Just say NO to refined sugar!

I accomplished everything I set out to do yesterday! Did I have high expectations? Not exactly, but I'm trying to get at least three things done. Three somewhat significant things, but that doesn't always work, so I'll take three minor things. 

The biggest issue is that DH and I have been out THREE nights in a row. OK -- that could be taxing on conversation for some couples, but not for us! I keep the chatter going, and I'm sure there are times when he wishes that I would just be quiet. But the conversation is just too great! 

The first night was our regular night out. That's usually pretty quick: have dinner and be back home, since we typically go back to work. I booked tickets to see Spider-Man; the movie started at 6:20 PM and ran 2½ hours. I SWEAR I booked IMAX tickets, but I did not. Silly me. But the moment I sat down, I knew I was in trouble. 

I wasn't comfortable with my sciatic flaring up - where did that come from? I was tired, and I didn't find the movie very exciting. I considered getting up and going outside for a walk several times, but I pushed through, and thankfully the second half was a bit more exciting than the first. I must say, I was a time-watcher through that movie. I couldn't wait for it to end. But we also had dinner at the theatre before the movie, so it was more conversation. 

And last night, we were at the golf course for Thanksgiving dinner. Since I am away this week, it didn't make sense to cook anything at home. We arrived at 5:30, and we didn't leave for several hours. I still had stuff to do at home, but that's OK -- it can wait. 

What do we chat about? OH, let's say AI is high on the list for every single conversation. People are trying to convert me; DH is, too. I'm not saying that AI is bad. I just think too many people use it for inappropriate things. BTW -- DH uses AI all the time, so I know how it works and what it can do. 

Here's an example: DH mentioned that he and his colleagues were given a certain task. It involved some processing, and his colleague wrote a pretty spiffy script to get the work done. My question is, "How long did it take to write that elaborate script? And DH asked, "Did the task even need to be done in the first place?" He made a different decision that handled the task quickly and did NOT involve AI at all. 

So if people rely on AI to do "busywork" tasks, what the heck is the point? Just assign better, more efficient tasks in the first place. And if you think AI is doing a good job - great. But did the task even need doing? That's the question! 

Here's another EASY task that you can use AI for. Someone mentioned that they have their AI agent read a book for them and then ask AI to search that manual for stuff. Why would you restrict yourself to just that book? 

Just ask Google; you do NOT need other AI agents. Good old Google (now enhanced with AI search capabilities) will do the same job. AND it already has access to that book. I know many people aren't happy with Google these days, so pick your search engine and do the same. 

For example, if I wanted to learn how to use a specific tool in Creativate Embroidery Software, I could consult the reference manual, but that isn't always a clear learning experience. As an experiment, I searched for  "How to use the Encore tool in Creativate Embroidery Software." I got EXTREMELY detailed instructions on how to use the tool. It also referenced MANY online sources (videos, blogs, etc.) that gave more instructions. 

So --- do you need CHATGPT and do some of the work yourself? Or do you just use Google AI and search the ENTIRE internet at once? And yes --- Google will also ask follow-up questions. 

Think of the task at hand and find the MOST efficient way to use the tools we have. If you want to use a different search tool, I'm sure it works the same. 

And those conversations go on and on. We have conversations about sales and marketing tactics, relationships, travel, and so much more! We are a very animated couple at the dinner table. And we push each other! Sometimes to the extreme, but we have matured and mostly respect each other's opinions. We still have our moments! 

Some of you might think I am living in a vacuum and reluctant to change, no electronic wallet, no ChatGPT. That is NOT the case. I'm pushed to do these things every day, and I understand the pros and cons, but I am also NOT following the crowd - I am ACTIVELY making choices that work for ME. 

To change the topic completely, does anyone want an electric knife? This knife has been used for crafts, cutting foam, so it is NOT for food. But if you want it - it's yours. 

An electric knife for crafts

And I spotted this picture on the art-dailydose IG account. They come up with the most creative things on that account, and this series paired two objects that had nothing to do with each other. Can you see the two items? 

