Thinkin' about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

Doofus with a little spring fever

Doofus with a little spring fever

  • how absolutely, fantastically, great it feels to be home for a prolonged period of time and in a routine again.
    • (The doggies agree.)
  • how, on the other hand, being hither and yon for so long means a backlog of appointments that all landed on this week so I'm not entirely feeling in routine yet.
  • that, however, all that means is I'm finally getting some stuff taken care of that should've been dealt with weeks ago.
    • so it's all good.
  • how new furniture is both fun and stressful at the same time.
  • that the words "oh, we'll just use this for now" should never be spoken.
    • Is 10 years later still "for now?" 
  • that, in the time it's taken us to choose a new coffee table for our family room, other people would have redecorated that same family room twice over.
  • how that should make me remember that every decorating choice doesn't have to be a forever-choice.
    • less stress?
    • faster decisions?
    • no more naked windows or cheap, folding, very unsteady TV-trays as end tables?
  • that our highest priority in choosing new end tables was, "Which one will the Doofus not be able to knock over as he runs by?"
  • how the store clerk was looking a bit askance at us as we leaned on the top of every table and wiggled it to check for sturdiness.
    • but it's a thing.
    • and I'd rather not have it be a thing anymore.
    • Dang Doofus.
  • how nice it is to see green grass.
    • and growing things.
    • and hear birds.
    • and sneeze.
    • because sneezing means spring.
    • Hurray.

Thinkin' about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinkin' ...

  • about stubborn snow.
  • that I really need to do laundry tomorrow.
  • how I have very few clean clothes left in the "professional" category.
  • that I need to have enough to pack on Saturday.
  • how good it feels to have finally finished a project.
  • that it's best not to think too hard about the rest I still have left to finish.
  • about stubborn snow.

(No Thinkin' about It Thursday post next week as I'll be traveling.)

Thinkin' about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking... 

  • How absolutely, fantastically, overwhelmingly good it is to see sun again. 
  • That a little sun makes a huge difference to my overall mood. 
  • That even after three days of 40s (and dabbling toes briefly in the 50s) I can still only see a little patch of green on our front slope. 
  • How it's still good weather for driving around with the sunroof and windows open. 
  • How sore my fingertips are from embroidery.
  • That I'm going to have to keep practicing that darn rosette chain stitch.  
    • Waterloo. 
    • Dang, that one's tricky.  
2015-03-05 14.39.33.jpg
  • That my favorite stitch so far has been the fly stitch. 
  • How fun it is to do the same stitch in different lengths, widths, tensions, and with different threads, to see how completely different it can look. 
  • Because that means I can use my favorite stitch a few different times and most people wouldn't even notice it's the same stitch.

 

 
  • That I've once again put a quilt in a show--my second time ever. 
  • How I noticed something I should've fixed even as I was putting the quilt into a bag for drop-off at the quilt shop hosting the show.
  • That hopefully it'll be hung a bit above eye level. 
    • So no one can look too closely. 
    • But it's not too noticeable, really.
    • And is just due to using old fusible.
    • So that makes it the fusible's fault and not mine, right?
  • That I'm looking forward to my day off on Friday and will be going to my guild's sew days, even if just for a few hours. 
  • How I need to figure out tonight how many strips and squares a certain honkin' big quilt will take so I can cut them while surrounded by buddies to keep me from thinking about how mind-numblingly boring all that cutting is.
  • That, other than DD coming home for spring break, I have nothing scheduled for this weekend and that feels great! 
    • Other than an eye appointment
    • And they'll dilate my pupils
    • So I won't be able to see really well for awhile
    • And going to the quilt show to see my and my friends' quilts hanging will be poorly timed if I'm still wearing sunglasses. 

