Ask questions!

 About decluttering: Once you get the bug, you will NEVER want to return to your old ways. The surprising thing is that it takes much less time to stay organized than it does to be messy. If everything has a home, it's easy to put stuff away, and there are no decisions to make. You could do it while talking on the phone! 

I wanted to add a couple of things that I thought of yesterday. 

1. If you take something out to look at it or work on it, try to finish it (OK—that's hard) and then put it away. Leaving all those things out makes clutter. If you left something out because you need to buy something or fix it or whatever, then try to get that done sooner rather than later. It's like my Shop Vac sitting in the kitchen because I needed to buy new bags. I finally got to the store yesterday, so I hope to finish cleaning up the glass in the backyard. With those couple of little side trips, there was no time. But now I can finish the job (shoot -- it's supposed to rain today) and then put the Shop Vac back in the garage. 
2. Don't poo-poo someone in your family if they want to get organized and you do not! I see this repeatedly when someone has accomplished something major (no matter how small - every paper dealt with is a major event), and a family member says, "What's the point?" Why say something negative? If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. But then some people's glass is always going to be half empty. Ignore those people - you don't need them in your life! 
3. Let me know if you need a champion for your small successes. I'll champion them and give you a massive round of applause! I'll even post (anonymously, if you prefer) the before-and-after pictures on the blog. Trust me, sometimes I clean up simply to have an "after" picture to post on the blog. It's nice to see your successes. Take photos so you can see how far you've come! 
4. Let me know if you have questions about how or where to get started or are frustrated because the job is too big. I'll see if we can work out something to get you going! We will conquer our messes! We can do this! Imagine how much happier the world would be!

So, I was off to my last little detour of the week. Oh my -- yes - I was at the unveiling of another sewing and embroidery machine. Hey -- I asked first if I could attend, and I'm glad I was able to go. You can learn so much by asking questions, and well, I asked questions. I have one student (she knows who she is) who always asks questions in my classes. Seriously? Asking questions is the way to go -- you will learn so much, so the next time you're in a class, ask away, and no question is silly! 

One of the first things out of the presenter's mouth was that this embroidery machine was Android-based. OK -- that confused the heck out of me because I associate Android with my phone, and well, this embroidery machine was NOT my phone. But I learned (and you may already know this, and having been in the computer industry for several years, I should have known this as well) that Android software is open-source software, so anyone can purchase a license and develop it to run their product! DUH!!!!!! 

I guess smart devices are the most common or at least the most known users. It's like saying I have a Windows laptop rather than an Apple. Windows and Apple are both software platforms that run the devices. 

So if you have a Samsung Android and your friend has another brand (is there another brand? I couldn't find one), the phones will not look the same because the companies have developed the software to their liking. All kinds of people can build apps that run on Android that can be purchased through the Play Store or whatever it's called on your Android device. 

There you go -- the BIG learning thing of the day!! 

All I can say is that these sewing and embroidery machines are going crazy with size. I know—as I have two of them in Studio B—so you think they can't get bigger, but they are managing to add an inch or two where they can! I would say that machine software developments will be the most significant changes going forward. The machines can't get much bigger than they currently are. 

Yesterday, I learned a lot by asking many questions of the industry people in attendance and the dealer! 

The good news is that Project One is done! Well, it's not done—not by a long shot—but the Step-Outs are complete, they are labeled, and everything is bagged, tagged, and ready to go! 

Project One ready to be packed in the suitcase

I even spent a few minutes this morning putting away some of the supplies I no longer require. The samples and supplies for Project Two are laid out, and I'll tackle that today. Many more samples are already complete, so this should be easier and much faster to assemble. 

Hmm. If this tool is closed (as shown), would it pass airport security? 

Will this pass airport security?

OK --- how can you not feel sorry for her and get the darn ball and throw it? I mean --- she knows the best time to get me - when I'm sitting at the table and never fails to get the ball!!! You just have to love this dog! She is so smart it scares me! 

MOM -- I threw the ball right to your chair! 

Now, if she could only help with the EXIT Game. We are at the end, but can we figure out the final clue—which three brave souls walk the bridge? Good grief—I think we will have to peek at the first clue!!! 

The EXIT Game

Oh, here's something else I learned by asking questions. And sometimes, you have to ask the question more than once. A while back, I went to the optometrist, and she suggested prescription readers. Why? Why would I need prescription readers over drugstore magnifiers? I got answers from people that they loved their prescription readers but not the WHY. I need to know the why, or nothing makes sense. 

Then, someone said that they cannot use drug store readers because the magnified text is blurry. AHA!!! Something so simple yet makes perfect sense. So I do NOT need prescription readers—I'm perfectly fine with making something larger to read! I saved a few dollars there! 

Oh, and I had heard something on the internet, which we all know is mostly false knowledge. It had to do with my Brother Scan and Cut. So I asked the people yesterday if they had ever heard of this, and they were astounded! They had never heard of it and could not understand the logic. So I learned something else!! 

But here's the thing about asking questions, and maybe this comes from my upbringing. It used to drive me crazy, and it still does. I hate asking questions, and someone says, "Because I say so! or "We've always done it this way." It just doesn't ring well with me. If you tell me to do something, I want to know WHY, and then I can evaluate whether that logic works for me! 

I remember going to a quilt class, and the teacher had been adamant in her notes not to cut a particular part of the quilt—perhaps the borders. This teacher was known for embarrassing students in class—she was NOT a good teacher. So I listened to her explain how she cut this particular part, which I thought was nonsense, and then I went into the hallway and cut the pieces the way I would! I never said a word—it wasn't necessary! 

Today will be busy, and the girls are waiting, so I'd better get myself moving! Oh, so Murphy always goes first for the morning walk. I feel bad for Lexi as she's so patient and a good girl. Well, most of the time. Yesterday, Murphy was out in the backyard trying to find the rabbits, and Lexi was waiting, so I put her leash on. We were just about out the door when Murphy came bounding to the front door, and her nose was severely out of joint! I could hear her barking all the way to the forest - well, almost all the way! I bet she'll be waiting by the front door today! You can't have your sister go first! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!