What two items do you see?

I was looking for a particular quilt top to photograph. Well, as I went down that list, I spotted MANY other quilts that would work for my presentation. I spent a bit of time digging through the tubs! OH MY GOODNESS --- so many memories in those tubs and so many amazing quilts. I am going to have to work harder and smarter to get them all done. Don't bother offering to do them; I'm perfectly happy to work at my pace, and one day I will slow down so I have more time to long arm. I found the quilt top in question, and it was the one I suspected, beige/brown pinwheel. 

Digging through the tubs of quilt tops

This fall, I took on TWO scrap classes, but I can reuse the same material for both, Show and Tell, Forty Shades of Grey, and My Kinda Town. That's five hours of classes, plus four hours of clubs per month. That is nine hours. The clubs don't take much time. But the biggest issue is scheduling time, and when something comes up, I have to move things around. Between personal trips and work, it's been a nightmare. 

NOTE to SELF: Nine hours per month is too much. I have the same amount scheduled through April, then 8 hours in May and June. Nothing in the summer. Next fall, do NOT schedule so many events; I struggle to find a consistent day of the month to offer the session. And if I have to move something, it's not pretty. 

OH --- I have to share this with you. In our Many Blocks club, I'm working on Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. That quilt has 140 blocks, and I have done most of the easy ones. I haven't been working on it as diligently as I would like, so I got busy the other day and did this. 

I had prepped a few blocks on the one day I was at the quilt retreat. This particular block was going to be a challenge. Look at the pieces. 

That's a lot of itty bitty pieces.

Here is the block, and I swear that every single seam was a Y-seam, meaning you had to stop and start ¼" in. Well, not the curved pieces, but those were tight little curves. 

The block is not pretty, but it's done!

I will NOT win an award for the piecing on this block, and the edges aren't as even as I would typically make them. The back is very ugly, BUT the block is more or less 6½", and it's DONE. As they say, done is better than perfect, and I'm just happy it's done. 

I have some applique blocks coming up which will be a piece of cake compared to that one above. This just needs some stitching and is sitting on the sewing machine waiting for me to come back. 

The next block for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler

In total, there are about 21 blocks to finish. I hope to get them done by the end of the year. It's time to stop this madness and finish this quilt. 

Why? How long do I want to work on this? Not long, but I don't want to abandon it again! PLUS, I want to start a new Many Blocks project for 2027. I already know what I want to work on, and it's FUN, bright, and cheery. 

As I dug through the tubs of quilt tops, I glanced at posters of all the year-long projects I have made, and OH MY, there are still lots that aren't finished. There are four pages of these quilts for a total of 80 quilts. I haven't figured out how many are not done. 

One of four posters of the ongoing quilts I've taught

Look at this cute girl. She stole Lexi's bed. 

MOM -- this is NOT Lexi's bed. It's for both of us!

Then she moved to be right in front of the fireplace. She doesn't settle like she used to, but then she's not the same girl! But still full of beans on most days. 

MOM - I'm trying to get warm!

So what were the three things I needed to get done? I got this quilt quilted. This is one of the quilts on those posters. 

The second winter quilt is done!

And so you don't think I keep using the same picture for both; here they both are. They need to be trimmed and bound! AND add a label. 

Both of the quilts are quilted.

Then I made a scrappy backing for one of the community project quilts I keep promising myself I'll finish this year. The backing is the blue you see around the edges. I think there are four more to quilt. 

The backing (blue) is made for the scrappy quilt.

And the third thing? I think it was to get my laundry done, so I could pack my suitcase last night when we got back from dinner! 

It's only been two days since I completely eliminated refined sugar from my diet, and I still need to replace those morning digestive cookies. Brooke says I should just throw the food away. I can't do that, so I will finish the box, but at two cookies per day, I don't think there's much sugar. And those gummies (supplements) need to be replaced, too. 

