A flexible travel day!

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. The page I read them on doesn't let me reply, and I never seem to get to the page where I can. They should change that!!!! It would be so much easier. 

As for the mini-iron -- all is forgiven. My boss talked to the big boss, and she said I did a great job! So it wasn't an issue, it wasn't like she was chastising me, she just made mention of it. And I'm glad, because it makes me even more aware. I am 1000% aware when I do the other two brands (Husqvarna Viking and PFAFF), but this was the first time doing a Singer event, and that branded iron just wasn't on my radar!!! All is good!

As for the three-tiered tray—I somewhat agree with Tammy. The trays are too small to be useful for ME, since the project boxes will not fit on them, so everything has to come out. That would drive me mad, so Tammy, we are on the lookout for something else!!!

But as I was going through security at the Toronto airport yesterday, I spotted one of those carts inside security with swabs and whatever the security team needs. I was so TEMPTED to touch it to see how stable it was. However, I thought it was best not to. But I was tempted!!!!

The one thing I did purchase a while back was a rolling wire cart, but an industrial one that was used in a warehouse. I bought it when I bought some heavy-duty used wire shelving. That cart was supposed to be the spot for ongoing projects, but sadly it got filled with supplies. So do I buy another one? I think so, and I'm going to keep looking for one. 

I'm thinking something like this would be better. I would LOVE to have more shelves, but if the MOST CURRENT projects are in boxes or bins, this would be perfect and would eliminate one table, which would be great. If I need to move things around, then I could quickly and easily move the cart. I'm sure I can buy this kind of cart elsewhere, but I often buy stuff at ULine. This is quite expensive. We can probably find it elsewhere. Thoughts???? 

Well, I have arrived in Saskatchewan, and while the travel day itself wasn't bad, there were some moments! Because I bought the ticket at the last minute, I didn't have much choice of seats and got stuck in the middle. Thankfully, I'm a relatively small person, because the man (window) beside me was rather large, and, well, there was no question of sharing the seat rest. He took over that and at least 4-6 inches of my seat. I was fine, but you can tell what size of people the airlines make their seats for! 

WAIT --- let me back up to the Uber driver. It was dark when he picked me up, and we live on a circle court with a VERY LARGE circle. So when you arrive at our house, you don't need to follow the curb to get to the driveway. This guy was driving along the curb and ran over the neighbors' garbage (compost bags and some sticks) that were by the curb. 

Why he was way over there is a mystery to me. And he had a spiffy new car. Not my problem, but it was the weirdest thing. I was standing out at the end of my driveway; there was no need for him to be close to the houses looking for numbers. Maybe he didn't see me? 

I got through security with no problem, although I noticed there were a lot of people in the NEXUS line; it moved quickly. I got some food since I hadn't had breakfast. Of course, we all know that Tim's Pumpkin Spice muffins are out, and that's all I had for breakfast. No time to get in the LONG, LONG line for something more substantial. 

I did have a sandwich with me, but there really wasn't much room to dig through my backpack to get it. I was fine! 

While waiting for the remainder of the passengers to get on the plane, I was on my phone, madly trying to find a rental car. NOTHING  - I mean, nothing at the airport. I tried all the companies; I tried a general car rental booking agency - NOTHING. But wait -- there are other cars and other locations. So I did find a car with Enterprise, and it was a short taxi ride from the airport. 

I asked what was going on, and the guy said it was just busy. They had already processed 27 rentals that day (10:30 AM), and they had another 30 to go. 

I also booked my hotel while waiting on the tarmac. I know—you would never do that, but it works for me. I'm 1000% flexible, and I'll take what I can get. I was just too frazzled the day before to book the car and hotel too, but I doubt I would have gotten a car at the airport. And I was also trying to find that darn car, and the Air Canada app on my phone wasn't working when I tried to upgrade, which I didn't get! 

The good news is that I should get 50K status with the airline this year. That will be the first time for me - it doesn't give me much more than I currently have, but I will have access to the lounge, so instead of getting in the Tim's line, I could get something to eat in the lounge. But I like my Tim's tea!! I don't really care about the 50K, but it will be a milestone. 

The Saskatoon airport is being renovated!!!! Huge sections are blocked off, and I wasn't sure where the car rental places were if I needed to pick up my car there. I'm guessing they will be living with this for months, if not years!!!!

Renovations at the Saskatoon airport

The car rental place, which is very close to the airport, was just around the corner from the jigsaw puzzle place. WOW -- I had to stop, and the staff there are very friendly. So I chatted with the owner, and he showed me their wall of puzzles. They have a lady in North Battleford who makes up these giant puzzles for them. They transport them in sections and hang them on the wall. They had another one hung up. That's a cool way to display your puzzles - put them in a long, narrow hallway!!!! 

A giant puzzle on the wall

OK - I picked up something, but I didn't get a picture - I'll try to take a picture today. This store—Puzzle Master —has all kinds of puzzles: metal puzzles, I spotted the EXIT Game Advent Calendar puzzle, wooden puzzles, 3D puzzles—it stocks a HUGE variety, so if you know a puzzler in your household, you should introduce them to this store. My grandfather would have been beside himself as he loved all kinds of wooden puzzles. Not a wooden jigsaw puzzle, but wooden puzzles where you have to unlock a secret. Check out what I mean at this link. 

Then it was on to The Sewing Machine Store to say hello to the manager and the staff, whom I know from being there multiple times. Perhaps we will have an event sometime in the future! 

I spotted this tool for storing your binding. There are so many tools for winding your binding, and here is one more. I've not heard of the Taylor Seville brand of tools. They also had a tool (same brand) for making fabric strips with batting for the jelly roll rug. 

