What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Lots of questions today! 

First, Lexi and Muprhy have a babysitter to keep them company. I'm afraid I'm going to come home to find them with many new bad habits! But that's OK. They will get short walks, so they won't be totally wild when I return. I HOPE! 

How will DH cope? I'm not sure, but one thing -- he will NOT be climbing the mountain. He is doing his thing for the days I'll be in high altitude. It wasn't even up for discussion! 

The portable office? Well, the only reason I ...

The countdown is on for this trip, and I'm pretty much organized. I packed my small backpack yesterday - the important one with my protein bars, all the medication, and a few other things, like three pairs of glasses! I have a few other small things to pack, but it should easily be under 10 lbs. 

I got a chuckle as we've heard many times about small planes that you need to get from one destination to another, which we have to take for parts of this trip. I believe the maximum weight per passenger is 20 KG, and ...

I WAS going to say Rose of Sharon!! I am quite confused about plants, but I believe you are correct! It's hard to believe that my paternal grandfather and mother had green thumbs, yet I struggle to name even a few plants in my garden. 

But I was attempting to use my pale green thumbs as I puttered in the garden in the morning. More in a second. 

It was another fun day at the Virtual Retreat. Our new hours are 3 PM to approximately 9 PM EST, in case you'd like to join us in the future ...

Oh my goodness — everyone was in such a chatty mood last night, it was hard to get a word in edgewise! But that is great! We had some fantastic discussions, and I always learn a great deal from them. Remember, the Virtual Retreat starts today at 3 PM. Pushing back that start time is another way for me to recover some time for myself! I can always open the call earlier if people want, but I won't be there until three. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things, only to have my schedule turned upside down again ...

Thankfully, my arms are feeling much better. I have learned that I should have moved my arms around after the injections and during the day to help with discomfort. The doctor should have mentioned it, but while he gave me all kinds of advice, that was not one of them! I'll survive. 

I'll see what I can do about getting the Hep A & B and typhoid shots before I leave. It will be tight as there isn't a lot of time, and I have other things on the go! I know - my health is more important; it ...

And just like that -- I'm back into my routine! 

I spent the morning visiting a friend, and it was great to catch up with them. I hope to be able to do that more often in the future, but who knows! Then it was back home and to work! I'm so looking forward to a less "controlled" schedule. I won't be sitting around eating bon-bons, but I won't have so many time commitments. 

It wasn't one of the most productive days, but I knew I had to get those suitcases unpacked and work on the ...

 AHA -- another great idea about getting rid of the SCRAPBOOK stamps is to check with retirement homes! I need to make a few enquiries over the next couple of months and then see what I can do. It would be great to empty that closet --- I know she will fill it up again, but as long as she is not buying new stuff, I'm OK with moving things in there so it's less messy! 

I dropped off the bag of scrapbook stamps that I had sold (Facebook Marketplace) on my way to the airport, so that was good ...

Whoever said that traveling is fun - well, think again! The prep for travel is insane. I had to pack two suitcases of samples, and that was after I finished making some of them. And there is one jacket that I'd like to take, but do you think I can find it? Nope! I've checked everywhere, except that's a lie since I couldn't find it; I haven't checked the one place it is. Oh well --- I'll talk about it. But where the heck could it be? I swear I had two jackets set aside because ...

WOW --- I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with crazy insect bites! And YES, I believe these are more than mosquito bites. The one on my leg seems calm for the moment, but the itchiness can flare up once I get walking outside. I may look into that other product someone mentioned. 

As for the tattoo? Oh -- I keep forgetting that not all of you have seen it. I'll see what I can do about getting a good picture of it. It's a bit challenging! Can anyone guess what it's a picture of ...

YES to the towel on the ironing board! I love it. I was pressing under the edges of some hexagons using a cardboard template, and they didn't shift! And yesterday, I accidentally put a bit of fusible on the towel, and that's easy enough to get rid of. Well, it's still there, but I can wash that towel, and any crap, dirt, and stains are gone! Why didn't someone tell me this earlier? 

