It's time for Show and Tell!!!

I'm so glad to see that it wasn't just me who saved their autograph book. I wish I had more autographs, but I wasn't the most popular girl at school, and being painfully shy, I wasn't about to ask people to write in the book. 

I was going to say that those books can likely be tossed upon our death. But WAIT --- I would hope that M would value the handwritten notes from the family at least. Maybe not my friends, but family? I'm not sure that my mom or dad wrote in it, but I have lots of their handwriting. I should take it and get them to write something in it. 

Yep -- handwriting - cursive. That secret code language of the "old" people!!

Speaking of relatives, I'm having some great conversations (via messenger) with my second cousin once removed (I think that is the relationship) about our upcoming trip and her side of the family. My grandfather is her great-uncle, making them brothers. So I think she is one generation below me. 

I think there might be some black sheep in the family, but strictly on her side!! WAIT -- there might be some on my side, but I don't know! I may have to have a chat with Mom! 

I love how sharing a problem with friends can often lead to a solution. I have one class next Saturday, and then I need to be downtown ASAP. We don't have teleporters yet! But someone suggested I go downtown BEFORE the presentation and do it there, so I'm in the right spot at the right time with zero stress!!! Well, why didn't I think of that? So I can easily make that happen. 

Thanks for the suggestion - you know who you are!

Unfortunately, Miss Murphy cannot come to the quilt retreat. How many times have all the dog owners lamented that fact! But she had a great day yesterday!! Even tried to chase the squirrels out of the backyard. They were NOT pleased with that development! 

The three classes went off beautifully yesterday, and I sent all the follow-up stuff last night. Yeah!!!! I have two presentations this morning; one is finished, and the second is pretty much done as well. Then I decided I have a ton of pictures I took over the summer that I want to sort through, so I've sent them to myself and will hopefully cull a few to add to the presentation. I'm just waiting for them to come through. 

Before I share the homework, I have a couple of other things to share. 

Speaking of class show and tell, we did Dear Jen a while back, and it was a crazy quilt. The instructions were crazy, and many of the blocks were a challenge. I must have missed this photo, but it was from one of the students, and she finished all the blocks, and her quilt top is together!!!!! That is so awesome!! I love the coloring she chose. That is one thing about that quilt; I just couldn't wrap my head around the colors. Why? No idea. 

Karen's Dear Jen quilt top!

I charged my new noise-canceling headphones, and they were super easy to pair, which is great, since I always have to find the instructions. They paired as soon as I turned them on. I LOVE that. But the creepy thing? The name of the headphones came up as Elaine's (model of headphone). Seriously? How did it know they were mine? 

My new noise-canceling headphones

I can hear the audiobook so much better, so that is good, but I have to have them just right, or they poke the ends of my earrings into my head! 

And DH had to order a microwave for his Mom through Canadian Tire. That was about 2 PM. Around 4 PM, when I was sitting in the gazebo, I got a feed on Facebook from Canadian Tire about microwaves. I guess it reads our IP address and sends stuff. But we already bought - I don't need ads! 

I had some car errands to do, and on my way home, I stopped at Fabricland. 

Oh my—this is a fabric you can buy! Doesn't it look like crochet? I see a nice warm woolly jacket made from that! NO - I did not buy any. 

Crochet-like woolly fabric

But I spotted mousepads - only one style. I need a new mousepad. So I bought one of these. 

My new mouse pad

The mouse pad I'm currently using is a hard one that I confiscated from the farm when I was searching through Dad's old crap. It's not very good because the surface is too smooth. I can now retire that one and use the pretty one! 

My current crappy mouse pad

There is an IG account called "art_dailydose," and I LOVE some of the artwork they post. They recently had a post about putting things in order! They had things like flowers, people, and other crazy things, all sorted. What about cars? 

The top is unsorted, and the bottom is sorted! 

Sorting cars?

I wonder where this was taken - certainly not in North America, because have you ever seen a yellow car? I haven't seen one in ages! And I think white would certainly outstrip any other color. I have no idea why people buy a white car. Cooler in summer? They all have windows that bring in the heat. No clue! And you sure can't see them in the wintertime! No white car for this household. 

Oh gosh -- if you search for an answer, there is one. Light reflection (seriously - I can't believe it makes that much of a difference), better resale value because it's neutral and shows up better at night, but not in winter. And easier upkeep for keeping the paint job intact. None of those reasons appeal to me - I want a car that is appealing to me from a color perspective! 

OK—let's look at the show and tell. 

