What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We had a conversation about my magazines at the Virtual Retreat yesterday. Just throw them away - AHA! - They didn't listen that I need to do it my way! 

But here are a couple of reasons why I need to do it my way. I gave this a lot of thought during my morning walk with the girls and my afternoon walk. 

• I may find inspiration for something in the magazine.
• I may find something (or multiple somethings) that then become a story for the blog. 
• Or my warped sense of humor may just be amused by a tidbit I ...

Not only did I cave and put my pants back on (from wearing shorts instead of not wearing any pants at all!), but I also turned the heat back on in the house. It's cool outside! The girls are loving this weather! 

And the decluttering motivation has hit again! I swear - once you start to see those open spaces and NOTHING to fill them up, well, it's inspiring! 

I started by pulling everything from that corner in the office. Yes - another instance of pulling everything out, but will I actually deal with it? 

The current pile of crap ...

Now you see why I'm not a gardener! I got the names of these flowers wrong. These are hyacinths, not hibiscus. Why did I do that? I know these flowers, but obviously had a moment. Oh yes - flowers - love them, but not my thing! I just enjoy the beauty! Thanks for catching that! I went back and changed it! 

Hyacinths!

And I spotted another TREE that's in bloom. What kind of tree? No clue! And I don't really care - it's just pretty! 

A blooming tree in the neighborhood

A lot of things happened yesterday! If you ...

One thing about decluttering your house is what to do with all the stuff! Most of us don't want it to go to the landfill, but I can see a lot of good things going there because people don't want to take the time to find a good home for things, nor do they want to take the effort to deliver them. 

When Yagana cleaned out M's stuff upstairs, about 10 or 11 boxes were sitting in the hallway. Five boxes remain, and I'll deal with those later. I sorted half of the boxes, and now ...

Murphy's thoughts are rubbing off on me! No, I didn't want to throw my sewing machine into the pond so someone could rescue it. But as she and I were walking yesterday, a thought popped into my head, and oh my goodness. I realized that if I added the embellishments in their two separate components, I could stitch them to the wall hanging. No glue required. It means sewing part of it with a sewing machine, which I like, as that's sturdier than glue. The second part of each embellishment can be hand-stitched. 

Thank you, Murphy, for ...

I swear Brooke (my personal trainer) is trying to kill me! Her philosophy is, let's just sneak a bit more weight on there when Elaine isn't looking! But all is good, and my mobility continues to improve. I'm not so sure about the tightness in my muscles, but I can only hope! I need to do more stretching at home, but there are definite improvements, so all the hard work is worth it!

I don't want to say that yesterday was a total bust because there was some significant learning involved, some sewing, but not much ...

Did you notice what I missed yesterday? As I was walking the dogs, where I get my most profound thinking done, I realized that if I don't change the pharmacy on my chart at the doctor, they will merrily send the next prescription to the old pharmacy, which hopefully won't be for a year, but I'll forget by then. So I called the doctor to make that change. Good grief - they need the fax number. FAX? I didn't have that, but when I went to pick up the prescription, I got the fax number, so that ...

I laugh about the subwoofer! It would be in my STASH room if it was bolted to the floor beneath the family room. It's going to stay where it is - behind the sofa. But it makes sense - it's a SUB woofer, and it's just an ugly-looking box. I've no idea why, for 20 years - it had to sit front and center in our family room. But that's a thing of the past. 

And if all goes well, the old TV and surround sound will be picked up in an hour! I have a few other ...

 It's funny how the days just seem to jumble together. It's almost like Ground Hog Day when the same things happen repeatedly! I am somewhat "chained" to the house because of those presentations. They are all over the schedule, so I must watch the clock. But all is good! I had two presentations yesterday, and both went well. I'm back in the groove for the new topics, although I still have some samples and supplies to organize. 

Guess what I did with my "free" time this morning? I sorted and organized, and every little bit made me ...

I should mention that we live on a court, so there's no sidewalk plowing. The street that our street joins is also not cleared by the city. However, the next street over the sidewalk is plowed. It all works out, but it's annoying that homeowners can't do some work. I wonder how I'll get to the plowed sidewalk this morning with the girls. I'm walking on the street, I guess. 

So when I was in BC last year—Penticton and West/North Vancouver, to be exact—I would NOT want to live there if there ...

