Drip, drip, drip!!!!

I LOVE that others are getting things done as well! And YES—sometimes we don't have the right color thread or the right whatever —but if you look in your stash, you probably have something that will work!!!

Well, we have a problem at our house, and I don't think it's going to be cheap or easy to fix. Remember that ice dam I've mentioned several times? I cannot find the picture I took of the front of our house, but it's considerably smaller than the one I shared with the neighbors the other day. When I went to the front window to look out, this is what I spotted. 

Oh oh!!!!!!

This is the top of a metal table in front of one of the windows. I felt drops! I looked up, and YIKES—the window is leaking. So I grabbed a towel and placed it on the windowsill to keep the water from splashing onto the floor. 

A leak!

By the end of the day, that towel was sopping wet. This is NOT good. 

It is NOT the window that is leaking. The water is being forced around the small ice dam, and it's going to take the path of least resistance, which is down into the house, and it just happens to be coming out the top of the window frame. And YES -- the drywall at the bottom of that window on the right is also very wet. Hmmm --- is this an insurance thing? I doubt it, but I might call them just to check. 

It's an age-old issue, and well, I can't ignore it, as I have in the past. So I've put in a call to have an engineer come and look at it. It is NOT an eavestrough thing, nor is it a roof thing or a window thing. It's a roofline design, and most likely not enough insulation to prevent an ice dam from forming. Let's wait and see what happens. 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for NON PLUS temperatures until we can get a fix on the situation. It could be temporarily fixed by breaking up the ice dam, but I'm not climbing onto the roof with a torch or hot water! I have visions of the entire living room being torn apart, including the roof, so something can be done. And while we're at it, we have a support beam issue in the house, so I'll see what they say about that. Oh -- fun and games. I can hardly wait. 

Thankfully, it's in the room we use the least, but still. Ka-ching!!!!

Well, I was in one of my tidy-up moods yesterday, and I'm tired of looking at this one rogue table in Studio B, with stuff on it. Mostly things that need to be cut for scrap quilt projects. 

A table of rogue things

There are also tubs beneath the table that are mostly things that need to be cut - fleece scraps cut into squares, etc. 

More tubs under the table

Plus, the table was sort of sitting out in the middle of the space, and I could never get to my sit-down quilting machine. 

I got busy and found a new home for everything. YES - a lot of things went onto the current projects table, but other things got hidden away under another set of tables in the room where the digital cutters sit. Should I have dealt with it, rather than moved it? I could have, but it would take days to deal with it. It got moved. 

Then I took the stuff from the sit-down quilting machine and moved it as well. 

More stuff to deal with

And before I knew it, that table and the sit-down quilting machine were CLEAR.

The table is clear! 

Then I moved it to the side so I could use that space for an extra sewing machine I have downstairs. I could use it to work on a jigsaw puzzle, or I could put the blue bin for the UFO and the stuff for my classes on it and do my hand work there. I chose the latter option, and while it's a bit messy at the moment, most of that will be dealt with (not moved) by the end of the weekend. I had all the supplies for my Cherrywood Challenge everywhere, and now they are corralled on this table. 

A better position for the table

I know -- you may not have cleared the table the same way I did, but hey -- I'm making progress, so you can't yell at me! I have a very logical mind (most of the time), and I need to make bigger messes, keep clear workspaces, and just do things my way. That was technically the last "messy" space, so I think I'm done. All that's left is to work on the current project tables and finish them! The trick now is to not add anything else to the current project tables, and I completely ignore that area when I'm working. But since I love whittling away at things, that is my goal. Will I see a dent by the end of the year? I sure hope so! 

The piles of stuff on the current project's table just keep getting bigger! I have a Facebook Live in March, and everything has to be moved. But most of it is in tubs or boxes, so it won't take long to move. I'm good. I could put my paper piecing station away, but next week, I have to start on the homework for the Colour My World quilt, so I'll leave it out. I have the room. 

The current projects tables

So, while that may look chaotic, it's actually very well organized, and all the extraneous stuff is now on those two tables. The cutting mat is CLEAR, as are the sewing tables, and the ironing board. This makes me very happy, and I can work. Imagine the day when those are clear? I do NOT intend to put anything else on them. Everything has a home now, and nothing needs to be pulled out unless I'm going to work on it. And that won't happen because I have my Visual To-Do list guiding me, and everything for that list is on those tables! 

Well, I try to work, but that Miss Murphy is a pain. She needs to be close, and I mean close! As I was stitching on my Cherrywood, she was so close that my chair was moving, and soon I was far away from the table where I had my scissors!!!

MOM -- I NEED YOU!!!!

Speaking of the Cherrywood Challenge, I accomplished all the handwork I was planning on doing. Then I had a bit of trapunto to do and finished it. Then I added the backing, stitched around the trapunto area, and trimmed the excess batting. Then I realized that OH MY GOSH - I forgot to put the regular batting in the project as well. Thankfully, I didn't have much to rip out before I could insert the piece of batting. DUH!!!! 

