Back in the Game

 To-Do Tuesday list for July

1. Write up this blog post today and post it.
2. Write up blog post on the 50+2 Anniversary Celebration.
3. Finally write a post about our trip to Australia back in April. Is it July already?
4. Prepare to launch the new blog How to Stay Married for 50 Years. 
5. OMG goal for July will be to complete this To-Do list. It worked last time I did that.
6. Find both parts of the hexie ruler for the QAYG to send back to England with my sister who has been visiting here this week for the party. I had it with me when I visited her last summer, but forgot to leave it. I have 2 days. 
7. Clear away the recent mess I made in the Blue Room and get it set up to do some serious quilting. This includes setting up 4 machines with 4 projects. 
8. RSC colour for July is red. Get the red Bright Jane blocks out, organized and actually sew some of them. Not sure how many yet to do in red, but complete at least 1. 
9. Complete 1 applique block and 1 pieced block for Ella. It has been on the big design wall for the past few weeks.
10. Complete the Wedding Quilt. It went on pause yet again when I had the second eye surgery. That eye is not healing as quickly as the first one.
11. Complete one Lucy block then glue baste a few more squares. Hand stitching on this has been very difficult for the past few months.
12. Revisit 23 ufos for 2023 and make a plan.

This should keep me busy for the next few weeks. I could have added prewash the fabric that my sister brought me from England for Windermere, plan a short trip away with my Sweetie, and consider the new BOM that Sentimental Stitches has been teasing us with the past couple of weeks. But, alas, the house is still full of family visitors, even though the house is empty for this hour and I get to use my own computer, and there is a wedding celebration in the back yard this Sat but we are only providing the venue since everything is already in place after our party.

Oh, and I finally found the battery charger for the camera when I was looking for new post-it pad. 

Blessings,

Chris

Slow Sunday Stitching

 

Now that both eyes have had their new lens put in and I can see clearly out of both eyes, it is time to get some more hand stitching done on the next Lucy blocks. I had this all set up on the patio a month ago before the surgeries. It was not so easy to do those tiny stitches when I could not see them so clearly. I had taken the photos on my phone and just now got them moved over here from a facebook post. Slow internet. Still have not found the battery charger for the camera. 

I love this block. I had it started a few months ago and took it to Scrub Stitching in Australia in April. I put in a few stitches and Sylvia gave me the red print on the corners. I do plan to write up about Australia. Soon, I hope. It has to do with moving pictures and focus. I did get a lot of white hexies glue basted for the sashing units. Now to stitch them into groups of threes.

I have my small group ladies retreat on next weekend and now that the eyes are both focusing at the same time, I have a gzillion details to attend to. 

Linking with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching, 

Blessings,

Chris

Still Here

 

So I was looking through some papers on the bookshelf and found this container of stuff. It had, among other things, some corroded batteries that I thought I should discard. Then, I started to rewind the spools of thread and decided to put them into their proper storage containers. 

Guess I should be careful disposing batteries. The local expressway was closed yesterday for hours when a garbage truck's load caught on fire and he dumped it on the side of the road. My Sweetie was stuck in the traffic diversion.

The next thing I knew, I was sorting other stuff and putting them into their containers. And the containers just sort of landed on the table, which I had just spent the morning clearing off so I could lay out the long borders of the Wedding Quilt.

Well, there has been no progress on the Wedding Quilt of late. I have all those mitered corners to redo and struggling to see clearly with one good eye and one not so good eye. I had the second surgery this week and my sight is improving daily. I just have to wear sunglasses for a while to deal with the glare. 

So how many containers are enough for all the stuff I have accumulated over the years so I could quilt? And how does Lucy rate so many? 

I made a few new labels so I could read them easily. 

And I have windows open throughout the house to - you know - air it out, except they decided to spread liquid manure onto the worm field outside my bedroom window. Gotta love springtime. 

Blessings,

Chris

How Am I Doing on My 2023 Goals List?

 

1. Revisit 23 ufos in 2023. I have 33 on the list on my sidebar. More on this later. Pulled out and put in a few stitches on 7 so far. 
2. Build a Son Room onto the house. It has been a dream of mine for like most of my life. Waiting for the contractor to bring the blue prints for approval. 
3. Take part in To-Do Tuesday because I have to be writing to-do lists. Not every week but regularly.
   
