Double Whammy!!!

The good news is that when I looked at my Cherrywood Challenge in the morning, the chalk lines were pretty much gone, so I didn't have to do any further work on it. I trimmed the quilt top, made the two-color binding, and stitched it to the top of the piece. Then I settled in and watched some YouTube videos while hand-stitching the binding in place! 

All that's left is to touch up a few spots with markers where the lighter-colored bobbin thread peeked through during the appliqué process, take three pictures, and then submit the entry. I checked last night and saw a couple of pieces that several others had done and submitted. Oh my!!! So cute. But mine is different, and well, I don't care if it gets in. I'm just happy that I did it and on time!

Then I put all the supplies away, except the entry instructions. I have a spot for all my Cherrywood fabric, but do you think I knew where that was yesterday? So it's on a shelf, and when I remember where the rest of the stuff is, I'll put it all together. 

The leftovers from the Cherrywood Challenge

That was the good news. There are two pieces of bad news, and of course, one of them has to do with technology. I live and breathe by my distribution lists, as they make it easy to send notes to my groups. Since I moved to the new computer, the distribution lists are still on the old one. And when I went to send my emails yesterday, the LISTs are GONE!!!! Yes—it appears there was an update on the old computer, and the way distribution lists are handled is different.

I do NOT understand why everything else can be migrated but not the contact list? Why?

What's even worse is that I BCC everyone on my group emails, so I can't even use an old email to forward anything. And I don't have a printout. I might see if the original version of Outlook is still on the old computer. I have no idea why Microsoft would perform this update without accounting for distribution lists. 

I can print a copy of an email I've sent to each group and retrieve the emails from there, but there is no name associated with them. It's ridiculous. When I tried to recreate a distribution list on the new computer, it accepted the email addresses, but NO names from my contact list. It won't let me use my contact list to create a distribution list. I MUST be doing something incorrectly. 

After I created a list with 17 names and could see them, when I tried to use the list to BCC a note, it said the list was empty. If I put the list in the TO box, it worked. Are you kidding me? I am deathly afraid of using "TO"-it just isn't appropriate. There's a long story behind that fear!

I know you must think I'm a dolt when it comes to technology, but I'm not. I tend to do things the average person wouldn't use, and it drives me mad when things change, and when there isn't an intuitive, logical way to recreate them or to fix them easily. 

Thankfully, with fewer classes, I have fewer distribution lists. If I'm counting correctly, I only have eight, so it's not a huge deal to recreate them, but if I don't do it right, that's a problem. 

So that is an issue I must work on today, but I might hobble along for today and tomorrow and then call Microsoft on Tuesday. But they are sometimes totally useless with their own products. I'll play and see what I can come up with!

The other bad news is the roof. While there was no water leaking in the window, I spotted this in the morning. And the towel did need to be changed at one point, and I'm not sure why. 

The current leak situation

Yep --- the water is now coming in under the shingles on the roof because it can't go anywhere due to the ice dam. Oh, happy day! I took this picture and forwarded it to the engineers, so hopefully they will feel sorry for me and take a better look. I'm not overly worried, since all this drywall has to come down due to past issues. The walls and the ceiling in that room are toast. 

On a positive note, the icicle melted so fast yesterday that it's almost gone. What I need is someone to remove all the snow from that section of the roof, so no more water comes in, but the damage is already done, so what's the point of that? 

It froze last night, so I suspect there is no more damage, and I haven't turned on the lights yet this morning. 

I was on a tear yesterday and got to work on trimming those half-square triangles. I finished all the ones that I had pressed the day before. 

Trimming half-square triangles

Then, because I'm in relax mode these days, I did this. 

The EMPTY container where the half-square triangles resided.

Yes, I emptied that little container and started pressing. 

All the half-square triangles on the ironing surface

And then I kept pressing until all of them were pressed. 

The pressing continues

I didn't get them all trimmed last night, so I will do a few each day. But here's the thing - I am COMMITTED to cleaning up that mess, and it will happen. I CAN & I WILL. Watch me!!!

Half-square triangles to trim

All my trimmed half-square triangles have a home in Studio U. All these containers are chock-a-block full of trimmed units in various sizes, but predominantly 1½". 

Containers of trimmed half-square triangles

There is no risk of running out of these units, as three packed containers above the blue bin still need to be sewn, pressed, and trimmed. Yep -- I was just hoarding them without doing anything with them, and I now know that that is wrong! So I'm planning on getting control of that mess. Baby steps, and I'm making good progress. 

OH -- once I send in the submission form for the Cherrywood Challenge, I can officially remove one more item from the Visual To-Do list. It's a pretty exciting thing to do, and I'm loving that whole setup!

Looking at what's coming up next weekend, the items that need to be completed are now sitting out and ready for me to tackle this week. And I have the entire week to get them done, including today! Where did all this time come from? No more rushing around at the last minute, no more only completing part of what I said I would do. I love it!!!

And I'm slowly making progress on this border. You can't really tell the progress because I keep the one end rolled up so it'll fit on that mini design board. But all the seams are being twirled on the back, and I hope I have enough white fabric. It's amazing, as you would think white is white, but it's not. So I must have a peek at that, and it may require a trip to the fabric store, as I've already pulled what works from my stash. 

Progress on the border

As you know, I'm an avid reader, and while I'm open to reading most genres, I love mysteries and thrillers the best. I've been ripping through the audiobooks like mad as I get some sewing done. I just finished reading "Everyone Here is Lying" by Shari Lapena. 

OH OH OH ---- All I can say is that Shari has a very twisted mind. She used to be a lawyer and an English teacher, but now lives on a farm somewhere in Ontario and writes full-time. I wonder if she's afraid to turn off the lights at night? 

