Farm Fabric!

I have to laugh at the comments about the higher toilets. I asked DH about it, and I got a typical male response: nothing. How can they go through life with such a lack of enthusiasm??? Oh well -- each to their own. I have enough enthusiasm for two people!

I have good news! All the class emails went out yesterday. And YES, there were a couple of glitches because I used the same information email for all four classes, but changed the dates and links, etc. And of course, I forgot to remove ONE sentence from the last group I sent. Thankfully, someone caught it, and I was able to send a note telling them to ignore that sentence.  

I swear, it doesn't matter how many times I proofread those emails; there always seems to be something I miss! I was worried about the dates and times because they're important, and they're tricky. My schedule doesn't always feel like my own. It would be so easy to say a particular class is always on the third Saturday, but that just isn't going to happen, and I really try to accommodate holidays and other special days. But sometimes? There just aren't enough weekends in a month! 

Thankfully, there weren't more classes. NOTE to self: next year, the maximum I will do is THREE, not four classes. All is good - it just makes it a challenge to schedule these all on the weekend along with everything else that all seems to happen on the weekends.  

WAIT -- there is good news. We have agreed on a SECOND scrap session. The information will be out in the Thimbles and Things newsletter, which comes out TODAY. YES -- it's in the newsletter - I just confirmed it. Be sure to pop over to their website to get signed up. A reminder, the class fee is $50 for the 10-part series. 

It is going to be super exciting and I can't wait to see and hear all the stories about scraps and scrap quilts! I know we are going to have some glorious show and tell. Oh my—I see some people have already enrolled! 

I was flipping through my blog the other day and spotted this picture. This is from 2023, and yes, I was organizing the office.  

An office sort session from 2023

It looks much better now than it did then, and this was an improvement from 2017. So progress is being made. The one thing we must remember about this space is that if there is something that I don't know what to do with, it gets dumped here. And because I haven't given a home to everything that is supposed to be here, it looks junky. BUT leaps and bounds of progress have been made. I'm getting there! 

I went to the gym and spent an hour with Brooke. I'm not sure what we did differently, but my arms are tired today! As a matter of fact, I was tired yesterday, so I needed a nap. And I'm OK with that. I went back to the gym in the afternoon to get my hair cut. They have a salon there (well, an entire spa). I tried to get my hair cut at the local salon, but they were booked up. So I got in the car and went to the gym. 

I had an intersting chat with the stylist. As an employee, she gets access to the gym and she is taking full advantage of it. She just learned to swim, works out with the equipment, and is planning to try pilates and yoga. We had a grand chat about towels and the lack of respect that people have for towels at a gym. They would NOT be bringing five towels to the gym if there wasn't a service. But they are quite happy to use many towels for one visit. It's sad. 

It was a fun haircut, albeit more expensive than the local salon. But I needed it cut! She knows Brooke, of course, so we got to compare notes on her training style and her adventures in these fitness competitions. Suzie was very funny and so enthusiastic!! 

DH was away in the day, but that didn't deter Lexi from protecting his space! This is her favorite spot in the day and lies right outside his office door. Since she is starting to be a little hard of hearing, I think you could carefully walk over her, and she wouldn't notice! But we won't let her know that. She is a good guard dog! 

DAD - I'm protecting your space when you are away!

I sort of got caught up in that audiobook, and I had to finish it. I really liked it. It's called "This Story Might Save Your Life" by Tiffany Crum. If you want to read this, I highly suggest you listen to the book, since it's about two podcasters and it's just better to listen than read. The narrators were excellent. 

In the past, I've read a lot of detective/mystery books, and typically this genre has a serious aspect to it. Lately, I've noticed that a lot of detective/mystery books have added a comedic atmosphere. Of course, that is not new, as we have Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich, who have mysteries but could also be classified as comedy. Now with Richard Osman, Benjamin Stevenson, and others, this is becoming the new norm. I don't mind—they are fun to read. 

And now I'm onto the next audiobook. This one is quite different - "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I'm not sure how this got on my recommendation list, but I think it's going to be an eye-opener. We MUST NOT take our lives in our country for granted. The main character has just been asked by her new husband to wear a burka when out in public. Sigh.....   Can you imagine? 

This was the girls when I was trying to finish the audiobook. Yes—I am horizontal on the loveseat. It just seemed to be one of those days!!! They had to be close to me - the silly girls. 

MOM - do you need some entertainment? 