While I accomplished a fair amount yesterday, I'm not sharing it yet. Some of it is for a writing assignment, which should ...

Oh my --- I love reading the comments. However, there are some days when  I get inundated with spam. And for the most part, it's easy to know that it's spam. I wonder how that happens? I mean - does someone set a program to troll for keywords? I know I'm not the direct target, the keywords just get picked up, and then AI writes some creative, mostly nonsensical sentences. Thankfully, all new comments are at the top of the list, so it's easy for me to browse them daily and delete what shouldn't be there. 

But ...

I had some major running around to do yesterday, so I didn't get much accomplished, but I did manage to sort more crap. I'm happy to report that only this much remains to sort. 

What's left to sort

As I look back on when I started quilting, there are many things that I wish someone had told me. But there is one thing in particular I wish someone had drilled into me. I wish they had embarrassed me, harassed me, or taken whatever means to instill this message into my being. What is it? 

NEVER, and I mean NEVER, take on more than you can do! I'm talking about UFOs. 

Here's a piece of advice for any of you out there (not Elle, of course, as she's on top of it! and I'm darn ...

I am thrilled to say that it took me three trips to unload the car once I got home from the sewing retreat. One for all the loose stuff in the front seat - water bottle, glasses, etc. And two trips with bags and the sewing machine. Wow -- I love that and I didn't run out of stuff to do! 

In the morning, we stopped in at a local quilt shop as they were having a sale, and a few things went into my bag. Suitable for backings at that price! I should take pictures to share. However, I have ...

I don't know what to say this morning, and that's a first. 

OK—I'm kidding, but I had a very eye-opening experience this morning. If I were of sound mind (which I'm not), I'd go downstairs and take every pattern in those boxes, bundle them up, and take them somewhere. I don't know where, but somewhere. I have NO RIGHT to even consider starting a new project. 

What happened to traumatize me? I'm working on this MASSIVE project for my concurrent show next week at Quilt Canada. It's called Celebrating 25 Years ...

 As predicted, I didn't even turn the sewing machines on yesterday. I hope today will be a more productive day! I also quilted a quilt, but you must wait to see it! Let's see - what did I do then? 

I have a major computer project on the go. I started it yesterday, and it's turning out amazing! Let's hope it continues in the direction I envisioned. If all goes as planned, you'll see the results next week. 

I had to make an appointment to get our travel shots, and that's next week, as I ...

It's time for a reality check! I did say that there was NOTHING in July; however, that is false. I have a LOT of writing to do in July. I love writing, and I can do it on my time—even in the middle of the night if I want. So yes, I will be busy in July; there just won't be classes. That's why we have editors—they remind us of our commitments and keep us on track! 

Today is going to be a traumatic day for our house. Miss Lexi has to get some dental ...

Thanks for the tip on eliminating SO from my vocabulary. That's all good advice. I used those techniques to switch "hit" with touch or select. This, too, will happen, but until you are aware, you can't change a thing! It's like the quote from the other day. 

Quote of the day

Self-awareness is crucial to self-improvement, but most of us are unaware of the little annoying things we do. Getting constructive criticism or someone to film you is key to fixing that. I understand that no one wants to watch themselves on video, but ignore how you ...

Someone has misinterpreted my view on packing and planning for a vacation. Even though I am a Virgo, I am not a fan of planned vacations. Why? I have no idea, but I suspect two things contribute significantly to that fact: 

1. I spend almost every day planning classes and Zoom calls, and my life revolves around teaching scheduled classes or deadlines, so when I go on vacation, I don't want any structure. 

2. My first "real" vacation was not structured, and I had a blast! 

I took that first "real" vacation with my then-husband. He was a hot ...

People always say they can't wait to go on vacation. Do you know that prepping for vacation or even a couple of days away is one of my most stressful things? There is so much stuff to prepare, so much planning. It's one of the reasons my life at home is so routine—same breakfast, same lunch. There's zero mental ability expended on those tasks!

I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with planning for this upcoming vacation. I've left it to DH, which I know I shouldn't do! After Quilt Canada ...