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!!!

The office decluttering continues

Oh my -- the day was filled with stories. I wasn't as productive as I would have liked, as there was a computer glitch along the way, but the issue got resolved; however, it took a LONG time. BUT I learned something new, and what used to be a two-part process is now a one-part process, so that is good! 

I futzed around with my Canva file until it was the way I wanted, then sent it to the printer, and it was ready to be picked up! I can't say enough about the folks at Sherwood Copy & Print (Village Centre - Mississauga) -- they provide excellent service and great prices! For anything large, they are my go-to printing company. I believe there are multiple locations in other cities in this area. 

While that was one pattern, I have a second one that also needed to be printed, but I can print this one on my printer. So BOTH patterns are ready to go. I have fabric for one of the projects, have sorted out the quantities and colors for the second, and I'll go shopping on Friday. Then it will be heads-down to make both projects ASAP!

My two patterns for my next two projects

I got my next writing assignment, so I'm planning in my head what I'll make. I have time, but I need to wrap my head around the machine, the available techniques, and so on. It can sit on the back burner in my head for a week or so. 

Since I was out picking up that pattern from the printer, I decided to go to the other Fabricland. Yes—we are fortunate to have TWO of them within a ten-minute drive of each other. I wonder how long that will last? Anyway, I went to check for those invisible zippers. And you believe they didn't have burgundy either? So I got a red and a yellow one. I think the yellow will work the best. I see they only make short and long invisible zippers, which is a good thing. Short for skirts and long for everything else. You can always cut it off, but you can't make it longer! 

Two NEW invisible zippers

While I was there, I had started to mull over some projects for my next assignment, and I thought I'd look at the denim. I couldn't find any in the main part of the store, so I went to the bargain bins in the back and found a huge hunk at $15 a meter. I brought it to the counter to be measured, and the lady serving me said, "Wait - I think we have a better deal on the denim." So she went to the back, and YES—there was denim at $7 a meter!! So I selected one of those instead. Slightly lighter weight, but 100% cotton, and it will work. Although it will need to be washed because that indigo dye is just screaming to come off on everything it touches. They even fold it on the bolt inside out! 

But what excellent service (AGAIN) at Fabricland. And too expensive? Where are you going to find 54-inch wide denim for $7? 

The other hilarious story happened to Murphy and me on our morning walk. I'm not ready to take her into the forest on that very narrow path, and besides, I needed to get to the bank to get some cash. I rarely use cash, but I needed some as I was low. 

Murphy is always excited when we go off in a new direction, and we get to cross some big streets. I tied her to a post outside the bank and went in, only to find that only one of the three ATMs was working while the other two were being loaded. There were two people ahead of me. Great! 

The first man had just arrived at the ATM, and he turned around and asked if the gentleman behind him wanted to go first. They had a short conversation, but seriously - just get your money and run - stop talking! And it wasn't just one transaction that he needed to do. So we waited and waited, and I looked out a couple of times to see Murphy sitting patiently at the post. 

Then the next guy got whatever he needed, and then it was my turn. All went well at the ATM, but the gentleman behind me said he was impressed at how patiently Murphy was waiting! WHAT? Well, she was. But I think when I got out, she was getting cold because she had been sitting for so long. 

So we are getting close to home, and I see the NEW big green truck that picks up our recycling. They were supposed to pick up the day before, but that didn't happen. Likely because they are still new, and with all the snow, they probably had issues. 

Our cart was JAMMED full, and it needed to be emptied this week, or I'll have no room to keep decluttering. But since the truck hadn't come the day before, I put it back in the garage. The last thing I needed was for it to topple and have paper strewn across the street. OH MY GOSH -- is this truck coming to our street? So Murphy and I picked up the pace to see if we could beat the truck to the house. 

Was he going to turn onto our street? YES -- he turned on our street. Murphy had no worries in the world and found some wonderful smells. NO -- there's no time for sniffing at this moment in time. Because of the SNAFU the day before, there were only FOUR carts between the corner and my house. We hustled, and I ran into the house - had to unlock the door. My mitts were off by this time, I threw Murphy's leash on the floor, and carefully went to the garage. It wouldn't have been pretty to slip on the ceramic tiles with wet shoes.  

I had to wait for the garage door to open and then push the heavy cart to the curb, just as the truck was getting to the last cart before our house! PHEW!!!!! I made it, and now the recycling cart is empty, and I have lots already to fill it back up again! I bet the guy driving the truck got a chuckle out of that! 

I have to laugh at the trails around our house. The bunnies need to get around, and they are creating their paths through the deep snow. Some of them are smart and stay on the sidewalks, but that doesn't always work! Not so good for stealth! 

Bunny trails

We had some sun yesterday, and now we have a few more bare patches in the driveway. I'm going to shovel the last bit of the driveway end and maybe try scraping it this morning to help with the drying process. I hate when it's messy!

I had to sit at the computer and wait for files to upload, which took forever, so I had "nothing" to do. I looked at the piles of crap on the floor and decided to tackle the files from the filing cabinet that I had removed the other day. 

