Anouncements and progress reports!

I know -- I know --- but that little plastic sunflower bag is so cute! It will not take long to finish it! And YES—I could make my own double-fold binding. I know! I'll check out the colors of the purchased first, and if I don't find anything, I'll make it! Sometimes my brain works in mysterious ways! 

I have a bunch of errands to do today, and one of them takes me right past the fabric store. I already checked my stash and couldn't find anything appropriate. 

I seem to have a thing for bags. While I could easily make a new bag from scratch, I seem to get attached to my tote bags—my bag from Stonehenge (oh my god—I had a dream about Stonehenge last night) and my bag from Longo's. I use the bag so long that it wears out, and I need to just say "thank you" and let it go. I can't seem to do that! 

OK—we may need a bag intervention here! 

Here is that silly girl as I was finishing up the blog yesterday morning. I think she is trying to tell me something! 

MOM - you're late - let's go!!!!

And I got a chuckle when we were out for our walk. Typically you see trucks that are commissioned by the city, but that's a scooter! And he's marking lines for something. The paint gun was attached to the front of the scooter! 

New economical way to travel for the city

OK - I decided it was time to get my act together and clean up some of that basement. It was starting to look like a warehouse. And the floor was in desperate need of being swept. 

A bit of a mess to say the least

The boxes for the PFAFF creative icon 3 went into the cold storage area under our front steps. I don't know if there is room for any more boxes!!! I need to keep the boxes for when the machine is shipped somewhere, so throwing them out is not an option. Thankfully, I have this storage area because if I didn't? Well, those boxes take up a lot of room. 

My sewing machine box storage area

And now when I go downstairs, it's a lot more inviting. YES—there are still a lot of things, but they are in their permanent home. YES - I need to get that new leader on the long arm. That is a goal I'll start today. Or tomorrow, depending on what happens today. 

This looks much better.

The other big job I tackled yesterday was my new table. I sort of dreaded working on it because it's heavy. Step one was to lay the tabletop on the floor so I could work on it. Thankfully, it was packaged so the underside faced up, and I could easily work on it, using the packaging cardboard to protect the table's surface. 

The exposed underside of the table

Before I could set out all the components, I put the jigsaw puzzle away, and I spotted one piece with discoloration on the back. Hmmm --- what happened to that piece? Well, no worries - it's now in a plastic bag, in the box, and ready to be traded or donated. 

One discolored piece

Now the puzzle table is clear. OH—do you see my Longo's bag in the background? It's there because I want to rescue the handles - I like those handles, and I was thinking of swapping them onto the bag I'm currently using. So help me god—I need to throw bags away! They owe me nothing, as I have used them many times before I wore them out! 

The table is empty and ready for the table leg assembly.

And now here are all the components of the table. Yikes --- that is a lot of stuff. But this table is heavy-duty and can support up to 450 pounds, so of course it needs a lot of support on the bottom. Plus the top is thick! 

Components in place and ready to work

I had to take a few pictures of the paper instructions and enlarge them to see exactly what was what. I think the instructions could be rewritten - some of the language - well, it didn't make sense. Also, in Step 8 you were instructed to insert screws into the tabletop and add more in Step 9, and then in Step 10 it instructs you to center the leg structure. Well, that's a bit late if you already inserted screws in Step 8. Sigh..................

The leg assembly

I got to this point, and I need to get an extension for my drill bit. I swear I had one and I searched, but couldn't find it. So I'm off to the hardware store today to get one. And when I was searching, I had to clear up the puzzle mess that sat on top of the toolbox. Now the puzzles are neatly stacked BEHIND the toolbox, and I have room for about 5 more puzzles, and then I've maxed out my space. So I must stop buying, or puzzle faster! 

Since I couldn't go further on the table until I got that part, I decided it was time to remake the turtle block for Down on the Farm. I tried many greens and ended up going with the lighter one I had pulled after I realized the original green didn't have enough contrast. 