I don't know what was with Murphy in the morning, but we have taken the same route (more or less) for years. And yet yesterday, when we got to a split in the path, she NEEDED to go the other way. That threw the entire neighborhood off, since everyone has their routes, and we met so many dogs doing their loop!! 

After dinner, when I realized I needed bananas for breakfast and their walks had been cut short in the morning, I decided to take them both with me to the grocery store. I know -- what was I thinking? 

But they sat quietly outside the store, and then I walked them home. I didn't have a lot to buy, so it all worked out just fine. Despite Murphy slowing down, she just has to be in front when I walk them together. By the time we were on our way home, she had settled down. What a silly girl. 

MOM - hurry up!!! We need to get moving!

Alright—let's get to the sewing part of the day. I managed to get the outer border on Down on the Farm. The top is done!!!

Down on the Farm - quilt top - DONE!!!

I added a 2" inner border of chocolate brown and a 6-inch border (cut 6½") for the outer border. That darn quilt is big!!! It's something like 66" by 77", more or less. Yikes!!!!! 

This is all that remains from that directional farm print. There is one seam in each border, which I would have had to do anyway. It worked out perfectly!!! These scraps went back into the box with the rest of the farm fabric. 

The leftovers from making the border

Oh - I see so many opportunities to chat about scraps in our upcoming class!!! I must send them a note asking for some photos and questions, and I must get that done today. 

Then it was on to making the backing. In that same pile of farm fabric, I had three yardage pieces for backing. I did NOT have enough of any for the backing, so I picked two, and I'm in the process of making that. I hope to get that finished today, along with the binding. 

Backing fabrics for the farm quilt

So that is good, and then I MUST get some work done on that long arm leader! Even if it's only marking the seam lines for the magnets. That has to be done! I need the long arm back in working order. And I need to get to work on my UFO for this month. The entire summer has passed, and I've not done a single thing on it! Now the class is less than two weeks away! It's not that I haven't been working, but the intent of the UFO class is to get us to work on the OLD stuff, not just the new!

Thank goodness for Dillon, who is a movie buff. He alerted me yesterday that a new block of movie tickets for Odyssey in 70 mm IMAX has been released, and I got tickets for Sept 28. The end of September and October are going to be tricky for scheduling, but all is good. Once I told DH I bought those tickets, he said, "What about Spider-Man?" Good grief—I don't have time for all these movies!!! 

And oh my --- a cute little 3-D machine embroidery haunted house just happened to slide into my online shopping cart yesterday. My friend bought two, and I got one, so we are good for a while to keep us entertained. 

Do NOT forget to sign up for the scrap session (the SECOND one) if you missed out the first time. Once people wake up this morning and see that, the class will fill very quickly. There will NOT be a third session. 

So yes, there will be more computer work this morning, but I need to get downstairs and get some work done! I have a few classes to prep for next week! 

And don't forget - it's going to be a good day. And if not, change something to make it a good day!!!

Ciao!!!

Outed by the plumber!!

Good grief -- how many days am I going to have before I can actually have a quiet day to myself? 

I managed to get some paperwork done in the morning, but not before someone called with something they needed, and I wanted to get it out of the way. I worked on that on and off throughout the day, and I managed to get it done last night. Someone else emailed me because they were having sewing machine problems. I sent a few emails back, but then I got an email that they used AI to diagnose their problem. Then I got a phone call I needed to take, which required several follow-up emails. 

What about my distribution lists? What about my sewing? It was a crazy sort of day, and while I got work done, it wasn't quite the work I wanted to do! 

Here's a really good piece of advice that I learned from Sara at Sewingmastery.com. She gets emails all the time from people who need help with their sewing machine. Her suggestion: Google your problem first and then, if you can't find the solution, call a friend! Google is amazing these days, and you don't need to use ChatGPT. I'm shocked at how many "older" people are using that. Just Google it. WAIT ---we can't use Google these days because they are idiots!!! But you get the picture. Go to YouTube -- there is always an answer on YouTube.

While I love AI, I don't. I think we are wasting a huge amount of time and money on having AI create pretty pictures for us!!! 

One distribution list (40 Shades of Grey) is out the door, along with all the information emails. I'm working on the other three, and they need to go out today!!! That was my priority yesterday and is still my priority this morning. It all just takes time, and with all the interruptions, it was hard to work!!! 

WAIT -- there is good news. There will be a SECOND session for the scrap quilt class I'm running at Thimbles and Things. I'll get the new dates to the store today, so watch for that in her newsletter this week. 