Binding spool

While this will keep the binding nice and tidy, what the heck do you do with it when you want to sew the binding on? I think I'll stick to my figure-8 method using my hand. I realized the other day that my method is similar to winding a skein of yarn, and it works for me!!

Speaking of yarn, one of the ladies at the retreat had a beautiful yarn scarf that she made, and I thought it would be fun to make the same scarf. Thankfully, the ladies at the retreat sent me a picture of the scarf AND a picture of the yarn. They must have found that online. 

The yarn shop is right beside The Sewing Machine store. So I had to stop. This is an amazing shop, and you could go nuts in here. The shop is called Prairie Lily Knitting and Needlework, and it's high-end, but if you are into knitting, this is where you want to buy yarn! 

Inside the yarn shop

I mean -- look at this gorgeous yarn with a shimmer in it. I could see some of that coming home with me. But even though I had room, I didn't buy any. This yarn is called Firefly by King Cole. Hilarious, as it's the same brand as the thick/thin yarn I wanted, but that is long gone! 

Beautiful Firefly yarn

So I walked out with nothing, but that's OK. Then off to the final stop in Saskatoon: the bookstore. Oh yes -- the bookstore - McNally Robinson. I can say that I've been to both locations (Winnipeg and Saskatoon) this year. I spotted some quilts hanging on the railing. I love that the Saskatoon Quilters' Guild hangs the quilts; it makes the place look a bit more homey. 

I wanted to get a book for Mom, but it was sold out. You remember a while back I mentioned a book that was written by a lady who lives north of North Battleford - Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels. Well, she will be speaking at the NB library on SATURDAY!!!! But I'll be teaching back home!!! 

I'm not sure if this quilt is called Square Dance, but that was the name on it, and it looks like a wee bit of a challenge to put together. 

Quilts in the bookstore

And a farm-themed one. One of the ladies in our embroidery group made this quilt. Not this exact quilt, but one like it. It's farm-themed. 

A machine-embroidered, farm-themed quilt

And OH MY GOSH --- this was so cute. I don't know what the pattern is, but look at the wee duck on the left. That's so adorable!!!! WAIT -- I found the pattern. It's called Duck March by Apples and Beavers, which I think is a Canadian company? 

Duck March quilt - adorable!!!! 

I picked up a couple more logic books by Dr. Garth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres. They are easy to travel with, and I LOVE doing them, although the one puzzle I'm working on is causing me some grief. I've had to erase the grid a few times, and I probably just need to focus!!! 

Then I headed to North Battleford, where I got a bit of a shock when I arrived at the apartment building. There is ALWAYS a puzzle in progress in the common room. Look which puzzle it is!!! This is the one that I dropped off a couple of months ago. What are the chances that that puzzle would be completed when I walk in? Seriously -- that is like finding a needle in a haystack!!! The timing was uncanny!!!!

MY jigsaw puzzle is completed!

When I went down a couple of hours later, that puzzle was gone, and they were working on the next one. That's what I mean—the time frame was so short, and yet it was there!!! I have brought another puzzle with me for them. And the two men who work on the puzzles are the nicest, so we always have a chat. 

Progress on the next jigsaw puzzle in the common room

So - you want to know about Dad. Well, to look at him, you would never know that he had a stroke last week. I swear the man has nine lives, and he was in good spirits, but I bet he's exhausted because he never did make it to a hospital ward, and it is NOISY in the hallway. I'm sure he was going mad because he described the hallway noises—a noisy swooshing double door and a hump in the hallway to conceal an electrical cord. Right by his bed. Poor guy!!!

But he is doing fine, and they have upped his cholesterol medication to help dissolve these blockages. One was in his head, and that one was gone before he left the hospital. The second one in his neck is still there, but apparently he could feel it, and it's nowhere near as prominent as it was. So all is good, and he dodged a bullet. 

We haven't discussed when he goes for another scan - I must remember to ask today. 

Then we spent the rest of the day discussing paper! While Dad is still very cognizant, he is easily confused by paper, and when I looked at some of what was bugging him, I can see exactly why. And god forbid that he has an overdue bill - that drives him mad. So he wanted me to drive him (no driving for 30 days) to pay the bill, but that wasn't possible since they wanted cash or a certified cheque, and we can pay it online, so we are going to do that today. 

He hates AI more than I do and wants me to get rid of the AI CRAP on his computer. Good luck to me for that! 

I'm making sure everything is good with their documents, which it is, although we can't find two critical documents I know they created. They weren't where they were supposed to be, so we need to find them today. And I'm ensuring that everything they need, should something happen, is in ONE spot. I'm tempted to take pictures so I know they are there, but I'll think about that one. What I might do is make a list of what is included in that folder and attach it to the front. 

That way we know what is there at a glance. Why do I feel that we will be visiting the bank, the lawyer, and the accountant while I am here? They have things in order—don't get me wrong —but they kept old versions of everything, so I sorted through it, and all the old stuff is now gone. And Mom was encouraging me to get rid of it. WAIT? -What is happening here? 

The problem is that they are so easily confused that they need someone to keep all that stuff. My brother will be given copies of the health directives, so in the future, should he need them, he has them in HIS possession, not in a book at the house. 

Then I need to communicate to my brothers that everything is in order and they don't need to do anything to make that happen. Everything is done and in one place. 

We made good progress, but today is going to be filled with more of the same! And you know what? I'm OK with that. I'd rather do that, know what is going on, and have it all in a safe place than be in a mad scramble if something happens. That's why I'm here! It's amazing how consuming paperwork is. But I should know since I do so much of it myself. 

I wasn't sure I'd have enough to do to fill my three days. Now I could probably do with an extra day!!! But we'll get it done! 