BUT look what I noticed when I was cutting the black for the rocks. These are the same print, and yet the base color is extremely different. You are looking at the wrong side of each. One is very blue-based, and one is very orange-based. Yet, they are both black! Imagine bleaching them both! 

Different dye lots of the same fabric

And there is my turtle block recut and ready to sew. 

The turtle block is ready to sew!

I had some time this morning, so I got this much sewn. The new green is a wee bit off, but I'm OK with that because we can at least see the turtle now. 

Progress on the turtle block

I should be able to finish that off today, and I hope to work on assembling the blocks and the borders during the virtual retreat tonight and tomorrow. 

OH GOSH -- I didn't forget to send out the confirmations for the classes; I got tied up making the big email for the groups and forgot I just needed to send a confirmation. So those will go out this morning. My apologies for that. 

And do you want to know about my Stonehenge dream? OK - if you've been to Stonehenge or even if you've seen pictures of it - it's out in the middle of a field. There is nothing around it. I guess I've watched a few too many videos about the recent flash flood in Nepal, because in my dream, there was a massive building around Stonehenge and there was no damage. All was good. 

Inside? We were working on some kind of fiber art project! Where did that come from? It always amazes me how our brains work. 

Murphy had a wee slip on the stairs yesterday - someone came to the door, and she was downstairs, and I didn't have my barricade up. I heard her attempt to come up, but she couldn't make it, so I helped her up after I answered the door. Yikes -- I have to watch her like a hawk. She doesn't want to wait. OK—so she is like all of us—we think we are still in our 20s!!! 

But she seems to be fine, and she and Lexi were having a wrestling match last night. It's not the same (not as boisterous), but they still have fun playing together. 

MOM -- help me!!!!

I haven't seen any words of wisdom for the last couple of days, but spotted this yesterday from Thought.minds. 

Yep—we need to do this because no one else really appreciates what we are going through. Some days it might be nothing, and the next day we are devastated by something. And for some, just getting out of bed is an accomplishment. Take EVERY win as significant. I don't know why we think that feeling proud of our minor accomplishments is a bad thing. And why do we need validation from someone else? We can validate ourselves! Just tell yourself that the next time you do something small. "I did this!" "I'm super proud of myself," or whatever else is going on. You don't need someone else to blow your horn -- do it yourself and be proud! 

I need to think about that for my bag situation! 

I see this sign on the entrance to the forest. Oh boy --- they really need to find a permanent solution to that trail in the forest. They can regrade it all they want, but unless they dig the path up, repack it well, and add channels for the torrential downpours, they'll keep having to regrade it. 

And now for some announcements. I discovered on the Teach the World to Sew Day website that the participating Michaels stores are listed there as well. At the top of the list are all the Michaels in the US and Canada that are participating. There is one store in Calgary, Toronto, and Saskatoon. 

Then you find the US Dealers and then the Canadian Dealers. That date is September 19. 

As mentioned, if you know someone who would like to learn to sew, this is a perfect event for them to make something for FREE and show their friends that they have learned to sew. 

Here is the link to the Facebook page about the Facebook Live that I will do on the PFAFF creative icon 3 on September 9 at 3 PM EDT. I see a lot of people have responded! Yikes—I've got to get my tables together and get Studio B and my samples in order. The time will pass by quickly. And even if you are NOT in the market for a new sewing machine or a new embroidery machine, pop out to that event. Let's aim to blow the number of attendees out of the water! 

I am compressing three hours (my in-person event) into one hour (Facebook Live), so if you get a chance to come and check out my presentations in person, be sure to do so, as you'll see more samples and get more information. There will be live events on the PFAFF creative icon 3 at Sew Productive (Acton, Ontario) on September 26 and at Cindy Bee's Quilt Shoppe (Espanola, Ontario) on October 25 or 26 - I'm not sure which day it will be. 

Or you can check it out in person at Salon Quebec on October 1- 4 in Ste. Hyacinthe, Quebec. Yes—it's going to be a busy two months! 

