Success is not luck but loads of hard work

I love that we all have some wonderful memories! Of living on the farm, living in Montreal, and so many more! I would still be living in Montreal and having a very different life, but alas, because of the political scene and the job situation, I live here. I resisted and turned down a transfer to Toronto MULTIPLE times, then changed companies, and within a year I was asked to move, so I caved and moved. No regrets, but I do miss Montreal!

I'm happy to report that the presentation went off very well! About 15 minutes before, I swear the power blipped out for a second; it was forecast to storm, and I think we had some rain and wind, but nothing that caused me any issues. It amazes me how technology works: I am here in my basement, and my co-host is in Texas, and people joined from all over the place. 

Trust me, I didn't just stand in front of the camera and spew things. I went through the dialogue multiple times while walking the dogs, trying to shorten what I said so it would fit into an hour. Then I tried it with the props and in the "film studio" and had to rearrange the position of my samples/hoops because it felt awkward. There were still some awkward times in the second half, and I needed to switch cameras, but the wrong camera was on, and I'm sure I moved in front of one - several times. Let's just say, it would be nice to have someone operate the switcher for me, but I think I did pretty well on my own! 

I typically do NOT rewatch the shows, but I watched half of it last night. And I thought I did a decent job. It's a challenge to manage four cameras and to LOOK at the correct camera - I did a bit of that yesterday! It's easy to want to watch yourself on the computer screen, but that is NOT where the main camera is located. And OH BOY -- those hoops make a lot of noise!

And because of all the questions, we went over by 20 minutes. I knew we would go over, and I was hoping it would only be 10 minutes, but it was 20 in the end. Why? Because Meredith (my co-host) and I answered the SAME question multiple times. I know people were popping in and out, or were they not listening? I don't know, but it was annoying. I thought Meredith handled it quite well. 

If you missed it, you can watch it on YouTube. 

I learned something new yesterday. If you want to do a search and NOT let AI be part of that, you simply add -AI at the end of your search, and it should come up with the traditional search. HEY --- I just tried it, and it works. You can be sure I'll be doing that in the future. I swear the AI thing is so darn intrusive. Every time I open a Word document to type something, Copilot asks me what I want to write. I do NOT need help to write something. I think I can turn that off, and I need to figure out how. 

And for every slide I make, which consists of one or more pictures per page - rarely any words, as I talk through the slides- I get multiple options for presenting the photos. Seriously?? I want and need simple - nothing fancy to distract from the content. 

All this AI is making us lose our minds and our abilities to do anything. Imagine the next generation that grows up not knowing anything else. Where will their creativity come from? Will they be able to tell right from wrong? Will they know how to tell fake from real? Will they be able to handle a blank page/screen? 

It's going to be like cursive writing! A lost art: to take a blank screen/page/piece of fabric and make something with it. I feel very sad for them. 

I will confess that when I'm typing, I'm not as careful as I used to be. I type quickly, and I make a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. I don't always go back to correct them because I know Grammarly (yes—it's AI) will fix the errors under my supervision. Whether we like it or not, we are being forced, kicking and screaming, into using it and becoming very lazy in the process. 

OH NO - I have angered the computer gods. I can see my pictures, I can access them, and I can grab them to load into the blog, but they won't load. Hmmm—I tried the group, and I tried individuals. What the heck is happening?

Oh shoot -- well, that's a hassle, and no sense talking about pictures that I don't have access to. So no pictures today! 

To avoid tech issues, I rebooted my laptop and the router before the session to prevent hiccups. And there I am, the risk taker - I rely on the internet WIRELESSLY in the basement with no booster. There were no glitches. 

I just checked my sleep score for the night. I was tired, and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I needed the alarm to wake me up. Oh my - I was only awake for 6 minutes before I fell asleep and did NOT wake up according to my watch the entire night. I typically wake up a few times for a short period. Last night? Nothing. 

I was tired and not just physically, but mentally. Doing one of the Facebook Lives takes a lot of energy and effort. I wouldn't trade them for the world. I love doing them. 

Hmmm—I thought if I rebooted the computer, I would get pictures. But alas - no pictures. I guess all that brilliant dialogue will have to wait until tomorrow. LOL. 

After the presentation, I left everything in the room and went outside for a snack. After dinner, instead of working on the jigsaw puzzle, which is progressing slowly this time, I decided I needed to get things in order because I need the space today to get the homework done for two classes this weekend. All the cables went into their respective labeled bags, and I put away all the cameras and tripods. 

The samples and hoops are stacked for my next in-person event at Sew Productive on September 26th. That is in Acton and not that far away. Hmmm—I don't see it advertised on her website, but it is on September 26th. Call the store and ask for details. I will be doing a similar presentation, but we'll have THREE hours! Much more relaxed, no duplicate questions, and more time to look at samples. 

I solved the colorway problem for the third quilt I present this weekend, and all that is required is to load some pictures into the presentations and sew! That sounds like fun, and I have two days to do it!

On that note, I won't bore you with words alone - I like seeing the pictures, but I have no idea what is happening. I also noticed when I rebooted my computer that the search bar says it is in AI search mode. I need to figure out how to turn that off. 

I'm off to visit Brooke, but my upper back between my shoulder blades is a bit tender. I was a bit tough on myself with my little ball, trying to loosen the tight muscles at the base of my neck. I won't be doing too much upper body this morning. 

Have a wonderful day! No, wait! It's GOING to be a wonderful day!!! 

Ciao!!!!

The more you do, the more you know!

Oh my --- What a crazy day, but it was a great day!! Three things went off without a hitch! 

I was up early and had those suitcases loaded in the car - the girls were NOT happy that I was leaving without taking them for a walk. More on that in a bit. 

The drive was great even though there was a lot of traffic. A lot of truck traffic, but no accidents, so that was a bonus. I didn't have time for accidents or major slowdowns. 

The Thames Valley Quilt Guild is a great group of people, and OH MY --- I met someone from the Mississauga Guild who now lives in London (Ontario), and then I met two people from the Brampton Guild who now live down that way. Thanks to them for coming up and introducing themselves! That's better than spotting them from the stage during the presentation, and well, it was good to see all three of them. 