And we have an assessment this morning. I don't think they really comprehend what it's all about—I don't think Dad does, but I explained to him that they need more help or possibly a move, and that is what this assessment is all about. I'll have to deal with the aftermath after the caseworker leaves. 

I totally appreciate that people want to stay in their homes as long as they can, but at what point do you move because you need so much extra help? That is the question. This isn't about cognitive skills; it is about physical ability and safety. It's a nasty decision to make, and hopefully after this morning's visit, we will have more knowledge in our pocket to make those decisions. 

We decided to have pizza for dinner last night, and I headed out to get it. When I arrived back at the apartment, I spotted an ambulance outside the front door. OH -- hopefully that is not for them. I was just gone 20 minutes, and they were fine. 

So when I got to their floor and spotted this outside their door, that threw me for a loop. Of course, I didn't panic—why would I? If something happened, they were in good hands. Thankfully, it was for their neighbor across the hall. 

A stretcher in the hall! Thankfully, NOT for my parents!

I spotted this on IG, and I thought it was hilarious.

LOL -- new rules!!!!

LOL --- how funny. Notice, I did NOT go to the thrift store here! I do not need another puzzle! 

Well, it is going to be an interesting and LONG day. Besides my parents, I'm dealing with a couple of other family things (nothing bad), but it just takes time. So let's get all this worked out right now, and then I can get back to my quiet life with my girls and DH. That'll be several weeks before that happens. 

I am so thankful I moved all my data onto small drives I can carry with me. My entire digital life is with me—Yep—I know that is a risk since there is no backup. But I'm OK with that. If I'm going down, then I'll go down with my digital data! 

While I miss the quilting retreat, I am so glad I decided to come. We are accomplishing lots, and they need this done. Sadly, they are at that age when they need a keeper to remind them of the important decisions they made. OK --- we've done it before, I've explained it before, but they need it done every so often to remind them. And this time, we are getting rid of all the extraneous crap. 

On that happy note, it's going to be another wonderful day!!!! Happy puzzling!!!

Ciao!!!!

 

Fun day at the quilt retreat

I really must learn the parts of the body! A quick update on Dad. He's been discharged without emergency surgery. The blockage is (was) in his neck. I don't know the details, but I will find out more later today, since I've been running around the house getting ready to get on a plane in a couple of hours!

But wait - let's back up! 

I decided to go to the quilt retreat as I had stuff to drop off to others. One must keep that Pony Express alive. I don't think I brought anything home. Wait - that's a lie - I have a small gift, but no time to take a photo. 

For the life of me, I had forgotten the door code, but we got it resolved fairly quickly. I had grabbed some handwork, and it was a good thing; that's what I planned to do all along. 

Unpacking wasn't without its mishaps. I had grabbed my wool pressing mat from this bag for the Michaels event and didn't realize it was open. So—the contents of the bag fell out on the front step! Of course they did! 

Oops - the contents of my project bag on the front step

But then I got myself set up - two other participants were also doing handwork, so we didn't need to set up another table. It worked very well. 

My workstation

Look how neat that all is!! And I managed to get everything done that I could with what I had brought. OH -- did you notice the Singer iron? 

I made myself some notes, and when I got home, I packed up the missing component and put it in the same bag. I hope to get back for the final day of the retreat. It will be a good way to decompress from the week. While DH is a good listener, it's not the same thing! But a lot has to happen before that final retreat day!

My project is packed and ready to go back to the retreat.

This project is my Many Blocks project, which is on my Visual To-Do list, and my goal is to get three quilt tops done by the end of the year. I still have a few, maybe 30, blocks to make before I can start to assemble the tops. And in keeping with my "nagging" at everyone else to get work done, I need to make a serious commitment to this project. It was started MANY years ago, and I want it done. 

Planning on taking only handwork was a good thing.  

But a good part of the day was consumed with phone calls. Extra home care, Meals on Wheels, respite bed - all of that was coming together perfectly until Mom called to say that Dad was being released from the hospital. Sigh............... I'm sure the Home Care worker was ticked off, but what could I do? It didn't make sense to put Mom in respite when Dad was coming home. 

However, I have asked for an assessment for the two of them living in that apartment, and I hope to get that scheduled while I'm there. 

I have no idea what to face when I get there later today. 

Here's one of the girls and the boy, sleeping while I wrote the blog yesterday morning! The little guy flew home last night, and he looked so sleepy!

Bear and Murphy sleeping.

OK -- so here's a bit of levity to the day. WAIT --- that is totally wrong. I had so much fun with just the one day at the retreat. I shall miss all the fun and frivolity over the next couple of days, but family comes first. But there is NOTHING more therapeutic and fun than spending the day with some friends and just having FUN!!!! It was a great day, and thanks to all of you at the retreat! I'm already missing you!!!!!

Well, you know that I've become a certified jigsaw puzzle nut! And I'm learning about all the brands and styles and types and whatever. Well, one of my favorite puzzle brands is Villager Puzzles. They are Canadian, relatively new, and Kelly (the owner) only hires Canadian women artists for the artwork. And oh my—some of the potential new puzzles for 2027 are amazing! Many of the options are local locations, like Kelowna, Chilliwack, and others. 

Kelly announced something new for 2026: a puzzle Advent Calendar. Yep - I totally get that puzzle Advent Calendars are NOT new, but this is a first for her company. The release day was yesterday. Of course, I had it marked in my calendar, but no alarm - just an event. I checked online in the morning and realized the release time was 9 AM PT, which is noon my time. 

I set the event to noon, and then we got caught up in all the phone calls and whatnot, and it wasn't until 2:15 that I remembered the puzzle release. I quickly connected to the internet, only to find out the puzzle was SOLD OUT!!!!! Drat—while I had set the event, I had forgotten to set a five-minute warning. 