I am loving how it's turning out. These are NOT my colors - they are very muted, but overall, I like the quilt, so even if it doesn't get accepted, I'm not worried. I would say it has a good chance of getting accepted - lots of techniques, and the fabric is the star of the show. And I love how it looks and feels. 

I also started the quilting, and it went extremely well. When you have the correct supplies, everything goes well. I just wish I had a different fabric for the backing. What I have is excellent, but I wanted something with a storybook theme, but I couldn't find anything in my stash, and you know what? Move on! 

So today and tomorrow are all about quilting, then the binding and pictures. There are a couple of tricky spots in the quilting that I haven't figured out yet, but I will work them out this morning so I can move ahead. There is NO rush, but no time to delay!

And I got this quilt quilted. See what I mean -- that dog is everywhere! I don't let her around when I'm working on customer quilts, but she just needs to be close. 

A community project quilt - DONE

I have so much more to chat about, but I also have to be at the gym this morning to see Brooke. I can't tell you how excited I am about all this exercise at the gym. I mean that seriously. You would not believe how much more flexible I am. Getting down on the floor used to be something I didn't want to do, because getting up wasn't pretty. However, while I'm no longer 20, I have to say I'm doing pretty well at getting back up. And while I may not be as graceful as a ballerina, I can do quite well. 

The pain in my left leg still makes an appearance from time to time, but compared to this time last year? I feel like an Olympic athlete. And the feeling of euphoria after my spin class? Well, I can't describe it except that it was amazing!!! Do I like getting up early and getting my butt to the gym? I did it for years in my 20s, so why change that? 

I am determined NOT to lose my independence because of mobility issues. I will NOT give in, and I'm so glad I listened to the warning bells that were screaming in my ears. No medication, no physio, just work on my part. 

OH -- so here is the picture I received from M. She wants to know if I can make this for her. 

A wedding veil to make

It's beautiful and YES I can. I've already consulted a friend with far more experience than I. Now to have some serious chats with people and see if I can actually make it happen. Wish me luck!!

On that note, I need to get myself in some gym clothes and out the door. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!

How well do you know your neighbors?

Wow -- it was so warm yesterday (plus 2) —it was obscene! We had a little bit of snow in the night, so I got that shoveled when I got back from walking the girls. 

So here's a question for you—how well do you know your neighbors? I'm pretty observant, and because I walk daily, I get to see things as they change. Like the neighbor who is now retired because they shovel their own snow rather than have a truck come and do it. 

However, I am not as good as I think I am!! There is one house on our street that has been vacant for several years. A shame, but that's the way it is. The owners had rented out the house, and that was a disaster; much of it had to be redone. The place was painted, and they are currently putting in new floors. I'm not sure what else was done - I never saw the inside. 

So that driveway isn't being shoveled, nor the sidewalk plowed, but with the new sidewalk plow, that's not an issue. 

However, there is another house on our street that is not very good at keeping its property tidy in the wintertime. I mentioned yesterday that there was a plow in there the other night. Was it the city or was it private? That homeowner was outside yesterday while I was shoveling, so I stopped to say hello!! I figured they were away for several months in winter, as many people do. 

OMG -- you will not believe this, but it was the city that plowed his driveway. That was NOT the shocking part of our conversation. He said, "You know, we don't live in the house." WHAT? Yep - they live in BC and come home occasionally because their three kids live in towns nearby. OH - when did you move? I asked. I almost fell over when he said 2017!!!! 

It's hilarious because we saw them frequently enough to believe they lived in the house, but they were only visiting! HOLY!!!!! The blinds are always down in the room over the garage, with several cameras installed, just as they are in our room over the garage. Because of the curve in the street and the house's design, the front door and living room window are not readily visible. 

In case you are wondering why I keep those blinds closed— it's very cold in that room, and my baffle blinds are meant to help keep the heat in, and I don't want the sun damaging the MANY quilts hanging out in that room. 

I had a good laugh. Anyway, Steve is thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather in their "new" home, which I have visited before - the city, not their home. He fishes every day and asked if I would like some salmon. YES please. So later, he brought over some salmon, and I have a new friend who doesn't even live on our street!!!

What a hoot!!!

I also chatted with another neighbor about cycling - he's an avid cyclist and has offered for me to cycle with him and his group in the spring. I don't think I'm ready for that. I need to go out on my own a few times. Anyway, I asked him if any of his friends wanted an indoor trainer. I have one that I need to get rid of. Does anyone close to me know of someone who wants an indoor trainer for their bike? The person he thought of doesn't have room. 

And so I have new phone contacts with my neighbors!! That's what happens when the weather is warm!

Another silly thing that happened when I went to the bank. I had three things that needed to be done, and I was halfway there, when I realized I left my bank card at the house. DRAT!!!! They are NOT going to let me do what I needed to do without a bank card, so I had to walk back. Thank goodness it was a warm day!

I need to be on my toes for the recycling pickup. We have a new company picking it up, and WHOA!!!! They came much earlier than the previous company. Thankfully, our recycling was already out! Oh yes—remember the issue two weeks ago. They didn't pick up on the right day, and I had to run to get the cart out in time. Now they pick up earlier in the day. Hopefully, all will be worked out in the next couple of weeks. 

