Never give in!

So here's the thing about the email distribution lists. In the previous version of Outlook, you could type in a name (Elaine) and all the Elaines in my contact list would appear. I could then select the desired people and add them to the distribution list. When I reviewed the updated distribution list, I saw the person's name and their email address. 

Creating the lists was a breeze because I could use autofill and a direct link to my contact list. No chance of getting an incorrect email. 

However, whatever Microsoft did is STUPID. I'm sorry to use that word, but nothing else comes to mind. When you create distribution lists now, you have to TYPE THE ENTIRE email address. Oh yes—the videos show that you can use autofill, but it does NOT work. Trust me -- I've tried it multiple times. The list creation/edit does NOT reference my contact lists, so it won't use autofill. 

And they have to be typed ONE AT A TIME!!!! So what I'm doing is going back to an email I recently sent, copying all the email addresses, and pasting them into a Word document, which I then print - it's one page, so not a big deal. From there, I'm manually retyping the email addresses as I generate the new distribution list. If I look at the list, it shows ONLY the email addresses, with no names attached. 

For the most part, that is OK, but for people like me, my email address is my name. For many others, their email addresses contain elements other than their name, odd spellings, or their husband's name. It's a slow process, but I've recreated two of the eight. 

I was hesitant to go this route because, even though I had entered names into a new list, it still showed ZERO names. However, someone came to my rescue because they were having the same issue with the new list system. If you insert that list into the email (TO, CC, or BCC), all the names come up even though it shows there are zero names in the list. Sigh..............

The only way to review the names is in the EDIT screen, which doesn't make sense. There is no way to view the entire list at once. I took screenshots - I'll share tomorrow, although I'm sure you don't care! I want to know whether this is my ignorance or a new way the program works. 

I will contact Microsoft tomorrow to find out why I can't use autofill and why there isn't a name beside the email, as before. I swear -- if something isn't broken, why are they fixing it?? 

I'm good for the moment, but I have my two big classes this coming weekend, so I'll have to retype 40 to 50 emails per list! Hopefully, Microsoft will have an answer. I also don't understand my contact list. It seems to have changed, and well, I need to investigate that a bit more. 

Anyway -- life goes on!

HEY --- here's something of interest to anyone with an ice dam. When the problem first arose, I wondered who to contact for help. I thought about a roofer, an eaves-trough person, an insurance agent, an engineer, etc. Someone said, "A roofer only deals with shingles; you don't want to contact them." Well, they were WRONG!!! Another friend sent me a link yesterday, and roofing companies use GIANT STEAMERS to blast the ice dam away. 

It doesn't fix the problem, but it removes the dam to prevent water damage. SHOOT -- I wish I had done some research and called the roofer last week, before the water started coming into the house. And now it's a long weekend, so I'll have to wait until Tuesday to do anything. It's NOT an emergency. I've put in a call to my roofer. We are expecting warm temps today and tomorrow, and there might not be much left of the ice dam by the time they can get here, but we need to ensure that the dam is gone because there is still a lot of snow on the roof, and we are expecting a lot of rain this week. 

The roofer with the steamer is NOT a fix, but it can eliminate the snow and ice buildup, and really, that's what I need. If only I had done some research, but alas—we cannot have any regrets—just move on and hope for the best. I'd like a permanent fix, but now that I know I can have a temporary one, I'm good with that. Regardless, I want them to come so I can chat about the situation and discuss how to alleviate the problem when it happens again, as I don't see a complete fix ever happening, unless I rip off my roof and redesign it. I don't think that is going to happen.  

And I really like this roofing company because we had a massive leak in our garage many years ago. Actually, they were here because some shingles had blown off our roof, and I happened to ask about the leak in the garage. You will not believe what the leak was. A SINGLE nail from the eaves trough guy!!!! He put a nail right through the shingles. Once that was fixed, we haven't had a single leak in the garage since!!! 

OK -- those roofer guys are not just pretty faces!! I shall keep my roofer on speed dial from now on. 

So I opened my computer in the morning to submit my Cherrywood Challenge. Tick tock!!!!