True to the book's title, everyone was lying in the book, and I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to read it, but it's warped. Right down to the very last word in the book --- WARPED!!! And evil!!! But good! 

Her books are disturbing because, for the most part, they are about secrets that best friends or family members are keeping from one another. And well, she must spend days walking around the farm dreaming up new evils. 

I think this quote by Ruth Ware (also a great author) is so fitting: 

I got that title from the book list of the top ten most circulated books in Canadian libraries, and another one of her books was on the list - "What have you done?", which I'm reading now. I rarely read back-to-back books by the same author, but it just happened to come in my Libby App, so I'm reading it. 

I see my sleep score is back to normal, and I got 1 hour and 24 minutes of deep sleep! I'm excited that I have the entire day (almost) ahead of me to do whatever I want! I might even crack open a jigsaw puzzle. 

Just turned on the light, and I see the paint is bubbling just below where the ceiling meets the wall, and about two feet down in the corner. Sigh...............   You can actually see that starting in the photo I posted from yesterday. It's just more pronounced now. 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Almost a disaster with the Cherrywood Challenge

I had a thought when I was out walking yesterday, and Tammy confirmed it with her comment. If you were a doctor and you wanted to help your patient, wouldn't it be great to see their sleep history? Or see their heart rate history? And other trends? 

I totally get that different brands track things differently. That was evident when I had the Galaxy Watch for a while, and I hated how it tracked steps slightly differently from the Fitbit. But it's all relative if you only look at your data! 

Speaking of data, I did NOT get a good sleep score last night. I didn't get much sleep. It was one of those nights where I was fast asleep, and then I wasn't. I'm not sure why, but my brain would not turn off for hours. I contemplated getting up many times, and I did once, but well, I think it's going to be a nap day today! And I'm OK with that. I almost got up a second time, but had a wave of vertigo, so I quickly lay back down and decided I didn't need to get up!

I think part of the issue with my getting back to sleep was my Cherrywood Challenge. Oh -- I accomplished all the quilting, but didn't trust myself to trim it last night. And it looks amazing, or does it? You see, I did a very bad thing. I had to use chalk to mark the quilting lines, and then, before I removed the lines that remained, I gave it a press FROM THE BACK - thankfully. 

So those lines were not easy to remove. I tried a wet cloth, which usually works, but I think the heat of the iron sort of made some of that chalk permanent. That has never happened before, and I don't typically use Cherrywood fabric either. I went to bed a bit disheartened and would deal with it in the morning. 

However, my subconscious woke me up and said, "Get down there and fix that problem." I used a kitchen scrub brush to remove the chalk, then a baby wipe. Most of it is gone and very hard to see, but I'll repeat that exercise one more time today.  

Aside from the chalk removal, all that remains is to trim and bind it, then take pictures. The due date is tomorrow, and with nothing else on my plate, I should be able to accomplish that. However, I will probably forever see those chalk lines on that quilt!

Speaking of the to-do lists and, in particular, my visual one, I have a category called "Quilts for Others." It happens to be the largest category, with seven projects. 

Quilts for Others category on the Visual To-Do list

This is a bit of an agonizing category for me because there are some quilts in that category that are long overdue, and I need to get them done, which is why I put them on this list. I may or may not tell you the details about them. Yes—it's embarrassing, and I might need some help. 

Well, do you remember that day in Hawaii last year when we ran into M, and it was totally an accident? All because we made a very definite decision to walk down that aisle in the market. That happened to me yesterday at the grocery store. 

I do not typically go down the aisles in the grocery store, but only along the perimeter, but yesterday, I had to look at something, and when I got to the end of the aisle. I turned the corner, and there was Marla, the mother of a girl M had gone to elementary school with. OH MY GOD!!

You see, many years ago, I made a quilt for Marla's mom, and although faded, it still hangs in her mom's house. It was a photo-transfer quilt featuring pictures of all the grandchildren. She had wanted me to make a family tree quilt for her stepfather. 

Well, that got started and then abandoned. And it's been sitting in Studio B for many years, and surprisingly, I had it on the Visual To-Do list. 

Marla's quilt on the Visual To-Do list

And here is the box where the quilt pieces reside; it was UNDER that newly cleaned-off table. There is a small stack of things I haven't found a home for, so it wasn't hard to find, although it should have been on the current projects table. I knew exactly where it was. I have moved the box to the top of the table and will look at it next week.

The box containing the bits for Marla's quilt

I promised Marla that I would contact her next week, after reviewing the box, and see what can be done. Whether we abandon the project or, hopefully, make something much smaller than her initial desire, it would be nice to get it done. I'm going to do it for free as I feel guilty as heck about that whole thing. 

There are two more projects similar to that on the Visual To-Do list, actually three, and I'm going to have to dig deep to confess the details and how the quilting projects can be resolved. 

Do not judge me -- I get it --- totally irresponsible for taking on a project and then abandoning it. Stuff happens, and I just couldn't wrap my head around it, and I was too "weak" to talk to the owner about it. Meeting her in the store was a sign to get one of those "quilts for others" done! 

I have one of those large ironing boards, and I had to flip it upside down to see what the heck was happening. I swear it had a definite slant to it. What is up with that? After checking, it appears that one of those bars with cutouts isn't sitting properly. I tried to position it correctly and then hold it in place while putting the ironing board back on its feet, but it seems the support bar between those wave-like ones is bent. 

Hmm -- we have a problem with the ironing board.