Anyway, in two days, I already feel better, and I know that is simply psychological, but I'm OK with that. It's the POWER of making and holding onto those decisions that is making me feel better. 

Look at that lovely spread of desserts at dinner last night. I wasn't even tempted. NOT ONE BIT. 

The dessert table that I completely ignored last night

It was a rainy kind of day, and when we got home I had to give the girls a quick walk. The lights in the front yard look so pretty. Subtle, but pretty! Murphy and Lexi were both happy to go out for a bedtime walk, even though they came in a bit wet! 

The lights at night in the front

I just have to finish packing up the rest of my portable office, and then I'm off. I will NOT be getting upgraded this morning, too many people on the flight; however, I am happy to report I'm not at the bottom of the list. Of 41 people on the list, I'm number 18. How will that change when I get my 50K status on this flight? 

This is a personal trip, so thankfully no heavy luggage required. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I'll be in a different time zone, so the blog will likely be late each day until I'm back. 

It will be a WONDERFUL day!!!

Ciao!!!

Why sewing on Zoom is better than inperson

OH -- Carla made a good point in her comment. Clutter in her house resulted from gifts people had given her in the past. And isn't that the truth! People think something is so cute and appropriate for you, or they just feel compelled to buy you a gift. The clutter is now gone in her house, and the new rule is NO GIFTS, please! Can you imagine the home of a school teacher? 

I LOVE her new rule, and while I haven't received too many gifts, I can see how it would add up. And think of how many times you spent hours searching for that perfect gift for someone's birthday, and there's a considerable likelihood that they didn't use it! I say if you want to give a gift, make it a consumable -- Tim's card, cash (I know tacky), or their favorite food or beverage -- not a fancy one, not the specialty kinds, not a gift basket, but if they like a specific type of cheese -- buy that cheese! Or they like beer - buy their brand of beer. Then they will use it, it doesn't become clutter, and everyone is happy. 

I still like Carla's rule -- NO gifts of any kind. The gift should be the QUALITY time spent with each other. Brilliant advice!!

Speaking of clutter, Elle shared pictures of her sewing room with me, and I have permission to share them with you. 

I LOVE this giant cutting/work table. Wait a minute -- her sewing machine is on that table. Hmm - I wonder how tall the table is; of course, it depends on how tall she is. But I love that giant surface. I'm also jealous of that window in her room! 

Gorgeous sewing and workspace

I have to admit that part of me is jealous of her space. Why? Because she has it paired down to one room, everything is super organized, and she doesn't need to spend loads of time looking for things or managing them! And should she need to move, it will take no time to put that into boxes. 

The supply cupboard

All things that I could achieve myself, but look at that stash. There's enough to keep her busy for a long time. There's no need to buy huge quantities like I did, half of which keeps getting passed over. Yes --- this is someone much smarter than I. But I will not worry about it as I have a plan!

The stash

I mean, how wonderful would it be, knowing that you could be out of there with a handful of boxes? 

More stash

Me? I have six boxes of novelty fabric! That will go at some point with all the quilts we are making for community projects but still!

Thanks for sharing, and that just shows that you can have an organized sewing room that fits in ONE room and seems to have all the stuff we need. Even though that fabric is contained in what looks like a closet, there's a fair amount, and it's neat and tidy so finding something is not a big deal! That's the key -- how much time do you want to spend managing your stuff?

Or would you rather spend that time sewing, reading, or whatever other hobbies you have! 

Thanks for sharing! And there's hope for all of us. The biggest issue is quantity, and I've learned the hard way that more is NOT better. 

With all these tips we are giving each other, we will have spic and span homes and be much happier! 

Well, I must confess that even with Monday sewing, I did NOT get much done yesterday. We had our usual Show and Tell, which went on a bit longer than expected as we looked at pictures of Quilt Canada, thanks to Jane! We didn't get through them all, so we'll pick them up next week. What fun to experience those pictures as a group! 

