Refreshing!

 As you all know, I follow crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com . Today, she challenged her followers (those that are quilters, at least) to clean up their sewing area. She also challenged us to send her pictures...which I did :)

Here are pictures of my cutting space, and my sewing desk area....before cleaning up the area around my sewing machine.

Stuff tossed all over the cutting table

Stuff stashed in the window-well

Clutter on my sewing desk

Even more clutter on my sewing desk

Fabrics, magazines, patterns, ??? dropped on the storage unit at the end of the desk

I spent just over 2 hours cleaning, pitching, and organizing (reorganizing???). And I started with this...

Mmmm! A Reese's chocolate peanut butter bell. Now how did that not get eaten the other day when I took it down with me???

I grabbed some old mugs that I don't use, and started with highlighters, pens/pencils, fabric markers, and so on. I love my highlighters so much that I purchased 10 new colours to add to the collection.

I know what you're thinking! That's 10 more classes I could sign up for. I know, eh?!?!?! Not that I will, though. But having the option is appealing :D

I took the magazines and pulled out only the things that I wished to save for potential future projects, and I stored them in plastic sleeves in a binder.

I grabbed all the fat quarters that had been pulled from their space at the end of my sewing desk....and unceremoniously dumped on the shelf when I was done cutting the bits I needed....and sorted them by colour. I then folded them to be put back into their storage bins.

I even got all the Advent Calendar presents put away AND cleaned out the window-well :)

The end result: A cutting table and sewing machine area that is neat and tidy....ready for 2022! I just need to work on the rest of the room...but not tonight!

Awesome suggestion, Elaine :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night......and a VERY Happy New Year!!!

TTFN

Feast or Famine....

 Yesterday was, metaphorically speaking, a famine. I felt I really had very little to write about. I sewed with the neighbour for 3 hours (she's our +1 as she's living alone), and then, I worked on the secret project when I got home. The only thing of note was the charcuterie board our neighbours across the way put together. Looks so awesome!

Today, however, would be considered a feast. So much so that I am leaving some of it for tomorrow's post :)

There is still evidence of the large crack mark on the lake, but some people are so eager to get out there. I guess the crack doesn't necessarily mean that the ice is thin. I'm just not yet ready to take the chance of going for walks on the lake...which I do love doing. If you look carefully at the photo, you can see a couple of people out ice fishing across from us.

I'm not sure what's up with Lady Jade lately. She has been shedding like it is already Spring!!! Maybe it's because we're burning the wood stove AND the fireplace each day. If you look at her fur, she looks really shaggy and uneven (two lengths of hair).

I have been using the Ferminator pretty much every day on her. I can actually pluck bunches of hair off her.

In fact, when she gives herself a shake, I find tufts of hair laying around the house. I've had to pick so many of them up lately that I feel like I'm harvesting hair!!!

Here's something I wish I wasn't seeing anymore! With SW still working, and needing to wear a mask at work, we frequently need to hand wash the triple-layer masks I made (I wonder how safe it is to be breathing through polypropylene, btw???).  This is an all too frequent scene at our place. In the summer, they would dry out on the deck in the sun. Now that it's winter, they get placed in front of the fire to dry.

Today, as well as spending a great chunk of time working on the secret project (1/3 totally done; another 1/2 and a bit quilted and waiting for binding; less that 1/7 needing to be layered and quilted), I managed to convince my other half to engage in a fun new outdoor activity.

Years ago, I had a student...Jenna M., who tried VERY hard to encourage me to get involved in geocaching. She was very animated whenever she described her (generally) weekend adventures to me each week. I'm not sure why I didn't try it then....it's not like I wasn't interested. It was probably because I was already so busy with work and home. More recently, my quilting teacher and friend, Elaine Theriault (crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com) has reignited the desire to explore geocaching. So...I downloaded the app and told my other half "Let's go!" It helped that the first one we were going to look for was at a local cemetery that he wanted to explore anyway.

The description told us that we were looking for a small camouflaged container. It was also suggested that we visit the gravesite(s) of the Spraggetts. 

We found the container, but it was frozen in place, so I couldn't sign the log book. I'll have to go back in Spring to do that, I guess. Although we looked, we did not find the Spraggetts. Perhaps it's a flat marker that will also reveal itself in the Spring. We did, however, find two stones with the same surname as SW's mother's maiden name. I wonder if they might be related?