The countdown

I still had to write the artist statement and take the pictures. I went outside on the front step to get good pictures in good light. The sun wasn't out, and there were no shadows. I swear I went out three or four times because I'm an idiot! There was dog hair on the close-ups, but I didn't see it until I looked at the photos. One of the two measuring tapes slipped, and I didn't notice it. But this is what I got. You needed measuring tapes to prove that the item was exactly 20" by 20". 

Submission accepted!

I've looked at the other photos online. Oh my—some very good ones, and I don't know if mine is "complex" enough to be accepted. It doesn't matter. But I'm surprised because many took the same route as I did. They didn't depict a story; rather, they depicted the reading. No one wanted to get caught up in copyright issues. 

I'll share it with you in a bit, but not today. 

Well, it was all about half-square triangles yesterday. I trimmed a whole pile, but when I went to bed, there was still a bundle (on the left) that needed trimming. 

Trimming half-square triangles

Since there was no spin class this morning, I decided to continue the trimming. 

Everything is now trimmed.

I'm happy to report that ALL those half-square triangles, including the big pile I generated yesterday, are done!!! I told you that I would get on top of the situation. 

However, when I was looking at the current projects table, guess what I discovered? Yep -- another bag of TINY half-square tringles that need to be trimmed. 

Ooop --- I found another bag to be trimmed!

And I decided to bring some of the triangles that need to be stitched down from Studio U. I may just have a half-square triangle sewing day. There are so many - it's totally crazy. But I'd love to start sewing them together into quilts; however, I sort of want them all sewn first. Am I crazy to even imagine that? There are THOUSANDS more units to make. 

More half-square triangles to sew

The good news is that I completed this row of half-square triangles. While all those half-square triangles were sewn, I still needed to press and trim them. 

One of the two borders is complete.

My system of starting on the left, working to the right, and joining the units as I went worked like a charm. I had to repress the second block, but then I got the logic, and I was able to whip along at a pretty decent pace. 

That's the good news. The bad news? I have to make one more row! I'm going to try to focus on that later today. This week, it's all about prepping for UFO Club, the jacket, and Colour My World classes. And there is a lot of work to be done, but that's all I have on my plate, so I'm good. I just need to stay focused, which I am, and I just putter along at my new speed, and I'm good! 

So DH reads the Globe and Mail, and from time to time, they have reviews of mystery/thriller books. What a tough gig that would be!

I find that when I try to locate the latest book releases, they're hard to find in the library system. So I've been tucking them away to deal with later. Well, this page was from March 2023, and I was able to find all five of these books in ebook or audiobook format. I don't care if I'm a couple of years behind. I'm just glad to find them. And so the reading list just got a wee bit longer!

Adding books to the reading list

But honestly, I'm OK with that. I'm enjoying the time to read, as I was so "busy" before that, even with listening to audiobooks, I didn't have the time. Now I can relax in the evening or whenever and listen/read to books. That's what life and retirement are all about. I'm filling my time, but I'm not going mad! Does that make sense? 

If I look at my calendar, I see two gym appointments, one private class, and three classes this weekend. NOTHING else, and no deadlines beyond those three classes and an ENTIRE week to prepare at my leisure. That is what I call ENJOYING LIFE!!!! Am I being selfish? You bet, and I won't deny or regret any of it!

OK - I caught Murphy on the pond yesterday. I have no idea what is so fascinating. I think she looks guilty, but I doubt that! 

MOM - nothing to see here!

It's Monday Sewing today, and I've got a few things lined up to work on. And amazingly, everything I have to work on is on that Visual To-Do list, in the blue bin for UFO, or related to a class for the weekend. It's funny what a wee bit of focusing can do to make my life so much more relaxed. FOCUS!!!! 

Well, on that note, I'm out of here. It's going to be a busy day. Note, busy does not mean insanity - it just means that I have a plan and I'm not one to sit around. I'm busy dealing with what I deem important (those UFOs), not for others! There is a huge difference. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!

Down to the wire

 As usual, I'm down to the wire, but I made it!! 

