Learning to create MORE digital files!

Regarding my parents' anniversary (72 years), my Dad is 92, and my Mom is 90. Married young! 

I have to tell you a story about my Dad. For the most part, he has been getting around pretty well - no cane, a replaced hip, and a knee, but lots of aches and pains - darn arthritis. And he still drives himself to "work" (the Museum), where he volunteers rebuilding stationary engines. If he can't find the part, he makes it. I see him slowing down and often does the supervising rather than the work, certainly anything heavy. 

Before Christmas, he started having some severe back pain, as he had had occasionally in the past. He went to a chiropractor and a masseuse, but nothing helped. He got pressure point therapy, and that seemed to be the trick. 

Yes - he had an X-ray and some other scans, and finally a visit to the doctor - long wait for an appointment. Anyway, he was NOT going to work during that time. BTW - one doctor he saw in the clinic told him, after looking at the X-ray, that he had arthritis and that was part of growing old. My Dad was furious. How can you have no back pain one day, and then suddenly you have pain? That is NOT arthritis! He must have pulled a muscle badly, causing a pinched nerve or something. 

But there is my Dad, walking in the garage of their apartment building EVERY DAY to get some exercise. He even walked with a cane, standing UPRIGHT, not slouching. Four lengths of the garage in the morning and three in the afternoon. I guess a length means to the end and back! Why not the hallway? It doesn't matter - he is exercising!

It turns out that his muscles are so tight (where have I heard that before?), and he is trying to keep things loose. Instead of throwing in the towel, this guy does not want to give up his independence!! So I believe his goal is to be back to work on Monday! I have a good role model to follow, and thank goodness for pressure point massage!

But there is an essential lesson in there, especially for me. Posture is important!! As we grow older, gravity wants to make us shorter, and all that compresses on our backs. Stand up!!! Oh god -- I need to remember that each and every minute of every day!

I did a bit more in the digital clean-up aisles and am making good progress on sorting a folder called "download from laptop." 

You always get some idea of how many files by the little scroll bar on the right-hand side of the Windows file manager screen. Well, the little bar was so little, you could barely see it!! It's a bit bigger now, but there are still many files to delete or move. 

I can barely see the little scroll bar

It's actually kind of therapeutic to work on those files, and my goal now is to empty the external drive on my main computer and, in the future, only work from the two smaller hard drives. The other hard drive has been around for a while, and it's probably time to retire it! Then I'll continue separating the files on those two new drives into their categories (photos and sewing), which could take a while. Then it'll simply be a matter of taking each folder, sorting it, and deleting it. But first, I'll work on my embroidery files. 

I am STUNNED by the number of embroidery files that I'm moving. Random ones -- what are they? Anything I need/want to keep? I'm not dealing with that at this point, but will open up the software at some point and start looking and probably deleting! 

Then I went downstairs to quilt that quilt of mine. It was a quilt from hell, or at least it was at the beginning. 

I went to advance the quilt to get started, and NOTHING. The motor, operated by this foot pedal, was dead. WHAT? OH -- the plug was partially out of the wall, and then it worked! 

The motor that drives this foot pedal was not plugged in properly

 I'm using Minky for the back, which is 62 inches wide, and my quilt is 60½" wide, so I had to babysit the thing - at least along the edges. Oops - a wee bit of selvage got in at some point, but that's OK. It's polyester and isn't going anywhere! 

A very tight fit!

Then I had issues with the thread breaking. The long arm handled the first two rows without problems. I started the third row, and the thread broke. WHAT? We can't have that. I was using a thicker-than-normal thread, so the tension wasn't quite right. I loosened it a bit, and that worked. But why did it work on the first two rows? It didn't break after I loosened the tension. Thankfully, my machine and I have a good relationship regarding tension. I simply go by how it pulls through those tension disks! An acquired skill to be sure! 

And then my machine seems to struggle to move on rare moments. I think a belt needs tightening. Anyway, it didn't move properly in one spot, but I was right there, so I fixed it and was on my way. There is one small glitch in the quilt, but I doubt anyone will notice it. What I hate is that I questioned the glitch, and I could have fixed it right there, but I didn't. It had to do with not moving properly. Oh well, it'll be fine!

But after those minor issues, the rest of the quilt, except babysitting those edges, went like a charm. I didn't get the binding on, as I decided to hand deliver the quilt on Saturday, so it'll get there before it would if I mailed it. I'll bind it later today. 

It was such a nice day, and Senior's Day at Bulk Barn, so I took a walk to the mall. On my way, I stopped at Homesense because someone had told me they are selling Tupperware now! And yes -- they are.l But where are the old colors? Where is that harvest gold? 

Tupperware at Homesense

I was on the lookout for a specific container, but I didn't see it. So I didn't buy anything. I'm getting so good at walking into a store and not buying anything! 

The real deal!!

