My secret Santa

One day back, and I'm way behind in what needs to be accomplished this week. However, there is no sense in getting overwhelmed, no sense in panicking. Just slow and steady, and it will all come together! 

This is the only FULL weekend for classes, and the fact that I was away two weeks in a row didn't help with the prep work. I have a plan! I will make it happen, and I've already accomplished quite a bit in the first two hours of this morning! I never accomplish much on Monday with Monday Sewing, but the rest of the week isn't much better. I have a meeting and a mammogram today. An all-day class on Thursday, plus two quilts to quilt this week, but it's all good! 

My SIL has almost completed the quilt top she is making. It has to be on the long arm tomorrow! I see she only has five more seams, so she can accomplish that today. She's learning pretty well, and all is good! 

I get a chuckle out of Lexi. She is all happy and smiles, until the moment I attempt to take a picture of her. She hates the camera!!!!

MOM - -STOP taking pictures!!!!

But that sweet, innocent-looking dog has a sassy streak to her! I caught her yesterday, whipping the top blanket off her bed! Yep - she just grabbed it and yanked! 

MOM - this blanket isn't straight in my bed - fix it!

And when she was done, her bed looked like this. What was that all about? 

MOM - I want a remake!!

Maybe she wanted the "sheets" ruffled up? I don't know, but I remade her bed, and then she was happy to sleep there. 

Murphy, on the other hand, is just a wild dog. Her bed, which she never sleeps in, started off in the corner with her bigger blankets rolled and folded so they can hide her toys. That's Murphy's version of a puzzle. While I was away, my SIL did NOT put a treat in the pink ball that you see, and Murphy kept looking at it and sniffing it. No treat magically appeared. 

MOM -- where are the hidden treats? 

By the time she was done with her blankets, both she and the blankets were in the opposite corner of the room. The bed stayed where it was. She did NOT get the blanket unwrapped, so that is something to occupy her later today. What a goof!!! 

MOM -- I need help!

And then she lies on the floor to look so innocent. She LOVES the camera! 

MOM - -see how quiet I am? 

They had a riot outside yesterday with the cooler weather. This is their element, and Murphy loves the outdoors more than Lexi. Go figure! Often she is lying in the snow. This was her at almost 9 PM last night. Happy as a clam on the snow by the pond. By the way, you can see the green light on the heater, and those fish are loving the heater! I probably need to buy a new bubbler, since the other one wasn't working well, and I don't think it was clogged. I must get that done next week. No time this week. 

MOM - I'm guarding the fish from predators! 

Murphy and Lexi get along just fine, but they cannot coordinate their schedules. In this picture, it looks like they both want in — NOPE: only Lexi will come in. Murphy will wait until I'm settled doing something, then decide she wants in. I swear, 50% of my daily steps are for those girls!!!! I'm just kidding, but they can be very annoying. 

MOM -- I need in and NOW!!!!!

I cleaned out the bobbin area of the retreat sewing machine, and I changed the needle. Shoot -- what I should have done was wind bobbins. WAIT - I still have bobbins in my bobbin rack, and I'm using them up, so no need to do that! 

Cleaning out the bobbin case

I was surprised when I opened the bobbin case that there wasn't as much lint as I suspected. Although when you look at the picture above, there is a lot. I'm pretty aggressive in digging around, and I might not have been that aggressive the last time I cleaned the machine. Do NOT tell any technician that I'm aggressive - they will yell at me. I know --- there are loads of little springs and doodads inside, and well, I'm finding loads of lint! 

The bobbin case is not too bad

I have an account with a real estate company simply to keep an eye on what's happening in my neighborhood. It is definitely NOT a seller's market these days. The number of houses that are not selling or selling below the list price is huge! I typically look at all the pictures to see if the houses are updated (kitchens and bathrooms) and anything unusual. 

Look what I found!!!!

TV on a stand

OK—so you may not be as excited as I am, and you may even have one of these. But I never even thought of putting a TV on a stand that big. I bet I could put my computer monitor on there, so if I wanted to move it to another spot or raise it, I wouldn't have to move my entire computer desk. I'm not about to rush out and buy one, I just thought it was a cool idea. 

By the way, this house was definitely filled with TV watchers. They had a MASSIVE TV in every room in the house. I think that's a bit overkill!!! We only have one! 

I have decided to take on a massive job for 2026 - organizing my embroidery files. Oh boy— I don't even know the extent of this job, but it's HUGE, and needs to be done! 