Later, I learned that the puzzle sold out in 1 hour and 38 minutes. I have no idea how many she had. BUT when I got home, I realized that the puzzle sold out on the VILLAGER website, but it was still available at some shops!!! OK --- so let's have a look. I managed to locate the puzzle at a shop in St. Albert, Alberta. Now I have my copy of the puzzle Advent Calendar. How fun - I can't wait to see it. 

I bought mine at a shop called Sweet Boutique. I have no idea how many they have left. 

OK—the clock is ticking; Murphy is a bit agitated, although she has settled down now, and I'm packed. And yeah, me - because of the lateness of booking this ticket, I'm relegated to a middle seat. I can hardly wait! And there will be no upgrade for me - I tried, but I'm too far down the list. Sigh................

On that note, I'm out of here!!!!! The blog will likely be a bit later than usual for the next couple of days because of the time difference. I'll keep you up to date - writing it down is a bit of a release for me. And I will confess that my brother has stepped up and things are going smoothly. I hope to accomplish a lot while I'm there. 

It's going to be a WONDERFUL day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A state of flux!

All the Zooms are done for a few days, and ALL the follow-up is done!! That's a first for me. Cleaning up the presentations, writing out the email, double-checking distribution lists, and so much more! 

But it's done! I wish I could say the same for my state of mind! I'm in a bit of a flux this morning. No news on Dad - well, the news is he hasn't had surgery yet, and I'm not sure if they will deem it safe to do that surgery on him at his age. 

Hopefully we will get some answers today. 

In the meantime, I'm supposed to head out to a quilt retreat today because I have things to drop off, and it will be nice to have a relaxing day, but I'm also contemplating heading out to Saskatchewan tomorrow. The ticket price has me second-guessing, and I want to make sure it will be worth my time and money. 

So hopefully, with a few phone calls, I can decide. Since I'll be away next week and the week after that, I don't think DH wants to be with the dogs by himself for that long, so I may make it a short week and just stay home. Like I said - I'm in a bit of a state of flux! 

After our two scrap sessions, I hope the students are madly asking themselves questions and wondering how to proceed. They have a lot to consider, and if they go with it, there is a lot of work to do. I hope they are up to the challenge, and I'll follow up with them later this month to make sure they're on the right track. 

I chuckled because at the end of the session, one participant said, "Those are wise words, and we need a reminder once a year."  Oh no -- you are not getting off this easy, my response? This is a lifestyle change, and you will be living and breathing the answers to these decisions for the rest of your quilting career. You won't need a reminder! 

One thing to say about making all those presentations: I am constantly thinking about the flow and the logical order of the process. It doesn't always work, but I think I've got a good handle on it by now! Making a presentation is just like being a storyteller, but with pictures instead of words! 

If you ever need to communicate something to someone, practice out loud at home. I don't stand in front of the mirror to do it. I do often "present" when walking the dogs, so they are quite knowledgeable about quilting! But it's amazing how your communication skills can improve by thinking through what you are going to say, practicing saying it OUT LOUD (especially introductions), and then going for it! Do you know that most people "hate" their voice? Especially on tape. But the more you listen to yourself delivering a speech, the more comfortable you get. I don't think it's our voice we hate, but the thought that you are in charge of this conversation!

Here is the status of my two winter quilts. The borders were supposed to be on both for UFO Club yesterday, but my Friday threw me for a loop. I'm close!!

The inner border on this quilt

I hope things will quiet down—seriously? Why do I even say that? I know it's never going to happen. Even with my personal stuff - things just go haywire! This blue outer border is one of the prints I picked up last week. 

Adding the outer border

I had help while I was on Zoom. Murphy is not happy that she doesn't have the freedom to come and go as she used to, but that is a life change. She's getting used to it. The girls and the boy are NOT happy that the backdoor isn't open as much as it used to be. The temperature is getting a wee bit chilly, and so they don't have the same freedom! 

MOM - I'm here for you!

As I look at that picture, I see my Singer iron on the little ironing station, my two blocks for 40 shades of grey on the wall, and a mess of projects I am currently working on. 

I've been thinking about buying one of those rolling carts you can get at Michaels, but I don't know if it is big enough. Perhaps if I got two, I could remove a table? Hmmmm --- thoughts on that? 

I just checked online, and they have quite a variety. Maybe I should try it. Two people I chatted with yesterday have some sort of cart, and they like it. Hmmm -- might work for my class projects. And maybe one for samples. I will need a four-tier cart!

This was the mess that I have been facing since the Facebook Live. I managed to get some stuff put away yesterday and certainly did NO sewing. 

The mess in Studio B

I also inherited (OK - I bought) some supplies from someone who was getting out of quilting and embroidery. Here is the thread haul I got. 

My thread haul!

You can never have too much thread. There were a LOT of other things in the bundle she dropped off at my door (how lucky can you get), and I'm happy to report that it's all put away. Yep—there are maybe three things I don't want, and I'll take them to the retreat; if no one wants them there, I'll post on the blog. It's all about making decisions, having homes, and then getting rid of what you no longer want. 

I will say that my thread bins are full! There is NO need to buy more thread until some of the bins are a bit emptier. Lots of machine embroidery on the horizon. 

Bear was hanging out in the bed in the front window! The silly guy—he loves to sleep there so he can keep an eye on everything happening in the neighborhood. Sadly, he goes home today!!! 

GRANDMA -- I'm on my break from guard duty!

And here's my "official" puzzle picture for September. I might be OK with spacing and order in verbalizing things, but in the written world? I start too big and have no room! 