I also remembered on my walk that I needed to buy a new power cord for my camera switch box. I couldn't find it the last time I did a Facebook Live, but I was fortunate enough to discover the Cricut power cord worked. But I no longer own the Cricut, so I bought a new power cord yesterday. And I bought it from a local shop, NOT my "favorite" online store. I refuse to buy from them on principle. If I can't find the item anywhere else, then I have no choice, but if I have a choice? I will. I don't care if it costs more money. We need to speak out with our voice (in this case, our dollar)!

There is a Virtual Retreat tonight. Here are the links: 

Saturday, August 29 - from 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

And Sunday, August 30 - from 3 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

I think that is it for announcements. 

Have a super day! It's going to be a super day - I can just feel it, and I look forward to chatting with you all tonight!!! I'm super excited - I've missed everyone over the summer! 

Ciao!!!

Do you believe in coincidences?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. While it wasn't my most exciting birthday, nor my most productive, I was happy to just putter around. And that's what life is like when you're as "old" as I am! 

I'm just kidding—someone mentioned that old is ten years older than you actually are, and I think that about sums it up. 

The good news is that my leg, sciatic, and knees seem to be doing so well. Knock on wood! We don't want to jinx anything. But I'm feeling so much better from the stretching. Being able to sit for those long drives was a miracle, and I dreaded long drives because of that. Everything is going in a positive direction, and let's hope I can maintain my stretching routine to keep it up. 

Hmmm --- do you believe in coincidences? I'm listening to a book called Signs by Laura Lynn Jackson, who is a psychic. Do we really get signs from others who have passed? I don't know, since it's never happened to me, but some of what she talks about is profound. If any signs have happened, I wasn't paying attention. She is finishing up the book with just general "feel good" things like prayer, meditation, eating, etc. 

One of the things she talks about is positive energy. And I strongly believe in this. You wake up, and you didn't sleep well, or there is something terrible you have to do. By telling yourself that today is going to be a good day, you can really have a great day. Positive outlook is a wonderful thing!

How do I know this? BEFORE I read that in her book this morning, I told myself that very thing as I lay in bed planning my day. I said, "This is the day you are going to get your mojo back. This is the day when you are going to start to be productive again." And you know what? I have probably done more this morning than I have done all week! 

The other thing that happened is I took a picture of some fabric that I purchased at Michaels wherever I was last. Regina, I guess it was. 

Harry Potter fabric from Michaels

Over the years, there have been all kinds of Harry Potter fabric, and I thought this was subtle, yet, you know exactly what it is if you are familiar with the books. 

I took that picture this morning because I was going to tell you this story about Harry Potter (it's coming), and then Laura mentioned Harry Potter in her book! It's amazing how when you spot one thing, it seems to be everywhere. 

Did you know that Tim's is sponsoring some promotion with Harry Potter? You can buy donuts with an edible sticker for each of the four houses. The icing and sprinkles match the house color. They don't look too exciting, but I snapped this picture in North Battleford last week. Wait—each donut has a different flavor. Check out the link. 

Harry Potter donuts at Tim's

And you can buy a snitch (the golden prize in Quidditch, which is the big game in Harry Potter) that can be filled with Timbits. 

The snitch!!!

And when I was at Peachtree Quilting (also called Northgate in Regina), I spotted a Harry Potter apron. I did not get a picture of it, but I found it online. 

It's just so bizarre, and after reading about messages from those who have passed, I wonder who is sending me the sign of Harry Potter? Who is trying to communicate with me? It could be true—do you know otherwise? 

Remember the jigsaw puzzle that I'm working on. OK - the one that I finished last night. The artwork is by Diane Phalen.

Jigsaw puzzle is complete.

This morning, I happened to be putting some cards away and VOILA—Diane Phalen artwork. I also have a couple of tins I use constantly (sewing machine needles), and some other supplies, and both tins have Diane Phalen artwork. 

Diane Phalen artwork on cards

That puzzle is done, and I MUST wait a day or two before I open the next one. The biggest reason is that I need the table space to hoop some fabric for machine embroidery. 