The new recycling company

By the way, the street looks less snowy this morning because of the warm weather, and in just ONE day!

I also stopped at the thrift store since it was Senior's Day. Oh boy -- the craft books have been relegated to the bottom shelf. And it was mostly puzzle books. Why don't they have a separate section for puzzle books and one for crafts? Anyway -- I didn't find anything exciting, but I managed to snag some yarn (I know!) and a couple of jigsaw puzzles. Sigh...................

The craft books are on the bottom shelf.

Before I had left, I had the embroidery machine all set up and ready to go. I went for my walk, came back, and pressed Start. Since I had to use a very large hoop, I ensured my chair was well out of the way. I'm happy with the results, though two things kept it from being perfect. One thing was a small error on my part, but it's a good lesson I'll share with my embroidery group. The other was a piecing error that would have been hard to fix. But if you look at it, you may or may not notice. Perhaps only the most observant would, and since that's no longer me - I'm OK with it!!! 

Lots of room for the embroidery hoop

I still have several UFOs to work on before our session this coming Sunday, so I madly pulled out some fabric and started cutting. I will have to put my scrappy half-square triangles on hold, because I now have to make a TON of them for this project. I don't think I'll get it finished for Sunday, but at least I'm making a huge effort, and that is all that counts. Let's just say that my motivation was because I put this project on the UFO list. If it were left up to me, the fabric would still be in the stash room! Making commitments and putting them on a list rule. It's how I roll. So that's how I will continue to work. 

Using the projection system on the PFAFF creative icon 2 makes sewing the half-square triangles a breeze. No marking lines!!!! 

Using the projection system to sew half-square triangles

And I have one small section done. It took me forever in EQ8 to design that block the correct way, but I needed to do that so I would know how many squares of each color to cut. The worst part is over, I think, and I can sit and sew some of those units each day. 

Making blocks from half-square triangles

Oh -- as for the progress on the Cherrywood Challenge, I finished all the machine embroidery, so that was good. Today, it's some hand stitching, and then I start the quilting. I'm on track and giving myself three days to do the quilting, since it will be a mix of hand and machine quilting. Then trim and bind and take pictures! While I'm at spin class this morning, I'll work out the logistics of the stitching. 

Last night, as I settled into my chair to read, look what happened. I was having some yogurt as a snack, and there was one yogurt container and two dogs. Do you think they are trying to tell me something? 

MOM -- Can I lick the container? It's for ME!!!!!

When they realized there was nothing for them, they decided to "fight" each other. 

MOM - SHE ruins everything!!!

And now that I've moved the large quilt back onto the living room floor, Lexi has claimed it as a sleeping place, a place she's used for years before I moved the quilt. I don't even remember why I moved it into the family room. But last night, Lexi got up for something, and guess who just plunked herself down? Lexi was beside herself, and I had to get up to shoo Murphy away. Those two are like toddlers whenever I try to get myself organized to read in the evening. It takes a long time for everyone to get settled, and then I can have some peace and quiet. 

But you can't deny that they are a hoot to watch. 

Well, I'm off to spin class today. I debated going because my knee was so sore yesterday. I think it was the worst it's ever been. Stiff and quite painful, but it seems to be OK today. Perhaps I'll take it easy! And I can't wait to get outside and see if the car's windshield needs scraping. That's a good warmup before going to the gym - it sure gets my blood going. And that is a story for another day!!!

OH MY GOSH -- I just checked my messages, and I got one from M. Wait until you see what she has asked me to do for the wedding. ACK!!!!!!

And on that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!!

PLUS ONE!!!! It's going to be PLUS ONE!!!

I love all your comments about being busy in retirement! I will always be busy, but I guess my point is that I see retired people constantly signing up for commitments. They head up a committee, take tons of classes, or make themselves accountable to SOMETHING or SOMEONE, and that accountability fills their day. It's almost like working again. 

You need to be busy, but if you decide to take a day off from quilting, who will care? I want to be busy, but free of deadlines and headaches! And being accountable to others. While I still have responsibilities, I don't have the same level of commitment to others, so my time is now spent on what I want to do, not what I have to do for others. 

That might be a better way of explaining it!

And YES --- getting yourself organized the night before makes it so much easier to tackle any job in the morning. That might be threading the sewing machine, doing a bit of cutting or trimming, or simply planning the steps in your head. Whatever it takes!! And that's also why I like to leave my sewing and work areas neat and tidy before I close down for the night. If not, you'll be dealing with an unappealing mess in the morning, and it's not so fun to deal with that BEFORE you start work. 

I'm also pretty diligent about putting things away when I am finished with them, which also helps. 

As for the files? Don't get me started! I am pecking away at the mess, and I think I have almost everything in two of the three external drives where it should be. Of course, some of those folders might be a download dump from my phone camera, which encompasses thousands of photos, but at least all the photos (most of them) are in one spot! 

And YES - I know I must do some sort of backup because I'd be devastated if anything happened at this point. I promise to work on that. And hard disks fail - the ones in your computer are more vulnerable, in my opinion, but that's probably not true. I'm sure I mentioned this before: I had an external hard drive I used for photos, and it failed! YEP  - it failed, and it cost a LOT of money (four figures) to recover the files. That hard disk is long gone. 