The first quilt we are starting is called Show and Tell by Elizabeth Hartman. Here is a picture of Elizabeth's quilt. 

The original Show and Tell quilt.

I'm changing up the colors, and we started with some of the small quilts. 

Stacked Coin quilt

Mixed Tape quilt

Half Square Triangle quilt

Then it was on to Forty Shades of Grey by Wendy Williams. 

Forty Shades of Grey by Wendy Williams - the original

And here are my blocks for this month. I have chosen a green and purple color palette! This is where I managed to make all those flying geese by using them as enders and leaders! 

Pineapple block

And the final quilt yesterday was My Kinda Town, and this one --- well, I absolutely adore it. I had purchased the pattern years ago, and it just sat there. I'm so glad we are working on this one. 

My Kinda Town by Peggy Larsen for Fibreworks

I mean -- how adorable is that? I've been trying to find a home for those white with multi-colored designs for years. No quilt was suitable, but this one? It's perfect. 

My first block

I'm going to try and use a different sky for each block. There are eight blocks in total. I think I have six fabrics, and I also have a stripe in those colors, but it might be too dense. I'm not sure I'll use it. So now I'm on the hunt for a few more. I love having a specific task to achieve, especially when it comes to buying fabric. 

My sky backgrounds for My Kinda Town

And I need them before the end of the year! So if anyone has seen anything like this, let me know. It is NOT a single-color polka dot, but multi-color polka dots or small designs like the flowers. 

Murphy and I went for a walk in the evening. Hmmm - we need to do that more often. There is a different crowd in the evening! One neighbor and I chatted for quite a while, and Murphy lay down; she was bored. Then she moved along a bit and lay down again. Then she got really impatient and decided it was time to get home! Silly girl!!!

OH MY - I'm running a bit late now because I just downloaded all those pictures and sorted out what I want to present today. It was a very busy summer for machine embroidery for me!

And on that note, it's going to be a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Done, done, and DONE!!!

Yep—all three presentations are ready to go. All the sewing was completed, the pictures were loaded and sorted, the reminder emails went out, and all is good in the teaching world. 

It was a fun day, and it was so nice to just sit and sew. I had to take pictures, mind you, but still, it was fun to listen to my audiobook and sew. I had to backtrack a lot because I missed part of the storyline. I really need to connect my new noise-canceling headphones. The open earbuds suck for listening to audiobooks while sewing. 

I can't even begin to imagine listening to a book with a speaker! When you are moving around all the time, and the noise of a sewing machine - how the heck would you even hear? 

While lots was accomplished, nothing is available to share with you, but after today, I can share! So fun to start (legitimately) several new projects! I have tons of UFOs to finish, and I had better get my act together and spend some time on those as well. 

Remember the striped fabric I chatted about the other day? Well, here is a picture of the two new ones added to the bucket with the previous ones I purchased! 

Striped fabrics

You can make a very cool quilt with ONE striped fabric, including these. I've made it multiple times. Heck -- I've done an entire series of quilts with striped fabric. I could almost have a trunk show. 

Sigh -- why have one when you can have many! I actually have a wall hanging that I made using one of these batik strips. I still need to do some machine embroidery on the quilt top, and I really need to finish it! 

As I was reassembling the sewing tables for Studio B, I had a chuckle. Remember the days when we thought it was acceptable to put the power bars on the floor? Whose silly idea was that? I'm very happy to have them on the table (yes—it might look a bit messier), but it makes it easier to access the cords. I'll never put the power source on the floor again. 

My power tower ON  the table

I'm surprised that those power towers still work. I have three of them, and the two in Studio B seem to get knocked on the floor every once in a while. The housing is cheap plastic, and I swear one day they are going to stop working. So I try to be careful, but it doesn't always work. 

There is no other way to say this except that I am a dolt! Remember my flying geese for the two winter quilts? Yesterday, while sewing, I decided to use them as enders and leaders. And I was making very good progress. 

Progress on the flying geese

Some time after dinner, I realized I made TWICE as many as I needed! Seriously?? I have no idea what happened. WAIT -- I know what happened. I looked at the cutting instructions, and it said to cut 44 of the little white squares for the corners. So I made the silly assumption that I should double that and make 88 flying geese. In fact, I only need 22 per quilt. I now have extras! 

We had a meeting about our Katimavik 50th reunion, and it was so nice to see a new face I haven't seen in 50 years. WOW -- but we have located at least one other person, and they are deceased. How is that possible? The ratio of the living to the dead is very high! 

