Time wasters!

Instead of putting the group of decluttering books into the donate pile, I decided to read one. I should be finishing a library book. I should have read this book ten years ago when I bought it! 

I'm past some topics—like career goals. I don't have a career—I have my quilting—but I know where I'm going. I just need to pick a date to retire! I don't want to get bigger or better—continuing the way I am is fine. 

But there was a section about email. OK, I know I have a problem. My computer files have almost filled up my hard disk again! It's that darn ONE DRIVE and how Outlook sends the files that are creating that issue. 

So before classes start again in the fall, I MUST figure out how to arrange things so this doesn't happen. But I had to chuckle at some of the tips: 

1. Save large attachments and delete the email. 

That sounds like the simplest thing in the world. But have I done it? Nope - so there's a tremendous amount of space being taken up by unnecessary stuff. 

2. Create a folder for those emails that you must respond to. 

That sounds like a perfect idea, and the thought crossed my mind several times, but have I done that? I did yesterday, and now I need to ensure I use it! I'm very good with other folders, and I'm getting very good with the search tools. 

3. Delete emails that you will never read from mass mailings. 

Guilty as charged! 

There are a few other areas—particularly in the paper world—that I will read, and then the book can go in the donate pile. 

I must NOT get more books from the library until I've had a chance to check out my library. I packed two boxes of books to donate, and browsing my shelves, I found some interesting books. OK—I must read those as I'm still interested in them. Once I read them, they can go. 

Can you tell me why we do that to ourselves? It's insane. It's a hoarding tendency to have stuff and refrain from using it. I don't get it. But the more I do, the more aware I am; hopefully, I can fix it!

I'm getting to the paperwork regularly now - before, I procrastinated, and it was terrible! 

But two things happened yesterday that took up a lot of time, which I'll never get back. I'm not sure if I mentioned that we were getting a utility bill in our name, and then, from time to time, we'd get information in the name of the previous owner. We've been here for over 20 years, and I'm proud to say that we do NOT have 20 years' worth of junk in the house. 

Anyway, a while back, I called the company to get the other name taken off the list. I spent much time on the phone that day, only getting a case number to follow up. Yesterday, it was time to follow up and deal with another issue. 

It appears that the utility company split its bills—anything related to equipment (rental and insurance plans) is now on one bill, and the actual product (gas) on another. Seriously?? I missed that notice, so I was getting overdue bill notices in my name and the other name. Anyway, it's a total mix-up and total chaos. 

I managed to find the necessary information in my massive pile of unfiled stuff—it was on top, thankfully. And then I called. I got a nice person who explained what was happening and that some extra names were in the database because of the change. So that took a half hour, but everything is fine. My bills are now online and will be paid automatically; hopefully, everything will be fine, and I'll no longer get information in the previous owner's name. 

And then I went to the bank to order foreign currency for an upcoming trip, and good grief—that took 30 minutes because their system wasn't working. Seriously? I don't have time to fiddle around with this kind of thing!!

However, as that organizing book said - if you do things in advance, there is room for hiccups, and there's no rush. And even though I'm writing blog posts this week, I'm not rushed! Now, the trick will be to keep it that way. 

Something disturbing happened on the morning walk. Lexi and I were walking along a residential street when we heard some birds kicking up quite the storm. The next thing I knew, a hawk was swooping through the air, and well, it had something in its claws. A couple of birds gave chase, but they were not as fast. It is the circle of life, after all, but why couldn't that hawk have gone for a rabbit or a squirrel? 

Speaking of birds, we have a cardinal in our neighborhood who thinks it's his job to serenade everyone - all the time. I'm starting to get annoyed at his tittering. Can you see him at the top of this tree - singing his heart out! 

The street Cryer! 

Thanks to Murphy's self-prescribed bathing habits, she looks pretty and clean! 

MOM -- I know how to take a bath!

She loves a puzzle, especially when we throw the ball into that bush, and she has to search for it! 

MOM -- I'll find it! 

And sometimes, a dive is required. Thankfully, a dive into the bushes, not the pond! 

MOM -don't worry - I found it! 

We've had a lot of rain lately, and the forest floor is littered with fungi. Some areas are covered with different varieties, but this area has all the same type. 

Fungi in the forest

I had to go to the vet to get Murphy's medication, and I spotted a pair of ducks in a big puddle of water on the vet's property.  