Some of my designs are sitting on OneDrive, which is HORRIBLE because it backs up to your hard drive, and when you try to delete things, it's a frigging nightmare. I plan to get rid of everything on OneDrive except for my work presentations or anything for a class. Once the class is over, I plan to move it back to my computer. 

OneDrive is an excellent tool for sharing files (working files), but for anything else, it just seems like rabbits - it reproduces, and you have a mess. OK -- most of that is likely operator error. But yesterday, I moved a whole pile of files over. MOVED and guess what? They are still on the OneDrive. Sigh....................

Moving files

And I think what happens is that it pulls files from my hard-disk backup and reinstalls them. Yes—I have a love-hate relationship with OneDrive. Mostly hate!!!! 

So I must learn yet another thing -- how to deal with the files on OneDrive to empty the darn thing out. 

Here is the current status of the Pony Express staging area at my house!!! There are things for four people, and none of them are urgent, so that's a positive!!! It's not too cluttered, so I can live with that.  

Pony Express staging area

Sharing a house, particularly the kitchen, might be a challenge. My SIL is staying with us for an undetermined amount of time. I don't want stuff on my counters!! Help!!!! I will have to clean some cupboards so she can put her stuff away. That's a job for later today. Thankfully, the cupboards aren't that full, but I like to spread out - thinly!!!!

I remade the fourth component for the project that I found the day before. It didn't take that long, but when I compared it to the other three parts, there were two things I did slightly differently. Good grief -- one task and I messed it up! But you can't really tell, and it's going to be just fine!!!! It's a gift, so I will share it when it's gifted. But I have to set it aside - I do NOT have time to do the final assembly, and I want to make a second one. That's a project for next week. 

Some machine embroidery

When I got home, this small gift bag was sitting on the half wall inside the house. It had been left on the porch while I was away. If the person who left it there is a blog reader, they would have known that and planned the drop-off strategically!!!

A drop-off gift at my house

They were even sneakier in that they did NOT put their name on the tag, but they have very neat writing!!!! 

Hmmm -- from my Secret Santa

And what's inside? I couldn't wait until Christmas! It's a die to help me plan my day!!!! It's relatively large, and it's fun! We were playing last night. It kept coming up with finishing a UFO or organizing my stash - both of which I need to work on!!! 

The die from my Secret Santa

I have one person in mind for the secret Santa, but I'm not sure. Anyway—THANK YOU for the fun gift! I'm sure it'll get used a lot!!!

I got a notification that the particular puzzle I wanted, which was previously out of stock, is back in stock. Wait until you see what it is. Who would have thought it would be sold out! Anyway, I also have to pick up something around the corner from the puzzle shop, so now that's an excuse to make a trip. I don't have time, but I need to go! I have put the puzzle in my cart, but I MUST pay for it before the darn thing sells out again. Of course, I'm trying to find a second puzzle to buy -- why buy one when you can buy two? I'm so bad. Oh dear -- I added two more puzzles to my cart. Sigh.............

But then someone sent me this. LOL --- can you imagine? 

How about this for a puzzle? 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have to walk the dogs, and I see the temperature outside has risen by two degrees since I got up. I should just wait a bit longer! Then it'll be time to start the work day! What I get done early in the morning is a bonus! The work day officially begins at 9 AM or thereabouts. 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Through the ages........

OOOPS --- yes -- I knew I misspelled WAZE and didn't have time to go back and check it. It is WAZE!!!! 

But here's the thing --- I used Google Maps yesterday to get to my meeting even though I knew where it was, but I like using it to give me the ETA (estimated time of arrival). I used it there and back home. When I left the house, it estimated I would arrive at 8:11, and I arrived exactly when it said I would, even though there was traffic. It had precalculated the time I would arrive BASED on the traffic. And if there was a sudden change, as on the way home, it adjusted the time. I get notifications of construction, objects on the road, etc. 

As I say to DH all the time, if it works for me, why should I change? It's never gotten me lost, it's never messed up my plans. It's easy to check on my computer before leaving, and I use Google Maps all the time for other applications, not just driving. So I'm not knocking it before I try it", I just don't see a reason to switch. But thanks for the information! When I hop in the car, it already knows where I'm going if I checked my destination online before leaving the house. And sometimes, it already brings up the destination based on my Google Calendar. I don't even have to search - it already knows where I'm going. And it's easy enough to give Google verbal commands to go anywhere. 