OK -- I admit it - My name is Elaine, and I love to hoard jigsaw puzzles. OK - I'll hoard anything I can get away with, but I have a bad habit of acquiring jigsaw puzzles faster than I can make them. 

I bought several things earlier in the month from the local thrift store, and if you spent enough, you got a $10 off coupon. I can never say no to a coupon, so I went to the thrift store yesterday just to check out the puzzle section. Imagine my dismay when a lady with a cart was also browsing the puzzle section. And GASP—she had four very nice puzzles in her cart. 

Hmm - do I take one and run? Do I get a cart and run her down? I decided not to make a spectacle and let her quietly shop for more puzzles. BUT I scooped up a couple that she may have wanted. There was an excellent selection yesterday. I have not run out of space in the storage cabinet where they are stored, and if I arrange things nicely, I'm sure I'll find more room!

I still have one more coupon to use before the end of the month. THEN - I will stop. And I hope to get myself organized to attempt one puzzle each week. I find I am getting faster, and that is a good thing since I have those three speed puzzling events coming up in October and November. 

There are times when you think it's nearly impossible, as I had several moments with this last one, but once you separate the pieces or shape-sort (no need on this one), you are good to go. It's amazing how your eye can pick up such slight color and shape differences, and it's all a good use of the brain! 

I'm glad I resurrected that hobby. 

Here's one I got yesterday, and I bought it because of the town name it depicts. 

Petty Harbour

I know someone who is a puzzler, and that name is special to them. I'm sure they already have this one, but I'm going to offer it to her when I'm done. One of our upcoming monthly themes is a destination. I have quite a few now, and it will be a challenge to know which one to pick. I might pick this one so I can get it out of the house when I'm done. 

This is why things take me so long to complete. I took the handles off that small tote bag and realized that the stitching was very loose and the binding on the edges was crap. So I took the bag completely apart. Sigh.............

Then I noticed some holes in the plastic, so I decided to fuse some interfacing on the wrong side. Well, the entire thing is plastic, so that was a challenge, but with a press cloth I was doing great. Then I decided to press the top (hem) over, and that worked, until I turned the iron temperature up and part of it shrunk a wee bit. 

A small amount of shrinkage

No worries—that's the hem on the inside; no one will notice. I found new strapping in my bag-making supply box, and I want to put new binding on the bag. The original is just strips of plastic that are deteriorating. I don't have the width of bias tape maker that I need, so I'll just find some double-fold bias at the fabric store and use that. I have some errands near that store, so I'm all set. But it's ready to sew the new handles on! It shouldn't take long, and now - I'd better use that darn bag after all this work. But it's so pretty - I hated to throw it away!

Part of my "reluctance" to get downstairs and work is the total mess that the room is in. The ironing board has stuff, as does the cutting table, and yes, there are things on the sewing tables. So this morning, I got myself in gear and put away all the fabric and felt on the ironing board. I had pulled it for a project that I likely won't make now, so it's all back where it belongs. 

The mess on the ironing table

I found a basket in my stash of containers (this was the last basket, so it's not like I have hundreds) and put all the half square triangles that need to be pressed and trimmed in it. As I did, I found these wires, which were remains from when the electricians were here. Oh boy—I am still cleaning up the debris. And that makes sense, since I never totally cleaned up Studio B from when they were here. By debris, I mean little bits of wire that they missed --- this is the only bit I missed, and it's because it got buried in the crap on the ironing board. But the floor and table surfaces need to be swept or wiped. Some of that happened this morning. 

Some wiring debris

I even got some half-square triangles pressed and trimmed, so those can be put away. 

Trimming half square triangles

Plus, I would like to get that farm quilt together and off the design wall as I'm going to need that soon for some other projects. I was certain that I had some farm fabric in my farm fabric pile that might work for the border. This is what I found! 

Farm fabric for the border

It's perfect and might require some fancy piecing as the fabric is directional, but that's OK. I think there will be enough, and I'll do a bit of math and make it work. The border will be as wide as the quantity allows, up to a maximum of 6 inches. 