USBs and CDs are disasters waiting to happen. They are TEMPORARY storage and NOT meant for long-term storage. I have had MANY USBs fail, and thankfully, it was nothing of importance, or was it? Since I can't access them, I have no idea! NOTHING in the digital world is long-term. So get that stuff on a hard disk, back it up, and REPLACE those hard disks regularly -- every three to five years. I'm sure no one needs three disks—I don't need three disks—that's a ton of storage, but it's how I'm working at the moment. 

And the main one I've been using is due to be replaced. It's been there for years, and the last thing I want is for it to fail. 

It's all baby steps, and we each need to find what works for us! I'm just taking you along on my journey, and you need to find a route that gets you where you want to go. BUT WAIT -- first, you need to want to go somewhere. Sometimes we get derailed, or we are reluctant to get started. That is each person's choice! 

For several reasons, I've decided to get on the highway and keep rolling along, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It took a long time to get to that point, and by the time I'm done, I think my highway will have stretched to the moon and back - it's a long journey. But every step forward is one more step. 

My motivations are strong—I do NOT want to leave a legacy that forces others to deal with my mess. Why should I saddle someone else with dealing with stuff that was my responsibility? That is so irresponsible!! Nope -- this is my mess, and I shall deal with it the best I can. And by the time I need to downsize, there won't be much to deal with. That's my plan, and I'm getting there - slowly. 

I also have ZERO desire to start a new project. NONE!! That euphoric feeling is now coming from starting "NEW" UFO projects each month. That's hilarious, but I look at the current project table and get excited about finishing off more small things each month. It's so silly, and it's like a game to me, and it's working, so I'm going to continue. How much stuff can be cleared off those tables by the end of the year? 

Speaking of photos, OH MY GOSH!!!! I was mentioning something to the Monday group, and I found the pictures this morning!!! What are the chances of that? And can you believe it? They were in a folder with a very descriptive name! It was just buried within other folders! I'll share it another day as I want to surprise them next week!

And look at this! These were my running shoes back in 2016 (date on the photo). Yes -- both toes were blown out! I have learned that I cannot wear "running" shoes with the mesh toe. My HOKAs have never had that problem. So I'm a HOKA loyal fan now. 

Typical running shoes back in the day

I accomplished some sewing yesterday and at last got this invisible zipper into my cushion cover. Good grief—it doesn't matter what color invisible zipper you use; you can't see the darn thing!!! You can see the end of the zipper on the right, but even with the light and dark of the two sides, the zipper is invisible. Now to finish the edges with the serger! Invisible zippers are also very easy to insert!! Two seams and you are done. Super easy, especially with an invisible zipper foot. 

Invisible zippers are INVISIBLE.

The bias binding was put on these table mats, and now, because of the bias edges, I'll hand-stitch it in place. 

Bias binding stitched in place

And the Dear Jen top is in one piece. Now to work on the back. I cannot tell you how much more exciting it is to finish some of these things than to start something new. As I mentioned, I have ZERO, absolutely ZERO interest in starting something new. 

My abbreviated Dear Jen quilt top

I even got a few half-square triangles trimmed. 

Half-square triangles trimmed

And YES -- I did some work on the Cherrywood Challenge. I didn't get as much done as I thought, because I decided to switch out some elements, but all the quilting is designed, and all the appliqué is finished. Today, it's all about machine embroidery on the piece, and that is going to take some time. What I'm stitching is designed, but the placement might take a bit of time. However, I have some amazing placement tools on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3, and I'm going to use them all!!!

Then more hand stitching tomorrow, and then quilting and binding! 

I'm still on track to get it done, hopefully a day or two before the due date, which is Sunday. Yes - I still have a few deadlines, but they are of my choosing, and that works for me! Plus, working on a challenge quilt is an extremely good way to incorporate all my skills - hand and machine embroidery, hand and machine stitching, and creativity!!! 

I finished a project for someone else (yes—I still work for others, but not as much), and it went out this morning. So I'll be able to remove another item from the Visual To-Do List later today! Yippeee!!!!

As I was out walking yesterday, I noticed many houses in the area have ice-dam issues. So far, our ice dam is very small, and I hope it stays that way!

Ice dams!

More ice dams

This is Miss Muirphy, who insists on going outside and plunking herself in the snow. I'm going to have to make her a jacket with pockets to hold ice packs and keep her cool! 

MOM - I love the cold weather

So there was one house on our street that had not been dug out of the snow. I'm guessing the owners were away, and there was no need. The house is on the curve, and the sidewalk plow struggled to get through the snow. Anyway, it was a mess. Last night, I saw a truck and a large snowblower clearing the mess. Was that the city? Or a private contractor? I've no idea, but it was an unusual sight, and the equipment was narrow enough to blow out the sidewalk. Hmmmmm --- I guess I get to check it out this morning on our walk. 

Snowblowing a neighbor's driveway

And guess what? It says PLUS ONE for this afternoono! Maybe tomorrow does come after all!!

Plus ONE!!!!!