In fact, Google Maps has corrected me on occasion. If I only give it a partial address, it knows where I'm going. And once I gave directions to a place that had a different name. It corrected me and told me the CORRECT name of the place. How cool is that? So when something is working, don't rock the boat! 

You know me and technology - if something works --- don't touch it! I equate this to whether I want Apple or Android for a phone. Hands down - I'll take Android any day. I have my reasons, and see no reason to switch to Apple. I won't go into detail, but I'm very brand loyal. VERY brand loyal! 

And you have to love the voice commands with the CarPlay products. I needed to send DH a text when I was on the road. Of course, I'm not in Africa, so I'm not touching my phone. Trust me, they text and drive all the time! So I decided to try the voice commands. I asked Google to send a text message to him. But WAIT ---we don't really text, we do WhatsApp. Will that work? So I asked Google to send a WhatsApp message to him, and it did. It sent both. WOW  --- OK -- I'm not a total idiot, I know how to respond to a message that comes in, but I hadn't initiated sending a message before. I'm not a big messenger person. I rarely get any messages in a day, so it's not a big deal! I have a tiny circle of people I'm in regular touch with, and I like it that way! 

It was a great meeting and I always learn something at the meetings. There are some excellent new products on the way. Of course, I already knew about them, but it's good to get the official word that is communicated to the stores. Plus, just chatting with the other team members brings you up to speed on many things. I just say after what seems like a very long break, I feel a bit out of the loop! It's time to get back in action! 

I'll be hosting a 'What's New' event for PFAFF and Husqvarna Viking on September 23 at Stitch by Stitch in Kingston. If you're a mid machine user, you might want to come and see what's coming. It's pretty exciting!!! This is an in-person event. Even if you are not in the market for a new machine, come check it out. It's a great way to stay informed about the technology, so when you decide you want a new machine, you have some idea of what to expect. These are not your grandmother's sewing machines! 

While some of the business matters were being discussed, I sat with my laptop and designed projects for my upcoming Facebook Live this week. I'll be using the PFAFF machines for that event, but the inspiration can be translated to your machine of choice. Oh yes --- of course, I want to make some new samples. So I have a bunch of stuff designed, and I've pulled fabric or ready-made items, and I'm ready to stitch. 

First, I needed to clean that machine, as it's been a while. 

It's cleaning time

Oh -- there was a little bit of lint in it, but it's all clean and shiny now. 

A "wee" bit of lint was removed

I dug into one of my bins of fabric to find things that are fall-inspired, and I found this. I wirelessly sent the design to the PFAFF creative icon 2 and pressed START, and it's stitching out. As a matter of fact, while I'm writing, I can monitor the progress of the design on the Creativate app on my phone. You have to LOVE Wi-Fi-enabled embroidery machines. And having said that, if you don't have one and the top of the line is out of your budget, you may want to come to the What's New next week at Stitch by Stitch! 

Let the embroidery begin

Oh -- as a matter of fact, while I was sitting at the computer during the meeting, and loading some designs, I had the choice to send the design to my laptop or my computer. I accidentally sent them to my computer twice, and when I got home, the designs were sitting there waiting to be used! Yep --- this Creativate network is the best!!! 

Now, if I had smart dogs, and I had left the embroidery machines on, I could have sent the designs to the embroidery machines. The girls could have pressed Start, and it would have been stitched by the time I got home. How wonderful that would be!!!

I found this photo transfer in the basket of dog fabric! Oh my goodness, this was taken many years ago. Of course, that is M, who hasn't lived here in over 10 years, and Sparky, and of course, our little Sammy. OK -- I don't have a favorite dog! OK --- it's hard to forget Little Sammy! She was a rescue and had many issues, but we worked them out. But how can I ever forget her - she bit me once (my fault for surprising her) and I have a split thumbnail and will for the rest of my life! 

My girls!!!!

I'm not sure I should show you the following pictures, but OH MY GOD -- how we change. 

I was looking through the filing cabinet the other day and found these. I'll just give you the dates they were taken. I won't mention where the pictures came from - I think you can figure it out. 

OH -- I look like I have a bird's nest on my head! And I really look like my Mom in that photo  - at least when she was younger. 

1987

This was obviously my punk rock era! And am I on drugs or what? 

1993

This is my softer, Suzie Homemaker phase. I even curled my hair, but I bet it didn't stay like that for long! 

1998

Obviously, a very bad hair day. This looks like a mug shot! 

2004

Seriously? I'm not photogenic at all, unless I smile, and that at least gives me somewhat of a good image! Not so with these ones! 

2009

A little washed out in this one and zero smile! You probably won't notice, but I wore the same shirt in the 2009 and 2014 photos. I still have that shirt, and it looks as good as it did the day I bought it. Actually, I don't think I bought it - I think I got it as swag at a fundraiser. Or more likely, DH bought it at a golf tournament! 

2014 

At least I look somewhat distinguished in this photo, with that slightly raised chin! The hair is definitely better, but where's that smile? Where's that twinkle in the eye? Nope -- just a dead stare! But that's what they want, so that's what I give them! 

2024

It would be fun to set that up into a morphing video. I'm sure AI would do that for me, but I just don't have time to mess with that. And no one needs to do that. 

I managed to get one embroidery machine up and running today, and my goal is to get the other one up as well. I would love to get five new samples done today and five more tomorrow. I also have to set up the space with all the cameras, but that shouldn't take too long. 

There's so much paper crap surrounding my desk, but I won't be able to touch that until after September 27. I know that many people have been signing up (by paying) for the Colour My World class. I will acknowledge those hopefully this weekend. It's a time challenge to send out individual emails, so I'll think of a way to make that happen. 

I see a dumpster in the driveway of the empty house two doors from us. That house has been empty for two years. It had been rented out to a very large family or a very busy family for several years, and they trashed the interior. I've no idea how badly it was damaged, but the homeowners were heartbroken. And it sat for two years because they didn't know what to do with it. I'm guessing now that there is a dumpster, that they are going to renovate and sell? I'm not sure what their plans are, but it would be nice if someone could make use of the house rather than it sitting empty. 

Well, on that note, I'm out of here! It's going to be a busy day, and I'll be focused on organizing the space while the embroidery machines work away, and then I have to collect stuff for the machine embroidery workshop this weekend. If you are in the Windsor area and want to know all about machine embroidery, that is the place to be. You can contact Heather at Thimble Quilts and Sewing. Check it out! 

I need to change the thread before walking the girls. I can't afford downtime today!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The signs of spring

It's incredible how much time it takes to answer emails and type up some information. I ran around the house yesterday, measuring quilts, typing up lists, and gathering all the information required to order supplies for the concurrent show at Quilt Canada. 

Then I sent it off and realized later that it was a jumbled mess - it was legible, but not very logical. Now that I have all the correct (not guesswork) information, I will resend the list, and it won't take long to fix. 

I still have more email to organize - it's incredible how many things there are to follow up on. And of course, the more you send, the more follow-up is required. But I'm on top of it - or almost! 

Then I got a notice that instead of sending a document to someone else, they received a random link. How did that happen? It took a few seconds to realize that I had uploaded the document, but I forgot to copy the link for the uploaded document. So when I selected paste, the computer just uploaded the last link in my clipboard! Good grief, but at least I figured that one out, and it was easy to fix! 

I'm happy to report that I spent a good part of the afternoon sewing, and it was wonderful. I rarely get to the sewing machine these days, which is not a good thing. I have so much to do! I mentioned the other day I had made an error in cutting, but I forged ahead with Plan B, sort of in the back of my head. 

I'm happy to report that I was able to get what I wanted from what I cut. There are a "few" extra seams in there, and I even had leftovers! I couldn't recut the fabric as I had used all I had. 

The leftover from my miscut

So that was good! I'm not done with that project yet, but I've got some time later today to continue. 

Spring is definitely here, and the flowers and trees are starting to bloom. 

A tree in bloom

Pretty flower

And you know spring is definitely here when you spot dandelions! This one was in my front garden! 

The dandelions are back!

The whole world was mad yesterday. Murphy and I were just about to step into the driveway of the gas station when a truck came ripping across the parking lot and flew out of the driveway and across three lanes. I don't think he even saw me. It was a big truck, not a tow truck, but a truck that does towing. You know the ones I mean.

Anyway, this guy hung back at the median and then drove across it and went in the opposite direction. Probably heard of an accident and needed to be first on the scene. 

That happened TWICE more yesterday. As I was STANDING on the corner about to step off the curb because I had the WALK signal, a car loaded with high school students came whipping by. The driver was looking left to see if he could beat the traffic that was about to start. This driver had a red light. I swear, NO ONE cares about pedestrians. It's all about whether they can beat the oncoming traffic. 

And the third time was a car turning into the parking lot of a grocery and hardware store. He came barreling down the turn lane, with no one behind him, so no need to rush. I was two steps off the curb, so he had no choice but to stop. But there are times when you wonder if they will. 

It's absolutely crazy that our world is so car-centric that drivers often don't see pedestrians, bicycles, e-scooters, or whatever. It's a big accident waiting to happen. One must keep on their toes for sure. People -- WHY are you in such a hurry? Life isn't about rushing through everything you do, but about enjoying it. You MUST read that book, Meditations for Mortals! 

Then you have the other side of the coin. Sometimes, when I'm waiting at the corner for the light to change, I try to look in the direction I'm going, so the driver knows where I'm going. However, since many pedestrians do not respect the lights, drivers are uncertain whether a pedestrian is about to step off the curb. 

I remember when I started cycling - one of the biggest rules was to BE PREDICTABLE. Signal and make no sudden moves, as those are deadly, and no one knows what's going on in your head! So I just stay ALERT, which is why it's never a good idea to walk with headphones on or be on the phone!

Which is hilarious, since I had just walked past the library and was in the residential area, about one block away from the library. I typically don't pick up my phone when I'm walking, but I was taking a picture of the blooming trees and happened to check my email, only to see that I had just received an email saying my library book was available for pickup! I'll go back later today!

I also spotted this row of mini Canadian flags, like little flowers growing! 

Yeah Canada!

We are on the last EXIT Game puzzle, and it's a doozy. We've tried different things, and nothing seems to make sense. Hmmm --- we may have to look at a clue. One more time today, and then we look. 

While it wasn't super hot yesterday, it's time to retire the sweatpants. I was so hot after walking the dogs. I put on my shorts and wore them all day. But then my blood was circulating like mad after an excellent spin class. 

Time to dig out the shorts!

I kept the wool socks, though. I love these socks, and although they're expensive, they're worth every penny. I won't buy cheap athletic socks ever again! 

Something extraordinary happened at the gym. I was changing my shoes in the locker room for class when I realized I was thinking about my upcoming stretch session after class. And I was looking forward to it. WHAT? Did I just think that? Yep --- and I stretched for 20 minutes after the class. 

I'm going to sound like a broken record, and I'm going to sound like one of those goodie-two-shoes, but I can't believe how much better I feel since I started stretching. Night and day, and I'm not saying that to get you going, but it's 100% true. Stairs? What stairs? While I'm not running up them like I used to, I'm moving much faster (with caution and a handrail!) than I used to. And the best part? I'm experiencing so many pain-free hours with my back and leg that I'm jumping for joy! 

My legs are STRONGER, and that shows in the distances I'm cycling in spin class. The number is up from what it's been for a long time. I'm back to where I used to be. I feel better, I stand straighter, and well - I'm better! And all it's taken is a bit of stretching and balancing. 

I'm dead serious about not letting age dictate my life. If a bit of stretching a couple of times a week is going to keep me more active as I age, then so be it! It's a small price to pay for keeping my mobility. I refuse to let the ageing process defeat me and take my independence from me! It's going to happen one day, but I'm way too young to be experiencing debilitating ageing effects. 

As I sat at the table, puzzling over the EXIT Game, I needed to keep Murphy occupied. So I hid her ball in the bundle of blankets in her dog bed. It was hilarious to watch her. 

She started by pulling the blankets out of the bed. 

Mom - I'll find it! 

MOM - that's not my best side!

And she managed to find the ball, but it's hilarious to watch. So I hid it again. This time, the entire dog bed got pulled out of the corner. 

Mom - I can smell that ball - it's here! 

She was huffing and puffing after 5 or 6 episodes of fetching the ball. Just throwing the ball isn't enough, as she's too quick and is back in a flash. But this gives her brain something to do. I still get nothing done because I have to watch her, and it's all very entertaining. 

Mom - I know it's here somewhere!

She is also very persistent. When I take a snack downstairs, especially cucumber, she waits patiently beside my chair because she knows I'll throw her a couple of slices! 

Mom - I LOVE cucumber

I needed to clean my sewing machine, wind bobbins, and change the needle. Do you think it was a bit overdue? But I was soon back in business and sewing like mad. 