The puzzle is officially entered in the monthly contest.

I doubt I'll get another puzzle done this month, but it depends on what happens this week. I think I'm averaging about two a month, which works for me. 

I've had this window open for a couple of weeks to alert everyone to the new Canadian postage stamps honoring antique quilts. Check it out. These quilts are from the Royal Ontario Museum collection, and they were on display a while back. Well, it's almost two years since that exhibit was on, and can you believe I did NOT post a single picture. 

However, the collection is online, and you can check it out here. I believe the duck quilt is on the third page. 

OH - so I sent my follow-up emails yesterday, with BIG attachments. I'm sure my Google Drive is having a heart attack this morning. Email is really the biggest culprit for the space, and I was messing around in it yesterday. They really need to make this stuff more user-friendly, but then people would actually delete stuff instead of just buying more storage. OH—those hi-tech companies are very clever and know we are willing to cough up more money instead of time!

I refuse to do that, so I am going to keep investigating and plugging away at getting rid of stuff. But I still haven't hit that magic button yet. I am having to go ONLINE to delete stuff, and of course, they start you with the most recent. I want the old stuff! Sigh.................

I know that some of you want to dive in and help. I know how to do it - I know how to search, and I'm pretty darn competent. It's just finding out how their systems work and how my Windows systems work and how to make the two of them talk to each other and how to decipher the BEHIND THE SCENES small delete button. I'll get there - it really just requires a concentrated effort on my part. 

I should just take my laptop to the retreat and spend the entire time deleting crap! I could - it would be easy! 

On that note, I'm off. Who knows where I'll end up tomorrow, but hopefully we'll have some answers and know how to proceed. 

It is going to be an AMAZING day!!!! Why? Because I say so!! And as Captain Jean-Luc Picard would say - MAKE IT SO!!!!

Ciao!!!

Teach the World to Sew Day!!!

Let's hurry up and WAIT!!! It was one of those crazy days with highs and lows. 

The low was that Dad didn't get his surgery, and now there's a possibility they may not operate. What is frustrating is that my brother tried to follow up with the doctor (on a Saturday!), and remember, this hospital is 1.5 hours away, so it's not like he can just walk in and ask. So all done on the phone. They would NOT speak to him—he is the son; they only wanted to talk to the spouse. 

OK -- I totally get that - privacy and all that. But my Mom is useless (sorry to be blunt) about stuff like this. Although we have said her mind is sharp (not so much any longer), she has NEVER made decisions on her own. She has always waited for Stan (my dad) to help her. 

She doesn't know how to ask questions, and if the doctor said, "We are going to do X," she wouldn't question it. Just say OK. My Monday sewing friends have since given me loads of suggestions to get over that situation, so I will pass that information along to my brother. 

So between my brother and Mom, they found out he did not have surgery and may not get surgery. I doubt we'll get a better answer today, since it's Sunday, and we'll likely have to wait until next week. Well, I'm prepared to go, but at this point, there's no point! 

I talked to Mom last night, and she thinks she's fine staying where she is. I could kill her! Let's just wait until Stan gets home. Sigh....................

I really don't want to go out until Dad is closer to home (local hospital), and hopefully by Monday, we'll know more. 

So it's a waiting game! 

First - I want to thank my friend (she knows who she is!) once again for the suggestion to go downtown BEFORE my class and do the class there. What a BRILLIANT idea, and so early (8 AM), I left the house to head downtown. I quickly found a parking space ($10 for the entire day - a great deal) and walked to the Michaels store. 

Michaels on John Street - Toronto

OH MY --- it's hilarious to see a huge Michaels store downtown. But that place was hopping the entire day!! The store is on three levels. If you know downtown Toronto, it's on the corner of Richmond and John Street. I think it used to be a Chapters? 

Inside the Michaels

Multilevel Michaels

I met my contact (Assistant Store Manager), and she whisked me to the classroom, and I quickly got set up and hotspotted to the internet through my phone. I did the scrap session, and it was great!!! Thank you to Michaels for accommodating me!!! I had to laugh because I was sitting in the room and POOF - the lights went out. It was on a timer of about 10 minutes, and because I was sitting, it would go out. I had to fling my left arm out to turn it back on!

I was a little "concerned" about the scrap presentation. My concern was: does the flow work? Am I presenting the material logically? These sessions are NOT just about making scrap quilts. They are about understanding how to deal with scraps, so THEN you can make scrap quilts. I think it went well, and a lot of people were on the call. Everything seems good, and I need to do the follow-up this morning. 

Once that was done, I started to get the room ready for our Teach The World to Sew Day. I had to assemble this giant banner. I love going to these events as most times, you never know what to expect. No instructions, but I'm pretty handy with an Allen key, so I figured it out. 

The Teach the World to Sew Day banner

Then I set up the ten Singer sewing machines, and I was ready!

The sewing machines are set, and we are ready to sew.

We had room for 9 people in each of two sessions. Imagine my surprise when our top North American executive walked into the room! Yikes!!!! Did anyone know she was coming? I certainly did not! I like Maureen, and we get along just fine. 

That reminds me of one of the first times I did a presentation for a Husqvarna Viking dealer. I was out in BC, and a former educator, who is EXTREMELY creative and did loads of amazing stuff in the past, appeared in the audience! OH!!!! But all is good—no need to get flapped because of who they are. Keep doing your job, and all will be fine! However, there was a wee SNAFU, and I'll share in a second. 

We didn't have as many signed up for the second session, but I was talking to M and Yagana two days ago, and they mentioned they would be downtown on Saturday. I said, I'm also downtown at Michaels, and why don't they come and do the class. So they did, along with a third friend. That class ended up FULL, and we had to turn one person away because they came in quite late. We had room for two in the earlier session. That was an excellent turnout!!!!!