I'm not sure I can cope with just minus 5 this morning. What about my double jackets and mitts? My fleece-lined pants? I'm going to feel positively underdressed out there! And we barely see double digits in the next two weeks. Although -- as we know - that can change in a heartbeat. It will be a pleasure to walk - that's for sure!

We had an interesting discussion at Monday Sewing. Well, multiple discussions. I think we are about 16 people who attend regularly, and you know what? That group gets along so well. Most everyone has met one another in person, though not all. But the discussions, the level of comfort and security everyone feels, make me feel extremely happy. So, thanks to everyone in the group— together, we can conquer the world!! 

But what happens at Monday Sewing, stays at Monday Sewing!!!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here. WAIT -- I have an extra ten minutes since I don't need to get layered up to go outside! LOL!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

I'll do it MY WAY!!!!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who believes that if you fill your retirement with busyness, it's not right! WAIT --- I get it -- it's your retirement, and you can do whatever makes you happy, but why would you want to be filling the days with running around and not have time for spontaneous stuff? Nope --- I will not let that happen to me. 

And I stand corrected, the movie with the book communication is called Interstellar! Thanks for the correction!

Speaking of free time, I sometimes have to double-check my calendar to make sure I don't end up rushing to get something done! Yep -- it's been so full, with always something that needed to be done, that I struggle to realize I'm free! Or much freer than I was, and trust me, I do NOT want to go back. 

I read yesterday, took a walk, and then had a long nap, yet still got my planned work done for the day. That is a huge luxury!

I pulled out all the threads I'll use for the Cherrywood Challenge, and I got all the appliqué stitching done, though I might redo some of it today. I'm not 100% happy with it; some parts look a bit clunky, so I might redo it with a different thread weight or a different stitching style. It's not much to rip out, so it shouldn't take much time. It's something I can do during Monday Sewing. 

Threads for the Cherrywood Challenge

Then I have the next step to do today, which, again, shouldn't take too long and fits within today's workload. I must remember to get to work on my UFO stuff as well. 

Now that we've had our reveals over the weekend, I can share some of the stuff I've been working on. I set myself four goals on the Visual To-Do list for the Many Blocks class. Well, it's not really a class; it's like a UFO group. I have completed Farm Girl Vintage and Vintage Christmas so far this year, and I have even stitched the labels in place. I sort of double-dipped and used these as UFO projects as well. I don't care - they are done! 

Farm Girl Vintage - DONE

 Both of these were taught as a sew-along in recent years. 

Vintage Christmas - DONE

The third quilt on my list in the Many Blocks is Dear Jen, which I taught a couple of years ago. Now, Dear Jen is one of the few quilts (of the 80 in total) I taught this way that didn't make me happy. I don't know if it was the pattern, the style, or the coloring, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. Others felt the same about the quilt, and I kept teaching the class. A few students did all or most of the blocks, but many made the quilt smaller. 

I didn't want to have a UFO hanging over my head, so I decided to make the quilt smaller. In total, I made 25 blocks that I was happy with. I added a frame to each block in alternating black and white. The initial frame was wider than this; I have now cut it down, and the top is almost together. 

My smaller than the original Dear Jen quilt

I like the quilt, but the other blocks just weren't cutting it for me. So it will get quilted, and I'll have another quilt to use as a machine cover in Studio B. 

Here are the rejects! I tried making the quilt with a black background, but it still didn't grab me, so I will use the blocks as the backing. 

The reject blocks will make the backing.

And then I can cross that one off my list. The point is -- if something doesn't grab you and you are not enjoying it, then STOP - think how you can use the blocks that you've already made and move on! I did, and I am NOT going to regret my decision. That is part of learning—know when to throw in the towel. Not everything we do is going to work out! 

This is going to be the LAST SAMPLER quilt I ever take on. I've done quite a few, and I'm done with that style of quilt!

When that is done, there is one more quilt in that category, but I suspect it'll take me until the end of the year to finish it. So all is good! 

You know that Dede and I have been working on our Terrifying Tower - the 3D machine embroidery project from OESD. Well, we got together last week to do the final bit - the assembly!

You should have heard us - we were like two kids playing with toys. I'm sure DH was rolling his eyes!!

But seriously, after a bit of sewing and then some hammering as we punched out holes and cut slits, we started. And we had only made the porch and were totally in awe of its cuteness. 

The porch to the Terrifying Tower

It's three stories high, and so we continued. We learned a lot and had to use various tools to assemble the pieces, but oh my - we couldn't stop admiring it as we built!

Here are the two houses from the front. While we used the same black vinyl, we chose different greens and purples, and our thread colors were slightly different as well. 

The front of the houses

YES -- there is a small balcony on the roof of the first level. 

One side of the houses

Some of the windows have "broken" glass, and others are draped in spiderwebs. 

The backs

The other side

But seriously --- that is adorable! It's about 14" high. I was going to take mine apart, but after all the work to put it together, I don't think so. So I'll wrap it in plastic to protect it from the dust and bring it out when the time is appropriate, or I could just leave it out and admire it!!

I had purchased battery-operated tea lights, which make it look super cute!