And I still have all this farm fabric in my pile. Some of this will be great for backing, and I might pull the orange one for the backing. But FIRST, I need to remake that turtle block, and perhaps I can do that today. 

My farm fabric stash

If you ever want something you think I might have, be sure to ask!!! Someone asked me the other day if I had any tuffet kits left. I taught tuffet making many times and got into manufacturing the kit (foam, legs, upholstery batting, buttons, etc) that you needed to make the tuffet. I was happy to sell the last of those kits, and I think everyone finished the tuffets. 

But WAIT—I have one more, and it happens to be square. I promised to dig it out for her, but I wasn't 100% sure where it was. This morning in my fit of tidying up, I found the box. Oh my -- it's a big box. 

What's in the box?

As long as we agree on a price and I'm sure that won't be a problem, here is the kit. It appears that EVERYTHING is in the kit except for the fabric you want to cover it with. The legs, the button, the batting, EVERYTHING. Oh my!!!!!! 

A complete kit for a square tuffet

Now, when I opened that box this morning, I thought, OH MY—that is too nice to get rid of; I should make this. That thought quickly disappeared from my thought path. I've had it for about 9 years, and I haven't made it. The tuffet I made is stuck in a corner of the bedroom, so why would I want to make another one? I'm happy to part with it for a price, of course. 

So, if there is a pattern or anything else (sorry - sewing machines are NOT mine to sell, but I can get you a deal on a PFAFF Creative Icon 2 if you want) that you think I might have, ask away. I'm in a get-rid-of-things mode, and it will be wonderful to free up the floor space that this kit occupied. 

I need to do more of that, says me who is buying puzzles like it's the end of the world. But I have no intentions of keeping them. I do them, and they are gone! By the way, does anyone want a Diane Phaolen quilt-themed puzzle? It's yours for the asking, or it will be donated back to the thrift store. Bought at the thrift store and all pieces are there. If the pieces are NOT in a plastic bag, I always put them into one. That makes it less likely a piece will go missing. 

We need to have one of those free libraries, but for puzzles. Hey--- they exist!!! Can you imagine? OH MY GOODNESS -- I found one that is about 40 minutes from my house and in a city (Georgetown) where I visit, especially if I want to buy from the Puzzle Warehouse. DO NOT go to Georgetown! But puzzle swapping could be fun! 

Here is the blurb about my Facebook Live on September 9. Well, good grief -- that's a crappy picture. And it's not posted on the website yet. Let me get a better picture tomorrow. I'm running out of time. Studio B is going to need a major overhaul to prep for that event. I need to get started on that later today. 

My Facebook Live event on September 9

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat;

Saturday - August 29 - from 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, August 30 - From 3 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Working on the distribution lists. Hope to get most of them out today.

Have a wonderful day --- just say it -- Today will be a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

Visiting for old times sake!

It's my birthday! Another trip around the sun, and I'm still here to talk about it! I'm sure I say this every year, but one always reflects on past birthdays and remembers the special moments. And I have done many neat things on my birthday. Today? Just an ordinary day! Although I think I'll spend a good part of the day in the car as I have a few errands that must be done, and they are in opposite directions! But I must get them done. 

And I really must get some more paperwork done! 

I did some observing on my walk yesterday morning. Remember we had those bad house fires a couple of weeks ago? It's been a month - July 25th. I mentioned that one of the houses was torn down within a week of the fire, or maybe that was ten days. 

Lexi and I decided to take a walk to see if anything was happening. OMG—they have started rebuilding that house. It's not even a month since the house burned, and the basement has been redone and capped off for the framing? 

The new basement is capped?

That isn't possible. How could the owners and the insurance make decisions that quickly? I can't see how that is possible, but it seems to be. I'll keep an eye on it from time to time to see the status. Meanwhile, the other three badly burned houses are sitting there. It looks like they might be trying to save one, while the other two are definite teardowns, and the fifth one will need minor repairs to the siding and roof. 