Chelsey, M, and Yagana

And here they are with their eyeglass cases!!!! Great job!!!!! 

Yagana, M, Chelsey

As I was working (prepping) on Friday, I was shoving things into my tote bag so I would be ready, and everything was fine. I remembered paper scissors (to open boxes), fabric scissors to cut fabric, snips (I have a huge stack), pins, and so much more. Everything was good, and as the day went on, everything worked out just fine. 

However, when I mentioned I had a small iron with me, Maureen looked at it and said, "Oh - this would have been a great opportunity to showcase the Singer mini-iron!" 

OH MY GOSH -- I completely forgot about the iron. I thought of taking an iron at the last minute (and thank goodness I did - the project was so much better once it was pressed). However, I grabbed the "other" brand that was sitting on my paper piecing table. 

My mini-Singer iron is in the box of tools for my Momento. 

My Singer Mini-iron hides in the box of Singer Momento tools.

When I got home, I dug out the Singer iron, and I will use ONLY that iron going forward!! 

My Singer Mini-Iron!!!

I felt a wee bit bad about that situation, but hey—life happens. I told her I had a family emergency and that cut into my prep time, and I totally forgot about the Singer iron. She was good with that! At least that's what she said. I let my boss know what happened, and then there are no secrets, and life is just fine! 

I try to be as transparent with people as I possibly can, and if they don't like it - well, they can fire me. Which I know they won't do. 

My cousin lives just down the street from the Michaels - I drove past her building, but I was tired and had work to get home to prep for THREE Zoom classes today. Two are done, and the third can go as-is, but I want to swap a couple of pictures. 

The second scrap class is pretty full! I checked the registration two days ago, and two new people signed up since I sent out the welcome emails. So I sent the welcome emails to those two people and thought I was done. Well, I checked this morning, and SEVEN more people signed up, so I had to quickly add them to the main list and then resend what I had sent a couple of days ago. Admin sucks!!!!

But you know what? It's all done! 

Wait -- I forgot to tell you the best part about the day. I had a helper with me for the class, and Camryn was AMAZING. As you can tell from the photo, she is young, and she knows how to sew!!! We had a few broken needles and unthreaded machines, and she was a HUGE help. I'm not sure I could have done it all on my own. I MUST send the store manager a glowing report, because I was super impressed. 

Myself and Camryn

OH GOSH  - you can see the offending iron in this picture!

They have quite the fabric selection at this store - stuff that I haven't seen elsewhere, and apparently there are lots of cosplay people in the area, and where the heck else are you going to find fabric in downtown Toronto? 

Let me tell you that teaching those two classes was an eye-opener, and it also humbled me! And I take my natural ability to sew a straight seam for granted! Some of the people had sewed back in the home ec days, but many had not sewed much. Regulating the speed was an issue, especially through the thick layers of the final seam. So the next time I am trying to teach someone to sew, I must remember that I've been sewing for over 50 years! And it comes naturally to me. 

For others, especially if they are new, it's not so easy! We all managed just fine and had many laughs together. It was a fun day, and Camryn and I got MANY thank-yous from the attendees. I got a message from M, "great teacher," so that makes me proud of her! By the way, the three of them did a pretty good job! 

And yes, Maureen also thanked me, but I will never forget the iron incident. The next time I see her, I will whip that Singer Mini Iron out of my pocket!!! 

Well, on that note, I'm off. I have dogs to walk and a cup of tea to make. I haven't realized how much I enjoy that morning cup of tea, even though it's mostly spent at the computer, but it's just soothing somehow! 

It will be an AMAZING day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

When life throws you a curve ball!

Thanks for the comments. Yes—I believe 100% that even though I am deleting, I may still need to do one more step to make Google recognize that I have deleted stuff. What is that step? I must investigate. And I have turned OFF photo backup on my phone. So that is NOT adding to the problem. 

Life sure has an interesting way of bringing you down to your knees and making you face reality! I was out walking two of the dogs yesterday when my phone rang. It was not even 8 AM, and NO ONE calls me in the morning. I hardly ever get phone calls, which I am OK with. 

I checked the caller ID, and it was my Aunt, who lives close to my parents. OH -- this is NOT going to be good news. I felt that immediately when I looked at the screen. So with great trepidation, I answered the call. 

It appears Dad had a stroke yesterday morning and couldn't get out of bed. He somehow signaled my mom to call an ambulance. His speech was garbled, so I'm not sure how that happened. She would not have been able to get to him easily since she wasn't in the room and needs a wheelchair to get around. 

He seems to be fine; his speech is back to normal, he can move his arms, etc., BUT upon examination, it turns out that he has at least partially or completely blocked arteries! That is NOT good—the man was given a second chance. So he was given five minutes to make a decision - live with the blocked arteries or go for surgery. They made a big deal about it (this is all according to my brother, who called me with details). Dad was whisked away to Saskatoon by ambulance and was supposed to have the surgery yesterday. 

I got an update later in the day, and he is still waiting for surgery - I guess there are more important cases than his blocked arteries. I get it—it's a crazy world out there. 

I had to rally my troops, make some phone calls to let other people know, and find extra care for Mom since she can't be on her own! Thankfully, Saskatchewan has an amazing Home Care operation, and we are trying to get her a respite bed. I'm waiting to see what the situation is, but in the meantime, we have extra care coming in during the day, and meals will be delivered. Mom is in a wheelchair and not super mobile. All of that happened with ONE phone call! How is that for making life easy?

I must have called her a dozen times yesterday to ensure everything was OK and to explain what was going on. 