My, how times change, and I'm sure new people have joined those two previous guilds of mine. I haven't been a member of either of them for quite some time. I'm one of those people who feel that if I belong to an organization, I need to be involved in the executive or helping out on a committee, and I just don't have the time. And even if I did, I just don't want to, so I'll stay connected with my online peeps. 

I had to laugh at the topic they chose for me to speak on - it was Modern Quilts, and apparently, the members did not know because the program person thought the guild would veto that topic since many of them are traditional quilters. I think the presentation was a hit because I don't think I've ever had so many people come by to ask questions at the break, take pictures, or have a good look at the quilts afterward. 

My presentation is really about how modern quilts aren't modern. Modern quilts have been around forever - decades and probably even longer. It's a very interesting lecture. If they were naysayers on modern quilts before, they didn't feel that way when I left. 

I typically stay until the end, but I had to scoot back because I needed to finish setting up the Facebook Live. Technically, there wasn't really anything to do, as I had done it all the day before, but I still had a couple of things to check. And when the moderator let me in the call 30 minutes before we started, I realized that my laptop was running on battery. WHAT??? So that got fixed. And then the battery warning came on for my main camera. WHAT??? Trust me—NOTHING runs on battery during those presentations. I have power cords snaked all over the floor. Murphy must have rubbed against the cords, as I noticed that the main camera was slightly out of whack - thankfully, it was the camera that was sitting on the very sturdy tripod. 

But all was good -- no technology glitches, though I did notice a couple of slow spots when I rewatched part of the video-- nothing major. 

Phew --- and then that was done. 

If you wish to watch the video, you can do so on YouTube. You can check out some of my machine-embroidered samples of weird things near the beginning. I had so much stuff that I kept losing things! But it was loads of fun, and I was so happy when it was done. Not happy that it was done, but happy that it went off so well. 

I really need to do something about the lights, as I feel there is a dead spot in that room. Of course, there is, almost half the lights are no longer working. I must get the electrician in. But this was what it looked like when I was done. 

The view into the film area

And I literally threw everything on the floor, which is why I kept losing things!! But all was good. I made up for that with enthusiasm! Hopefully I spoke slower - I tried - I really tried, but at some points, I couldn't help myself, I was so excited! 

Just throw those samples on the floor.

What amazes me is how it can look like a disaster in real life, but on camera, it looks nice and uncluttered. Yep --- just like in TV or the movies. And angles? They are your friend in the film world. 

Those table top decoration rods are perfect for creating a wall! It allows me to set up my film studio wherever I want in the room. 

The fake wall for the film studio

That is a heavy piece of polyester fabric that is hard to keep in place on that rod because it's longer in the front than the back. However, I found the perfect solution to that. I bought these decorative bobbles from Cynthia Frenette a while back. They have a large glass bobble on the end and are made with beads. They hang on that rod every day, but when I was setting up the curtain, I used them as weights on the back, and they held the fabric perfectly. I noticed that Cynthia has released a new fabric line with a company. I don't have time to find it this morning, but I'll try to remember to share tomorrow. 

My bobbles become weights for the curtain.

The darn things are very hard to photograph because they are so long. I must tell Cynthia that, in addition to being pretty, they also have a very practical purpose in Studio B. They are supposed to hang in a window, but I don't have windows downstairs, so they hang on the rod. 

The decorative bobbles

I snapped this picture before leaving the house yesterday, and it made me think of those four astronauts so far from home, barreling their way back here at high speed. It makes me very sad to think there are theories out there that this is all fake and they are being filmed in a green room. What is our world coming to? 

The moon is so far away, and yet it's not.

It's been fascinating listening to all their stories, seeing the amazing pictures, and knowing that they circled or at least went to the dark side of the moon. I'm surprised that it has taken 50 years for man to get back into space travel. Sadly, so many of those theories are being fed to uneducated (and probably some educated) people. And they believe the fake stories, and well, I'm not going there. 

I had a bit of downtime yesterday as I waited for the Facebook Live to start, so I got to work on that puzzle. I must admit that I had to do that sky one row at a time because I was looking at the shapes. The shading in the sky was so subtle that shape, for the most part, was the way to go. And when it got down to these few pieces, I simply grabbed the first one in line and tried to find a home for it. If not, it went to the back of the line, and I tried to find a home for the next one. 

Nearing the end of the sky

And before I knew it, the sky was done!!!! Now for the hard part -- all those green trees. 

The sky is done!!!!

I think puzzles with photographs are very challenging. But did you know that doing jigsaw puzzles is very good for quilting? Yep—paying attention to details, learning to appreciate value (related to gradations), and a lot more are amazing exercises in color, detail, and value!!!

After dinner, I decided to walk the girls and took both of them-- BIG mistake. I also had something to do at the library. I realized I had an overdue book, and it needed to be returned before I could get anything done. 

I tied the girls up outside the library, well away from any paths. The two of them were good. My intention was to return the book and ask some questions. When I got into the library and asked my questions, I found the PERFECT person: she was willing to do what I wanted right then, asked if I had a few minutes, and gave me a mini-lesson. WOW!!!! That librarian sure loves her job. 

However, once the job started—don't worry—I'll share with you, but not right now. I had some time to kill, so I wandered around the library, then went outside to see the girls so they wouldn't think I had left them. They went wild!!!! 

MOM -- we are bored and need to get moving NOW!!!!!

Anyway, I eventually finished at the library, and it was time to come home. I swear the two of them were like wild horses that had never had a bridle on. They were insane, and both of them were tugging at their leashes most of the way home. Lexi is never like this, but she was jumping and leaping around like a crazy dog. She never talks, and she was pretty vocal. 

MOM - we need to get home - Dad is alone!

I guess they were happy to go on the walk, but not so impressed to be tied up outside the library for 30 minutes. Look at Lexi - she is pulling on her leash, and she never does that on the way home. 

When I let them in the house and off their leashes, they went wild. Lexi ran into the family room at full tilt, jumped into her bed, and then off the bed, running around the kitchen, and then back onto her bed. It's like she went mad. Muprhy wasn't much better. So I let them outside, and they ran like wild dogs around and around and around their obstacle course. 