Plus, these little bits came out. It still seems pretty sturdy, so I hope it doesn't collapse on me! I'll check again next week to see if I can pull that bar straight so it seats into those cutouts properly. At least, it's straight now!

Little bits from the ironing board

I decided to tackle that little box of half-square triangles when I needed a break from the Cherrywood Challenge. I got quite a few trimmed, and there is a stack of ones that need trimming. I even found little squares that weren't sewn together yet, so I moved them to the tray beside the sewing machine. And I made a ton of half-square triangles for the pink-and-green border. Sewn, but not pressed or trimmed until I know which direction. 

Working on half-square triangles

I think I have a rhythm for making those pink-and-green blocks, so I must continue while it is still in my head. It makes it super easy to keep the adjoining one beside me while I make the new one. Thank goodness for mini design boards, as I can carry this border from the ironing board to the cutting table to the sewing machine.  

I'm thinking of making a "fancy" two-color binding for the Cherrywood Challenge, and I'll decide later this morning. 

Even with the melting from the sun we had yesterday, no water came in through the window. That doesn't mean it isn't dripping behind the walls, but not through the window. So that is good, and we'll see what happens. I've put the bug in DH's ear that this may be a lengthy, costly fix. Let's hope I can find someone to help fix the problem, then we can get to the cosmetics in the house. 

As the snow melts, the girls seem fascinated by the pond. We have a heater in it, so a small part of it is open. But as you can see, there are many tracks on it! 

MOM -- there's something here!!!

I spotted Murphy standing on it yesterday, but didn't get the camera in time to get a picture. Hopefully, they are smart enough to stay off when that ice softens. I do not want to be rescuing a dog from a fall through the ice! And if a rescue is necessary, it will be with Murphy for sure!

MOM - I'm guarding the pond!

I think I mentioned this a while back, but that big quilt used to be on the living room floor, and the girls loved sleeping there. There was also a dog bed in that spot. Then I moved the quilt and the dog bed to the family room, where no one slept on it, and Murphy was happy to have her ball rolled up in the blankets. 

The quilt is now back in the living room, and this spot belongs to Lexi, although Murphy hijacks it from time to time. And now Murphy sleeps in the big bed in the family room. What is that? 

MOM -- this spot is MINE!

But the two of them are having fun chasing each other in the back yard, and when they've had enough, they come to the door to beg to be let in. I even spotted Lexi doing laps in the backyard - something she rarely does because she's so lazy! But she doesn't have an ounce of fat on her, so I'm not going to yell at her! They are very entertaining to say the least. 

MOM - we're exhausted - can we come in now?

I don't know what's with the weather, but we had snow last night. Not much, so it won't take long to shovel, so I'm good with that. But all the sidewalks and the driveway were clean and dry, and now they are not! I won't complain - the temperature is decent! I see we have a potentially significant snowfall later this week. No worries, I have lots to do in Studio B, and I don't need to go anywhere. 

Yep -- as soon as I'm done with the Cherrywood Challenge, I need to get to work on my UFOs for next weekend (yes -- there was an issue with the date in my calendar), and I have two classes next weekend as well. Having all this time to work on things at my pace is amazing!!!!

As I was standing at the front window admiring the then-clean and dry driveway, something big flew overhead. A hawk! And it landed on the street light. It may not look so big in the photo, but when they are flying, they are huge! Good thing Little Bear isn't here! 

The neighborhood hawk

Well, I must go and send a couple of emails this morning, then I'm downstairs to work on that Cherrywood Challenge. I'm so close, and I can do this!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

It's a half-square triangle day!

Here's an update on several situations. After a few messages back and forth with M, it seems that if I read her text correctly, the designer will make the veil; it's my job to embroider it!! OK -- I think I can handle that. Thanks for the tips from everyone. Now I just need to find out the timing --- and she's in BC, and I'm here! But that's no issue!

As for the house? We didn't have any leaks yesterday, even though the sun was out. My towel stayed dry all day. I spoke to the insurance company, and OH MY—was that interesting. I started by speaking to the broker because at this point, it's not an emergency. I left a message, and she called back very quickly, so that was a positive. She said I need to contact the Claims Department and open a claim. Well, my first thought was—was this even a claim? That's why I called the broker. 

She gave me a phone number to call, and I was good to go. Or so I thought. The number turned out to be a fax line, so I found the Claims number in my insurance documents, which I was sorting at the time. I called Claims, and they explained that the broker's job is to review our insurance file and ensure a claim is even possible. Apparently, it is quite common for the broker to just pass the buck to the Claims department. The lady in Claims was quite nice and suggested I get a quote from an independent contractor before we open a claim. 

I have contacted an engineering firm to assess the issue. You see, I could easily have insurance come in and fix the wall inside the house, but that is NOT fixing the problem, and what's the point of fixing the walls when it will happen again? Nope—I want the problem solved, and then I can repair the damage. 

I don't know whether this engineering company will help, since the person who answered the phone at the firm asked whether there was an attic. In that part of the house, there is NOT, and that is part of the problem. I enticed them with the beam issue in the house and sent lots of pictures, including the other two houses on our street with the same roofline and the same issue. They're doing their reviews next week, so let's keep our fingers crossed that they are intrigued to at least talk to us. 

Here are the other two houses with the same roofline as ours. The problem doesn't seem too bad here, but the ice is actually accumulating between the eavestrough and the house.  

This house doesn't look too bad, but it still has an ice dam

But look at this one. It seems to get worse by the day. And you can see that large tree in front, shading it from the sun for a good part of the day. I'm surprised the weight isn't pulling the eavestrough off. 

A HUGE ice dam

Ours doesn't look so bad, but it's still an issue. 