BUT - I could still kill her!! I had requested that she have an assessment for permanent long-term care since Dad will NOT be able to assist her in any way when he gets home from the hospital. She agreed when I talked to her, but when the caseworker called her, she said, "I'll wait until we know what's happening with Stan." Seriously???? I could throttle her for that! 

We have discussed this topic many times, and she has agreed, but she is NOT willing to make that decision without Dad around. I plan to go there next week, and I'll drill it into her head that she can't stay in the apartment. We have no idea when Dad will be home. Will they keep him in rehab? No clue on timing, no clue on what will happen!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR --- but life goes on!!!

I am not panicking, I am not stressed. YES -- don't get me wrong, this is a very serious situation - the man is 93 years old and as frail as you could expect for a man who has abused his body for all of those 93 years. There's even a chance he won't survive the surgery, but we don't need to dwell on that. I CANNOT change a single thing about the situation - I can only be a help from a distance, and what is the point of getting myself all worked up? Besides, if I did, he would haunt me. Dad is a NO FUSS kind of person. He's probably in the hospital telling anyone who will listen that he is 93 and still goes to work!! 

The other thing is that I have the first scrap class presentation this morning and then Teach The World to Sew in the afternoon. I had not really prepped anything for either!! So between phone calls, lunch with M and Yagana, and a physio appointment, I managed to get everything more or less done! What a smozzle!!!

I thought this was an appropriate quote in my tea yesterday! Everything we do should be conscious!!

Quote from my tea

Instead of doing the work I was supposed to be doing, the night before, I decided to finish the jigsaw puzzle. I know --- where is my priority filter? It's gone!!! It didn't help that I wanted to listen to that audiobook, which I finished last night while working on today's prep. OMG—right to the end, there was a plot twist, and I didn't see any of it coming! 

Anyway, I got the puzzle together, and DRAT—there is a piece missing!! AGAIN? So I went on a hunt in the morning and VOILA—there was the missing piece. I am going to have to find another tray or get smaller design boards because sometimes a piece bounces off. Thankfully, I found it. 

The missing piece

And there it is—my contribution to the September theme of a Eurographics puzzle. I need to take a picture with the required label and submit it. I have until the end of the month, and, well, things will be working out slightly differently than originally planned this month. 

The completed puzzle

So last night, after we got back from dinner, I started embroidering the labels needed for my kits! Don't worry—the kits the attendees will make are already at the store. I am making labels for the step-outs for my demo! 

Making embroidered labels

I managed to get four of eight labels made, and I cut all the fabric. It didn't take long. 

Then I had four more labels to stitch this morning, so I did that while I quilted the kits (simple!). I raised the table height for the embroidery machine, and OMG—this is wonderful. No need to worry about a chair; it was the right height for standing as I buzzed around. I'm very glad I have those tables. 

Table height for stand-up embroidery

And there are the bits for my eight step-outs. I'm not quite where I want to be, but after my scrap presentation this morning (at the Michaels store), I have a couple of hours to set up the machines, and I'll have some extra time to finish the kits. It won't take long. I'll be ready! 

My kits for Teach The World to Sew Day!

And on that note, I'd better get myself organized. I have dogs to walk and feed, gas to put in the car, and then I'm off to Michaels on John Street in Downtown Toronto - a place I rarely go. I think it's going to be fun!!!

It WILL be an awesome day - no matter what life throws at you. Remember, it is how you respond that determines whether you fall apart or not! 

Ciao!!!

A day of mysteries!

Today, all is revealed, as there were several mysteries at play. 

First—the fabric with the quilt blocks I bought the other day is part of an Anna Marie Textile (division of Northcott) collection. It's called Piecework, and it's not new - it's from 2025. See how often I get out? 

Here's a reminder of the fabrics; you can check the link above for the rest. As mentioned, Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe had all or most of them. 

Piecework collection by Anna Marie Textiles

Second mystery—the darn storage for my email. While I didn't get a chance to delete all the attachments in the SENT folder, I managed to get rid of some; there was ZERO change to the amount of storage. OK -- maybe this morning, the storage will be different. NO!!! How can that be? There has to be something that is even more hidden? This is NOT the first time this has happened. I've deleted huge files from all the classes in the past, and there's still no change in the amount of storage. 

Hmmmm—what could be the issue? Well, that's still a mystery to be solved. 

Speaking of mysteries -- that book - My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney? Oh my -- plot twist after plot twist. Who knew that was coming? It's insane, yet the plot twists are plausible! I still have about 50 minutes, and how many more plot twists can there be? 

But here's the FUN mystery that is now solved. Remember I shared this logic puzzle book I bought a couple of weeks ago. It has 50 puzzles, and they are fairly easy, so I can sit down and do one or two with no trouble. I'm on number 25! 

Puzzle Book

However, one puzzle just didn't make sense. One clue was one of those either/or clues, but it can't be both. Well, the clue wasn't happening for me. I checked with a friend whose son is an EXPERT at this kind of thing to see if I was messing up. Nope—it didn't make sense to him either. 

I tried to find the book online to see if there was a correction. Nothing. After looking at the fine print in the back of the book, I discovered the book was "written" by Dr. Garth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres. Well, I know who Dr. Garth Moore is! I have watched some of his online videos for solving problems - especially in the EXIT Game series. 

Well, let's just reach out and see what he has to say. We emailed back and forth multiple times yesterday, and it appears this book was NOT supposed to be released in North America. But I'm not going there. 

Anyway, he agreed with me that the clue was not well written. He explained how to interpret the clue, and with that hint, I was able to solve the logic problem with ease. He has offered me a free subscription to one of his puzzle websites for a year. Hmmm—I don't need more distraction, but I'm going to take him up on his offer. 

