On being patriotic

I flossed TWICE and brushed once! Actually, that wasn't so bad. I have a bunch of those flossers, and they are mint (I found them in my floss stash), and if I keep them by the computer, I can quickly floss after breakfast, get rid of the excess seeds from my oatmeal, and that should keep the dentist and Vanessa happy! 

Six weeks for it to become a habit? OK -- we have to make a valiant effort here, as I know it is better for me. 

It is a tiny world! I'm heading out to visit my parents next week, and when I was speaking to my mom last week to let them know, she said, "Oh, there must be a quilt show". When I asked her how she knew, she said, "There is always a quilt show when I go out". Well, she actually means I go out for work, but that's OK. I don't think she really understands what I do. 

However, this time, YES - I am going out to the Saskatoon Quilter's Guild quilt show. I'm not going just for the show or to earn points for my airline status. I'm actually visiting my parents, and I needed to choose a time before the end of the year. This week seemed like a good fit. Being there for the show is a bonus, as I have always missed it in the past due to my crazy schedule, but this time, the stars are aligned, and I can make it. 

I've been chatting with other people, and they are also going to the show, so I've got a lot of people to meet! It's going to be fun, but I suspect the show will be insanely busy. Let's see how it goes. You can be sure I'll give you an update. 

I need to finish booking my travel arrangements for that. I'll have to ask my parents to move since flying to Saskatoon seems to be the most expensive city for me to fly to in Canada. I swear, I can fly to Vancouver twice for the same price as once to Saskatoon. It's all about supply and demand. 

Many of our neighbors to the south are very patriotic, and many have US flags hanging from their houses or flagpoles. I had a tiny flag attached to the light outside the house, but I wanted a large flag. I had been looking for a flagpole so it could hang off our garage. This summer, I found one and had it installed while we were on vacation. I took pictures a while back, but just didn't have the opportunity to post them to the blog. 

So here it is -- my symbol of Canadian patriotism!!! Oh Canada! About 7 neighbors in this area have flags somewhere on their houses! That's a huge number for a Canadian neighborhood!

My Canadian flag

Does anyone remember the pandemic shutdown? Of course, we do! It seems like forever ago, and it's hard to believe that our lives were affected for almost two years! That's a long time, but we have quickly gotten back into our usual lives. Well, that's a bit of a lie, especially for office workers. 

Anyway, the word on the street was DO NOT TOUCH anything with a bare hand or be sure to sanitize the crap out of it afterward. I remember walking around the neighborhood and needing to push the button to cross the street. Some had large buttons that you could push with your elbow, but others had a small button, inside a ring that you had no choice but to use your finger. 

Now look -- we have buttons that we can push or WAVE AT!!! I was leery of just waving, but it worked! I heard the signal "click," and the crossing light came on when the light turned green. 

New ways to summon the crossing light

WAIT -- speaking of being patriotic, I spotted this photo this morning on Facebook. It's a Quilts of Valour display in a church in St. John's, Newfoundland. The exact name of the church is gone. I only snagged one of the photos, but the display looked amazing. It fills my heart to see the outpouring of quilts, and I need to call my local rep and give her the ones that I have done. I had hoped to have more, but that's unlikely to happen this year. 

Quilts of Valour display in St. John's, Newfoundland

The strangest thing happened yesterday morning. The night before, I had a Zoom call, and as usual, when I was done, I just slapped the lid down on the laptop after disconnecting from Zoom. That puts the computer to sleep. However, when I got up and came downstairs, I could hear noises in the basement. I could hear voices. What? It's singing! I cautiously went down the stairs, and it's coming from my closed laptop. What the heck is going on? 

I had shown a YouTube video, and I guess YouTube decided to keep playing even when the lid was closed. What I was hearing was a Gregorian chant!!! Good grief - that kind of freaked me out!

Georgian Chant on YouTube!

I love this shelf to store my quilts on. It's low enough and yet, on wheels, so that I can move it from room to room. I needed to get it out of the guest room the other day, as we have a guest coming to stay for a while. So I rolled it out of the guest room and down the hall into Studio U. 

My quilt storage rack

I have a guild lecture coming up on November 5 (I think that's the date), and it's going to be easier to pull quilts and get what I need if it's NOT in the room. 

The Pony Express is still alive and well, and I see a few things are starting to pile up. Their time to move on will happen in about 6 weeks. In the meantime, two things got moved from my house yesterday, and I got two things in return. 

That is the bonus bundle for the Cherrywood Challenge. 

The small optional bundle for the Cherrywood Challenge

And the backing for my Colour My World quilt. I bought both at Stitch by Stitch in Kingston. 

The backing for Colour My World

We went out to dinner last night, and of course, it was wall-to-wall baseball. We didn't stay for all of the game, and well, they didn't win, but there are still potentially two more games! Go Jays GO!!!