But seriously - that weather was terrific. It was still cold (minus 8), but with the sun, it felt warm, and I even took my hat off!!!

The public library offers many free programs, and I went to one last night. I actually discovered a whole lot of stuff at the library last night. But I didn't bring anything home because I have an overdue book, and I can't use my card right now. YES - I need to get that book back!

Anyway, this was all about converting different types of media into digital formats. Yep -- so I can fill that hard drive with photo stuff!!! We learned how easy it is to transfer VHS, DVD/CD, slides, and negatives. Oh - we also talked about audio cassettes and video camera cassettes. 

Transferring slides into digital

When I got home, I realized I'd forgotten to ask about scanning photos. I have a lot of that to do, and I need to figure out the best way to make that happen. 

But it was hilarious because I had mentioned using a 3½" computer disk, and I still have that drive at home and am not willing to get rid of it yet. I still have some embroidery files on 3½" disks and need to transfer them, but not at this point. 

There were four of us in the room, an older gentleman and I. There was another person, and a library staff member, both younger. I'm not even going to guess their ages. So the staff member got out the 3½" drive and put a disk into it. He said, "I have no idea what type of files these are", and he couldn't open any of them. 

The younger guy, who kept repeating himself but was obviously a gamer/geek, spotted a file called SimCity, and we noticed the extensions were PSN. Oh yes—then we went down the rabbit hole of computer games, and the younger ones couldn't believe this was how games used to be sold! The older gentleman, probably around my age, and I had a good discussion about games. Anyway, we finally got the young guy calmed down because he was convinced it was a pirated copy. It turns out the disk was labeled "SIMCITY". It was a legit disk. 

So now that I know those resources are there, I have stuff to transfer, but I'm not going there yet. Some of my videos were transferred from VHS to DVD a while back, but even those now need to be transferred to those external hard drives. That's part of the office clean-up, as those are sitting in a box on the desk. 

It was nice to see all the things we can do, and it's better to get them into digital format sooner rather than later. And for me, it all needs to be in two spots! Either one of those hard drives. Then I devise a backup plan, and I'm good to go. I asked, and both other customers suggested OneDrive and syncing. NO FLIPPING WAY -- that's part of my problem, not understanding it and having everything sync back to my hard drive. Perhaps I need to learn how to use that correctly, but I prefer to keep my stuff offline, except for the immediate working files, because of Microsoft's autosave function. 

I had a chuckle when I got a note from OneDrive saying they'd noticed I'd deleted a lot of files. You bet and more to go!!!

Anyway, I'm not going down that rabbit hole. The bottom line is that there is still a lot of work to be done!

And on that note, I'm out of here. I have a date with Brooke this morning, and my knee is a bit sore. Not sure what's going on there, but I'm sure she'll figure out some form of torture for me. And by the time I get there, I'm sure it'll be loosened up! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Clean up in digital aisle B

Well, I'm determined to make those visual TO DOs happen this year, and one of them is a dosey - cleaning up my digital machine embroidery files. 

Since I only needed to keep an ear open to what was being said in the meeting yesterday, I sat in the back of the room, and I focused on cutting and pasting FILES! All I can say is that over time, I have created a massive mess. I had files scattered across multiple USB drives, external hard drives, online locations, and the internal hard drives of multiple computers. It was a digital disaster! 

Yep - I was the queen of making a mess, and I wasn't so great at organizing those digital files, nor did I delete, and hey - why move a file when you can copy it! 

I must admit that when I opened up the external hard drives yesterday, part of me just wanted to throw in the towel. Where does one even begin? Some of the stuff was somewhat organized, but most was not. 

So I started at the beginning. I made a folder and started cutting and pasting. Then I would make another folder and cut and paste some more. 

I will not bore you with all the details, but let's just say that it was an interesting exercise. And I am learning a ton about myself. When something doesn't work, you can throw in the towel, or you can learn to find a spot to start. Patience and persistence are all good things to learn, and just throwing in the towel would NOT have taught me a thing!

A mass of files to deal with

Yep—I bet I'll end up deleting many files, since I don't need to keep everything, and I did my fair share of deleting yesterday. But it's like anything in your house - you need to get it organized into folders (like things together) to truly understand what you have, how many multiple copies, etc. It's insane!

OH MY --- I found TO DO lists from 2015. So much for trying to put something on a computer. Obviously, that didn't work. I didn't get a chance to open this, but I will because I want to have a laugh at what might still be on that list that never got done! My goal was not to look at stuff, but to move it! 

To Do lists from 2015!!!!

This really all started with my wanting to put my embroidery files in some sort of usable order. In the past, I've heard embroiderers brag that they have THOUSANDS of embroidery files, and yes, so do I. But do you have them in a usable format that you can find a specific file? Someone suggested deleting everything and then just redownloading the files from the online ordering sites. AH -- I don't think that is going to work, since 99% of my stuff was NOT ever downloaded from a website! And it was just a total mess. I had a quick peek, and there are 10 GB of machine embroidery files to deal with, and I'm not sure I have everything yet! 