Last year, I spotted an adorable project that I could make, so I started it. After a few sections were complete, the project was abandoned, like so many others. Recently, I decided to resurrect that project, and since I was making one, why not make two? OK - to be honest, I have one part of four done on one for myself! 

Then the goal was - let's get these things done in time for Christmas. But I struggled with travel and just time in general. With my SIL here, I was still able to work, but the timelines were getting tight!

I buckled down yesterday and got 99% of both projects done! WAIT -- I still have to make the final touches using a tool I've never used before. And my brain was about fried by that time, last night. I was tired, my back ached, and, well, I decided to mail the projects. You see, my SIL is leaving today, and I thought she could hand-deliver the items. Alas, that was not to be. 

WAIT --- at 3:30 AM, I'm wide awake and well, could I attempt to finish them off? I'm happy to report that both projects are sitting at the front door ready for delivery! Amazing what our brains will do. 

Yesterday was one of those days! I was having a snack by the embroidery machine, and I upset the container. This is why it's not a good idea to have open drinks by your embroidery machine!!! 

Great - I spilled the popcorn

Then, while helping my SIL, I was trimming threads on her machine embroidery project, and got too close to the needle, breaking it! I was tired and making silly mistakes, so it was time to pack it up! But everything that we needed to get done was accomplished. 

Last year, some of my friends mentioned that instead of using buttons to attach things, I could use KAM snaps. That was the box I was searching for the other night. I found it, but when I opened the box last night, it was overwhelming! All those snaps, some tools. Minimal instructions. Thankfully, I've done snaps before, and all was good. 

My KAM snap kit

I also needed to punch some holes, and where is that piece of wood I use for that? No idea, so I'm in the cold room (under the front steps) using my hammer and my punch and trying to be quiet. There is a plank on the floor, and I used that for the punch. It worked like a charm, but my feet got cold! 

A critical tool when searching for snap parts

There are tweezers in the KAM snap tool box. What do I need those for? AHA --- it's a challenge to dig out the appropriate snap part from the box. The tweezers are perfect for that! 

I had to run around and find an appropriate ribbon, punch holes, insert snaps, do a slight bit of seam ripping, and the cutting table is a shambles, but the projects are done. I'll deal with the aftermath later this morning. 

The aftermath of a crazy morning work session

I will likely have to buy more of the snaps at some point, as I see myself using some colors more than others. I see you can buy black and white in large quantities, but why not red? Or green? I'll have a better look another day. 

You never know what you'll find at the thrift store. I've been searching for a brilliant green chenille yarn. No luck in the regular stores, so when I spotted it at the thrift store, I didn't care what else came with it! I love yarn couching or yarn embroidery, and I didn't have this color! I know—why have one color when you can have them all!

My latest thrift store find

I threw the die this morning before shutting down the lights in Studio B. Guess what came up? 

My task for today!

Yes—there are a lot of things I want to focus on and put away. I have writing and quilts to quilt, so it's going to be a busy day, but I'm alone, and I'll be able to work much faster, which will help clear the backlog. 

I just had a look at my schedule for this week, and I do NOT have time to sort clothes tomorrow. That got pushed back to between Christmas and New Year's!

And I got a chuckle when my SIL was sewing. I gave her some scraps to use for enders and leaders, to make it easier to sew. She saw me using the little triangles in my tray and decided to help. I need to show her how to sew the triangles!! 

OOPS - not the way to use triangles!

I also spent the morning doing a ton of paperwork, sending out all the follow-ups, and a wee bit of prep work for next year - already! I want to add another category to my 2026 "to-do" list. I think I'm going to like having that list, so when I'm planning the week, I can focus on what needs to be done. 

There is more paperwork for this morning - banking, emails, and then dealing with physical crap that is strewn all over the floor. 

Murphy and I walked to the vet yesterday. She needed to get her annual shots. That girl is like a baby. She was excited to get outside in the afternoon, but thought she was going in the car. Nope -- our new vet is within walking distance! I don't think she was happy about that. She hasn't been in the car very often, but she remembers how much fun it is! Perhaps for her, but not for me!