Wall-to-wall baseball

Look at this cutie pie! She loves to sit in her bed and watch the world go by! And I love how she puts one paw on the edge of the bed! I took this from outside on a rainy day! She is so intense!!! 

MOM - you are blocking my view!

And here she is on a different day, but still with that paw over the edge! Oh Murphy! We love you - silly girl, but she desperately needs to go to the groomer, and I've been a negligent dog parent in making that happen. 

Watching the world go by!

Muprphy is like a small child. She loves to solve the puzzle of unwrapping all those blankets to get the ball. I need to rebundle it for her since everything is scattered across the floor from yesterday's puzzle-solving session, and I didn't put it back. Lexi could NOT care less about this kind of thing. Funny how different breeds like different things. Lexi is happy as a clam being outside, where she is currently and has been for hours. 

MOM -- that was so much fun - let's do it again!

I have two big classes this morning, and both presentations are good to go. I've come to realize that I take as long as I have time for the preparation. I had all week and it took all week! Why? Because I have time! 

And I will need to check out that book I mentioned yesterday, as I don't think I got the correct version, but I am less than 100 pages from the end of the other one. What is totally scary about the fantasy book is that it reminds me of some of the current world crises happening now. This book was written in 1992. YES --- there are some weird comparisons. So was that book a foretelling of the future? Or are world crises like these a more common occurrence than we believe? It involves religion and politics - go figure! But I should be able to finish before the due date. 

Speaking of due dates, can you believe that I finally got this book yesterday? Note the date when I originally requested it! 

I did put it on suspend when I went on vacation because I knew it was going to come while I was away. 

It doesn't matter - I have it now! 

Remember, we have a virtual retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, October 18, 2025, STARTS at 6 PM EDT

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Sunday, October 19, 2025, STARTS AT 3 PM EDT

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Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- Don't forget to floss, stand up and sit down, go for a walk. Your health is important!

Read ALL the instructions

I need to spend a bit of time this morning answering the comments. So many good comments!! Thanks so much - I appreciate them all! And I especially appreciate you following me along with my craziness! I don't write for you - I mostly write for myself. That sounds somewhat unusual, especially when it's published for everyone to see. 

But I write because it helps to clear my brain, which would explode if I didn't get some of this silliness, creativity, and knowledge out of my brain! I've also used it to follow up on things because, let's face it, with so much stuff going on, it's easy to forget. 

It's an easy activity to keep my brain stimulated, even if AI is helping me with the editing. Don't worry - I will NEVER let AI write the blog. I use it for editing, so you won't have to suffer through bad grammar and spelling mistakes. There are days when I love AI and days when I hate it because it tries to turn my sentences around and say something that is NOT what I am trying to say! 

I wonder if AI is reading my sentiments about it and forming opinions about me? Of course it is!!

Speaking of writing, I am finally back to my writing assignments and have made good progress yesterday and so far today. I have to get back in picture-taking mode, and sometimes that is the most challenging job of all. I take what I think is a good picture, but when I review it, it's not what I want or I have forgotten some element, or even worse, there is something in the background that I don't want there. So lots to keep me busy. 

I have a goal in mind, and I'll accomplish as much as I can today. I would LOVE to be done by Thursday afternoon, which is doable! Just FOCUS!

Did I get any more tidying up done? Absolutely NOT! I wanted to finish the last seam ripping task, and I focused on it for Monday's sewing. Then, I had to work on my writing assignment. 

I have known for a long time that sewing on a Zoom call doesn't work for me. I end up chatting and not getting much done. I have a stack of cutting, pressing, ripping, or other small hand projects that I can work on, which allows me to get work done while chatting with the groups. 

What am I ripping? Well, it's this. This is my Cherrywood Challenge for the Prince theme, which was several years ago, in 2019. I never finished it, and it sat there unquilted. I decided to add it o my UFO list and my goal a couple of months ago was to quilt it. I did it with a swirly pattern, but there wasn't really enough room between the raindrops to get a good flow, and I hated it. 

My Prince-themed Cherrywood Challenge

So I ripped it out. Now I need to find a design so I can quilt it again. I was contemplating hand quilting it in straight vertical lines. WAIT - I first contemplated quilting it in straight vertical lines by machine. But imagine all the stops and starts that would be! Then I thought of hand quilting, and that would still take some time, but at least it would be easier to travel from one raindrop to another or behind the raindrops. 

I managed to finish ripping out all the quilting yesterday. Now I have the absolutely delirious, crazy idea of removing all the raindrops and aligning them in vertical straight lines in some form of a pattern. Then I could quilt a straight line between the columns of raindrops, and I could stitch a line connecting the columns of raindrops. Those raindrops are fused down with a satin stitch. I was thinking of a triple stitch on the sewing machine and adding some sequins to give it sparkle. 