So I'm going to use two external hard disks, one for photos and one for sewing. Since they look alike, I have now put a physical label on one of them and renamed it digitally as well. That's a start! 

It will take another couple of days to get those files onto the correct external drives, and I am trying to move what's on my day-use external hard drive to either of them as well. I went through all the USB drives yesterday, and they are now all empty except the last one, which I found last night. It was white and flipped upside down in a clear container, so I couldn't spot it! I think it is almost empty. 

We are talking thousands of files! 

A mass move of embroidery files

But I found old patterns -- OH MY GOD --- can you believe that I found the digital copies of those patterns I was missing. But since I wasn't very good at computer stuff at the time, the visuals were added by hand, so thankfully, I was able to get the full copy from someone else. 

There are hundreds of old presentations, and while I could just delete them, I went through some of them and will combine my work into one presentation. Then, when I need that information, and I know I will at some point, it'll already be in a mostly usable digital form. 

This is a massive task, but I am going to be so happy when it's done because I'll be able to find anything! For the moment, I can truthfully say I have made significant progress toward my goal for my embroidery files at the meeting this month, so that is good. I won't have time to continue working on it for a couple of weeks, as I need to finish those two quilting projects. But now that I have the basic structure and a plan in place, it's going to be a lot easier. My goal for Sunday is to have looked in all the places where I stored stuff and have all the embroidery files in two folders - one that is sorted (at this time, small), and that needs to be sorted (HUGE). 

I think the only place I haven't checked yet is the old computer, which I might do later today for a break. 

OH MY GOSH - I even went into DOS to try and fix a USB that seems to be corrupted. Did you know that there is a command somewhere (right clicking, I think) that takes you to TERMINAL mode? Who knew? 

But thank goodness for Google, because I learned how to do that, but the process didn't work. I know there is a ton of information on that USB, but it's corrupted, and I can't delete the massive file I put it all into. I'll take it into the Geek Squad to check what can be done, but I think I just bite the bullet and toss that USB. What was on it will just have to be lost forever. What you don't know you had, you won't miss!

So enough about that, but I'm doing OK in the file clean-up! OH -- I just had to cut and paste another folder to the right spot. I'm addicted to this clean-up!

An interesting conversation arose in the last couple of days. It was mentioned that some people are unwilling to order online with their credit cards. Hmm -- I get that. Things were once insecure, but with so many encryption tools out there, fraud is still rampant, but not as bad as it used to be. OK -- maybe I'm deluding myself, but wait until I explain my point. 

So you are afraid to use your credit card online. But when you go to a store and use your credit card on one of the machines, where do you think your credit card number goes? Into a paper file? It goes ONLINE!!! It goes online to Visa or the bank and is processed digitally. So why would you be afraid to put your information online, yet you do that every time you use your card? Am I missing something? 

OH -- one bad thing happened in all this file sorting. I found an EXCEL spreadsheet I started many years ago, with a list of books I wanted to read. There were three authors on the spreadsheet, each with a number of books. Well, I had read all the books listed for one author, and all but one for another. So of course, I downloaded that book. I had not read any of the third author's work, so I saved the updated file and can deal with it another day. 

I will say that I had a chuckle over many of the files I found, and it will be interesting to go down memory lane. Could I just delete? I could, but like my paper files, I NEED/WANT to go through them. That's just how I roll. My big push will be to get these files onto the two appropriate external hard drives, so I can travel with them and work on them at my leisure. 

What I need to do is develop a solid backup system. I have a third (and fourth) external hard disk, and I need to use one as a backup. And how often I will do that backup, and how. So there is still a lot of planning, but if I can get these files in the appropriate spot at a high level, and then work through the folders one at a time, I will get this done, and I can see myself reaching that goal for all files, not just the embroidery files, by the end of the year!! Yeah, that will be a huge relief!!!

It was my parents' 72nd wedding anniversary yesterday! That's a pretty impressive feat and not something that will happen to many people these days unless they are in the same age bracket as my parents. 

I downloaded the Olympics app, and I'm all set to cheer on the teams!!! Well, the Canadian team! I don't know how much I'll watch, but I'll see what happens. 

WAIT -- I have a QUILTsocial link to share with you. What did you think of my videos from yesterday? Pretty good!! I'm impressed, but I want to get better. 

So here is Day two, and it's all about a NEW hoop for the Designer Epic 3. I love this hoop and will likely rarely use a traditional embroidery hoop again!!

And on that note, life is back to normal today, and I'll be quilting and binding that one quilt, so I will only have one small project to focus on! And my little labels have still not arrived! ACK!!! But this quilt can't wait!

I'm off to spin class. 

Have a great day!!

Caio!!!

Nothing to see here!