She was weighed, and this vet didn't say anything about her weight, but she got a clean bill of health for her ears, eyes, and heart. Ooops - a bit of tartar on the teeth. YES - I know I should be brushing her teeth. But the poor thing cried like a baby when he gave her the shots. She cried a little on the first one, then more on the second, and even more on the third. She wasn't happy. 

But then she got a treat, and she was all happy, and we walked home. 

Remember, I mentioned the gas prices the other day and the fact that they no longer fluctuate. Well, that seems to be a constant now. They start lower in the morning than before and only drop a couple of cents throughout the day. I don't see why they need to drop at all. Something has changed - I'm not sure what. 

And what's with the weather? It's 3 degrees Celsius out there this morning. It appears to be crazy windy, but warm. I guess the wind and warm temperatures will take care of the last little bit of ice in the driveway and off the front step. I'd better not go out with the shovel to speed that along, or the neighbors will really think I'm losing my marbles. But today would be a good day to insert my driveway marker rods. 

On that note, I've been up for hours now, and I'm on my way to spin class. Then I get to come home and work to my heart's content on stuff, and I'm super excited! It's not like I don't like company, but I work so much better and faster on my own!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

So many patterns, so little time!

 It's down to the wire for class prep, and everything is right on target! The best news is that I have the entire day to finish up things, so that's great. I completed something significant for the homework last night, and I was dancing around the room as it looks fantastic! 

You have to love it when things come together like that. 

It was an enjoyable day teaching my in-person class, and everyone went home with their heads filled with information. Way too much, but I took full advantage of the day, and they will now have to process the information on their own. 

That was the last in-person event of the year, and six one-hour Zoom events are remaining. Some will require more work than others to prep for, but after this weekend? I'm almost home free! I have NOT had the chance to sit down and plan dates and so on for next year, but next week will give me some breathing room to do that. 

I also want to alert you to the Virtual Retreat days for December. Saturday, December 27, and Sunday, December 28 are the "regular" virtual retreat days. And I've planned one on the morning of December 24 (10 AM to 2 PM). We did this last year, and it was well received, as many of us are not traveling or hosting Christmas, and let's face it - many of us have family that are not close, and it's crazy expensive to travel at Christmas. I refuse to hand over good money just because it's a holiday. 

I am NOT a slave to society's schedules and dates. I can celebrate with my family and friends whenever I want. 

I am not Scrooge, but I don't need to purchase any gifts this year - again! It's been many years since I stopped exchanging gifts with anyone. I don't want or need anything, and if I do, it's easy enough for me to go out and buy it. I also don't feel the guilty need to buy for someone else. If there were children in our house, I would buy for them. But adults? Just because it's Christmas? I'm done with that! 

I got a chuckle last night as I had some sewing to do and my SIL wanted to do some handwork. So I set up a table for her -- no room on my tables for handwork, and the cutting table needs to stay clear. Now she has her own spot in Studio B, so I think it will work just fine. Then we logged into Crave, which I already had set up on my laptop - who knew???? And we watched Project Runway Canada. Even though I watched two episodes with M, we started at the beginning. There are at least two more episodes available for watching, and then she's away for a couple of weeks. She will have to watch it where she is because I'll be watching here! 

But fun to watch it with someone, and we booed or cheered for the designs as they came down the runway! It is entertaining to watch while doing handwork, but it's also a distraction, as we both got caught watching instead of doing what we were supposed to!

Because I was back to sewing something and not doing applique, I was able to work on my enders and leaders. Whatever I sewed yesterday is now trimmed! I cannot fall behind on that, or it will become an albatross! All up to date - well, except for the little box of half-square triangles on the end of the ironing station. I should take a few a day and press and trim them, and then that box would be done! 

Half-square triangles trimmed

I also got this pattern the other day. 

Show and Tell by Elizabeth Hartman

It's the latest by Elizabeth Hartman, and it's absolutely adorable. I would LOVE to do it as a sew-along, BUT that isn't going to happen. I might do this one starting in September 2026, but right now, we are focused on Colour My World, and I am NOT going to clog up my schedule. I am loving having some free time to actually sew for myself, and I will not do that to myself. And in doing so, I'm not encouraging anyone to take on too much either! 

