Anger management

I will be the first to admit that there are days when I should be enrolled in anger management training. However, I will say that it's not because of what I do - it's what others do to me. Within the last two weeks, I received SIX requests for information on my personal travel plans from the same person. I'm past the point of caring if anyone else knows.  

I asked why they needed to know that information, and the answer I got was lame. I decided (spitefully—I admit it) that I wasn't going to provide that information. It had no bearing on any other dealings we might have, and in my mind, this person was just being nosey, as usual. It goes a bit deeper than that, but I'm not going there this morning. 

When I was asked a sixth time yesterday, I lost it! You would think that if I haven't already answered the question, the asker would give up! Nope - try a different way, and it's still the same question. I really don't care that I embarrassed myself in front of someone else. But I really do need to learn some witty comebacks, not angry outbursts. 

I have been provoked on many occasions, and I don't react the first time, nor the second, nor the third, but continued digs get to me, and I lash out, especially when I perceive them as intentional. 

What typically happens is the culprit does it in a place where other people are around. The first instances might be quiet, but as the situation escalates, others who don't know the background end up feeling very uncomfortable, and I don't blame them.  

So—the bottom line is—if I don't play the game or I don't answer your question, STOP! It's as simple as that. What I dislike is the INTENT that is often behind these incidents. I feel (I could be wrong) that the person intentionally provokes me and continues to escalate their actions until I lash out. It's happened multiple times with different people. 

The question is how to deal with this? I have to go back and explain the backstory to the others present and tell them why I lashed out, so they don't think they need to walk on eggshells around me. And I have to face the culprit to explain that I don't want toxic people in my life. Or at least, I minimize my contact with them. What it does is heighten my distrust of those people. Sigh...........

Oh well --- that is life. Now to find some witty comebacks! Just walk away!!!! Just walk away!!! Perhaps I should talk to a counselor to get all the anger deep within my soul for these instances out, and then I can let it go! 

Yes -- that was more personal than perhaps you needed or wanted to know, but you know what? I'm tired of hiding the crap that gets dished out to me! My first step is to say that I will make any incident public (without naming names) to ensure others realize this behavior is unacceptable and borders on bullying. We must make it stop for everyone! I have been a target of bullying my entire life, and I always kept it bottled up inside. I'm not going to do that any longer. 

And now onto happier things!!!!

I have the name of the pattern that we saw yesterday. Remember the rose?

English Roses

 

The designer is Eileen Bahring Sullivan (The Designer's Workshop). The pattern is called English Roses, and it was published in 2000. So if you think freezer paper paper-piecing is new, it's at least 26 years old! Thanks for the information, as I had forgotten to look it up. 

Before I forget, let me tell you the app story. I was at the library yesterday, and they have an app that lets you stay on top of your loans right on your phone. I don't think I have that app, but I should download it. WAIT -- I lied. I do have the app on my phone. 

The library app

 

But this isn't about the library app, it's about the app for Tims. I typically don't go to Tim's, only when I'm away. I know - I should be searching out the small cafes, but it is convenient. When I went in to get a tea with my two laundry baskets zipped together, there were two people at each of the two order kiosks. This was when I was at the retreat. I could have gone to the counter, but at that location, everyone seems to use the in-store order kiosks. 

It was obvious from their actions that both pairs were struggling with how it works. Good grief—I wasn't going to wait while they learned how to order at the kiosk. So I opened the app, placed my order, got my order, and was on my way out as one pair was finishing their order. The other people were still there. 

While I'm not a fan of ordering online like that, I'd much prefer to order in person, so I may start doing that in the future! 

And as they say -- there's an app for that! There's an app for everything these days!

Yesterday wasn't my most productive sewing day in a long time. I had Monday sewing, but I also had ultrasounds for both knees. Let's hope that I don't have to go further than that step to figure out what to do with the knees. My next appointment isn't until the end of July. 

But I learned two things yesterday, and I suppose these are things that we may or may not subsconsiously know, so bear with me as I explain. 

I walked to the clinic, which I know sounds like an oxymoron - you have trouble with your knees, yet you walk to the appointment. My knees don't hurt all the time, and I'm really trying to find preventive measures to keep them from getting worse. And yesterday was a good day for my knees! As I waited at a stoplight for the light to change, I realized that when the countdown appears on the other side for pedestrians, the audible beep is timed to it. Each beep is one second. Now I've seen and heard those signs hundreds of times, but it was only yesterday that it clicked. DUH!!!!

