Class sign-ups begin!!!!

We all had a decent night. Murphy is content to sleep outside - I just don't get that, but if it keeps her happy, then I'm willing to do it. But should she ever bark, I'll be like the Dad in The Night Before Christmas - "I awoke with a flash and flew to the window and tore open the sash!" That will be me! But so far, so good. And when I brought her in around 5 AM (that's kind of the witching hour for raccoons), she was happy to sleep in Lexi's bed, but when she wanted some attention, there was one somewhat subdued BARK at the top of the stairs! 

So she is learning to cope - she doesn't ask or attempt to go through the barricade at the top of the stairs. OH WAIT - I need to take pictures of my barricades. I'll do that for tomorrow. So all is good. Needless to say, I was a happy camper yesterday because I had a decent sleep. I accomplished a lot, and, well, I just felt good. We don't have a perfect workaround yet, but we are getting there. 

You all know that when Murphy wants to go for a walk, she likes to walk very fast. The one "positive" from her slowing down is that she's not so keen on pulling on the leash. No kidding. The pressure she put on her legs to pull like she did was insane. 

And by the time we headed home, she was getting a wee bit tired, which you can see by all the slack in that leash. I swear she was walking like a properly trained dog on a loose leash! 

Mom - I'm a wee bit tired

Can you believe that it's August? Where has the year gone? Just flying past, or do we just forget that we have lived all those days! Lots has happened, the days are full, so no wonder it goes by quickly. BUT lately, when walking in the forest, I hear PLOP PLOP PLOP. Hmmm—it's not time, but yes, it is!! The squirrels are harvesting their acorns, and some of them are plopping on the ground. 

The acorns are ready for harvest.

These ones look a bit green still, but those squirrels are having a grand time! 

I did spend a bit of time (OK - all morning) dealing with paperwork and managed to clear some of the backlog, so that made me feel quite happy. I hope to put out a small stack each day and get on top of it again. Once I get to it, it's not so bad, but miss one day? Yikes!!!

When I pulled those boxes out with all my early-memory things, I noticed I had kept some of the work things I had done. I know -- why? Well, I was a newly minted MBA, and I wanted to show how useful I could be by generating reports after studying how people worked in the office. I guess, at the time, I felt it was worth keeping! 

My first report at a newly minted MBA!!!

That report was quite thick, but it was mostly the backup data that took up all the space. 

That's a thick report!

But I put these details here so my spreadsheet-loving friends know that I was once capable of generating all sorts of tables and charts and knew how to massage the data!! 

Charts and graphs in my report

Actually, this was Lotus 1-2-3, which I had used quite extensively. I used to work at a bank, and we used spreadsheets to assess traffic at specific branches to see which had the least traffic and so on. 

It's just that using a spreadsheet to track some of the stuff that people track - that's not in my vocabulary. I know you can create input forms and generate nice output, but I'm not taking the time to do that! I don't need that level of sophistication!

Anyway, the report is now in the recycling bin! Yes, when I put something like this in the recycling bin, I remove the pages that are still blank on one side for printing. I have a nice little pile beside my desk. I remove the coil binding, put it in the garbage, and put the double-printed pages in the recycling. 

Miss Murphy is quite happy to spend a good part of the day outside, and the side of the house seems to be her go-to place. But why does she lie like this? She has always slept this way, but you would think with her leg that she wouldn't be comfortable, but if she's happy, then I'm happy. 

On guard if anything should come through the gate!

So the next block of the Down on the Farm (Sew Fresh Quilts) is done! While I'm behind in the pattern testing, I think the pattern will be available for purchase in the near future. 

The dragonfly and bullrush block

So whose idea was it to use DIRECTIONAL fabric for the pond? I found this water-looking fabric and thought it would be a great idea! And it is, but it was a challenge to cut the variety of shapes needed. And when I put the dragonfly block in its place, all the water was going in the opposite direction to what it needed to be. Thankfully, that was easily fixed by rotating the block so that the dragonfly faced left rather than right. PHEW!!!!!