I'm almost afraid to proceed with anything on this project, because I know it is going to grow. When that wall/ceiling is repaired and the beam is fixed (if we go there), those areas will need repainting. The living room is very open to the central hallway. That will be a huge job. And if they are repainting, why not remove the popcorn ceilings? The ceilings in the kitchen/family room area also have popcorn ceilings and damage that needs to be repainted. Why not get the wood floors refinished? And I hate the ceramic floor on the main level, so why not pull that up? And then that means the kitchen and the powder room will need to be redone. And -- OH NO!!!!! So, like you, I'll wait and see what happens, and in the meantime, I'm keeping an eye on my towel to make sure the drips don't splash everywhere on the floor!

Brooke was cruel yesterday, and my upper body was exhausted by the time I was done. While I'm not sore this morning, I can still feel that workout, so it was a good one! Now that my upper back is being slowly released through all my stretching, we need to strengthen it, so it doesn't hunch back on itself again. It's all fun and games, but I can't say enough about how these changes and that stretching have changed my life. 

My legs feel STRONG when I go for a walk, and standing and sitting are zero issues. Stairs are becoming a no-brainer as well, although I refuse to throw caution to the wind and ALWAYS use the handrail. And all it took was a little bit of discipline on my part. All the stuff I was doing was great, but since I wasn't stretching enough, I was probably doing more damage! All is good now. 

Speaking of handrails, we just heard that a friend of ours (my old boss) fell down the stairs while wrestling a suitcase. He and his wife were on their way to the airport for a two-week trip to Mexico. Now with a broken knee, he's not going anywhere fast. So there are two lessons in that story. First - why would you need a huge (and likely heavy) suitcase to go anywhere for two weeks, and hold the darn handrail!

I got this in the mail yesterday. Tick tock!!!!! 

Count down!!!!!

Again, I finished what I set out to accomplish yesterday. I find that sometimes, if I go too quickly on a project, I start making mistakes, and I've already made enough. So a good deal of quilting got done, and it looks amazing. The texture is something else, and sometimes less is more! I need to finish the quilting today and make the binding. Then tomorrow will be all about the binding and submitting it. I'm on track, and it feels good. Will it get accepted? Who knows, and quite frankly, I don't care, although it would be a bonus. But the planning and execution of this piece has been a wild journey! I'll keep you posted on that as well. 

Remember that little stack of half-square triangles? Well, I got my act together and trimmed them all. 

Trimming half-square triangles

I need to make some adjustments on the ironing board - more on that tomorrow, and this little container, that sits on the end of the ironing board, still has many half-square triangles in it that need to be pressed and trimmed. 

Container with half-square triangles

So I grabbed a handful this morning and trimmed them. Hmm -- I don't think I took a picture after they were trimmed, but trust me - they are trimmed!!!

More half-square triangles to trim

And speaking of half-square triangles, this entire project is based on half-square triangles, and it's a challenge. I think there are two different 9-patches in this sequence, but my brain isn't wrapping around it well. I want the seams to all twirl on the back, so I'm assembling it one nine-patch at a time, checking the seams, and then sewing them together. I have four done, and I need 16!!! 

Working on my half-square triangle border

To save time, I stitched a bunch of half-square triangles together and cut them apart, but they haven't been pressed or trimmed. I'll only press them when I need them, so I know which direction to press. 

So lots of progress is being made, and I'm loving the even more open and calm space than I had before. That table of projects doesn't bother me in the least. I totally ignore it until I need to find something on it. A friend of mine had a large stack of quilts that needed to be bound, and they kept speaking to her, so she covered them with a quilt, which I thought was hilarious (in a good way!). I'm just ignoring that pile, and it works for me. 

To keep my day well-rounded, I was back at the physical paperwork. Remember, a while back, when I pulled a bunch of folders from the filing cabinet? They were still sitting on the floor in the office. So I grabbed a couple and am going through them. 

One of them was marked "to sort," and it was filled with all kinds of ridiculous things that no one needed to keep EVER!!!!! 

More paper files to sort

It's all about slow and steady and not letting things get forgotten, which we seem to be very good at. Something new and shiny comes along and POOF -- we are off and running in a new direction. Well, I am trying to stop doing that because I just don't want to be pulled in a new direction. I want to stay the course! 

I am not a fan of apps on my phone. Half the time, they don't work for me, or they need a password, and I can't get in, and it literally drives me mad! 

But I'm trying to learn a bit more about my FitBit app. Who knew that this tiny device on my wrist was collecting so much data about me? 

The one metric that seems to have become a big deal in our house is the amount and type of sleep you have. In particular, the deep sleep. Did you know that you have all this information in your FitBit app? This is just the tip of the iceberg!!!

One night of sleep data

Deep sleep is very good for you, and I seem to do very well with it, getting at least one hour almost every night. That is the sleep that helps your body recover, improve your immune system, get rid of the garbage in your brain, etc. By the sounds of it, I'm lucky in this house! And probably why I'm as healthy as I am. 

DH reads The Economist, and if something is mentioned there, it's worth knowing about! He's such a snob. Anyway, a new sign of fitness is called Heart Rate Variability, and he spotted that in an article in the magazine. Anything like that lands at my place at the kitchen table. I glanced at it and didn't understand a word the article said. Then I found the metric in my app, and OH—now it makes sense. 

This shows how much your heart rate varies in a day and how quickly you recover. OK -- that's not quite the correct explanation, but if your heart rate varies, that is a good thing, meaning that you can cope better with stress. So when it needs to be up, your heart can handle it, and when it needs to be down, it can handle that as well. Mine is at 19 ms, which I think is quite low, but the app seems to think I'm good for my age!!!!