It was a great day at the Product Showcase for work, and no, I did not need a nap, but I was so tired when I got home that I wanted to go to bed. I did not, but I did absolutely nothing after dinner. And I doubt I'll get anything done tonight either! 

But I got to meet friends at the meeting and learned a few things. Alas, there are no pictures to share today! Nothing! 

However, there is a QUILTsocial blog post for you to check out. 

Day One --- the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 Nordic Frost Edition and the revised embroidery arm. 

I made several videos for that post, and I have to say my video skills, while far from perfect, aren't bad!!!

I don't have the link yet for the post for today, but for anyone with a Designer Epic 3, you are going to want to see what's on the agenda for today! NEW NEW NEW and it's super exciting!

I have been going on about how I have everything prepped for this weekend, and technically, I do, but one thing that I haven't gotten done is more work on organizing my machine embroidery files! I had better get myself organized and at least make a step in the right direction, or I'm never going to be able to cross that one off the list for this year. 

My goal for this month was to check TEN places where I may have stored those digital files. I'm happy to report that I just cleared two locations. The hard drive on the new computer -- there is NOTHING personal on this computer, and the download folder is EMPTY. Check and check! So only eight more spots to go. My goal for the weekend is to clear all ten spots and, hopefully, have EVERYTHING transferred to one hard disk. Shoot -- I should have worked on that last night!

There is other very exciting news! The weather! When I took the girls for a walk in the dark yesterday morning, before I left for the meeting, even though it was still minus 15, with a wind chill, you could feel a difference in the air. Not spring -- not yet, but there's a difference. And I see that it's only minus FIVE this morning. WHAT? That's almost spring!! The air just feels fresh, not brisk. I'm not sure how to explain that, but it feels different. 

I wish I could have been home; I would have tackled a bit more of the snow. But that's OK - I see we are going to have some light snow in the next day or so, and I can deal with that and the rest of the snow on the front patio!!

I just checked my calendar, and I have SEVEN trips planned this year. OK - of those, three are quilt retreats, so I'm not technically travelling anywhere, but it's a vacation away! And I'm excited about every one of them, although NONE of the four trips were my choice - two involve work, and two include weddings! 

Next year had better be quiet, because I have two trips I want to take on my own, and I don't think I'll have time for them. I still need to work in some non-wedding personal travel, so I must check the calendar and make that happen! Remember—we all have our own priorities, and I make time for some time away. Yes, I am fortunate to be able to do that, but there are ways to get around it if you have a strict budget. Ask around, check out guild retreats, or friends' cottages, or whatever. 

So that was short and sweet, but you can always read/watch the information about the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 - the Nordic Frost Edition. And OOPS—I made a mistake: I wrote that the extension table fits on the same side as the embroidery unit—NOT!!! It fits on the side with the hoops. I'll see if I can get that changed. 

So on that note, I'm out of here and off to walk the girls. Murphy is pretty excited because she gets to cover new territory. It's dark, and I'm not walking in the forest on that narrow trail in the dark. One day, she will learn that the faster she walks, the less time she spends outside. I doubt it, but one can hope! Lexi is the total opposite - if I keep sniffing at every tree and leaf, the walk will take longer! You can see why I do not walk them together! 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Mission accomplished!!!

OH -- I need to get back to answering those blog comments!!! Tammy --- I NEED an ice scraper! I was the one who drove over the snow before it was shoveled, and that spot has niggled at me for weeks now! I'm chiselling away at it with the shovel, and it's almost gone, but for the future! That's hilarious, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only anal person about the snow! 

It was a long, yet very productive day! The quilt top is in one piece!! I never thought that would happen! I said, " Let me get to this point, and then I'll finish tomorrow." But then I got to that point and was still doing OK, so I went to the next point, and before I knew it, the top was together! 

But I paid the price. I don't know if I was so keyed up from my achievement that day or from watching the curling until the end (extremely intense!), but I couldn't sleep, and I don't have time for a nap today. It's going to be a tough day! I can feel it now. I may have to steal to the bathroom of the hotel to take a small nap!

Maybe a corner of the lobby has a bench! Or since we may have sun, I'll be in the car! I've got some Plan Bs!

As a result of all that piecing, I got a ton of half-square triangles done! Yeah!!!! But I didn't have the opportunity to press them, let alone trim them. That's a job for another day. 

Lots of half-square triangles done!

And I finished off more bobbins and a spool of thread! 

An empty bobbin and a spool of thread

Out of those two trays of partially filled bobbins, I'm down to this! One in the machine, which I think is almost done, and these two. What a great way to use up those partially filled bobbins. Otherwise, what the heck was I going to do with them? 

Almost finished with the partially filled bobbins

And here's my tray of triangles ready to sew. OK - I know it still looks like a crazy mess, but I think it looks better than it was when I first laid the triangles out! The layers are thinner! 

The triangle tray!