The houses lit up at night!

I even had time to deal with more digital files. I know - it's going to take forever to get that done, but the more I do, the better I feel, and it's just making me happy. I had to search for a file I'd recently written and saved. Where the heck did I put it? So there are still lots of decisions to make before it's all done. And yes - DELETE is my favorite tool these days. 

What I'm enjoying is looking back and seeing some of the fun things I did. OK - some of them might not have been fun. But I found documentation on the quilt shows that I was part of the organizing team. That show was in 2013 or thereabouts. All that documentation is now gone! 

And I stumbled upon this! 

The logo for Quilter's Quest!

There are a few people around who may remember what this is all about. But in May 2010, a (then) friend and I organized a road rally for our Monday Sewing group. YES -- the same Monday Sewing group that I still run, although almost everyone on the original list has passed, or they are no longer part of my circle! I am NOT going there - it was a messy divorce! 

That road rally was so much fun and brought back some pretty wild memories. I must have blogged about it. Let me see if I can find that. FOUND IT!!! Check this out -- it was a fantastic day!

While I am no longer friends with the person who helped me organize it (not my fault), we had a blast, and it involved finding a castle, interrupting a Mennonite church service, and many other shenanigans!!

So—yes, I could have deleted that folder, since I knew what was in it, but the memory from opening the files—priceless and well worth it. That is why delete is a good tool, but NOT until I do it MY WAY!!!

While it is a lot of work to go through all those files, I'm thrilled. That methodical process makes my brain extremely happy, and I could sit at the computer and do that for hours. Good thing, since I forecast many hours spent sorting files. 

To give you a sense of the mess, here are the stats from my folder titled "Embroidery Designs to Sort."

Look at the SIZE of that folder and look at the number of files!! That is OBSCENE, and it will be interesting to see how many of those are no longer needed. 

I still need to move files between the three hard disks, but I should probably stop and focus on cleaning out this folder, as it's my goal for 2026. But I'll check how many more high-level folders I need to deal with, and I may continue sorting the stuff among the three external hard drives, or I may just stop for now and get into the machine embroidery files. A decision for later today. 

What I am loving is that as a semi-retired person, I have the time to do that at my leisure! I never had time before, which is probably why it's in such a mess. Do you know how luxurious that is? The freedom to finally do the things that I want to do? 

And the ability to travel without having to rejig my entire calendar? Oh yes—NEVER again will I overbook myself. I'm free!!!!!

OK -- enough about that, as I need to get myself to spin class. 

And TOMORROW, it's supposed to be plus ONE!!! What do you think? Will it happen? It's still cold this morning, but two degrees warmer than it was this time yesterday! 

Have a fabulous day!!!!

Ciao!!!

The luxury of free time!

There are no coincidences -- things happen for a reason! I hope you watched the movie! It's kind of freaky when stuff like that happens. Is there a parallel universe? Are you in the past or future, trying to send messages to yourself? It reminds me of that movie about space, but one of the characters was trying to get a message to their family through a room of books. Or something like that. Hmmm -- I think the movie is called Contact. 

Well, I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying all this FREE time! Yep --- I'm not stressed about a single thing, and that's amazing! I have two presentations this morning, and most of the work was done weeks ago, and I just had a few participant photos to load. I've been doing that as I receive them, so adding the last few this morning was a no-brainer. 

I see I have "double booked" myself with two deadlines for next weekend, so I'll have to work around that, but it's all doable. 

And yes -- I'm slowly working my way through this mess of digital files. It's unbelievable that I let such a mess accumulate, but there is no point in looking back—that won't help. I must just take one folder at a time and move or delete the contents. When I'm done, I suspect that I won't have much content left! But that's OK. I didn't find any treasures yesterday, but the files on the old computers (only in the download folder) are now on one of the external hard disks. 

That means that all my digital files are now on the OneDrive or one of the three external hard drives. There are two boxes of embroidery files still to be dealt with, but that will happen only once the current mess is cleared. 

All is good in that area, and while there is still a huge mess to clean up, I feel so much better and that I can actually accomplish that goal. I chalk it up to that visual To-Do list. That's how I roll, and it works for me, but for others, you may need a different kind of motivation! 

My desktop still looks a mess - I haven't wrapped my head around that, and I've let a few things languish on the computer to-do list, and I'm OK with that. I'll get to it - just not at this point in time. 

This week will be filled with completing all the tasks for the UFO Club, and I can't wait to survey the current project table and find other things to fill the UFO blue bin with for the following month. That's the exciting part!

I sure wish those little labels would arrive, as I have a few quilts that need binding, but I'd really like to have the labels first! I have a tracking number, but it's only for this country, and the package is coming from France. I have only found a phone number to contact them, so I must try to find a solution. I could call, but I'd prefer to do it via email. 

I did some sewing last night and made more half-square triangles that still need pressing and trimming! The pile on the left is what I did last night. The pile on the right is from the other day - I'm behind! I cannot afford to let these sit; perhaps later today, I can tackle them. I MUST tackle them. There is no time to be silly and let things pile up!