BUT -- I have no idea how Lorna even went about designing that dragonfly. It's an engineering feat to be sure. Sew on a square with a diagonal seam, add two more pieces, then another diagonal seam and VOILA - a dragonfly. OK -- it's a lot more complicated than that, but seriously - these blocks are creatively designed. 

And now there are my five blocks so far. I'm almost done with the 6th block, and I hope to get the entire middle row completed today. It's doable as I have NOTHING else on my agenda!!!

My five blocks so far for the farm quilt

I have sewn a LOT of enders and leaders together in making the quilt so far. And I'm using up those little triangles, and now I have a lot of things to press and trim. I'm OK to leave that because I want to focus on getting this quilt top together. 

A huge stack of triangles to press and trim

Hmmm -- I was wondering what to do with this quilt, and I have a second cousin who just turned one. Maybe it would be good for him. I wonder if Mom would appreciate it, though. If I were going to teach this quilt, well, I could take some pictures now and use the pattern to help people through it. Hmm -- got some thinking to do about that. 

This is my setup as I sew the blocks. I printed out the cutting charts because it's much easier to check off the pieces as I cut and sew them. But the pattern is 25 pages in total, so I have downloaded it to my iPad and then follow along. It's working very well, and when I need to zoom in to see some of the very small bits, it's easy as pie!

My setup for sewing the blocks

I have to use the mini design boards sparingly, as I have three in use with my current puzzle!! I managed to get some work done on it last night, but it's a challenge. 

OK - so you are wondering what happened with my appointment at The Sports Clinic. Well, in all honesty, what my doctor told me years ago is basically the same advice I got yesterday! STRENGTHEN and STRETCH!!!!!! 

Yes, I have arthritis in my knees. Actually, I didn't ask how bad it was, but it doesn't seem to be an issue, which I knew. My joints are OK, except they get stiff if I sit for a prolonged period. But if I move them while sitting (and NEVER cross my legs), they are good when I stand up. 

After much manipulation and testing for strength in my legs, she decided that my main issue is the sciatic nerve in my left leg. That is an issue that I've had for 16 years, and of course, it has gotten worse. The first time it reared its head, and it may have actually been just a muscle cramp, was on a bicycle trip. I believe I mentioned that a couple of months ago. 

It has flared up over the years but not constantly. Now it's a constant and very annoying. Thankfully, she says it's coming from my glutes, NOT my lower back, since I don't have issues there. It can be "fixed" by doing some strength training. I have a good range of motion in my joints, although the muscles around them are tight, and she said the main issue seems to be my left hip, not my knees. The joint is fine - it's the muscles around the hip that are weak. 

I got a series of 12 exercises to do and will go over them with a physiotherapist to ensure I'm doing them OK. 

But you are going to laugh -- no, you shouldn't be laughing because I have been telling you this for months. Look at this exercise. 

Exercises for strengthening

Do you see what the second one down is? They call it Chair Squats - I call it Stand Up/Sit Down!!!!! 

Get off your chair and do 100! And try not to lean forward - try to keep your upper body posture straight! That's my downfall!

I MUST find a way to incorporate this into my daily routine, or however often the physiotherapist recommends. I MUST regain strength in my hip and quads to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and the tendons in my knees. I know this and have known it for a while, but it's not until someone tells you that you resign yourself to making it happen. 

I do not want surgery unless absolutely necessary (that was never the goal of this quest), and I do not want to lose my independence (that was my proactive goal). I also need to strengthen my core and improve my posture. If I start now, I can keep my independence that much longer. How important is that to me? I will need to remind myself of that daily! If I wait, I'll be in trouble. 

I was at the grocery store and spotted these Lego sets. Oh my—they have Lego for everything. 

Lego set at the grocery store.

And they keep up to date with trends. See the mountain bike with the fat tires? I got a chuckle from that. 

Fat-tired mountain bike!

Well, there are phone calls to make today, and emails to send, and just the usual stuff. 