MOM --- we were trapped for 30 minutes on our leashes 

And when they finally calmed down, Lexi came in and went to her bed. I had to remake her bed as the blankets were shoved into one corner by her jumping at full speed into it. But look at that look on her face!!! 

MOM -- I'm beside my Dad, and I'm happy

All in all, it was a hugely successful day. Why is that? I certainly didn't get lucky! I was prepared, and the more prepared I am, the more likely that everything is going to be a success. The more Facebook Lives I do, the more comfortable I am with the technology. It's all about the more you do, the more you can do, and start refining the process. My next Facebook Live is in September, and I'll be sure to let you know as we get closer to the date. 

What blows my mind is that I'm in Toronto, the moderator was in Texas, and people joined the call from all over. That is NOT fake! 

Well, I now have three days to prep for two in-person presentations (in Ottawa) and finish two online presentations. Hopefully, I won't have any issues and can get all the embroidery done on the jacket. Once those presentations are over, I can hit the road running to finish it. It's going to be tight to get everything done, but a little bit of pressure every now and then is good. I would NOT have had this time issue if I hadn't had to step in for my colleague, who wasn't able to do these scheduled events. My time management was right on and allowed me to do this favor. 

On that note, I'm up and on my way to the gym with Brooke. I haven't been there for two weeks and didn't do as much stretching as I should have. It might be tough!!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The calm after the storm

It's 4:30 AM, and I see Brooke sent me a note last night (I was asleep) saying she is unwell. I'm up and dressed, so I'm going to the gym on my own this morning. Look at me - a gym geek!

Thanks to everyone who watched the presentation live yesterday! It means a lot to me for all your support and the feedback you gave. When I'm going to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. What's that quote? If you can't do it right the first time, you don't get a second chance? On something like this, there is no second chance!

I got a chuckle, and so will Murphy and Lexi, when one person said that I have no UMs and avoid unnecessary chatter. This is why I entertain Murphy and Lexi on the walks. I go over and over the darn presentation (as if I were presenting it), and I'm paying attention to what I say. I rarely say UM, and I think I've mostly eliminated that word from my vocabulary, but it is easily replaced by NOW, SO, AND, and probably one or two other words. 

By rehearsing it, I catch those words and try to correct myself BEFORE I do the presentation!

And as the clock was ticking down to 3:00 PM and I said "goodbye" to Aimee (the behind-the-scenes person), my mind went totally blank!! Yikes --- what am I supposed to say again? And then, because of the rehearsal, it all came back!

Thanks once again to everyone for watching. If you missed it or want to watch it again, here are the links. 

Youtube: 

Facebook:

While I love doing the presentation, I love the technology involved in making that happen. I decided to try adding a fourth camera to the mix using my iPad. It worked like a charm!!!

What I love is that I was able to manipulate the angles so you can see me and the embroidery machine, but you can't see the TWO cameras behind me. 

I'm hiding two cameras behind my back!

There was one camera on the needle and one on the screen (the iPad). I think I did a pretty good job of setting up! I have never tried using my iPad as a camera, but one of my colleagues has, and it was amazing. The only thing about an iPad is that it drains the battery faster than it can recharge, and as I was nearing the end, the battery was nearly depleted. No big deal—next time, I won't let it sit for so long BEFORE I start presenting. But for the hour and a half I'm online (30 minutes before the start time are just waiting and a last-minute check), the battery life is fine!

The two hidden cameras

I love doing these videos, whether it's been with Fons and Porter or on my own. But so much is happening BEHIND the cameras, and you don't get to see it! 

My mini film studio setup

Of course, I had help in the morning when I was running through the samples and getting them in the correct order. That is my small chair, by the way. I don't want my chair to be a distraction on the camera either, so I have this small one, and it works. I had plenty of room between the tables, so I stood up for some of the work, especially when working with the embroidery machine. I didn't want to bump the tripods, although I think I did right at the beginning. No big deal!!

My trusty helper

I started to pull things apart yesterday, but I will finish it this morning. Before I put things away, I'm going to bag the cables for each camera, put them in a labelled bag, then put that bag in a large bag, and put the large bag in the bin with all the other cables. That will make it that much easier to set up, as I have another session in September. Why waste time when I can put things away even more organized? And perhaps by then, I'll have found that missing power cord. If not, I'm making a note that the power cord for my Cricut works on the switchbox!!!

It will be so nice to take a break from machine embroidery for the rest of the week, although I have my UFO homework to do and I have some blog post writing to take care of! It will be calm and quiet! 

As I was leaving the house for spin class, I saw a big flash of light out the front door. What? I thought it was a car, but it didn't last. OH MY --- that was lightning, and the thunder wasn't far behind it. The dogs went out and did their business (on leashes), so we were quick. I got in the car and drove up to the lights to get onto the main street. If you arrive at those lights before 6 AM, they immediately go into the sequence to change. After 6 AM, you need to wait for however long it's programmed for. 

As I was approaching, there was a massive flash of light, followed immediately by thunder, and all four lights started flashing RED. WHOA!!! What just happened? I made it through the light and in the four KM to the gym, it started to rain and hail like mad. I mean, it was like a monsoon - the wind was blowing, and the hail was coming down so hard, I worried the car would be damaged. 

Then I got to the gym, and it's still crazy. Needless to say, I parked as close to the building as I could. I usually park far away and walk. Then the question was: do I wait it out or run? I ran and got thoroughly soaked in the one minute I was outside. 

This is the hail on the car's sunroof. 

Hail as seen through the sunroom

And this was the rain on the windshield as I waited in the parking lot. 

A monsoon

Thankfully, there are lots of towels in the gym, so I dried off as best I could and went to spin class. When I exited, it had stopped raining/hailing, but there was still ice on the ground. What a crazy day. 

While it was wet, that didn't deter a certain girl from enjoying the backyard. And seriously? That is a flower bed, not a bed for dogs. What a goofball!

MOM - -this spot is for me! 

