The GREAT escape

We had a bit of excitement at Monday Motivators this past week. I am sitting at my table and something catches my eye. OH BOY - let's not panic, but there is a TEENY TINY little creature looking at me!!!!

While a few people (won't name any names to protect the innocent) clambered onto chairs, Daphne TOOK CHARGE of the situation. The poor little guy was confused and didn't know where to run. The door got shut, although I don't know that that would have helped. The creature was TINY.

Then Daphne got something to catch it with and I helped her. Daphne had a design wall with her and it was leaning against the wall. A perfect tunnel to trap the little guy. I chased it into the tunnel and Daphne captured it.

Daphne with the creature under the chair riser!!!!!   I grabbed a piece of paper that she slipped underneath so we (OK - Daphne) could carry it outside.

Here is the little thing - we took it out onto the lawn and it raced away into the grass!!!!!

That was the highlight of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!      Yeah Daphne!!!!    And the joys of being in the country. I hate when you get those little critters in the house. They are hard to catch especially if you were by yourself.


Do you hate those days when you have stuff to do and you seem to be doing a lot, but you do not really feel like you accomplished anything????   That was yesterday. I taught a class in the morning - well we finished at two - I had to buy some fabric so that took time, but once again, the girls at Ruti's were suburb in finding JUST what I needed. Then off to Chapter's to check the magazines - didn't buy any and the one that I want is only available in French - Quiltmania. Then to Homesense to check out the stuff, the library to pick up a couple of books. Then home and M arrives and she needs to be driven around - so back to another Chapter's. Crap - the magazine is only in French there as well.  Why would they order this in French when they never sell any of them. I must talk to them today. Then we were on the look out for Halloween costumes for M and then home. I was pooped - well more frustrated than pooped.

Finally got into the swing of things around 8 PM. I hope I don't get many of those days - they drive me crazy. I am trying to get more cleaning up and organizing done in the studio. One area is the table at the bottom of the stairs. It is supposed to be for scrapbooking/paper arts - I know - when do I have the time?, but I am thinking that if I have dedicated space, it will be easier. There was a HUGE stack of bags on the table. These are bags that I don't really want, but are good to put things in when you go somewhere and don't want the bag back.

Berke is looking for odd jobs to make gas money for his land yacht. I have a few odd jobs that I could do myself, but somehow they are NOT getting done. I figure I can kill two birds with one stone and pay him. Job one - get rid of the bags. But not get RID of them - just find a home for them.

I have a small electrical room in the house and there is a BLANK wall BEHIND the door. The room is only about 3 1/2 feet square and you can't really do much in there, but those blank walls - well perfect for hanging bags.

The bags hanging on the wall. Now it was VERY hard to take this picture. As I said, the room is very tiny and hard to take a picture. I have to get some more supplies for Berke so he can finish what I want to do in this room. 

I hope little space, by little space that I can tidy things up. How successful will I be????   Let's see - even if I have to pay for it to be done, well - that is the only way it will happen I think.


In light of the "out of the question" situation - you will be happy to note that I had a moment the other day. You see - I participate in the postcard exchange that we do at one of my local guilds. There are about 8 of us in the exchange and we make ONE postcard for each member during the course of the year. This is the first postcard I received - and that little daisy - well it rotates. It's very cute.

New postcard to add to the collection

Now someone asked me if I wanted to join another postcard exchange where some of the members are out of the country. I said yes because I was thinking it was the same deal - one for each member in a year. BUT when I dug a bit deeper - OH NO - it was ONE POSTCARD PER MONTH for each member. And that meant FIVE postcards a month. That is worse than the exchanges that I am currently behind in. I can see late dates and pressure EVERY MONTH. I e-mailed the coordinator back and said OOOPS - I made a mistake - I do NOT have time to do this and I have backed out. Lesson learned - CHECK ALL the details before you say YES or even better - just say "out of the question".

But I am learning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    The number of on-going quilt classes next year will be greatly reduced and/or more simple/smaller quilts than this year, NO EXCHANGES except the post card exchange which involves making a total of 7 postcards before June, no block of the months. So I am trying!!!!!!!!!!!!


Oh yes - yesterday I was watching a YouTube video that someone sent me and I had never watched. It was a lecture given by a professor at Harvard about Happiness. (Thanks to Marian for sending this link to me)



Have a look at this if you have a few minutes.............. (he is very funny and a good speaker)


Happiness Video


Bottom line is this - these are FIVE key things to make POSITIVE change in your life..............   (I am adding some of my own comments in here)

Three gratitudes - find three things EVERY DAY that you are thankful for - write them down (hey that is what the author of AWESOME things did!   You would be surprised and not as bad off as you think you are.
Journaling  - write in a diary, write a letter to yourself, write a blog - it helps to off load some stress, clears the mind and just makes me HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY. Make it public - make it personal - you decide
Exercise - I don't think I even need to go through this one - you just feel better when you are done! And even if you don't lose weight - do it for the sense of accomplishment, the movement of your body - the keeping your body flexible and moving. Less problems when you get older.
Meditation - moments of quiet and solitude - I find I need these more and more as I get older. I MUST check the schedule for the meditative yoga classes. I also need the stretching.
Random acts of kindness - do you not love when you are the recipient of these random acts of kindness????   Well - it makes me happy when I do them as well. It can simple - pay for the coffee of the person behind you, let the person in who is signaling to get in your lane, wave as someone you don't know, visit a senior in a senior's home - whatever. But people appreciate these and they not only make the recipient feel good - but you feel GREAT too.

Remember - ONLY YOU can control the level of happiness in your life. Not your husband, brother, sister, mother, pet or money. ONLY YOU can decide to be happy. And since we only live once - I would rather be happy and optimistic than sad and depressed!!!!  



Well - another crazy day ahead of me. There just isn't a day when I don't have a commitment. Even if it is just going for a hair cut. And the paperwork - well we won't even go there. Never mind the HUGE stack of quilts that is waiting for me to quilt.

On that note - I'm out of here.


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



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!