OK -- I like my Monday sewing friends a lot, but they can be trouble! They keep posting the titles of good books on our app - yep - another app. And then I have to add those books to my list. Actually, I put them on hold since most are popular and I can't get them immediately. I need to stop that! There is a spot to tag "books I want to read" instead of putting them on hold!! But I've expanded my genres and reading scope hugely by reading their recommendations. So while they can be bothersome at times, they really are a good bunch of ladies!!!! I've also got lots of recommendations from you!!! Thanks!!!

Well, there is much to do today - more sorting to start with. I am stunned at how "easy" it's been to go through that filing cabinet. I'm not done yet, but two drawers (of four) are almost done! That's unheard of! I thought it would take forever. Then I can move on to something else. The quilting on the Cherrywood Challenge MUST be completed by tonight, and the piece must be trimmed. and then anything else that gets done is a bonus!! I like variety in my day! WAIT -- I have two emails that MUST go out today, so that must be done as well. 

Remember that most of us, especially at our age, are turtles. We get things done in our way and in our time. That's OK - just be sure that if you stop along the way to admire the flowers (or take a nap), you get back on track. 

On that happy note, have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Drip, drip, drip!!!!

I LOVE that others are getting things done as well! And YES—sometimes we don't have the right color thread or the right whatever —but if you look in your stash, you probably have something that will work!!!

Well, we have a problem at our house, and I don't think it's going to be cheap or easy to fix. Remember that ice dam I've mentioned several times? I cannot find the picture I took of the front of our house, but it's considerably smaller than the one I shared with the neighbors the other day. When I went to the front window to look out, this is what I spotted. 

Oh oh!!!!!!

This is the top of a metal table in front of one of the windows. I felt drops! I looked up, and YIKES—the window is leaking. So I grabbed a towel and placed it on the windowsill to keep the water from splashing onto the floor. 

A leak!

By the end of the day, that towel was sopping wet. This is NOT good. 

It is NOT the window that is leaking. The water is being forced around the small ice dam, and it's going to take the path of least resistance, which is down into the house, and it just happens to be coming out the top of the window frame. And YES -- the drywall at the bottom of that window on the right is also very wet. Hmmm --- is this an insurance thing? I doubt it, but I might call them just to check. 

It's an age-old issue, and well, I can't ignore it, as I have in the past. So I've put in a call to have an engineer come and look at it. It is NOT an eavestrough thing, nor is it a roof thing or a window thing. It's a roofline design, and most likely not enough insulation to prevent an ice dam from forming. Let's wait and see what happens. 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for NON PLUS temperatures until we can get a fix on the situation. It could be temporarily fixed by breaking up the ice dam, but I'm not climbing onto the roof with a torch or hot water! I have visions of the entire living room being torn apart, including the roof, so something can be done. And while we're at it, we have a support beam issue in the house, so I'll see what they say about that. Oh -- fun and games. I can hardly wait. 

Thankfully, it's in the room we use the least, but still. Ka-ching!!!!

Well, I was in one of my tidy-up moods yesterday, and I'm tired of looking at this one rogue table in Studio B, with stuff on it. Mostly things that need to be cut for scrap quilt projects. 

A table of rogue things

There are also tubs beneath the table that are mostly things that need to be cut - fleece scraps cut into squares, etc. 

More tubs under the table

Plus, the table was sort of sitting out in the middle of the space, and I could never get to my sit-down quilting machine. 

I got busy and found a new home for everything. YES - a lot of things went onto the current projects table, but other things got hidden away under another set of tables in the room where the digital cutters sit. Should I have dealt with it, rather than moved it? I could have, but it would take days to deal with it. It got moved. 

Then I took the stuff from the sit-down quilting machine and moved it as well. 

More stuff to deal with

And before I knew it, that table and the sit-down quilting machine were CLEAR.

The table is clear! 

Then I moved it to the side so I could use that space for an extra sewing machine I have downstairs. I could use it to work on a jigsaw puzzle, or I could put the blue bin for the UFO and the stuff for my classes on it and do my hand work there. I chose the latter option, and while it's a bit messy at the moment, most of that will be dealt with (not moved) by the end of the weekend. I had all the supplies for my Cherrywood Challenge everywhere, and now they are corralled on this table. 

A better position for the table

I know -- you may not have cleared the table the same way I did, but hey -- I'm making progress, so you can't yell at me! I have a very logical mind (most of the time), and I need to make bigger messes, keep clear workspaces, and just do things my way. That was technically the last "messy" space, so I think I'm done. All that's left is to work on the current project tables and finish them! The trick now is to not add anything else to the current project tables, and I completely ignore that area when I'm working. But since I love whittling away at things, that is my goal. Will I see a dent by the end of the year? I sure hope so! 

The piles of stuff on the current project's table just keep getting bigger! I have a Facebook Live in March, and everything has to be moved. But most of it is in tubs or boxes, so it won't take long to move. I'm good. I could put my paper piecing station away, but next week, I have to start on the homework for the Colour My World quilt, so I'll leave it out. I have the room. 

The current projects tables

So, while that may look chaotic, it's actually very well organized, and all the extraneous stuff is now on those two tables. The cutting mat is CLEAR, as are the sewing tables, and the ironing board. This makes me very happy, and I can work. Imagine the day when those are clear? I do NOT intend to put anything else on them. Everything has a home now, and nothing needs to be pulled out unless I'm going to work on it. And that won't happen because I have my Visual To-Do list guiding me, and everything for that list is on those tables! 