Most of the stuff went into the recycling or the shredding box. There was one folder I thought was full of old dentist bills, but it turned out to be a giant mishmash of things, including bills from our old house. We moved 23 years ago! I found a few more medical things that I would like to keep - my Red Cross Card with my blood type on it, which I can never remember. And my immunization record. So all of that is now safely stored in a medical folder. I may go back another day and sort some more, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job of culling as I put things away. 

I haven't tackled the dental bills yet, but seriously—every last one can go. I had the contents of that folder spread out on the kitchen counter, sorting them into piles. 

More sorting!!

Oh my -- look at what else I found in that supposedly medical, but really was a miscellaneous folder. An invoice from Quilter's Fancy! Does anyone remember that store? 

An invoice from a long-since-closed quilt store in our area

It's gone! They used to have a physical store in Etobicoke, then they moved to their house, and then they just disappeared off the face of the map!!

Then I got really ambitious and cleared out the rest of the folders in the top drawer. I probably shouldn't have taken that many out, but I suspect that most of it is crap that can be recycled or shredded. 

The condition of the filing cabinet - top drawer

I got the label maker out and made a label for one of the folders, and so while it doesn't look all pretty with color-coded file folders, the stuff is sorted, culled, labeled, and in the drawer. That works for me. When I'm done, I'll probably sort the folders into categories—house stuff, personal, etc. I'll see how it goes—but first, let's just get rid of the junk and the garbage. 

I cannot imagine someone else having to do this for me. I can just hear them say, "They have lived at this house for over 30 years, and they still have bills from an old house! They must have been hoarders!" Nope -- I'm not going to let anyone say that about me! I'm on a tear, although a slow one, but we are going to make this happen! I CAN & I WILL - WATCH ME!!!! 

The one thing I will say is that the more I do, the easier it becomes. And what I had trouble throwing out before, now is a no-brainer! I even question my sanity with my need to keep so much crap! I swear it was easier to put it in a folder than to deal with it!

I also managed to get a lot of computer work done yesterday. I almost have my pattern from 2013 recreated, and the first part, if not the first three parts, will go out today. My new computer screen is large enough that I could have the old one on the left and the new one on the right and CLICK CLICK CLICK -- recreated!!! Super easy! Thank goodness for Helen Anne finding that for me! 

I had one document I was writing for my Machine Embroidery Group, and I finished it as well. I will say one thing about Google. I know a lot of people learn from YouTube, but Google has become my go-to for learning. If I need to know how to do something in a software program, I ask the question, and GOOGLE AI gives me the answer. And it's been right so far!! I love learning, and now my documents are looking way more professional than ever!! You should see the difference between the original pattern from 2013 and the one now! Night and day!!

I had my private class on Machine Embroidery Software. As we were working through the homework, I had a couple of questions. So I got out the Reference guide this morning and OH MY - I learned a few more things! I have decided to become super efficient with the parts I mostly use, rather than struggling for the sake of teaching. Now I'm learning at my own pace, and it's so much more relaxing and easier! 

I reread that particular section of the Reference Guide and added two tasks to my To-Do list to explore further. It's one thing to tell others to try it out; I need to do it myself. Because learning the basics really, really well goes a long way to understanding the more complicated parts later.  

I also spent a great deal of time in the kitchen, and it did not involve sorting paper! I had a bunch of veggies to chop for soup. So that is almost ready, and I'll finish it off for tomorrow since I'll be going out for lunch today. 

I have to say that things are going pretty well. Not because I'm lucky, but because I'm focused and I've made a decision to be that focused! 

I sure hope to get to work in Studio B today because not much happened yesterday. I was at the computer for almost the entire day!!

And on that note, I'm out of here! I've got a lunch date later, so I need to work around it. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Focus is the word of the day!

I get that folks on Vancouver Island don't get as much snow as we do, but yesterday I saw a picture of someone MOWING their lush-looking green lawn, and that grass was LONG! 

For everyone who is missing snow, here are a few pictures. If only it were easy to ship to you!

This doesn't look too bad, but it gives you an idea of how deep the snow is in my residential area. That is at least 16 inches piled up on either side of the sidewalk. The sidewalk plow had gone past a second time the other night, and walking is now very doable on all the sidewalks in my area. Imagine the nightmare if they hadn't decided to bring in the sidewalk plows. It's much safer for everyone because pedestrians don't have to walk on the road. 

The sidewalks in my area

I had to go to the grocery store, so I cut through the forest on my way home. Oh my!!! A narrow path, but a path nonetheless. And of course, I was walking in my running shoes, with ankle-high socks. I didn't get one bit of snow in my shoes!!! But I had to lift the grocery bag high, or it would have been dragged through the snow. That was tiring! The forest is so pretty at this time, but when that snow starts to melt and refreeze, it will become a skating rink. But for now, it's fine!

The path through the snow

While the roads have all been plowed, they are still very snow-covered, and lots of snow is falling from the banks onto the road. So in some spots, the curb lane was very messy. I was off for my adventure in the morning, and it took me almost 50 minutes to drive 10 KM. Of course, I was late for my adventure, which is frustrating, but I had no one to blame but myself. I should have looked at Google Maps for timing BEFORE I got in the car. And as I sat at light after light, or slowed by snow clearing, or got stuck in school zones or behind city buses, the arrival time kept getting pushed back. 

