fill it up again. 

I don't care if I don't completely finish what's in there. I'm making excellent progress, and I'll share the total number of things I completed next week. My goal right now is to finish/repair lots of little things and clear up the clutter. In the same way, I need to set aside a day to work through those piles of paper on the office floor. I'll get there, just on my own time. 

I also trimmed that entire pile of half-square triangles that was sitting on the cutting table. 

Half-square triangles - trimmed!

Studio B is almost back in order, which is good because it's going to be a busy week. I have the UFO Club tomorrow and am already working on the presentation and finishing up a couple of my projects. Then I have two classes next weekend, and I will be working on those and my blog posts this week. So not super crazy, but enough to keep me busy. Just the way I like it! 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I'll test those sidewalks to see how slippery they are and determine if we should walk this morning. The sidewalk plow went by last night, so let's hope!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Tree hugging is good for you!

About the air fryer — I think the smell greatly depends on what you cook. Yes -- DH was able to get crisper chicken than he can in the oven. I am not a fan of anything with grease or fat on it. Chicken with skin? I'll pass and just eat veggies - thank you! Yes -- I could remove the skin, and I do, but to eat the skin? Even crispy? No way! What I've seen so far is that if the item has grease (skin) on it, it's going to stink. If you are cooking veggies, it probably won't. 

I doubt we'll use one enough to warrant buying it. We have a small toaster oven that works just fine for the amount of cooking we do. HEY -- we have a stove that the poor oven has been rarely used! Thanks for the comments on the air fryer. Since I don't eat potatoes, processed foods, foods with batter, or stuff like that, and I'm totally happy with raw veggies (salad), I don't really need one! DH - loves his BBQ. But I'm not a picky eater! I just eat plain food - no sauces, no condiments, and that makes me happy. I eat to fuel myself - I don't enjoy cooking or eating it. And what I find is that people eat so fast that no one really enjoys the meal, so why put a lot of time into it? Don't get me started on meals prepped in high-end restaurants, where they seem to undercook everything and spend more time on presentation than on cooking. Not a fan!

I'm back to reading the book about the brain at rest, and apparently, it has been proven that forest bathing is truly healing. And it will keep you healthy if you hug trees! OK — that's pretty high-level, but I'm on the right track to staying healthy. Being in nature can boost your immune system -- who knew? 

And then there is the silence. Silence is golden and lets your brain rest. I can so relate to that because while I like to listen to audiobooks, I love listening to nothing, not even white noise. My brain can wander and relax and do whatever it wants, and that's usually where my brilliant ideas pop into my head. Try it sometime—turn off everything in your house and just listen to your brain, or not. It's one of the best therapies around! During these times, I think I face the reality of who I am, my limitations, my quirks (I have lots of those), and I've come to the point that I don't care - I'm happy with who I am!

Speaking of the forest, there is this tree that I've watched for years as it slowly deteriorates. Trust me, after walking as many times in the forest as I have, you get to know the trees. OK -- so I'm a tree hugger. Well, maybe not a hugger, but a lover. Although the book says the actual act of hugging is good. I might try that far off the path where no one can see me! WAIT -- I don't care!!!!

Anyway, here is the tree. A large group of squirrels calls this tree home, but there is barely anything left of the tree, and one day it's going to fall over. 

The squirrel condo

As you can see, the top part is leaning, and there isn't much holding up the spot where the squirrel condo is. It's absolutely fascinating to watch things grow or rot, depending on the situation.  

The squirrel condo is leaning.

So yesterday, something very strange happened in our house. I was in the kitchen tidying up, and I heard a ball plop plop plop down the stairs, but Murphy wasn't in the house. WHAT? I glanced over to the stairs, and Miss Lexi was standing there watching what she had done. I didn't see whether she picked up the ball, kicked it, or deliberately nudged it, but she caused it to bounce downstairs. 

MOM -- the ball went downstairs!

And there it was!!!! Of course, she wasn't going to chase the ball downstairs - that is not her thing. Hmm -- what happened? 