One day, I hope to get back to some serious piecing, like I did yesterday, and then we can really see that tray of triangles disappear, but the fact that they are in a spot where they are visible and usable makes all the difference. And let's hope that someday I'll use them up faster than I create them! Of course, I could just have a half-square triangle sewing day!

So it was a great day. And it was a good thing I had not loaded that giant quilt on the long arm yet. I will move that aside and put my quilt top on tonight. I'm in a meeting for two days, otherwise that quilt would be done today! 

I should be able to get that quilt in the mail by Wednesday! If I had been smart, I would have it done for today, and then I could drop it off. But that isn't going to happen. That will leave me with about 10 days to finish the second one. It's much smaller, but more detailed, so we'll do what we can! 

The office didn't get much work, but that's OK. I'm mentally going through what's in those folders and trying to mentally tackle it. I'm doing a great job, and that's all that counts. 

In the comments, someone asked about the Archive folder in my email. I still do not understand how it works, but I periodically check it, and for the most part, it is empty. But I spotted some emails in it this morning. I deleted them. And I see there are still 600 messages in my delete folder, and I can't just delete them. I have to go through each folder separately, delete all the emails, and then delete the folders. I don't know why, but I know what to do, and that's all that counts. Slow and steady!

I have two sessions on Sunday, and I have enough pictures of my work for both!!!! Yeah! I'm not sure I can function without all that pressure! I just need to receive photos from the attendees and add them to a PowerPoint presentation. 

WAIT -- I did a bad thing yesterday. When I took a break, I read an email from Louise Penny, a Canadian author, and her emails are always fun, with lots of things to explore. Well, she posted a link for the top ten most circulated books by Canadian Authors. OH GOSH --- I had read TWO of the books, two of them were on my list, and there was one author I had never heard of. 

Well, not one to shirk my Canadian loyalty, nor to be behind on new-to-me authors, I added a few items to my HOLD shelf in the Libby App!!! Thankfully, only one of them was available immediately, so once I finished my audiobook last night, I now have a new one to listen to later tonight as I load that quilt! 

What a farce! When it comes to books, and especially things that I can borrow, not buy, there is no limit to my madness!!! 

Well, I see time is running out, and I must run. Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Washing the house!

It's good to hear from all of you, and I hear you about not knowing what the spring/summer will bring for those who are lacking in moisture this winter. I grew up in the prairies in Saskatchewan, and that winter snow was essential for growing crops! Fingers crossed that any further snow that wishes to fall will fall in your area, not ours! I'm done with shoveling! 

Although the anal part of me was out with a shovel yesterday, tidying up parts of the driveway. I know -- I must look crazy, but I hate when the snow encroaches on the sidewalk, and I hadn't cleared the entire patio area of the front step. As we get some melt from the glorious sun, I'll be out there to continue my quest to have a super clear and dry driveway. 

What amazes me is that most people don't care about that. As long as the snow is packed down. I don't get that, but then we are all different. And while snow blowers are great, they do NOT clear down to the pavement, unlike shoveling by hand. 

And NO Shirley -- those Quilts of Valour quilts are not UFOs!!! 

I cannot count! I was thinking I had to make twenty blocks, but alas, I need twenty-four! Good grief -- how does one make a mistake like that? Anyway, there are six blocks left to assemble. And this is all I can show you. 

Blue and green scraps from making blocks

Lots of green and blue scraps! Take a big piece of fabric and chop it up! That's what it looks like, and there are larger pieces of green and blue by the sewing machine! It's an unusual quilt design, but I like it, and I'll certainly use it when it's made! I can't wait to take this one off the visual "to-do" list! 

That quilt has to be my priority today, and should have been yesterday, but the sun was too enticing, so I sat in the living room with DH and the girls and read and napped for part of the afternoon! Today, even though I think we are getting sunshine again, I have no choice. I'd really like to have the top together by tonight! 

The clock is ticking, and I have all-day meetings on Monday and Tuesday! 

In preparation for our last session later this week to finish our haunted houses, I needed to rinse all of the pieces to remove the water-soluble stabilizer. I was going to be gentle about it, but then I just dunked the whole lot in a sink of hot water, and within seconds, the water-soluble stabilizer was gone. Don't worry -- I cut most of it away, so there was very little goopy stuff left in the water. 

The house pieces are almost ready to assemble

Even though this was vinyl with foam, they dried pretty quickly, and now all that's left is to punch holes and cut slots, and it's ready to assemble! If you are wondering about the piece at the front that looks unfinished, it got thrown into the water by accident. I had to redo that piece because something happened, and I abandoned it. I must find some battery tea lights before Thursday!

Well, you all know that kitchen duty is not my thing. I was making soup the other day when, for some reason, I burned the onions in my frying pan, and it was bad!! The onions were OK, but the pan was a big mess. I tried soaking it in water and soap, but it did little to help. So I asked Google what to do. 

