Persistence pays off

While I got things done, it was a frustrating day! Why? My computer just seemed to have an upset tummy! I couldn't open apps (trust me—they call them apps on the computer now instead of programs—it drives me mad) on my computer. I rebooted MULTIPLE times. I even shut the computer off and let it sit by itself to contemplate life as a dead object, and even then, I struggled. I'm not sure what that was all about. 

I did not get the blue screen of death - I got WHITE. 

Not a good sign when you need your computer!

And then during other attempts, I got the circle. 

Nor is this!

When I finally got back in, I was asked if I really wanted to open the file I had been working on, because it had caused a fatal error last time. Good grief --- what the heck is happening? 

I got scared enough to crack open this. 

A BRAND new hard disk

This is a new hard disk I bought a while back. I'm going to use it to replace the one I use every day. I suspect that one is on its last legs, and I had better listen to the computer because if that one goes, I'm in big trouble. I'll start transferring the data this afternoon. 

I also had a lot of trouble transferring files from one spot to another - it took hours instead of seconds, which isn't normal. I was NOT touching the older hard disk - I was transferring from my phone to OneDrive. So something was up with the computer, and I don't know what. But the first step is to replace that hard drive. They do NOT last, and that one has been around long enough. 

I'm still moving data around, and that is going to take eons. But I'm going away in a couple of weeks, and I might take the hard disks with me and spend an hour a day messing around, as I'll have time. But before I go -- that data needs to be transferred. 

I also need to get cracking on emptying OneDrive. It's not full, but it's getting full, and it's mostly stuff that I no longer need. So I must deal with it. 

OH - I found a folder filled with every screenshot I've ever taken, and I take a lot of screenshots. I usually save them in the appropriate folder, but they also get saved on the computer. Why? Why is there so much duplication? I don't get that, and perhaps there is a setting I can change so it doesn't save every screenshot I take. 

I managed to get some sewing done, and eventually some computer work, but not nearly as much as I would have liked - AGAIN! Now I'm running out of time and need to start prioritizing between the three tasks! 

I'm almost ready for one of the presentations, but I still need to work on the other, so that one will be my priority today. I have to at least have SOMETHING to show the class. 

I was lamenting to DH as I drove him to the train that I had forgotten to buy bananas when I walked to the grocery store the day before. I hate when that happens. It's not that I had forgotten - I just hadn't noticed that there were no more bananas. He reminded me that I pass close to the store on my way home. Go to the grocery store in the car? How dare he suggest that!! 

However, I stopped and got bananas. Can you believe that it's been well over 6 years since I took the car to the grocery store? OK - I think I've been to the grocery store in the car once in the last year. What a complete hassle! I know - I actually have to park the car and go in. When I walk- no thought required - just walk into the store. And I don't mind going every day or every second day because it's something to do, and it only takes 30 minutes to get there and back on foot if I take the shortcut through the forest. 

My bananas for breakfast

The bananas had just been set out, and all of them were green. Then I remembered to check the single-banana section, and there were three, one of which was ripe enough to eat. All was good in my world. I hadn't seen the computer issue yet. 

But while I was waiting for the files to transfer, I went to the mail box just in case. And OH MY GOSH --- there it is!!!!! Interestingly, neither the Global Tracking System nor Canada Post identifies the package as arrived!!! What is interesting is that this looks like a brand new package - not the original that was supposedly sent the first time. It was postmarked in France, and the sender's name is the person I dealt with on Etsy - Canada. Hmmmmmm. No mention of the name of the company. 

My package has arrived!!!!!

And there are my labels!!!! I'm so excited, but I don't have time to start using them yet. There are supposed to be 400 labels - I'm not about to count them, but let's say there are lots. What a relief to get those - I ordered them at the end of December, and finally they are here. 

My labels!!!!

Now that the labels have arrived and my Outlook issues seem resolved, perhaps I can go back to the house issues and see if I can resolve them. Dealing with too many issues at once is not something I do any longer. Give me two issues maximum at a time, and lots of persistence and patience, and I can resolve anything. 

And then I ended the evening with more reading—a daily 30-minute nap is highly recommended—I mentioned that yesterday—but PLAY is also good for your brain, including SHOCK—playing video games like Tetris and Candy Crush. The issue with those is that they are addictive, and you have to find a way to stop after a certain amount of time. |I will NOT play video games. My past addictive behavior with computer games is not something I want to get into. 