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Thinkin' about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • That I really, truly, am a machine girl.
  • That hand-piecing and hand applique are just not really my cup of tea.
  • That, however, I do like doing felted wool with a blanket stitch by hand.
    • Just not in several layers with a honkin' big chenille needle that hurts my fingers trying to get it through everything.
  • How I'm finally narrowing in on being able to start my embroidery for the Sue Spargo embroidery class (not the "Sue Spargo Take 6 Weeks to Finish Your Background" class).
  • That I'll find out then whether I'm an embroidery girl.
  • How I have a few too many projects clamoring for my attention at the moment.
  • That, regardless, I'm having too much fun to stop myself. ("Ooh, shiny!")
  • How much I'm looking forward to going to a class on Saturday with a bunch of my peeps.
  • How it's been way, way too long since I've gotten to spend time with my Guildy-Girls. 
  • That, on the other hand, I've gotten to spend time with a few of them in our Design Study Group this week.
  • How much fun Design Study Group is. 
    • Especially when someone brings in a project for a consult.
    • And we can all gather around and discuss design principles and voice opinions.
  • That it'll be fun to see what they do with the art quilt design classes we're all taking the next couple of Saturdays.
  • How that brings me back to looking forward to going to a class with my quilty peeps.
  • How that almost makes it better that there's still piles of snow outside that haven't melted enough yet for us to even see pavement.
  • How the forecast doesn't look good for the next several days.
  • That at least "March 1st" means "Getting closer to spring," so I'll be celebrating that day even if it is supposed to snow.
  • That even the Doofus has an opinion about the weather.

Thinking about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • That, for once, I'd just like to be warm.
  • How I don't even need to see negative-double-digits show up on the "RealFeel" temperature listing on my Accuweather app. 
    • Because I can feel it.
    • Even inside.
    • With two space heaters on me.
    • And wearing fuzzy socks, slippers, a hoodie, and fingerless-gloves.
  • That Craftsy classes are apparently like dark chocolate truffles for me (which is a very apt metaphor as we come up on Valentine's Day): I just can't resist them when they're on sale.*
  • That, on the other hand, it's a good way to get over my heebie jeebies about something that smacks of garment sewing. And fiddly bits. 
  • How nice it is to have my daughter home from college for a few days.
  • That I keep forgetting I have Monday off, so woohoo long weekend!
    • Even if it is going to be negative-double-digits on Monday.
    • All the more reason to stay inside and cuddle with my sewing machine.

 

*Craftsy affiliate link--by using this link you help support my podcast and blog. Thanks so much!

Thinking about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking... 

Yet another snowfall...

Yet another snowfall...

  • How good it is to have friends. 
  • That cold and snow is okay, but I could do without the cold.
  • That people really should know to be quiet in study areas in a university library. 
  • That my dogs turned out to be less a distraction than those chatty-cathies and chatty-chucks in the library. 
  • That my dogs were certainly glad to see me come home again to work when I gave up on the library. 
  • How badly I really need to kick my motivation back into gear and get some exercise.
    • No matter how cold and snowy it is outside. 

 

Thinkin' about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking... 

  • how little we appreciate feeling normal (normally awake, normally healthy) until we haven't felt that way for weeks on end.  
  • that normal is very, very good. 
  • that it's nice to finally get things done. 
    • like a trip to the post office I should've done weeks ago
    • and getting some groceries back in the house again. 
  • that my first block for the 2015 Craftsy BOM with Jinny Beyer was a great learning experience, if only to learn that I probably won't ever hand-piece a block again and was right to always do my best to avoid templates every chance I get. 
  • that as great a work trip as I just had last weekend, it's really nice to know I don't have a work trip again for several weeks. 
  • that I'm looking forward to maybe getting a lot of progress made on quilty projects now. 
  • that snow is fun if one can (1) sled, (2) ski, or (3) pile it on top of fabric and coat it with pretty, pretty colors. 

 

 

Thinkin' about It Thursday

This Christmas gift has really been put through its paces the last couple of weeks as I've been guzzling tea and honey!

This Christmas gift has really been put through its paces the last couple of weeks as I've been guzzling tea and honey!

Oops. This week I've been thinking about trying to get healthy in time for my work trip tomorrow, and now I'm thinking about packing. We'll get back to regularly scheduled programming next week!

Thinkin' About It Thursday

(If you're looking for the 2015 Quilty Resolution Challenge, click here.)

This week, I am thinking...

  • that six weeks away from work is a very long time. 
  • how proud I am of how well I'd organized myself before I left so re-entry wouldn't be too horribly painful. 
  • that the stressful fall was worth it since I'm not behind the 8-ball now.
  • how being back in a routine isn't altogether a bad thing. 
  • that colds stink. 
  • how I may have had a bad reaction to the malaria meds but at least I didn't get off the airplane with bronchitis the way I did when I went to Thailand; but before I pat myself on the back, wait a minute....No, I had to go and catch a cold from some dang family member or another over the holidays.
  • that they say most accidents happen within two miles of home. Like family members gifting you with germs.
    • Put a bow on that package, why doncha.
      • Ratzifratzit.
  • how Ricola doesn't mix well with peppermint tea and honey. 
  • how I'd just gotten my quilty mojo back when I started sneezing.
  • how the great quilty progress I'd made over the weekend has now come screeching to a halt. 
  • that I'm a whiner. 
  • that I promise you--once my throat stops hurting I'll do that second Burma episode like I've promised. Promise.
    • Ratzifratzit.