I know it sounds ridiculous to do that, but that is how my brain works. I really want that look now, and I'm not a fan of what I did. Can I live with it? I suppose I could, but I think it could be better. I'm going to try to lift one of those raindrops off and see what happens. How much adhesive will mark/stain the background, and can I even get the raindrops off? 

Call me crazy -- but I'm good with that. This is an excellent example of why one needs to think about quilting before actually finishing the assembly. If I had considered the logistics of quilting the piece, I might have come up with a different arrangement for the raindrops. Is it essential to change it? It's important enough for me to attempt it. 

I am loving the Yogi teas, and whenever I have the "harsh" tea from Tim's, I find it bitter, even though it's just water on a tea bag. What I get from Tim's is black tea (Orange Pekoe), which isn't so bad; I can't even imagine drinking the steeped tea. I find that very bitter. The Yogi teas are not flowery and fruity, but have a pleasant taste and are not bitter. Additionally, each sachet includes a daily quote. I'm now using each tea bag twice, and it works for me. Such a waste to make one cup of tea and throw the tea bag away. There is still a lot of flavour in there! 

Yogi tea this week

Oh my --- I decided it was time to crack open another EXIT Game. My friend picked up the Advent Calendar a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't picked it up from her yet. We'd better get ourselves back into the swing of things, or we're going to be in trouble. 

An Exit Game

We did not start off well. Why? We didn't read the instructions! OK -- I didn't read the instructions well. I just started by reading the storybook on the right-hand side of that picture. Ooops - I need to read the actual instructions, which are on the left side. But I thought I knew it all, so I didn't read through ALL the instructions. When we looked at the clue, something wasn't right. So I read a bit further - oh yes -- we are on the right track, but it still didn't make sense. Oh farce! When I finally read ALL the instructions, it became quite clear, and we quickly solved the puzzle. 

Just because it works one way in one game doesn't mean that the rule applies to each game. You must read the instructions to understand how the game is set up and how to use the materials provided. However, our searching revealed a couple of things that will help us later! 

Well, it didn't take Murphy long to get all the treats out of that toy! That dog is so food motivated! I wonder if she would eat herself sick if she had access to food all day? Probably! 

MOM - I need a refill of treats!

I took a few minutes in the afternoon to sit in the living room and read my book, and then have a nap! Lexi doesn't want or like to jump in Murphy's bed, but is happy to sit in front of it. That's not the best view, but she seems happy. 

MOM - I'm standing on guard! 

Then you have Murphy, who likes to prop herself against something because she is so wide that she slips on the floor. Oh Murphy! So even though she has been off this medication for a couple of weeks and she hasn't had any accidents, she still pants like mad on the walks. That's her. In the dead of winter, on a very frosty morning, she will come back panting like mad because she gets herself so worked up over walking! 

MOM - this chair leg is a perfect place to rest

And then while I sat in the chair, the two of them picked up their play fight routine! I swear, there is a smirk on Lexi's face. Does Murphy get down on the floor to make Lexi think she is winning? Lexi really is the instigator of these play fights, although you wouldn't know it to look at her demeanor! 

MOM - I got Murphy on the floor - I'm winning! 

You know - I did tidy up a little bit in Studio B, but nothing significant. Now that I have no Zoom calls today and only writing, I will take a break from writing to try to tidy up some things. I also have some sewing to do, and oh my goodness, I am loving the freezer paper method of paper piecing. What is nice is that when you are done, you simply remove the template, and there's no paper to rip off! You need to be careful, but it works! 

I have almost finished the first set of houses for Colour My World, and I'm loving the process. It hardly took any time at all, but then I had precut the fabric pieces. 

OK -- it's time to get myself organized for the day! A lot to accomplish (on my own time!). I must say that I don't mind a lot of work, but I just don't like it when it's under pressure. And the pressure often comes from my lack of time management! 

On that note, have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Challenges

Excellent --- thanks for the comments about the light. It appears that I'll be switching to LED light. I'll get to work on some research when I get home and find myself an electrician. Thanks!! I know I had purchased different replacement bulbs that are relatively expensive, but I don't remember the details at the moment. So more on that over the next week. 

Did anyone watch the video I posted last week about Ricky Tims and his quilt, entitled 'The Visitation? His artist statement referred to the use of AI in the design of the quilt, although he did not use an actual AI design (that's an oxymoron) for the quilt. He used the AI-generated designs as inspiration. Anyway, you can check it out if you haven't looked at it before. Start watching at the 4:00 mark, where he discusses how he utilized AI to assist him. 

So, just for fun, I threw in some parameters for the Trendtex challenge into A. I did not ask for an image; I simply asked for a suggestion. OMG!!   I am shocked by the results that came back. I received a two-page document with written suggestions on designs and colors. I am STUNNED!!!! I printed it off and threw it in my portable office bag. Will I actually look at it? I took a cursory glance at it before I threw it in the bag, but I haven't had a chance to really read it.  