Lexi tossed the ball downstairs.

As I was trying to put some order into Studio B, I had help. I swear Murphy picks a spot intentionally where I need to walk. She is very good at it! I got my sewing machine set up and a few more cables, etc., in bags, but there is still a lot more to tidy up. Mostly the samples, but I needed to get to work on my sewing, so once the machine was up and running, I pretty much stopped tidying!

MOM -- I'm here to support you!

And look how cute this girl is!! All sleepy as she makes sure I do not miss her! 

MOM - it's exhausting being your constant companion

While I made great progress, it just seemed to go so slowly. I finally got all the half-square triangles trimmed for my border. And thank goodness, I sewed the border as I went, so it's all in one piece. You'll have to wait to see what it looks like. 

Trimming the half-square triangles for my border

While getting all that sewing done, I sewed more triangles as enders and leaders. They are pressed, but I didn't get a chance to trim them. That's a job for today. I have a few more things to get done for the weekend session of UFO Club. I still have a lot to finish, but I'm doing OK. 

More half-square triangles sewn.

As I looked at the tray of triangles to sew as enders and leaders, I spotted this stack of small ones. OK -- I'm past the point of keeping these teeny ones, so they went into the scrap box. 

These ones are too small to keep

I was "chatting" with a few friends on Messenger/Texting yesterday, and this picture was sent to me. OH MY GOSH --- what memories this brings back. 

Captain Elaine!

This was me about halfway across Canada on my bicycle trip in 2013. Can you guess where the picture was taken? Yes -- that is a ship's wheel. And look how tanned my face is! That's after spending five weeks riding at least 100 KMs a day (OK -- there was a rest day or two in there as well). 

That was such an exciting trip, and I had to mentally dig pretty deep almost every day. Yes -- it was a very physical trip, and I was ready for it (I'm NOT an elite cyclist by any means), but the mental part was much bigger. Dealing with a frustrating fellow cyclist who almost drove me mad! Inclement weather—we had multiple days of rain in Northern Ontario. Hills that never seem to end, but thankfully, were graded for transport trucks, so most were no more than 12%. Hours and hours of riding and no one to talk to. Now that's not true because we did talk to each other, but I mostly rode in silence, which is where I learned that I'm very comfortable being by myself and enjoying nature and letting my brain wander. 

This was NOT my first long-distance cycle trip, so all this stuff wasn't new to me. 

Well, have you guessed what ship I could be on - halfway across Canada? Yep --- it's the Chi Chamaun Ferry. We got to do a lot of cool things on that trip, and it was definitely an adventure of a lifetime. I've been so fortunate to have taken several adventures of a lifetime, and guess what? I had to do them alone because none of my friends are nutty enough to do them with me. I'm perfectly OK with that. I only have to worry about myself, and that's the way I roll! 

Well, on that note, I've got a lot of work to do today, and I have a lot of paper crap to clear off the office floor. ONE day, I will get on top of it. But as I clear up, more comes out. One day, there won't be anything left! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The calm after the storm

It's 4:30 AM, and I see Brooke sent me a note last night (I was asleep) saying she is unwell. I'm up and dressed, so I'm going to the gym on my own this morning. Look at me - a gym geek!

Thanks to everyone who watched the presentation live yesterday! It means a lot to me for all your support and the feedback you gave. When I'm going to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. What's that quote? If you can't do it right the first time, you don't get a second chance? On something like this, there is no second chance!

I got a chuckle, and so will Murphy and Lexi, when one person said that I have no UMs and avoid unnecessary chatter. This is why I entertain Murphy and Lexi on the walks. I go over and over the darn presentation (as if I were presenting it), and I'm paying attention to what I say. I rarely say UM, and I think I've mostly eliminated that word from my vocabulary, but it is easily replaced by NOW, SO, AND, and probably one or two other words. 

By rehearsing it, I catch those words and try to correct myself BEFORE I do the presentation!