Step one was to boil water and vinegar, which I did. 

Boiling water and vinegar

And then you add baking soda. Oh my --- I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of that chemical reaction, but it was neat to see. Here's a little bit of the action that was left when I could grab my camera!

The remainder of the chemical reaction

So that did remove some of the burnt marks, but not all. So the pan has sat with a paste of baking soda and water, and I'll see what happens. The worst case is that I need to buy a new pan. I'm sure it will be fine the way it is. GASP --- I really don't care. My mother still uses the same cast-iron frying pan she's used forever! Over 70 years and it's fine! I do not fuss about stuff like that. 

While digging through the papers in the filing cabinet, I came across M's birth certificate and the official Statement of Birth application, which the parents must complete. I remember that day - I was at our first check-up at the doctor's, and they handed me this form. I was in so much pain from the delivery - lots of pushing and stretched/strained tendons in my pelvic area - I needed a walker to walk. It was interesting! 

Anyway, I'm sitting there with this form and trying to fill it out. All I see on it is scratch, scratch as I tried to spell M's middle name! My handwriting has always sucked!

I'm surprised that she even got a name. DH and I could NOT agree on a name. I don't know why he was so fussy! I like Mikeala, but he did not. So we eventually put together a list of 10 names each, and one by one, they got rejected. Madeline was the last name on the list. That's totally insane! And then he wanted a middle name. I wasn't going through that same business for a middle name, so I told him if he wanted her to have a middle name, he would have to pick it, and Frances it was. 

Frances means free, and since she would NEVER sleep with her arms under the blankets from day one, this was where the name came from. I think she was about one week old when I filled out that paperwork. 

It still makes me smile whenever I see it, but it's now time to pass it along to her. She will need it more than I, and especially her birth certificate. 

Good grief -- it's time to take a break from reading! I read 12 books in January! Or listened to them. I have one to finish probably later today, and then NO MORE BOOKS for a while. I have some podcasts to catch up on, and I should do that instead of picking up new books to read. The next audiobook will arrive in a few days. I do NOT need to find one to read right now!

And here is our Muirphy. She had a bone that she had gnawed on as much as she could get, but when the marrow in the middle won't stay in place, and your tongue isn't long enough, you can't get to that part. So I jammed it in there for her, and that kept her entertained for quite a while before it finally got released and she devoured the savory bit!!

Murphy entertained by her bone

By the way -- that painting over the fireplace was done by Cynthis Frenette, whom I mentioned yesterday, who had done the artwork for a new jigsaw puzzle out. She painted a picture of our previous girls and included Lexi as well. That was before Murphy came along. And the trees are painted from photos of the forest!!!! She is a very cool artist!!!

The snow is compacting, so the girls have made a few more trails in the backyard, and should we get more snow, I will be able to wing it up over the existing banks! But we're not going to get more! Or are we? 

Anyway, I'm off to walk the girls. Good grief -- it's still cold out there. It says minus 15 with a wind chill of minus 25. But seriously -- if you are dressed, it's fine. I wear my fleece-lined jeans, with wool socks and running shoes. Then a long sleeve shirt with a flannel shirt over that, and two thin jackets, with a scarf and two pairs of mitts. Plus the toque! It seems to take forever to get dressed, but I'm toasty warm the entire walk. If I get hot, I can open one jacket! 

Well, I'm off. Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

GRRRR --- the INTERNET!!!!!

I'm not even sure where to start. I was downstairs this morning, playing the radio through my speaker, and all was fine. I came upstairs to send two emails and start the blog, and POOF!! NOTHING! The internet is dead. I then tried to open the app to see what the problem was. Yep -- you guessed it --- password issues. I swear that passwords are going to be the death of me! 

One day, you'll find me holding my phone in my hand with a big sign flashing - PASSWORD INCORRECT!!!! I can't stand the madness. So I reset the password to what I thought it was, and it worked. Can you tell me why that is? I'm not even going there. 

Then I messed around in one of the files on the floor to kill time while waiting for the app to run a diagnostic, and then I decided to hotspot—POOF, the internet came back on. Sigh................

But it does go to show how dependent we are on the internet! 

So today's blog will be short. But in that one file, I found about 6 things that need to be done or followed up on. So that's a job for later today. And I need to make a label for that folder. I don't know why I've kept all my old passports -- there's no reason, but I like to go back and look at the pictures, which I posted on the blog one day. And I found M's birth certificate. I really don't think I need those, but I bet she could use them! There is the application and the certificate. I should tell you the story of the application one day!

Wills and POA that need to be updated, and a whole lot of other sorts of important things that have languished in that folder. Yeah, me -- for adding to my to-do list. 

We zipped up to The Hobby Horse yesterday, I picked up the fabric for the second quilt I need to make, and I got home and started working. I got 1/4 of the blocks done, so that is a good thing! But there is some paper piecing required, and I have no idea what was going through my head, but my brain couldn't deal with regular paper piecing, as opposed to paper piecing on freezer paper. 

