What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We all survived the weekend! There were five Zooms, which I hope will never happen again. I have no one to blame but myself. But all is good! Going forward, it will be different. In the fall, I've decided that I'll do my teaching on two weekends, and that will leave room to schedule them so they don't fall on a weekend with a special event, or if I need to move them because of travel, there is some flexibility. No more than two a day, and so on. I have set guidelines, and I won't ...

Balance - that's a good word. There's balance in life, as in work-life balance, which I still struggle with occasionally. OK - I struggle with it a lot, but I still get lots of ME time. There's physical balance, and it's hilarious because it seems like such a simple thing, but it's a critical factor in our physical well-being. As I left my doctor's appointment the other day, she said, "You are taking care of yourself, and that is good. Be sure to work on your balance!" Not that balance was an issue in why 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 ...

 It's funny how you have an entire day to sew, yet I didn't get much done! How does that work? I was on the phone for two lengthy conversations. I took both calls outside, and neither had issues hearing me. Was it my lucky day? Or are things looking up with my cell phone? 

I've noticed a heron flying overhead several times while walking the dogs. Is it flying to my house? I want to run home to see, but I'm pretty sure that with their large wingspan, it wouldn't feel comfortable coming into our ...

You all have some great suggestions! I can't use my phone as a camera because I sometimes attach it to the computer to share the phone screen (showcasing an app), so that won't work. But all is good! I have an iPad that will work fine after I get a couple of accessories. 

I used the saddle chair a fair bit yesterday, and I like it, although I did find it a bit "exhausting" staying in the correct position for a great length of time. But all that shows is how badly I sit in a regular chair ...

 Wow, someone mentioned another brand of socks, and they can make the left and the right in different weaves! I'm off to spin class this morning, so no time to post the link. I should do a recap of socks, but if you are willing to buy quality that lasts, there are many brands. There will be no more cheap brands in the future. 

Speaking of cheap, I didn't pay a lot for that extra camcorder, and it shows! But since I have two other pretty decent ones, I set the new one where I need it the ...

 Oh --- another bonus about the TruEarth laundry strips—they are Canadian (Port Moody, BC). I remember seeing that on a website, but I forgot. Thanks for the reminder! I'm excited to give them a try!

I'm almost embarrassed to show you what I did for my 60-minute-or-less challenge, but as I said, it doesn't matter what you do, and if it takes only 60 seconds but gets done, that's perfectly OK. This item had been sitting near my computer in Studio B for months—probably close to a year. I finally tackled it yesterday. 

I have ...

I'm glad to know I wasn't the only slug! Sometimes, that's the kind of day we get, and we just make the best of it and move on! Tomorrow is a brand new day! And for me, it was. I got lots done, and all was good!

My girls are over 10 years old, and I'm in denial about that. They are still puppies! They are so different; after all those years, I still can't wrap my head around it. Murphy is filled with enthusiasm, while Lexi is still enthusiastic, but she's a princess ...

YES—absolutely YES—you can break down a longer task into 60-minute or less segments. I'm going to do that once I finish the smaller tasks. It's just all about getting something done that has been sitting around for a long time. 

And on that note, this happened yesterday. 

I will be honest about it. All day yesterday, I knew I had a small project to do for my 60-minute or less challenge. Hmm - let's call that a goal, not a challenge. Anyway, it was only when I woke up this morning that I realized that I ...

So --- did you give any thought to those almost completed UFOs that could be done in 60 minutes or less? 

I stared around Studio B, and oh boy—the number of projects I found in that category would blow my mind. I'm not even tempted at this point to group them. So this is what I started with. Two pet mats were sitting beside the serger; all they needed was one seam to close them up and tuck the ends in. 

Two pet mats - DONE

And now they are done and sitting in the Pony Express area. Seriously? That ...

I hope you all go back and read the comments that people leave on the blog. Some of them are hilarious! The yellow car? That's like not seeing the forest for the trees! 

And yes, high maintenance is fluffy extra stuff. I'm not a fluffy extra stuff person. I never have been, and I never will be. Some people post videos of high-maintenance routines that would blow your mind. Are they real? I hope not. I came across a woman going on a cruise, and before she did anything, she deep-cleaned the bathroom and everything else in the ...

I got one task out the door last night - well, not out the door, but it was completed, so that was good. I have one more urgent thing to work on today, but I need space to work before doing that. It was not just physical space; my brain needed to see some empty flat surfaces. 

As I pulled out patterns or other needed items, the cutting mat had become the dumping ground. I took photos, and then everything got left. I'm happy to report that the mess on the one cutting mat is done, and I can cut ...

I was at the gym early this morning, and one thought came to mind. This is working! My range of motion is so much better, I'm shocked. I never would have thought it would come back so quickly. I'm not pumping iron five days a week to make that happen, but a couple of good stretching sessions each week have given me a new outlook on life! I'm hooked. 

What is shocking is how and when I lost this mobility. I used to be able to stand on one foot and put on my socks and shoes ...

I'm starting with a disclaimer about the title of caregiver! DH is away, and MIL had a medical test that couldn't be changed, so I had to take her. It took five hours of my day. While everything went just fine and there was no hard work on my part, I was exhausted when I got home. 

I know many of you are full-time caregivers for aging parents, spouses, or someone else. I do not know how you cope. I got nothing else done yesterday. All I can say is, if you are a caregiver, try to take ...

When I got up this morning, I had almost two hours before I had to "do" anything! That meant two free hours of sewing. I was beside myself—where would I even begin? 

On the days I go to the gym, I lose those two hours, and when I have a deadline, I must work on the deadline items in those two hours. Today, there was nothing, although I still have writing to do, and I'll focus on that later today. 

So I dug out my older sewing machine and dedicated a spot to sewing only. And I sewed ...

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 ...

It's incredible how much time it takes to answer emails and type up some information. I ran around the house yesterday, measuring quilts, typing up lists, and gathering all the information required to order supplies for the concurrent show at Quilt Canada. 

Then I sent it off and realized later that it was a jumbled mess - it was legible, but not very logical. Now that I have all the correct (not guesswork) information, I will resend the list, and it won't take long to fix. 

I still have more email to organize - it's incredible how many things ...

I love Murphy. How could you not? BUT she's testing us these days. I had no problems falling asleep, only to be woken by her intense barking. Something's in the backyard. Good grief, so I took her upstairs and shut the bedroom door. She doesn't like being in a room with the door shut, and I eventually let her out because she gets extremely restless in a closed space. Thankfully, I fell back asleep. 

What was in the backyard? Probably a raccoon or a possum! 

This morning, as I was sitting down at the computer, she started ...