Temporary home for the ducks

AH --- this is the bag with her meds. She has a bladder issue - a weak sphincter, to be exact, and she needs this to prevent her from dribbling in the house. So far, so good. I'm not looking forward to the day when she's old and develops further bladder issues from age. Fingers crossed! 

Sweet Murphy's meds

This is my new go-to spot when I lose my phone. I don't know how often I look for that phone in Studio B, only to remember that I put it under the long arm!! It will go seriously missing one day, and I'll be in trouble. 

This is where I usually find my phone

I was upstairs looking for something, and instead of finding what I needed, I found a small container of thread. So all that thread got brought downstairs and put in its proper home. I'm sure it was set out for some project, but which one? No worries—I know where it is. 

A few things to put away

However, I found the tiny item I wanted in Studio B. What a handy little tool! You'll see this in the blog posts. I have a second set, but I need to figure out where I put that one. That's the problem with some stuff—you give it a home, but it may not be the most logical one, so you can't relocate it! 

I finished a small customer quilt and will trim it today. The next one is loaded for later today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I got less done than I would have liked, but according to the organizing book, I should aim for THREE main things per day. Anything else is a bonus. I wish!!! That's in addition to all the small things we do without thinking.

But when you reflect on the day, quite often, only a few things get accomplished. I have a few more than three on the list today, but two are big ones - well, bigger, and the amount of paperwork is small, so I should be OK. And I'm trying to tidy up Studio B a bit. By that, I  mean keep it in check and do not let it get out of hand. However, putting things away doesn't take long because everything has a home. 

I did not watch an episode of The Quilt Show or tackle the fleece. My neck was tired, so I went to lie down and read instead. And I'm OK with that. 

I think that covers it for today!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Setting PRIORITES and FOMO

Some people know how to say NO! I think it's definitely a learned skill, and I wish I were better at it, but I often get caught up in the moment. I'm MUCH better, but still, a long way to go. 

I think it's super fun to get excited about starting a new quilt project - I like that as much as the next person, but I learned that if you get too excited, you'll end up with a ton of UFOs. You'll be frustrated and guilty because you have started so much, but nothing is complete. 

I've thought about some tips to help us get through the mess -- I won't call it a crisis unless it's affecting your daily life. And by that, I mean, if you are feeling guilty or depressed because of what you've committed to doing, I would consider that a mental health crisis, and it needs to be addressed - NOW. 

One way to deal with this is to STOP. Right now -- STOP! You need to get some paper and a pen. You're going to look around your sewing room and see what you're currently working on. That could also include life outside the studio -- family, pets, other hobbies. Take a note of how many projects are on the go. These are NOT the ones that you haven't started -- these are ones that you've made a block or two or you are behind or whatever. It could be time you spend with parents, friends, or other hobbies. Take stock of it all. 

Write down all your commitments or visible projects causing clutter in your sewing space. 

Now you need to think DEEP and HARD. You NEED to PRIORITIZE those items. Does something need to be done for a gift or a deadline (an URGENT deadline)? Is it part of a class? If so, if you're very far behind, then it's not a priority. If it's taking care of aging parents, can you find someone to help out for an hour or two, so you can sew or just take a breather? 

Before committing to what you'll work on, you also need to take stock of how much time you are prepared to devote to sewing. Remember, spring is here, and the weather is getting too nice to spend all day in the house. 

Now, go back to that list of projects and pick one or two or three or whatever you realistically can get finished. The rest? Get a tub or a box and pack them all away! Seeing all those UFOs can cause us great angst. If you do not have fun sewing anymore, get rid of some stress. I'm not saying you throw the items away, NO -- you just temporarily put them away, so they are not a visual distraction. 

This is very important --- guess what? You CAN NOT do it all! I should know better, and in my defense, I'm not starting anything new that I don't intend to finish. I did over-commit myself the last couple of months, and I've been laying low on other things I commit to -- I haven't submitted anything to a magazine for months because I know I don't have time to make it. 

The only new stuff I've started was for the sew alongs. 

Here's the thing  --- getting access to a whole lot of learning at one time is great, but it doesn't mean you have to take everything! Those same classes or projects will most likely be repeated. And if you don't get to make a certain project as the sew-along, guess what? There'll be another great project for the next sew-along. That's the same with fabric -- you see something amazing, and you HAVE to have it. Guess what? What comes around, goes around -- that great fabric may go tomorrow, but another one just like it will be out next year, and maybe then, you'll actually have a project to do. 

Some other tips for success in our lives and the great quest to learn new things. 