The issue with starting a project in September/October is that new stuff would come out at Fall Market (end of October), and if I already have a pattern planned, it has to wait almost a year before I can teach it. If I start in January, we'll have to let the project languish over the summer, since I don't teach in the summer. 

Now- Fall Market has gone! Yes -- there is no longer a Fall Market. BUT Festival remains, which is the consumer show. But the trade show is gone. There's a new show in town, put on by H+H Americas (May) or H+H Cologne (Germany) (March). Many Canadians are heading to the European show, but remember -- those are TRADE shows, not for consumers. It might be fun to go to one, but alas, the March show dates don't work for me. 

The point was that if new stuff comes out in the spring, it's just in time for me to find something to teach starting in October! Perfect!!! 

Back to my schedule. In 2026, Colour My World and the jacket class will continue, both online. Actually, everything scheduled is online. Then there are the clubs - Machine Embroidery (FULL), UFO times two, Many blocks, and - wait - that's it! What??????? Yep ---- I went from a ridiculous amount of stuff to very little. The Many Blocks and UFO club are helping me focus on things I want to complete, machine embroidery, because it's just fun, and also to complete stuff and experiment with new techniques. And two classes. Very manageable and I'm pretty happy about the entire outlook for 2026!

Will I add more? I may or may not add an occasional in-person event or a short online event, like the scrappy sessions, for which I have not set dates. That is NOT a project class, but simply inspiration to help people deal with their scraps. That is the only thing new, and it will be two sessions. I'll let you know when you can sign up. 

Of course, I'll still have any events that are planned for SVP (PFAFF and Husqvarna Viking). I won't give that up, but I have no idea what that schedule will be at the moment. 

My Murphy girl was up to her old tricks. This time, she was back in her bed. Of course, the blankets were tossed, and the bed wasn't in the corner where it's supposed to be. I think she was sulking because I didn't want to play ball with her at that precise moment. 

MOM -- I want to play ball!

As in the moment, when I'm eating dinner! She is so like a toddler, it's unbelievable. Especially when I'm eating, she thinks she has the right to pester me! "Mom, I need to go out, I need to come in, I need a cuddle, I need to chase my ball!" She's relentless! But darn cute!!!!

MOM -- Play with ME!!!!!

I have a bunch of pictures loaded into my presentation that I need to deal with this morning, and then back to the sewing machine to see if I can eke out a few more stitches before tomorrow! I'm having a blast, and that is all that counts!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!

A little fun with AI

The masses have spoken. There will be NO new sew-along until Colour My World is done! Let's not get ourselves into any kind of mess! Thanks for making me see the light of day! I do NOT need to start another project. And by September of next year, there might be something else we want to sew! 

When I attempted to use ChatGPT to compile those documents from the QUILTsocial website, it didn't work. Someone mentioned that ChatGPT wasn't really meant to scrape data from websites. It creates things, but it doesn't do the dirty work! I'm not sure that's a good way to describe what it wasn't meant to do. What do I know - I'm totally ignorant of this AI stuff. 

However, another person and their husband, who are experts in databases and compilers, decided to write a small script for some program, and voilà — I got what I wanted! Their DH is retired, so this was the perfect little task to keep him on the edge!!!

A big thank you to everyone who reached out to help resolve my issue. I have the information in a spreadsheet, and now I can proceed with what I want to do with the data. 

But I thought I'd have some fun with AI that was a bit more in tune with what it's supposed to do. 

I was walking Lexi and thinking about what else to put in the presentation for our Monday sewing group. Sometimes, it's pictures of quilts from quilt shows, sometimes, it's what we are working on, or what we have finished. But yesterday, it was all about what people had embroidered on those oversized felt totes from Dollarama. Good grief - I bet the store is wondering why people are buying multiples of them! 

I haven't embroidered one yet, but I'll get there, and then I'll post a picture. But last week, I also challenged the group to make a cake using some form of AI. Oh my --- the results were hilarious! And I would say that we are pretty good cake makers!