But at last I arrived at the Paramount Fine Foods Arena to watch the Scotties Tournament! Thanks to a friend who invited me along. Her daughter plays on the Northern Ontario team, so we sat and watched the game and had a good chat. 

This was our view. 

Watching the Scotties Curling Tournament in person

Her particular game was televised as well, so we got to see the close-ups of the house on the big screen. We were cheering for Northern Ontario, while the man and his mother behind us were cheering for Nova Scotia, which eventually won. But he was very knowledgeable and kept saying, "OK - they are going to do this, or going to go for that!" It was pretty entertaining and informative, although my host was also telling me what was happening. 

At least, I remembered something about curling from my youth!

As I left the arena, this was the view from the other end. 

The other end of the arena

As I left the arena, I asked the navigation system (Google Maps) to give me directions to Fabricland on Dundas Street, as I needed to find that invisible zipper. It doesn't show you the end destination, but I started driving. Then I realized -- WAIT a minute, it's taking me to the CLOSEST Fabricland to my current location, which is NEAR Dundas Street, but not on it. It's on John Street. That was so weird because I asked specifically for the location on Dundas. It didn't matter, but I'm fortunate to have two stores to choose from, and I hadn't been to this location in a long, long time. 

The staff was extremely friendly and helpful, and actually approached me THREE times if I needed anything. Not once, not twice, but THREE times. That was IMPRESSIVE. 

So while they did have 22" invisible zippers, they didn't have burgundy. I got peach instead and bought two different colors. 

The old and the new invisible zippers

When I got home and compared it to my project, I'm not sure I'll use either of them. I might go to the other Fabricland today and see if they have burgundy. I know - I know. The zipper is invisible, so it won't show, but the little tab will. And I have to go out today because I've accomplished another task on my list. I had designed an applique pattern that is too large to fit on my printer, and so I'm going to my favorite print shop to pick it up. 

Whenever I have oversized projects, I use a software called Canva. I'm new to it, but hey - a graphic program is a graphic program. I know what I should be able to do, and with a couple of well-asked questions to Google, I solved my problems. I sent the file via e-mail yesterday, and I will call the print shop today to make sure everything is OK. 

I actually sent it yesterday, then had a discussion with the owner (a very helpful person). She gave me the preferred extensions, and I was good! So that was one more thing on my list for Studio B this week, and technically, I can't cross it off until I get the pattern in my hands! 

Although I only needed that one zipper, it was hard NOT to come home with only one thing. I didn't have a bag with me, but the very friendly person who checked me out put my stuff in a clear plastic bag for no charge. 

My newly acquired supplies

I laughed when I looked at the receipt. My membership saved me over $30 (total cost was $50), so in just one inexpensive purchase, I recouped the cost of my annual membership ($25). It's even more critical to boycott that online store, and I want to support my Fabricland, or, in the case of my friends who live west of the city, they can visit Len's Mill. Fabricland is closer to me, so that's where I shop. Please think twice before you buy something online! I won't go into details, but your dollars spent there are funding some pretty nasty things! 

By the way, I found a 24" by 36", name-brand cutting mat at Fabricland for $100. I immediately sent a note to my friend who needs a new mat. She picked it up on her way home from watching the curling - she went at 2 PM, I was at the 9 AM event. 

I'm teaching a private machine embroidery software class, and I had some homework to get done. I actually should have had it done last week, but that didn't happen. It's done now, and I forwarded it to the person for review. As I got into bed, I thought of one more thing to add to the document I prepared, so I'll do that this morning. I'll be sharing that document with my machine embroidery club in February. They are going to LOVE IT!!!!

And I'm prepped for the class this morning. I love giving private lessons because I can focus on what they want to learn, and they do the homework and come back with questions. It works for me!!! And then I know that what I'm prepping will actually be used! 

I completed one more task on that to-do list for Studio B and advanced two others, so it was a good day despite the fact that I was away all morning. I've been adding a few things to my online to-do list, and I need to check it this morning. I have two major paperwork things that need to be done today, so I'll see how everything goes. But I'm actually enjoying sitting at the computer and working. Having a pattern work out the way you want, or a professionally completed document? That is as satisfying as a finished quilt!

To end off today, here are pictures of the backyard and the amount of snow we have. Even the dogs are very selective about where they go. They haven't ventured too far off the deck because the snow is very deep. But Murphy blazed a trail to the gazebo to check for rabbits. 

Trail blazing in the backyard

She then plunked herself down to cool off!

MOM - I made it to the gazebo! 

No decluttering got done - that's off the radar probably for the next two weeks, as I have two major sewing projects that are both due by the middle of February, and neither of them has been started. The patterns are created, and I have the fabric for one, but I need to go shopping for the second one. 

Oh well, there are only two clubs between now and those due dates, and all my work is prepped for those! I'm in good shape, but I have no more time to shovel snow, and I will need to set aside some of my other projects! I'm going fabric shopping on Friday! Both of those projects are on the visual To-Do list, and I will remove one more project from it later today! Notice how focused I am!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here! I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!