I want to remind everyone that I am now officially opening registration for the fall classes. You can find the details in this blog post. If you need the 40 Shades of Grey pattern, let me know. And YES, I confirmed with Thimbles and Things, and you will be able to sign up for the scrap class once she posts it on her website. She has NOT prepped that yet, but if you are signed up for her twice-weekly newsletter, you will receive a notification about the class and a link to sign up. That will likely happen mid-August. 

For the other classes, please send me an email (preferably one email per class so I can file them in the appropriate folder) and include the class title in the subject line. I've been filing the ones that have come in so far, and hopefully I haven't missed anyone. I'll be scouring email to ensure that I've got everything. 

Confirmations will occur around the third week of August, and at that time you'll receive a supply list and any other information you need. I want to warn you that I have to reschedule the classes scheduled for October 17 (I think that is the date), and I need to do that today. 

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

Have a wonderful day!!

Ciao!!!

NEVER GIVE UP!

We hadn't had snow in a long while, so the streets were bare, which was heavenly for walking. However, yesterday -- what happened? It started about 11 AM, and by 1 PM, it was a veritable blizzard! It wasn't cold, but there was a bitter wind, and I needed to go for a walk. I know -- what a crazy person I am! The snow was wet, almost like ice pellets at one point. When I got home, my jacket was nearly soaked through! 

I picked up two books from the library and then decided to trudge off to the post office one more time. On my way, I noticed a single set of footprints in front of me. Good grief -- how tall is this person? I had to take at least 2 full strides to match theirs. They must have been running! Probably a student from the high school who didn't have a jacket and didn't want to stay out in the blizzard for long. 

I'm not sure what time the snow stopped, but it was like a tap. One minute, there was a blizzard; the next, nothing! It took me a half hour to shovel the driveway and I shoveled the sidewalk two doors down since no one lives there. So there really wasn't much that fell. 

OK, so I arrived at the post office, and there was still no package. I was about to leave when the clerk noticed that the post office on the card was NOT THAT post office. Good grief! She was right! I never noticed, and why the heck would they send the package to a different post office? Guess where I'm going today! We used to go to this other post office, but many years ago, they added a new location, and that's where we've gone ever since. I must be more careful the next time I get a card. But why? 

DH and I are playing the 2022 EXIT Game Advent Calendar. At the rate we play, it might last until December 1, 2024. Some of these puzzles are tricky, but they are not tricky when you realize the answer. Our minds just don't go there. The night before, the "room" was related to music, and of course, DH went down a rabbit hole, which I told him he didn't need to do. Then he gets all huffy when the final answer has NOTHING to do with the musicians we spotted in the room. Although he unearthed some interesting facts about them! 

I often need time to mull the puzzles over, and that's what happened. We left it, and yesterday afternoon, during my break, I stared at the box, trying to figure out the solution. We've tried everything -- well, obviously, we had not since we didn't have the answer. Then, POOF - I saw something I had seen every time I looked at the box. Could this be the answer? And YES!!!! Good thing because I was tempted to look at the next clue, and I would have been super disappointed if I had. 

The EXIT Game Advent Calendar

Of course, I was all excited, so when he got home and I coached him into getting the answer, we excitedly opened the next room. Good lord -- we're mulling that one over today. It's deceptively easy to get steps one and two of the clues, but the third one? That's tough, but I love it and have fun. We won't run out of EXIT games any time soon!!!

It appears that Lexi has been waiting for snow to spend any time outside. The snow comes, and she wants outside. She plunked herself down on the deck in the snow and was quite happy. 

Lexi in the snow

And later, she was up by the fence to survey her kingdom. 

MOM -- just checking out MY kingdom!

I don't know what it is about Murphy and Lexi, but they cannot come in and out at the same time. And they almost seem to want to be outside by themselves? Although they play together outside. I think they do this to irk me!!! 

So when Lexi decided to come in, Murphy ran out and plunked herself in practically the exact spot where Lexi had been. 

MOM -- this feels great on my tummy!