We had a wide range of cakes, and even though it's just words (typed or verbal), the variety is wide and shows that it takes time to really think about what you want on your cake. 

I swear the cake in this picture went through some kind of natural disaster! The machine looks like it was hammered with something, and there is NO icing on that cake! I think it also makes a difference which AI program you used. 

A cake with a battered sewing machine on top

This cake was created using a sophisticated AI image generator, and the person who made it is highly skilled in this area. We even got a front and a back view of this cake! 

That's a gorgeous cake

The difference is quite remarkable! 

I made my cake last week, and can you guess what parameters I included? 

My cake

It was something like, 'I want an orange sewing-themed cake with a crazy quilter on a bike!' This is what I got! I LOVE it, and I could actually make this. Well, someone with good cake decorating skills could make this! 

This past weekend marked the first two games of the American League East (baseball, for those who didn't know), and although I'm not a fan of watching baseball, it's our team! 

I noticed that one of the Monday group had posted a picture of her dog dressed in his Blue Jays gear. 

A loyal Blue Jays fan

And while he looks pretty happy, I knew he would be jumping up and down after those two incredible wins. So this is Charlie cheering his team on! He was cheering so hard, his hat fell off! 

Go Jays Go!

When I was walking Lexi, I decided to have some fun with the Monday group, so I downloaded ChatGPT to my phone and asked it to create a picture. My parameters were to create an image with six dogs (the six dogs of the ladies in the group - I hope I didn't miss anyone's dog), with Blue Jay jackets and hats on (I guess it didn't want to hide the faces of the dogs in the front row with hats! Lexi probably said, "I'm beneath wearing a hat," anyway! And then listed the breeds: a black lab, a cockapoo, a golden retriever, a Bichon frieze, a chocolate lab, and a husky. This is what I got!!! It's hilarious!!!!

Dog baseball fans!

I was trying to make a more elegant cake, but I ran out of computing time on the free version of the app. Hmmm --- I could have loads of fun with this. Should I pay the monthly fee? I would get way more fun out of this than I would watching a streaming service. I'll have to think about it! I am a stickler for using real stuff. But can you imagine what this will do to Stock Photos? I created that picture while walking the dog, and no edits or changes were made from the first, very rudimentary commands. Yikes!!! Scary stuff!!!

Please don't ask how I got all the dogs to sit together so quietly! 

Oh, gosh — I need to get myself organized, as I've been looking for something I purchased about a month ago. Of course, I couldn't find it. But when I was searching for something else on my desk, there was the darn box! My desk is currently in an unfortunate state, but I'll get it cleaned up! 

The missing box! 

During Monday Sewing, I managed to make some progress in the tidy-up area. I had a couple of mats for my Momento cutter that needed to be cleaned, and now they are ready to go for the next cutting session. And even better, all the mats are put away! 

Cleaning the large mat for the Momento

When I was at Sewing Machine Magic two weeks ago, they have LDH scissors for sale. I had a look at them and decided to upgrade my cheap thread snips with a nice new pair. 

LDH scissors

I got the solid black ones, and I haven't used them yet, but they are now sitting beside my sewing machine. I'm looking forward to sewing something later to try them out. 

My new thread snips

After removing the cutting mats from this table, it looked a whole lot neater. I pulled out my small cutting mat and, with the ironing station right behind me, I proceeded to trim some half-square triangles. 

Trimming half-square triangles

I'm happy to report that all the ones I've recently sewn are now trimmed. That is excellent news, and I need to stay on top of it, which I'm doing a great job of now that I'm aware of it and not just letting these things build up. 

More half-square triangles trimmed

I still have this container of them sitting on the ironing surface, and I'll save that for the occasional cut or do them while on Zoom calls. 

The remainder of the half-square triangles

It was time to clear all the crap off the floor. I was growing increasingly tired of it, and I can't believe I lived with clutter strewn all over the floor for years. And then I dare to discuss hoarders. I didn't even see the mess until I had no choice but to pick it up when the floors had to be replaced. The cutting table is a disaster, but that's on the agenda for later today. 