I'm going to take turns tidying up and sewing today - I have a "few" things to do before UFO. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew this month! Oh well -- I've made good progress, so I'm not worried. But there are a few more things I'd like to finish, and I now have THREE full days to dedicate to getting that done. It's going to be nice to be quiet. 

And I hope my tummy feels better today. Again, no need for the washroom, but just not feeling right. It wasn't the presentation, as I don't get nervous about that kind of thing. I ate some yesterday, but not like I usually do. I'm feeling pretty good this morning, but tentative about eating anything and getting it started again!

I have a question for you about air fryers. We have one temporarily in our house, and I have no desire for one to be here permanently. I think it's another fad like the Instant Pot (which we never got), but DH is so influenced by the gadgets that his guy friends have. It's been used three times since it was brought into the house, and every time, the SMELL has been horrific. The air fryer just intensifies the smell of grease from whatever is being cooked (meat), and I find it absolutely disgusting. Is that just me and my biased opinion, or is that true? 

On that note, I'd better get moving. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What's your plan B?

What a day! I got out my bucket of cables and other supplies as I was setting up the cameras for today's Facebook Live. No fear of losing a tripod since they are relatively large, and I keep the two video cameras attached to them. The third tripod is for my cell phone or the iPad since I now have a holder for it. 

Tripods and cameras - check!

There's the bucket of cables and one more camera. 

Bucket of cables and document camera - check!

And then there is the swtichbox. As I was sorting through the cables (I keep saying I will label them, but I can figure it out), I realized that I did NOT have the power cord to the switchbox. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

Switchbox - check! Switchbox power cord - FAIL!!!!

I have been so diligent about putting things back where they belong, and I have no other place to use this power cord. I would not have stolen it for another device - it's pretty specific. I searched everywhere, but obviously, I didn't because I couldn't find it, and without that power cord, nothing will work. 

I looked online, and NOPE—I can't get one until later in the week. So I was off to the camera shop, and no, they do not sell these, but the staff member I chatted with said he had a box like it, and I asked if I could borrow his cord. I told him I'd call him back if I needed it. He seemed reluctant - I guess he has never been desperate before! 

I stopped at Best Buy and spotted something I thought would work, but after asking the staff there, they said NO. Seriously??? How come I can't find a power cord? Back home and a bit more research online, and while I can get one, I can't get one quick enough. 

I called the camera shop back to see if I could really borrow that guy's cable. I was willing to give him some cash for it, and then I scoured around the studio to see if anything else had that kind of connection. Oh my—let's try this cord. It was the power cord to my Cricut digital cutter, and it worked!!!!! I stayed on hold with the camera shop until the guy came on and I explained what happened. 

The Cricut cord is the white one in the mess above. 

It was funny because he seemed to think I was trying to borrow it through the shop. NO - I'll pay YOU, just loan it to me. Fortunately, we didn't need to go that route. 

Then it was time to move the tables and set up the backdrop and all that other fun stuff. The excess cables got put back in the bucket. I was testing all the cameras at this point and making sure they were charged, although I do NOT run them without a power source. Can you imagine, in the middle of the presentation, one camera losing battery power? Not happening!

Testing the cameras for connectivity

Thankfully, I've done this a few times, so I got the whole mess down pat, but here's where you would love to have a LOT of power bars and extension cords running all over the place, because getting power to all the devices is sometimes the hardest thing. I'm not sure how I ever did this the first time! While the embroidery machine is madly stitching in the background!

Testing the connectivity

 

At last, everything has power and is connected to the switch box. And the lights are out, although I could use more light. All the while, I had my embroidery machine working away in the back! I still have a couple more samples to run this morning, and I have to run to Staples to print out two things because our printer is acting up. Yippee!!!!

Lights, cameras, action!

When I was out, it was close to lunch time, so I stopped at Harvey's for a treat. It's funny how people do things on autopilot. They ask when I'm at the window, "Do you want ketchup?" and I reply, "NO." When I open the bag, this is what I see. EVERY single time!

What you get when you say, NO KETCHUP!!

But then I didn't feel well in the afternoon. DH also had lunch from there, but it only hit me. I wasn't sick, but I just didn't feel well. So I lost a couple of hours as I went to bed. And poor Lexi had tummy issues overnight and had to go out TWICE!! Thankfully, she makes a huge racket, although I didn't hear her the first time. DH did that run. But I heard the alarm system say, "Back door closed," which only says when the back door closes. I hadn't heard anything else, so I went to investigate. DH was sitting in the family room waiting for her to come back in. Of course, she isn't one to run out and do her business and then come back in. Nope -- she has to explore a bit. 

Well, I heard her the second time, and now she's back in and settled in her bed. Hopefully, she feels better. I feel better, but I'm tired this morning. However, I'm still going to spin class. 

And this was Murphy's take on the whole day. I had left the backdoor open in the afternoon because it was so warm. I didn't even get to enjoy a walk in the warm weather because I was in bed. But the girls are so happy that they have had a couple of days to come and go as they want. The door will be closed today because it's much cooler, but still above freezing. 

MOM -- I'm watching you!!!!!

I didn't even eat dinner last night. I just wasn't up to it. I had my snack before spin class, so let's hope that all is good. Again, I didn't need the washroom; I just had a lot of discomfort. But all seems to be good this morning. 

After "dinner", I went back to my jigsaw puzzle to see if I could finish it, and VOILA -- it's done. 

The 1000-piece puzzle is done!

I continued taking a handful of pieces at a time and tried to find a home for them without using the box, and by this time, I was getting pretty good at it. And before I knew it, the puzzle was complete! Yep - even the missing border piece was found. It's weird how that one piece was missing until almost the end. I've left it up, but I will dismantle it later today as I want to take this one with me at the end of the month to give to the fellow at my parents' apartment. I think he'll have fun with it. 

And I have another one that I'll open later tonight. 

OK—so if you want to watch the presentation live today, here's what you do. 

Go to the main Husqvarna Viking North America page on Facebook. Here is the link. 