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

And I'm thinking...

  • That family and friends are good things to have.
  • That Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday.
  • That I never keep quite enough leftovers at home after I host.
  • That I like being generous, but I wouldn't mind a few more days of leftover turkey, either.
  • That my husband and I sometimes end up roasting a turkey breast within a day or so of Thanksgiving so we can manufacture ourselves more leftovers.
  • That I hope I'm well-enough packed that I can actually relax some on Friday rather than running around in a frenzy attending to details for the trip.
  • That come hell or high water,  I'll be on a plane on Saturday and whatever hasn't happened by then won't happen and it'll probably all be fine anyway.
  • That this going-without-coffee thing really does stink.
  • That it's not a caffeine issue--I haven't had any withdrawals to speak of--but just a flavor thing.
  • That I really, really miss my morning coffee (and probably most especially will tomorrow morning as I'm in recovery from a big day of cooking and eating).
  • That December 21st will bring the biggest honkin' mug of coffee and fat-free French Vanilla creamer my way: merry early Christmas, Sandy.
  • That dropping off my sewing machines for their time at the spa while I'm gone was nearly as difficult as saying goodbye to my dogs for a few weeks.
    • Nearly.
  • That I can't wait to put brand-spanking-newly-cleaned-and-tuned-up machines to use once I get home.
  • That family and friends, and being fortunate enough to have a table laden with food, really is a blessing.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. To those elsewhere, have some turkey or squash on us!

*This will be the last Thinkin' About It Thursday post until after my return. I can't even begin to predict what I'll be thinkin' the next three Thursdays!

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

"And it ain't a fit night out for man nor beast!" (With thanks to W.C. Fields.)

"And it ain't a fit night out for man nor beast!" (With thanks to W.C. Fields.)

  • About whether I have everything I need for my trip, since I'm at the point-of-no-return for ordering things online.
  • How much computers work my very last nerve at times.
  • That I'm glad I don't live in Buffalo--and thinking of all who do!
  • That the normal snow we've gotten this week of 4-6" feels like enough. Seasonal, even.
  • How I'm ready for the snow, but not quite ready for the below-zero wind-chills.
  • That even the dogs weren't too keen on the cold.
  • How good it's felt to be back at my sewing machine for a little bit.
  • That I need to get my head wrapped around a menu for Thanksgiving.
  • That I also need to, once and for all, sort out the various seasonal wardrobes in my closet and get some things in storage and other things packed.
  • That we really should have gotten the carpets cleaned before Thanksgiving but I couldn't squeeze one more thing in.
  • That I should have gotten it done over the summer when I first started thinking about it.
  • How procrastination is rarely useful.
  • That a sunlight lamp is a wonderful thing, especially when one is weaning oneself off coffee at the same time as the days are getting darker and shorter.

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • What a relief it is to have my travel visa in hand.
  • That Jenny Doan is one fun chick.
  • How, on the other hand, she's now added several quilts to my "wish-to-make" list.
  • That if I do get around to making even a couple of those quilts, though, it'll make a nice dent in my pre-cut stash.
  • How that would make me feel good, using those dang pre-cuts that have been hanging around for years.
  • That sleep is just such a good thing.
  • That my "Fitness Friday" post this week won't be any great shakes.
  • How I need just a few more super-productive, heads-down days in my office with no distractions to actually have a hope of getting everything done that I need to get done to be out of the office in December.
Empty lot next door

Empty lot next door

  • How sad I am to see the empty lot next door rock-hounded, and how I'm wondering if that means it has actually, really truly sold this time.
  • That we're going to need to fence in our back yard now because the doggies have gotten way too used to nearly ten years of wandering as they will.
  • How I doubt new neighbors will appreciate that.
  • That new neighbors may move in with dogs of their own, and I'm praying they're not bark-y ones like the one on the street next to us that you can hear for miles...
  • How I'm building up all sorts of ideas for quilt projects I want to get rolling on when I get back home.
  • That it may take awhile before I'm awake enough to trust myself near my sewing machine or rotary cutter.
  • That, if it weren't for being in Burma the month of December, I'd already have my lightbox out and running as we've truly entered Dark Gray Season around here.
  • How being in Burma might buy me some wiggle room on my usual S.A.D. schedule as I'll be in full sun while I'm there.
  • How I've got to dig my sunscreen out of storage and make sure it gets packed.
  • That November is just flying by...