Half-square triangles that need trimming

I will have a few things to share with you next week that I made in preparation for today's two presentations. I think it's only fair that the groups see my stuff FIRST!!!

The good news is that EVERYTHING I am working on is on a list - the UFO list, the Many Blocks list, a class, or that visual To-Do list. EVERYTHING! I've become so focused it scares me! And what if I run out of things on the Visual To-Do list? I doubt that will happen, but you never know! There is loads of stuff on the current project table to find something new to do! I have no worries about that. I just want to start seeing some open space, but that may take a few months!

I'm also thrilled to say that I accomplished what I set out to do on my Cherrywood Challenge. I took a look at it in the afternoon, and thought to myself, " How the heck am I going to accomplish what I want to do. So I put my thinking cap on, got out a specialty ruler, and soon, I was on my way. I did make an error in cutting, so it's a good thing I had lots of fabric to play with. All is good, and the top is together. And I LIKE IT!!

As I lay in bed last night, I broke the rest of the work into days so I wouldn't spend all day, every day on it. I have about 5 components to do, and if I do one a day, I can finish in plenty of time and still have a day or two of leeway. I'm good!! Is it good enough to get accepted? I don't really care - that would be a bonus, but the process is what gets me excited. And I used some new techniques and more to use, so I'm learning as I go. 

But what was equally nice was that I had to drop that quilt off, and it was an hour drive to get there. Then I had a delightful and leisurely lunch (3 hours) chatting with a friend. It was glorious, not looking at the time to see that I should be getting home. And of course, it was an hour drive home. I didn't care! I listened to my audiobook in the car and finished it when I got home. 

Where did we go for lunch? OH MY GOSH --- you do NOT want to go to this place. It's bad!!!! Just kidding - there better not be one near me. The food was terrific, and everything looked so yummy!

A box from Paris Baguette

I had never heard of the place, but I found it with ease on Google Maps, and it was NOT where I expected it to be. Let's just say that Newmarket has expanded across the highway on the west side. 

They offer regular sandwiches and croissant sandwiches. OK - I had one of those. But the desserts? OH MY!!!!

The cakes in the display case

Let's just say that one of those cakes will set you back a bit. But they sure looked good! In case you can't read that sign - that cake was over $60!

Ouch!!! $ 

I caved, and I bought a treat for us. Good grief - we are all trying to be good and cut out the sugar, but I couldn't help myself. I bought a chocolate croissant for myself, and while it was good, I don't think it was as good as those in Spain. I think it's the guilt-free attitude one has after walking 30 KM in a day and then having a chocolate croissant, versus walking only 6 km with the girls and then having one! But they are very flaky and very airy inside. 

My treat last night

Like I said, you probably do NOT want to go to this place. OH GOSH - I just checked, and there is one near me. I will NOT go there! It was a treat, and I'll leave it like that! It is a chain owned by a South Korean company. I'd not heard of it before. 

Well, it was cool walking with the girls yesterday! Minus 20 with a wind chill of something. But I was dressed for it, though my feet were getting cold toward the end, because I did NOT have my wool socks on. It's almost as cold this morning, but we got this. I'm not a fan of constantly checking the weather app, and I mainly use it to figure out what to wear when I go outside. But they "promised" that yesterday was the last cold day, and it would be warmer today. Not so. Now they say the cold won't lift until tomorrow. And you know what they say - tomorrow never comes! 

I posted this skit last year, but it is so funny, I thought I'd post it again. It's hilarious! 

I find it funny that people say they're busier in retirement than when they were working. That is NOT going to happen to me. I WANT to enjoy my time as a semi-retired person. I do NOT want to fill it up with all kinds of things, and especially not to be doing things for others. Nope -- I'm going to be extremely selfish with my time, so if something comes up - like that extended lunch - I have time for that! 

So I have another full day of sewing and stuff lined up! I'm also getting a lot of reading done, which is good as I need to clear that mess of books in my audio and ebook reader, and a few physical books are hanging around! I'm loving all this FREE time!! By the way, the books are in good order - I have to create some chaos around me. There are only three books on my shelf, so I'm good! 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!!! 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!

The Olympics have officially begun!

FOCUS --- it's a tricky thing! But I have my visual list and my blue UFO bin, and I refuse to let anything get in the way of finishing those projects. Oh -- there are loads of things to do, but I know I can't do them all, so I picked a few, and that's my goal! It has taken me a very long time to get to that point, but I refuse to get sidetracked!

Just a teaser: this is the project Dede and I worked on. Wait—soon you'll get to see it yourself. Absolutely stunning and totally worth all the time!

Some assembly required! 

As part of my goal for this year, I was back at the computer, trying to sort the THOUSANDS, dare I even venture HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of files that need to be sorted. OH my --- what the heck is this? It's a picture of a letter A, but for what purpose? Let's just say that I've found a few other odd things, but this is gone, as are many others. 

A picture of a letter A behind bars!!

What I don't understand is why my brain was so muddled that I didn't create a folder, and then when I needed that file, it would be easy to locate. I had the resources and most of the knowledge. No - I went and downloaded the files again, and again, and again! And each time, they went somewhere different. It is a massive mess, but I have to say that once I got over that first day, it's getting easier. 

