Endless grooming

And so the marathon starts. Actually, it starts tomorrow, and there won't be much of a break until October 9th. So, yep - one month of total chaos and running around like an idiot! But it's all going to be fun, and there are lots of different things happening, so stay tuned. 

As for the trip preparations that need to be done by tomorrow for my 7 AM flight? I made progress - perhaps not as much as I would have liked, but as I was working, I thought that if I finished all the samples I had started the day before, that was overkill. The other decision was how far along to take the step-outs. So, I made progress yesterday, and I have a plan for today, and I'm sure I will be good. 

I also made progress on the blog posts, although there is one small thing I would like to get done today. NO - I have yet to figure out where the dish of sequins got put, so I must open a new pack. DARN!!! 

The quilt is quilted and off the long arm! Because of the pattern, it was easy to babysit, and all was good. It's a gift for someone, so I'm only going to show you the edge, but it turned out better than I expected. I'll trim it and put the binding on on Thursday when I'm back because that has to be ready for another early morning flight on Friday. I told you it was a marathon!

The edge of the quilt was easy to babysit

I even put a few things away, but then I trimmed some parts of my project and undid all the tidiness! But that's OK - it's my space, and if it needs to be messy for a month, then it stays that way. It won't take long to tidy it up when I get to it. And there will be opportunities along the way - I'm not away for that entire time - just the days are filled with events. 

While babysitting the long arm, I didn't get much chance to do anything else, as the rows were short. But I got the sawtooth hanger on the picture. The nails were so tiny that I had to get my needle-nose pliers out to hold the nail to attach the hanger. I was going to hang it up, but DH was hanging out in the family room, and he asks way too many questions when I do stuff, so I'll do it another time. WAIT -- this picture is deceiving. The nail did go into the hanger! 

Using pliers to attach the nail

And this is the state of Lexi. This dog is impossible to groom. Let me rephrase that—she loves being groomed and will stand there for about ten minutes before she says, "Enough—we are in the forest, and there are smells!" So she's patient, and her standing there is not the problem. 

It's the amount of hair. Some days, I'm almost afraid to keep going because if I do get the loose hair off, there will just be a skinny, hairless dog left. OH -- no fear of that. 

This is both sides of her after I took three brushes of hair off one side only. Can you tell which side it came from? 

MOM - let's go!!!! 

And NO—she is NOT a two-colored dog—it was the lighting in the forest. It was the second picture, but it's barely noticeable. I'll keep brushing, and one day! She is also NOT a black dog—she's mottled. 

I must update you on the Bob, Sue, and King story. Remember? That is the lady who fell in the forest. I spotted Bob and King the other day and asked how Sue was. She had a hair fracture on her elbow! Yikes! I didn't stop to get too many details as we were across the street, and there was traffic. 

But then I ran into Bob and Sue with King yesterday morning. We were practically face-to-face before seeing each other, so Sue and I had a conversation. Yep—a hairline fracture in a cast, and her other hand was badly scraped. 

She said she was glad to see the city "fixed" the sides with dirt, but I don't see it making a big difference since the soil is soft. But she admitted she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking! I asked if they called the city, and they did not!

And so there's the update! 

Be sure to keep plugging away at your decluttering. Have you tackled any drawers in your sewing room? Those can be the worst! If you are still working on the drawers, it's the little junky things that are the hardest to deal with. You know what I mean - the free stuff, the swag from quilt shows, and the gadget you thought was a good idea. Be strong - leave them out so you can decide what to do with them, but not too long. And if you have to think for too long, there's a good chance it's junk and can be tossed into the garbage. 

If you are cleaning up because you have no choice (imminent move) or you get someone else to do the cleaning, you miss the exercise of learning how to prevent this from happening again. You NEED to appreciate all the junk you've collected over the years and realize how much you DID NOT need that stuff. Now you will think twice about collecting that kind of stuff again. 

But you got this! I know you do, and you will get there!!!! I'll be back at it in October, and I can visualize myself going through that massive amount of "important" paper that needs to be sorted. Once I start visualizing it, I know it's going to happen. Remember that chipping constantly is better than not touching it at all!

I'm off to spin class this morning, and I'd better get moving! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!