Moving Down

I'm Lady in Waiting #2 and thankfully the Scrappy Tumblers is a finish!

Back on March 24, I wrote this about it:

...I had started a top of all the tumbler shapes that came in the Bits 'n Pieces club.  There were never enough tumbles in any one color / shade / type to make anything.  So I just threw them all together.  I got it to a flimsy, sandwiched it with a frankenbatt, got it quilted it, trimmed it and got the binding attached.  It's sitting in the pile, waiting to be finished.  I hope to have tumblers to come up in the pre-cut challenge and then I can get a finish out real quick!

So yesterday we had to head north for haircuts and I got that sucker bound in the car!  This morning I snuck out and took a quick picture in my pjs.  Happy Easter / Passover everyone.

Here it is, in all its glory. 53 inches square, so 4.27 yards by my reckoning. Also my April pre-cut challenge quilt!

Excuse me while I email Ellen to move me down.  

Mid-Month Report

A mid-month update...

Quilting

Retirement quilt - flimsy - not even started, but I have decided to use the Quiltworx approach.  More prep work up front, but more mental health saved in the long run.

Fruit Cups - done done - not even touched

Scrappy tumblers quilt - done done - brought upstairs for handwork

Stars in Her Crown -  centers done - no progress, but I am going to hand piece this.  No point i getting frustrated with paper piecing when I am only making one of each thing.

BOM - to handwork stage - not even touched

Licorice All-Sorts - use as a leader and ender, so as far as I can get - not even touched

Harleigh's Easter gift - done done - not even touched and may sub something else for her Easter gift.

Knitting

Block 3 things - not even started

Get to 17" on fade sweater vest - not even touched

Mend 1 thing - not done

Crochet

Finishing on blue afghan - not even touched

Assess granny square afghan and get it half way to done - not even touched

Other

Braid t-shirt strips during the news every day (this will be sewn into a rug) - sadly, not touched

OK so it looks like I've done nothing and in many ways, it feels that way.  In my defense, I was gone 5 of the first 15 days of April, so there's that.  So here's my back half re-focus:

Quilting:

Scrappy Tumblers will get done.  Has to.
Retirement quilt - get going on it.  I have a feeling once I get going, it will be fine.  I need blocks of time and that is hard to come by, but I will have to force it I think.
Siggie Swap - just got the blocks back, so I want to get this done.  It's only 2 feet square, so not a lot of work.

Knitting:

Block 3 things
Knit on anything.

Crochet:

Work on both afghans.

Other:

Start braiding.  Try to double up

Farewell, Old Friend

The first time I read on a Kindle was in 2012.  My sister lent hers to me because I forgot a book to read.  I had just finished all of Harry Potter and those huge books, and I loved that the Kindle had a light and was lightweight.  I was in love.

I promptly saved up a lot of Amex points and bought two Kindles just like Kim's - one for me and one for Renee.  I also bought secondary market covers with built in book lights.  Renee never took to it and eventually Kim gave it up as well, but I am still going strong with mine to this day. 

Lately I have seen my beloved friend lose its abilities.  This week it would stay on, after repeated coaxings.  It's OK.  It has severed me well for a very very long time in the lifespans of an electronic device.  Here are some pics....

The top one shows the secondary market cover.  It does make the device heavier, but it also protects it and makes it more durable to bumps, bruises and drops.  The second one shows how the little book light came out, making reading in the dark amazing.

Preparing for this day, in late 2015, again with Amex points and an incredible Kindle sale, I bought 2 more, this time the Fire models.  Again I bought covers.  Renee didn't take to her new Fire and so now I have 2 Kindle keyboards and 2 Kindle Fires.  I have wiped both Fires clean, re-linked them to my liking and have organized all the content.  The new covers are orange and pink.  The orange one will be my reader, just like the old one, and the pink one has way more memory (SD card) and can do videos and stuff for going to the gym and walking on the treadmill.  I moved the orange one up to my bedside this week, making the transition complete.

This morning I deregistered my beloved Kindle Keyboard.  It was time. 

Goodbye beloved friend.

Last Weekend Was Sun....

...and today we have snow. 

Last weekend, I was in sunny Florida.  My sister had to go for work on the Monday, so we left the Friday before and flew home on Tuesday.  She had a good work trip, and we had a good time. 

On the Saturday, we drove around to various places to see various schools and neighborhoods.  Kim's looking for a new job, so if she was interested in a particular school, we drove and found it, looked around for apartments, checked out where stuff was, etc.  While we were travelling to and fro, our old (and I mean she's now 85+ years old) neighbor called Kim.  This woman taught Kim to sew, who then in turn taught me.  While on the call, I realized that this woman needs a quilt from me, and thus the Good Fortune quilt has revealed its owner to me.  I now I have a renewed interest in finishing this quilt.  Yay!

On Sunday, we went to Universal and saw all kinds of Harry Potter.  We did the following:

Went to Gringott's and exchanged some muggle money
Got a butterbeer and a green fishy ale
Ate at the 3 Broomsticks
Got ice cream at Florean Fortescue's
Bought an interactive wand
Cast some spells - Kim loved the mermaid ones and I loved the tape measure on the lapel at the robes shop
Travelled both ways on the Hogwarts Express
Bought a chocolate frog and some peppermint toads
Explored all the shops

We did not ride the rides.  I do not do heat and yes 80 is hot to me. 

Monday she worked and I went to a quilt shop and a yarn shop and generally rested.  Her day was extremely successful (6 job offers in 5 hours), and so we celebrated at a local food joint where we were the only gringos and I had to order (badly) in Spanish, but OMG - guanabana!!!!!!  Guanabana is a fruit we had in Puerto Rico as a slushie and to find it on the mainland was amazing.  Renee was insanely jealous.  Kim had some and was a convert.

Tuesday we flew home and we had to circle SHARPLY at Midway twice and that was not fun for me.  My sister has never seen me have a panic/anxiety attack before (it's really super-rare for me) and she knew I was really just a hot mess.  Happy to hit the ground.

So that was last weekend.  Today?  I'm in central IL and it's snowing right now outside.  Yay.

April Crafty Goals

Let's try a goals post.

Quilting

Retirement quilt - flimsy
Fruit Cups - done done
Scrappy tumblers quilt - done done
Stars in Her Crown -  centers done
BOM - to handwork stage
Licorice All-Sorts - use as a leader and ender, so as far as I can get
Harleigh's Easter gift - done done

Knitting

Block 3 things
Get to 17" on fade sweater vest
Mend 1 thing

Crochet

Finishing on blue afghan
Assess granny square afghan and get it half way to done

Other

Braid t-shirt strips during the news every day (this will be sewn into a rug)

That's a lot but I like goals.  Gives me focus.