BUT I managed to get some sewing done. 

The first thing I did was to audition the brown versus the green fabric. 

Auditioning the green and the brown

You know what? I'm good with the brown. I didn't find enough brown for the inner border and the binding, but I'm in a make-do mode, and the two browns won't touch each other, so I'll use a different brown for the binding. 

Wait—let me explain what happened at lunch, because that threw the entire afternoon under the bus. I was sitting at the table having my lunch when I heard water running in the house. At first, I thought it was the outdoor tap, so I went to check, and everything seemed OK. I could still hear the water, but I thought I'd finish my lunch and then investigate further. 

DH came out of his office and asked if I could hear water running, so I decided to investigate then. Outside again, nothing. I went downstairs to the furnace room to check the outdoor tap located there. Nothing. But I could hear water running down the sewage pipe. OH DEAR - that is not good. 

Back upstairs to check the toilets, and YES, the toilet in the primary bedroom was running. I flushed again. It still ran. Then I checked the flap to see if it was not seated properly. It was. So I shut the water off for that toilet and called the plumber. I could have been all heroic and checked online, but I didn't have time for that. 

I was lucky because I called about noon and I was going to get a plumber that day! I ran (OK—I walked) to the mall to do my errand for the day—Seniors' Day at Bulk Barn—and I needed a couple of things. 

Back home, and that's when I got this done on Down on the Farm. 

The inner border on Down on the Farm

I was literally ironing the outer border fabric when the plumber arrived, and then the afternoon just went haywire. I don't even remember what happened while he was here. OH -- phone calls, and computer work. 

Let me tell you quickly about the plumber. I use Mr. Rooter, and I seem to have bought some membership from them years ago which allows me discount pricing, paying by the project, not by hour, a free inspection, etc. 

You never know who to expect when you answer the door. In the past, the plumbers have been older gentlemen, and usually with an accent from somewhere. Not a big deal. So imagine my surprise when I answered the door and this very young man with a nice, clear voice was standing there. At first, I thought he was part of a team. Nope -- he was alone - a plumbing technician. Not sure if that's different from a plumber. 

Anyway, he was very articulate and very nice. 

He checked out the toilet by dropping in a dye tablet to see if the flap was sealed properly. And then we checked the rest of the faucets and toilets in the house. OH shoot -- that's when I remembered that I spotted the faucet in the guest room tub was leaking. She hadn't noticed, and no one uses that bathroom now that our guest has moved out. 

Leaky faucet in the bathroom

So that required a repair job as well. The cartridge behind the tap itself caused the leak, and this tap was always hard to push and pull. Now it works like a charm. 

Now here's the embarrassing part. Michael needed to check the main water shutoff valve to the house. And OH MY -- that is where the puzzles are stored. Thank goodness I had tidied up one part of that area a couple of days ago. 

So while he waited, I had to move a "few" puzzles off this narrow box because the water shutoff valve is under it. 

The location of the water shutoff valve

Thankfully, I found homes for a few of the puzzles in a different spot because, technically, if you needed to shut off the water in a hurry, you don't want to be moving a bunch of puzzles around. 

I put a few puzzles back on the wooden box. And it looked like this. 

What remains on the shutoff valve box

But I had to move that all again when he needed to shut off the water to fix the drip in the tub. I guess that definitely means no more puzzles, as some of my hiding spaces were taken away!!!!

There was some valve in the toilet that was broken and I could replace or fix. Everyone in my area seems to be in the replace mode, so I went for a replace. This way, DH, who mostly uses this bathroom, gets a comfort-height toilet, which will be better for his knees! 

Replacing the toilet was quite an ordeal as some flange was broken at the top of the poop pipe. 

Getting a new toilet

It was a complicated job to fix, and he didn't finish until after 6:30. I couldn't even have a nap!!! He said it was the most complicated toilet he'd ever replaced in his short career. He has been a plumber for about two years. I was pretty excited to see a nice young man taking up a trade. He will be employed for life! 

Well, I tried napping when the plumber went to get a new toilet, but that didn't work because Murphy was on the main floor and she wanted something - actually, I think she was outside. And with less mobility, she is more dependent on us to get her around. Plus we block off parts of the house if we can't supervise her - mostly the stairs. 

However, I will say that she did very well yesterday in the chaos. To top it off, we had heavy rain and storms (lightning and thunder) and phone alerts going off, and she was quite calm through the entire ordeal. Poor Murphy!!!!