Several of us had tried to find a particular person, but her name didn't show up in any online searches. Someone ran her name through Ancestry and POOF—there she was. And then, of course, her name now pops up in the online searches. Perhaps we are missing the others the same way. Her obit was listed in her maiden name. I don't understand how the silly internet works. 

I may have to retire my shorts in the morning—it is getting cooler, and I'm quite happy about that. I don't mind the heat, but I'm not a fan of the wicked humidity we sometimes get. The one thing I will say is I'm thrilled that we installed those ceiling fans, and I often use them at night to recirculate the air in the room. They are so quiet, you do not even know they are working. 

Here's a blast from the past. When I was going through that box of memorabilia looking for stuff on Katimavik, I spotted this autograph book. Did you have autograph books? Of course, it was all the rage when I was young, and my grandmother gave this to me. 

My autograph book

I took a picture of a couple of the entries! How fun to have their handwriting and dates in my book. 

My grandmother

This is one from my great-grandmother. I was in my teens, or was it my early 20s, when she passed. 

Great grandmother

And oh my—it appears I had a nickname I don't remember from high school. 

A friend

Yep --- I was a blusher, and well, I guess I still blush. Perhaps not as bad! 

Remember the signs on the forest indicating the path was going to be regraded?

Work on the forest path is upcoming.

Well, look what got placed at the entrance to the path. 

Serious equipment to fix the path - at last! 

And one more piece of equipment was dropped off later in the day. I suspect they'll rip it up next week. This is much more substantial than dropping a blade and grading it. Hmmm --- what can we expect? 

But as I chatted with a neighbor in the morning, we watched the dump truck and a very long trailer back down our street and around the bend. Let's say the driver was pretty experienced, as he whizzed around the corner with that large trailer like it was nothing. We were very impressed. 

I had to do some pond maintenance in the morning - cleaning the filter. I grabbed a handful of muck from the filter and threw it. Of course I did, and it went SPLAT on the gazebo post. All that open space, and I had to hit the post! Let's just say that I was never good at playing baseball!! I had to wash it off with the hose. 

Seriously??? I hit the post with the muck? 

Of course, my supervisor was sitting there watching me and wasn't very impressed with how silly I was. Actually, she was probably laughing her head off! 

OH MOM -- you are so silly.

I've decided to take Murphy for shorter walks, but twice as many. That breaks up the physical walking for her, and she loves to go for a walk, so she is happy to go for more walks in the day. 

It is so challenging to see a person or a pet struggle. Yesterday was the first day she didn't come to Studio B while I worked. It's so hard to know what to do for her. I'm sure she is uncomfortable or perhaps even in pain. I must see if I can get her some medication without the drowsy effect to help her feel more comfortable. 

We will just keep loving her and hoping we still have lots of time to spend with her. I'm sharing this with you because I don't want it to be a shock to anyone, and I don't want to pretend that all is OK when it's not. She may surprise us all and live for many years, and she is far from death. But slowing down. 

She has a new routine and doesn't want to be left alone on the ground floor at night. So I help her up the stairs and lift her onto the bed, where we have some cuddles, and then she is happy to sleep on the floor for the night. I have to fetch her in the morning for her walk, as I think she doesn't trust herself on the stairs to come down. 

I have some travel coming up, and I'm a bit worried about it all. DH won't provide her with the same care as I do, and I hope she is going to be OK. I'm even contemplating cutting my quilt retreat short, as I have to be away the following week for work, and two weeks in a row away might be more than she can handle. 

The things we do for our pets!

The other day we had chatted about how smart squirrels are, and if you haven't watched Mark Roper's videos on the mazes he makes for the squirrels in his backyard, you should check them out. In the past, a squirrel would never think of entering our backyard. Yesterday, I spotted one on the deck just having a grand old time doing something! Lexi doesn't hear so well anymore, and Murphy doesn't move so well, and the squirrels have figured that out. I may need another guard dog! 

I promise there will be loads of FUN things tomorrow as you get to see my homework for THREE of the new projects. I had to switch a couple of classes around, which meant three new projects started today. That is only a one-time situation - thankfully, as it was a challenge to get all the work done!

Oh -- and we have a surprise guest coming tomorrow! 

Anyway, it's time to get moving!!! Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Out of sight - out of mind!

OK—let's see if the pictures load this morning. 

Success!!!! It took a wee bit longer than usual, but that's OK - the pictures are loaded!!!

I don't know what is happening with the squirrels, but they seemed to be having a party on our front step. The funny thing is that there are NO oak trees anywhere near this area. They are in the back in the forest, but not in front. Hmmm—someone called a party, and no one told me? 