On our way to that house, we passed some city employees - I think they were summer students. Three of them left their city truck with pails and hand pickers to pick up garbage. I spotted the male walking through the soccer field by himself, while the two females walked together, chatting up a storm. They stayed on the path. Why? The grass was very wet, and they didn't want to get their feet wet. Or who knows what they were thinking. 

When Lexi and I walked back through this park, I spotted FIVE relatively obvious pieces of garbage. The girls would have seen them from the path - I took the same route that they did. To pick up the garbage, they would have had to get their feet wet. I was tempted to report them. Seriously? If they were hired to do a job, then they should do a good job! And if they hadn't been together, they likely would have seen the garbage. I'm sure they have work boots on to prevent their feet from getting soaked as they rescued those bits of garbage! Sigh....................

Garbage was left in the park after the workers passed by

You can't see it very well in that photo above, but there were three bits of garbage in a row - the final one is pretty obvious in the picture. 

I had company yesterday! Neil was my main cycling buddy on the cross-Canada trip by bicycle in 2013. He and his wife, whom I have met many times over the years, are driving the same route in their car with their cute dog. They were in the neighborhood and dropped in for a visit. OK—I've known they were coming on that day for weeks! Here is a link to the final cycling day. At that time, I wasn't equipped to add pictures. I really should go back and add pictures to that blog. I remember cycling that last day with Neil, and it was the worst day of the trip. I was done!

Look at the beautiful flowers they brought me for my birthday! 

Birthday flowers

Neil and I spent both of our birthdays on that trip. Neil's was in Outlook, Saskatchewan, and mine was at the ferry dock in Sydney, NB, as we got ready to board the ferry for Newfoundland. The things we remember. 

What Neil and Susan have discovered is that many of the things that we thought were so wonderful on the trip aren't that good! Small cafes that we stopped at with amazing cinnamon buns were just ordinary now. Was it all that sweat (lots) and tears (not so many) that made the cinnamon buns and chugging a 1-liter of chocolate milk after a hard day of cycling taste so good? 

Many campgrounds have closed or been revamped, and while they are enjoying the trip, it's just not the same in a car. We had a long visit, and it was fun to catch up. 

We had lunch at the house, which I coerced DH into BBQing for me! 

Neil and I

WAIT—I did manage to get some work done! Not sewing, but paperwork, and it's not my favorite work (expense reports), so it was good to get that out of the way. 

After dinner, I confess that the puzzle pulled me away from doing anything constructive. 

Progress

I made excellent progress, as you can see. I decided to change tactics and worked on the quilts. While that may have seemed easy, it wasn't. Then I had all those flowers in the bottom, and I was determined to get that done. I still have two pieces to find, but Murphy was "demanding" to get upstairs and to bed, and it was getting late by this time anyway. Not late, but later! And if Murphy was ready to settle down upstairs, then I was going to make that happen for her. 

Then I got hooked on this novel I've been reading. I've tossed the plot around multiple times. Is this plausible? Can this happen? I like the character, then I hate the main character. I'm on the fence. The book is The Cleaner by Mary Watson. I wouldn't rush to read this again. 

I have avoided the gym all week, and I feel like a slug. So I'm off to spend some time with Brooke this morning. 

One thing I want to alert you to is the SECOND Teach The World to Sew Day!! It's on September 19th, and you'll find it at many of the PFAFF, Husqvarna Viking, and Singer stores around the world. You'll find a list of stores on that link. Now, YOU don't need to learn how to sew, but if you know someone who has wanted to learn, get them signed up at their local store! They will be making an eyeglass case - so it's a small, simple project. 

Let's fill all the seats and make this a hugely successful day. I don't think there is any age restriction on the event, and everything is provided. You just need to register so they don't overbook themselves. 

If memory serves me correctly, one of the Canadian stores did amazingly well last year. So if you have a friend, a granddaughter, or a grandson, and their friend(s)—get them signed up for this event. It is OUR job to encourage the younger generation to learn to sew. That allows them to repair clothing, make their own clothes or other items. Check it out!!!!