MOM - it's scary, but I know you will protect me!

She definitely wants to do things like her old boisterous self, but she needs help. Being her help buddy on the stairs is a physical workout! But all is good. 

After 7 PM, I finally got a chance to work on the latest jigsaw puzzle, and after my collection was outed by the plumber, I need to work faster and not buy any more. 

I pulled all the pieces for the white house and started working. 

The pieces I pulled for last night

Before I finished for the night, this is what it looked like. I'm not sure which color I'll go for next. 

Progress on the puzzle

I'm listening to a really good book at the moment, and well, I needed to know what happened, so I worked a wee bit later than I wanted, but I still got six hours of sleep, with one hour of that being deep sleep. I'll probably want a nap later today, but I'm OK with that. The book is called "This Story May Save Your Life" by Tiffany Crum. I still have three hours to go. 

And with that storm yesterday, the temperature was extremely erratic. It was beautiful in the morning once the mist dried off. And it was cool with a nice breeze. Then we had a bit of rain, and the humidity hit like a wall of water. It got humid so quickly, and it appears to be all gone this morning, but it's still damp from all the rain.  

To top the day off, I'm trying to help Dad with his computer. He and banking and the computer aren't a great combination, but he is determined to figure it out. So last night before going to bed, I sent him a bunch of pictures, and let's see what happens. I sent him one more this morning. I don't think he gets the concepts of the windows in Windows. Open a window and then minimize it. I think he only opens one program at a time and then closes it. 

OH, and I should mention that DH and I both use Shokz as an open-ear bud for audiobooks (me only), our phones, and the computer. They suck as a microphone for the computer, yet work just fine on the cell phone. Why is that? They are horrible, and so he is returning his. Then he asked if I wanted to return mine. I'm not sure returning will help—they have a technical issue, and I want one that works! So I was looking up receipts for that!! 

It's funny because when I first got mine, they worked just fine with the computer, and now we have some sort of issue. Is that more interference in our house? What the heck is with all this technology stuff? At least this time, it's not just me!!!

On that happy note, the welcoming emails are coming, and I hope to get the border on my Down on the Farm today. But first I'm off to the gym to see Brooke. 

It is going to be a GOOD day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Studio B is looking great!

Yes - I need to get that oven fixed so I can bake my own muffins. We eat more processed foods than I would like, but really it's not a lot. BUT -- I need to be more mindful and be more aware. I didn't have time yesterday to discover how much sugar is in my other two gummies. I'll investigate, and I MUST call about the oven!

I forgot to share this photo with you yesterday. 

The first row of Down on the Farm

During Monday Sewing, I managed to get the top row of Down on the Farm together! And it looks amazing! 

Yesterday, I forged ahead and got all the blocks together. 

The blocks are together for Down on the Farm.

It's an absolutely adorable quilt! A lot of work, but well worth it. In that picture, you can't see my light grass at the bottom that I substituted, but you can certainly see the turtle in the pond! 

Now comes the question of adding the borders, and I was hoping to do that yesterday; however, after searching all my greens, I couldn't find one dark enough that I had enough of. 

Auditioning for a border

Shoot—I really don't want to have to go buy any fabric. I might try a dark brown or even black to see if either of those would work. I have large pieces of both. But it definitely needs something dark between the inner part and the border. It will take a bit to get that outer border together, since I will have to piece it because it's directional and I'm working with two large scrap pieces, but I'm determined to use it up! The binding will be the same color as the inner border. 

The other piece of good news is this. 

The underside of the second table

That second table went together so much faster than the first one. I even took the time to wind up the excess cord and tuck it into the open rail along the bottom of the table. I also attached the control holder to the underside of the table. I did NOT do that on the first one, because I couldn't figure it out upside down. 

DH and I seemed to have a harder time flipping this one, though! It was HEAVY!

Now I have to attach the holder on the first table and tidy up the cords. It was much easier upside down, but I'll manage. If it doesn't get done right away - hmmmm - two thoughts on that. It doesn't really matter, but the tools are out - let's get it done because it will be one of those jobs that is easy to set aside. 

Now there is even more packaging in the garage that needs to be tidied up! I'm working on it, and it was garbage day yesterday, so some of the garbage went. There is a lot of cardboard, and next week is recycling day, so I'll be sure to fill up the bin. I need to do that quickly, as it's hard to maneuver in the garage, as I've been opening the inside door and winging things in! 

