Writing

I have been writing. Yes writing, Not just thinking about writing or talking about writing. Writing. Yes I wrote blog posts and to-do lists. But I also hand wrote many pages for my book SMOWJ for short. I have decided to take this month of June and do some more serious writing. Every day. Aiming for 1000 words a day. But will be happy with 100 as long as I write something every day.

Up until now, I have just been writing whatever came to mind as I reflected on this journey of life God has taken me on over the past 66 years. I have finally come up with an idea for compiling chapters and will be writing chapters now instead of words. I have more than 9000 words typed out so far and another 10 hand written pages sitting here.

My sister will be arriving from China end of the month and the little girls will be home for the summer holidays for weeks at a time so I will be writing in June. Then I can put it aside to marinate for a couple of months before considering a professional content edit.

Now to turn all this into a best seller.

 
But first I need prayer. Email me at grammakiss (at) gmail (dot) com if you would like to be part of my prayer support team. Thanks.
Blessings,
Chris

Tuesday Planning

My list was short last week, but I did not get it all done. I spent lots of time with the little boys and that was wonderful. They will be back again next week for Jonathan's fifth birthday. He wanted to spend his birthday at the farm.  We are getting everyone's summer schedules on to the calendar so I can block out my time to write.

This week's to-do-tuesday  list:

1. Continue the 30 Day writing challenge. I started with Day 1 and spent time getting organized and printing off worksheets. I have decided to actually begin logging in days on June 1 so it will be easy to track my days. The goal will be to write at least 1000 words each day. That is only 3 pages typed out or 5-6 hand written. I hand wrote 9 pages this past week.
2. Continue the action exercises on my course. This time write them down. I have been reading only 2 books this week.
3. Taking part in a virtual blogger's retreat with chookyblue this weekend. I will work on the last and final block for BTCT. I have it started and will get the rest of the applique bits prepped so I can stitch away. I might pull out something else to play with also. 
   
    Depends what the ufo number of the month will be. But I always change that anyway.  
4. Tomorrow, with the cleaning lady, we are continuing the mass de-cluttering, this time in the quilt room. The goal will be to reduce paper, put away projects not being worked on, coral some of the little girls craft supplies. And to think, yesterday I bought glitter glue, play doh, high lighters, pens and journals and white out, as well as new head phones so they can play on their ipads quietly. 

That should be enough for this week. It has been raining again. We are supposed to be having a bonfire tonight for the final gathering of our church small group but it looks like it will be pot luck inside instead. I love pot lucks. I am taking a seasonal rhubarb custard meringue pie. 

• Make pie for tonight. 

Blessings, 

Chris

May 2019 OMG Completion

My May one-monthly-goal 

was to get all the applique bits prepped for this 

the second last block for Beyond the Cherry Trees. 

And I finished all the hand applique also. 

Only one more block to go then the borders. That will be the equivalence of 10 more blocks, but simple ones since it will all be stems and leaves and cherries. Two hundred of them. I am linking with slow-sunday-stitching. I better get busy and prep that last block.

Blessings,
Chris
also linking with
oh-scrap   cookingupquilts   midweek-makers  boms-away  emsscrapbag

Lost A Needle

I lost my needle. It had a long yellow thread in it. Really long. Too long actually. I was minding my own business stitching away on this Beyond the Cherry Trees block when I finished a flower center, tied off the thread, clipped it and set down the needle so I could pluck out a chin hair.

Anyone ever have that problem? Losing a needle not chin hairs. When I went to pick up the needle to stitch on the next flower, it was missing. Not the flower. The needle. The one with the long yellow thread. I looked on the desk. I looked in the project box on the desk. I looked on my shirt and sweat pants and my sweater and even looked on my sleeves and socks. I turned the light to shine on the floor, but could not find it. So, I went to get a snack. The stress of it all.