And even Little Bear was excited about the snow. He'll run outside when either of the girls and happily tries to get them to play with him. Murphy wants to play rough, but Bear is too little for rough play. 

Open the door - I'm coming in!

Good thing he has his sweater on, or we would lose him outside! 

Little Bear is off exploring

And this is Lexi, who thinks it's OK to hang around the table, hoping that some food will drop. I did NOT teach her this -- we can thank DH for that. We could NOT take him to a place where dogs roam the streets as he'd want to save them all. Where did that come from? He was NOT a dog person. 

MOM, I'm just checking in. Do you have something for me?

I had to chuckle as I received this text yesterday. 

It made me think momentarily, but my kid doesn't even live where those number prefixes are. However, in today's world, that doesn't mean anything. The second clue is that if you dropped your phone in the toilet, you'd need MORE than a new sim. M is on the other side of the world right now, and her only means of communicating with us is WhatsApp! BLOCK, and DELETE. 

It's shocking the amount of crap that one gets on the phone, and I will NOT answer the phone -- well, I can't because of my service, but if I don't recognize the number, I ignore the call! So, if you are sending me a text for the first time, you need to identify who you are and talk about something specific; otherwise, I will delete the message!!!

So you know how much I love The Great British Bake Off, and I suspect there's a new season I haven't had a chance to watch. Well, look at this -- some very creative person created the SET of the show in LEGO!!!!

There are little camera people, Kitchen Aids, food - the whole nine yards. It's incredible. OH -- I see the glass cake plate!!! This is NOT an actual LEGO set you can purchase right now. It's one of those on the voting block. If the set gets 10,000 votes, LEGO will produce it. Check out the details; they're incredible. I'm curious to know how they make these --- does the person get creative and 3-D print LEGO pieces? Can they buy the bits? I'm not sure, but this is incredible. 

I had a great Zoom last night, and it's all about ME today! Well, not exactly -- I have no appointments or Zooms, but I have a lot of work to do. And where has this week gone? It's already Friday, and it seemed like it was just Friday. There are three Zooms this weekend and one in-person event. 

Next weekend is the Virtual Retreat, so be sure to put that on your calendar. And for those in the Panel class before Christmas (Hobby Horse), we have our show and tell next weekend. I'll email them to remind them of the date and time!!

Even with the reduced workload, it still seems I'm behind, but I'm not. It's just that there is no time to take a break. By that I mean, an entire day when I don't have to be prepping something. But maybe next week, after my Facebook Live, I can take a break. 

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

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

It's all about the LEGO

I'm happy to report that one more writing assignment went out the door! Bye-bye! I made good progress on one homework assignment last night and hope to get that out the door this morning. Then one more to do later today. Then all the urgent stuff is gone. Although I have another major writing assignment to start next week. 

I did have a pretty free day today, but now I have meetings all afternoon, so I may have to work into the evening again! Sigh............

Then I have 6 articles that need to be written, and I NEED to schedule one a week to get them off my plate. That would be an incredible feeling. 

OH BOY -- -it's exciting outside my window. The robins are back in the tree on the right outside my window, building their nest. Since last week, I haven't seen the cardinals, so I'm not sure what's going on there. They could be neighbors, but maybe the robins and cardinals don't get along well. 

Yesterday was Monday sewing, and I never seem to be productive on those Zoom calls, but that's OK. I enjoy the chit-chat. I got the binding completed on the polar bear quilt, which is now ready to go out the door. Yeah -- a FINISHED quilt for me this year. I haven't completed too many projects, but each one is progress. It's a flannel quilt with a flannel binding that seems to take longer than regular cotton. 

Sewing the binding on the polar bear quilt

The binding is on

During our Monday sewing, we always have our Show and Tell. When I started the Show and Tell sometime last year, I started out with showing a sewing machine of some kind. There are all kinds of sewing machine pictures on the internet, and some I find, and some, the others provide photos or links. It's always good for a laugh and enjoyable to see what others come up with. 