I might just for fun. And I must confess that I spotted a couple of words that got me thinking while walking the girls before I left the house. I think I may have a plan based on two words!!

I am not a fan of AI, as I think it will take some of our creativity away in writing, creating photos, quilts, or other forms of art. BUT, if we use it to add to our pool of inspiration? Well -- it might just become a new helpful tool to use. 

I'll keep you updated on what happens. 

The drive to Kingston was uneventful, although I spotted many OPP cars along the 407 and the 401. Some of them had cars pulled over, and others were waiting to nab someone. Google Maps would pop up every time to alert me that police were ahead and ask if they were still there. I knew they were going to raise the speed limit on the 401 to 110 KPH, and since I keep my cruise control at 120, I knew I was OK with many cars speeding past me. 

There was a lot of traffic on the road, but what drives me mad is when people hang out in the passing lane or the next rightmost lane and drive 100 km/h. Move over, as you are messing up many lanes of traffic when you do that. 

I made one pit stop to use the washroom, and then I arrived in good time. 

But wait -- what did I use to entertain myself on the drive? Good old Nancy Drew. Oh my goodness — it was such a hoot to listen to the audiobook. They added music at the end of the dramatic chapter endings - just like on those old radio programs. I was cheering Nancy on as I drove. It was hilarious!!! 

OMG -- the things you can learn when you search the internet! Do you know what year the first Nancy Drew book was published? Take a guess!! Nancy Drew is older than my parents! That first book was published on April 28, 1930. GASP!!! I did not know that. It was also rewritten in 1959. Read this story to get more information. I found it fascinating. 

Nancy Drew books

The Pony Express is always working, and I met with someone yesterday - I had items for her, and she had items for me. Mary is always fortunate in finding good deals in the local thrift stores, and look what she spotted. 23 Nancy Drew books for $70. I'm going to pass - I love the audiobook version, and the version I read was the 1959 version. Wouldn't it be fun to track down the 1930s version?  

Nancy is still under copyright laws, but in the US, it will become public domain in 2026. That's interesting -- it's all in that story. 

Good grief -- there are over 620 Nancy Drew books in 13 different series! The last one was published in 2003, if I recall correctly. I loved Nancy when I was a kid, but I read more of The Hardy Boys because my brother got them. I didn't have access to Nancy when I was a kid. 

Wow -- who knew all that about Nancy? Now I have to find The Hidden Staircase - just because!! OMG -- I just downloaded the audiobook version on Libby, so guess what I'll be doing on the drive home! My drive will be split into two segments as I have demos at another store on the way home. 

It was easy to unpack the car because there wasn't much in there. The technician was waiting for the machine when I arrived. You have to love being able to make appointments for servicing! 

Then I unpacked my samples and had two excellent presentations - one in the afternoon and one in the evening. It's interesting because, as many times as you go over the presentation in your head, there are always different ways of presenting that go through your mind as you do so. However, that's OK- there are many alternative ways to achieve the same result, and I'd like to redo a couple of samples or add to the existing ones.  

I have a free day today and will be at the store, where I hope to stitch out a couple of samples or design a few new ones. Sample making (and learning NEVER ends).  

Speaking of challenges, Stitch by Stitch in Kingston is one of the few Canadian stores that stocks the Cherrywood challenge. I debated whether to purchase the bundle, as it is not cheap. You can buy FQs or half yards. 

Cherrywood Challenge display

We discussed the challenges at Monday Sewing, and while no ideas came to mind while we chatted, it was niggling in the back of my head. Oh my --- a thought just popped into my brain while I was walking the dogs, and I was hooked! 

I picked up the half-yard bundle, and I'm getting the FQ bundle for a friend. I also picked up the floss, but they don't have any of the optional Sketchbook bundle in stock, so that is on order. Anyone back home want a half-yard bundle? 

What idea came into my head? You will have to wait. However, here's the thing about challenges — first off, I think some of my best work comes from taking on a challenge. And this is something I have wanted to do for a while, and here is the perfect opportunity. So even if it doesn't get accepted, I like this piece!! Now that I have the bundle, one of my priorities (just add it to the list) is to get it designed, and then I can start to work!! 

Let's just say that I have many things on my plate that I want to accomplish, and now that my work time is going to be somewhat reduced, I'll be able to do some of the things I've been wanting to do. I can hardly wait!!!! 

Here is the list of events over the next couple of days, including links to the Virtual Retreat scheduled for the weekend. 

September 25 - Store Opening: Sewing Machine Magic, Cobourg, Ontario. This store sells PFAFF sewing machines, and I'm excited to present a series of demos that day. It's all about the magic!!!!