Then I spent about an hour with the puzzle last night. I look forward to this relaxed time with my brain - no books, no music, just chilling! 

Progress on the puzzle

I didn't quite find a home for all the pieces I had set out the night before, but I did find one of the two missing border pieces! I still don't understand why they don't just jump out! I'm loving spending an hour each evening working on the jigsaw puzzle. It's a nice diversion, and I'm so anal about the pieces. Yep -- I moved some of them, so I'm now down to three design boards, including the one that holds my current working pieces. I could consolidate them onto two boards, I'm sure. But the repetition of moving them? That's very good for your brain!! The tactile thing and keeping them organized—I love it!!!

There are lots of funky things I still need to assemble, and I'm still finding pieces with bits of yellow, red, blue, green, and purple, though I think I have them all now. I'm down to metal and woodgrain! 

I have several videos as part of my prep for the weekend classes, and I have them all set to go for when I'm back from the gym. It's going to be a busy day, and I had better get myself organized!! The extra 20 minutes I spend at the gym after my spin class has been incredible. I'm working on my stretching and working on my abs. WOW -- I will never have a six-pack, but my core is getting much stronger. And guess what that means? My stability and balance are getting better!! I used to struggle with the ab workout, but it's getting so easy. I must up my game!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Lost and found!

I love how we all have similar interests!!! And we have no end to the creativity and fun we have while doing those. I got a picture from Lynn, and she used the orange collage fabric in her butterfly quilt! It was probably used near the bottom in that orange bit? But maybe also on the border. 

Another use of the collage fabric

Either way --- it's a fun fabric, but I won't be searching for more. I have my fat quarter of orange, and that's good enough for me. 

As for doing puzzles on the computer -- that's an amazing alternative to doing them in person. I am trying to get away from constantly using the computer for everything, as I spend a lot of time each day writing, emailing, or making a presentation. It's nothing to find new puzzles by exchanging them with others, buying them from the thrift store on senior discount day (yesterday: 5 books and three 1000-piece puzzles) for $30, tax included! That's a lot of entertainment for $30!!! And getting rid of the puzzles? That is definitely not an issue because I can return them to the thrift store and get a 25% coupon, or I can pass them along to others in my circle. 

There is something about laying them out on the design boards (no trays for me!), and then searching through them. I am a very analytical person, and the arranging and rearranging of the pieces is something my brain needs to function. It's repetitive, extremely calming, and very therapeutic! 

Did I make progress yesterday? Oh yes --- I waited patiently until after dinner, then grabbed all the blue and green pieces, as well as a few with tiny bits of red and yellow that I had missed the times before. I'm down to four design boards with pieces now. What I love about this is that the space required is so minimal. And it's right in the middle of my sewing chaos, and yet I don't see it during the day. 

The amount of space I need is equal to the size of the puzzle, which is the end of a banquet table. 

Great progress on the puzzle

Putting the blue and green pieces in the puzzle went so quickly, I felt somewhat "cheated!" but that's OK, I had other things to do. To give me a bit more satisfaction, I pulled the pieces for tonight and placed them on a design board, now that I have a free one. So I'm all set when the time comes. I am teaching myself discipline and focus by stopping when I say I will. I need that because I have a very addictive brain, and if I let it go, I would get no sleep. 

Speaking of sleep! After reading about sleep in the Brain at Rest book, sleep is probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and yet so many people poo-poo how much sleep they need and are running on empty. Did you know that sleep helps rebuild and repair your body, including your immune system? You NEED sleep. I got 6 hours 40 minutes according to my app, out of 7 and a half that I was in bed, so that's not so bad. 

And napping? The author of the book "The Brain at Rest" LOVES napping, and so do I. 30 minutes is a good amount to nap. EVERY DAY!!!!

I was cleaning up a folder with more paper crap -- I just cannot imagine leaving this to someone else. There wasn't much in, but the dental bills (dating back to 2001) are now gone. I've decided to keep the medical stuff for the current year, after it's been claimed by insurance. At this point, we do not need those bills for income tax purposes - maybe sometime in the future, the total amount we pay will be higher, but for now, I keep one year (labeled) and then out it goes. I even made a label for the folder. 