And this brings me to an interesting point. For years, we had an in-person sewing group. We packed up our sewing machines and our projects. We went to The Hobby Horse for part of it, so no setup was required as we used the classroom. Then we moved to a church where we had to store cords and power bars and set up the tables and chairs. Let's face it -- this is a considerable PHYSICAL effort, with time and money involved.  

We now have the opportunity to connect again at the church and its decision time. I've decided NOT to return to in-person sewing. Why? 

• Saves on gas. While this is only a 20 KM drive (40 round trip), it's 40 KM that I don't need to do every week, and my carbon footprint is much smaller. 
• Saves on time. Depending on the traffic, this could take a fair amount of time to get there, and there is currently construction (and has been for years) on the route I would take. 
• Better scheduling. I can get some paperwork done or go to spin class, walk the dogs, and then pop right into the virtual sewing - no travel time involved. 
• Less physically demanding. Let's face it -- my wrists, knees, legs, and back will all be happier if they don't need to set up my own table and help others. 
• I will never forget a thing. No need to worry if I forget an essential part of my project at home. 
• Never wait for the cutting table or ironing board. Yep -- it's just me!
• Wider reach of audience. We now have people from northern Ontario (more north than me), and one person from the US, who can come, people who work and want to stop by to say hi can attend, and people who just want the show and tell can attend. If you had an appointment, you would miss the entire sewing day. Now you can drop in even if for a few minutes. 
• Hot lunches -- If I want a hot lunch, I can make it in my kitchen. 
• The temperature is always right! No one can complain it's too hot or too cold!
• The weather is never an issue! 
• Cost -- our new method is FREE. OK -- so I pay for the license, but it's about $200 for the year, and I absorb the cost because I use it for teaching. But still, if I were to pass on that cost to the group, we would pay way less than we would for a physical location! 
• Talk to EVERYONE  -- with Zoom, we can chat with the entire group. When it was in person, you tended to talk to those at your table, and if you overheard someone at another table, they would have to repeat the story. 
• Show and Tell -- we have a great show and tell on Zoom. There's no way we could have shared those photos and had the same discussion about Quilt Canada if we didn't do it on Zoom. And other people can pop in an extra picture or two if they know how to do that, and we do! 
• And our group is connected on off days with a What's App group! I mean -- we are connected and so much better than it was before when we met in person. 

So -- can you tell me why we would ever want to meet in person? Don't get me wrong -- I love to meet in person, but it can be exhausting! And if we go for several days, as in a quilt retreat, then I'm all for it. It's a much smaller group, and you are going for several days, so it's worth the effort, and no need to set up tables and chairs where we go. But just for a couple of hours? I'm so over that. 

Here's the other thing that I don't get. People say they need that physical connection. So we are NOT a hugging group, but we crave the social aspect of it, so why would we want to get together in-person weekly when we get the social part from the comfort of our homes? And what if you have pets or other persons who require attention? You wouldn't want to leave them, so Zoom is excellent. 

Let's just say that if some of the group decides to return to the physical meeting, I might be looking for new people to join my virtual Monday sewing. I'll let you know! 

I think it's time we embrace new ways of doing things, and I believe that many good things happened because of the pandemic, and Zoom was one of them! It's so cost-effective and has so many other benefits.  

As for how much sewing I did, it wasn't a lot. But as I mentioned, sometimes, it's all about the social, and if I didn't get much done, that's OK because it didn't really take a lot of time, money, or effort out of my day. If I had traveled to the location and only accomplished the same amount, I would be sad!

I did get the rows together for my quilt. 

The rows are together

Then I got on phone calls and chatted, and well, not much more happened. I have the strips for the sashing, and the inner border joined and ready to sub-cut. 

The sashing waiting to be cut

Murphy is trying very hard to be good on her leash. And for the most part, she is so much better. But yesterday, in the forest, a squirrel taunted her. Instead of running into the trees on the side of the path,  the squirrel trotted down the path in front of her for a fair distance. Pure torture for her! 