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • That some shots really hurt {{whine}}.
  • How I really need to figure out how I'll be able to drink coffee safely in Burma. (Coffee doesn't come to a boiling point.)
  • That I still need to pick up a couple of travel-appropriate articles of clothing--durable, lightweight, easy to wash in a sink...
  • How good it feels to finally get some quilting done.
  • How fall really, truly, is my favorite time of year.
  • That it'll be awhile before the dogs are ready to let me out of their sight again.
    • Can you say, "Pied Piper?"
  •  About whether or not I want to get that new camera and try to sell off my old one.
  • That it's both a good thing and a bad thing that I've bought so many Craftsy classes they just gave me a free one. 
  • That it's strangely harder to decide what class to use as a freebie than it is to spend my own money for one. 
  • That Food Truck Rodeos are a whole lot of fun.
  • What great "next generation" folk we have in our family and how much I enjoy hanging out with my now-adult-kids and nieces and nephews and such.
  • How I really, truly, need to work out a better gym schedule.
  • That experiencing all four seasons in the space of a single week makes it really hard to decide which seasonal wardrobe I should be keeping in my closet. 

Thinkin' About It Thursday and Halloween Project

This week, I'm thinking...

  • How I'm unexpectedly filling in this weekend for a guest speaker who came down with a virulent flu this week and so today had to cancel her presence at the engagement.
  • That if it doesn't rain it'll be a nice drive tomorrow downstate to where the speaking engagement is being held, a drive through all sorts of fall color.
  • How I am looking forward to being with the group and I do always enjoy doing these kinds of engagements.
  • That I'm now doubly-glad I got a little sewing done yesterday during my comp day off after being gone for work last weekend too.
  • That I'm feeling good about using my Alexander Henry Ghastlies collection finally, even if I'm not using it the way I'd originally intended.
  • That my daughter will get a kick out of having Halloween pillowcases in her dorm room.
  • That I'm pretty sure my daughter doesn't read my blog. And if she does, well, oops--happy surprise Halloween gifty, baby girl.
  • That tonight I'm going to celebrate my son's birthday by dinner out with him, my husband, my son's roommate, my nephew, and my mother-in-law.
  • That it'll be a nice time even if at this point I'm pretty much heartily sick of restaurant meals.
  • How I'm going to make something homemade for dinner on Sunday to detox.
  • That after some last minute panic-fixes today to my visa application for my trip to Burma, I'm hoping that's now been settled too.
  • That I won't really relax about that until my passport and visa are back in my hands again.
  • That there's nothing I like better than the smell of leaves on the ground as I kick through them while walking the doggies, so I'm reminding myself to "just breathe."

By the way, just a brief mention that Craftsy is having a Halloween Flash Sale from Wed, 9/22 at 7p MT to Friday, Oct 24 at 11:59p MT. Fabric, yarn, and kits are on sale for up to 70% off. Use this link or click on the banner in this blog on the right to get to Craftsy to check it out. Using these links helps support this blog and podcast--thanks!

Thinkin' about It Thursday

(I'm writing this before Thursday as on Thursday I'll be in my car heading across the border for my anniversary weekend trip with my husband. So here's my compilation of thoughts for the week leading up to Thursday.)

This week, I'm thinking...