The morning after a wild squirrel party

I think everyone knows that Michaels in the US and in Canada is bringing in fabric. Fabric has been in some of the US Michaels stores for several years, and it is slowly being rolled out to all Michaels in Canada. I have seen it a couple of times. I zipped off to one of my local stores (yes—there are THREE within about a 6 KM distance, which seems a bit obsessive to me). 

The fabric styles have definitely improved since it first started rolling out. Will it ever replace a full-blown quilt store? No. But you can find some nice pieces. I found this vintage map piece, which had to follow me home. If you are a crafter or need limited prints, this is a good place to start. If you are a quilter, it won't be enough. 

My find at Michaels

When I was prepping Studio B for the Facebook Live, I had to shift a few things around, and I spotted a shelf on the bookcase that had been hiding behind the temporary design boards. OH MY -- this shelf was a "to be sorted" shelf, and I had completely forgotten about it. I found a bunch of binders that need to be gone through. Mostly filled with patterns, but some great ideas for the upcoming scrap class. One more thing to add to the list. 

Folders to deal with

Of course, my trusty helper was with me. The poor thing - like all aging people or pets, she has good days and bad days. But I will say she seemed to take a downhill turn a couple of months ago, and she isn't going to recover. I swear she is depressed now because of the lack of mobility she has. But we are going to love her forever and will enjoy all the moments she has. 

MOM - I just supervise from the floor now! 

She can make it down the stairs no problem, but going up is a whole different ballgame. So I was alone during the Facebook Live, and she was outside in the backyard. I left the barricade open at the top of the basement stairs so she could come down if she needed to. I was praying that if she did come down, she would have to be content staying down with me, since I wouldn't be able to help her up!

And she decided to come down very near the end of the presentation. There were a lot of cords behind the scenes, and wouldn't you know it, she came to me, got caught in the wires, and sank to the floor. If you watch the video near the end, I had to bend down to disentangle her from the cords. 

Murphy got caught in this cord.

It was a tight space behind the sewing machine, but it all worked out. 

The space behind the sewing machine

While we were downstairs, it was quite windy, and this bouquet of cut flowers I got for my birthday got blown over. It was on its last legs, which is why it was outside. The glass vase didn't break! 

The flowers got blown over.

So yesterday was a new day and more work to be done. I'm happy to report that the sewing for the second class is done and the pictures have been uploaded into the presentation. I just need to sort them after writing the blog. That will make two of three presentations complete for tomorrow. Oh my --- one of the classes involves paper piecing, and let's just say that I've invented (not really) a brand new way to cope with finicky paper piecing, and once you wrap your head around it --- it's kind of fun! 

That's for the My Kinda Town class, which is only four classes this fall. If anyone is interested, you're welcome to sign up. 

You can check back to this blog post for more information. Just note that the first class is tomorrow at 1, not next week as originally planned. I love how the work turned out!! And of course, I'll share later - not the technique, but my work. 

So something else got unearthed in the stash room. Oh shoot—I didn't take a picture of the shelving, but the room has shelves on three sides, which means there are corners, and the things in the corners aren't readily visible. 

Wait—I just had time to sort the slides in the presentation and found my missing photo. Wrong folder!

Hidden corners in the stash room

I needed to dig out a bucket of fabric from beside the corner the other day. 

A bucket of striped fabric

I'll explain more about this basket another day, but remember those two striped fabrics I bought the other day? 

Two striped fabrics I recently purchased

Well, there are a few more colors from this collection in that green bin!!! 

Removing that big basket revealed another basket in the corner. Hmmm -- what's in here? And OMG --- what a treasure I found. 

What's in this hidden basket?

This is a basket of T-shirt bits that I have saved over the years. The T-shirts have already been cut up, and I had plans to make a T-shirt quilt from them. Oh my—yes—I have another group of T-shirts I want to make a quilt from. I'll have to squeeze them together and maybe make a backing from the other bits. 

I already have one T-shirt quilt. How many does one need? I love them because they are heavy!

BUT, I found something that I swear I still had, but didn't know where it was. 

I may have mentioned that next year is the 50th year of our participation in Katimavik. And we are attempting to locate as many people as we can. And oh my --- it is a very hard task. Of the 51 people in the group, I think we have located 20, 8 of whom have passed. That is a very scary statistic. 

During the program, or it could have been after, but likely during, we had some T-shirts made, and I wanted to find them. Well, when I spotted that basket, I knew what I was going to find. Well, I was hoping. This is when the hoarding tendencies of your mother come in handy. 