MOM -- I NEED to chase that squirrel

And then last night, when I was reading my book, she became fascinated with something under her bed. I did not get up to investigate! 

MOM -- there's something under my bed

And what's the status of the front yard? We now have a beautiful sidewalk along the side of the house instead of that weed-infested interlock. This goes back to the deck at the back of the house. It's not as wide as the gate because there's a small space with river rock for drainage. 

The new sidewalk

Between my neighbor and myself, that little bed of river rock was overgrown with ivy. My side is now clear of ivy, and I want to go and dig out what's in the neighbor's yard, so it doesn't grow back in mine. 

Inside my neighbor's backyard

The young man who lives there wouldn't even know I was there and wouldn't even realize the ivy had disappeared. So I'll do it early one morning, and it will be done. His parents have been overseas since the pandemic, and the house -- well, the yard is going wild as we watch. It's terrible because they took such pride in their yard, and now it's full of weeds. 

We're getting a new curb along the edge of the driveway. A FLAT one will make it much easier to maintain than the raised one we had. And that space between the curb and the neighbor's lawn used to be our driveway. So less driveway to shovel in the winter, and now we have room for a couple of trees. I do worry a bit about the much narrower driveway, but I think after we have it for a bit, we won't miss the extra space. 

The new flat curb

Instead of space to park a car, this pile of stones is in our drive. This is the top of the patio/front step. 

Stones for the patio

We now have a big sturdy step up to that patio area, and they are working on putting in the stones for it. I didn't take a picture yesterday. Don't worry -- it's not what you think! There are only TWO significant flat steps. 

The steps to the patio

But all is good on that front! I still want to chat to him about the proposed small patch of grass in the front. It's so tiny that it will be a pain to maintain. Could we get something else? I did like my mulch, or someone suggested we use spreading junipers?? I'll chat with him tomorrow. 

We're getting other things fixed at the same time. The gazebo's roof will need to be replaced, but in the meantime, there are no holes in the roof. It will get a total facelift either at the end of the summer or next. We'll see how the timing goes. The fence is fixed as best it can be until we replace it. Some wobbly posts and rotted areas are repaired. So all is good! 

On that note, I'm out of here. I have an all-day class to sit in on, and I'm excited about it. And after that, my time will be my own for an entire week! Now that I'm feeling better, I need that time to catch up on some quilting and other projects. And there is NOTHING scheduled for this weekend! Yeah!!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Working through fatigue

I survived the day, but not without a couple of laughs. I had been texting one of my colleagues in the morning, and we were both saying that we didn't want to talk to anyone, especially each other! Then my SIL, who doesn't live close but is here because MIL had her second knee done, stopped by, and guess what? I had to talk! 

I tried to have an extra nap in the morning, but the cleaning lady came, so that wasn't going to work! It was just one of those days! But I did end up having two short naps, and while I still feel a bit tired today, I'm good! 

Let's just say that both girls were pretty excited (in their own way) to go for a walk. And it didn't help that Murphy and I spotted a fox. It proceeded to cross a major road without getting killed. Then it decided it should walk down the same path we were on. It didn't like the fact that Murphy was going ballistic, so it climbed up the chain-link fence, and off it went! I tried to get a picture, but at this point, I was holding the leash of a lunatic dog, a poop bag, and there wasn't a third hand to deal with the phone!

Lexi was her usual calm self for the most part, and while we've spotted rabbits occasionally during our walks, she's pretty quiet. Love you, Lexi! OK -- I love you too, Murphy!

When my company left, it was lunchtime, and after lunch, I decided I should attempt to do something. But what? My brain was tired, and I didn't want to get into anything too complicated. 

OH -- before we go there, look at this cartoon that someone posted on my timeline on Facebook. Yep --- some people are PROUD of this fact, but seriously?? This is a serious issue and needs to be dealt with by the collectors, not passed on to their children. The cartoon is by Bob Eckstein.   I know some people hold items for family members as they may not have room at this moment, or the family members don't want to deal with the things. Guess what? If they can't take them now, they will NEVER be able to take them. Hard decisions need to be made, and then deal with them! 