Nothing is on the floor in front of the cutting table

I have a lot more to share with you about Studio B, but time doesn't permit it this morning. On my walk, I stopped by Indigo (a book/gift store) to see what was there. This is a very dangerous place for me to be, but I won't buy books because I can get them from the library. However, there are so many I want to read! Help!!! I confess that two jigsaw puzzles came home with me - they were on sale! OK - one of them was! The second one was a jigsaw puzzle, and then you had to solve a mystery. I have a couple of those, but there are more every time I check. 

Jigsaw puzzle and a murder mystery

More murder and puzzling 

They also have a nice selection of the non-Advent calendar EXIT Games, but I didn't buy any. I need to check which ones we have. One of our sewing group members, who is currently in Austria, spotted an EXIT Game Advent Calendar on the shelf. Now the language with that one would be a challenge!

EXIT Games!

However, they had started a jigsaw puzzle, and I had to stop for a bit. It's on their community table! I've never seen or heard of this before, but I wanted to help the cause by lending a hand. 

Community table at Indigo

This was the table when I arrived. There are three chairs: top left, bottom right, and to the bottom left of that photo. The puzzle frame was sitting on the table with the bottom facing towards the rest of the table. And a large number of pieces were still in the box. 

The table when I arrived

So I put out a couple of handfuls of the puzzle pieces and turned the puzzle so that when someone was sitting at one of the chairs, it would be in the correct orientation. 

Now this is much better! 

Believe it or not, but I even managed to find one piece and put it in the puzzle. 

I completed the mountain top!

Anyone want to join me at Indigo to do some puzzling? I might have to go every day! I wonder how long they would allow a person to stay without being too obvious that they were there for hours? 

Would anyone else stop by to chat and puzzle with me? It might be fun to see what happens. It's a rainy day today - a perfect day to work on a jigsaw puzzle. 

I'm getting closer to finishing the writing - I hope, no, I really need and want to get it completed today. I have so many other things that I want to tackle. No deadlines, but I want to move on! Today's the day to make it happen. 

Be sure to check in tomorrow, because Studio B is not the same as you've seen it lately. It probably looks even worse! 

I had a couple of issues with falling asleep and then staying asleep. Now, why is that? So I was creeping around the house, tidying up and opening windows since it was so warm. My little pouch slipped to the floor in the office, and I accidentally stepped on it. A few seconds later, I hear the car alarm go off. No way! Yes way! When I stepped on the pouch, I somehow activated the panic button on the key fob. Go figure! In a real emergency, I probably wouldn't be able to touch that button if the key fob were in my hand!  

Anywyay - if you get a chance to make a cake with AI, send it my way! It's a hilarious task to undertake, and it doesn't take much to create something, however good or bad.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

And now back to sewing!

Yesterday was like a "vacation" with only one presentation, but I can't say I accomplished much. I did, but it wasn't what I wanted. However, I'm thrilled with what I made. Unfortunately, it's a gift for someone, so I can't share it yet, but I will. And it involved paper, not fabric. Imagine that! 

Wait - I took one picture to share with you. 

Cutting paper on the Singer Momento

Yes, that is the Singer Momento digital cutter, and I love it! I had fun manipulating an already-made design in the software and using some cool accessories. Everything worked according to plan! I need to use it more! 

WAIT -- I did use it more. I had several sessions on the Momento last week, and I was cutting fabric, which it does like a knife through butter. The beauty of that digital cutter is that it's 24" long, so it will cut a fat quarter if you are using the larger square mat. 

Fabric on the Momemto 12" by 24" mat

During my demo, I cut a lot of triangles, so I'm using them as enders and leaders as I sew. Yes, I know—I have several ender/leader projects, but this one is small, and I might as well get it together. 

Oh, and I found a picture of when I cut the fabric, so you can see that long mat in there! 

Cutting the fabric on the 24" long mat

Here are the triangles I cut. 