Right now, I have three embroidery machines (only two are set up with the embroidery unit attached), the serger, and one more small sewing machine that I need set up later today. So instead of removing two of the original worktables, I only removed one. I set the other one up at the other end of the two new ones. That makes it a bit squishy in that area, but I think it's going to work just fine. It's not permanent because at some point, one of the embroidery machines and the small sewing machine will go away. 

The current setup for the work tables

But oh my goodness—there is so much stuff sitting out that needs to be addressed. By addressed, I mean it needs to be finished! It would be great to have an extra closet to put it away, but there isn't room, so it must be dealt with. The question is: how do I tackle it and get it done? One piece at a time! I need to start working on my UFO, which I haven't touched all summer. That is on the agenda for today!

Now to get the long arm back in action, and then all my tools will be in place and in working order, and I can get down to some serious work. 

I also need to reattach my table decoration rod so I can hang up a few things on it. 

I took a few minutes yesterday to work on my logic puzzles. This book sits on my jigsaw puzzle table, and now that the other table is up, the puzzle table is usable again.

My logic puzzle book

There are 50 logic puzzles in this book, and there is one storyline throughout the book. This style of logic puzzle book has become extremely popular. I think I've done the first 6, which so far are very easy. I can do them in under a minute! But the puzzles will get harder. The first ones in the book use a two-by-two grid - well, that's hard to explain. Here's a picture. And with only four clues, they are pretty easy to figure out what goes where. 

A two by two grid for the logic puzzles

Some of the later ones are in a three-by-three grid, but I didn't check the number of clues. And some of those clues can be very convoluted, and you need to use two or more clues together to figure out what goes where. 

The three-by-three grid

I have some logic puzzle magazines that use many clues and a four-by-four grid! It's a great diversion, and I'm trying to scroll less! 

Although I am consumed by reading these days. Either an audiobook or an ebook, I seem to be constantly reading. I currently have EIGHT books in my active reader, which is NOT good. One is done, so it must be returned today, and four of the others are partially completed - some had to be returned as they couldn't be renewed and ended up back in my inbox. And three are brand new. I hope to get that caught up soon. 

My goal for the year was 52 books - one a week, and included fiction and non-fiction. I'm happy to report that I have read 56 books! So could I possibly make it two books a week? No—I'm not on track for that, but I could be on track for 78 books, which is 1.5 books a week. I don't really need a goal - I just need to keep reading. 

I see M posted something about being anti-competitive, and she is right. We are so quick to compare ourselves to someone else - I need to read more than my neighbor. No, you don't! You read what fits in your schedule. You should be reading for enjoyment, and NOT to keep up with anyone else. The same goes for quilting, jigsaw puzzles, walking, whatever - you have to do what works for you! 

Since the puzzle table is now free again, I decided to open up the next puzzle. Typically,l I just lay out those pieces willy-nilly on my design boards, and I need five of them for a 1000-piece puzzle. 

For whatever reason, I laid them out in rows (more or less), and I only need three boards and a bit! Hmmm --- that's something to remember for speed puzzling, where you are limited to a certain space or working on a giant puzzle. Neither of which I may do, but it's good to learn new techniques. 

The pieces are neatly laid out on the design boards.

Before I closed up shop last night, this is what I got done. There is an American flag in the top corner, and that was easy. I'm still missing some border pieces. 

The border is mostly together.

BUT - I needed to finish my chapter in my book, so I grabbed a few more pieces, and this is how I ended the evening. 

WAIT - I did more!

I definitely put the design boards and the box on this one. I MUST not touch it during the day. If I find myself getting distracted, I may have to relegate myself to using Studio U for puzzles. 

I spotted this on the morning walk. 

The sunbeams through the trees

I'm not sure how much of that was mist or dust, but it was pretty! And I see it's pretty misty/foggy this morning. It was humid yesterday, and it's supposed to be humid today. Then I think it cools off again. Fortunately, our house is pretty decent, and with the new fans, I don't find the heat/humidity in the house an issue at all. 

Very foggy this morning

I also noticed the ground in the forest is littered with acorns and acorn bits. The squirrels are having a grand time in the oak trees.

Acorns and acorn bits litter the ground.

I also got a lot of paperwork done yesterday. The next time I decide to host more than one class at a time, remind me that it's not the teaching of the class, but the paperwork to get all the lists set up! Actually, I don't mind, and I'm happy to report that three of the four classes I'm teaching this fall are pretty much ready to go. I have one more distribution list to put together today. 