Our garage is full right now -- there's a car, tons of landscaping tools, and four bikes! Once everything is done, I hope to get in there and do some decluttering; not that there is much to get rid of, but it would be good to get that done before winter, and perhaps we could even put BOTH cars in the garage. That's not for today!

You should go back to yesterday's blog and read Elle's comment. I don't think there is ANYTHING extra in her house, but check out the comment to see how small things can accumulate. HOPEFULLY, I WILL get to the point she is sooner rather than later. I need to finish this office and then go back to the top of the house, and each pass will be much easier! I can hardly wait! 

Oh -- here's a flower I spotted when I was out with Lexi. I know I can at least snap a photo or two with her. Murphy -- not so much!

I had to finish trimming one quilt, and once that was out of the way, my cutting table looked like this. A few things to tidy up, but yesterday, even that seemed like a daunting task. 

The cutting table is in good shape

But I spotted this puzzle on the cutting table and thought - that's about the capacity of my brain power. 

There were only 300 pieces in this puzzle, so it didn't take long to lay out all the pieces. 

Easy to lay out 300 pieces

And before I knew it, the puzzle was done! It's now packed up and ready to pass along to someone else. I would not buy a 300-piece puzzle, but I grabbed several from my neighbor before she moved. 

DONE!

Here's an exciting thing that happened while I put that puzzle together. I received TWO phone calls, and my first thought was, OH -- I have to go upstairs to take the call, but I didn't want to. And guess what? My phone seemed to work just fine. No dropped calls. I think my phone was acting up because it was NOT connecting to the Wi-Fi in the house. I used more data in the first 10 days being home than I did for the 10 days I was away. Now that is totally weird. So I'll keep an eye out for that in the future. 

I was just listening to a chat on the radio about air travel, and they offered some recommendations. The best one is to get the APP for the airline you are flying. This is an ABSOLUTE must. You can see everything about your flight - before you get e-mails or any notifications from the airline. The APP is fantastic! At least for Air Canada. 

So this happened at our house yesterday. 

The work goes on

When I arrived back from my walk, the big cement truck had come to deliver the rest of the front step. I think most of the hardscaping is done now that that is poured. Well, not exactly, as the crew must add the stones to the top step and the patio area. It's not very big, but our front yard isn't huge. But it'll be nice to sit out there, enjoy a cup of tea, and chat with the passersby. 

The new patio area

We're getting a new post for the front step as well. While the old one looks solid enough, the base was rotted, so out with the old and in with the new. 

The support post is cut

Oh -- I did get a bit more ambitious as the day wore on, and I managed to clean my sewing machine and wind bobbins for the next session. 

Cleaning the sewing machine

And I even got so ambitious as to put a binding on a small quilt. This is one of the ones for Project Linus, and two more need to be bound. I hope to get at least one of them done today. However, I did NOTHING towards the homework prep for the weekend, so I had better organize myself for that. 

Binding on a small quilt

And here are the girls. Lexi loves to be near her Dad. But I guess she found the tiles cooler than the wood floor in his office, so she is standing guard outside the door! 

Lexi guarding Dad's office

And Murphy is just entertaining. She's the class clown and can't help herself. I'm trying to read a book, and she's playing with her ball in her new bed. Such a goof!

Murphy the goof

Well, not only is it a busy weekend with classes, I forgot about Sunday with another class - but I don't have much to prep for that one, and it's Virtual Retreat this weekend! I totally forgot about that. Here are the links!

Saturday - June 25 --starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday -- June 26 -- starts at NOON  (I have something scheduled for 10 AM)

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

In looking at the calendar, I am NOT ready for this month to be over. So much more that I want to accomplish! But it is what it is!!

On that note, I'm out of here to get the day started. Loads to do and no time for slacking today, although I'm on duty to drive the family members to the airport today. A minor task. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!