Yesterday someone shared a link to a LEGO site where someone had built an Arts and Quilt shop from Lego. It's absolutely stunning, and I'm going to share it with you. You can see all 14 pictures of the house (inside and out) at this link. Be sure to click over -- it's a work of art.

The Arts and Quilt Store made in LEGO

This is NOT a kit, but someone submitted the idea, and if they get enough support, it could become a kit. How does that happen? If you check in the upper right-hand corner, you'll see supporters and a timeline. The kit can become a reality if they get enough supporters within that timeline. 

To support, you need to create a LEGO Idea account (not sure why), and then you can support and post comments. It's free and easy, so I set up an account. HEY -- I love LEGO. 

The concept initially started with a contest for a puzzle cover. If you check this link, you can see the original photograph.  It's cool when you think that the image was created digitally. WOW!!! Then they decided to turn the project into a 3-D piece of art!

And if you want to waste more time, here's the link to select entries for the puzzle contest. Some are amazing, and hard to believe they were made from LEGO. 

All the puzzle entries are on this link. 

The photograph will become a puzzle, and it will be available from Chronicle Books. It's not on their site yet, but here's the link to see one of the other winners as a puzzle. 

And I think that's enough about LEGO!!! But honestly, when you look at all the ideas on those websites, it blows my mind at people's creativity. If I wasn't a quilter, I might play with LEGO. LEGO is kind of like quilting in a way. We can buy kits and make the project as the designer intended, or buy fabric (or pieces) and go nuts!! There's something for each of us!

If your children (yes -- I bet adults are more into LEGO than kids) or grandchildren have LEGO, get it out and start to play! We never had LEGO at our house. 

And now for some actual quilting. This is what my design wall looks like at the moment. There are five quilts on the wall. From left to right -- BOHO Heart, Wanderers Wife, Wonderful Woodland, Among The Stars Again, Tula Pink Butterfly, and on the stool on the floor is my Long Time Gone. The Sweet Tea and Green Beans quilt is NOT on the wall. I need to finish one of those quilts as I really need the room!

The current state of my design wall

So during the Virtual Retreat on the weekend, I managed to get three sections of my Chunk of the Month done, and there was no room to display it, so it got pinned in front of something else. 

My Chunk of the Month

I'm pretty happy with the results and glad I decided to take those first two sections apart. It didn't really take that long to do it, and there was an extra column in Section Two, and it wasn't just at the end - I had to take some of the rows apart and remove a square here and there. 

This is what I had leftover once I was done. 

Extra bits

And don't tell anyone, but this is one of my UFO projects for this month. I'm done WAY ahead, which is good because there are many other things on that list for this month. 

I used the remaining stack of hourglass blocks as my enders/leaders. There are two left. It'll be good to get those units out of the way, and I'll be trimming those in the next couple of days. Did I mention that I'm off to a sewing retreat again? Shhhhhhhh!!! Don't tell anyone, but yes -- I'm fortunate and have good friends that help make it happen. 

Hourglass units

The flowers are ALMOST ready to bloom. This is the tulip in front of the house, and I'm surprised there are buds on it as the rabbits seem to love them. 

One tulip is almost in bloom

Here's one of the trilliums about to bloom in the forest. 

The trillium is about to bloom

And this plant looks similar to the trillium, but the flower is yellow. I should find out the name because it's more dominant than the trilliums. 

An unknown flower

And that's it for me! So much to do today, but my lists keep me on track, which makes me feel thrilled. YES -- it takes some time to maintain the lists, but getting started is the biggest job. Once you get that done, if you spend a few minutes each day updating them, it works like a charm!

On that note -- it's time to go. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The lottery!

Last week someone in the office organized a group ticket purchase for the Lotto Max which was $50 Million.  Out of all the tickets we purchased, we won a SINGLE free ticket.  Good grief!  That same person did NOT want to organize a group draw this week so I decided that I would do it.  Then I thought to mayself - do I want to organize one more thing?  NO!!!   But then Marilou asked me again and so I relented and decided to organize the draw.  

