What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

You'll be happy to know (and I'm thrilled) that I made excellent progress on the samples, and I'm almost done. Yes, a bit more stitching is needed, and they will be finished. Thank goodness. I didn't think the process out too much in advance; I may have overdone it. But I'm learning lots while making them, and that's all that counts!

I know that many of you are in the process of decluttering right along with me. There are all kinds of 30-day plans, and on each day, you tackle a different area. I ...

Stand up - sit down. D that ten times an hour; you'll run a marathon before you know it. OK - maybe not, but it's a good start to keeping/maintaining mobility and helps prevent stiffness. 

OK—I'm not going to belabor that one today. I didn't know how to title the blog today—a Christmas miracle? But let's say something absolutely amazing happened in our house yesterday, and I'm giddy.

My daughter (M) moved out ten years ago. While her car was packed to the gills, stuff was still left in her room. Over those ...

OK—I'll try to stop talking about the decluttering thing in the blog for a bit. But seriously, you won't turn back once you get the hang of how this works. I opened the pantry in the kitchen when I had a few moments waiting for lunch to heat up. We store the dog supplies in there. It wasn't quite tidy enough for me, so I spent a mere five minutes, and now it looks like this. Did you notice the partially empty shelf? If we didn't have dogs, this would be EMPTY!

The dog supplies ...

I slept with Mr. Bear on the sofa, and he's so darn cute. When he gets cold, he just comes and snuggles under the covers! When he needs a break, he comes up for air. But when he heard the kids get up in the morning, he needed to be part of their action, so he was gone! 

I helped do some more unpacking. A few more things were on the truck to unload, and they got brought to the apartment. Then we had to get rid of the garbage and recycling, so everything went down. They rented the ...

For those who signed up for Spice Market at any time, YES—you are in. I'll be sending out an email tomorrow. I'm so sorry about that! I'm excited because I found my main fabric yesterday, and it's bright! I don't know if there are pink spices in the world, but I'm sure there are. Now, to find the fillers, which I'm sure I can find in the stash. 

As I sit here and write this morning, I have company. Well, not exactly company, but a companion. Yep -- Mr. Bear is sleeping under ...

The blog will be a bit late today for those who use it for breakfast entertainment. It was a busy day, and hey—we all want to see the pictures of the reason we flew out here. 

First—yeah—to Air Canada. They have reached a tentative deal, and the strike is averted. I was all checked in—at the back of the plane—row 57! Yep—it's a big plane. But no worries about it being canceled. 

Should I start with the evening and work back to the morning? Heck no -- you have to read about my day ...

What can I say? This whole trip has been filled with lies and deception! But for an excellent reason! 

And yes, I confess there have been more lies and deception since I attempted to clear things up the other day. But today? I get to reveal everything!!

Some of what I told you before is true. DH and I have not taken a vacation together in many years, and we rarely do anything spontaneous. I might from time to time, but he never would. OK—so that's the background there. 

To keep the record straight and I know someone ...

Today, there are two presentations, and both are as ready as they will be! There is so much to share with the groups, and I can only hope the message gets across. I get some questions and know that some are getting it, and well, I need to review for a few! The biggest issue with EVERYONE in any class is STABILIZER!!!! It's not that hard!!!! 

But all is good. Then I have nothing on the agenda until Monday morning, but I have eleven Zooms next week, one in-person event, Monday sewing, and a meeting. And that's the ...

I don't know why it's taking me so long to get back into the swing of things this year! It's only January 5th, but I usually have all the class stuff done in December. I finally got all the software club information to the three stores, so watch for that. The clubs are scheduled to start the first week of February --- Brampton Sew and Serge, Stitch by Stitch, and Thimble Quilts and Sewing. 

Now, you can call them and ask or simply be on their newsletter/e-mail list, and you'll get the information. 

There are still ...

The e-mail recreation continues. The only people I have yet to contact are those in the UFO groups and the Heartfelt Sampler. But if you were interested in anything else (Many Blocks, Out of the Box, Machine Embroidery, Digital Cutter), you should have received an e-mail from me. If you have NOT, send me a note, and I'll add you to the appropriate list. 

Then, once that is organized, I can delete the rest of the class e-mails for 2023. That's going to free up a whole lot of space! 

Based on some of the advice I've ...