My very thin medical folder

Then realized I already had another thin folder, also labeled "medical". So the two folders were amalgamated, and the empty one is in the supply cabinet. I had a few spare moments in the kitchen yesterday, so I even went through some of what was set aside for today. Oh my—I may even have to get another folder out! Slow and steady! 

Ooops --- duplicate!

When I'm buzzing around taking pictures in Studio B and then realize that I have put my phone down somewhere, but where - it can be a problem. Yesterday, I couldn't find the darn thing anywhere, and because it's completely silent (no vibration, no buzz), I couldn't call it. Only after going back over my racks did I realize it was UNDER this mat, where the serger sits. Seriously??? I need to stop doing that!

The phone was under the mat!

Before you think I'm completely mad and slipped it under the mat, not so. The mat wasn't under the serger, and I was taking pictures of the serger. Then I slipped the mat onto the table and put the serger back on the mat. I didn't realize my phone was beside the serger, and the mat went over it. 

And then I found it under the yarn by the long arm. 

Another hiding spot for the phone

One day, I will lose it for good. I need to put it in my pocket instead of setting it down. But I got lots of work done - not as much as I would have liked, but then I never accomplish as much as I set out to, as I always have big dreams, but I'm still on target to get everything done by when it needs to be done. That even included some handwork!!! I have some YouTube videos to watch, so I sat there doing the homework while watching them. 

I have this bag of ornaments I was working on and have almost finished them all, but some small, fussy pieces needed to be cut out, and some hand stitching was required. So I set up a TV table beside the computer, and the stuff resides there. I have 2/3 of the fiddly cutting done, and then I need to sew on six bells and draw some faces. OH - and some fusing. Then I can call these things done! Another bag of stuff that has been sitting on the current project table. 

My evening handwork project

What is nice about those current project tables is that they handily contain all the current projects. OK -- that's a lie since there are tubs of stuff on the floor that are too large to go on the table, but that's OK -- they are contained and form a wall around Murphy's mat, so she has a nice dark area to sleep. But the most important thing is that NOTHING additional has been added to those tables in months! So that is a huge bonus!!! It means I'm actually getting ahead of the game! And I love games!!!

I started culling the T-shirts in my drawer. I will never wear these again, so they went in the pile of T-shirts from which to make a T-shirt quilt for myself. I love T-shirt quilts as they are heavy and I LOVE heavy quilts. 

T-shirts for my T-shirt quilt!

Yes - I like to wear bicycle T-shirts, but the black one has a V-neck, and I can't stand wearing a V-neck. The purple one is starting to wear thin, so both are retired. The one from the fabric company - where will I ever wear that again? But it will go into the memory T-shirt quilt that I plan to make. Hey, I can make as many as I want!

I am feeling pretty content these days. So much to do, but I can only do a little bit each day, and there is absolutely ZERO rush to get this stuff done. No deadline, and I can completely ignore the mess. I don't see it, just like a hoarder doesn't see the mess in their house. I completely ignore that current project table! I'm good with that. I want to enjoy the process of making, not rush to finish something. 

The girls were in their glory yesterday. It was very cold (it must be cold for me to say that), and they loved being outside. Something interesting had attracted their attention in the forest. 

MOM - please open the gate!

And that Murphy - you give her an inch and next thing you know, she has pushed my chair completely out of the way and lies in the very spot I need to be to work! Sigh!!!! 

MOM - just keeping your spot warm!

No news on the package - it's still "in transit," so I expect that I'll only see it pop up in my mailbox unannounced. It's still within the delivery window. If it hasn't arrived by the end of the delivery window, I'll be at the post office asking questions. 

And on that note, I'm out of her and on my way to spin class. Good grief - I see it's still cold this morning, but hopefully no wind. That wind was bitter in the morning, and there was a layer of granular ice (in most spots). Yuck!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Things to make from collaged fabric!

Dang it—why do we get embarrassed when we do something silly? Especially when an acknowledgement of our slight accident and a kind word would make everything better! We are all guilty of that! Thankfully, my landing was soft, and I had no bruises, nothing. BUT it's going to be dicey out there this morning, so I may wait. I'll see how it goes. The problem is that when you get either of the girls out the door to test, it's very hard to get them back in! 

The day of puzzling continues. WAIT -- I'll start with the sewing first. 