So yesterday I was at the mall buying the tickets so they could be photocopied and distributed amongst the group members.  Well - imagine my surprise when I got back to the office and realized that I had NOT put money in so I was out of the group!!!!   Oh boy - I have done stupid things in my life - but seriously????   Off I went back to the mall to buy my share of tickets.

But that was actually a good thing as I had wanted to take a couple of pictures at the mall (Vaughn Mills) and I had forgotten my phone on my desk.  

There is a Legoland at Vaughn Mills. I love Lego!!!!!   Look at this gorgeous picture - and yep - it is all done with Lego!!!!

Toronto waterfront in Lego

Detail of the waterfront

I had a quick look around as I was in a hurry.   Saw the Lego bike. I have one of these in my office but I had to purchase an entire Lego Friends set in order to get the bike!!!!

Lego bike

They had all kinds of key chains - mostly with Star Wars stuff, but no bikes on their own. Drat!  Well - I don't need a second one either. Unless - they give me this one....................

Lego bike

Yep - I covet that big Lego bike.  It is pretty cute and well - I want it just because.  Perhaps if we win the lottery - I can convince them to sell it to me.

I am NOT good at checking lottery numbers.  I see that ONE ticket in Ontario won the $60 million.  Wow!!!!   It blows my mind to even think about that much money.  I suppose I will check later today, but since others have the numbers - I bet they have already checked!


One other neat thing about Vaughn (besides the Lego store in the mall) is this.   I am a member of LifeTime Athletics.  A great gym - yes it is expensive but to me it is worth it and I feel I get my money's worth from it.

LifeTime  Mississauga

 They were supposed to open a second gym - in Vaughn, but plans got scraped and they opened in Ajax instead.  I heard that the plans were back on for a third gym in Vaughn.  One of my gym friends mentioned that it was on Weston Road, but I wasn't sure where.

I exit the 407 at Weston and the other day when I was sitting at the stop light to turn left onto Weston, I had a bit of an ephipany.   YEP - that is a LifeTime gym.  Now the sun was shining and lots of stuff in the way but that is the location of the new LifeTime.  Corner of Weston Road and 407.

Vaughn location of LifeTime

 I recognized the front top part of the building.  Then got to work and confirmed it on the internet.  That means that once it is open - I can zip to the gym when there is less traffic - it is not the 407, but getting to the 407 that bogs me down.  Then I can work out, have breakfast at the gym or Tim's and zip to work.  I love it and can't wait for the building to be finished.  Not sure the scheduled completion date - I'll check with the gym friends next week.  One of them works for LifeTime so I can get the scoop from her!!!


More cutting on Misty Pines.  I finished a 10 meter bolt last night and all I had left was this skinny little strip.  I still need about 14 inches and will try to get it at Ruti's today. Drat!!!!!!

Last of that 10 meter bolt!!!!

Making progress, but it is hard when I have not so much time!!!!!

Anyway - I have three classes to teach today - two are just one hour long, but all still required prep work and I must get that finished.

Have a great day!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Patience - ahmmmmmmmmmmmm - patience!

You know that computers and I - well we have a love/hate relationship. I decided that I could not put off the printer problem any longer. I had some FREE time and I called my friends in India. The first call took about one hour and the printer is working!!!!   However, the fellow asked me to reboot the computer and we would then reconnect, but that didn't happen.

I keep losing the scanner connection as well (the all-in-one is used wirelessly). And I wanted to ask them about getting the scanner working. You would think if the printer function worked, then the scanner function should work as well. Nope - when the computer finally came back online - the printer worked, but not the scanner. So I called again. This second call also took about one hour. I was asked to restart the computer again and after a very long time to bring it back up, well I had neither printer nor scanner. OK - they are very lucky that my patience was strong that night.

I called a third time. Explained the issues with the printer and the scanner functions. And I asked that the computer be cleaned up - you know get rid of temp files and such. The fellow did that and then decided that I needed a new driver for the printer. That download took a LONG LONG time and I was nodding off, so he suggested that we let the file download over night and I could call back in the morning to get the rest of the job done.