4. Stitch for at least 15 Minutes a Day. Keeping track and doing about 78%.
5. Blog weekly. I have so many ideas. More like bi-monthly. Took a break while I was away and doing jet-lag recovery.
6. Meet with my writing accountability partner. This time remember to pray for each other as we share our writing goals each week. We took a pause end of Feb because we were both going to be away so often. And we both had the same health issues at the same time and she lives 2 time aones away.
7. Take part in monthly Virtual Writing Retreats with Christian Book Academy. Two out of four.
8. Write some simple words (profound eludes me most times I try). Maybe the most profound words really are the simple ones. I have 3 unfinished manuscripts. Not much progress yet but I have joined a new writing accountability group and it is amazing how I am now progressing. We meet daily for 2 intense weeks of prayer and writing. Working through some forgiveness issues.
9. Launch the How to Stay Married for 50 Years blog. It is set up and ready to go but I still have to finish editing the posts. Cannot do that with a house full of guests and while I am on an airplane. Maybe for April? But then what do I do about comments while out of the country? This for Inklings group of 11 Christian writers meeting for 11 days to write with God. Progress is happening.
10. Lead my Women's Small Group well. We will be doing a workbook called Hearing God this winter. Done and planning the summer book study.
11. Keep a Gratitude Journal. This will be the homework for my women. I wrote in this often in the winter, but for some reason, forgot for a couple of months. I need to be more grateful on a daily basis. 
12. Participate in an online 34 Day Rhema and Movement Challenge from Rhythms of Colour in January. Totally out of my physical abilities so was dropped from the group. 
13. Take Ava to Garmisch Germany for a Christian Women's ReAlign Retreat in March. How exciting that it is during her spring break. Still have to book the plane tickets. This was so exciting! My daughter joined us for an amazing week. 
14. Go to Scrub Stitching in Baradine Australia with my Sweetie in April. Still have to book plane tickets. This was another amazing trip. This time with my Sweetie. Will have a proper post written up for next week. 
15. Visit the Royal Easter Show in Sydney as guests of the Guernsey Cattle Society of Australia. My Sweetie agreed to go to the quilt retreat after he had been invited to judge the cattle. I plan to find some quilts to look at. Was disappointed by the number of quilts on display but overwhelmed by the artwork. 
16. Cataract surgery in May. Have to wait until after our flights. Then cannot fly for 2-3 months after. Right Eye done May 9. Healing rapidly and wonderful to be able to see distances clearer and colours are more vibrant. Can hardly wait for the left eye to be done in 2 weeks. I did get out and drive yesterday and bought a gazebo and flowers.  
17. Women's Retreat in June on the shores of Lake Erie. I am the group leader and organizer. I have ideas and plans. It is going to be amazing. I anticipate using ideas from the Retreat in March. Still working on the details. Looks like there will be 10 of us.  
18. Vermont Quilt Festival in June. That will be a road trip with sisters, meeting friends, workshops, and shopping. We decided we were too busy to go then it was cancelled. Maybe next year. 
19. Take 3 for our 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration. The date is set for July 1-4, 2023 long weekend. The venue is here at the Farm. We are planning a tent, a bouncy castle, a live band, an open house for neighbour's and friends, a BBQ for family, games and adventures. The plans are in process. 
20. Launch Bertha's Flowerpots SAL possibly in July after the houseguests are gone.
21. Take Devan to visit family in Poland in August when it is safe to fly again after my eye surgery.
22. Shipshewana Quilt Retreat in November. Booked 4 spots and a big room. 
23. Ministry trip to India for Christmas. Have to wait until after the party before I can make plans. 

So looks like a lot of progress on goals for this year so far. That makes me happy

My To-Do Tuesday list is short:

1. Get a quote from the plumber for adding a 2-piece bathroom in the closet that used to hold my quilt stuff. Ingenious idea to put it there in the hall. It will be easily accessible from the sunroom that we are waiting for just outside that hall door. Today sometime.
2. Sit outside and stich a few more Lucy bits. The summer heat has arrived.
3. Continue to clean up the geraniums that I over winter every year. Next winter they will all live in the sunroom. I cannot carry anything heavy so will need help to move and place them throughout the flower beds.
   
4. Write everyday. 
5. Write up a blog post about my trip to Australia. It is half written. I did not take my camera because I could not find the battery charger and I took very few photos with my phone. I cannot seem to figure out how to move photos from my phone to my computer. I need a 10 year old. 