 AHA -- we have it from a produce manager that bananas come in the box in bunches, NOT singles. So, can you tell me why people remove one banana from the bunch and leave it behind? If I were a produce manager, that would drive me BANANAS. I would stand there and watch the consumer and then ask them why they did that. If you want five bananas, pick up a bunch with five; don't pick up one with six and remove one. That's just silly. I still think the grocery store should give us a discount on those ...

Even though I have a hectic week ahead of me, with many day-job presentations, some of which require considerable sample-making and five Zoom meetings on the weekend, I am calm. I am in control!

What happened? After yesterday's three Zoom calls, I looked at the chaos and said, "ENOUGH!" There were samples all over the floor, which Murphy thought was great to trod upon as she attempted to get some petting. Scissors, needles, thread, and hoops were strewn everywhere, and the situation was not working. The visual clutter alone made me—I don't know what's a good ...

Oh my -- I need to get back to answering your comments. So many great ideas -- thanks for all of them. Maybe I'll get back to a few today. 

Yesterday, I gave two more presentations. This time, our format is 90 minutes, not 60, and that extra 30 minutes is tough. No, it's not tough, but I'm so used to a 60-minute format that it's just a question of getting used to it. Plus, I open my calls 30 minutes in advance, so each call is now 2 hours. No bathroom break, so I have to watch ...

My name is Elaine, and I'm a hoarder! So we've known that for a long time, and I'm trying very hard to break the habit. For myself - it's a bit of a learned habit, as my mom is a hoarder. It's also wanting to collect all the shiny things. And then there is this situation. 

When I arrived home from the retreat - all of this came back into the house with me. Poor Murphy was beside herself because she couldn't get to the door! 

MOM - I can't get to you!

Before I get into today, I want to clarify one point. In all the decluttering, I have perhaps "strongly" advised everyone to stop buying, which is undeniably true. 

Here's the thing—we live in a bizarre world where our wants are dictated by marketing people, who are motivated by CEOs who want more profit on the bottom line. This goes for any industry. Did you know that marketing and research people intentionally make products that appeal to our want mentality? 

We have wants that must be fulfilled, so we buy, buy, buy. Sometimes, we buy and bring home a ...

 There are a couple of things to clear before I start on today's topic. 

1. The USB stick --- good grief - this was a challenge, and it was only when someone sent me a picture of how it opened that I got it! DUH!!! There are days when I wonder how I make anything happen, and then there are days when I amaze myself with my creativity! Oh shoot -- I didn't take a picture of how it opens, but the ENTIRE top of that white square turns, causing the connector to pop out. There were little arrows on the ...

Oh boy, so I went to Diane's house yesterday. I had never been in her sewing room before and had no idea what to expect. However, I have known Diane for many years and have learned some of her habits. She always finishes things. I have never heard her talk about a UFO in my life! She was very organized. But having worked in a quilt store for many years, what came home with her? 

It was a quick walk through the forest to her house. The temperature was great, and there were big fluffy flakes of snow, and ...

Oh my gosh, your comments are too funny. I always get a chuckle! YES, we reboot our router much more regularly than we used to, but it still doesn't help. This reminds me that I must reboot it this morning while walking the dogs! 

A lot happened in the house yesterday, and I can't share any of it with you! At least not yet. But I went to bed feeling MUCH BETTER than when I woke up. I was not sick, but I had a massive weight on my shoulders because I had two classes to prep for ...

I had a chance to read more of the Organizing magazine and found some tidbits to share with you. 

But first, I promised some pictures of my decluttering/organizing skills. 

One of the things about decluttering/organizing is that if you don't do it correctly, and by that, I mean - in a way suited to YOUR needs, the system won't work. You'll end up with a cluttered, chaotic organization system. While it is good to check out what the magazine says, or I guess I should say social media, or me, you have to tailor ANY solution ...

Decluttering! A lifelong skill that no one teaches, but they should! Clutter creeps up because we don't have homes for the things we own. And we are notorious for buying MORE. For fun, look at this short video. Need I say more? 

Here's something that I've noticed about myself. Years ago, I would quickly get bored at home. I know -- how could that happen? It wasn't boredom so much as the need to talk to someone. So, who did I talk to? Diane and Susannah at Ruti's Needlebed. I'd go over and chat for ...