What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Wow -- it was so warm yesterday (plus 2) —it was obscene! We had a little bit of snow in the night, so I got that shoveled when I got back from walking the girls. 

So here's a question for you—how well do you know your neighbors? I'm pretty observant, and because I walk daily, I get to see things as they change. Like the neighbor who is now retired because they shovel their own snow rather than have a truck come and do it. 

However, I am not as good as I think I am!! There is ...

FOCUS --- it's a tricky thing! But I have my visual list and my blue UFO bin, and I refuse to let anything get in the way of finishing those projects. Oh -- there are loads of things to do, but I know I can't do them all, so I picked a few, and that's my goal! It has taken me a very long time to get to that point, but I refuse to get sidetracked!

Just a teaser: this is the project Dede and I worked on. Wait—soon you'll get to see it yourself. Absolutely stunning ...

 LOL --- I have entered a couple of things into my electronic to-do list, but it's going to take some work to get started to make it truly useful. Baby steps. Meanwhile, I had made a paper list of 12 things I wanted to accomplish in Studio B this week, and I crossed two off yesterday and almost completed 3 more! These are all small things - not actually piecing a quilt, but finishing off bags, or other small items. But all is good!

I get a daily email from the to-do app listing my tasks. I'll have to check ...

OH!!!! I'm an idiot! OK -- maybe not an idiot, but I completely forgot there's a Virtual Retreat TODAY!!! I usually post about it and post the links several days in advance, and it slipped my mind. I didn't put it in the calendar, and I say I'm on top of things!!! Watch for the links at the end.

 And I'm behind this morning—it was a weird night. I woke up in the middle of the night - completely wide awake. I lay there for a while thinking perhaps I'm not really ready to get ...

Good grief -- I don't think I'm going to have issues completing my 2026 Conquerer goal. Wait -- I didn't say that out loud—I don't want to jinx myself. But it's super easy to fit 10K a day into my schedule. It's the extra 2K per day that I scheduled last year that was challenging. But then I have vacations, and work days, and I won't always be able to get in that many steps. 

I chuckle because yesterday, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I didn't really want ...

While I might be inspiring you, you are inspiring me, too! I hear your words of encouragement in my head when I want to quit. And then I think about how fun it will be to share the finish with you the next day, which keeps me going. 

I think starting the blog, almost TWENTY years ago, was a very good thing. They say journaling is therapeutic, and I believe it. It just took me a bit of time to get myself organized so that I knew how to deal with the physical and mental mess around me! 

But if ...

Oh crap --- it's likely that I messed up the links again. I'll repost the link for that video on how learning a second language can save your life. Please tell me that it is only some links, not all!!!

Here is the missing link from yesterday. 

I cannot tell you how happy I am these days! Getting those niggling little UFOs done does way more for my happiness level than money or happy pills ever could. And I've taught (forced) myself to be persistent and focused. And get the darn thing DONE - don't just move it ...

It was a wonderful day - AGAIN! I took tons of pictures, but not much to share with you. It was all for the two classes and the UFO club this weekend. The two presentations are totally prepped. I give the groups until 6 AM the day of the class to submit their pictures. I had an issue getting back to sleep at one point, so I was up in the middle of the night. Everything is DONE for today. Nothing new came in, so nothing new to add this morning! 

I will have to share the homework for Colour My ...

How quickly the clutter returns to the desktop! I must set aside a few minutes each day to deal with the stuff! 

How quickly the days are flying by!!!! Can you believe that we are almost two weeks into this year? ACK!!

How quickly has our snow come and gone! Here are a couple of pictures from that folder that I accidentally deleted. The little plow came by very early in the morning and cleared the sidewalk. While we still have to shovel - well, some people think they don't have to - we still need to shovel the snow out ...

Goals are such a wonderful thing or not! I'm using BMI as a relative indicator, rather than fixating on my weight. Let's just say that I want to convert some fat to muscle or lose it altogether. While I can use my waistband as an indicator, I prefer to use BMI. I like goal-setting and numbers. 

The big reason for this is the creep! You know— you know your weight was X ten years ago, and now it's X PLUS. I don't like the plus, but I also know that I might gain as I get ...

