What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Well, I'm a big liar! When I wrote that my space is in good shape, if I had been Pinocchio, I couldn't have sat in front of the computer as my nose would have been too long! 

OK -- so it's not that bad, but there are definitely things that need to be dealt with, and so I  will be right there with you as we clean up our spaces. This time next year --- I'll have EVERYTHING under control! I can hardly wait! 

I am being truthful when I say that NO MAJOR issues need to be ...

 I woke up super excited! It's a New Year, and we have another 365 days to do stuff! This time last year, I was deep in the throes of decluttering, and I don't have to declutter today! WHAT?? No, I have some stuff to put away, as I wanted to start the year with all three main surfaces clear. That's NOT quite the case, and I need to do some machine embroidery. 

Since I won't have any decluttering tips today -- here's a link to last year's blog where you can get some tips and ...

It's New Year's Eve. Another year has passed, and what do I have to show for it? There are lots, but I tend NOT to keep track of what I accomplish in a year. Well, that's not entirely true -- I know how many KMs I've walked/ridden my bike or spin class, I know how many novels I've read, and I know how many quilts I donated (more or less) and well, I'm so highly motivated that I don't really need to know how much else I got done. It was a lot ...

I see Torry is ripping through the fifth book of The Seven Sisters series while I'm still on number three. OK -- so neither of us really liked one of the sisters, but perhaps she will grow on us. I was surprised this morning to see that I'm almost 50% through the third one, and the historical fiction part and the character-building just pull you in. Yep -- they are romantic, no doubt about it, and that's OK. It's very healthy to read outside your usual genre. 

And here's some GOOD news. I just checked, and the ...

I see my camera was NOT working at all yesterday. OK -- it was working, I just didn't take many pictures, and the ONE I have to share with you today isn't even up-to-date!

I did a wee bit of sewing in the morning and went for an extra long walk in the afternoon. I met my neighbor, whom I don't often see these days, so we quickly chatted to catch up. Yes -- it was a 17+ KM day yesterday! That leaves me with 110.5 KM and 6 days to make it happen. At this rate and ...

What a great Christmas Eve we had! I wasn't sure how many would be able to make the Zoom call, but because of the crazy weather, a few showed up because their plans had changed. Family members got caught in the highway shutdowns and had to make some crazy detours, and we all cheered when they got home! As usual, I went to bed, and some were still on the call. 

Sorry -- I'm tired and need my sleep! 

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope your day goes as planned! I bought tickets to the movie, and that's ...

I know there are urgent needs to be on the roads right now. Some people have essential jobs, but seriously? If you don't need to be on the highways when the OPP asks people to stay home, stay home! A massive 100-car pileup means that people have to be outside in those ridiculous temperatures, people are stuck on the closed highways, and you won't get anywhere. I just shake my head and ask what is wrong with people. Is their entitlement so broad they think it's OK to be out there and add to the issue? And ...

I'm not out of the woods yet, but feeling better. Let's hope this doesn't develop into something serious -- I don't have time for serious! Lots to drink, lots of sleep -- that's my healing process!

It's probably too early to think about cleaning up, as most of you will be thinking about Christmas, but if you're starting to think about how to downsize your stash, here's an excellent and FAST way to make that happen. Comfy Cases, an organization that distributes colorful pillowcases to sick children, donated over 4,500 pillowcases across Ontario ...

It was bound to happen - I've developed a sore throat! It's been years since I've been sick, and I could feel it coming on yesterday. Well, nothing that a few throat lozenges can't cure! (I hope!) I've no plans to go anywhere, and nothing urgent to do, so the timing is right. But still -- I HATE being sick! So far, it's just a sore throat; let's hope it doesn't develop into something more. 

I accomplished more paperwork, and I'm getting things under control. I still have one distribution list that has ...

Someone posted an interesting comment about Louise Penny's book - The Beautiful Mystery (published in 2012). Gamache was partially inspired by her late husband (Micheal Whitehead), the Former Director of Hematology at Montreal Children's Hospital. He got dementia and eventually died in the fall of 2016. I know from following her blog that he was ill for many years, and this is likely the rationale for the troubled storyline in the books. The timeline would be right. Gamache was also inspired by  Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird and Jean Gamache, a tailor in Granby, QC.