This should keep me out of trouble for a few days. 

Blessings,

Chris

Overwhelm

Overwhelm is what my life has been filled with this spring. Trying to complete 2 quilts. An amazing trip to Australia. An incredible trip to Germany. Jet lag recovery. Celebrating grandchildren birthdays. Cataract surgery on my right eye. Three weeks of rainy days and clouds.

I went downstairs this morning looking for some colourful card stock to make a few posters to put up on my quilt room walls. 

• be AWARE
• be HONEST
• be INTENTIONAL
• be STRATEGIC
• be FOCUSED

So I started systematically sorting through the papers in the cubicles under the printer and found 5 colours. Great. But I also found, among other things like construction paper, copy paper, A4 copy paper, lined school note paper, colouring books, bright coloured paper, pastel paper, fancy dancy writing paper, quilting paper including newsprint, wash-away interfacing, round sticky labels for jam, full page sticky labels for needle-turn applique, dust bunnies galore as well as manuals for each of the 3 printers that sat on top, and countless other stuff, I found the knee lift for the Bernina and the draft copy of the manuscript for the book I am writing about my adventures in India. So, I picked up only a few papers since I am not to lift or carry anything heavy after the eye surgery and headed to the kitchen to have some breakfast. I got a sink full of dishes soaking and scrambled some eggs that I eat with salsa and washed all the plates then filled the sink with more dishes and headed upstairs to look through the papers I brought up. Then I pulled out the project box with all the rest of the India book  notes and found - drumroll please- the Plan-It curriculum that I had not seen in 3 years, so I kept looking through notes and discovered the 23 suggestions to taking control of your stuff and time so you can be more productive.

I like the number 23 this year. Among other things on the list is to complete the task at hand so I went back downstairs and put away the clean  plates and filled the sink with more dishes to soak. I last washed them Monday night after I had the call telling me the eye surgery was moved up 3 days. With the eye surgery behind me, I spent 2 days napping and watching movies with my sunglasses covering one eye since it was blurry and the lights were too bright and it felt all scratchy and I am not allowed to rub or scratch just put 3 different kinds of eye drops in 4 times a day. I was not able to read nor write but I did manage to post a couple of selfies and glue baste a few Lucy hexies. And now there are chainsaws buzzing outside my window as they are cutting down yet another tree. My brain has been composing countless blog posts and all I really want to do is rub my eyes.

Some of the 23 things are suggestions like make a to-do list and keep it visible, de-clutter on a regular basis, write things down and listen to music. I do all of the above except maybe not declutter so often. And I do make my bed every day. Another item on the list is to simplify my life. And this is where I am today. I am not allowed to drive until the surgeon gives me permission which may not be for a couple of weeks and then the left eyes is scheduled for May 29 and so another 2 weeks after that. This simply means, stay home girl - you are going nowhere for a while. Stay home? I like that. But I also have to stay out of the hot tub. 

So the moral of the story is - in my present state of overwhelm, I have been given the gift of time. Of staying home and that with a purpose. I have committed to a writing group of 11 Christian writers for 11 days writing together with God on one specific project. My goal is to get all the How We Stayed Married for 50 Years blog posts completed, edited, and printed off ready for proofing. I started a new blog a year ago for this and plan to begin releasing weekly posts July 2 after our Big 50+2 Anniversary Celebration. We begin meeting on Monday so that gives me 4 more days to declutter my desk and finish those dishes. I plan to resume regular blog posting next week with highlights of my trips. There will be only the 2 of us here for the next few days and, now that 3 weeks of rain has come to an end, my Sweetie has been out on his tractor most of this week already. Getting ready to plant corn. And he gets his own meals. 

Now, where are those eye drops? 