    Floating stitches

    Ribbon/yard/bead embellishments with the embellishment attachment

    Circular attachment

    Sequence creator

    The NEW Decorative Fringe Foot

    Maxi Stitches

September 27 - Colour My World (Online class hosted by me) at 9:30 AM. I need to send out an acknowledgment to those who have paid. But you have all the information you need. No supplies required for the first class. 

September 27 (Saturday) - Virtual Retreat - Starts at 6 PM EDT

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September 28 (Sunday) Virtual Retreat - Starts at 3 PM EDT

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Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
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Zoom does not like it when I post that link publicly, and I receive an email from them after every Virtual Retreat meeting warning me not to do so. It's for security reasons, but I've never had an issue, and I can remove anyone from the meeting if they shouldn't be there. It's never been an issue. 

I'm getting hungry and need to go downstairs for breakfast. I had to chuckle when I checked in last night, as the woman at the desk asked if I had ever been here before. I said YES. She said she recognized me. Nope - she recognized the orange flowers in my hair, I bet!!!

And get your thinking caps on for those quilt challenges — they are the best for letting your creativity run wild! And if you are struggling, would you dare ask AI for help? 

OK -- I have to run. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

PS -- In case you wonder how good AI is, there are times when my Grammarly editing software goes beserk. It will catch things like leaving an extra space after a sentence - it should be one space, not two. But there are times, like this morning, when it removed the LAST LETTER of every sentence instead. Seriously??? And there are times when I write "okay" and "OK" and Grammarly wants to make them consistent, which it attempted to do this morning. But seriously? That correction process this morning was painful, so if you spot something that looks odd, blame it on AI, not me.

Sorting and decluttering

So --- did you give any thought to those almost completed UFOs that could be done in 60 minutes or less? 

I stared around Studio B, and oh boy—the number of projects I found in that category would blow my mind. I'm not even tempted at this point to group them. So this is what I started with. Two pet mats were sitting beside the serger; all they needed was one seam to close them up and tuck the ends in. 

Two pet mats - DONE

And now they are done and sitting in the Pony Express area. Seriously? That took less than five minutes! I wonder what I'll work on today. But what a nice feeling and a quick win! How many more quick wins can I get? I have no idea, but I must remember to tackle one daily! 

The other thing I tackled yesterday was the drawers of beads. There were four of them, and they were a mess. So while we had Monday Sewing, I started sorting them. OH MY GOODNESS—what an eye-opener. 

The mess of bead stuff

Then I started to sort. I'm not ready to get rid of the beads yet, and now that they are sorted, I may actually find a use for them. There is one drawer for seed beads, one for funky beads, one for kits (those I should probably find a new home for), and one for tools. How many pairs of jewelry pliers does one person need? Wait! Don't you buy another when you can't find the first pair? I honestly do NOT know what went on in my head sometimes!

Sorting the bead stuff

And now the beads are all neatly stowed back where they were. 

The bead drawers are sorted

Should I need something (like sequins), I know exactly where they are. I have many sequins and want to keep them as I need them occasionally. Did I get rid of anything? I found many larger beads, and someone mentioned they could use them for fidget quilts, so that bag is on the Pony Express. 

Beads that were donated

I also found this fabric. Oh gosh—it was designed by Mark Lipinski and the collection was called Katmandu by Troy Corporation. I remember buying it to bead it. I can't remember if it was made for that, but I found lots in the drawer. I will never put beads on that, so the fabric went into the stash—or it will later today. Yep—the cutting table needs to be cleared again! 

The fabric that I was going to bead

Here's the thing -- you can't yell at me for continuing to mess up the cutting table. Anything that has a home and needs to be put away goes on the cutting table, and it then becomes a quick task to put it away. If something doesn't have a home, it sometimes doesn't make it to the cutting table, as I need to think of where to store it. 

Now, something amusing happened at Monday Sewing. One of the ladies asked if anyone knew of a Lori Holt pattern called Bee Happy. It's a cute pattern and YES - I know of it. She bought the book at her thrift shop for less than $2. But you need the templates to make the quilt, which I think is a real money grab by the designer. Sorry, but true. At some point in my life, I found the templates or bought them for some reason, but didn't buy the book. So between the two of us, we could easily make the quilt. 

The big question is where I stored those templates. I'm going to start looking later today. The bag would have gone into a basket or box of other odd things. Hmmmm—that could be anywhere. I know exactly what the bag looks like! 

While I have made a lot of clothing in my time, I've never done much with changing a pattern. But now, I'm trying to eliminate a bust dart. Oh yeah!! I've got it figured out, but I need to redo it today as I wasn't 100% happy with how it turned out. Well, it turned out, but my pattern is too flimsy, so I need to start with a piece of paper, not the pattern I had originally traced onto a lightweight stabilizer. 