Triangles of fabric cut on the Momento

I had no specific plan when I started, so I may have to cut some more. But I sewed the triangles together and got a 6½" unfinished square. That was cut into quarters, and now I'm making this. How big? It won't be very big, but I hope to get two or three blocks square. This is half of one block. 

Half a block of my "new" project

I need to start a project in the mySewnet Quilting Software, cut it on the Momento, and quilt it on my embroidery machine. I'm doing that, but it wasn't planned, so that's another project on the list. 

You know what - it doesn't matter what I sew - it's just the fact that I actually got some sewing done! 

Wait—I did more! This is another block for the Chatsworth quilt. I managed to get some of the components together, and it's ready to assemble. I hoped to do that this morning, but since I didn't have anything pressing, I decided to spend a few more minutes in bed, just contemplating life—a luxury I haven't had in quite a while. 

A Chatsworth quilt block

So, it was a pretty productive day, but more happened in the house. 

Here's our TV and that *&^ subwoofer (NOT Murphy - she's a BIG WOOFER!) in front, which I've told DH numerous times doesn't need to be there. It could be in a more discreet position. I was informed that it needs to be in front. And when they came to install our modem years ago, they didn't bother to fish the wires behind the shelving unit, so all kinds of cords were hanging in front, and it looked awful! 

The bookcase looks like a mess with wires

Last week, DH splurged on himself and bought a new TV and sound system. It's about time because I hated those floor speakers and all those wires. Yesterday was set-up day. The Geek Squad arrived around noon, giving us time to dismantle the massive mess of wires. 

Of course, I came to the rescue of untrapping the caught wires under and behind the bookcase. We're not going there. There was loads of dust in the back behind the bookcases. The cleaning lady happened to be here, and he said, "Let's get her to clean the dust." Good grief—I can get a dustcloth and make quick work of it. I swear that man is unable to do anything! 

A little dusty back there

All the unnecessary equipment is gone. The shelves on top were built around the equipment we had at the time—a DVD player and whatever. I don't profess to know—I don't really care. It's not my thing. Then, we struggled to figure out what to do with the modem. I wanted it moved from where it was (in front of the books on a shelf), but those top shelves were too short. When the guys came to set it up, we realized that the shelves were moveable. DUH!!! 

Getting ready for the new

So now I have a 46" plasma TV on my kitchen counter, and the surround sound stuff is also hanging out there. Does anyone want a TV? There are no offers on Facebook Marketplace. Although the sound system can be trashed, it works fine, but I'm sure someone would want the TV. Apparently, they do not make plasma TVs anymore. We only need ONE TV in our house, so this goes! 

The old plasma TV 

And now look at the bookcase. There are no wires and no subwoofer. It's just the way I want it—nice and clean! That only took 20+ years to solve! It looked so messy before - it was embarrassing, even to me! 

No wires! 

When the guys asked where we wanted the new subwoofer, DH said, "Put it in front of the bookcase." The guys said, "OH NO - you need that in the back!" Nuff said! They meant where we wanted it, at the back of the room! The shelves have been moved so the modem sits on top, the large floor speakers are gone, and I LOVE the clean look. 

This has got me thinking about this entire room, and well, who knows—there could be more changes coming. I may need to call the junk people, but not before I scour the house to see what else can go. I want to make it worthwhile if I call for a bin. It's spring cleaning time, after all! 

Hmmmm - this next picture. Are those numbers for the day? Or average for the week? What good is a metric if you don't know the time frame? I'm not surprised by Libby, as I listened to an audiobook and read an ebook this week. But the other two? I can't be spending that much time in one day. This must be the week? No - those numbers do NOT make sense at all. But I try to keep my screen time on my phone down. I have other things to do! 

Screen time on my phone

Well, today will be a bit crazy with more presentations, and I booked a massage as well for some reason. That was dumb! 

Don't forget to check out the QUILTsocial posts on the Husqvarna Viking Jade 20. 

Day Three - 

The Etobicoke Quilt Show is on Friday and Saturday, so if you are around, be sure to check it out. And BLAST—the weather forecast is not good! Let's hope the water people were just throwing darts again! 

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!