What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

OK -- so I love the ladies on the retreat, but I think the walking thing has gotten a wee bit out of hand.

I like to get to bed early, but I've been going to bed a little bit later than usual, and since I'm sleeping on the main floor, I can sometimes (always) hear the noise that they make while they are sewing. That prevents me from going to sleep. Last night, some of them were geocaching and didn't get back until quite late, so I thought it was a good time to get to sleep ...

I'm trying to keep this sewing retreat low key! The last couple of months have been a challenge to everyone, and the fact of getting out is so nice. Sitting and chatting after dinner is something we do at our house all the time, but it's nice to expand that circle of people to chat with, and the topics are certainly more varied. However, it's interesting to note that COVID seems to the topic of conversation everywhere you go.

Thankfully, there is much more to talk about than COVID, and we're doing a great job in ...

so
Well - yesterday wasn't the most productive day I've had at a retreat, but I'm on vacation - I don't care.

I'm happy to report that my shin splint is feeling much better, so I went for a long walk last night, and it seems to be just fine! That's more important than getting anything done!

However, I did get some work done on the secret project. Ronda helped out a wee bit with that as well. It's cute, and I won't get it entirely finished here, but it'll be close.

We ...

A road trip! Imagine that! I didn't really need to make the road trip, but what the heck - it was pouring rain and why not!

Actually, I wanted to get that sewing machine to Karen and I had an order to pick up at Thimbles and Things. Both are in the same town and I had been holding off until our retreat at the end of this month. That retreat got canceled and well - I just wanted to cross those two tasks off my list.

Karen is like me - when you get an idea - you want to make it ...

It's a sad day - the last day of our retreat. While I'm ready to go "home", I always hate the last day. Packing up the car and last-minute sewing to get another part of the project done. But alas - it's the end - for this time. I still have four retreats booked for this year.

Honestly, this virtual sewing retreat has been a HUGE learning curve for me. Well, not so much a learning curve as a revelation. Here's what I learned:

1. I can survive a five-day retreat with ONE laundry basket of projects. Just BE REALISTIC ...

I'm exhausted! This focusing thing is going to kill me, but I'm determined! I swear it's the audiobook! I finished the novel I was reading and moved onto the last audiobook on my shelf. I'm going to have to find another one soon. The book is non-fiction called Salt, Sugar, Fat. It's about how the food industry has engineered food to make us crave more of the bad stuff and how they target their advertising, etc. to make us want more!

Oh - I'm totally aware of it all but it's very interesting to ...

I'm surprised, but then I'm not surprised. I love to sew and I love having the opportunity to sew totally uninterrupted. And that's what we do when we go to the retreat. However, I think I'm the ONLY one sewing! But that's OK.

Our current situation of self-isolation is one where we need to learn to take ourselves somewhere else. We can't travel, so why not pretend that we are traveling. And that's what I did. I make it to the "retreat" by 9 AM after I walk the girls and then I ...

Wow -- I'm shocked at how much I can get done when I'm at a retreat. I'm focused and there are ZERO distractions. I'm thinking this is going to be the new norm at my house. Have everything super prepped and then isolate yourself with no distractions. It's great!!!

Just so that no one thinks I've snuck off into the dark and am at the retreat house, I'm NOT. I should be there - I want to be there, but I can't. We have a Messenger group chat going so we can always chat ...

Ah - there's nothing like great weather for a drive up north to the retreat house. I'm not sure how many retreats I've been on, but a LOT over the last 10+ years. We're now up to FOUR retreats per year. Isn't that obscene? Well, one of the reasons I like retreats at Fireside Retreat House is that the price is extremely reasonable. Over the years, we've decided that a weekend was NOT enough. Then we added a day. That still wasn't enough and now our retreats are five days/four nights. That's ...

I'm back home now and while I totally enjoyed my time at Fireside Retreat, it's always nice to get back home. Let's just say the girls were quite excited to see me.

BUT - it was total chaos for a few minutes. I arrived home at 1:45 and immediately unloaded the car. It took me ten trips to the car and back to get everything in the house. Someone stopped by at 1:55 to pick up a couple of things that I had to dig out. Then a customer had an appointment at 2 PM to ...

It's the last morning! How the heck did that happen?? Although at the same time, it feels like we've been here for a long time. The Fireside Retreat house is so comfortable and so convenient and so full of laughter and friends that it feels like home. We had a little trip down memory lane last night in reading the guest book. Oops - I said that we've been here 16 times. I lied. It's been 15. It would appear that I can't count.

While I managed to get more accomplished yesterday, it still seems like ...

Late yesterday afternoon, I finally moved the sewing machine into place. The serger now takes a back seat although there are a few things that I'd still like to serge.

Even though I didn't sleep much the previous night, I didn't crash until 8 PM and I slept through the night - even though there was a rowdy game of something happening in the living room. I feel great this morning. It must have been that snack of ice cream and cookie crumbs that I had before dinner!!!!

I managed to get a couple of things embroidered for ...

It's a tad chilly outside, but thanks to not sleeping well and a few dying embers in the wood stove, I've got a nice fire going and we're toasty warm. While I wouldn't want to deal with a wood stove at home, I like having it here and I'm pretty darn good at keeping it going (roots from when I was a child), but Paula is our main firestarter here and I'm perfectly fine with that.

So it's technically day three this morning and I'm still using the serger. Can you believe ...

We're here - we're at Fireside Retreat - my favorite retreat spot in the whole world. After I managed to squeeze everything into my car. The Scan n Cut stayed at home as well as one embroidery unit. Don't ask. It was a tad difficult to see out the back window and should checking was a wee bit sketchy, but it was all good.

The car was a tad full!