If all goes well, I should have everything out by tomorrow. Phew. And I started researching/prepping for the presentations, which start next weekend. NOT this coming weekend, but the weekend after. I can hardly wait, but first, I need to select fabrics for my quilts and get my act together. 

Actually, I should do that today and see if I'm missing anything, like backgrounds; if so, it might be time to make a trip to the quilt store. Then I could get that dark green. But I'll check the brown and black first. 

It's going to be a busy day, and I'm off to the gym as well. My sciatic nerve is doing so much better, and the weakness in my left leg, while I still don't trust it, is so much better as well. I will never get rid of the arthritis in my knees, but if I can make the situation better, then it's worth doing the exercises. 

It is going to be a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Hidden spots for refined sugar

Here's hoping for a good start on the day! I have resent emails to the class groups for Show and Tell, 40 Shades of Grey, and My Kinda Town. I just sent them a few minutes ago. If you did NOT receive an email about one of those classes, and you have signed up, please let me know. And this will be the FINAL call for signing up! You can also forward the class link to a friend if you want, but I need to firm those lists up so I can move on to prepping the classes. 

The scrap quilt confirmation will be coming by tomorrow. 

I goofed in not searching my inbox for those emails I missed in my initial sorting process, and some people signed up for two or more classes in the same email, and it's kind of hard to put one email in two spots. But I believe all is good. 

Speaking of medications, what about supplements? I take a few of those, and I guess you could go crazy as you stand in the drug store scouring the shelves. I take a couple of gummies—I know—it's silly. But the other day we had a chat about gummies in our sewing group. 

Someone mentioned that the gummies are full of sugar, and one person, who takes a gummy, said she washes the sugar off, and then it's OK. Seriously? That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Some gummies come with sugar on them, while the others are just a gummy. I'm sorry - a gummy is a gummy, and it's loaded with sugar.

Here's the label on my Jamieson D3 (1000 UI). 

Notice that the FIRST TWO ingredients are sugar!!!! 

I went to the website to try to find the sugar content for the gummy. These ones, by the way, do not have a sugar coating. I found the answer in the Q&A because someone asked about the sugar content as they were diabetic. I find that kind of sad that someone had to ask instead of it being displayed on the website, or why not even on the label? 

The amount of sugar per gummy is 1.5 grams, which is just less than half a teaspoon. It's not a lot, but when combined with the rest of the food we eat in a day, this could add up. For someone wanting to eliminate refined sugar from their diet, getting rid of the gummies is probably a good idea. I'm going to use up what I have, and then I'll resort to a different format. 

 For my information, I'm also going to check the sugar content of the other two gummies I take. I know - I don't eat candy, but I'm happy to eat a gummy supplement. That's kind of silly if you ask me! 

Speaking of sugar, look at this!! I'm starting to hate those labels on food because everything I like has a label with high fat, sugar, or sodium! It's not that I won't eat those bran muffins because of the high sugar or sodium content, but it's the combined quantity we eat in a day! I might track my food intake for a week and see where I stand. I should really get my butt in gear and bake muffins. WAIT - I need to get that oven fixed first. Why can't they just bake muffins that are low in sugar and sodium? WAIT -- the consumer wouldn't buy it because it would taste like cardboard. There has to be a way. Hmmm --- when I get my oven back, perhaps I could experiment to find a solution I'd like that is lower in sugar and sodium. 

My bran muffins are high in sugar and sodium.

I must add that (getting the oven fixed) to my list! I found a clipboard yesterday and started a list, as many things are floating in my head, and I need to get on top of them. Adding the oven situation to the list is important. 

My clipboard with important papers! 

Speaking of candy, I don't buy candy, but when something comes into my house, I may or may not (most likely MAY!) eat it. 

I had ordered the new power cable for the camera switch box that I lost months ago. It arrived yesterday, and they included a sucker! Of course, I ate the sucker. 

A gift with my power cord

And then I tested the power cord. It works!!!! That's music to my ears. 

The power cord works!!

And now that power cord is included in my bag of cords and cables necessary to do a Facebook Live. 

The power cord is now in the bag with the rest of the cords and cables.

Even though I said I would not pick at the paper bits on Tequila Lime, I did! But no more - I'm done. Apparently the link to the quilting design didn't work yesterday, so here it is again, with a second one. I don't know if I can manage to figure out how to do that on the long arm, but it will be a good learning experience. These designs are digitized specifically for this quilt. 