Eliminating a bust dart

I think I mentioned that the deadline for the Cherrywood Challenge was this past week. I got mine in 20 hours before the deadline. Carla (the owner of Cherrywood Fabrics) posted a short video the other day about the number of quilts they received. The first year, when Wicked was the theme, they had 114 entries, and the number of entries has varied over the years. Last year (Poppy theme) was a record at 465 or something like that, and this year, that number was blown out of the water! I figured the number of submissions would be high based on the theme, Abyss. 

Do you want to hazard a guess? Sit down, as the number is insane!!!

Number of Cherrywood challenge entries

That's incredible!!!! The colors were fun to work with, and the theme was fun, so I could see why people wanted to enter. Now, the crazy job of three mystery jurors is to select 225 of the 570, which will form the official traveling show and the book. I've seen a few of the entries on IG, and none of them look like mine, nor did anyone use the techniques I used. But what are the chances of getting selected? It all depends on those three jurors and what they are looking for. 

If mine doesn't get in, I'm not worried. I'm just thrilled that it actually got done and I LOVE it. This is the kind of thing I'd like to spend more time doing! And I could potentially use those seed beads on something like this, but there was no time! 

Apparently, they got many entries in the last 24 hours (mine included) and many in the final hour. I wouldn't leave an online entry submission to the last hour! That would tempt the fate of technology, which would fail for me! 

I'm reading an ebook and listening to an audiobook, and both flip back and forth in the timeline. They're quite different, so they're easy to keep separate. But I'm reading to the point in both where I NEED to know what is happening or what is going to happen. Hmmm—how do I manage to squeeze that into my day? 

So while I was curled up in my chair last night, guess who was trying to entertain me. Her ball had been hidden earlier in the day, and she had fun unwrapping it, but she didn't succeed in getting it out of the stuffie! You are not done, Murphy!

MOM -- are you watching me? 

We've had some rain, but enough to generate this growth? This is growing on a section of a tree chopped down several months ago. It's crazy that the fungi grew that much! 

Fungi on a log

So what is with this weather? It's crazy and cold. DH is away again and sent me a picture of the temperature where he is. It's 35 Celsius there, and it's 3 Celsius here! I bet he's glad he's away again! 

It's a pretty wide-open week, but I have writing to do and some prep for the weekend classes—only two. What will I do with all my free time? Don't worry—I have quilts to quilt, that writing to finish, and trying to find those templates! 

Plus, I will try hard to work on one 60-minute or less project daily! That is more of a memory thing than a time thing! That would clear up a huge amount of space! How about you? Are you onboard? Just think how much you will appreciate it, and it's not a big deal to get those done. Even if you do nothing else in the day, get one of those done each day, and you'll be way ahead of the game. 

And I don't mean that my memory is bad—it's just that until it becomes a habit, things like that tend to get sidelined by other things! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here! It will be a silly day, and I might as well get it started. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!

Workouts are a great way to start the day!

Thanks for the comments about retirement and being busy. I do NOT want to pick up anything else. There will be no committees or volunteer hours; the retirement time will be for ME! To do what I want for ME! So selfish, but that's OK. I'm the only one I can count on in a crisis, so I deserve the time! 

Oh my gosh—I swear Brooke got up this morning with mean thoughts in her head. Let's see how much we can torture the clients today! She was brutal! But the good news is that I can do it! I wouldn't have been able to do some of this stuff a couple of months ago, and it will only get better from here. 

Since I was awake very early this morning, I feel a nap will be in my future - out in the gazebo, where I can hear the birds, the waterfall, and perhaps the rain! But it sure feels good to exercise those muscles, sweat a little bit, and then sit in the chair with the compression legs and nap! It's a great way to start the day. 

I had the most fantastic day yesterday! I had an assignment that was niggling my brain, and after a candid discussion with the person in charge, we changed it up and now it's going to be fun! I even had a chance to write up the outline yesterday. It's incredible what sharing a concern can do for mental health. Keep it all in, try to force the issue; it isn't fun. But now, I can finish this assignment and have fun at the same time. 

Then I got to work on prepping one of the classes for the weekend. Oh boy --- it's a doozy. Some of these pattern writers just don't get it. They don't test their patterns or care about testing their patterns, and as a result, when you're teaching, I feel obligated to find the errors. I can't just say - well, you'll make it fit. But the good news is that I have discovered all the errors (I hope), and hopefully, the quilt will sew together like a dream. 

I need to go back and write the corrections in the book. I am behind, and there's no way I'll be able to catch up, so that will go on the back burner until July. 

Oh dear—I sort of lied about the Cherrywood Challenge. Out of the ten different themes, I've attempted SIX, not five, as I mentioned. I forgot I also made one for the Graffiti theme, but it wasn't accepted. 

I also purchased the kit for Monarch but didn't get anywhere with it. It's still intact. 