And as the clock was ticking down to 3:00 PM and I said "goodbye" to Aimee (the behind-the-scenes person), my mind went totally blank!! Yikes --- what am I supposed to say again? And then, because of the rehearsal, it all came back!

Thanks once again to everyone for watching. If you missed it or want to watch it again, here are the links. 

Youtube: 

Facebook:

While I love doing the presentation, I love the technology involved in making that happen. I decided to try adding a fourth camera to the mix using my iPad. It worked like a charm!!!

What I love is that I was able to manipulate the angles so you can see me and the embroidery machine, but you can't see the TWO cameras behind me. 

I'm hiding two cameras behind my back!

There was one camera on the needle and one on the screen (the iPad). I think I did a pretty good job of setting up! I have never tried using my iPad as a camera, but one of my colleagues has, and it was amazing. The only thing about an iPad is that it drains the battery faster than it can recharge, and as I was nearing the end, the battery was nearly depleted. No big deal—next time, I won't let it sit for so long BEFORE I start presenting. But for the hour and a half I'm online (30 minutes before the start time are just waiting and a last-minute check), the battery life is fine!

The two hidden cameras

I love doing these videos, whether it's been with Fons and Porter or on my own. But so much is happening BEHIND the cameras, and you don't get to see it! 

My mini film studio setup

Of course, I had help in the morning when I was running through the samples and getting them in the correct order. That is my small chair, by the way. I don't want my chair to be a distraction on the camera either, so I have this small one, and it works. I had plenty of room between the tables, so I stood up for some of the work, especially when working with the embroidery machine. I didn't want to bump the tripods, although I think I did right at the beginning. No big deal!!

My trusty helper

I started to pull things apart yesterday, but I will finish it this morning. Before I put things away, I'm going to bag the cables for each camera, put them in a labelled bag, then put that bag in a large bag, and put the large bag in the bin with all the other cables. That will make it that much easier to set up, as I have another session in September. Why waste time when I can put things away even more organized? And perhaps by then, I'll have found that missing power cord. If not, I'm making a note that the power cord for my Cricut works on the switchbox!!!

It will be so nice to take a break from machine embroidery for the rest of the week, although I have my UFO homework to do and I have some blog post writing to take care of! It will be calm and quiet! 

As I was leaving the house for spin class, I saw a big flash of light out the front door. What? I thought it was a car, but it didn't last. OH MY --- that was lightning, and the thunder wasn't far behind it. The dogs went out and did their business (on leashes), so we were quick. I got in the car and drove up to the lights to get onto the main street. If you arrive at those lights before 6 AM, they immediately go into the sequence to change. After 6 AM, you need to wait for however long it's programmed for. 

As I was approaching, there was a massive flash of light, followed immediately by thunder, and all four lights started flashing RED. WHOA!!! What just happened? I made it through the light and in the four KM to the gym, it started to rain and hail like mad. I mean, it was like a monsoon - the wind was blowing, and the hail was coming down so hard, I worried the car would be damaged. 

Then I got to the gym, and it's still crazy. Needless to say, I parked as close to the building as I could. I usually park far away and walk. Then the question was: do I wait it out or run? I ran and got thoroughly soaked in the one minute I was outside. 

This is the hail on the car's sunroof. 

Hail as seen through the sunroom

And this was the rain on the windshield as I waited in the parking lot. 

A monsoon

Thankfully, there are lots of towels in the gym, so I dried off as best I could and went to spin class. When I exited, it had stopped raining/hailing, but there was still ice on the ground. What a crazy day. 

While it was wet, that didn't deter a certain girl from enjoying the backyard. And seriously? That is a flower bed, not a bed for dogs. What a goofball!

MOM - -this spot is for me! 

I'm going to take turns tidying up and sewing today - I have a "few" things to do before UFO. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew this month! Oh well -- I've made good progress, so I'm not worried. But there are a few more things I'd like to finish, and I now have THREE full days to dedicate to getting that done. It's going to be nice to be quiet. 