You can have that window open as you wait for the presentation to start. It WILL NOT start until precisely 3 PM EDT. Now here's the trick: at 3 PM EDT, you must REFRESH that window to get the live feed working. The pages do not refresh on their own. The same applies to YouTube if you plan to watch the presentation there. If you have the page open BEFORE 3 PM, you must REFRESH the page to get into the live feed. It is supposed to start automatically. So if you open either page at 3:01, it should already be broadcasting the live presentation. 

Here's the link to the YouTube page. 

So you can watch in either spot—just be sure to REFRESH the page. I'll be there at 3 PM, but I'll hold back a minute or two before I really get started. The presentation will be recorded if you miss the beginning. 

Oh --- I have some advice for you! If you are a Facebook scroller, and I confess, since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I did a bit more scrolling than I would typically in a day, but it wasn't for long—it's so boring!!! 

Anyway, my advice to you is: if you spot some information that looks REAL on Facebook, go to a web browser or a news source and fact-check it. There is so much FAKE stuff on Facebook that it's disgusting. You'll see lots of things you wish had happened, but when you fact-check, they did not. Or you have loads of people reporting on things that seem legit, but they didn't quite happen the way that person makes them appear. FACT CHECK from another legitimate source. 

What I think I need to do is subscribe to a legitimate news source, but which one? 

On that note, I'd better get myself moving. I have a ton of things to do this morning, and I need every second. Well, it's not that bad, but I'll be running samples, getting pictures printed, and well, that's it. I was hoping for a manicure, but I might have to settle for a home-based one! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

MOVE OVER MOM!!!!

OH - I love the fact that puzzles helped calm someone down. I can see that. I find it extremely relaxing to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. I am going to try to always have one on the go since I have learned how to tackle my addiction to them. 

MOVE OVER MOM!!!! 

Hello everyone, this is Murphy and Lexi, and we have something to say. 

It's the girls -- Murphy and Lexi!!!

We love our Mom, and she is very good to us, although we do NOT get nearly as many treats as we need. We are starving, and she won't do anything about it! That is why I, Murphy, am scrounging for garbage every time we go for a walk. Mom says she hates having to dig in my mouth to remove yucky stuff, but I love yucky stuff. 

Mom even took us for a walk together in the afternoon, and we were up to our old tricks. I (Murphy) walked fast, and Lexi walked slowly, so Mom was pulled between our two leashes and looked like a fool! It was so much fun to play tricks on her!!! 

BUT please—can you tell our Mom to stop talking on the walk? It's annoying. She says she is practising for her felting presentation. Well, we don't care about machine-embroidered felting; we want her to talk to US, about US, and be there for US. 

She says it helps her to work out the bugs and get the topics in the right sequence. We call it annoying! 

And then look what happened to me (Murphy). I was hanging around Studio B (my space, which I just let Mom share with me), and I got fuzzy bits on my face. Mom didn't even clean it off. It's so hard to get good help these days!!

MOM - I got fuzz on me!!!

STOP — OK, girls — you've had your fun. You can go back to sleep now, and sorry -- but I have two more walks to practise the sequence of my presentation. Sorry!!! 

Yes -- I do talk about my presentation when I'm walking. It's a great way to work out the logistics in my head and realize, oh, I don't have a sample of that, and so on. I love doing it, and I'm sure many people think I'm crazy. But I could be talking on my phone, which I'm not!! 

The walk with the two of them was challenging. They just do not walk at the same pace, but it was such a beautiful day, and I had no errands, so I decided to bite the bullet and take them together. We had fun, despite what Murphy and Lexi say!!!

And when we got back, I sat in the gazebo to finish Smartphone Nation, and Miss Murpjhy plunked herself down under my chair and had a good snooze, while Lexi went to lie beside the house in the sun. 

MOM - I'm getting old. I'm exhausted!

Speaking of puzzles, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm making great progress on the green one. And while it is tempting, especially so close to the end, I have it covered and did NOT touch a piece until it was time. 

I walked past it countless times on my way from the cutting table to the embroidery machine, but I did NOT touch it!!! 

The puzzle in plain sight, yet I did NOT touch it

However, in the evening, when I only had to wait for the embroidery machine to finish, I took the puzzle piece board in my hand and started working. This is how it looked when I went to bed last night. 

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

There are holes all over the puzzle, which doesn't typically happen, but there are so many small things in this puzzle that it's hard to finish one area. I am now to the point where I fussy-pick a handful of pieces and can pretty much put them in the puzzle. WAIT --- if only it were that easy. NOPE -- I need to scour the picture to see where those pieces go. It's a challenge in that way, but not an insurmountable one. 

My spotting skills are getting quite sharp! I love it, and it's such a fabulous break from sewing. I was tempted to continue last night, but what's the rush? There is none, so I should be able to finish tonight and maybe even crack open the next one. 

I had a couple of border pieces mixed up, but I got that straightened out. It looks like I'm still missing a border piece. It may be missing. And YES—I saw that fabric from Northcott that is similar. I wanted some, but did not cave. What would I do with it? 

I've got a lot of stitching to do on the embroidery machine today, and it's all laid out on the cutting table. I just need the machine to stitch faster!! I could open up the second embroidery machine, but I'll stick to one. I'm good on the scheduling. 

The next hoopings are prepped and ready to go.

I LOVE experimenting with machine embroidery. It's been so much fun, and I've learned a ton. Did I mention that I'm doing the felting presentation tomorrow, and learning all about felting on the embroidery machine is one of the items on my Visual To Do list? Yep --- Nothing like double dipping, but hey --- it works, and I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'll take it. 

It wasn't without some casualties. What are the chances that the section with the price tag is the one I used? Thankfully, no one will know that. And I removed the tags from all the other pieces. 

Oops - the tag got chopped up!

Here is the link.   Please note the link will NOT open until exactly 3 PM EDT. I will wait a few minutes to let everyone on. There are two buttons on that link, and I'll see which one to use to join the call. 

Then a bad thing happened. I was chatting with the Monday group about my upcoming quilt retreat in two weeks. It's not one that I'm organizing, and I'm happy as a clam about that. I'll go to any retreat these days, but I won't organize any more than I already have on my plate. There is a lot of cutting to do on the current project tables (more under than on them because of the size of the containers), so I have decided to take only handwork (cutting mostly) to this retreat. I'll take chair risers and my cutting mat so I won't disturb anyone who wants to cut, and I'll get a lot prepped. 