Well, I try to work, but that Miss Murphy is a pain. She needs to be close, and I mean close! As I was stitching on my Cherrywood, she was so close that my chair was moving, and soon I was far away from the table where I had my scissors!!!

MOM -- I NEED YOU!!!!

Speaking of the Cherrywood Challenge, I accomplished all the handwork I was planning on doing. Then I had a bit of trapunto to do and finished it. Then I added the backing, stitched around the trapunto area, and trimmed the excess batting. Then I realized that OH MY GOSH - I forgot to put the regular batting in the project as well. Thankfully, I didn't have much to rip out before I could insert the piece of batting. DUH!!!! 

I am loving how it's turning out. These are NOT my colors - they are very muted, but overall, I like the quilt, so even if it doesn't get accepted, I'm not worried. I would say it has a good chance of getting accepted - lots of techniques, and the fabric is the star of the show. And I love how it looks and feels. 

I also started the quilting, and it went extremely well. When you have the correct supplies, everything goes well. I just wish I had a different fabric for the backing. What I have is excellent, but I wanted something with a storybook theme, but I couldn't find anything in my stash, and you know what? Move on! 

So today and tomorrow are all about quilting, then the binding and pictures. There are a couple of tricky spots in the quilting that I haven't figured out yet, but I will work them out this morning so I can move ahead. There is NO rush, but no time to delay!

And I got this quilt quilted. See what I mean -- that dog is everywhere! I don't let her around when I'm working on customer quilts, but she just needs to be close. 

A community project quilt - DONE

I have so much more to chat about, but I also have to be at the gym this morning to see Brooke. I can't tell you how excited I am about all this exercise at the gym. I mean that seriously. You would not believe how much more flexible I am. Getting down on the floor used to be something I didn't want to do, because getting up wasn't pretty. However, while I'm no longer 20, I have to say I'm doing pretty well at getting back up. And while I may not be as graceful as a ballerina, I can do quite well. 

The pain in my left leg still makes an appearance from time to time, but compared to this time last year? I feel like an Olympic athlete. And the feeling of euphoria after my spin class? Well, I can't describe it except that it was amazing!!! Do I like getting up early and getting my butt to the gym? I did it for years in my 20s, so why change that? 

I am determined NOT to lose my independence because of mobility issues. I will NOT give in, and I'm so glad I listened to the warning bells that were screaming in my ears. No medication, no physio, just work on my part. 

OH -- so here is the picture I received from M. She wants to know if I can make this for her. 

A wedding veil to make

It's beautiful and YES I can. I've already consulted a friend with far more experience than I. Now to have some serious chats with people and see if I can actually make it happen. Wish me luck!!

On that note, I need to get myself in some gym clothes and out the door. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

How well do you know your neighbors?

Wow -- it was so warm yesterday (plus 2) —it was obscene! We had a little bit of snow in the night, so I got that shoveled when I got back from walking the girls. 

So here's a question for you—how well do you know your neighbors? I'm pretty observant, and because I walk daily, I get to see things as they change. Like the neighbor who is now retired because they shovel their own snow rather than have a truck come and do it. 

However, I am not as good as I think I am!! There is one house on our street that has been vacant for several years. A shame, but that's the way it is. The owners had rented out the house, and that was a disaster; much of it had to be redone. The place was painted, and they are currently putting in new floors. I'm not sure what else was done - I never saw the inside. 

So that driveway isn't being shoveled, nor the sidewalk plowed, but with the new sidewalk plow, that's not an issue. 

However, there is another house on our street that is not very good at keeping its property tidy in the wintertime. I mentioned yesterday that there was a plow in there the other night. Was it the city or was it private? That homeowner was outside yesterday while I was shoveling, so I stopped to say hello!! I figured they were away for several months in winter, as many people do. 

OMG -- you will not believe this, but it was the city that plowed his driveway. That was NOT the shocking part of our conversation. He said, "You know, we don't live in the house." WHAT? Yep - they live in BC and come home occasionally because their three kids live in towns nearby. OH - when did you move? I asked. I almost fell over when he said 2017!!!! 

It's hilarious because we saw them frequently enough to believe they lived in the house, but they were only visiting! HOLY!!!!! The blinds are always down in the room over the garage, with several cameras installed, just as they are in our room over the garage. Because of the curve in the street and the house's design, the front door and living room window are not readily visible. 

In case you are wondering why I keep those blinds closed— it's very cold in that room, and my baffle blinds are meant to help keep the heat in, and I don't want the sun damaging the MANY quilts hanging out in that room. 

I had a good laugh. Anyway, Steve is thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather in their "new" home, which I have visited before - the city, not their home. He fishes every day and asked if I would like some salmon. YES please. So later, he brought over some salmon, and I have a new friend who doesn't even live on our street!!!

What a hoot!!!

I also chatted with another neighbor about cycling - he's an avid cyclist and has offered for me to cycle with him and his group in the spring. I don't think I'm ready for that. I need to go out on my own a few times. Anyway, I asked him if any of his friends wanted an indoor trainer. I have one that I need to get rid of. Does anyone close to me know of someone who wants an indoor trainer for their bike? The person he thought of doesn't have room. 

And so I have new phone contacts with my neighbors!! That's what happens when the weather is warm!

Another silly thing that happened when I went to the bank. I had three things that needed to be done, and I was halfway there, when I realized I left my bank card at the house. DRAT!!!! They are NOT going to let me do what I needed to do without a bank card, so I had to walk back. Thank goodness it was a warm day!