What snack did I get? Sour cream and onion Pringles. One of the little girls asked me where I hid my candy stash. I didn't tell her because I was out. Of stash not little girls. So I bought some yesterday when they were at their mom's. Actually, she caught me snacking on M&M's that I bought last weekend when I was driving a group of junior highs up for a camp clean-up. It was a 6 hour round trip both on Friday and again on Sunday. M&M's are my keep-awake snack of choice for road trips.

The little boys came to visit for 2 sleeps and helped Grampa plough the corn fields getting them ready to plant the corn. The poor guy. He has been waiting for the rains to stop so he could get the manure piles spread onto the fields and plough up the soil. Cannot do that when it is too wet. He has been on his tractor for at least 15 hours a day this past week. And the corn got planted yesterday. Mind you, some of it was in the dark but the custom guys's tractor had gps. Whatever happened to head lights?

There are only the 3 flowers left to applique and the 2 yellow centers then this block will be complete.  I found a new needle and threaded it with more yellow thread. Again, I took too long a piece.

Blessings,

Chris

To-Do-Tuesday

I did pretty good at getting last week's list done for to-do-tuesday.
This week will be short.

1. Enjoy time with the little boy grandchildren coming for a sleepover.
2. Applique  the final flowers for the second last BTCT block. 
3. Begin writing the Action Exercises and Journaling for my new course.
4. Begin the 30 Writing Challenge. 

That's it for now. The list is short but the work could be daunting.

Blessings,
Chris 

More Progress on BTCT

Only a couple more layers to go then the last flowers. 

blessings,

Chris

linking with quiltingismorefunthanhousework

                    slow-sunday-stitching

The Bookshelf

Yesterday the cleaning lady and I (mostly her) cleared off 4 shelves of books in the back kitchen that I have decided to donate. I have not looked into any of the books since I graduated with a Bachelors's degree in counseling studies in 2008. Most of these were counseling books focusing on marriage and relationships. Others were cookbooks. Lots of cookbooks. I gave away more than I kept, but I do, after all, have grandchildren learning to cook. So I kept the chocolate books and the pie books and the jello books. I could do a whole blog post about each one of those.

I actually flipped through every single book to see if I had left any interesting book marks. I once loaned a bunch of specific counseling books to a class mate for her thesis. She took a moment to flip through each one and found an envelope with $150 US and enough Canadian cash to pay my cleaning lady that day. I had given my husband the last of the cash I had on me that day and wondered how I would pay the girl. God is amazing in providing what we need at just the time we need it. I had planned to visit the author in Ohio later that year and had my money ready. I try not to use cash for book marks anymore. I once found my birth certificate in a book several years after I got a new one so I could get a passport. There were book marks of all sizes and shapes with notes and post its in most of the books.

There were cookbooks about canning. And she found a plaque I had received in 2006 for winning high points in canning at our local fair. I was canning queen in 1998 also. Oh the stories I can tell. I learned to make homemade jams the year I got married and eventually canned fruits and applesauce and pickles and relishes. We had a big vegetable garden. It was a way of life. On the farm here, we have plenty of room to grow food for ourselves not just for the cows. We gave up the vegetable garden the year we turned 50 and took over the family farm. Now our son is getting ready to plant 500 strawberry plants and start his own vegetable garden. He has 3 little girls to help.

My ADHD brain had a field day with memories evoked by each book and I had to tell the cleaning lady about each one and stories and talk talk talk. Why do I do that? I don't know, but I do. Bless her, she keeps right on cleaning. Another day we will tackle the china cabinet in the hall that houses about 200 counseling books. But I had decided to not get rid of them until I had my dissertation done. Then there are hundreds and hundreds more here in the office/quilt room on theology (after all I have a degree in theology) and many more counseling books. And devotionals. I have lots of them. Quilt books are on a different bookshelf on the other side of the room. But Glenda from Australia once told me that you eat an elephant one bite at a time.