I found both of them!!! 

Katimavik T-shirt number one

The official Katimavik T-shirt

The bottom one has the official Katimavik logo. I also found my military beret and ascot! 

OH MY GOSH --- those T-shirts are almost 50 years old! Well, there are only bits of them, as you can see; I totally hacked them from the T-shirt. We have a meeting today, and I haven't done much searching for missing people, so I'd better put in a bit of time this morning. 

Our premier took away all the speed cameras in the province, stating - I have no idea what his rationale was- but he vowed to have more police checking on speeders in school zones. Hmmm -- the cost of an officer and a car versus a speed camera? Which costs less? Which catches more people? 

Anyway, on our walk yesterday morning, there were two cars, and it was easy peasy for them to catch people speeding through the 30 KM zone. I think one officer should have stood on the sidewalk with the radar gun and pulled speeders over, while someone went down the line and wrote out tickets. 

It's just a shame that no one respects the speed limit, especially in a school zone and right at school drop-off time. Well, shortly after, some stragglers are probably coming in. 

Of course, DH and I had a big discussion about which method was more effective to make people stop speeding. Do we ever agree on anything? How many schools yesterday did NOT have police presence? 

Oh my—there is a new long arm from APQS, and it looks pretty spiffy. I got a notification yesterday about trade-ins. I have to chuckle because the trade-in machines start from the year 2013. My machine is from 2006!!!! I definitely won't qualify for a trade-in. And it looks like when I am ready to downsize, and that machine can't come with me, I'd better just call the 1-800 Got Junk people and load it up! 

From time to time, our online Monday sewing group gets together for lunch. A few of us are close enough to make that happen, and sometimes people come in from a distance. We were five. DH was supposed to have the car yesterday, so I planned to ride my bike. The restaurant isn't that far away. He didn't end up using the car, but I still rode my bike. 

Super fun!!! I need to get out more often, and it was one of those days when it was windy on the way there and windy on the way back! I'm riding my townie bike with only three speeds, and my legs -well, they aren't used to riding out in the real world. I found it a challenge with only three speeds, but overall it was good. Great bike paths for about half the distance. The rest? Not so much!

There were only five of us, and you know what? It was nice. If there are too many people, you can't talk to everyone! We told the organizer she should cap it at 6 in the future!!! Can you imagine? That would be bad, but it is fun to visit with a smaller group. Which is why I like retreats with smaller groups. And there is little danger of anyone taking sides! 

Remember what we talked about the other day - about toxic people and choosing sides. 

OMG --- when I was walking Lexi in the forest, guess who I met! Yep—the very person I was thinking of when I posted these!!! There was no way we could avoid each other - we had to pass each other. I politely said, "Good morning." She responded, and we kept walking. I had so much I would have shared, since we had some great conversations back in the day, but then I remembered my stand and wouldn't cave!!!! She chose, and she didn't choose me, so I'm not going back. 

As close as we live to each other, it is very rare that we bump into each other, which is probably a good thing. 

As I sit at my computer, I can see the neighbor's house. The top half is wood siding, and it's never been touched since the house was built 30 years ago. They are doing some major work inside and outside - I wonder if that is for them or if they are prepping to sell? Anyway, they had a new deck and gazebo built in the backyard. Now they are trying to paint the back of the house and have to set up complex scaffolding to access the wood that is behind the gazebo, which is set very close to the house. 

I'm not a fan of their music, and Murphy is doing a great job of not barking her head off, so we are all getting along, and all is good. 

On that note, I'm out of here! I need to get a lot of work done today, and I would love to have an extra day!!!

It's going to be a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Success is not luck but loads of hard work

I love that we all have some wonderful memories! Of living on the farm, living in Montreal, and so many more! I would still be living in Montreal and having a very different life, but alas, because of the political scene and the job situation, I live here. I resisted and turned down a transfer to Toronto MULTIPLE times, then changed companies, and within a year I was asked to move, so I caved and moved. No regrets, but I do miss Montreal!

I'm happy to report that the presentation went off very well! About 15 minutes before, I swear the power blipped out for a second; it was forecast to storm, and I think we had some rain and wind, but nothing that caused me any issues. It amazes me how technology works: I am here in my basement, and my co-host is in Texas, and people joined from all over the place. 

Trust me, I didn't just stand in front of the camera and spew things. I went through the dialogue multiple times while walking the dogs, trying to shorten what I said so it would fit into an hour. Then I tried it with the props and in the "film studio" and had to rearrange the position of my samples/hoops because it felt awkward. There were still some awkward times in the second half, and I needed to switch cameras, but the wrong camera was on, and I'm sure I moved in front of one - several times. Let's just say, it would be nice to have someone operate the switcher for me, but I think I did pretty well on my own! 