Hmm -- some interesting comments on the blog. Some of us joke that when someone says "interesting," it can have a negative connotation, as in - you see someone wearing something you don't like or think is inappropriate. You politely say, "Oh, that's an interesting outfit!"

But that is not the case for the comments. Someone mentioned going to a one-car family that I would be giving up my independence. Hmm --- that is NOT the case at our house. 

Both of us work from home and have for years. I walk to EVERYTHING in my neighborhood - the doctor, the dentist ...

The show MUST go on! For whatever reason, my internet at home isn't happy this morning. At first, I thought it was my computer, but I didn't have much open. But even after restarting the computer, it wouldn't work, so I'm currently using my cell phone as a hotspot, and I'm connected! 

I have two Zoom this morning, so let's hope that everything is back to normal by then, although I can use my phone to hotspot if need be. And I'm happy to report that the presentations are DONE! I could have ...

 I love living close to the airport. Our house is not situated under a flight path, we are slightly to the south, although we can see when planes land at both runways and there are occasions when we can hear the planes. We are close enough to identify the airline of the planes! But it's such a low noise, dependent on the cloud cover, and we don't hear the wheels open nor the takeoff and landing noises that I'm OK with it. I love watching the planes come in. 

But there is another reason I love living ...

I have to say that I'm super PROUD of my kid! While we don't always agree, she has a head on her shoulders and didn't panic! 

She's been in Turkey for the last couple of weeks. She met up with a couple of friends, and they've been having a blast by the look of the pictures. They were initially going to Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt, but thankfully, they changed their plans. I did not say anything. It's not my vacation and not my life! 

Now, it was time for her to return, and she ...

Oh my -- I almost forgot to blog this morning. I'm reading this LONG book and want to know how it ends, so I'm sneaking in any possible moments to finish it. It's over 1,000 pages on my phone, which is long, and I'm not sure it needs to be that long. I find it very confusing -- so many characters and so many details. I've no idea how the author was able to keep everything together. In case you're wondering, it's called Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. And yes -- I know that is ...

 A new day -- a new city! I'm in Vancouver now. Yep --- my Aunt and I took a trip back to the galleries and got photos of the artwork we loved. I'm not going to share this morning. I'll wait until I get home, but hopefully, you had a chance to check it out because the stuff is absolutely stunning. 

Then we were off to the seaplane dock and waited a few minutes for the seaplane to arrive. Goodbyes are never fun, and I need to come back more often! It was a wee bit windy (not really ...

 I'm up EARLY  -- the blog post should be on time!

I had two more successful events yesterday, and those attendees went home knowing a lot more about what they could do with their PFAFF sewing machines and loads of inspiration for making quilts. I came away with a list of samples I want to make to improve the presentation! 

Thank you to Patrick and Peachtree Quilt Shop for a fantastic couple of days! Loads of fun, and I got to meet some new people. 

So where am I next? The next stop (work-wise) is Quilt Canada in Halifax. So ...

Yes --- ME time is essential, and while I get some every day, I WANT ENTIRE days, not just a few hours here and there, so that is scheduled for later. Right now, I need to deal with what's on the schedule. 

But someone mentioned something that I've been contemplating for a long time. I use TWO computers, and there are times when it's a challenge to keep everything organized. I've often thought of moving to one computer, but I don't think I can! 

Why? I LOVE having a large screen for working at home. My ...

Lots of great tips on the rash -- thanks to everyone for that, and YES -- I agree about the blow dryer, although I didn't resort to that. But the cool air blowing on my arm in spin class was very soothing. I'm happy to report that while it's still itchy and I'm keeping my hands off of it, it's calmed down. That Tea Tree Oil did the trick! Now to prevent anything from touching it, which reminds me it's there, and I want to scratch it! 

This weather is crazy! One day we're in ...

Rest assured, no rabbits were hurt in this incident - at least not to my knowledge! I mentioned yesterday that the girls were on the hunt for a rabbit under the gazebo. I have no objection to rabbits, but could they live OUTSIDE of my yard where the dogs can't use them to hone their hunting skills? 

I let the girls out earlier than usual yesterday as I was going to be away in the morning. They got on the scent of this rabbit, and well, like a dog with a bone, they would NOT give up. Fortunately, they were ...