Murphy is under the weather

Thanks for the comments yesterday. I'm surprised there were not more that roasted me for being "harsh." I get it that some people absolutely adore decorating for any holiday, making meals, etc. And I'm totally for that. But when it comes to the point that you shut everything else down for a month? That's a bit much! What about if you need a storage unit for your decorations? I guess we all have our priorities!

Again, I'm not against giving money as a gift, but I'm not fond of it when you don't know what else to give. Then don't give money for the sake of giving a gift. Give them money during the year when they need something new. Why does it have to be an "obligation" at Christmas? 

As someone said, advertising should be banned. That's a bit drastic, but the peer pressure that advertising puts on people is enormous. And then we wonder why we have mental health issues and stress. If you try to keep up with the Joneses, good luck! There are too many of them today; everything is "perfect" when you follow social media. 

Make informed gift-giving choices. Ask if you can stop exchanging gifts. Decide about age limits and let the family know. Make Christmas more about presence than presents. It can make a world of difference. Things do not buy happiness, but your company can cheer someone up for days. 

So, someone was not feeling well yesterday. Murphy was extremely agitated and clingy, so I couldn't do anything without keeping my hand on her to settle her. I finally caved and put her Thundershirt on despite the higher temperatures. 

MOM -- I'm not feeling well

I had a call at 10 a.m., and she settled at my feet, after which she seemed a little better. There was a lot of wind yesterday, and with all the leaves falling, perhaps that was the issue? I know she has hurt her front leg, and I'm unsure whether that was from the failed attempt to jump on the dresser. She did squeak when she made that attempt, so I suspect she has a bruise. 

She was limping, so we didn't go for our usual walk. 

Later in the afternoon, the two girls enjoyed the nice weather in the backyard. But Murphy barked at everything, so I wouldn't let her stay out for long. 

MOM -- just enjoying the nice weather

The two of them then had to investigate something at the front. Surprisingly, they are the same size but much different in weight. Murphy is stocky and sturdy, while Lexi is dainty! 

MOM -- we're guarding! 

She wasn't her usual self last night or this morning, so we'll see how she walks. If she doesn't improve today, I may take her to the vet for some pain meds. Poor thing. It must be killing her not to jump and leap around like she usually does!

I made good strides in accomplishing things yesterday. I need to take at least one thing a day off either of those two tables to get them empty by the end of the year. Yesterday, I pulled a partially finished quilt top off. Good grief—I know why it got stalled. I needed to cut more fabric, but where is the fabric? I slightly panicked about that as I promised to quilt it today and send it off. 

I was going to attempt Plan B this morning with some scraps, but then I realized I needed way more than was in the scrap box. I swear I had cut this fabric from a bolt. But when I calmed down and looked in the blue stash box, there was the fabric! Sheesh!!! 

So it's almost together, and I'll get it on the long arm later this morning. 

At one point in the day, there was a crash. Oh shoot, I accidentally kicked a bolt of fabric on which these backings were balanced. And after a bit, down they went. Yes -- they should be on the shelf, but there isn't room at the moment. 

Crash!

So I stood the bolt of fabric upright and balanced the backings on them. All is good for the moment. I just need to keep my feet from knocking that over. It's the first time, so it's all good. 

Back in their temporary spot

The four tubs of Christmas fabric were picked up yesterday. Yeah!!!! I think the recipient will have fun with it all and make some kits for pillowcases or whatever she wants. It's out of my house! There is ONE more small tub of stuff I need to find homes for, and I'll try to post some of it this week. 

The four tubs of Christmas fabric - GONE

Speaking of pillowcases, if you have nothing to do or want to get rid of yardage FAST, you can make pillowcases for the Comfy Cases project. I had a couple of days where the kits were made, and people came and sewed them. I got rid of a lot of yardage that day! Check out the website for the dimensions. They are OK with Christmas ones, but the fabric must be 100% cotton, with no metallic threads. Go by the instructions on the webpage!!!!

And in return for those four boxes of Christmas fabric, I got four small quilt tops to quilt. They will be donated to Project Linus and now sit on those two blue tubs in the storage room! 

Four more community project quilts

I had to piece the backing for this flannel quilt, but it got loaded and quilted last night. These are made from my flannel yardage. Yep, I gave it all up for Diane to make these quilts. When was I ever going to get a chance to use it? Now, in my lifetime, I see the benefits of my purchase. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I have a few bindings that I need to get on, and I hope to get to that today. Now, SIX quilts need the binding sewn on, and all six are on those tables! That would free up some room. 

As I'm sewing blocks for Dear Jen (more on that tomorrow) or Spice Market, I've been using these black-and-white blocks as my enders and leaders. HOLY!!! I'm making amazing progress. 

Ender/leader project

I pieced a bunch of the black-on-white strips (on the right), and most of them are sewn onto the block you see on the left. Then, I'll make the longer strip to sew to the other two sides. Before I know it, this one set of blocks will be complete. Then, I get to do the same thing to the other set. The blocks can be assembled, and the top quilted and donated! It's easy as pie!!!

I can't stress enough how great it feels to clear those main work surfaces! Yes, there are two elephants in the room, but I can overlook them (temporarily) while I'm working. At least things aren't falling on the floor from a too-crowded workspace. Even the cutting table is looking pretty good. 

What's even better is that I have the time. While I have loads to do, I LOVE not having commitments or deadlines that prevent me from enjoying the sewing. DH drove the car to a meeting yesterday, so I'm probably off the hook to drive him to physio. But he has these visions that now that the brace is off, everything should be easy, like putting on and taking off a jacket. NOT SO!!! 

I'm keeping an eye on my KMs to meet my walking challenges. And I notice there is quite a difference per day in the amount recorded. If my FitBit says 13.73 KM as it did yesterday, the amount recorded on the computer is 11.35. That's a HUGE difference, and I'm being cheated!!! Is the one recorded the more realistic one? I wonder why there is such a discrepancy. 

On that happy note, I have some urgent paperwork to do this morning, and then I'll be downstairs to do some sewing. 

By the way, the weather is totally out of whack. Here it is, Halloween, and I'm wearing shorts. I took the girls for a quick walk last night after 7 p.m. as I needed a few more steps for the day. I was wearing shorts! It's weird!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!