I typically do NOT rewatch the shows, but I watched half of it last night. And I thought I did a decent job. It's a challenge to manage four cameras and to LOOK at the correct camera - I did a bit of that yesterday! It's easy to want to watch yourself on the computer screen, but that is NOT where the main camera is located. And OH BOY -- those hoops make a lot of noise!

And because of all the questions, we went over by 20 minutes. I knew we would go over, and I was hoping it would only be 10 minutes, but it was 20 in the end. Why? Because Meredith (my co-host) and I answered the SAME question multiple times. I know people were popping in and out, or were they not listening? I don't know, but it was annoying. I thought Meredith handled it quite well. 

If you missed it, you can watch it on YouTube. 

I learned something new yesterday. If you want to do a search and NOT let AI be part of that, you simply add -AI at the end of your search, and it should come up with the traditional search. HEY --- I just tried it, and it works. You can be sure I'll be doing that in the future. I swear the AI thing is so darn intrusive. Every time I open a Word document to type something, Copilot asks me what I want to write. I do NOT need help to write something. I think I can turn that off, and I need to figure out how. 

And for every slide I make, which consists of one or more pictures per page - rarely any words, as I talk through the slides- I get multiple options for presenting the photos. Seriously?? I want and need simple - nothing fancy to distract from the content. 

All this AI is making us lose our minds and our abilities to do anything. Imagine the next generation that grows up not knowing anything else. Where will their creativity come from? Will they be able to tell right from wrong? Will they know how to tell fake from real? Will they be able to handle a blank page/screen? 

It's going to be like cursive writing! A lost art: to take a blank screen/page/piece of fabric and make something with it. I feel very sad for them. 

I will confess that when I'm typing, I'm not as careful as I used to be. I type quickly, and I make a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. I don't always go back to correct them because I know Grammarly (yes—it's AI) will fix the errors under my supervision. Whether we like it or not, we are being forced, kicking and screaming, into using it and becoming very lazy in the process. 

OH NO - I have angered the computer gods. I can see my pictures, I can access them, and I can grab them to load into the blog, but they won't load. Hmmm—I tried the group, and I tried individuals. What the heck is happening?

Oh shoot -- well, that's a hassle, and no sense talking about pictures that I don't have access to. So no pictures today! 

To avoid tech issues, I rebooted my laptop and the router before the session to prevent hiccups. And there I am, the risk taker - I rely on the internet WIRELESSLY in the basement with no booster. There were no glitches. 

I just checked my sleep score for the night. I was tired, and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I needed the alarm to wake me up. Oh my - I was only awake for 6 minutes before I fell asleep and did NOT wake up according to my watch the entire night. I typically wake up a few times for a short period. Last night? Nothing. 

I was tired and not just physically, but mentally. Doing one of the Facebook Lives takes a lot of energy and effort. I wouldn't trade them for the world. I love doing them. 

Hmmm—I thought if I rebooted the computer, I would get pictures. But alas - no pictures. I guess all that brilliant dialogue will have to wait until tomorrow. LOL. 

After the presentation, I left everything in the room and went outside for a snack. After dinner, instead of working on the jigsaw puzzle, which is progressing slowly this time, I decided I needed to get things in order because I need the space today to get the homework done for two classes this weekend. All the cables went into their respective labeled bags, and I put away all the cameras and tripods. 

The samples and hoops are stacked for my next in-person event at Sew Productive on September 26th. That is in Acton and not that far away. Hmmm—I don't see it advertised on her website, but it is on September 26th. Call the store and ask for details. I will be doing a similar presentation, but we'll have THREE hours! Much more relaxed, no duplicate questions, and more time to look at samples. 

I solved the colorway problem for the third quilt I present this weekend, and all that is required is to load some pictures into the presentations and sew! That sounds like fun, and I have two days to do it!

On that note, I won't bore you with words alone - I like seeing the pictures, but I have no idea what is happening. I also noticed when I rebooted my computer that the search bar says it is in AI search mode. I need to figure out how to turn that off. 

I'm off to visit Brooke, but my upper back between my shoulder blades is a bit tender. I was a bit tough on myself with my little ball, trying to loosen the tight muscles at the base of my neck. I won't be doing too much upper body this morning. 

Have a wonderful day! No, wait! It's GOING to be a wonderful day!!! 

Ciao!!!!