Niagara on the Lake 2013

Niagara on the Lake 2013

  • How much I love fall. Have I said that before?
  • That I'm really ready for my anniversary weekend trip with my husband this weekend.
  • How we seemed to spend as little time as possible together in the couple of weeks leading up to our weekend trip just to be darn sure we were really ready for our weekend away.
  • How we love it when the timing is such that we end up taking our vacation weekend in Canada the same weekend as Canadian Thanksgiving.
  • That we're sneaky that way, getting two Thanksgiving dinners in a row.
  • That it's good we're going away this weekend because nearly as soon as I get home, I'm gone again for a week-long work-trip.
  • How I'm so glad I got my postcard done for Sandi's postcard swap last weekend so it could be in the mail before I spend a lot of the rest of the month gone.
  • How unusual it is that I'm ahead of a quilting deadline.
  • "Whee!"
Hiking in Balls Falls area 2008

Hiking in Balls Falls area 2008

  • That I'll get a ton of steps in this weekend as we like to go hiking at Ball's Falls and catching the arts and crafts festival they hold every year on their Thanksgiving weekend.
  • That it's been hard keeping my mind on work all week as I've looked forward to my time away.
  • How I am so ready to be gone.
  • That I can't wait to kick through leaves and smell fall everywhere around me all weekend long.
  • Vacation, here I come!

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • how much I love fall.
  • that I haven't done a Thinkin' About It Thursday post in awhile.
  • that it's nice to have a week where I'm home, I'm relatively healthy, and I can be back in a routine.
  • that I need to decide what I'm doing for an appetizer for my IL's clambake on Saturday.
  • that I don't like clams.
  • that I don't like any shellfish.
  • that I'm still willing to take one for the team and make an appetizer involving crab meat that others might like so I can play with a new homemade pasta recipe I've been wanting to try, 'cause lemon pepper pasta just sounds like it's tailor-made for seafood accompaniments.
  • how maybe I'll still make a second appetizer that my husband and I would both want to eat.
  • that my husband is the one who suggested having a clambake just to get the family together, even though he doesn't like shellfish either.
  • how ironic that is.
  • how maybe I'll make a second appetizer that only I'd really like to eat and make him stew in his own clam juices.
  • that I love getting together with family, but I really don't like clams. Or shellfish. 
  • that I'm actually getting time in at my sewing machine this week.
  • that I'm having a ball working on my postcard for Sandi's fall postcard swap. 
  • that it's still nice enough outside that I can get some canal walks in with the Doofus. 
  • how much I love fall.

Thinkin' About It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • That I didn't appreciate my molars enough while I had 'em.
  • That I probably wouldn't have ever made quite as much homemade pasta several weeks in a row if it hadn't turned out to be one of the few things I can eat comfortably.
  • How every cloud has a silver lining. I guess.
  • That you would think specialists who do root canals would want to get patients in sooner than about 10 days after calling to make the appointment.
  • That once again I'm having major dental work done right before going out of town for a work event.
  • How that's just getting old.
  • How whiny I've gotten lately. So I guess it's time to just suck up and deal.
  • How I'm excited to be moving forward on my Banned Books Week project.
  • How I get to play with something I've owned for at least a couple of years now but haven't tried using before.
  • How the instructions on the bottle are definitely less than sufficient.
  • How, while it's fun to play, it's a little less fun to have to guess how to play.
  • That I'd better spend some serious time in my quilt studio or I'll never get the BBW challenge done by BBW.
  • How that would just be embarrassing.
  • That I went to guild this week, for the first time since June.
  • How much I've missed my guild.
  • How good it is to be back in the routine.
  • How the herd of deer in the back yard should really stop taunting my doggies. (There's about five to seven of them, mostly teenagers like this guy.)
  • That's just mean.
  • How my dogs wouldn't know what to do with them if they caught them anyway.
  • How that really doesn't matter to my dogs.

Thinking about It Thursday

This week, I'm thinking...

  • That it's already September and I'm not entirely sure how that happened.
  • How I'd better use my patio as much as possible while I still can.
image.jpg
  • How I'm writing this while on my patio with my morning coffee.
  • That the dogs really like it when I drink my coffee on the patio. 
  • That I really wish they'd stop eating my ornamental grasses. ("Sammy! Knock that off!") 
  • About my Susan B Anthony mug and how it reminds me that women are pretty cool. 
  • That those flies are still around and still pesky. 
  • How good it feels to finally have all those scarves done. 
  • How I still need to press the dang things. 
  • How that's going to take for-freaking-ever. 
    • So I'd better get my Zen on. 
  • How broken teeth are really just starting to work my very last nerve.
  • How drinking smoothies for the next little while will help a lot in my weight loss goals, though.
    • So there is that.
    • Still n' all...
  • How it's like turning on a lightbulb when I get a project done that I'm not enjoying as much and immediately my brain finally starts percolating with ideas for my next project. 
  • How I can't wait to get cranking on that next project. 
  • That my quilty mojo might be starting to come back.