Is that a flying saucer????????

One day closer to a BREAK!!!!   And so far so good. I am ON TRACK!!!!

Another customer quilt DONE!!!!!

Close up of quilting - I think it came out great!

And how about the back - I think she used up EVERY SCRAP she had left!!!!

I still managed to get some shopping done and played chauffeur to M and her friends. But they are working out at the gym so I don't mind.

I also managed to get FIVE blocks done on the Elm Creek quilt.

Current status of Elm Creek blocks

Oh yeah - can't you tell that I added five blocks???   There is still a LOT of EMPTY spaces. Well little by little.

Not only did I get a quilt done, five blocks and some shopping - I managed to get some more cleaning done in this studio. While the main room is pretty clean - there were a few laundry baskets with things that I didn't know what to do with. Happened to be in the mood and I emptied TWO baskets yesterday. Fabric went on the shelf, patterns in the boxes and projects went in the 2013 (note that date!!!!) pile.

Several observations I have made while going through this process -

1. It is a SNAP to tidy up now that everything has a home
2. Once the big stuff is out of the way - it isn't so overwhelming and it is easy to deal with the small stuff
3. I can work so much more easily
4. I am MOTIVATED
5. There is WAY TOO MUCH stuff. I have this large moveable shelf with projects for 2012 - but what about the other projects that I won't even get to this year?????   I can only be comforted by the fact that I am making progress and while I am starting some new ones - I am finishing more than I start - YEAH!!!!!!!
6. I can actually have people over to sew
7. I have become OBSESSED about keeping the room tidy
8. I still have TWO more laundry baskets to sort through
9. I LOVE storage boxes!!!!
10. I DO NOT want to get rid of any of my projects
11. I tidy up ALL the time
12. My lists/clip boards are working - although there will be a bit of refining that needs to be done
13. Most important of all - I AM HAPPY working in my space (I used to be lonely in the mess)

And if anyone wants some help - let me know - but YOU have to be ready. I cannot and will not throw your stuff away. You MUST be ready to let go (if you don`t have the room). I have also determined that I have run out of room and MUST NOT buy anything new unless needed for a project. OK - so I might buy a few things. My pocket book will be very happy because this year has been a very expensive year - new car, new roof and I have to make one more expensive (although not as bad as a car or a roof) purchase later today. I will show you when it arrives.


Do you know what this is?????????????????

Is it a plane? is it a bird??  is it a flying saucer???

Nope  - doesn't even fly - it FLOATS!!!!   I took this with the flash this morning - must have scared the darn fish to death!!!!!    The fish scared me and I only saw it in the picture cause it was DARK DARK DARK when I took the picture. 

It really does look like a flying saucer out of the water. 

 This is my new heater for the pond or I think the proper name is a Pond De-Icer. While I was at the pond store a couple of days ago, at least two other people came in and bought a pond de-icer.  Now why do you need one???   Well - fish are dirty and smelly and stinky and create gas (so does decaying leaves in the bottom of the pond). If the gases are not allowed to escape - the fish die!!  That is what happened last year.

This picture was taken on Wednesday AM. See how thick the ice was - almost ONE INCH. Hard to believe as it  didn't seem to be that cold. And there is my old heater in the background. It was DEAD.

Bought a new air pump for the pond as well as the fish also need oxygen and the pump helps to keep the pond open in the winter. My old one just doesn't seem to have any power any more. And it has to be installed TODAY as it is going to get cold tomorrow.


The backyard is an ever present source of entertainment from the blue jays who try to scare the other birds from the feeder

There are TWO blue jays - got to get the big camera out to get better pictures.  With a telephoto!!!

To the FAT squirrels who are trying to get to the bird feeder, but haven't figured it out yet. Drat - squirrel claws just don't stick to metal. HA!!!!   I've tricked them, but they don't seem to be suffering!!!!!

And then there is the wildlife inside the house. These girls are SO lazy.   Cute buy lazy. 

On that note - I have a CRAZY BUSY day - more shopping, another custom quilt to do (thank god it is only 60 inches square), more sewing on Elm Creek and I have to get my butt in gear on a new project - a T-shirt quilt.

Preliminary lay out of t-shirt quilt

I am feeling so good about my studio, that I think I may actually start tackling the paperwork. Because it is now cluttering up my studio. And I can't live with that. Since I hate it so much - I might set a timer and do one half hour a day. I think I can manage that. Oh my god - I may even become obsessive about that. And I need to because yesterday when shopping, I got to thinking about these extended warranties that you buy. I have no idea what we still have warranty on and even where the bills are. So YES - that HAS to be done.

I got an invitation to a New Car Seminar from my dealer. It was free (and free food) so I thought why not? At first, I thought - oh crap - they are just going through basic stuff about the dealer which I pretty much knew since I have been using this dealer for servicing for many years. Anyway - it turned out to be a very informative session. A lot of tips on driving, maintenance and other things that I think will be quite useful.

Things of note:
1. Roadside Assistance (for Toyota) is for the car, CAA is for the driver (in other words, if I have CAA - I can use it on any vehicle I happen to be in at the time). Good to know cause I wasn't sure whether I should keep it - now I can make an educated decision
2. We learned what to look for under the hood for fluids - three easy ones and the oil. No big deal. Oh yes - ONCE A MONTH. Just for good measure
3. We learned about car washes - touch (better wash, but hard on the car) or no touch (easy on the car, but not a good wash) - tough decision and up to the customer. Don't bother paying for the wax - doesn't do a thing for your car, but always opt for the undercarriage wash.
4. We learned about the parking brake - you should ALWAYS use the parking brake, if for no other reason than to keep it functional so when you absolutely need it - then it will be working. And if you have an automatic, then you need to put the park brake on BEFORE you put the car in neutral. If you have a standard - that isn't a big deal.


Anyway - you get the idea - we learned a LOT. Well worth going if you ever buy a new car and your dealer offers this.


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!