• Do ONLY the homework for that month. Then put it away and wait until next month. If you leave it out and it bothers you to see the half-finished project, you'll want to go ahead and work on it and then not have time for other things. Put it away. That will free up a lot of time for another class or project. 
• You don't have to do the entire project -- maybe you're only intrigued by one style of a block -- then make that into a quilt, and you are done! No one said we have to make our quilts like the original. Make a smaller version -- once you learn the technique, do you really need another full-sized quilt? 
• When signing up for classes, remember -- paper piecing is paper piecing. I don't care how any teacher spins it -- the technique is pretty much the same! You can tweak a few things, but gosh -- it's the same! It's the same deal with free motion -- it's the same. You need to practice instead of taking another class! 
• Make lists of what you have on the go. BEFORE you sign up for more classes, look at your list and then ask yourself if you have the time and the MENTAL capacity to take on something else. If we overcommit, we often don't do a good job, and then we get frustrated or feel guilty. 
• Doing the work and approaching the instructor with your issues is the BEST way to learn. Lots of us think we can learn by watching, but the real learning comes from doing. IF you watched a demo on paper piecing, you wouldn't get it. But by actually trying the technique and stumbling through -- you'll know how to paper piece forever!
• STOP feeling guilty! Just pack away what you can't cope with at the moment. You can deal with it later. 
• As for FOMO (fear of missing out)  -- think about it this way. If you have FOMO, think of how much guilt or stress will be attached to that FOMO. If you are already struggling for time, why will you add an extra project to your plate? Do we ever have FOMO about life? If you are stuck in your studio -- where is the FOMO on spending time in backyard, watching the flowers grow, the birds in the sky, or just being. We do NOT have to do what everyone else is doing. BY getting yourself involved in what others want to do, there is the FEAR OF MISSING OUT on your OWN life. But no one ever tells you that! 
• Start monitoring your time. There's an app you can use to help track your time. How much NON-work time do you spend in front of a screen? There is nothing wrong with it, but if it's wasting time, how much do you want to waste? 
• Before you commit to a new project or new anything, evaluate how much time this will consume in your daily/weekly/monthly schedule. Do you really have the time to take that on? What will fall by the wayside if you're short on time? When I hear comments from my fellow virtual challenge friends, it blows my mind. "I didn't realize it would take so long." What? Do you think you're going to walk 4,000 KM overnight? In three months? Think again -- it will take me almost ONE year to do it, and I'm a big walker every day!! Take 4,000 KM and divide by 365 days -- OH -- that means I have to walk 11 KM every day. So do the same with your quilt projects. How long to complete one block? OH -- there are twenty blocks in the projects? Borders take at least one hour each and so on!! Figure out the time and how it works in your schedule before you commit. 

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Take stock of your projects and time, and then make some TOUGH decisions. That's my plan for the summer -- well, I'm starting it now. I have my list of monthly classes/demos. Some of them will end in June, and the big question is how many will be added in September. At this point -- NOT many! I'm also looking at what is the most time-consuming and where do I get the most bang for my buck! That's where I'll focus, but I want more ME time. 

I also think I want to focus more on finishing and helping others finish or organize or whatever. And LESS time on prepping and making homework notes, as that consumes HUGE amounts of my time. 

As for me, I'm almost out of the woods for this month. Well, not really, but I'm gaining on the end goal, so that's a positive. The writing should be out the door quickly after finishing the blog, and I'll be at the long arm this afternoon after today's two presentations. 

I got a small quilt of my own done yesterday. 

My quilt - DONE

I did a whole lot of different quilting on it. You can't see the quilting in that background, so why bother putting anything fancy there. Stitch in the ditch around all the borders and then some free motion patterns in the wider borders, and lastly, I used a very small pantograph in the center part. I had to laugh as there was a ^%$&& tuck in the back. I can quilt large pieces with no tucks, and I get a tuck in a small piece? Well, it's staying. I'm not sure how that happened, but it's mine, so I'm not going to worry about it. 

The back of my wall hanging

The bottom line is that it's quilted! Now trim, bind and put a hanging sleeve on it. 

It was such a nice day, I left the back door open for the girls, and Miss Murphy likes to know she can come and go as she pleases. It was nice and sunny along the side of the house, so she watched me from outside rather than being in the studio with me. She is so smart -- she stops to look to see if I'm watching her. 

Murphy keeping an eye on me

Did you notice my sign on the top of the bookcase? That's so true!! I was on a Zoom meeting and had my camera and mic off, and I was just listening. I did a bit of sewing while listening and lots of antics as I waved at Murphy through the window. Thank goodness we can turn our cameras and mics off!