So for the fourth time, I called my friends in India and was on the phone for yet another hour!!!!!  He installed the software and then he was able to print and scan, but I could only print. Seriously???   A few more adjustments and OMG - I am able to print AND scan. BTW - the computer does EVERYTHING FAST!!!!!!!    Why does all that crap collect anyway????

I scanned a bunch of stuff that I have been putting off including that Bonnie Hunter article. But I scanned it in .pdf format which I can't put on the blog. To put the system to the test - I decided to try the scanning function again this morning and IT WORKS!!!!!

Here is the darn article!!!!   I pulled it from Quiltmania magazine (one of my favourites). Number 70 which was published in 2009.   (BTW - if anyone has any older issues of this magazines that they no longer want - let's talk)

Cover of Quiltmania - Number 70

Page One (hopefully if you click on the photo - you will be able to read it)

 The first paragraph talks about her being a green quilter.   (sorry - you can't read that - I will cut and paste that part to make it bigger so you can read)

At last!!!!

Page Two

Page Three

Page Four

Page Five

You can see that Bonnie's quilts are SCRAPPY.  She would be in her glory to go through those scrap bags from our sewing group. However - I am getting that fun and I might just make a quilt to show them what they are throwing away!!!!   I got a number of comments from various people who are going to start making pet mats with their scraps and look what Maria was busy with yesterday.

Maria was busy making more pet mats with the leftovers from Dodge's and Lucy Loo's beds

They are so fast and easy and uses up scraps!!!!!   We are like pioneers - NOTHING goes to waste!!!!



We had a blast at embroidery club as usual!!!  ACK - I now have so many movies to watch and books to read. My lists grow every week!!!!!   But I love it!  And so weird that we all seem to have the same likes, dislikes, morals, blah blah blah!   I just love  the ladies who embroider - that sounds way too formal. I love the embroidery "girls".

Linda has to be the queen of embroidery. She FORGOT that she had made this quilt. FORGOT???   There is some serious redwork here. She recently found the blocks and put it together. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Linda's redwork quilt - pattern is Winter Twitterings by Pearl Louise Krush 

Then I was off to teach part two of the beginner quilt class at Sew Sisters. They are an enthusiastic bunch as they all had their homework done or as done as they could get before they had questions. The colour combination of their projects are fabulous!!!!  I will share when they are done.

We got a laugh from one of Stephanie's blocks. She made a POCKET!!!

Stephanie's block POCKET

Lego Lania and GeoGeorge were on the hunt for good pictures. They didn't have a lot of time, but they were sure admiring all the fabric on the shelves.

Lego Lania and GeoGeorge on a search for fabric!

I've been watching the progress at the mall. That glass ball is taking forever to finish. Now that the glass is almost completely installed, they have installed scaffolding on the OUTSIDE of the ball. No idea why - but hopefully it will be done soon.

I drove by last night after the snow and it was funny to see snow stuck to the ball, except the very top which had no glass!

Glass ball at Erin Mills Town Center

I had an AWESOME day yesterday.  A good visit with Pauline who dropped by to bring  me a quilt. We had a good chat while we enjoyed a muffin and a cup of tea. It was great to just visit and not worry about deadlines!   The quilt on the machine is coming along nicely, but I have to take it off this morning to turn it. Not one of my favourite tasks - there is always that question - is it faster to work DOWN the side borders or turn the quilt and work straight across. Usually turning works for me - a LOT less stops and starts.

Super work out at the gym.  I am determined to make the best of my workouts. I woke up at 4:30 AM - I was wide away and a bit chilled. I grabbed an extra quilt and was soon fast asleep. When the alarm went at 5:00 AM - I was exhausted and didn't get out of bed right away. I thought about NOT going to the spin class. I could go later. Well - I did drag myself out of bed and I had a super work out.  Saw lots of friends this morning at the gym and well - despite the frigid temperature and wind, it was a great way to start the day.


Have an AWESOME Friday.


Ciao!!!!!!!!