No wait -- I'll start with updates on those niggling little things in my life. I had one last call with Microsoft, and the case is officially closed. Yeah! Although the support person was very good at calling back, it was a window, so I sometimes had to wait. But all is good - I'm very happy with the level of support I got, and I certainly got my money's worth from them!

When I questioned her about the life of Classic Outlook, she was pretty adamant that Microsoft had NOT made an official statement. And YES -- they know that the new version is missing some features. Whether they will do anything about it or not is another story. The bottom line is that I need to get moving and start clearing out the inbox. It's plain and simple. Then if I need to migrate to another interface at some point (I will - let's be honest), it won't be such a big deal. 

Now that Classic is working as it should, I rarely use the New version! But both are pinned to my taskbar in the event I need the new one. 

My package is "in transit." I know it arrived in Montreal, and that is all I see in the updates. At least it is in the Canada Post system, so if it doesn't arrive, they can do something from their end. Hopefully by Friday! 

Did I mention the engineers want the house plans to further inspect that beam? So I must try to track those down through the city. But first, I will ask the engineers if there is anything else they want. Are they trying to put me off because they don't want to look at the issue? Why didn't they say from the start what they would need? All the back-and-forth is just silly.  

OK—now let's get to the sewing. I have my jacket class this weekend, and I need to get something done! I have this Tamarack Jacket that I started a few years ago, and I need to finish it. I decided to put welt pockets in the jacket. One pocket was done, and the other was not. I thought I had not started it, but when I pulled it out, it was partially complete. The trick was to find out where I had left off. 

The welt pocket in progress

The pattern is very detailed with reasonably good diagrams, and soon I was on my way. Last night, I sat down and did all the hand-stitching required to finish the pocket. Instead of leaving the pocket loose inside the jacket to flap, I've hand-stitched it in place. It's hard to see the pocket!  

The jacket lining has "invisible" pockets.

And there are the two fronts of the jacket! All that is left to sew are the shoulders, the side seams, the sleeves, and to bind the edges. That shouldn't take long, and YES—this jacket is on the Visual To-Do list! The big question is: can I get it completed by Saturday? 

The jacket fronts

And just for fun, read this post dated May 15, 2023. It's when I did the first welt pocket. 

Last night, after sewing all afternoon, I pulled all the puzzle pieces with yellow on them and put them on the table. It's a bit awkward to work because of all the floating sections I assembled the night before. And there were so many pieces with yellow on them. It looked impossible! However, after organizing myself and studying the picture in great detail, I managed to find a home for everything with yellow in it! I love working by color, and I'm not sure there is any other way with this one. The two tape measures were interesting to assemble! Still missing two border pieces!

Progress on the tool puzzle

I also managed to connect many of the loose red sections. Today - I pick a different color! The entire process is working great for me, and I am happy to work through the day, knowing I have a reward in the evening! It works for me, and guess what? It keeps me off my phone! Not that I was on it a lot, but if I was going to scroll, it would be in the evening. I think putting the puzzle together is a much better use of my time! 

Let's go back to the puzzle fabric that I mentioned yesterday. I didn't have to dig far, and VOILA -- there was the orange fabric I was certain I had purchased. It still had the price tag on it, and I had only purchased a fat quarter. 

My orange collage fabric

Well, I had to unfold the fabric and have a good look at it. OH MY --- what an eclectic mix of orange objects! How fun!!! I don't have enough fabric to check out the repeats. WAIT --- I have a horizontal repeat, so I'll have a look at it later today! 

At least one repeat of the orange fabric! 

Of course, I had to get my orange puzzle out, and yep --- the exact same! What fun to discover that the fabric and the puzzles are the same. YES -- my orange puzzle is still in the plastic wrap, and it will remain that way until I get to it. After the tool puzzle, I have two more that I want to do first. Then I can dig in the closet and pull out the next one to work on!

Orange puzzle

Here is what I mean by old and new versions. Both are produced by Cobble Hill, but the one on the left is the old packaging, while the one on the right is the new packaging. 

Old and new styles of packaging

And there is the artist's name on the back. Shelley Davies. OH MY --- it was not a good idea to search the internet for her artwork! She does a lot of this style of artwork, and I LOVE it. She has one that is all letters and numbers. WAIT --- I need to finish a few before I can buy new ones! It is seniors' day at the thrift store, and I might just wander down to see if anything exciting is there! 