OK -- so if you like psychological thrillers, here's one for you  --- The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins.   Where do these authors come up with such creepy topics!!! I have to finish it today --- I NEED to know what happens. Thank goodness for audiobooks!

Here are the quilt shows that I'm aware of in my area. 

The Textile Show at the Gerrard Art Space (Toronto)  --- show runs until April 3!!!  (better hurry on that one!)

Colour with a U  -- a quilt show at the Orillia Museum of Art & History -- runs until April 9 

Common Thread Quilt Guild Ottawa) is hosting its show on May 6,7,8. 

Hamilton Quilt Guild -- June 3, 4

OH - it's my week for QUILTsocial, so be sure to check it out. It's all about accessories this week and one that I spent some time on.

And if that isn't enough, there's a Virtual Retreat this weekend, and I'll post the links tomorrow.

Saturday, March 26 -- starting at 6 PM

Sunday, March 27 -- starting at NOON. 

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What can you do in 3 ½ minutes?

I love finding little pockets of time throughout the day. A great example is the 3 ½ minutes that it takes to cook my steel-cut oatmeal. What did I do this morning in that 3 ½ minutes? I made my lunch, ran to the laundry room for more paper towel and prepped the bacon for cooking, took my sewing machine to the front door for Monday sewing, went downstairs and brought up my Monday sewing bag which I had forgotten to bring up when I came up earlier. Oh, and I let the dog in!

Amazing what you can get done! While the bacon was cooking (50 seconds each side), I cut up the banana for the oatmeal, washed and dried the knife, took my calcium and I usually have a few seconds left for a quick stretch. It's called being super efficient with my time!

Without mentioning any names, there are some people in my house who are not very time efficient! But we won't go there.

The radio station that I like to listen to has moved to Christmas music 24/7 until Christmas. I love Christmas, but I can't deal with that so instead of sewing in silence this morning, I popped over to my old radio station. ACK!!!  That's almost as bad, but anyway - it did entertain me however briefly. I heard this story though which I thought was pretty timely. They were talking about what the kids of today are missing because of Netflix. And what are they missing? That crazy thing you did when the commercials came on. It's like my 3 ½ minutes during the oatmeal cook time. You could get a LOT done in the commercial break. Kids don't experience that! That's how you learn time management!!!

While some people may just hang out (oh - god - they are checking Facebook and Instagram) while they wait for their oatmeal to cook, that's precious time that's wasting! Me? - I'm saving time. The social media stuff can wait until I have time for it!!!  It doesn't rule my life!

I spent a LONG time on the computer yesterday. Editing pictures, sorting pictures and writing. I made good progress. Not as much as I was planning originally to do, but doesn't matter. The first draft is done and that's the worse. It easy to edit something very rough and make it sound good than to write the very rough stuff in the first place!

I got half of the that large customer quilt loaded. Well, the backing is loaded. I'll finish loading the top and the batting later today.

I also made good progress on the next magazine quilt. It's going to be very pretty. I'm really liking it.

I had a couple of errands to run and decided that since it was a gorgeous day out that I'd walk. I had to drop some books at the library, do a bit of grocery shopping and pick up suet for the woodpecker who was not happy with me. I was going to go to the bank as well, but realized that I hadn't brought my debit card. Those three errands took me 58 minutes on foot and 6,000 steps. Now that was a great use of my one hour. I think a certain someone in our house is horrified that I do my errands on foot. Yeah - well, that's why one of us is in great shape and the other is not!

I had put out bird seed when the first snow hit last week. The wood pecker was a wee bit puzzled at first. How the heck do I get to the good stuff???

Wait a minute - how do I get the good stuff?

It wasn't long before he figured out that he could go INSIDE the ball to get the seeds.

Much better

 A little chickadee had the same problem. But I'm sure he figured it out as well. He's on the bottom left of the ball.

Little chickadee triying to get to the seed

Now there's a block of suet and another seed ball besides my two bird feeders. I'm sure this morning that they'll be packed. It's amazing how the word gets out. No birds and then all of a sudden, when you put seed out, they come in flocks!!!!  I used to have a tree close to the feeders and it got chopped back this year. Hopefully, the squirrels won't be an issue this year, but Murphy is fascinated by the feeder. Bad dog Murphy!

On that note, I've a couple of e-mail to write before I had off to Monday sewing.

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!!