And when the technician was doing the ultrasound, I asked questions. They now have machines that warm the gel BEFORE they apply it to the area to be scanned. That's neat! But why the gel? It appears that ultrasound waves require a liquid to function. Without the liquid, you would get a black image. And filling the bladder before abdominal ultrasounds? The urine helps conduct the waves and move the organs into specific positions for a better view! 

And there you have it --- two things I learned yesterday!

As I walked back, I walked alongside this new building. I wasn't impressed with the quality of the materials on the undersides of those balconies. The building is NEW, and yet it looked like the material had cracked in several places along the bottom! It's all cosmetic, but still!!!

Looks like shoddy work on the underside of the balconies

And while I was at the library, I spotted this knitting book. Yikes!!!! I think I'll be leaving that behind! 

Knitting anyone? 

But speaking of knitting, I found my book tucked into another bag of knitting. Oh - I guess I need to address that someday. I had a quick glance and didn't see the binding method I used, but I'll check again. And I have to set up a Zoom with someone who can help me. And I'll go back to the person who got me involved in this project, and hopefully, with all those resources, I can figure it out. And once I do, then I MUST get the afghan done so I won't forget again!

I found my knitting book.

It was a nice day yesterday, and Lexi was out sunbathing again! She likes to lie with her head askew, and how can that be comfortable? 

MOM -- I'm soaking up the sun

Murphy is just happy and will lie anywhere where stuff can cling to her fur!

MOM - I'm just so happy you are home!

Our gardener guy was here while I was away, but I find he didn't get all the weeds like he usually does. It wasn't in bad shape because I had already been out doing some weeding. No worries, I did some more weeding and then took care of five bags of mulch. It's pretty thick in some places, but I'm OK with that. 

One mulched area

This is the place where Murphy likes to lie down. Hopefully, the mulch will prevent that from happening, but I'm not holding my breath. The creeping vines love this bed, and the roots are very hard to get out. I'll have to keep an eye on it. 

The next area with mulch

I cleaned more muck out of the pond, the filter, and the motor. There are so many pine needles about 3 inches long, and they get through any filter. A total nuisance, but a fact of life in our backyard. 

And of course, Murphy was up to her old tricks. There is one ball in the pond. 

Ball One!

And then there were two because I wasn't cooperating with her! Intent!!!! That dog throws the balls in with intent! 

MOM -- I can play bob the balls in the pond!!

And after all that was done, I headed for the gazebo. I need to put the frog back in its rightful place by the pond. 

My quiet place

The lilacs are in bloom, and they smell wonderful. I could have sat outside all afternoon, but I had other work in the house. I don't even remember what work it was, but I'm sure it was something important. But by that time, I probably had to get to the grocery store to buy something for dinner. 

The lilacs are in bloom.

I managed to get all those half-square triangles trimmed that I didn't at the retreat. These are now back in the retreat bag, and I'll finish sewing them at the next retreat. 

The HSTs are trimmed.

I'm making great progress on clearing off the cutting table - slow and steady, and trying to find a home for everything! 

More progress on clearing the cutting table

I also managed to draft the pattern for the dog quilt with the panel. There are now three more dog quilts to sew together. One has the panel, but will need coping strips so the blocks fit. That was drafted in EQ8, and all I need is to find some fabric. Then that goes in the bag. Those will get done at the next retreat, along with sewing more scraps. I'm working my way through this, and all will be good examples for my upcoming scrap class starting in the fall. 

By the way, I have settled on the classes for the fall!!! I just need to work them into my calendar, and then I'll post them. I've tried to find something for everyone and tried to accommodate the choices I offered. So yes, there is more than one class. There are more than two classes, but several are short. I'll try not to keep you waiting too long, but I won't be taking signups until later in the summer. And please don't plan to take everything!!! Just because -- take it because you want to learn something or do some of the projects, but I think we are all over the act of just signing up for everything. 

WAIT --- I heard a really funny thing the other day. We are all familiar with FOMO (fear of missing out). But here's a new one to embrace - JOMO - the JOY of missing out!!! I love it!!!!! As I was walking home from the library, I overheard a man walking in front of me talking about FOMO to someone, and I got a chuckle. It's not just quilters who have FOMO!!!