Artwork by Shelley Davies

But Brenda got as excited as I did about these puzzles—hey, she has done all seven of them! But like me, she was intrigued by the fabric. Her favorite color is blue, so she bought some of that and also pink. I laughed when I got back from my walk because there were two items she had made in my inbox!! 

A hat from the blue collage fabric

And she made an iPad case. 

An iPad case from the pink collage fabric

She must love the fabric because I believe she is out of town and happened to have both of these items with her!!!! 

Cathy, from the UFO club, made this quilt using all seven fabrics. 

A quilt from the seven collage fabrics

And I have another friend (Mary) who made a tote bag from the red fabric, and I forgot to ask her for a picture yesterday because I don't think I have one of her bag. WAIT—through my meticulous record-keeping, I have a picture of her bag!!!

Here's a picture of it in progress. 

Mary's bag, in progress

And here's a picture of it complete!!!

An open tote bag from the red collage fabric

So, if you think my pictures aren't organized, I found the last three very quickly. The ones I use are very well organized; it's the others that aren't! Someday I'll get there. It's a challenge to deal with digital and physical stuff at the same time. I have a lot more time on my hands, but not always when I want it. I really need to book a day to make a dent in the paper, but for the moment, I'm happy with my few pieces each day. I certainly don't need to keep all my dentist's bills. 

The sidewalks were beautiful yesterday -- clear and dry, even that icy patch where I fell. Throughout the evening, we had light snow, and the sidewalks are covered this morning. Sigh........ And it's cold!!! But the girls are in their element! 

MOM - we are HAPPY!!!

I'm off to accomplish lots today! And I can't wait! I have no idea why this happens, but when I need to get my act together and create something, I think and think and think, and ideas form, but I'm not excited about them, and so it's hard to get motivated to make them. Then, as the deadline approaches, the idea slams into my head, and I want to sew!!! That happened the other day, and I'm all ready to get started today, while I keep working on the two classes for the weekend, but all of that is pretty much under control. 

WAIT—someone mentioned the Southampton Market and the Puzzle Room!!!! I had a look online, and YES—the puzzle room is huge. I may have to take a day trip this summer!!!! 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Did you know this? Do you care?

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with the HST fetish! They are easy to make and reduce the amount of waste quilts produce. Did you know that textiles are among the largest items in landfills? I'm sure lots of that comes from fast fashion, but I bet quilting and cotton fabrics are right up there! 

PLUS --- these units are small and will not take up much room, so as we downsize, we can still sew lots without requiring a ton of fabric. You will always have enough fabric, and you'll never run out! I love the darn little things, and I'm excited to cut and trim them, especially now that I have a plan and am up to date on trimming. The sewing? I'm working on it, but there is absolutely no rush. 

The same goes for the hourglass blocks. Some of the half-square triangles are large. Much larger than I want to mess around with in my teeny half-square triangle quilts, so I make them into hourglass blocks, and as you saw yesterday, I can make some neat scrappy quilts from them. 

A couple more hourglass blocks

After the UFO Club in the morning, I managed to get some sewing done, and it looks amazing. I love how everything starts to come together as you near the end of a project, and it's lovely having plenty of time to make that happen. I have three projects I need to finish by this weekend, and I've got plenty of time to work on all three. 

By the way, here is something that we are all learning in the UFO Club. First, many of us are finishing projects that are decades old, and it feels good. But what is even more important is that people are learning to evaluate the worthiness of some of those projects. Why was it shelved as a UFO, and is it worth finishing? Lots of people are discovering this as we continue our journey, and I think it's a very valuable lesson. 

Today, I'm going to share something weird!! I had no clue until I started looking more closely, and Brenda actually brought it to my attention. Otherwise, I'd still be clueless! Thanks, Brenda!

Let's take a look at the green puzzle by Cobble Hill that I completed last week. 

My Cobble Hill Rainbow Collection - Green collage puzzle

Nice puzzle and loads of fun to put it together. As I've mentioned, there are SEVEN puzzles in the series, and you can check them out at this link. Puzzles Canada, by the way, is an amazing place to purchase puzzles. It is a warehouse-type store that is open to the public, and you could go mad trying to decide which puzzles to bring home. And they have them all (OK, not all), but from small to big—they have a huge variety. 