It is now late. Later than I'd like to be posting. I must try to at least get it done before 10!

And on that note.....I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

An Empty Bin?!?!?

Last night...before lights-out...I checked my email and discovered that I had a postcard from the Conqueror Challenge. Lol...It's written as if I was the author of the postcard :)

I've had a good 2 days. I figured that I need to walk a minimum of 3km per day in order to complete this challenge by the end of a year, and I've already walked just over 8km in two days. Not sure I would be able to do too much more than that as I do feel like the fibro is kicking up a little. Of course, I could just be in a flare-up phase.

Previously, I posted about my January UFO....without explaining what that was about. In quilting, a UFO is an UnFinished Object. In other words, an incomplete project. With the number of UFOs mounting for me, I decided to join Elaine Theriault's (crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com) UFO Club. The fee to join is $25 + $100 deposit. Each month, we are required to set a goal for one of our UFOs. We send a photo of the UFO, plus what our goal is for that month, who then sends the information out to the group. Great accountability piece! before the assigned date, we must send a photo of the completed goal. If we fail to do so, we forfeit $10 of our deposit, and that amount gets donated to a Food Bank. We are committed to setting a goal for every month of the year, but there is no penalty for failing to complete the goal during the summer months (July & August). Today, I was able to actually empty a project bin because I am working on achieving my January UFO goal...to put the binding on the quilt I made for my niece.

Time to peel that label off :D But, oh my, I purchased the Canoe Lake quilt kit just the other day. I guess that empty bin didn't last very long!

I got the binding cut for Sydney's quilt, got it ironed, and got it sewn onto the front side of the quilt. I just need to fold it around and hand-stitch it to the backside of the quilt. But that's tomorrow's job!

As I suggested I needed to yesterday, I looked a little deeper into the "how" of the Conqueror's Challenge keeping plastic out of the ocean. Here's what I found:

They've partnered with PlasticBank to remove plastic from the oceans. PlasticBank provides job opportunities to those less fortunate in coastal communities, providing them with incomes to support their lives. How cool is that!?!

But I also discovered something else really cool. PlasticBank has Aurifil (a high-quality quilting thread provider) as one of its partners. 

I was really pleased to see that!

Anyway....it's been a busy day. And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Big Bang Theory

 Last night I was woken by a very loud bang/pop. I thought it was a frost quake. This morning, when I woke up and came out into the living room, I noticed this outside.

Huh!!! My "theory" is that's what caused the "Big Bang". I also noticed that something had walked across the ice near our dock.

I mentioned yesterday that I'd been toying with the idea of signing up online for one of the Conqueror Challenges. So...I took the leap. This is my virtual shirt tag.

I did decide to do the Iceland Ring Road Challenge. I had the option to have a tree planted every 20% completed, or 10 water bottles kept out of the ocean every 20% completed. After consulting with a close friend, and by proxy...her husband, both of whom are VERY involved with the environment, I decided to choose the option to keep water bottles out of the ocean. 

I will have to spend some time digging a little deeper to see how they achieve their goal. But for now...walking is my goal :)

This afternoon, I noticed we had some different birds at our feeders.

They're some form of Gros Beak, but I'm not sure what exact one. Another thing I'll have to look up :P

Spent more time today working on the secret project. Thank goodness I didn't need to be totally finished for Christmas. Still...I can't share any photos yet.

I had a lovely video chat with two wonderful friends this evening, and am now going to join my husband for some TV viewing.

And on that note....I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Mmmmm....Chinese Food!

I spent a chunk of today doing a Zoom Quilting Retreat....which began at 10:00 this morning. Sewers join the group and sew and chat, just like they would at a retreat. I managed to get all the pieces glued and cut for my Tula Nova English paper-piecing project.

It's been over a year, but finally I am able to take the cardboard shapes off the wall. They were placed there to help me keep the shapes...and what fabrics belonged to each shape according to the pattern...straight.