And some of the angles are very wonky, and my brain just couldn't handle that as well. I think I must have resewed this seam 7 times before I gave up, added a massive whack of fabric, and cut it back. 

This is not right!

This morning was much better - I only had to rip out one seam so far. Today will be a better day! 

But if I can get the rest of the blocks done today and then figure out the next step, that will be a good day. When I got home from the store, I felt a bit lost. I felt like I should be prepping something for the weekend, but there is NOTHING on the calendar. So that means I get to sew and sew and quilt and nap and whatever I want, but keeping in mind what's on the deadline list! It just feels very foreign to me. 

While I was at The Hobby Horse, I discovered a new line of solids they had brought in. Here's the end of the bolt -- hmmmm - made in India. 

A new line of solids

I didn't get a chance to use this fabric, but it looks amazing! And while there is not the same range of colors as in some of the other brands, this has a textured look, and it's exciting, not the bland expanse of threads in the others. I'm anxious to try it, but I realized I should have bought another solid of the same brand to go with it. DUH!!!!! The even better news about this fabric is that it's only $14.98 a meter, which is pretty good. Don't forget that many (all????) of their blender fabrics are under $15 a meter. something that is extremely important these days. 

The new solid with a textured look

Well, if I keep having to whack on huge pieces for that project I'm working on, I may just have to go back to get more fabric!! 

There are days, and well, the worst is over - it's going to be a great day!!!!!

I also got something in the mail the other day. I do not need these, but I like to support local artists, and a friend of mine received one for Christmas. I tracked the artist down and POOF - they magically arrived in my mailbox. 

Yep -- THREE more jigsaw puzzles. There are 500 pieces - well, technically 504 and all are scenes of Brockville, where the artist lives. Her name is Carol O'Connell. I found her on Facebook. I believe she hand-paints the images. Check it out, and why not support a local (to me at least) artist? 

Quilt Fair in the Village by Carol O'Connell

Canada Day in the Village by Carol O'Connell

I Spy Brockville by Carol O'Connell

I have another friend, Cynthia Frenette, who lives in BC. She is a graphic artist and just had a new puzzle released. I should find out where to get that one. 

I stole this picture off her Facebook page. 

And here is the daily picture of our goofball. I swear Murphy is completely bothered by the rabbits and is trying to show them who is boss, but sadly, the amount of snow kind of limits where the girls can go in the backyard! She just went out there and plunked her butt in the snow! 

MOM -- there are rabbits!!!!

I have lots more I could say this morning, but the clock is ticking, and the girls are circling! I need to get moving, or they won't be happy. Then I'll be in my happy place (hopefully - it's going to be happy) for the rest of the day!!!

Have a super day, and let's hope your internet doesn't go down!

Ciao!!!!

And your excuse is?

Oh my goodness -- I love hearing your stories about decluttering! Yes --- it was great to take notes when you are learning, or find tips in magazines or patterns you wanted to make, but at some point, you get past the point of needing/wanting that stuff. When we accumulate so much of it, and it gets tucked away, it gets forgotten. 

KUDOS to any and all of you who are whittling away at that crap along with me. I just don't buy it when people say, "OH, my kids will take care of cleaning my mess." Why? Why would you say that? What if your mother said that to you! Besides that, it is a very immature thing to say. 

This is YOUR mess, and you alone should be responsible for cleaning it up! I totally get that you might no longer physically be able to, but then you need to hire someone, cajole your kids or friends into helping, or whatever, but to leave a mess of your stuff for someone else to deal with? In my mind, that is the most irresponsible thing that people can do. 

YES - I totally get that those messes are embarrassing. So much so that some people won't let anyone into their house. I get it --- my kitchen table was completely full at one point, and we each had a small area to eat on. Stacks of newspapers used to fill the office. We get it and are willing to help! There's no need to be embarrassed - just say, "I need help, and move on."

YES -- I totally get that hoarding (let's face it - it's hoarding) is a mental illness. We struggle with it in our family -- both my Mom and Dad, as well as my two brothers, are hoarders. I get it -- but I also think we can stop using that as an excuse and get to it! I did! It's taken me years (over ten years) to get to where I am now. 

And YES --- if you need to read every receipt or piece of paper, then read it! I don't necessarily read everything, but I need to touch everything. At the beginning, I did need to read everything; now I can look at something, and my brain says, "Seriously, Elaine! If you think that a 15-year-old CAA magazine is worth your precious time, then go ahead and read it. But quite frankly, it's a waste of time." I can finally let my brain do some of the work for me! 

Decluttering is a personal journey. And YES - I would love to be spending time sewing or reading, but seriously? Do I want to? And what I have found is that the more I declutter, the more space and energy I have, and the less emotional baggage (guilt) I carry, so I actually have MORE time to read and sew - guilt-free! 