Have you ever been in a bank robbery?

That would be a good question to use for those icebreakers. You know - the one that asks you to write something about you that no one knows! Wait for the story!

Maybe I'll consider some container gardening next year. Cherry tomatoes and maybe cucumber. I'll probably need to put that on my calendar because next spring I'll be excited about something else and forget until it's too late. 

But I agree, gardening and yard work are as hard or as easy as you want them to be. We went the easy route with everything being a perennial, no annuals and replanting for me. We have flowering shrubs for most of the summer, and I would love to take over the front boulevard with perennial flowers that require minimal work but attract butterflies. We get butterflies, but not a ton. 

And I have room for one more shrub in the backyard, and I was thinking of a lilac. I must put my thinking cap on for that. 

But what we have does NOT require watering beyond what we get from rain, and really the only maintenance is keeping the weeds down, which isn't a big deal, and for me, that's about one hour per week over the summer. I can deal with that. When the garden gets to be too much work, I'm not enjoying it. That's me -- I know others love it, but not me. 

As a kid, I spent countless hours hoeing hundreds of trees to build a hedge that eventually saved the house (DARN!!!) from the tornado that flattened part of the family farm. And countless hours planting, weeding, and harvesting potatoes and every other conceivable vegetable you can imagine. Should I even mention the hours spent shelling peas, cutting beans, husking corn, etc. And let's not forget the hours of picking fruit, both wild and domestic. I've done my time with gardening. 

I went to get a manicure yesterday. Just in case there are any close-ups of my fingernails today. I really should go once a month, just to tidy them up. I am not a fan of nail polish, but I do get a clear coat after they tidy them up. I honestly don't know how people can keep their nails looking so good. If I get regular polish in any color, it is scratched or chipped by the time I get home. And then it looks hideous. I could get gel or shellac or whatever the materials are today, but that just ruins my nails underneath. I tried it once and was shocked at the condition of my nail beds after the gel was removed.  

And then you have the decorative nails. They look spectacular, but like funky eyeglasses, I focus on the nails or glasses instead of what the person is saying. I want people to look at my samples, NOT my nails or my eyeglasses. Again --- personal opinion. 

I knew yesterday was going to be "fun" as I set out to get the room set up for the Facebook Live TODAY. Four cameras and my computer are involved, and they all have to be connected to one another through the MAGIC switchbox. 

I hoped to use the areas where my sewing machines sit. I removed all the T-shirts from the temporary design walls and then set up the main camera. DRAT --- I needed a wider angle than this space allowed.  

This area is too small.

So --- I had to set it up in the area where those "current project" tables are sitting. Yep—all that crap on the two tables and a few tubs underneath had to be moved. 

All this had to be moved.

Well, that wasn't exactly a fun task. Let's just say I got a lot of steps in yesterday, and I didn't even go for a walk. But this might be a good opportunity to sort it out before I put it all back and make some decisions. Perhaps I can find a few hidey holes in a closet or on a shelf to make some of that disappear. Wouldn't it be nice if there was NOTHING on those tables? I don't think I can cull it that much, but it's time for an intervention. 

Although this is from a different angle, this is what that area looks like. 

The "film studio"

Let me say that bagging and labeling all the cables was BRILLIANT. It took no time at all to set everything up, and since I've done it a few times, it was super easy. The hardest part was finding the spot to set things up. No equipment or cables were missing - it was a dream. And this is why we declutter, organize, sort, or whatever you want to call it. When I got the new power cord for the switch box, it also went into this bag and was waiting for me. 

Everything was bagged and tagged per camera.

My samples are out, and I have all the supplies I need. I have a few things to set up this morning, and there is one small sample I've been meaning to make, but I didn't, so that is a job for this morning. 

I started rearranging things back in order on the work tables because I'm running out of room with everything turned upside down. Once today is done, I just need my work tables back, and the rest can stay until next week. 

One more presentation is mostly done, but I have a bit of sewing to do first. Once the pictures are in the slide presentation, it's pretty easy to put them in the correct order. Then I go through it at least twice to ensure that the flow is right and to add anything I may have missed. Actually, I had to prep two presentations for the one class because one presentation is about the technique and one is for the pattern. I should have had that technique presentation done years ago, but I always fudged it. Now I'm actually making the presentation, so I won't have to do it again. I can pull the slides whenever I need them. 

And YES—all the pictures and the presentation are in well-organized file folders, so they are easy to find. 

I have one presentation I haven't started, but I hope to get working on it later today, or I might finish this one completely and then focus on the final one tomorrow. I've pulled some fabric this morning, and that is the holdup. What color am I going to make this quilt? 