The Monarch kit

Like many things these days, Cherrywood fabric is becoming quite pricey. The Monarch kit in 2023 was $65 (I'm assuming that was CDN), and it was a bundle of eight fat quarters. When I purchased the Abyss kit this year, it was significantly more. It contained six half-yard pieces and six additional small pieces in bright colors called droplets.  

The price of the Abyss kit

There is also the entry fee of $43 CDN, but I like doing challenges, so I don't mind paying the price. I think challenges are a great way for people to grow. I think we need to push ourselves every day—not in a hard or super challenging way, but just try something different. 

For instance, this morning at the gym, Brooke had me hold hand grips and suspend myself in mid-air. Seriously? I can't do that! Well, the first round of three tries was pathetic. I got comfortable with it the second time and did 15 seconds for each of the three tires. I will NOT be hanging over a cliff or the side of a building like the daredevils do, but it's enough to help open up my back/chest and gain some hand strength. 

I don't know what this was all about. Sharing? Or just an accident. That is Murphy's ball parked on Lexi's doorstep! 

MOM - Lexi took my ball!

And I found this on my front step. It doesn't look good as there are no trees around. 

Oh dear - let's hope the outcome was good

I have decided to finish the Prince Cherrywood challenge. I will make that my new UFO, and I thought of some embellishments I could put on it. I went to my beading drawer to find something I remember buying a while back. OK - I'm lying - there are FOUR drawers jammed with stuff. 

One drawer of embellishments

I think they could use a good sorting. Lots of cool stuff in there, and I'm not ready to get rid of any of it. That's what I want to spend more time on. Making cool art pieces or whatever comes from my brain, but there is NO time for that. I should put a picture of those fabulous embellishments on my computer so when someone asks me to do something, I can guilt-free say NO, I have other more important things to do! 

Before I go, I have a question for you. It only came to my attention as I listened to a trivia question on the radio. What symbol is in the Starbucks logo? 

There's a picture of the logo on the store. I had never paid attention to it, and when they said the answer, I was surprised! I never knew that! 

What's on the logo?

Well, a lot more happened at my house yesterday, but thanks to Brooke, there's no time to tell you. Today is all about prepping for another class tomorrow. We had another software class last night. I'm far from an expert, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable with all the tools. OK - that's a blatant lie. I'm learning enough to be dangerous! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What makes you happy?

I had a GREAT day. What's more important is knowing what makes me happy and what doesn't. The trick is having fewer moments that make me unhappy and more that make me happy!

What makes me happy? Well, it's finishing things and then having the time to tidy up before moving to the next project! I love tidying up! What drives me mad is when I can only complete something as much as necessary, and then I have to move on to the next without finishing the first thing. Oh my—that never bothered me, but it bothers me a lot these days! 

When you have too many things on your plate, it's very challenging to complete them! So yesterday, I got to do everything that makes me happy! I didn't need to start the next item immediately; however, I have THREE classes this weekend, which all require prep. So that's on the agenda today and tomorrow! 

My main priority yesterday was to finish and submit my Cherrywood challenge. I decided it needed to be quilted on the long arm, but before I could do that, I had to quilt the community project quilt that was loaded. So that got done! 

Quilt for community projects - DONE

Then, when I came upstairs for lunch, the scissors attached to my magnetic scissor holder fell off, and my brain registered that, but only the fall, not the location. And for whatever reason, I was in a hurry and didn't pick them up! Only later, when I needed them, I traced my steps and memory bank and found them on the floor under the kitchen table. You have to question your sanity at moments like that and wonder what I was doing that was so important that I couldn't bend down to get these scissors. 

My "lost" scissors

I received an email in the morning reminding me that the Cherrywood challenge was due in 24 hours. There was no pressure! But at that point, I only had to bind the quilt, take pictures, and submit it. 

Tick tock!

After trimming the quilt, I made and attached the binding to the front. Then, I went into the backyard and handstitched it in place. YES—I'm hand-stitching a binding! 

The hand-stitched binding

I had to stitch that binding in place, take and edit the pictures, and write the artist statement, and I still had twenty hours remaining. It was as easy as pie! Why do I leave everything until nearly the last minute?  

More than enough time before the deadline

Of course, I had to pay to submit my piece, but I knew that. Over the years, there have been ten Cherrywood challenges: Wicked, The Lion King, Van Gogh, Prince, Bob Ross, Diana, Graffiti, Monark, Poppy, and Abyss. I may or may not have those in the correct order. 

I have worked on five of them - Van Gogh (not accepted), Prince (not finished), Bob Ross and Diana (both accepted into the traveling show), and the Abyss (waiting to see what happens). 

If it gets in, that's a bonus. If it doesn't, I love the piece, and I'll share all my pieces with you once I hear the fate of this one. I don't know when we'll hear back, but I suspect it'll be at least a month. 

Then I got to work on something else—this part makes me super happy! Well, I was already happy that the challenge was over. I love working on challenges, and this is my second one this year. If you go to Quilt Canada, check out the Trendtex Challenge quilts. 