And I hope my tummy feels better today. Again, no need for the washroom, but just not feeling right. It wasn't the presentation, as I don't get nervous about that kind of thing. I ate some yesterday, but not like I usually do. I'm feeling pretty good this morning, but tentative about eating anything and getting it started again!

I have a question for you about air fryers. We have one temporarily in our house, and I have no desire for one to be here permanently. I think it's another fad like the Instant Pot (which we never got), but DH is so influenced by the gadgets that his guy friends have. It's been used three times since it was brought into the house, and every time, the SMELL has been horrific. The air fryer just intensifies the smell of grease from whatever is being cooked (meat), and I find it absolutely disgusting. Is that just me and my biased opinion, or is that true? 

On that note, I'd better get moving. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What's your plan B?

What a day! I got out my bucket of cables and other supplies as I was setting up the cameras for today's Facebook Live. No fear of losing a tripod since they are relatively large, and I keep the two video cameras attached to them. The third tripod is for my cell phone or the iPad since I now have a holder for it. 

Tripods and cameras - check!

There's the bucket of cables and one more camera. 

Bucket of cables and document camera - check!

And then there is the swtichbox. As I was sorting through the cables (I keep saying I will label them, but I can figure it out), I realized that I did NOT have the power cord to the switchbox. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

Switchbox - check! Switchbox power cord - FAIL!!!!

I have been so diligent about putting things back where they belong, and I have no other place to use this power cord. I would not have stolen it for another device - it's pretty specific. I searched everywhere, but obviously, I didn't because I couldn't find it, and without that power cord, nothing will work. 

I looked online, and NOPE—I can't get one until later in the week. So I was off to the camera shop, and no, they do not sell these, but the staff member I chatted with said he had a box like it, and I asked if I could borrow his cord. I told him I'd call him back if I needed it. He seemed reluctant - I guess he has never been desperate before! 

I stopped at Best Buy and spotted something I thought would work, but after asking the staff there, they said NO. Seriously??? How come I can't find a power cord? Back home and a bit more research online, and while I can get one, I can't get one quick enough. 

I called the camera shop back to see if I could really borrow that guy's cable. I was willing to give him some cash for it, and then I scoured around the studio to see if anything else had that kind of connection. Oh my—let's try this cord. It was the power cord to my Cricut digital cutter, and it worked!!!!! I stayed on hold with the camera shop until the guy came on and I explained what happened. 

The Cricut cord is the white one in the mess above. 

It was funny because he seemed to think I was trying to borrow it through the shop. NO - I'll pay YOU, just loan it to me. Fortunately, we didn't need to go that route. 

Then it was time to move the tables and set up the backdrop and all that other fun stuff. The excess cables got put back in the bucket. I was testing all the cameras at this point and making sure they were charged, although I do NOT run them without a power source. Can you imagine, in the middle of the presentation, one camera losing battery power? Not happening!

Testing the cameras for connectivity

Thankfully, I've done this a few times, so I got the whole mess down pat, but here's where you would love to have a LOT of power bars and extension cords running all over the place, because getting power to all the devices is sometimes the hardest thing. I'm not sure how I ever did this the first time! While the embroidery machine is madly stitching in the background!

Testing the connectivity

 

At last, everything has power and is connected to the switch box. And the lights are out, although I could use more light. All the while, I had my embroidery machine working away in the back! I still have a couple more samples to run this morning, and I have to run to Staples to print out two things because our printer is acting up. Yippee!!!!

Lights, cameras, action!

When I was out, it was close to lunch time, so I stopped at Harvey's for a treat. It's funny how people do things on autopilot. They ask when I'm at the window, "Do you want ketchup?" and I reply, "NO." When I open the bag, this is what I see. EVERY single time!

What you get when you say, NO KETCHUP!!

But then I didn't feel well in the afternoon. DH also had lunch from there, but it only hit me. I wasn't sick, but I just didn't feel well. So I lost a couple of hours as I went to bed. And poor Lexi had tummy issues overnight and had to go out TWICE!! Thankfully, she makes a huge racket, although I didn't hear her the first time. DH did that run. But I heard the alarm system say, "Back door closed," which only says when the back door closes. I hadn't heard anything else, so I went to investigate. DH was sitting in the family room waiting for her to come back in. Of course, she isn't one to run out and do her business and then come back in. Nope -- she has to explore a bit. 