WAIT --- if one of those stores is NOT close to you, then check out Michaels. They are selling Singer sewing machines, and some stores are setting up sewing machines for Teach the World to Sew Day. I think you have to check out each store individually to see if they are participating. 

We also have a Virtual Retreat on Saturday (6 PM - 9 PM) and Sunday (3 PM - 9 PM). I should be back in work mode by then. OK—let's face reality—I need to be back in work mode this afternoon after I finish my errands! Tick tock!!! And I will place those design boards over the puzzle to keep my fingers off it until I've done some work! I think the question for me is -- where the heck do I start? I'm going to have to pick one item and start with that, then move on to the next. It's a bit overwhelming right now. 

I also need to finish up those distribution lists! It better be a productive day! 

By the way, I bought cake for lunch yesterday, so no need to worry if I'm getting cake today! I've already eaten some!

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

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao!!

 

Murphy is on the mend!

Yes --- so true about the words of wisdom. There are times when we feel compelled to criticize a loved one - usually our significant other. But was that absolutely necessary? NO -- so the next time you want to be the backseat driver, or mention that the dishwasher shouldn't be loaded that way, just be quiet. They are loading the dishwasher - be grateful! 

Not saying things that you know will cause issues can improve a situation by 1000%. Don't be the one who invokes the negativity! As they say in Frozen - "let it go!"

OK -- I confess - I was a slug for most of the day. I did get some work done, but I'm in slow motion mode, and I'm OK with that. The rest of the week, I can kick it up into high gear, although I have things to do that aren't work-related.

I had a few "spare" moments, so I ended up in the garage. This is the workbench, but as you can see, there really isn't much space to work, and it's just cluttered. I took this picture this morning, AFTER I tackled part of the shelves. Everything is coated with years of dirt and grime. But I made a start. I would love to get through the entire shelf before the end of September, and that is doable. 

The garage workbench

Even if the stuff only gets separated by category, put in boxes, and the junk thrown away. I'll see how I make out with that. 

BUT - look what I found. A good pair of scissors and WHAT???? It's that gardening tool that I have coveted for a while, but this one has a handle on it. Are you kidding me? I already had one of those tools? I bought the second one for the same purpose, but since it was buried under loads of debris, I didn't even remember buying it. Sigh...................

Finds in the garage debris

We have a wooden deck and lots of debris gets trapped between the boards. There is a gap to allow for expansion. The debris mostly collects on the joists below, and if it isn't cleaned out, it will cause rot faster. The wood on the deck is not treated. 

At last - Mom is cleaning the debris from the deck.

It would also help to get rid of the weeds growing between the flagstones. 

The weeds are back

I'm not surprised to find that tool, but I'm stunned that it's been so long that I don't even remember buying it. 

While I was in the garage, I had my helper with me. She was snuffling around, and next thing I knew, she was digging through the open top of a garbage bag. What the heck is she after? Oh my goodness - she found an old bone of hers that I tossed. When we went back inside, she immediately took it to the backyard. 

MOM - you threw out my bone!!!!! 

I'm not sure what was so important about that bone. I threw the old one away because she got a new one last week. Now I have to find a way to get the old one back into the garbage bag! I've heard some people mention their significant others have done similar things from time to time! 

My name is Murphy, and I'm a bone hoarder.

She is definitely feeling much better, which is a relief. That whole episode was a good wake-up call, though. I caught her flipping her NEW outside toy around. She managed to escape the house with this one, and well, I'm not bringing it back in. 

MOM - this bear needs a good shake! 

To top it off, when I was sitting outside in the gazebo, I saw her hanging out by the fence and wondered what the heck she was doing. 

MOM - I need a new stick

Oh great -- pulling a stick into the yard through the fence. That girl!!! As if she doesn't have enough to play with! What a goofball. 

She has no issues coming in the house at night now, but she needs to be upstairs with us, and she is currently still upstairs. I'm OK with that. I was getting a little freaked out by her need to be outside. I'm not sure what that was all about, but we seem to be moving forward positively. 

