Do as I say, not as I do

 And so another crazy day has passed. I accomplished a lot and finished late in the day again! I don't know why that is. I start early enough in the day but never seem to get the "real" work done until late. I must start looking at how I do things. I eeked out 12 KM and then, at the end of the day, realized that I had forgotten to drop stuff at Diane's house. Sigh..................

Oh -- I got a response from Watergirl Quilt Co about the hera marker. There is quite the business behind those hera markers. Michelle owns Watergirl Quilt Company, and her husband owns several wood-based companies. Westwood has a tree service, which cuts down trees that need to be removed. Then various craftspeople in the Kingston area turn the downed trees into live edge tables and other furniture. As their offcuts get smaller, they are passed along to other wood crafters who make smaller items, like the hera marker. NOTHING (or very little) goes to the landfill. 

How civilized is that? I absolutely love the idea, and it's like quilters. Someone likes to use the yardage, and someone likes to play with the leftovers! There's room for everyone in the sandbox. 

Thanks to Tony (Michelle's husband) for that information. If you want to get one of these, check out their website. I LOVE mine and will be using it to mark things in the future INSTEAD of using chemical-based products. I never thought I could see it well enough, but it worked well on my white fabric for my embroidery. WOW -- -who thought you could teach an old dog a new trick. But the hera marker is NOT new; maybe that's why I like it! Check out this link if you're interested in getting one, or if you got it in your Advent Box from Watergirl, get it out! 

Hera marker from wood

I have seen others made with different woods, but I would rather support a local Canadian artisan than the other company. 

I fired up the embroidery machine as I had some testing to do, and I was RIGHT! I don't usually say that, but I was! My Mom used to say that all the time, which drove me crazy. It also involved a test that I should have done BEFORE my embroidery club last month, so now I get to provide them with the entire story, and they will be pleased. One more little test to do. 

Getting ready to embroider

Not only did I fire up one embroidery machine, but I had both of them going. I struggled to keep up with them, so I didn't have time to take a picture, and some babysitting was involved. I had to laugh when I needed the foot pedal for the PFAFF creative icon 2, and it was nowhere to be found. I mostly do embroidery on it and never need the foot pedal!  

I have a lot of fiddling today with the pieces I embroidered, and fabric bits are strewn everywhere. At one point, I thought my embroidery hoop was the Scan and Cut mat. I had various bits of fabric on the hoop and those big scissors. I do NOT recommend doing this. I had to watch it like a hawk, and you'll see when it's done. This was just the "easier" way to do what needed to be done! 

Embroidering bits

And here are the next two baby quilts for the customer - DONE. I did the same thing as the previous day. The back got loaded, and I quilted the first one, then loaded the second top and quilted it next to the first one. Worked like a charm. 

Customer quilts - DONE

I've got a large one in the queue today, and I have to trim all of those small quilts. I don't want too much stuff lying around, and piles of stuff are already in the living room. A good part of that stuff will be picked up tomorrow, which will be good. It's getting rather messy looking. And I'm away next week, so I need to get those quilts trimmed and ready for pickup before I leave. 

I took a walk in the afternoon, and it was GLORIOUS. I HATE when the weather forecasters talk about these POLAR temperatures. Yes -- it's cold, but I didn't even wear a hat. The sun was out, and it was beautiful. They are scaring people from going outside. It was minus 5. Seriously? That is NOT cold. My SIL lives in Iqaluit; the other day, it was MINUS 37. Now that's COLD. 

The girls are beside themselves, especially Lexi. The day that I returned, DH left. And it looks like the day he comes home, I'll be leaving the next day. They are big sucks, and Miss Murphy can't get enough attention. So I plunk her between my knees (she is rather large to be a lap dog) and give her a good head rub and ear scratching, and she's happy as a clam. The only problem is that she doesn't want it to stop, and I have work to do! 

Murphy getting some loving

Miss Lexi is just miffed that she is NOT allowed on the couch. I'm not a couch sitter EVER, so she has resigned herself to her kennel. She is NOT much of a cuddler either - at least with me. But she will come into the office and sleep on the floor. 

I worked like crazy all day, but I don't have much to show. Now how did that happen? Well, what I did took a long time. OH -- I know what else I did. I had a lot of computer work involving machine embroidery, and I got all that done. I'm using the mySewnet embroidery software for MORE than embroidery, and I love it. The more I use that software, the more I become very comfortable. I still have a LONG way to learn it completely, but wow!!! I love it!

I had two porch pickups yesterday, and I was worried that they picked up the wrong bags, but confirmation later in the day said that all was fine! Phew!! 

That's it for today. I've got another crazy day ahead of me, and there's no time to waste! Oh, a new habit formed --- I've been faithfully writing in my Happiness Journal since I unearthed it. It's a fun way to reflect on the day before bed. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!