This bookshelf will be cleaned up and moved into to the living room for the many children's books that are presently in boxes in a closet. The closet shelves will then have quilting project boxes returned when the book boxes were put there. At least this is the plan in my head.

Blessings,
Chris 

Done

Last week wasn't so bad. But the cleaning lady did lots on the list.

1. Pay taxes. Done
2. Payroll Remittance. Done
3. Pay car insurance. Done 
4. Pay cleaning lady. She is here now working her magic at removing dirt. Done 
5. Back up computer files. How hard can this be? Now its done b/c it was easy
6. Take geraniums outside for summer. Done by cleaning lady. 
7. Figure out how to clear cookies so I can log in to my writing coach's website.  
8. Clear clogged kitchen sink. Never quite finished the dishes for an empty sink so No.
9. Make Action Plan for writing. Done
10. Write 3 times. Done
11. Clear my work space so I have room to write. Done then re-cluttered again.
12. Sweep quilt room floor. Done by cleaning lady.  
13. Plant The tomato plant. Been raining all week so No
14. Work up flower beds. Done by cleaning lady.
15. Put the potted geraniums in holes in the flower beds. Done
16. Set goals for the week. Done 
17. Massage on Friday. Done

My to-do-tuesday  list for this week includes:

1. Prep rest of the leaves and stems for BTCT block. Done
2. Stitch leaves and stems for BTCT block. Done
3. De-clutter my bedroom. Started
4. Donate clothes. Not yet
5. Donate wicker chairs. Done
6. Donate 1 box of books. Done
7. Donate another box of books. Done & done
8. Plant morning glories. Done
9. Plant one tomato plant. Done
10. Clear clogged kitchen sink. Good task for the leaning lady methinks. Done
11. Do the cookie thing with my writing coach. Done. Called in my IT guy and he fixed it. 
12. Write at least 3 times. Done
13. Begin writing the Action Exercises and Journaling for my new course. Been reading but not writing here yet
14. Not give too much advice as our son plants 500 strawberry plants and other things.  Behaved myself

This should be enough for one week. Blessings,

Chris

BTCT Progress

A few more buds and leaves and a flower back-basted 

onto the second to last Beyond the Cherry Trees blocks

for slow-sunday-stitching.

Blessings,
Chris

To Do Tuesday

I came down this morning to the sounds of a little girl crying because she did not want to wear her sweater under her rain coat to school because she was hot. It was 4 C this morning. Yesterday she wanted to wear leggings under her uniform skirt because it was cold. It was 22 C yesterday.  She turns 6 on Friday. By then I should have lots done here because I am making a list for to-do-tuesday-5-7-19.

Also, when I came down this morning at the unearthly hour of 7:08 AM, I remembered that my taxes are due then I remembered I had not paid the car insurance nor submitted payroll remittance. I am retired. I should not have to work or pay bills. Sigh. They still have to be paid whether I do it now or I do it later.

1. Pay taxes. Done
2. Payroll Remittance. Done
3. Pay car insurance. Done 
4. Pay cleaning lady. She is here now working her magic at removing dirt. 
5. Back up computer files. 
6. Take geraniums outside for summer. Done by cleaning lady. 
7. Figure out how to clear cookies so I can log in to my writing coache's website.  
8. Clear clogged kitchen sink. 
9. Make Action Plan for writing. 
10. Write 3 times for at least 3 hours. 
11. Clear my work space so I have room to write. 
12. Sweep quilt room floor. This will be a challenge. I have a cleaning lady. I pay her to clean. 
13. Plant The tomato plant. 
14. Work up flower beds. 
15. Put the potted geraniums in holes in the flower beds. 
16. Set goals for the week. Done 
17. Massage on Friday. 

This should keep me busy for a few days. 

Blessings, 

Chris

If You Clear It - She Will Fill It

My youngest granddaughter turns 6 this week. She is special. I mean, really special. 