I tackled the Fabric Download folder yesterday, and I'm happy to say it's done! I kept two folders of fabric, as I still have yardage of those and can use the photos to create something in EQ8. The rest - gone! BUT it's a good thing I went through the files one by one, because I found more embroidery files in that folder, as well as stuff for the longarm. Do not ask - I don't have answers!!!

But the sorting process continues, and I try to do a little bit each day. It seems that within each high-level folder, I find one or two subfolders that are titled "to file" or "to sort," and I'm tackling those. My goal was to get all the embroidery files in one folder this month. I still have the old computer to grab files from, and then I'm done! Hopefully, it won't be too bad, but if memory serves, the download folder is filled with stuff!

OH - I got the binding on that quilt, and it was hilarious because I was also listening to my audiobook while doing it. I can tell you that the quilt has some words on it, and can you believe that the SAME WORDS were put together in a very similar way on that audiobook? I actually had to stop for a moment to appreciate that coincidence!!! What are the chances? 

Speaking of audiobooks, I know why this Canadian author (Carley Fortune), who was on the top ten most circulated library books list that I happened upon recently, wasn't on my list. It's a steamy summer romance, and well, they aren't my go-to books. But now I want to know what happens, so I have to keep reading. The book is due tomorrow, and I have about 3 hours left. I should be able to make that happen. This book is set by a lake near Barry's Bay, Ontario. 

While I was sewing the binding on, I used up another spool of thread! 

Another spool of thread - gone!

I also got some binding made. And I could kick myself. I measured and cut the three strips, only to realize I needed bias binding, not straight-grain binding. Good grief, so I had to cut a square and make bias binding. DUH!!!!! But it's ready to sew on, so maybe later today. 

The bias binding is made

Then it was time to stop procrastinating on the next project. The clock is ticking, and I don't have a lot of time. It's the Cherrywood Challenge, which is due February 15, and it's the 7th today!! Don't ask!! I like the last-minute pressure, and this is my sole focus for the next week. The theme is StoryTime. 

Fabrics from the Cherrywood Challenge

I'm happy to say I made good progress on it yesterday. I hope to have the top completely done by tonight. No excuses, no distractions!! The top has to be done! 

There is a lot of appliqué, and I want it all in place by the end of today. And then I have to figure out a couple of components for the border - that also needs to be done TODAY! The embroidery (machine and hand) and other embellishments will be the focus of the next couple of days. 

And while I traced and cut, I watched the Olympics!! Well, the opening ceremony, which lasted almost four hours!! It was amazing, and they did a great job at incorporating all four sites. Although the athlete parade was almost over before I realized there were FOUR locations, not two like I initially thought. I was totally confused by that!! Go Team Canada!!!!!

Streaming the Olympics on my computer

I have to say that I was highly impressed by the Olympic Cauldron. WOW --- that is pretty spectacular, and there are two of them!!!! In case you missed it, here is the lighting of the TWO cauldrons. Stunning, and I find that ceremony emotional. Why? No idea!!!!

So what's this all about? My two girls are hanging out at the back door. One is ready to pounce on the door, demanding to come in; the other has snow on her face and lies in the snow. 

And what's with the weather? Last night when we went out, the temperature was minus 2. This morning, it's minus 20!!!

I have to say our house is ideally situated on the street and gets the most from the sun. However, that doesn't mean that our roof is clear of snow yet. Nope --- we had so much that it's going to take a while for all the snow to melt. Because of the crazy roof line, this is the house two doors down from us. We have the same roof line, but ours is pretty clear. I thought I took a picture, but I can't find it this morning. We have a few small icicles, but nothing like this. 

Nasty ice build-up

We've had ice like this on both sides of that peak in the past, and it's not good. The interior walls are damaged, and the drywall tape has come loose. It's a mess, but until we get the roof issue fixed, I'm not touching the inside. I bet there is water damage behind the drywall, and well, it's going to be a job to fix! So I'm thankful this year that we haven't got to this stage, and I hope we don't. 

Why do we have barely any ice, and two doors down, they have this mess? We are on a curve, and there is a big tree close to the front of that house. So the slightly different angle and the shade from the tree don't allow the ice and snow to melt as fast as on our roof. Thank goodness we are where we are. Our driveway dries much quicker, and we just get more sun! We love the sun!

Well, I'm off to brave that cold temperature, and looking at the forecast, this is the last (LOL) cold day for two weeks? I'll believe that when it happens! The girls will be happy, they are frisky when the temperature drops!

I have two short documents to finish writing for the quilt I am delivering today. One is almost written; it just needs proofing, and the other should be pretty simple. I must get those done this morning. Then one more thing can come off that visual To-do list. While it's not directly in my face, I can see that list whenever I'm downstairs, and I go over to look at it occasionally, and from that, I pick the next thing to work on. My blue bin for UFOs is also a daily reminder of what I need to be working on. It's better to get four things completely done than advance 8 things, and nothing is complete!!

OH -- and here is the final post about the newly released Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 Nordic Frost Edition. It's all about yarn couching. I LOVE this design and need to do some more work on it!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!