Louise has ...

Yep -- I have the best friends ever! I love our Virtual Monday Sewing Group! So much fun to get together, and you would think after this long that we would run out of things to talk about. Nope! However, we have ZERO tolerance for anything political, those who used to be royals, and COVID (anything related to policy). I never want to shut someone down on a call, but if I have to, I will! 

Our calls are so much fun and well --- what happens at Monday Sewing stays at Monday sewing. A while back, we started a show and ...

Who says the internet can't be your friend? I swear with all of you to help me, I'll never be lost for finding things! But the internet is more than that. I reached out to someone (on Facebook) for a specific reason, and we've become friends - sharing a few minutes of our day each morning. No -- we are NOT dating, but we share a couple of common interests. For those who poo-poo Facebook, if used wisely, Facebook can be your biggest friend. I LOVE Facebook, and my world has expanded exponentially because of it! 

Thanks to Tammy ...

Should I or shouldn't I? That's the big question right now about my phone. After our Monday sewing, I went to the mall to chat again with the Bell folks. I could get a new phone, but the S21 is obsolete, so that's not an option. This means I'd have to go with the S22, which requires a new case. Why? Because someone is going to make more money that way! The guy in the store even said so! That is very wasteful as my phone case is perfectly useful, but who will want it? 

They ...

We have heat again! We had heat in the house, but it wouldn't go above a certain temperature. The technician was shortly after eight and made several adjustments, and YES - I needed to clean the filter. It amazes me that since we now lease the furnace, the company is NOT pushing down our throats to have it serviced. When we owned the furnace, they were on us like a dirty shirt to have it serviced twice a year. I'll be making some notes in my calendar to get that done. 

Furnace repair in action

And it's probably ...

The allergies were well under control yesterday! I don't have a fever; I've checked a couple of times. And every once in a while, I get a humbling day like that where my allergies just go berzerk! Then they are good! I've no idea why, but I know I've disturbed a LOT of dust over the last couple of days. I've Swiftering, and hopefully, everything is OK. 

OMG -- I just finished reading a book this morning, and I want ONE more chapter! Seriously! This book had plot twists and turns, and you think - AHA -- I ...

I took MANY pictures yesterday, and I have nothing to share with you today! OK -- that's a lie because I always have something to share. But while I spent the entire day immersed in quilting stuff, I have NO quilting pictures to share. 

However, if you are part of my Pre-Cut or Scrap class today, you'll see TONS of stuff. I have a lot to say about pre-cuts and scraps and how we have a love/hate relationship with both. But I LOVE putting it down on paper. Finding just the right picture to show what I'm ...

The keyboard is back! It needed new batteries as it's a BlueTooth device. But this is the bizarre thing. Look at the back where the batteries go.

Why is this wet?

For some reason, it became WET, and my first thought was that the batteries were leaking. But they didn't appear to be. So did I spill something on the surface? Nope -- I did not. So I don't know what the issue was. I took those batteries out and left the whole thing to dry thoroughly, and this morning, I put new batteries in, and I'm ...

Dare I say that I'm back to normal? I walked 11.5 KM yesterday in those open sandals. Yes --- I'm keeping an eye on the dead skin on the blisters to ensure they don't open, and everything seems fine. I'm not running marathons here! But I need to look at a pair of new runners, which is a task for this week. 

The hardest thing is figuring out what day of the week it is. With no deadlines, it's a challenge! However, it's MONDAY, and we have Monday sewing today. Yeah!!! 

I was a ...

I survived the day, but not without a couple of laughs. I had been texting one of my colleagues in the morning, and we were both saying that we didn't want to talk to anyone, especially each other! Then my SIL, who doesn't live close but is here because MIL had her second knee done, stopped by, and guess what? I had to talk! 

I tried to have an extra nap in the morning, but the cleaning lady came, so that wasn't going to work! It was just one of those days! But I did end up ...

Well, I did NOT get much done in the sewing department yesterday, and I'm OK with that. I went shopping instead! And there were two reasons for that. I have to take my car in today for a recall on the fuel pump. That requires that the gas tank be ¼ or less. I was at a half tank, so I had some gas to burn off. I'm just at the ¼ mark, so hopefully, that works for them. 

It was a good trip as I found something that I didn't think I would find! Let's ...