And oh my -- it doesn't take me long to get into trouble. I have volunteered to work with the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association! I know -- that didn't take long. We are chatting back and forth via email to find something for me to do. It won't require a lot of work, but it helps me to get connected with the puzzlers!! I'll keep you posted because I think it's going to be fun and won't take long. 

Well, on that note, it's time to get moving. I have a bunch of wedding stuff to do today. By the way, I got what I needed done yesterday, but I need a follow-up today. So that's on the agenda, and a quilt has to be quilted today as well. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Much progress and a scholarship!

 OMG!!!!!!! When I read the first line of Daphne's comment, I was going to say - I used to work at the Main Office of BMO in Old Montreal. The number of days I had lunch in the park across the street, right in front of Notre-Dame Basilica. But seriously? There is a plaque in the BMO Museum about the Pauline Vanier Scholarship! I did not know that, and I hope Daphne got a picture. That was ME!!!!!! I should tell you that story someday. I have photos at home -- it was a really big to-do. And it was a very generous scholarship! That scholarship was one of those major life-changing events for me!

What a blast from the past that is!!!! WOW --- I'll have to digest that one today!!!

And even more bizarre, I had the front page of the Montreal Gazette framed in my house for the longest time. It was the date of my birth, even though I was not born in Montreal. And the Vaniers were mentioned on that front page!!!!! Coincidence? 

Well, yesterday was quite the busy day, and I'm plowing through everything I brought with me. No one will be able to yell at me for overpacking for the retreat. Overpacking in the past was bags and bags of stuff that never got touched. Not so now! I've learned!

I have been forgetting to post this picture for the last couple of days, but when one of the ladies and I were out, we snapped this picture of a barn quilt block. Technically, it could be called a church quilt block since it's on a local church. There were several quilt blocks that I spotted, but didn't get pictures of. I love seeing them on the buildings, and I have several books at home about the barn quilt trails in Ontario. 

Barn quilt block on the local church

Two of us went for a walk in the morning, and to avoid bugs, we didn't go all the way to the other concession, since there is a creek near there, and it was pretty buggy. That meant we headed towards the highway, and on our way back to the house, we spotted the activity shown in the photo below. First, the road past the house is typically quiet. A few cars and trucks in the morning, but on Friday? It was like being on a super highway! Many farm vehicles passed us. 

Anyway, a farmer was out in the field, and well, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl, so we stopped to watch. 

Planting - but what?

Hmmm—that is a pretty unique pattern in the field, and we were curious about the swath that didn't get planted. And then we spotted this massive piece of equipment coming down the road. It wasn't so much massive as it was wide, taking up the entire road. 

That's a big piece of equipment.

Thankfully, the tractor pulled into the driveway just in front of us. But see what I mean? It was huge. 

Wide load coming through.

Turns out this is a spud planter! Potatoes!!!!! So we stood there and watched it plant a couple of rows. Pretty fascinating, and it brought back memories of planting and hilling potatoes by hand!!!! I'm sure the farmer was laughing at us!

Then we were off to a quilt show in the afternoon. We only found out about it because we had been to Threads That Bind the day before, or was that two days ago? I'm not going to share photos because I want to share them with my Monday group, but if you have time today, you have to check it out. It's in Feversham, hosted by the Grey County Charmers Quilt Club. 

The theme of the quilt show

Now here is the interesting thing. This group has hosted a quilt show for each of the last four years. And each year, the theme has been very specific. Last year, it was all about log cabin quilts (I vaguely remember someone telling me about that show), and I wish I could have seen it. This year was quilting through the decades. Three ladies organize the show (I think it's three). Anyway, their theme idea is BRILLIANT. I thought the show was so amazing, and it was fun to see how the quilters interpreted the decade they chose. Sometimes it was the pattern, the fabric, the style, and some even modernized their quilts. 

It was truly fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We got stuck behind a combine (at this time of year?), and it took a bit longer to get home than planned. But what fun and what fun to see the quilts and discuss them with the group of five that went!!!

OK -- now let's check out what I've managed to get done in the last 24 hours. 

As I was digging through my project bag, I discovered another bag of HSTs that need to be sewn. Seriously?? This bag has been hanging around for quite some time because of the fabric it contains. These cutoffs were from a series of pineapple quilt blocks that I made eons ago. I made three quilts from this fabric collection, and they are all quilted, and I think one of them was donated at some point. 