OH, I just realized that the title of yesterday's blog AND the first picture you see of a volcano erupting were perhaps a bit dramatic!! BUT getting that much work done in the office was dramatic! 

I listened to this audiobook MANY years ago when I started my decluttering journey. I just checked my blog and the date was March 10, 2014!!!!! Well, I listened to it somewhere, and I suspect it was before I started because the first room I tackled was the bedroom, and that's the first room mentioned in the book. For the record, and ...

OH OH OH !!!!! I had to laugh when I read Elle's comment this morning! YES --- tidying up a drawer or anything is a snap once the JUNK is gone. I'm shocked at how easy everything is to maintain in the areas where we have eliminated all the junk. By junk, that may be literally garbage that should be thrown away, or it may mean those things you no longer need or want. GET RID OF IT!!! 

It takes a long time to get there, but once you do, the amount of FREE time you'll have will shock ...

Thanks for the wishes and the vote of confidence on my 2026 word - GOALS. Someone mentioned they had goals for 2025, and while they met some, they didn't hit the mark on all of them. And you know what they said? They FORGAVE themselves for not making the mark! That is a critical statement because if you set a goal and don't achieve it, and then you beat yourself up, what is the point of that? 

If you have to change a goal, there's likely a good reason. Was the goal too aggressive? Did family or health ...

I had a super productive day yesterday. I really wanted to start and finish one project that needed to be done. I almost completed it, but it's still likely to take another two hours. It involved some quilting, and at 7:30 pm, I was exhausted, so I went to read for a bit. I'll be able to finish this morning. 

As a result of going to bed so early, I was up VERY early and decided that while also doing some writing, I'd send out some emails. After I sent them, I forgot that people could ...

OH - I love the comments, and I need to ask a few more questions, so I'll be answering them this morning. I didn't get the reference to the matches in the bathroom? Am I missing something? 

I got an email in the afternoon about one of my posts that said to call them because I might be going down the wrong path. Yikes!!! It concerned the vinyl we cut for the Terrifying Tower, which we're going to machine embroider in a couple of weeks. 

Here is the picture and the wording that scared several of my savvy ...

OH MY --- I'm at a loss on where to begin this morning! So much to say - let's just grab a picture and start! 

I called my parents and, while chatting with them, decided to tackle the next jigsaw puzzle. I know— but it was a mindless task, as all I accomplished was laying out the pieces. These pieces seem BIGGER than those in the previous puzzle, and while the shapes are NOT identical, they are much more regular than in the last puzzle. 

The pieces are laid out for the next puzzle

OK -- I did a bit more ...

I totally get the hungry feeling after eating oatmeal. I have tried hemp hearts, and they work, but they are sometimes hard to find. And then my big question is, do you want whole hemp hearts or ground hemp hearts - which one provides more nutrition? I'm going to use my protein powder because I have it and need to use it up! But first, let's use the carbohydrate powder. It's time to clean the cupboards! 

So many choices!! I laugh about eating oatmeal for breakfast, because when I was chatting with my aunts earlier this year, most ...

As promised, here are the links to the journal cover tutorials I've written over the years. Note the date on these tutorials - July 2014. This is the SECOND set of tutorials I wrote for QUILTsocial. I'm sure my writing style and grammar have changed significantly!

This is the basic tutorial on making a journal cover. I think the method of adding the lining is clever, and there's no reason to leave an opening along one side to turn it inside out. 

Making a collage journal cover. Perfect way to use up scraps or create a personalized cover ...

The UPS guys are working overtime these days. A package was delivered at 8:15 last night. If they have something for us, it's usually here by 5 PM. I knew it was coming, but it must have come just minutes after I checked and went upstairs. And they send a picture in an email as proof. I'm sure they appreciate that extra part of the job, but with all the porch pirates, they don't have a choice. 

Well, it was another slow, methodical day! I did NOT complete all the UFO commitments, but I still have ...

Don't worry -- I will be donating, BUT not until January 2. I have two pairs of winter boots that I know someone can use. However, since I am donating to an organization that turns around and sells the items, I might as well benefit and get a discount coupon. Since that coupon is only valid until December 31, 2025, it doesn't make sense to donate now. The donation can wait until January 2. What I'll donate, if anything, will be lightweight summer items for the most part. 

That may sound callous, but that's my decision, and ...