I had to leave the quilting Zoom at 1:00 to be able to join a Zoom with friends in Guelph, but I was shocked at how quickly the 3 hours had passed. After the Guelph Zoom, Steve and I did something a little crazy. We drove to North Bay...1 hour away from us....just to get some Chinese food from Loi's restaurant. We'd tried Chinese food from other places, but lucked into this place picking up an order from Rona. We've not had any luck finding any place we like as much as Loi's.

I have no idea why, but I always start with the egg rolls...and nothing else.

Something totally different. A couple of years ago, I started seeing adverts on Facebook for a physical activity challenge called Conqueror's Challenge. I showed my other half, thinking it might be something we could enjoy doing together, but he didn't seem to warm up to the idea....so I let it go. More recently, I've been seeing the adverts again. Once again, I got to thinking about doing it again. This time, however, I've decided that it's something I'm going to do for me. I checked out my Fitbit results for the past year...to see how many kilometres I'd walked throughout the year...and feel pretty confident that I could manage the Ring Road challenge, a 1,332 km virtual road trip around Iceland.

Peace Of The Season

 Most advent calendars end on the 24th, but The Quilting Gnome's advent calendar actually went to today....Christmas Day :)

And what was inside the envelope? A card that the store had professionally printed...

...and a $25 gift certificate to be used in the store. Awesome!!!

This truly was a wonderful experience! I would do it again :)

Today was a really special day! As much as I love having my kids around me, it was so lovely to just spend the day with my other half. Having spent thousands on our septic this fall, we decided to just do stockings for each other. We got up, got the coffee going, let Jade out and fed her, and then opened the goodies each of us had purchased for the other's stocking. We then enjoyed a really lovely brunch....bacon, fruit salad, pancakes. 

We made numerous phone calls to family and friends, wishing them the best of the season. I took a bit of time to decide on my first UFO project for the 2022 year (to be completed by January 16). I decided that January's UFO would be binding the quilt my niece requested me to make for her.

We even indulged in a nap this afternoon....in front of the fire :)

 Tonight, we enjoyed back ribs while watching back-to-back Star Wars movies. While watching the movies, I also continued to work on my Tula Nova paper piecing project.

I now have 3 of the ten done....two more waiting in the wings.

And on that note, I wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas, and a very good night!

TTFN

Favourite Places...

 I didn't even attempt to try figure out today's advent calendar offering. It could have been too many things.

Turned out to be a wonderful mini-organizer. This will be a great place to store the things I use most often right next to my sewing machine...snips, stitch-ripper, marking pens :)

Most advent calendars end on the 24th, but this one has one more thing...an envelope. But, that will have to wait until tomorrow. 

I have to say that The Quilting Gnome is such a lovely shop...and not just because of this amazing advent calendar they put together for quilters. I only wish it wasn't so darn far away from me (about 2-1/2 hours drive). It is definitely one of my favourite spots to shop for fabric and other quilting things, even though I don't get there often :)

Another place I like to shop at is Country Concessions in Cookstown. Since the move to their new shop, they have SO much more space. I also love that it is right on the main route I take when I head down to visit family and friends in Guelph.

My most favourite go-to place, however, is Thimbles & Things in Orillia. The staff there are amazing....friendly and helpful. And I absolutely LOVE their offering of Zoom classes. No worrying about hauling everything to the store for classes; no limit (almost) to the class sizes; everything available to order online for their classes. "Sew" many things to love!!!

Yesterday, we did what I call "the whirlwind tour" down to Guelph to drop off gifts, etc. It included a stop at Thimble & Things to pick up a number of items I had ordered online, but didn't wish to have shipped (Which, btw, Sue gets done in VERY short order when I ask for items to be shipped). One of the things I picked up was the Canoe Lake quilt kit. It's being offered as an online class, but I already have too many classes on my plate. I do, however, LOVE the quilt, so...wanting to do it sometime in the future, I decided to buy it. Fabrics come and go, so who knows how long it would be available! I just had to buy it!!! :)...or so I tell myself.

I also got more fabric for the upcoming Tula Pink "Butterfly" class I will be taking in January.

And last but not least, I have my Th&Th Discount Card for 2022 :) Definitely a good investment as it offers specials to take advantage of each month AND you receive 10% off of cuts of fabric.

I am late in posting this tonight, and we all know that we MUST be asleep early tonight if we want Santa to come!!!

So...on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN