It's a good day!

It was a busy day, but it was a GOOD day! I decided to get off my butt and start putting some of this stuff away. Some things in Studio B have languished on the tables since September! Seriously? I know better. So I made HUGE leaps and bounds to get things back in order, and you know what? I feel so much better. I can see open spaces. And I'm much calmer and happier. 

Maybe all those quotes are helping me to see the light! 

Since my decision to change the coloring for Dear Jen, I could put all the blacks and whites back in their spot in the stash room. 

Black and white fabric back on the shelf

All the solids were returned to their usual spot. 

The solids back in their spot

This basket of Kansas Troubles also went back to the stash room. This month, I showed the class (Chatsworth) how to cut ALL the print fabric efficiently, so hopefully, everyone learned how to do that. However, it was nice to get this out of the working space. 

Kansas Troubles back in the stash room

And now, back to Dear Jen. Here are the blocks that I just can't live with. They are not horrible, but I'm not a fan of them. They are bundled in a bag with the book and the new background. All that is now corralled in a container, so it's not strewn everywhere. I'll start back at the blocks for October and try to catch up by next month. 

Out with the old

While we were chatting during Monday Sewing, I was putting things away. When I got bored with that, I finished the applique for Dear Jen for this month. I still have to machine-stitch the applique blocks, but everything is ready. 

In with the new

I still have some paper-pieced blocks to make and one more to sew—there are ten blocks this month—but I like these so much better. I had told myself I would try to use each colored fabric only once, but I see I used the same pink in the center blocks. Oh well—it is what it is. The second animal in the middle on the bottom row is dark. It would be easy enough to remake that block and follow my rules. I'll see. 

Then, I found many strips of this striped fabric in my scrap box of brights, and it may become the sashing for this quilt. 

Hmm -- what about this for sashing?

I like that. Now, I just need to keep using the bright colors in that fabric to connect all those blocks. This fabric is also in a bag and in the same basket as the rest of the project. 

Look what came to my door yesterday? A package with this pretty label on it! 

The packaging

When I opened it, I saw my ABYSS CherryWood Challenge. Yeah!!! I had waited a long time for it, as the fabric bundles were in, but not the box of floss. Now, I need to refine my idea and start working. 

My new Cherrywood Challenge kit

After getting Dear Jen organized, the cutting table was completely empty! I know!! It didn't take much. So, to keep up the momentum, I did this.

More crap to put away 

Yes - I refilled the space with more stuff that needs to be put away. It looks much better this morning, and I will keep at it today. February and March are extremely full of SVP events, and I need to get this tidied up. Nothing like a deadline to get my butt in gear. 

I decided to make some soup around dinner time. The soup was for my lunches this week. I've started cooking the meat and onions and realize I need a can of tomatoes and some celery. I had not gone for a walk yesterday, so I went to the grocery store! I took the shortcut through the forest. There was plenty of light with the snow on the ground to see. All was good, and it was a beautiful evening. 

On my way there, I decided to get another container of laundry soap. I cannot deal with the smell of the Original. Now we have his and hers laundry detergent., 

His and hers laundry detergent

And here's my soup! I've started using Mitchell's Soup Company and LOVE the soups. DH loves them, so he's stealing my lunches! It makes a huge batch, so there's plenty for two. 

My pot of soup

So, a bad thing happened while walking in the morning. Murphy and I are merrily walking along a busy street on the multi-purpose trail. Out of nowhere, a retriever appeared and attacked Murphy! Don't worry - she is fine! But it scared me. A chain link fence separates the path from the houses.  

We've walked past this house many times, and occasionally, this guy has his dog in the front yard, and the dog rushes the fence. But that dog went right under the fence this time, as the bottom support wire was gone! Obviously, this is NOT the first time this dog has done that. First time for us, but the dog and the owner knew the condition of the fence. 

ACK. Murphy went down on her side like a ton of bricks. Many thoughts went through my mind, and I was ready to hurt that other dog. Yes - even though I'm a dog lover, this was wrong! I yelled, and thankfully, the owner called his dog, and the dog left. The owner merely lifted another section of the fence, and the dog went back under. Obviously, this has happened before! 

I didn't say anything because I was a bit shaken, but I should have yelled. It's one thing for this dog to approach the fence and bark its head off, but it's another when it comes under the fence to attack a dog outside. Next time I see him, I shall have a word with him. 

I checked Murphy over, and she had a couple of wet spots where the dog mouthed her, but there were no punctures. I suspect the dog isn't vicious, but it sounded and acted like one. But it didn't bite! Still, the behavior is NOT acceptable. 

She seemed slightly shaken, as she had been pretty subdued for most of the day. I hope she realizes how lucky she was. It could have been much worse - it takes mere milliseconds for a dog to bite, and I know how painful it can be. 

But as I opened the breathing hole in the pond and plugged in the heater, she unearthed one of her frozen teddy bears and was happy to be outside. 

MOM - my frozen bear!

There's a lot on the agenda today, and I need to get rid of some of these boxes before they drive me mad! 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!!

What is that SMELL?

 Oh dear - what have I done? And I can't even blame DH for this one! Plus, I should know better. 

What happened? I saw that we were getting low on laundry detergent, so I decided to buy some on one of my trips to the grocery store. Hmm - I looked at all the containers but didn't spot the same one we are currently using. Oh my -- all these scents. Gross! 

I purchased one with "Original Scent," thinking it would be scent-free. What an idiot I am!!! 

That is NOT scent-free, and now our house stinks like this scent. How the manufacturers can say this is clean and fresh is beyond me. It's a horrible stench! OK - that's a bit dramatic, but I hate it. 

It's not that the smell is unpleasant, but it's STRONG. And in today's world, that doesn't work for me. 

I am NOT allergic to the smell. I hate when people say, "I'm allergic" to the scent. Most of us are NOT allergic to scents, but in the absence of scents in our day, we are hyper-aware or have become sensitive to them. I don't cough or sneeze or get an allergic reaction; I just find the smell strong and distasteful! 

It's the same as when we needed to buy floor cleaning supplies. DH couldn't find Mr. Clean's regular scent, so he got lavender. Oh my god, I wanted that out of the house—it was horrible. Yet, I'm sure some people love this, and that's great—they can use it all they want! Just let me know, and I'll visit when the scent dissipates! 

I'm going to the grocery store to find some unscented laundry soap. I don't mind if DH uses it on his clothes but on my clothes? That's just too much for me to bear for an entire day! And God forbid I wash sheets in this stuff! 

And by the way, for those who missed the post, sadly, Diane passed away in July 2024. She became ill, and I think she stopped sewing for me at the end of 2023. She did a fantastic job clearing up the huge piles of fabric at my house! I am slowly whittling the pile of quilt tops down, but I need to get focused on that. I've never seen Diane's sewing room, so I have no idea what to expect. Was she neat? I suspect so. Did she have a lot of UFOs? I don't think so - she seemed to be the type to start and finish. It will be a mystery tour when I stop in tomorrow. 

All her husband said was that he was overwhelmed by her huge fabric stash. What does "huge" mean? Any fabric stash is huge to a non-quilter. Let's hope he is exaggerating. 

Here's another problem I'm struggling with. I've been struggling with this one for eons, so it's not new, but I wish I could get on top of it! I can't finish ANYTHING! That stack of CDs and DVDs? I made a considerable effort to clean it up, and they are mostly gone, except for about a dozen. Why can't I finish that job? 

The bags of garbage and boxes of books that Yagana cleaned up for M. They are partially sorted by me and sit in the hallway. I get through some of the stacks of my paperwork, and the rest sits there. It's not like I don't have the time - I have the time, but I'm off on something else. This is how stuff becomes clutter. I need to NOT start anything new until I've dealt with the stuff that is currently OUT. FOCUS - I know I can do it! And I'll feel so much better when I do! 

I can't wait to get down to barely any possession because then I'll have to finish any job I tackle. After all, there won't be much there! 

The universe is trying to tell me something. Remember the message in my Yogi tea from two days ago? 

Yogi tea quote

And how about this one from yesterday. 

I say that all the time. Having failures is so critical in our lives. I don't know why it's so frowned upon. So much so that people are paralyzed to do things because they'll make a mistake or do things for their children so they can't fail. Just go for it! As the quote says, making that mistake takes a lot of COURAGE. However, those who make a mistake are ahead of those who sit on the couch lamenting that they can't learn something new. DO IT!!!! What mistake did you make yesterday? Celebrate it this morning! Embrace those mistakes, and then move on! 

I had a few minutes to spare, so I worked on the new jigsaw puzzle. You probably can't tell which city that is by the picture. But if the image were clear, you'd quickly know which US city. There is so much light in that room that the glare on the puzzle makes it hard to take pictures. 

Working on the new jigsaw puzzle

Here's something else new at our house. DH bought tea, and the box has a green band advertising less packaging. For one, the box is smaller, which makes perfect sense. I could never figure out why they make big boxes that are half-filled. They take up more room to ship and store in a warehouse or shop's shelves. There was no plastic wrap on the box! Yeah, Tetley, thank you for making those changes! 

New tea packaging on the left

The cost of chips is high because of the packaging. While the bag size hasn't changed, the quantity has been reduced—they are practically empty. Shipping takes up a lot of space. Remember, shipping is not just about weight but also about volume. 

Well, I'll be off to the grocery store to find the blue and white scent-free container of Tide because I need to rewash everything I washed yesterday to eliminate this smell before it kills me! Oh, the drama! 

I have many things to do today, so I need to work faster. But I'm getting to the point where I see people taking the weekend off, and I wonder why I can't have a weekend off. So I am slipping! But it's the week now, so it's back to work! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!