Anyway -- thanks for sharing your stories!! We WILL conquer our messes - it's just not going to happen overnight. And we need to celebrate EVERY SUCCESS—it's the little ones who count the most. It's the ones where we start learning to let go that count the most. It's those where we learn to stop procrastinating that count the most. Remember -- I CAN & I WILL - WATCH ME!!!! You got this!!!!

Oh my - speaking of the bunnies and the snow, look at this. 

Bunny tunnel

The clever little things have carved a tunnel under the trees in my neighbor's front yard. We had a lot of sun yesterday, and I'm happy to report that the driveway is looking pretty clear. It still has snow in some spots, but the main part is being cleared off and dried. The neighborhood streets are still snow-covered and likely will be for a while. It looks like we are going to have a very cold and sunny day, so that will help again! It's so nice to have the sun, so I don't mind the cold. Just dress appropriately, and you'll be just fine! 

Miss Murphy can't wait for the warmer temperatures, and neither can I. She just seems so agitated these days and even more needy than ever. She needs in, and then she needs out. She doesn't sleep in her bed by the front window any longer, and she won't go upstairs anymore. She has no problem going downstairs, and I often find her hanging out in the stash room. I have no idea what has gotten into her. And when she does get out, she will lie in the snow and yipe small barks. I've thought of taking her to the vet, but what do I say? My dog is needy and more neurotic than ever. So she just gets extra love, and we'll see what happens. 

MOM - I need someone to play with me!

Ten of the ladies in our Zoom sewing group went for lunch yesterday. What fun to see everyone, but OH MY -- what a noisy group! DH says that my voice projects loudly, and I hope I wasn't one of the loud ones. I did NOT attempt to overtalk, nor did I talk to those at the opposite end of the table! But we had a nice lunch, and I sure didn't need a snack in the afternoon. As far as the Pony Express goes, it was a madhouse. People were exchanging things - I think everyone had stuff to exchange. I took ONE envelope and an iPad to pass along. In return, I got two quilts to quilt, two EXIT Games, a bag of cars and trucks, a book, and a small bag of stabilizer. Some of that was for me, and some of it was to pass along. 

Then it was home to finish quilting a customer's quilt! 

Customer quilt - DONE

And I had to laugh because when I finish one, I set out the next quilt so it's ready for loading, which I'll do later today. This one is a GIANT of a quilt. So I'll load it today and quilt it on the weekend. But when I looked at the backing, which doesn't show well in this photo, my first thought was: this is exactly the fabric I need to find for one of the quilts I'm making. I wonder if the customer would mind if I took half of the backing!

The backing for the next quilt

But no - I'm off to shop for something today. I know I won't find exactly what I want, and that's OK. I just need a dark blue; any nice, darker shade will work. 

I also got some machine embroidery done. I had made one of these hot mats many years ago, and it was completely finished. It's a project in the hoop (except the binding), and that binding is a challenge: it's bias, narrow, has a nasty point to turn, and no straight edge to do the join! 

Finished hot mat

I was using it as a teaching aid in my machine embroidery workshop, and I had two others partially done. One was stitched entirely but needed trimming, and the other had only two pieces of fabric stitched in place. 

The next two hotmats - ready for binding

So last night, I finished all the stitching on the second one and trimmed both of them. I dug out some fabric to make the bias binding from. Good grief -- more binding. I have a lot of binding to do, but that means the last stages of completion! There are SIX projects now that need binding, but I'm still waiting for my little tags to come. I won't put tags on these small projects, but I will on the wall hangings and table runners. I have the tracking number, but the package is coming from France, and it must be on a slow boat! 

I also had an audiobook I needed to finish. I listened to the last of it with one hour to spare! That's a bit close, and I need to give myself a break from reading/listening for a while. But I have three books in my Libby App. I need to stop with the audio and e-books and focus on some of the physical books on the shelf!

I finished one part (of nine) for that pattern, and the rest should be relatively easy. It's all the graphic placement of stuff that takes time. But since the main graphic is the same for all the parts, I just need to fill in the blanks, so to speak! I'm going to try to get most of that done this weekend, so I don't have to worry about it. I need/want to move on because I have one more pattern to write and a sidebar, and those need to be done ASAP. 

Thank goodness I love to write, and I'm good at it! 

Brooke is away again this week. They were in Mexico for an event, and their plane got canceled last week because of the snow, so they decided to stay an extra week. This morning is one of the coldest days of the year, and I'm on my own. I was tempted not to go. But seriously? Why do I need to take a break when there's no need? Going to the gym on my own is NOT new to me, and neither is the cold weather. So get those big girl panties on and get in the car. I'm half dressed and have eaten my energy bar, so I have to go now, or I just ate 230 calories that I wasn't supposed to eat today! 

Have a wonderful day, stay warm, and keep decluttering. I have faith in you!!!!!

Ciao!!!