We have been doing some serious decluttering here in the old Farmhouse. I was getting something from the back kitchen today and spotted the following on shelves and chairs: 

She was helping Daddy clean out the trailer in anticipation of selling it and brought some critters home with her.

And of course they must be fed. 

These baby chicks were in the quilt room last week under a light. 

I guess they needed to keep warm.

I once set up an empty 8 foot table and told her she could use it. She filled it one end to the other with crafts and stuffies and books and toy sewing machines and snacks and her ipad in no time at all. Just like Gramma. 

In the meantime, the 7 year old has requested that she do some sewing. She tells me isn't it wonderful that she is so blessed to have the skills to sew. She sewed up many 7 inch I Spy blocks last summer and we are continuing now. Well, until she cut the thread too short then jammed the machine and I had to re program it and refill the bobbin. But that's what Gramma's do. 

Blessings, 

Chris

Slow Sunday Stitching

The little boys had been sick with a really bad virus for the past two weeks. They went to the doctor on Thurs and were told they could be with people again. Their first comment was. "Gramma can come and visit now!" since Gramma stayed away so to not bring any of the virus home to share with the little girls. Gramma had to wait for her car to be brought home from getting the snow tires off and new brakes on. Then she quickly grabbed a few stitching things and a change of clothes and drove the 2 1/2 hours in the dark to surprise them all. The little boys found her in the guest room Sat morning. And lovely hugs and snuggles and more hugs. It's been a whole month after all.



I got a few bits back basted on BTCT block #24 and started stitching the green thing that will be behind the flower. I did not have any red in my kit to prep the buds so will do it later. But for now, I have a bit of hand work for  Slow Sunday Stitching.

Blessings,
Chris

OMG May 2019

A year ago I was challenged to set a 90 Day One Big Thing goal. My first one was to survive baby sitting the little boy grand children 4 days a week. They are both potty trained now so no more diapers. I set goals all the time and do not always meet them. I have come to realize that my goal setting is more dreaming than actual planning. But I do get lots done. Just not the things on my list.
I have little girl grand children living here at the Farm half time since last September. I like it. I get to see them a lot. Because they are all school age, I do not have to hover over them all the time. Just be near by. After all, their Dad lives here too and they are his kids. He does pretty good. He packs their lunches, gets them on the bus on time and does their laundry. He also makes their breakfast and supper the nights they are here. I cannot complain. I do the dishes. My choice. And, I have a cleaning lady. I love her.

But I have a degree to complete. And a book to write. I have progressed on both this past month. Now to keep on keeping on. My OMG is quilting related most months. My 90 Day One Big Thing is not. Last fall my big thing was to complete the Dear Daughter Quilt. And I did. This spring the Big Thing has been to write my book.Surviving Menopause: One Woman's Journey. SMOWJ for short.
I have 8500 words written. I am aiming for 40,000. So one fifth of the way there. My 90 Days is up on May 22. Then I will reevaluate and set a new 90 Day One Big Thing goal. It will not be quilting related.

So what will my May one-monthly-goal be? I started to put away some of the stuff left over from a quilt finish and found lots to distract me. Shiny New Object Syndrome they call it. But I must keep writing. And not so much about quilting. And I must keep reading. Still, not so much about quilting. I had a blast at the retreat and said it was my one last quilting hurrah until I finished the writing. But I have been home for 2 weeks now and I really like the hand applique. I had done almost none of it in the past 4 months until I was completing the BTCT blocks. How I love that quilt. Completing it is not on any of my ufo lists for this year. I stitched while listening to lectures on line the past few days. I guess that is my answer. Prep all the little bits for the next BTCT block so I can stitch to my hearts content this month.

This is what it looks like so far. I dare not press out those wrinkles because the pattern is drawn on the back with a Frixion pen and it would disappear. I do this so I can back baste. That background is a Kona Snow.

The goal is not to complete the stitching, but that would be nice and could happen. Just prep all the applique bits. The fabric box is still sitting on the table here so I better get busy.

Blessings,

Chris