Blessings,

Chris

Off the Grid for a Few Weeks

This morning I woke up dreaming that I was giving a trunk show talk about some of my quilts. Were they finished ones or in process ones? I do not recall, other than, after a quick bathroom trip, I crawled back into bed expecting to fall asleep right away, but, alas, the trunk show carried on with specific quilts, their journeys and timelines and progression  of skills and techniques learned, as well a life happenings along the journey, so I tried other let's get back to sleep habits that just took on more random rabbit trails of memories and reflections, since I just got back from an amazing ladies retreat in the Bavarian Alps in Germany with my daughter and granddaughter who were wonderful travel companions where my daughter got us organized and onto the correct trains and connections and my granddaughter kept me going in the right direction and kept us on time even though we missed not one but 2 trains but the next ones were better connections, so I finally got up and wrote my morning pages and a to-do list that would make my To-Do Tuesday group proud since we are doing taxes today and my cleaning lady is moving so I have to do the housework myself after all the grandchildren were here while we were away and they sort of spread a lot of toys and stuffies and papers all over the living room as they were creating and shooting a movie including taking some of the stuffies out to the back kitchen for auditions where they left a sheet with the credits written out and how they missed a whole box of ice cream bars is beyond me since I found them first try as we were creating space for the meat that arrived from the butcher where we had sent 2 of the pigs since they had to be sent out before we leave for Australia next week where we will be gone for 3 weeks visiting friends, Scrub Stitching quilt retreat and judging cows at the Sydney Easter Show, so I watered the plants taking care to count how many are in each room since Ava will be watering them when we are gone and that took a good half hour since there are 57, unless I miscounted but I will probably count them again before we go and I did the laundry from my trip and plan to just repack the bags now instead of waiting until the last minute like I did last time and I have to bake an apple pie before the grandkids show up for lunch and I had to replace the batteries in my mouse yet again.

So, I don't think I will be doing that trunk show anytime soon. 

Blessings,

Chris

What Will My Next Impulse Project Be?

I am an impulsive type who obsesses ad nauseatum about the next project I want to work on. I see so many fun creative quilt projects and quilt-a-longs that are so tempting, but reality tells me I need to take that time and energy to finish off a few of the ones I so loved when I started and I still love them as I pull them out, put them on the design wall and drool over their beauty. Then I walk out of the room and totally forget their existence. 

So, here are a few future possibilities.

The Storyteller's Sampler Quilt.
Only 369 two and a quarter inch hexagons. Will I make them all? Of course not. But I would like to make a few. At least 7 to make one collection. But then, as I keep reading through the book, she increased the size of some of the blocks by 141% to make something bigger. Now there is an idea. 

Then there is Cadence Court. 

This was a BOM from Sassafras Lane Designs. Where did I find it? Don't remember. But thought it might be a fun Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. But then, I do not want to begin another until my Bright Jane blocks are done. Also, it is mostly foundation pieced and I have been doing FPP for quite a few blocks and am sort of tired of it. 

Then I bought Wandering Geese from Canuk Quilt. This also looks to be a RSC possibility. But then, Bright Jane might be offended. 

Whatever happened to the hand applique quilts that I so love to work on? Oh yeah. I am still working on a couple. 

And then, I was talking to a friend I hadn't seen since covid lockdown. She reminded me that we both bought Jinny Beyer's BOM from Craftsy way back when and do I want to join her in making it? Sure, since I have the patterns and she does not. but where is the kit? Wait! I bought 2 kits. They are here somewhere. This is in the most vibrant turquoise and gold and blacks. But, now that I recall, I do not like sewing with black. Alas, I will have cataract surgery in May so my opinion might change. 

I have not forgotten Windermere. I bought the book when it came out. I bought the papers back in the winter. I have most of the fabrics in one or 2 of the collection boxes. I do like the purple sashing she used, but cannot find that in any of my searches. I have another that might work. 

So as I parade my thoughts upon the page, I am reminded that Lucy is hovering nearby wanting to play and Ella is begging to go to Australia with me. And Bright Jane has quite the rejection complex. But then, March is green month and her green blocks are all done. Of course, Sarah Morrell cannot complain since she decorated the big design wall for more than a month this winter. Shades of Pemberley got some focused attention for the Dust Off a Quilt Book blog-hop. TOMDO (Think of Me Dear One a Baltimore Album Quilt) got a few hand stitches one night because pouty Lucy was in time out. 

For the first 3 months of 2023, I have pulled out and added a few stitches to 7 of  my 23ufo  quilts. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, because I have been diligently progressing on the Wedding Quilt. This is what it looked like the last time it was up on the wall. Now to get assembling those blocks and triangles. 

Not to mention that I was in Germany last week for a women's retreat with my daughter and oldest granddaughter. 

I will be off the grid for most of April having fun with my Sweetie and Scrub Stitching. I have booked a few days at a Farm Stay just because I could.  And I will have so much more room in my carry-on bag without the winter coat and boots. Three flights down and only 8 more planes to get on and off.

Blessings,

Chris