Here's a picture of the first one. 

And here's the second one. 

And OH MY—there is a third option. 

I'll have a closer look at all three and then order one. I don't think any of these patterns include an extra border, so I may rethink my plan to add another border to the quilt. 

Although you can't really see it in this picture, the air was heavy yesterday. A lot of humidity - it was so thick, it was like a mist! And we had light rain for most of the day, so it was very humid. 

The air was so heavy, you could see the humidity.

And of course, our silly girl seems to like sleeping in the rain, so she was wet for most of the day. 

MOM - I also like being in Studio B with you!

I had to clean one of my sewing machines yesterday, so I dug out a new needle. AHA -- more Diane Phalen designs on some tins. The unlabelled one is my needles, and it goes in a specific spot, so no need to label that one. I checked - none of these are the same as the puzzle I just finished. 

More Diane Phalen quilt tins

And for those of you who think I need an intervention with jigsaw puzzles, think again. Look at this. This is TWO of six bookcases where this person stores their puzzles. Oh my!!!!!

And look at this!!! Someone posted this picture - they are at a Ravensburger store in Kiel, Germany! That would NOT be a good place to go. Who knew that puzzle companies actually had their own stores? Ravensburger is a high-end, amazing-quality, huge company that sells puzzles worldwide. Just checked the map - Kiel is a town in the northeast corner of Germany, with a population of about 250,000. Big enough for a Ravensburger puzzle store!  

Ravensburger store in Kiel, Germany

Ravensburger is a German company, and their puzzles are made in Germany and the Czech Republic, although they're widely available in many shops here in North America. Well, if you dig a bit deeper, the Ravensburger company is located in Ravensburg, Germany! AHA - I did not know that. 

While I was able to return the light and order the final electrical product we need, I didn't get much else done. No table assembly, nor the leader on the long arm. Hopefully today!

I'll leave you with these words of wisdom. 

This is so true, and after some of the recent world events, we are rich beyond our means just for having a roof over our heads and clean water to drink. The world can be a scary place these days and extremely volatile. We must never take anything for granted!!

OK—here's to hoping all the class emails went to the right people and we can get started sewing on our new projects shortly!! It's September -- where did the summer go? 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

The "fun" side of paper-piecing!

OH MY!!!! It's not that I don't want to take those meds -- that particular one is just not working in my schedule! BUT -- I did accommodate it yesterday by eating later, so I think that is the best temporary solution. And when I book the physical, I'll mention it to the doctor so she can prescribe the non-restrictive medication next time. I think she wanted to do another bone density so we can see what's happening as well. 

I got some emails yesterday about missing confirmation emails for upcoming classes, and will deal with that today. And YES—there will be a confirmation email for the scrap class as well. 

Our girls are pretty silly. This is Lexi in the morning, and that pilot light is still on in the fireplace, so it gives off some heat. It's not cold in the house - cool but not cold. Doesn't she have a fur coat? What will she do in the winter? 

MOM - My butt is cold!

This is the situation I had to deal with yesterday. Both of those tables are being replaced, and that is a lot of heavy stuff to move - well, find a temporary home for, then pack up the tables and put the new ones in. Thankfully, there is very little crap on the tables, so it was all machine stuff. 

All this has to go!

Pretty soon, the two work tables were gone. Of course, Miss Murphy was there to guide me and did not move until the one table was in place. Seriously - I had to step over her, but I wasn't going to move her. Then I got the Swiffer, and then the vacuum, and I cleaned the floor. I also did some spot washing, so it's all clean. 

The two work tables are gone.

Next I moved the new table into position. Yes—I'm not a fan of that extension cord on the floor, and when I get one more electrical item (it's taking a long time to order, which I plan on finalizing today), I'm getting the electrician to come back and at that time, there are a few other things that will get done, including the installation of a plug in the ceiling so the cord can drop down and not be unsightly on the floor. Don't worry about a cord hanging from the ceiling because I have a decorative table rod that can disguise the cord. It will look just fine. 

The new table in place

While the angle of the table in the photo above and the angle of this one aren't the same, you can see the table at its lowest (above) and highest (below). Good grief -- a very tall person could work at that table. I wouldn't be able to work on it at that height. But it is sturdy as a rock! Even at the highest height. 