A very nice person and someone who cares about their customers! But you should check him out - he is the KING of puzzles (at least in Britain) and has books (yep -- even at our local library), puzzles, and videos. He writes for kids and adults, and I see our library has a lot of his ebooks. 

Now what about the mystery in the forest? They spent THREE days, and I don't know how much material was brought in along with all the equipment. 

They brought in many truckloads of fine and coarse gravel and dumped them at the end of the street, along with a load of larger rocks. 

Piles of gravel to repair the path

More gravel

They also brought in a couple of pallets of what I thought were paving stones, but they were actually large plastic grates used to control erosion. 

Compacting the gravel

They had a roller to pack the gravel, a backhoe, and something else. I didn't really pay attention, but many people were involved, and as mentioned, it took three days. 

I also noticed they broke the end section of the sidewalk with the heavy equipment, but when we walked there yesterday, they had even removed the broken piece of concrete and installed a new one. WOW!!!! 

They repaired the broken sidewalk the same day!

In some instances, they have made the path very thick. 

That's a very thick path.

In a couple of areas with a grade, they installed the larger rocks along the sides. I wonder if they graded that path so the water runs to the sides and then through the rocks? Hmmm - more mysteries. 

Murphy enjoying the new path.

So this is the transition between the new part and the old part. 

The transition

I still prefer the old path, but this section didn't erode. 

What the original parts still look like

This is the spot with the biggest erosion issue. I notice that you can see the path of a bicycle, so how compacted is that earth? I almost wish we could have a violent downpour to see how this stands up. I totally get that the plastic landscape material will hold the soil in place, but what about the layers on top of that material? 

The new downhill!

See, those rocks are pretty substantial. 

Grandma -- BIG ROCKS!

I still think they should check out how the Spanish deal with steep hills and water erosion. Either tile/pave it over as they have done in other sections of this area, OR grade the path slightly to one side and then put channels (ditches) along to handle the water. In some instances in Spain, I saw the channel cut diagonally across the path. 

Let's see what happens. I may still dig out those pictures of the paths in Spain and send them to the city if we run into more issues!

OH MY -- I realize this is the weekend for the Virtual Retreat and I'm strapped for time! But we can have one on Sunday afternoon from (3 - 9). I'll post the link tomorrow. I have a very busy day tomorrow and YES - I'll be hosting my scrap class (the first one) from downtown Toronto!!

Here's a sneak peek at my purchases from the day before. I found the perfect fabric for the borders and binding that I needed. I have ZERO issue buying new stuff if I don't have it in my stash. But if I can make do with what's in the stash, then I'll go with that. I had reached the point on THREE projects where I needed to buy something. 

The border and binding fabric for two quilts

Then for the My Kinda Town quilt, I'm using these prints as the background. I think I mentioned that I have tried to use these for multiple quilts, and none of them worked. 

My backgrounds for My Kinda Town

But for My Kinda Town, the backgrounds are perfect. 

A block from My Kinda Town

However, I only had six of those fabrics, and I needed two more! 

I managed to find one more in the kids section of the store. I had checked out, and Dede and I were chatting with the store employee. I then asked her if they had the Tula Pink fairy frost, which someone suggested on my blog. No, but then she asked what I was looking for. OH -- we have some of those in the far corner by the pink fabric. So we trotted over there and sure enough -- they had a variety. I eliminated some of them and found three that will work. 

Three new fabrics

Silly me - I should have asked as soon as I got there, but I did not. I'm glad I asked because now my search for those prints is over. 

I also spotted this vinyl, which is to die for! It's so soft and beautiful. 

Soft vinyl

I found something in the sale area that makes more sense than anything I had in my stash for this quilt backing. It's a nice quilt I want to keep, so I was happy about that. 

Backing for my quilt

And I had the urge to buy something Halloween. Don't ask me why - so this is what I got! 

A Halloween pattern and a mini-charm pack

I am NOT a fan of Tilda fabrics, but these buttons were to die for. Yes - an impulse purchase, which is why I shouldn't go shopping!

Tilda buttons

Because it's going to be an insanely busy weekend, I went to the used book sale last night. I had one goal in mind, and I grabbed some cash. Not much cash, but enough to make the trip worthwhile. 

Oh my --- the sale is on the lower level of a mall; they used to be on the main level, but this is actually better. It was crowded, and the line-ups were long. 

The used book sale

But I found the table with the puzzles and selected a few. I only spent 2/3 of what I took. I had an IKEA bag with me, and they fit in there like a glove. I was there and back within an hour! This is not the first rodeo for the volunteers from the Mississauga Symphony. They know how to process piles of books and take the cash! 

Oh my—look at Murphy and Bear. Bear sure keeps the older dogs on their toes. Murphy used to like sleeping up there, but she doesn't anymore. I'm keeping it around because I know Bear likes it too. He spends many hours watching the activity on the street. But at some point, I'll move it to the garage. It does take up a lot of space. Thank goodness I bought the stairs because he can go up and down at his leisure! 

The neighborhood watchers!

I think the girls like the two walks a day instead of one long one, and I'm getting pretty handy at managing three dogs. I wouldn't do it forever, but the occasional walk with Bear is fine. He's only here for a couple more days. It'll be good when it's just the two girls. Murphy is still attempting to define herself as the Alpha in our house! 

I had so many emails come in yesterday, and I was trying to respond as they came in, so if you sent an email yesterday, I got it, just no time to process!

I compiled the distribution lists for the second scrap class. If you are considering signing up, I'd appreciate it if you do that today. Otherwise, it's a ton of logistical work to keep sending welcome emails to the stragglers. 

Well, I have a lot to get done today, so I'd better get started!!!

It's going to be a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!