Well, I heard her the second time, and now she's back in and settled in her bed. Hopefully, she feels better. I feel better, but I'm tired this morning. However, I'm still going to spin class. 

And this was Murphy's take on the whole day. I had left the backdoor open in the afternoon because it was so warm. I didn't even get to enjoy a walk in the warm weather because I was in bed. But the girls are so happy that they have had a couple of days to come and go as they want. The door will be closed today because it's much cooler, but still above freezing. 

MOM -- I'm watching you!!!!!

I didn't even eat dinner last night. I just wasn't up to it. I had my snack before spin class, so let's hope that all is good. Again, I didn't need the washroom; I just had a lot of discomfort. But all seems to be good this morning. 

After "dinner", I went back to my jigsaw puzzle to see if I could finish it, and VOILA -- it's done. 

The 1000-piece puzzle is done!

I continued taking a handful of pieces at a time and tried to find a home for them without using the box, and by this time, I was getting pretty good at it. And before I knew it, the puzzle was complete! Yep - even the missing border piece was found. It's weird how that one piece was missing until almost the end. I've left it up, but I will dismantle it later today as I want to take this one with me at the end of the month to give to the fellow at my parents' apartment. I think he'll have fun with it. 

And I have another one that I'll open later tonight. 

OK—so if you want to watch the presentation live today, here's what you do. 

Go to the main Husqvarna Viking North America page on Facebook. Here is the link. 

You can have that window open as you wait for the presentation to start. It WILL NOT start until precisely 3 PM EDT. Now here's the trick: at 3 PM EDT, you must REFRESH that window to get the live feed working. The pages do not refresh on their own. The same applies to YouTube if you plan to watch the presentation there. If you have the page open BEFORE 3 PM, you must REFRESH the page to get into the live feed. It is supposed to start automatically. So if you open either page at 3:01, it should already be broadcasting the live presentation. 

Here's the link to the YouTube page. 

So you can watch in either spot—just be sure to REFRESH the page. I'll be there at 3 PM, but I'll hold back a minute or two before I really get started. The presentation will be recorded if you miss the beginning. 

Oh --- I have some advice for you! If you are a Facebook scroller, and I confess, since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I did a bit more scrolling than I would typically in a day, but it wasn't for long—it's so boring!!! 

Anyway, my advice to you is: if you spot some information that looks REAL on Facebook, go to a web browser or a news source and fact-check it. There is so much FAKE stuff on Facebook that it's disgusting. You'll see lots of things you wish had happened, but when you fact-check, they did not. Or you have loads of people reporting on things that seem legit, but they didn't quite happen the way that person makes them appear. FACT CHECK from another legitimate source. 

What I think I need to do is subscribe to a legitimate news source, but which one? 

On that note, I'd better get myself moving. I have a ton of things to do this morning, and I need every second. Well, it's not that bad, but I'll be running samples, getting pictures printed, and well, that's it. I was hoping for a manicure, but I might have to settle for a home-based one! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

MOVE OVER MOM!!!!

OH - I love the fact that puzzles helped calm someone down. I can see that. I find it extremely relaxing to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. I am going to try to always have one on the go since I have learned how to tackle my addiction to them. 

MOVE OVER MOM!!!! 

Hello everyone, this is Murphy and Lexi, and we have something to say. 

It's the girls -- Murphy and Lexi!!!

We love our Mom, and she is very good to us, although we do NOT get nearly as many treats as we need. We are starving, and she won't do anything about it! That is why I, Murphy, am scrounging for garbage every time we go for a walk. Mom says she hates having to dig in my mouth to remove yucky stuff, but I love yucky stuff. 

Mom even took us for a walk together in the afternoon, and we were up to our old tricks. I (Murphy) walked fast, and Lexi walked slowly, so Mom was pulled between our two leashes and looked like a fool! It was so much fun to play tricks on her!!! 