And another bag of HSTs 

I pulled out my knitting and was prepared to get to work, only to discover that I didn't remember how to bind off and join the blocks. I searched online and found the technique—Three-needle bind-off—, but somehow that didn't seem right, since I only had one needle with live stitches, which wasn't going to work. I tried a few suggestions from the master knitters in the room, but nothing worked. 

HMMM - now what?

I had a small book that includes 54 different ways to cast on and cast off, but was the book in the knitting bag? Of course it was not, and it wasn't in my bookcase when I went through the books. It had better be in the cupboard where the knitting bag was, or I'll be buying a new one! Or maybe the library has it. I must check first when I get home. Since I couldn't work on that project, I took the bag to the car. Mind you, there were three other knitting projects in the bag that I could have worked on, but I really wanted to finish my afghan. Next time!!! Or that could be a great job for the gazebo. 

The knitting bag was moved to the car.

Speaking of knitting, I spotted this little knitting instruction book for making World Cup players here at the house!!!! The players on the front of the book are generic, but all the team jerseys' instructions were in the book. Also, a pattern for a soccer ball! The figures were attached to a knitted glove, so you can make them move! Super cute, but it's still on the table for someone else to pick up!

Instructions for knitting World Cup players

I managed to get my eight poinsettia blocks done and sewn together!!! 

Poinsettia blocks - DONE

And I got all the appliques cut for the sledding block. WAIT -- I'm still missing the trees and a dog. I'll get those done when I'm home. 

Applique shapes - DONE

Then it was on to another small handwork project that had been sitting at home for months. Actually, this was started years ago, and I'm almost done. I have this pile of paper pieced Christmas ornaments. I needed to sew three bells on three of the Santa ornaments. And I had to use a Pigma pen to draw the eyes and mouth. Seriously?? Why has that sat for so long? 

Santa face - DONE

So now the six Santa mittens are complete!!!

The six Santa ornaments - DONE

I had four snowman mittens, and they needed a face. The pattern said to use seed beads. Seriously?? How much work is that? So I used the Pigma pen and drew eyes and a mouth. Those smiles are very wide, but that's OK - those snowmen are happy!

Happy snowman ornaments - DONE

And the last one to finish is the birdhouse, where I'm supposed to sew a bird button on its roof. However, I did not bring a bird button with me. Good grief!! 

The last one to finish

There is a whole bag of ornaments that are completely done. Now that I have one small thing to do to complete the entire pile, what the heck am I going to do with them? I need to find a Christmas bizarre!!

The other completed ornaments.

This coming week will be busy, but I'm going to leave all these almost finished projects out, and I WILL get them done. I need to get them out of Studio B. They just add clutter and are so close to being finished!!!!

I managed to get five more raindrops removed from the Cherrywood Challenge. Two of them were small, and with the narrower stitching, they are a challenge, but they are gone!!!

Progress on applique removal

This morning, I pulled out some new things to work on. It's mostly the stuff that I panic-packed, and I'm glad I brought them. There is one quilt top and three bags of scraps in the retreat bag that I likely will not touch this time, but that's OK. I should be able to make progress on everything else! 

I had some sewing and cutting to do this morning, and decided to leave that one bag of HSTs on the cutting table. These units are sewn and pressed, but need to be trimmed. So every time I went into the cutting room, I trimmed four. 

Trimming HSTs

I trimmed quite a few, but didn't take a picture of the total pile. I have no idea where these came from - some project that doesn't ring a bell. Perhaps someone gave them to me. But look at them -- there is a seam in the light. And these are trimmed to 1 1/4". I need my head examined! This is the LAST pile that I will ever work on that is smaller than 1 1/2"  

There are two seams in these!!!

Then it was onto the next project. I go to a few trade shows and events a year and have never made myself a name tag. So I'm using the By Annie Call Me pattern. It's actually a place to put cards, phone, name tag, etc. I had the supplies sitting out for a long time, and it's on my Visual To-do list. This seemed like a good time to make it with Quilt Canada coming up next month. 

Some parts were cut, and others were not. So I got it all cut and quilted, and then cut the quilted section into the proper sizes.  

Supplies for the Call Me pattern 

By Annie.com Shepatterns use all sorts of material types, and there is a vinyl pocket so you can see the name badge through it. When I put the binding on that pocket, I had to sew it onto tissue paper to prevent the vinyl from sticking to the sewing machine bed. 

The binding on the vinyl pocket

And a word of caution -- when cutting, make sure your instructions are not under the fabric. I nipped the corner off the written instructions. 