Anyway, I got the binding stitched to one of my quilts. It went on the back. 

Finishing the first round of stitching for the binding

Guess what? I actually got a chance to stitch it to the front as well. Yeah me!!!! While I know the corners need to be hand-stitched in place, I'm not good at doing that. So I've prepped the necessary supplies to do this, and it's on the kitchen table. This afternoon, I'll stitch those down in the gazebo. 

Binding stitched to the front!

And one more spool of thread is gone! 

An empty spool of thread

Now for the tidying part. After completing those two items, stuff that needed to be put away was hanging around. I dumped it all on the cutting table. Almost all of it was put away, so I did a bad thing and put a few more things on the table. This makes me happy, and if I can squeeze in a few more moments like that, things will be great. 

The next items that need to be put away

This brings me back to the question of cutting back and potentially retiring, which I can't do yet. Part of me fears that I'll become a slug when I retire and nothing will get done, although I can't see that happening; it could. But the other thing is that so many people say they are busier now than when they worked. OK -- so what are you busy with, and do you need to do it? I refuse to take on anything else, because saying yes gets me into trouble. 

Will I volunteer? Nope—I've done my time—years and years—and I'm done with the pettiness of committees, etc. I will volunteer by quilting the quilt tops made by Diane, finishing them, and donating them to various causes. I will donate my time and money in a way that will make me happy and allow me to clean up my place! It works for me!

I've talked about change lots and how I don't like change. Well, I went to the grocery store yesterday and one of the items on the list was soup! I gave the labels a cursory glance, grabbed two cans, and threw them in my bag. It was only when I got home and was putting them on the shelf that I realized I did NOT buy the right ones! I am NOT taking them back - I'll manage just fine with these, and next time I'd better pay closer attention. However, the one I want is always on the far right, but maybe not!

OH dear - wrong soup flavor!

It's like Lexi. I gave her a treat yesterday, and she ran to her favorite mat to eat it! 

MOM - this is my spot to eat treats

I got the most recent issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, Number 69, which was all about scrappy, one of my favorite topics! Remember, you don't have to buy the entire magazine. Go to the link and browse the pages. Then, if you see a pattern you like, you can purchase it separately! 

Issue 69 of A Needle Pulling Thread

Here's a picture of my quilt. It is definitely scrappy and a good trip down memory lane. I won't tell you what scraps I used to make that quilt - you'll have to get a copy and read it for yourself!!

My scrappy quilt

You can buy a digital copy or find it at Indigo. 

Murphy just loves to entertain. I take some of her toys, particularly her pink squeaky ball, wrap them in several blankets, and then leave them in her dog bed. When she needs to be entertained, she tries to find the ball. It's hilarious; she mostly does it when I sit at the kitchen table. 

MOM - I know my ball is in here! 

I put the pink ball inside this hollow stuffie to challenge her even more. She found the ball, but how will she get it from the stuffie? She puzzled over that one, then shook the toy, and the ball flew. It was hilarious!!! Murphy! You are a clever girl! 

MOM - My ball is in this toy!

Then it was time to test out the new tap. I think I mentioned that the other tap, which is in a ridiculous place, had burst once again over the winter, and so while the crew came to set up the pump and everything, they couldn't put water in the pond. So we had someone come and install a new tap, and I've needed to fill the pond for a couple of weeks now, but I just didn't get a chance. I had time - it just wasn't a priority. But the water level was getting so low that it became urgent. It took almost 30 minutes to top the pond up! The new FROST FREE tap works fine, except we need to figure out how to handle the gate issue. More on that another day. 

Filling the pond

Then I plugged the pump in and voila - water falls! 

The waterfalls are back!

Of course, Murphy was in there quicker than I could say anything to check it out. 

MOM - What's this? 

I swear she loves to live dangerously. She doesn't climb onto the rocks without the waterfalls. Why not? Because she can't get messy, that's why!

MOM -- there's water here! 

I had some extra time last night, so I spent it weeding and performing other backyard tidy-up duties. Of course, Murphy was there to help me. 

MOM - I'm helping

Does she not realize that those are flowers she is lying on? I cleared a few sections and must work on the other side of the path. It shouldn't take too long, but I must remove all the dead leaves to add more mulch. I hope to do that this weekend. 

Making progress on the weeds

My back isn't used to bending over like that to weed! All is good. My leg/glut is feeling pretty good these days. I watched a video to see what exactly this is all about, and well, I can see what happened. Overuse, tight muscles, and voila—a recipe for disaster! So I'm continuing to take it easy, and it's all working out great. 

Well, there is paperwork on the agenda today, as I have TWO events that require coordination with other people and one event that requires samples to be made! After those three, the calendar is pretty wide open until September, and it's going to stay that way!

Well, it's time to get the day started! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!