I need to be on my toes for the recycling pickup. We have a new company picking it up, and WHOA!!!! They came much earlier than the previous company. Thankfully, our recycling was already out! Oh yes—remember the issue two weeks ago. They didn't pick up on the right day, and I had to run to get the cart out in time. Now they pick up earlier in the day. Hopefully, all will be worked out in the next couple of weeks. 

The new recycling company

By the way, the street looks less snowy this morning because of the warm weather, and in just ONE day!

I also stopped at the thrift store since it was Senior's Day. Oh boy -- the craft books have been relegated to the bottom shelf. And it was mostly puzzle books. Why don't they have a separate section for puzzle books and one for crafts? Anyway -- I didn't find anything exciting, but I managed to snag some yarn (I know!) and a couple of jigsaw puzzles. Sigh...................

The craft books are on the bottom shelf.

Before I had left, I had the embroidery machine all set up and ready to go. I went for my walk, came back, and pressed Start. Since I had to use a very large hoop, I ensured my chair was well out of the way. I'm happy with the results, though two things kept it from being perfect. One thing was a small error on my part, but it's a good lesson I'll share with my embroidery group. The other was a piecing error that would have been hard to fix. But if you look at it, you may or may not notice. Perhaps only the most observant would, and since that's no longer me - I'm OK with it!!! 

Lots of room for the embroidery hoop

I still have several UFOs to work on before our session this coming Sunday, so I madly pulled out some fabric and started cutting. I will have to put my scrappy half-square triangles on hold, because I now have to make a TON of them for this project. I don't think I'll get it finished for Sunday, but at least I'm making a huge effort, and that is all that counts. Let's just say that my motivation was because I put this project on the UFO list. If it were left up to me, the fabric would still be in the stash room! Making commitments and putting them on a list rule. It's how I roll. So that's how I will continue to work. 

Using the projection system on the PFAFF creative icon 2 makes sewing the half-square triangles a breeze. No marking lines!!!! 

Using the projection system to sew half-square triangles

And I have one small section done. It took me forever in EQ8 to design that block the correct way, but I needed to do that so I would know how many squares of each color to cut. The worst part is over, I think, and I can sit and sew some of those units each day. 

Making blocks from half-square triangles

Oh -- as for the progress on the Cherrywood Challenge, I finished all the machine embroidery, so that was good. Today, it's some hand stitching, and then I start the quilting. I'm on track and giving myself three days to do the quilting, since it will be a mix of hand and machine quilting. Then trim and bind and take pictures! While I'm at spin class this morning, I'll work out the logistics of the stitching. 

Last night, as I settled into my chair to read, look what happened. I was having some yogurt as a snack, and there was one yogurt container and two dogs. Do you think they are trying to tell me something? 

MOM -- Can I lick the container? It's for ME!!!!!

When they realized there was nothing for them, they decided to "fight" each other. 

MOM - SHE ruins everything!!!

And now that I've moved the large quilt back onto the living room floor, Lexi has claimed it as a sleeping place, a place she's used for years before I moved the quilt. I don't even remember why I moved it into the family room. But last night, Lexi got up for something, and guess who just plunked herself down? Lexi was beside herself, and I had to get up to shoo Murphy away. Those two are like toddlers whenever I try to get myself organized to read in the evening. It takes a long time for everyone to get settled, and then I can have some peace and quiet. 

But you can't deny that they are a hoot to watch. 

Well, I'm off to spin class today. I debated going because my knee was so sore yesterday. I think it was the worst it's ever been. Stiff and quite painful, but it seems to be OK today. Perhaps I'll take it easy! And I can't wait to get outside and see if the car's windshield needs scraping. That's a good warmup before going to the gym - it sure gets my blood going. And that is a story for another day!!!

OH MY GOSH -- I just checked my messages, and I got one from M. Wait until you see what she has asked me to do for the wedding. ACK!!!!!!

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

Have a super day!!!!

PLUS ONE!!!! It's going to be PLUS ONE!!!

I love all your comments about being busy in retirement! I will always be busy, but I guess my point is that I see retired people constantly signing up for commitments. They head up a committee, take tons of classes, or make themselves accountable to SOMETHING or SOMEONE, and that accountability fills their day. It's almost like working again. 

You need to be busy, but if you decide to take a day off from quilting, who will care? I want to be busy, but free of deadlines and headaches! And being accountable to others. While I still have responsibilities, I don't have the same level of commitment to others, so my time is now spent on what I want to do, not what I have to do for others. 

That might be a better way of explaining it!

And YES --- getting yourself organized the night before makes it so much easier to tackle any job in the morning. That might be threading the sewing machine, doing a bit of cutting or trimming, or simply planning the steps in your head. Whatever it takes!! And that's also why I like to leave my sewing and work areas neat and tidy before I close down for the night. If not, you'll be dealing with an unappealing mess in the morning, and it's not so fun to deal with that BEFORE you start work. 

I'm also pretty diligent about putting things away when I am finished with them, which also helps. 

As for the files? Don't get me started! I am pecking away at the mess, and I think I have almost everything in two of the three external drives where it should be. Of course, some of those folders might be a download dump from my phone camera, which encompasses thousands of photos, but at least all the photos (most of them) are in one spot! 

And YES - I know I must do some sort of backup because I'd be devastated if anything happened at this point. I promise to work on that. And hard disks fail - the ones in your computer are more vulnerable, in my opinion, but that's probably not true. I'm sure I mentioned this before: I had an external hard drive I used for photos, and it failed! YEP  - it failed, and it cost a LOT of money (four figures) to recover the files. That hard disk is long gone. 