Packed for the retreat

There are tubs of fleece scraps to be cut up. Well, the bottom tub already has cut squares, but there is one more tub, a laundry basket, and a small white tub with more scraps. It would be amazing to get all of that dealt with. And I may have a home for those squares, or I'll make them into children's blankets. 

There is one bag of batik scraps—I'll tell you more when I start cutting —and I have the perfect project for them. 

Then someone asked if I was going to take my 365 quilt and cut more blocks. That's a BRILLIANT idea, so there are two bags with the fabric for that project. 

Will I get bored? Absolutely not - I love cutting, and I have a binding to finish on my Mom's hexagon quilt, and I also have a small pouch with hexies that I'm making. I've been working on that for 15 years! But it's the perfect thing to take, and I'll take it on my trip to visit my parents. I need something small to work on at their place. 

I have another call with Microsoft this afternoon, and I need to double-check my Outlook to see if it has any other issues. I think we might be done, but I must check before two PM. 

The rest of the day is mine, but I still have more samples/projects to finish. I swear, the more samples I make and the more I talk myself through the presentation, the more I want to make!!! That's the problem with making samples, but I'm learning a ton!!!

As for the missing labels? Seriously??? This is the message I received from the only contact I have - through their Etsy Canada page. 

If you received my package back -- then why didn't you contact me? And I'm not even sure they have my package. I'm pretty frustrated with them. I had no issues the first time, but I really want those labels. I love the quality of them, I love how easy it is to order them, but getting them? Well, I must keep following up with this person to see if she can give me a firmer answer than this. 

I finished reading Smartphone Nation, and it was an excellent read. It makes you look at your phone in a whole new light. I know I pick up my phone very often each day, like most people do. But when I start to evaluate what I do with it, it's all active stuff. OK --- a few minutes of scrolling happen. So far this morning, I've taken 30 pictures and emailed them to myself. I emailed the pictures for the blog this morning, and that's it! I haven't checked messages - there's no need until I have time to respond to them, which will be once the dogs are walked, and the embroidery machine is running. 

NO ONE needs me urgently. No one!! I'm not a doctor or first responder; my family members all live far away, and nothing is urgent that requires a message or phone call immediately. 

I noticed I checked my phone for messages (three spots—Messenger, texts, and WhatsApp) multiple times, and almost every time there was NOTHING to respond to. YEAH!!!! I did check Facebook and Instagram a couple of times during the day, but probably spent less than 2 minutes each time. Unless there was a video from one of the people I follow, I watched that. Since I don't follow many people, it doesn't take much time. 

MY PRECIOUS TIME is MINE!!! Why should I give it up to watch mindless videos and reels? I was picky with my time before; I'm going to get even more selfish with it!

I check the temperature on my phone before walking the dogs, so I know how to dress for the walk. 
Good grief -- it's PLUS 11 C. 

Looking at social media and the political situation, it makes you wonder who is governing whom? I've often said that over the last couple of years, although I said BIG companies, not social media. It makes you wonder!!! I don't think our governments have as much control as we think they do, at least in some countries. Big companies, tech companies, have a lot to say about how our countries run. And guess what? It's all in the name of marketing/advertising to us (and mining our data) to do so, and making money for themselves. 

The fact that these companies market to us, whether it's food or social media or whatever, with one goal in mind to make more money, regardless of whether we become obese from eating the wrong foods, or we become addicted to whatever substance/behavior they are pushing, is bad. 

It was a cold, sober thought when the author said they are mining our data and tweaking the algorithms to such an extent that the algorithm knows what we want to buy before we even know we want to buy that item. 

I say—be MINDFUL of how you use your phone and interact with social media. Or the internet. Be MINDFUL!!! And SET A GOOD EXAMPLE for the younger generations. Talk to them about ACTIVE and PASSIVE use of your phone. Don't discourage them from using their phone - just make them MINDFUL. 

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Signs of spring

Wow -- it's the start of another week. While I'm thoroughly enjoying each and every day, it just seems that Monday comes along very quickly!

We have no snow left. We had two days of temperatures in the low teens, and you could almost see the snow melt. It was crazy because I was thinking it was going to take forever for all this snow to melt, and then poof — it was gone. I did more cleaning up in the backyard and hope to finish this afternoon. Then we need a nice, gentle rain to clean things up. But WAIT-- we have snow in the forecast. But still, it'll be nice to get some of the backyard tasks done before we get more snow. It's not a lot and likely won't stick around. 

It's still muddy and wet, but there's no danger of falling on the sidewalks, although the well-trodden path in the forest is still slippery, so I continue to avoid that for a few more days or weeks. 

I even spotted new growth in someone's garden on our morning walk. 

Green shoots!!

And this opossum took it upon himself to walk down our street in the morning, which causes no end of excitement to Murphy. 

Opossum crossing the street

One more sign of spring - the first e-scooter of the season passed Murphy and me on our walk, and Murphy was beyond herself. She hates those things and would tear them apart if I let her. I keep a very tight grip on her when she spots one. And if someone comes from behind me and surprises us both, there is no telling what will happen, but god help the e-scooter driver! 

I'm not quite finished with the Smartphone Nation, but I've got enough information. The last chapter talks about regulation, defunding hate, harm, and disinformation. I'll read it this afternoon. 

My takeaways from yesterday's readings are that you should keep a phone journal for a day or two. Write down why you picked up your phone. What you eventually ended up doing on your phone. Did you actually do the thing you picked your phone up for? How long were you on your phone? And how did you feel when you were done? 

There is something called algorithm resistance (gaming the algorithm), which means you are working the algorithms to work for you, not against you. I'll see if I can dig up more information on that, but not this morning. 

Ensure your screen time is ACTIVE by spending time on education (including language learning, games, math tutorials or quizzes), creativity (making or reading), communication (keeping in touch with friends and family), and participation (searching or gaming). 

AVOID the passive activities of mindless scrolling. 