A bit of lint from the sewing machine

My package for the Trendtex Challenge was sent on April 22. The expected delivery date was April 24. It arrived yesterday! You can't beat that service! I have never (knock on wood) had an issue with mailing any package. OK - that's a lie - I did have a problem with a quilt once when I sent it to the US, and it was the paperwork going over the border that caused the issue, not the carrier. 

But have you heard about all the horror stories from people? Don't you sometimes think that it's karma? Those issues always happen to those who complain the loudest! Or maybe that's just my skewed perception of the matter. 

Well, I'm off to dodge the traffic, get a few more emails done, and then I'm sitting down at the sewing machine and going to sew my heart out today. And I can't wait to get started. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

 

Murphy helps to declutter

As much as it was nice to be away and sew with friends, it's nice to be home and get back into the routine! 

The Zooms went well, and there was lots of great show-and-tell, some of which I'll share later this week. Then, it was back to cleaning up the stuff. 

I still had all this that needed to be put away. Again, it was slow and methodical. It's not enough to just shove it on a shelf. A lot of stuff needs to be dealt with, and if I don't do it properly, I'll be in trouble. I managed to get through one bag and will work on the rest this week. 

Stuff from the retreat to deal with

You're saying, "Why not just put it away?" I can't because I'm prepping the stuff that will go back to the retreat, and I need to deal with the stuff PROPERLY that will never go back. What does that mean? Well, have a look. 

Take the black-and-white split nine patch, for instance. I need more fabric. Most of my black-and-white fabric has been pulled for Dear Jen, but I knew some fabrics were still in the basket. Look what I found! This is a striped fabric (2½") printed this way. Since I'm using 2½" strips, this is PERFECT for this project. 

A preprinted striped black and white fabric

I didn't bother cutting it, as it's easy enough to do at the retreat. The next retreat is at the same place with loads of room to cut. I know I'm short on the darker fabrics, so I cut two strips from the darker fabrics I found in the basket. 

As I cut for Dear Jen, I'll cut a 2½" strip from each and throw it in the bag. Having a plan helps me get this stuff done!

Then, I grabbed the paper-pieced kit, laid them out, and sorted the fabrics. 

The paper-pieced kits

Everything got put away in its proper place. And I won't ever have to worry about that again! This takes little time and isn't rocket science to figure out! Bit by bit, I'm saving myself a HUGE amount of time one day!

At lunch, I started reading another storage magazine; at least in this one, they talk about dealing with clutter. I laughed when I read this question in their Q&A section. Hopefully, you can read the last sentence! They have NO IDEA!!! 

And the rest of the retreat bag was dealt with similarly - slow, methodical, and THOROUGH. 

The weather is a bit weird—we had some snow last week, but the temperature has climbed. Even though it was 4 degrees when I walked the girls, there were icy patches, so I was careful. I was overly cautious, as most of what I thought was ice was just wet, but I wasn't taking any chances. 

First, however, these shoes went in the garbage. 

Bye-bye favorite shoes

I have another pair sitting at the door, and they technically need to be in the garbage as well, but I haven't had a chance. OK - that's so lame! The tread on them is much better, so I'm wearing those while I wait for my new ones to arrive. I might keep these for the really snowy or crap weather days. The tread is OK on them. 

Temporary shoes

Yes, I need to change my running shoes every three months with all the walking I do. Remember that I almost always (99.9%) wear the SAME shoe (running shoes)—they're my go-to shoes. I rarely wear boots, so changing the running shoes often is a must. YES -- even if the tread looks OK, the insides break down and no longer provide support. I'm sure most of you do NOT walk 350 KM in one month, so you don't need to change as often as I do. I have no one to blame except myself for that debacle last week with the fall. I'm happy to report that my neck is almost back to normal. 

Oh, then I had to deal with the I Spy stuff. The yardage and extra squares went with my boxes of I Spy fabric. The quilt went in the to-be-quilted pile, and the smaller bits went into this labeled drawer with the rest of my I Spy scraps. 

I Spy scraps

Then, I did something LONG OVERDUE. Instead of putting my sewing machine away, I cleaned it! 

Cleaning the sewing machine

This is the ONLY sewing machine I own, so I need to take better care of it. Yes - I have the use of the other machines and tend to use those instead of this one. But this is my travel machine, and I love it! I cleaned it and put in a new needle. I also restocked my supply box with thread and wound bobbins! It's ready to go for the next retreat. 

I also wrote myself a note and put it with the sewing machine to remind myself when all this was done because, in a couple of months, I will not remember. 