And what about Lexi? She is just chilling all the time. She loves sleeping under this table in the hallway, and it's OK to stick your head between the legs. What a silly girl. She's a little turned around because her buddy is not with her at night, even though they never slept together. But she looked a bit lost this morning, wondering why Murphy wasn't bothering her! 

MOM - I'm low maintenance

I finally got my new addition for the backyard. I was tempted to buy a new chair, as this zero-gravity chair has been around for a very long time and the seat canvas was getting a bit scratchy. I realized that I could buy a cushion for that chair and OH MY -- I may never leave the gazebo. It's super comfy. 

A new cushion for my zero-gravity chair

It was supposed to be delivered before I left last week, but only arrived when I got home. It had been compressed into a very small package that neither of us could figure out what it was. Then DH let the air in the bag and the thing just grew. It's a great way to resuscitate my chair. 

And then it was time to move downstairs. This is what I have to deal with. While the cutting table is NOT clear, I made good progress on clearing part of it. I don't want to put some of that stuff away because I'll need it for my Facebook Live, but I need to clear the space so I can work. It's all easy to access and pull out when I need it in two weeks. 

Trying to clear the cutting table

I also left some of my samples out because some of them need to be finished. And even if I get one a day or week done, that is better than not getting them finished. Some of them only need the edges serged to look a bit more presentable. 

While I was at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio, I stocked up on green thread. This is a color I seem to gravitate to, and I was very low, so now I have five shades of the same color, and I'm happy. 

My new green thread colors

Before adding those colors to the box of green embroidery thread, I did NOT have this color. 

My box of green embroidery thread

Over the years, I have used and taught MANY of the Marti Michelle template sets. I spotted this one on the shelf at Heather's that I didn't have. So I bought it. It looks pretty funky! 

A "new to me" template set

And now it's added to my shelf of the other Marti Michelle template sets. 

The rest of my template sets

When I dug my bike out the other week, I found this little tote bag in the basket. Once I park the bike, I need a small bag to carry things. The handles were eaten off? I have no idea what happened to the handles, so I'm going to seam-rip them off and resew them on. They will be slightly shorter, but that's OK. 

Handles to fix on my small tote bag

OK—so I need some discipline to deal with the latest puzzle. Instead of working, I was tackling this. 

Progress on the latest jigsaw puzzle

Yes - that is a quilt on the puzzle. This one is dated 2008, and the artist is Diane Phalen. Remember how her artwork was on everything!! Boxes, bags, puzzles, tins, cards, etc. I was trying to work on the flowers, and finally gave up and pulled the pieces for that quilt. Then I went back to the flowers. I got a few more pieces in and gave up, and now I'm working on the other two quilts in the picture. 

I MUST put the design boards ON TOP of the puzzle, so I won't get distracted! I need to get to work today. 

I managed to get a couple of the distribution lists together and am starting to review the patterns we will need for the classes. I need to go through all the emails before I send out the lists, as some people signed up for more than one class in one email and it's a tad challenging to sort that. But no worries—I'm catching them all, or so I hope. By the end of the week, you should all have your confirmations. If you're missing a confirmation, just send me another email, BUT don't send me something if you have already signed up. Only if you haven't!

Here is the list of classes again—and if you know someone who might be interested, forward this along. 

There is a Virtual Retreat this weekend - Saturday from 6 PM - 9 PM and then from Sunday 3 PM - 9 PM. I'll post the links later, but this is just a reminder. 

And I'm sure by now that you've heard about Dolly Parton. She was such a classy lady, and her nephew (part of her security team) posted the official video about her death. The video was amazingly well done. We were fortunate enough to meet Dolly's design team (a team of 3) who designed her clothing and helped with her onscreen image. 

Steve had been with Dolly for over 30 years as her stylist! You get to know someone very well after 30 years. All three of them couldn't say enough about how amazing Dolly was and that they were family. It was kind of an emotional moment to hear them speak about her. They will be devastated, as will many other people. I feel very fortunate that we were able to hear them speak. 

And on that note, I'm out of here! There's a lot to be done, and I feel a bit more motivated! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!