Oops -- the corner got nicked off.

However, when I went to put the zipper in, I realized that I had an invisible zipper. Seriously??? Why? And I didn't bring any fold-over elastic with me. So I have only the bias binding to finish right after this, and then I have to put it away until I get home. Good grief!!!! That's what happens when you don't check the list of supplies before you pack up a project to bring to a retreat. But I had the right thread colors! 

But I have several other bag projects with me, and I'll work on them until I run out of some critical component, and then I'll finish them at home this coming week. I also have a couple of things to complete for the June wedding, and I hope to work on that today as well. There are three new things to make and one to fix. All are small, but we know that no project is completed in the allotted time frame!!!

Remember the person who was making HSTs with the paper? She had to rip the paper from all of them, but it's done, and the HSTs got turned into a table runner.

Removing paper from the HSTs

And on that happy note, it's time to get back to work. We are going out for breakfast this morning, but there is NOTHING else on the agenda. Thank goodness. We seem to have done a lot of traveling around to various things, and we've had a couple of visitors. Someone came to pick up a couple of books yesterday! 

And then tomorrow is the last day. But I still have time to work on projects, and I'm going to get as much done as I can. 

We all know that what happens at retreat, stays at retreat. I can't thank my friends enough for making each of us feel comfortable sharing almost everything! That says so much about who your friends are and who you spend time with. We are a small group (6), but boy, oh boy—we work well together. No drama and a high level of security—that makes me feel very happy!!!! And I'm thrilled to know I'm not alone in so many areas!!! Thanks, everyone!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Good old-fashioned progress

It's DONE, and I had a small ceremony as I removed this project from the Visual To-Do List. I LOVE that list, and it's so motivating to me!!! 

One project is removed from the Visual To-Do list.

YES -- this is the quilt that I was going to make for someone, and we decided to abandon the project for several reasons. Making quilts for others is the largest category on that list with NINE quilts. One down, and eight to go! 

But getting to the point of removing the project from the list involved dealing with everything in the box. I'm happy to say that I've removed all the fused letters from the two borders. For the most part, all of the letters came off pretty clean. I think six letters in total were destroyed, but lots were still intact, which I've saved (do not yell at me) and put in my fusible box. They can be used as samples when someone wants to practice their applique stitches, or I'll make some words from the letters. 

The second border is clean of letters.

And YES -- I cut up the photos, and they are in the scrap box. 

The photos are cut and in the scrap box.

I have a couple more projects on that Visual To-Do List that are almost ready to be removed, so I need to take a day and focus on completing those. I have many small things almost completed, and hopefully, I can get a lot of them done in one day. 

I am accumulating a lot of stuff that needs to be bound as I'm waiting on those labels. I sent a note via Facebook to them, but I see they don't update their page often, so I don't think it is going anywhere. They do NOT have an email that I can find - only a phone number. I'll try searching again. I thought I saw a contact on Etsy, so I will try there today. 

I managed to trim all the stitched half-square triangles. Oh my -- I'm actually keeping on top of things. I feel a bit discombobulated with all the togetherness, but I'm sure I'll get used to it pretty quickly. And then I'll wonder how I managed to survive in a total mess. 

More half-square triangles trimmed.

Then it was on to finishing the backing for the Dear Jen quilt, and that is now done. It doesn't look that bad with all those different colors of black, and it could actually be a great example of a scrappy backing with multiple colors of black. While it is scrappy, it certainly still looks very cohesive. 

The scrappy backing for Dear Jen

I also made the binding, and it's ready to be quilted. 

The Dear Jen quilt is ready to be quilted.

Now it's loaded on the long arm, minus the batting. I pulled out some scraps of black batting this morning and just need to fuse the pieces together to make one large enough. 

Dear Jen, loaded on the long arm.

There is no stopping me!!! I love working on these small projects. And also those that are almost finished, rather than working on a very large one that I just couldn't wrap my head around. I'm doing an amazing job, and I LOVE doing what I'm doing! The time will come to work on larger projects, but it's not yet. 

This is the small bundle of black scraps I had leftover. I'm thrilled to reduce that random pile of black, and going forward, I will try to buy only one brand, although I know that different dyelots can still result in different shades of black. But they will be more similar. 

The leftovers from the Dear Jen backing

As if that weren't enough excitement for one day, I also quilted the placemat using a walking foot and free-motion techniques.