Anyway, in this Rainbow Collection series of puzzles, there are seven colors - pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I see they have a 2000-piece puzzle in the same style with all seven colors mixed in. Hmmmmmm

I had fun doing the puzzle, and since it's a series, you know me - I want to do all the colors. I assumed they were separate puzzles, and I'd do one at a time and pass them along. 

BUT Brenda included this photo in her email. Obviously, she also liked and has done all the puzzles, and look what she sent me. She had carefully kept the puzzles intact and put them together when she was done. 

Brenda's THREE collage puzzles together

It's a little hard to see, but that is the purple puzzle on the left, the pink in the middle, and the red on the right!!!! And can you believe it, but the images run into each other!!!!!

The collage puzzles blend into each other!

The word DOMINOES at the bottom is partially on the pink and mostly on the red! I didn't know that!!

I emailed Brenda back, and she sent me this picture from the back of her puzzle box—not mine, as mine is an older version (square, not rectangular). 

A REAL long rainbow collage

See how they have all seven of the puzzles lined up!! Who knew?

To make things more interesting, Northcott launched a fabric line called Northcott Color Collage several years ago. It's gone from their website, so I have no idea, but I'm guessing it was 2018 or 2019? Yes - I had seen it and wanted it, but I had nothing to make with it, so I didn't bother buying any. Maybe I bought a piece of the orange, but I'd have to check my stash. 

Anyway, I decided to investigate further and OH MY GOSH --- they simply licensed these puzzle prints and put them on fabric!!!! 

The red puzzle box

This is a picture of the red fabric!!!!

The red fabric!

Let's go back to the green puzzle. 

Green puzzle

And here is the fabric with repeats. 

The green fabric with repeats

There is no mistaking that the print and the puzzles are the same design. I'm not always a fan of how fabric repeats are designed; they try to blend them seamlessly, but sometimes it looks really fake. Not just Northcott, but all design houses. I should explore that a bit more one other day to show you. Now I have to dig out my orange, if I have it, and check the repeats. Stay tuned!!!!

Did you know that? I did not!!!!

As for progress on the current puzzle? I pulled all the red/orange pieces from the design boards and sat there until I had found a home for them all. And they are roughly placed where they belong in the puzzle. I'm going to work on the yellow pieces next. There are going to be a whole lot of brown/wood-grain pieces at the end, but I'll work my way through this. I have ten evenings in which to finish it, which I should be able to. 

Progress on the tool puzzle

And just like that, it's the start of a new week, and I'm off to spin class. It's very warm this morning, and the bit of snow we got yesterday is gone. I sure hope that is the last of the snow, as I'm tired of walking on eggshells so I don't slip. I was walking Murphy yesterday on the grass, as I knew this particular patch of sidewalk (shaded by trees) had a layer of ice under the snow. At one point, I decided to gingerly step on the sidewalk, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground! DANG!!!!! Luckily, I fell back onto the grass and suffered no damage, but a slip can be very dangerous, and I do NOT need a broken limb. That makes two falls this winter and a couple of near misses. That's too many for me! My knee was a bit sore when I first fell, but thankfully, I could get up gracefully and walk the pain out. It was fine by the time I got home. 

But sometimes, when you fall, you just want to lie there, thinking, what an idiot! I knew there was ice, but I thought I was being careful. Perhaps Murphy pulled at that same moment. Things happen so fast, you don't really have time to react. However, my second thought was to get up—I don't need anyone stopping to ask if I'm OK. 

Have a super day, and I might have to go puzzle shopping! I won't, but it's tempting! 2000 pieces of rainbow collage!!!!! 

Ciao!!!!


PS — The Canada Post tracking system says my package is "in transit" with a delivery window of 3-7 business days! I'm beyond excited!!!! It's been a long time! Let's hope it actually comes through this time. 

When the world of puzzles and quilting collide!

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

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

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

Making hourglass blocks from scraps

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

Can you spot the scrappy hourglass quilt?

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

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

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

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

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

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

My new puzzle

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

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

The pieces are laid out.

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

The border pieces

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The girls have some downtime.

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

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

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Progress is tracking positive!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now onto something tamer! 

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

MOM -- more snow!!!!

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

All the cables for the film studio set-up

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

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

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

Now look at the new tracking number. 

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

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

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

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

Two lanyards fixed! 

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

My Conqueror medals since 2020

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

The stitching in the rug came apart.

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

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

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

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

Half-square triangles - trimmed!

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

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!