The bottom line in this is to be MINDFUL of why you are reaching for your phone. Were you bored, so you watched reels to entertain yourself? Were you going to do an active activity with your phone and then got sucked into social media? Like all aspects of life - be MINDFUL of what you do, don't let time just pass you by!

In addition to making samples for my upcoming Facebook Live, I finished the customer quilt. 

Customer Quilt - done

I've got some trimming to do later today. I also took an "emergency" trip to Fabricland yesterday. I was making samples for the Facebook Live, and as I made some, I started thinking about others I could make (typical), and I needed a few extra supplies. I arrived at 4:41, and they close at 5. I grabbed an employee I knew, and we got everything I needed. OH MY --- once you get outside the world of quilting cotton, there are so many exciting things in a fabric store! But I was mindful of what I bought, and less than $50 later, I was on my way home!

As a reward for the day's activities, I worked on the jigsaw puzzle. I'm loving working on it this way!! I have all the pieces of the puzzle laid out on those boards, which I could never do using the trays. I started by working on the circles. 

Progress on the 1000-piece green puzzle

Now all the pieces fit on one board, and I scour it for specific pieces. Then I grab those pieces, bring them to the puzzle, and see if I can find a home for them. When I find the home for all, then I go back to the pieces board and look for more distinctive pieces. It is working just fine. But I doubt that method will work for all puzzles. There are so many things in this one, and I spend a LOT of time looking at the picture to figure out where some of them are. I know there are different colors in other puzzles. I think I have the orange one. I might just have to find all the other colors, since I really like this puzzle style. i think my friend has the red one! 

Just like that -- I found that there are SEVEN puzzles in this series. I want/need to do them all. They are a lot of fun!

I'm having great fun, and it's a great way to leave that phone alone. Not that I'm on my phone a lot, and I'm much more conscientious of it after reading that book. 

I have to investigate a bit more about changing the algorithms, but I'm in pretty good shape, so I'm not really worried. But being mindful about everything you do is so important. It's easy to slip into a rut and just get caught up, but then I don't get to do the things I REALLY want to spend my time on, and that makes me feel bad, so I try to be as mindful as I can. 

As I was sitting by the embroidery machine making samples, a book on the bottom shelf caught my eye. Actually, the coil-bound spine did. I pulled the book out to find a book of quotes I had purchased a long time ago. I really have some great books, and sadly, one day, I will need to start culling them. 

I found an entire category of quotes dealing with "to-do" lists. I got a chuckle and then started reading them. OH MY!!!! These are amazing quotes. 

Here is one:

"Every person you meet knows something you don't: Learn from them." H. Jackson Brown

So true—do not be afraid to ask others questions, and stop talking about yourself unless you are asked. And then we want to acknowledge your woes or your family, but do NOT belabor the point unless it's a close friend. Share your KNOWLEDGE. 

WOW --- I think I'm going to have to keep this book out as there are so many good quotes. The book is called "Quote" Unquote - Volume 2: Inspirational Quotes for Meaningful Moments. It was a book meant for scrapbooking, but it can be used in daily life. 

OH MY—time is running out, and I need to get to the gym!! Still not putting full pressure on the bike, but slowly increasing the intensity. Keeping an eye on my knee -- I have good days and bad. 

Have a super day and be MINDFUL - whatever you do, do it mindfully!!!

Ciao!!!

Here is the link to the Facebook Live on Wednesday, as I always have trouble finding these links. Once the session starts, select the ONLINE button to get in. I'll post this link every day for the next two days so you can easily find it. I think that is the correct button. I think the other button works once the video has been saved. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/3548708531933619

Updates on houses, technology and so much more!

Oh my—I love the comment: once it goes in the giveaway box, I don't look back. And that is me as well. There are times when I think I should have one last look in the box to see what I am donating this time, and I just can't be bothered. I decided to give it away; I don't need to see those items ever again. Way to go!! It's all going to happen slowly—we can't erase years of accumulation overnight. Baby steps!!!

I have a few updates -- they are mostly for me to document and empty my head, but in case you are wondering what has been happening, here goes. 

1. I finally got a response from the label company via their Etsy Canada page. It appears that the labels were delivered on February 7. Hmm --- but delivered where? To my mailbox? To Canada Post? I printed out the information and will take it to my local post office to see if they can help, but I'm not overly confident I'll have good news. If Canada Post had the very small package, they wouldn't be sitting on it waiting for me to contact them. I suspect I may have lost out on that unless the company decides to be nice and resend it. I got 400 labels because they were on sale. Hopefully, they will at least honor the sale price. And I will try the email that I received in the comments when I respond. 
2. I finally got a chance to send the remaining pictures along with some information about the support beam in our house. The house is 30 years old and has a partial cathedral ceiling in the living room.

Partial cathedral ceiling in the living room

 There is a large beam going down the center of the house to support that structural design. 

The beam from the hallway as you look into the living room

When you think about it, that is a lot of weight for those two skinny white posts. I hadn't really thought about that until I sent the pictures to the engineer yesterday. 

The beam from the living room as you look into the hallway 

There are three cracks along that beam, two in the hallway and one in the living room. In this one, you can see that even the drywall is being crushed. 

Crack number one

Crack number two

Crack number three

We had the cracks repaired and painted, but they cracked open again and have remained that way for many years. I want it fixed! Let's see what they say. My solution is to reinstall more substantial posts after jacking up the beam to level it. Let's see what the experts say. 

3. The roof -- I have done nothing and need to look back in my emails to see if I have an envelope engineer, as that is what I need to give me a report on the roof. My suggestion is to install a new roof INSIDE the living room to ensure proper circulation. Doing anything otuside with that crazy roofline would be too costly. By the way --- there are many houses, including that same house as ours, but with the metal roof, that still had snow in the valleys yesterday at noon! Those valleys are wicked and if there is any form of shade on the roof, the snow won't melt regardless of what type of surface it's made of!! I learned that from many observations on many walks! 