USBs and CDs are disasters waiting to happen. They are TEMPORARY storage and NOT meant for long-term storage. I have had MANY USBs fail, and thankfully, it was nothing of importance, or was it? Since I can't access them, I have no idea! NOTHING in the digital world is long-term. So get that stuff on a hard disk, back it up, and REPLACE those hard disks regularly -- every three to five years. I'm sure no one needs three disks—I don't need three disks—that's a ton of storage, but it's how I'm working at the moment. 

And the main one I've been using is due to be replaced. It's been there for years, and the last thing I want is for it to fail. 

It's all baby steps, and we each need to find what works for us! I'm just taking you along on my journey, and you need to find a route that gets you where you want to go. BUT WAIT -- first, you need to want to go somewhere. Sometimes we get derailed, or we are reluctant to get started. That is each person's choice! 

For several reasons, I've decided to get on the highway and keep rolling along, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It took a long time to get to that point, and by the time I'm done, I think my highway will have stretched to the moon and back - it's a long journey. But every step forward is one more step. 

My motivations are strong—I do NOT want to leave a legacy that forces others to deal with my mess. Why should I saddle someone else with dealing with stuff that was my responsibility? That is so irresponsible!! Nope -- this is my mess, and I shall deal with it the best I can. And by the time I need to downsize, there won't be much to deal with. That's my plan, and I'm getting there - slowly. 

I also have ZERO desire to start a new project. NONE!! That euphoric feeling is now coming from starting "NEW" UFO projects each month. That's hilarious, but I look at the current project table and get excited about finishing off more small things each month. It's so silly, and it's like a game to me, and it's working, so I'm going to continue. How much stuff can be cleared off those tables by the end of the year? 

Speaking of photos, OH MY GOSH!!!! I was mentioning something to the Monday group, and I found the pictures this morning!!! What are the chances of that? And can you believe it? They were in a folder with a very descriptive name! It was just buried within other folders! I'll share it another day as I want to surprise them next week!

And look at this! These were my running shoes back in 2016 (date on the photo). Yes -- both toes were blown out! I have learned that I cannot wear "running" shoes with the mesh toe. My HOKAs have never had that problem. So I'm a HOKA loyal fan now. 

Typical running shoes back in the day

I accomplished some sewing yesterday and at last got this invisible zipper into my cushion cover. Good grief—it doesn't matter what color invisible zipper you use; you can't see the darn thing!!! You can see the end of the zipper on the right, but even with the light and dark of the two sides, the zipper is invisible. Now to finish the edges with the serger! Invisible zippers are also very easy to insert!! Two seams and you are done. Super easy, especially with an invisible zipper foot. 

Invisible zippers are INVISIBLE.

The bias binding was put on these table mats, and now, because of the bias edges, I'll hand-stitch it in place. 

Bias binding stitched in place

And the Dear Jen top is in one piece. Now to work on the back. I cannot tell you how much more exciting it is to finish some of these things than to start something new. As I mentioned, I have ZERO, absolutely ZERO interest in starting something new. 

My abbreviated Dear Jen quilt top

I even got a few half-square triangles trimmed. 

Half-square triangles trimmed

And YES -- I did some work on the Cherrywood Challenge. I didn't get as much done as I thought, because I decided to switch out some elements, but all the quilting is designed, and all the appliqué is finished. Today, it's all about machine embroidery on the piece, and that is going to take some time. What I'm stitching is designed, but the placement might take a bit of time. However, I have some amazing placement tools on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, and I'm going to use them all!!!

Then more hand stitching tomorrow, and then quilting and binding! 

I'm still on track to get it done, hopefully a day or two before the due date, which is Sunday. Yes - I still have a few deadlines, but they are of my choosing, and that works for me! Plus, working on a challenge quilt is an extremely good way to incorporate all my skills - hand and machine embroidery, hand and machine stitching, and creativity!!! 

I finished a project for someone else (yes—I still work for others, but not as much), and it went out this morning. So I'll be able to remove another item from the Visual To-Do List later today! Yippeee!!!!

As I was out walking yesterday, I noticed many houses in the area have ice-dam issues. So far, our ice dam is very small, and I hope it stays that way!

Ice dams!

More ice dams

This is Miss Muirphy, who insists on going outside and plunking herself in the snow. I'm going to have to make her a jacket with pockets to hold ice packs and keep her cool! 

MOM - I love the cold weather

So there was one house on our street that had not been dug out of the snow. I'm guessing the owners were away, and there was no need. The house is on the curve, and the sidewalk plow struggled to get through the snow. Anyway, it was a mess. Last night, I saw a truck and a large snowblower clearing the mess. Was that the city? Or a private contractor? I've no idea, but it was an unusual sight, and the equipment was narrow enough to blow out the sidewalk. Hmmmmm --- I guess I get to check it out this morning on our walk. 

Snowblowing a neighbor's driveway

And guess what? It says PLUS ONE for this afternoono! Maybe tomorrow does come after all!!

Plus ONE!!!!!

I'm not sure I can cope with just minus 5 this morning. What about my double jackets and mitts? My fleece-lined pants? I'm going to feel positively underdressed out there! And we barely see double digits in the next two weeks. Although -- as we know - that can change in a heartbeat. It will be a pleasure to walk - that's for sure!

We had an interesting discussion at Monday Sewing. Well, multiple discussions. I think we are about 16 people who attend regularly, and you know what? That group gets along so well. Most everyone has met one another in person, though not all. But the discussions, the level of comfort and security everyone feels, make me feel extremely happy. So, thanks to everyone in the group— together, we can conquer the world!! 

But what happens at Monday Sewing, stays at Monday Sewing!!!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. WAIT -- I have an extra ten minutes since I don't need to get layered up to go outside! LOL!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!