The highest height

And thankfully, I went with the table width I did, as the embroidery machine fits like a glove. That was the big issue in finding a new sturdy table - I needed a width of 30" (the width of the old tables), and everything was 24", which is too narrow for those big embroidery machines. It seems to be a wee bit shorter (it's not) than the previous table, but once I get to do some embroidery, I'll get everything settled in place. The second table I'm replacing is 12 inches longer than the new table, so I'm going to miss that space, but I have a plan to accommodate it. 

The embroidery machine on the new table! 

I carried all the components for the next set of legs downstairs and got DH to help me bring the tabletop down. That helps clear some of the crap in the garage, but it's now filled with packaging. I need to get cracking and break down some of the boxes, so I have room to walk. And continue sorting the stuff and get a load to the recycling depot. But all is good! 

The second table top is ready for assembly.

I did not get any work done on assembling the second table, and I hope to get that done later this afternoon, although I also have to return that light. 

Speaking of garbage and recycling, I don't understand how the city lets this happen. It looks like a bedroom and a dining room were just dumped on the edge of the street. Surely the city charges for this to be picked up. 

Why bother calling a junk service - just dump it!

I know when I take garbage to the Community Recycling Center (it takes garbage and recycling) that I get charged by weight. No charge for recycled items. So hopefully the city adds this to their taxes, or do they just get away with it? I could not do that. 

I had a walking errand in the afternoon, and that's when I spotted all that furniture. I stopped to browse in a store along the way that has a lot of artwork, and I spotted these two items. Speaking of donuts!!! This is 3-D wall art depicting donuts!!! I guess if you like donuts, this is a cool piece of art. It's very modern/contemporary and is actually quite nice. As long as it doesn't encourage you to eat donuts. I have a love/hate relationship with the definition of modern and contemporary, especially when it comes to quilts! 

Donut art!

This is the second piece that caught my eye. What does it remind you of? Yep—the printer trays that are probably becoming harder to come by. I have one for my thimbles above my desk. The art in this one is behind glass, so you leave it as is - or you could take it apart and personalize some parts of it. 

New printer tray art

We had a Virtual Retreat yesterday afternoon/evening, and I am so thankful for all the ladies who popped in to chat. I set up a spare table so I had a surface to work on as I removed the paper from my Tequila Lime quilt. That is a long, boring job, and I thought I would never see the end of it. Thankfully, others were doing boring jobs (and some fun jobs) while we all chatted. 

Removing the paper from Tequila Lime

Periodically I took the quilt top outside and gave it a good shake to remove the loose bits of paper. I was down to two and a half star points, and I was about done for the day. But we still had an hour and a half to go, so I persevered and VOILA!!!! All the paper is gone!!!! I finished shortly before we closed down for the night. 

All the paper is removed!

After ripping out the majority of the paper in an area, I took my tweezers and a pair of hemostats and removed what I could from the tight corners and seams. It would take years to actually remove all the tiny bits, so I'm calling this DONE!

Now I can add a final border to the outside, find some backing, and make binding. Then it gets moved to the "to be quilted" pile. This one is on my Visual To Do list, and I'm not sure I can get it quilted this year. I was hoping to try one of the custom-made designs for it. Here's an example; it's a digitized program you plug into the long arm computer. 

I need to get my butt in gear and get back to the long arm. Tabletop today and long arm tomorrow. Both need to be done by the end of this week! 

And this was the mess on the floor when I was done. The garbage was overflowing, and I just let the paper fall where it did. I'll clean that up this morning. 

The mess from removing the paper

OK—I'm feeling energized again to get back to work. I have Down on the Farm to assemble, and I haven't touched my UFO at all this summer, so I have no time to be slacking off. I also realized that if I want to use the design boards for the backdrop for my Facebook Live next week, all those T-shirts are on them. Yikes—I need to deal with that too. But I have a Plan B for that area, so I may not have to move them. Still, I need to get working on that quilt. It's also on the Visual To Do List. 

I can tell that unless a miracle happens, not everything on the Visual To Do List will get done. But you know what? I'm OK with that. So far this year, I've made excellent progress, and I'll keep working on those items. It gives me focus, and I've also made a lot of new things for work or whatever. I'm doing just fine! 

It's Monday morning, and I need to get my butt to the gym. I need to incorporate some fat-burning cardio back into my schedule. I miss the spin classes for that, and well, it doesn't take much for fat to appear if you are doing nothing to combat it! As you all know, it's a constant struggle. 

And on that happy note -- it's going to be a GREAT day today. 

Ciao!!!!