4. Outlook. I had yet another call from Microsoft and they are trying something else. There are so many settings in Outlook — do they really need to be that many, since the average person would never touch half of them? Why make it so complicated? Reena set up a task involving my folders that would take a long time to run, so she started it and said she would call back today. Yesteday took almost one hour. The task ran and didn't seem to take as long as she thought it would, but now that version of Outlook is frozen. Thankfully, I have the new version open (I switch back and forth between them depending on what I want), so I wasn't without email. 

I might be persistent but hey -- I pay for this support and it takes only a small bit of time, I'm game to see if they can fix it. They seem determined. 

BUT she did say something yeserday that makes me think I might start looking for a new front end for my email. She said that since the classic version will not continue to be supported (the date I saw online is 2029), they may not spend time fixing it. WAIT --- it's not classic that needs fixing --- it's the NEW version that needs it and prior to me opening up the new computer with Windows 11, the Classic version worked just fine!!!! Let's wait and see what hapens today!

5. Sewing -- I got NOTHING done yesterday. I turned on the long arm and loaded a quilt and that was it! OH -- and I put one large piece of paper away that was on the cutting table. Other than that? No sewing things were accomplished. BUT I need to get cracking because my Facebook Live is now on March 11. Yes -- that was the original date, but they gave me the 18th. I questioned it and OOOPS -- they made a mistake. 

Facebook Live invite for March 11

OK — enough with the updates — this is so much to keep track of, and I'm not always the best at follow-up, but let's hope I can find a happy solution to all of that. 

If anyone is looking for the pattern for this tote bag, I had posted it on Facebook because it came up in memories. Imagine this was picked up by a magazine at Quiltcon in 2017!!!!! Shoot—I don't have a picture of it, so you'll have to go to the link to see it!!

I think someone is trying to tell me something. Do you think Lexi wants her bedding washed? She tossed both blankets out, which is very unusual for her!

MOM - fix my bed - wash my sheets!

Yesterday was a glorious day, and you didn't even need a jacket in the afternoon. Miss Murphy never forgets to jump on this bench when we walk by!! We are avoiding the forest these days because there will be a thick layer of ice on those pathways, and I'm not walking there, not by myself, not with the girls. 

MOM - I love playing in the park!!

After my Microsoft phone call and another personal phone call, I decided I wasn't going to get any sewing done, and the backyard was now in shadow. While it was warm, it wasn't warm enough to sit out there in the shade, so I put the girls on their leashes, and we sat on the front step. I don't think they were impressed with just sitting. Look at how much of our snow has melted!!! We are supposed to get a lot of rain today, and temperatures will be barely above freezing. It will be a day to stay inside! 

Mom - why aren't we walking? 

And look at this happy girl!!!! She is almost as needy as Murphy and also pretty demanding in her way. 

MOM - I LOVE YOU!!!!

Well, since the day was lost to all the disruptions—wait—I did get some writing done in the morning, and now I need to take a bunch of pictures!! Hopefully, that will happen this morning. But I cleared off a spot on that extra table and did this. 

The start of the 1000-piece puzzle

I didn't make room on the table to lay out the puzzle as I worked on it. I found an easy solution - I got out my three quilt block design boards - each is about 18" square and laid the pieces out. That was easy, and I love it because I can bring the boards close to me rather than me leaning over the table and possibly catching a piece on my shirt. They are covered with felt, so the pieces don't move. HEY --- I think I found a perfect solution for laying out larger puzzles. Let's hope I finish the puzzle in a week because I'm going to need those boards for sewing. Notice how easy it is to find pieces, store these, and not have to dig through puzzle trays. I don't think I'll ever use the trays! 

The puzzle pieces are laid out.

As I sorted, I kept the border pieces out and then got to work. The predominant color of this puzzle is green, so sorting by color isn't really an option. And the pieces are all irregular shapes. It's going to be fun!!!!

The border pieces

I got the border almost together and worked on a couple of easier areas. See how the puzzle just fits on the end of the banquet table? I was listening to an audiobook (The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom), and I was in my glory!!

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

I also started reading a nonfiction book despite not having finished the other one. But the other one I could renew, this one I cannot, and it's due very soon. It's called "Smartphone Nation" by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr. OH MY GOSH --- I think this should be required reading for EVERYONE with a smartphone. I don't have time to go into all the details, but she is talking about phone addiction and how people just can't stop playing with their phones. This is a problem that many have identified with their children, but she says we need to turn the attention to ourselves because we are just as addicted, if not more than, the kids today. 

Thankfully, I'm not addicted, but I can get caught up watching some of the endless reels, though I think I've cured myself of them. It's pointless, wastes time, and just silly!! I have already earmarked many important passages in Chapter One alone. 

The bottom line for today is to remember that it is in the big tech companies' best interests to keep us engaged with our phones, and they are data-mining every single keystroke!!!! They do NOT care about us — they only want our data, and the longer you stay on your phone or other smart device (tablet, phone, computer), the more data they collect and the more money they can make by selling that data to an advertiser!!

It appears the new thing with phones is not to regulate how much time you spend (that was what we did in the past), but how you spend your time on the phone. I'll share more interesting tidbits as I get to them over the next four days!! It is an interesting book, and I've only finished Chapter 1 of 6. 

And look at the quote from my tea yesterday. How can I get that across to people—never regret your mistakes—they are not mistakes; they are parts of learning. Just move on!!! 

Love this quote

On that happy note, I'm out of here as I have a date with Brooke. Yeah - I can hardly wait for the torture she has in store for me, but I'm feeling so much better by getting to the gym and using my body. You do NOT need to get to the gym to do some weight lifting - cans of soup work well. Stairs work for a bit of cardio - just step up and step down. And a mat for stretching, and if you aren't graceful and do it at home, no one will care. But I have to say that I can get up and down on the floor with a lot more dignity than this time last year, and I'm very proud of that fact. I was heading for disaster, and thank goodness I caught it before it became an issue. And they say you can't turn back time!! HA!!!

My knees aren't good —more the tendons than the joints —but I'm trying to loosen those tendons and muscles around my knees, and YES—it's working!!! I will never be a ballet dancer, but I can get up and down quickly and with some dignity!!! That works for me!!!

OK -- now I'm gone!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!