BUT please—can you tell our Mom to stop talking on the walk? It's annoying. She says she is practising for her felting presentation. Well, we don't care about machine-embroidered felting; we want her to talk to US, about US, and be there for US. 

She says it helps her to work out the bugs and get the topics in the right sequence. We call it annoying! 

And then look what happened to me (Murphy). I was hanging around Studio B (my space, which I just let Mom share with me), and I got fuzzy bits on my face. Mom didn't even clean it off. It's so hard to get good help these days!!

MOM - I got fuzz on me!!!

STOP — OK, girls — you've had your fun. You can go back to sleep now, and sorry -- but I have two more walks to practise the sequence of my presentation. Sorry!!! 

Yes -- I do talk about my presentation when I'm walking. It's a great way to work out the logistics in my head and realize, oh, I don't have a sample of that, and so on. I love doing it, and I'm sure many people think I'm crazy. But I could be talking on my phone, which I'm not!! 

The walk with the two of them was challenging. They just do not walk at the same pace, but it was such a beautiful day, and I had no errands, so I decided to bite the bullet and take them together. We had fun, despite what Murphy and Lexi say!!!

And when we got back, I sat in the gazebo to finish Smartphone Nation, and Miss Murpjhy plunked herself down under my chair and had a good snooze, while Lexi went to lie beside the house in the sun. 

MOM - I'm getting old. I'm exhausted!

Speaking of puzzles, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm making great progress on the green one. And while it is tempting, especially so close to the end, I have it covered and did NOT touch a piece until it was time. 

I walked past it countless times on my way from the cutting table to the embroidery machine, but I did NOT touch it!!! 

The puzzle in plain sight, yet I did NOT touch it

However, in the evening, when I only had to wait for the embroidery machine to finish, I took the puzzle piece board in my hand and started working. This is how it looked when I went to bed last night. 

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

There are holes all over the puzzle, which doesn't typically happen, but there are so many small things in this puzzle that it's hard to finish one area. I am now to the point where I fussy-pick a handful of pieces and can pretty much put them in the puzzle. WAIT --- if only it were that easy. NOPE -- I need to scour the picture to see where those pieces go. It's a challenge in that way, but not an insurmountable one. 

My spotting skills are getting quite sharp! I love it, and it's such a fabulous break from sewing. I was tempted to continue last night, but what's the rush? There is none, so I should be able to finish tonight and maybe even crack open the next one. 

I had a couple of border pieces mixed up, but I got that straightened out. It looks like I'm still missing a border piece. It may be missing. And YES—I saw that fabric from Northcott that is similar. I wanted some, but did not cave. What would I do with it? 

I've got a lot of stitching to do on the embroidery machine today, and it's all laid out on the cutting table. I just need the machine to stitch faster!! I could open up the second embroidery machine, but I'll stick to one. I'm good on the scheduling. 

The next hoopings are prepped and ready to go.

I LOVE experimenting with machine embroidery. It's been so much fun, and I've learned a ton. Did I mention that I'm doing the felting presentation tomorrow, and learning all about felting on the embroidery machine is one of the items on my Visual To Do list? Yep --- Nothing like double dipping, but hey --- it works, and I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'll take it. 

It wasn't without some casualties. What are the chances that the section with the price tag is the one I used? Thankfully, no one will know that. And I removed the tags from all the other pieces. 

Oops - the tag got chopped up!

Here is the link.   Please note the link will NOT open until exactly 3 PM EDT. I will wait a few minutes to let everyone on. There are two buttons on that link, and I'll see which one to use to join the call. 

Then a bad thing happened. I was chatting with the Monday group about my upcoming quilt retreat in two weeks. It's not one that I'm organizing, and I'm happy as a clam about that. I'll go to any retreat these days, but I won't organize any more than I already have on my plate. There is a lot of cutting to do on the current project tables (more under than on them because of the size of the containers), so I have decided to take only handwork (cutting mostly) to this retreat. I'll take chair risers and my cutting mat so I won't disturb anyone who wants to cut, and I'll get a lot prepped. 