There was so much dust and lint in and under the accessory tray. It looks much better now, but it desperately needs servicing. Even if you don't use your machines often, they need to go in for regular servicing because they need to be oiled. The oil and grease can gunk up inside from lack of use, and it's NOT good for your machine to sit. That's why I sold all the other ones I wasn't using. I didn't want to maintain them if I wasn't using them. 

I got a community project quilt done. 

Community project quilt - DONE

It's trimmed, and I need to start putting those bindings on! There are ten or eleven now, and the pile is getting higher! 

I popped into the library, and OH MY—we have new machines for checking out books. The setup is the same as the old system, but this is contained in one unit! It's super easy to use, except for remembering the PIN number, which is part of your phone number. And I was getting books for DH. Do I remember his number? Nope!!! I had to look it up!

The check-out process at the library

I should not have done it, but I found three books at the library for me! So I carried those home. Two should be a quick browse—you do not need to read the entire book—just the section that interests me now! 

I also stopped at the thrift store, and I scored!!! I found this in the bedding section. 

A felt linen storage bag

It's about twenty inches square and made of lightweight felt. It looks like a linen storage bag and will be PERFECT for storing my small quilts. I'm pretty excited to put them in this. I have something similar, but it's rectangular and not as large. I've been looking for something exactly like this for a while. 

I also spotted two other storage bags with clear vinyl on one side. 

Two more storage bags

They will be suitable for table runners. Whatever I don't use, I'll donate back! 

They have a handle, but I don't think they would be strong enough to carry by the handle. I don't care; I just want the bag for storage. I need to tackle that this week, along with many other things. I'm good if the bags sit on the floor in the closet. 

I swear I took a picture of the EXIT Game Advent Calendar but did not. Suffice it to say that we finally dug it out last night and successfully solved the first puzzle without looking at the clues. DH and I came up with the solution on our own. We work so well as a team - he found one part, and I found another! He wanted to do more, but I said we need to savor this game, and if we're done by the end of January, I'll be happy. Good grief -- too much excitement in one day! My brain is good for one puzzle a day! 

We have Murphy and Lexi, and they take up a lot of space in our house. Not just their presence, but their stuff! We have Lexi's kennel, Murphy's window bed, a dog bed under a table, and a set of blankets on the floor in another corner. All that's in the living room. Then there's a dog bed in the office and one in the family room. Do they need them all? Probably not, but Lexi used to sleep in the dog beds before she was allowed on the couch. Now, she's a princess. 

In the afternoon, when I was having my snack at the kitchen table, Murphy was chomping on her bacon-flavored broccoli toy in the bed that's in the family room. 

Mom - I LOVE my new toy! 

Then she decided that the bed needed to be moved. 

MOM - I get a better view over here

Then she moved it again. 

MOM - this is better - I can watch TV and chew

The next thing we knew, she attacked the bed and started to rip the foam inside it! She pulled the foam out in bits and left them on the bed. Then she shook the bed, and there was foam everywhere! 

MOM -- this bed has to go! I'm done with it! 

It was hilarious, and instead of scolding her, I took pictures and sent videos to Mr. Bear. The bed belonged to Sammy, a much smaller dog. While Murphy and Lexi could snug into it, it was too small and very old. It needed to be tossed. 

Thanks to Murphy, that bed is gone. Will it be replaced? Absolutely not! I moved the set of blankets from the living room into that same spot, and all is good! 

Well, it's time to get to spin class. I'm going to try this morning and see how it goes. It may or may not work out. The pain is not so much fun in the morning, but things seem to settle down somewhat after the morning walk. The pain doesn't go away, but it's much less. Let's say the pain is tolerable, but I have to be on a plane next week, and I have no idea how I'm going to manage that. It's a three-hour flight, and I can envision myself lying in the aisle with a pillow under my leg. Let's pray that I get an upgrade, or I'll be taking a stick with me to chomp down on, like in the old days when they had no anesthetic when they did surgery!

I'll be putting a review of my 2025 class offerings on the blog later this week, as well as the Virtual Retreats planned for December. I'm going to have something around Christmas Day because many people have no plans, so why don't we all sew or just chat? It makes it a lot less lonely for those missing family!

I haven't harassed you in a while, but do NOT forget to keep at the decluttering. Drawers, papers, doors, countertops—every place has clutter! I know—I've been there and am still there. Keep at it—you are going to be amazed at the sense of peace that you'll achieve. I LOVE it! 

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

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!