The placemat is quilted.

I think I'll be focusing on quilting and binding projects today - at least those I won't put a personal tag on. As for free-motion, I don't do much of it on my domestic machine these days, but it's like riding a bike. You sit down, get the machine ready, and just go! I know people are afraid, and they want stitch regulators. You don't need a stitch regulator—it's just that you haven't been taught how to get that consistent stitch!! 

Here's a hint to learning that trick -- in FREE MOTION mode, stitch STRAIGHT lines, over and over and over and over, until you feel the speed of your machine, which should be set at medium, and keep it constant, and the only thing you now have to learn is how fast to move your hands. It's so simple, it's ridiculous! And practice on small things like a placemat, a table runner, or pet mats. But NOT your king-sized quilt. 

That was some productive day!! But I didn't work all day, and while I know some of you would call me a workaholic, I am NOT. On days (three times a week) when I go to the gym, I don't get to my computer desk to work until almost 10 AM because I have to walk the dogs, have breakfast, write the blog, etc. Those are NOT work things; they are all personal. And it's usually at that time I check my phone for messages. My phone is on SILENT all the time. 

Then I try to do computer work until lunch (11:30), and then I have the afternoon to sew. However, I also take an hour-long walk in the afternoon, and then stop sewing around 5 when I feed the girls. Sewing for four hours a day is NOT a workaholic. I typically spend the evening reading or doing a jigsaw - at least these days. 

Yes—I'm busy, but far from a workaholic. Some people struggle to distinguish between a workaholic and a busy (but happy) person. And not just idle busyness, nope -- this is busyness with all things I love. 

I've been chatting to my aunt, and she reminded me that I started knitting a cowl when I was visiting her. Oops -- I forgot about that, so I pulled it out, and perhaps I can finish the neck! 

I must finish knitting my cowl.

And here is the daily jigsaw puzzle. While it's the same style as the last three I did, I worked this one differently. I did the sky on the others and then the building; this one I worked from top to bottom as best I could. It just worked out better that way. 

One more jigsaw puzzle

That leaves ONE more of the 300-piece ones I purchased the other day. In less than one week, all five will be done, as I plan to do the last one tonight. Then I've pulled out a 1000-piece puzzle that I want to finish before I see my parents at the end of this month. There is always a puzzle set up in the common room of their building, and I stop and chat with the fellow who does them. I want to bring him a puzzle this time. It's a good excuse to get one more done. And I have to say I love doing them; it's a refreshing break from reading, and I can listen to a book while doing the puzzle. 

However, I have learned one thing: sitting at the kitchen table, doing a puzzle, and listening to an audiobook is challenging because people want to talk to me! Thankfully, DH is working outside the house this week. 

Speaking of puzzles, today is seniors' day at the thrift store, and for something to do on my walk yesterday, I scouted out the puzzles. There are TWO I want. So I'm going shortly after they open this morning. HEY -- I am doing the puzzles, I'm allowed to buy more, and I don't keep them. I do them and pass them along or redonate them. 

I spotted this book on the shelf at the thrift store. These are NOT the typical souvenir spoons that we bought at every tourist trap - these are serious collectible spoons, mostly to do with events and such in the US. I did not buy it. I just like to open my mind to new experiences!!!

A book on collectible spoons

Oh, wait—I also had my call with the Microsoft support team. It's the same person who calls me during this escalation process, so that's good. I think we have now discovered the WHY my Outlook isn't syncing, and now she is taking that information back to the team, so they can work on an answer. These calls don't take that long—perhaps ten minutes each time? I'm good with that, and if I can help them, while they help me? I'm good with that. 

There is no rush any longer (OK -- at least for the moment), and a slow pace works for me. I don't need to get everything done today or use up my fabric, but I'm making good progress, and that's all that counts. I want to enjoy the process and have fun, way more than I want to get these things done. 

I don't mind giving fabric away when I downsize, but I'd really like to NOT give away half-finished projects. That just doesn't make sense to me, so they are my focus. 

Even though it was a glorious day yesterday, I contemplated not going for a walk because I was in a groove. However, I told myself that I needed to get outside to clear my head. I was going to take a short walk, but then ended up having a good walk. Why? Because once I got out there, I felt amazing - the sun was out, I didn't need a hat (no wind), and well, I just kept walking. When I got back, I had energy galore and got so much accomplished!!!!

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!!