Packed for the retreat

There are tubs of fleece scraps to be cut up. Well, the bottom tub already has cut squares, but there is one more tub, a laundry basket, and a small white tub with more scraps. It would be amazing to get all of that dealt with. And I may have a home for those squares, or I'll make them into children's blankets. 

There is one bag of batik scraps—I'll tell you more when I start cutting —and I have the perfect project for them. 

Then someone asked if I was going to take my 365 quilt and cut more blocks. That's a BRILLIANT idea, so there are two bags with the fabric for that project. 

Will I get bored? Absolutely not - I love cutting, and I have a binding to finish on my Mom's hexagon quilt, and I also have a small pouch with hexies that I'm making. I've been working on that for 15 years! But it's the perfect thing to take, and I'll take it on my trip to visit my parents. I need something small to work on at their place. 

I have another call with Microsoft this afternoon, and I need to double-check my Outlook to see if it has any other issues. I think we might be done, but I must check before two PM. 

The rest of the day is mine, but I still have more samples/projects to finish. I swear, the more samples I make and the more I talk myself through the presentation, the more I want to make!!! That's the problem with making samples, but I'm learning a ton!!!

As for the missing labels? Seriously??? This is the message I received from the only contact I have - through their Etsy Canada page. 

If you received my package back -- then why didn't you contact me? And I'm not even sure they have my package. I'm pretty frustrated with them. I had no issues the first time, but I really want those labels. I love the quality of them, I love how easy it is to order them, but getting them? Well, I must keep following up with this person to see if she can give me a firmer answer than this. 

I finished reading Smartphone Nation, and it was an excellent read. It makes you look at your phone in a whole new light. I know I pick up my phone very often each day, like most people do. But when I start to evaluate what I do with it, it's all active stuff. OK --- a few minutes of scrolling happen. So far this morning, I've taken 30 pictures and emailed them to myself. I emailed the pictures for the blog this morning, and that's it! I haven't checked messages - there's no need until I have time to respond to them, which will be once the dogs are walked, and the embroidery machine is running. 

NO ONE needs me urgently. No one!! I'm not a doctor or first responder; my family members all live far away, and nothing is urgent that requires a message or phone call immediately. 

I noticed I checked my phone for messages (three spots—Messenger, texts, and WhatsApp) multiple times, and almost every time there was NOTHING to respond to. YEAH!!!! I did check Facebook and Instagram a couple of times during the day, but probably spent less than 2 minutes each time. Unless there was a video from one of the people I follow, I watched that. Since I don't follow many people, it doesn't take much time. 

MY PRECIOUS TIME is MINE!!! Why should I give it up to watch mindless videos and reels? I was picky with my time before; I'm going to get even more selfish with it!

I check the temperature on my phone before walking the dogs, so I know how to dress for the walk. 
Good grief -- it's PLUS 11 C. 

Looking at social media and the political situation, it makes you wonder who is governing whom? I've often said that over the last couple of years, although I said BIG companies, not social media. It makes you wonder!!! I don't think our governments have as much control as we think they do, at least in some countries. Big companies, tech companies, have a lot to say about how our countries run. And guess what? It's all in the name of marketing/advertising to us (and mining our data) to do so, and making money for themselves. 

The fact that these companies market to us, whether it's food or social media or whatever, with one goal in mind to make more money, regardless of whether we become obese from eating the wrong foods, or we become addicted to whatever substance/behavior they are pushing, is bad. 

It was a cold, sober thought when the author said they are mining our data and tweaking the algorithms to such an extent that the algorithm knows what we want to buy before we even know we want to buy that item. 

I say—be MINDFUL of how you use your phone and interact with social media. Or the internet. Be MINDFUL!!! And SET A GOOD EXAMPLE for the younger generations. Talk to them about ACTIVE and PASSIVE use of your phone. Don't discourage them from using their phone - just make them MINDFUL. 

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!