While I appreciate that Halloween stuff has been in stores for months (hard to believe), I saw this on my walk. OH -- I guess I did go for a walk when I went to the nail salon, which just happened to be in the same parking lot as the thrift store, and it was senior's day. What happens on seniors' day at the thrift store? That information stays at the thrift store! 

Eager Halloween decorators

As I walked the girls in the morning, I spotted this. Again—someone just dumped this pile of furniture at the curb. It is NOT garbage day today, but recycling day. We used to have big garbage day once or twice a year, but now people seem to think it's big garbage day any day of the week. What does the city say about this? 

More big garbage piled at the curb

Look at this pretty girl! She's so beautiful and desperately needs grooming or at least a bath. I'm not sure that she can handle going to the groomer. I might have to break down and take her to one of those self-serve dog wash places. And I could get clippers and clip her myself. The last time she went to the groomer, she had leg spasms when she got home. I think the stress of being there and standing for so long wasn't for her. 

MOM - I know I'm pretty! 

And when you're hot, you just step into the pool to cool your legs and have a drink. What a silly girl. 

MOM - I'm cooling down

Here's that puzzle I chatted about yesterday. The one that belonged to my grandfather, and I suspect he gave it to my Dad, although Dad had zero recollection of it. I have no idea how old it is; there are no indications on the box, but I'd say it's from the 1940s or 1950s. I can't find anything about the Windsor Jigsaw puzzle company. All my searches lead to Windsor Castle. By the way, did you see that handsome young prince on his first day of school? It's hard to believe he is 13. 

My vintage puzzle

The picture is called Lake Josephine, which is located in Minnesota. 

The puzzle name

There are other titles, but again, searching for them online provides no further information. WAIT  - I did NOT ask the question correctly. I asked again ( I just use a search engine; I do NOT use AI). The Windsor puzzle brand started production in 1932. During the depression - imagine that. OMG—I did a more in-depth search (it's all about what you ask and how you ask it). I don't have time to post it all, but this puzzle was published in the 1940s!!! Pretty good guess. My Dad was born in 1933. 

Other titles in the series

This is a note on the inside of the lid in my grandfather's handwriting. I have no idea what he means - some pieces are short on top. Now I have to put it together to understand. 

A note from my Grandpa

But look at the pieces! They are all irregular. And the colors are so dull. It should be interesting, but not on my radar at the moment. I will keep this one. Not sure if M will want it someday, but since she likes puzzles, it might be a fun one to keep. 

The pieces of the puzzle

And I have this folder of random photos, and I should start posting some of them. A while back, I was digging through my two boxes of crap that I've carried with me since high school. And a few other things got put in the boxes along the way. 

Sadly, I didn't keep the date on this article, but it was in the mid-1980s. I was working for the Bank of Montreal at the time, and my boss and I had these two desks in the corner of that huge main bank branch off Place D'Armes. This is in the (at the time) head office of the Bank of Montreal. I did NOT work for the branch, but for another division, but we were overflow and sat in a corner of the main branch. 

We had smoky glass dividers to keep us separate from the branch, and this branch is HUGE. It's one of those old bank buildings with very high ceilings and lots of columns. 

I sat with my bank to the branch, and I remember turning around after hearing some commotion, and it was over in two minutes. Yikes!!! That was pretty scary, but we didn't even have time to register what was happening until it was over. 

So, yes, we were in the same building as the bank robbery, but we weren't close and definitely weren't the target. 

I was at this same desk when I heard the news that the Challenger exploded (1986). 

This was a cute little corner because we had our own private bathroom. Yep—there was a bathroom right beside my boss's desk, and the ladies in our department (around the corner) and the two of us used it. No one else! It was great. My boss spent a lot of time in there as she was also heavily made up! 

The things you remember. I don't need that article, but it did trigger loads of memories. 

OK—here are the links where you can watch the Facebook Live if you are interested. On Facebook, this is the link. 

And here is the YouTube link. OMG -- there's a countdown clock. 7 hours and some minutes to go!

If you open those pages BEFORE 3 PM EST, you will need to REFRESH the page to start the live stream. We typically go live right at 3 PM on the dot, so that's when you should refresh. 

Even if you are not in the market for a new machine and even if you are NOT a PFAFF person, it might be fun to check it out and see what all the fuss is about! LOADS of new technology to share! 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I have lots to get done today, and it's time to get started. 

It's going to be a fabulous day!!!

Ciao!!!!