Just going through some transitions...
Sending our only child to college
Dealing with a heart attack scare
Dealing with the healthcare paperwork of said scare
A few annoying health things for me
So not a lot of crafting going on because all energies are going there....
So please stand by. Move-in Day is August 23...
Friday, August 16, 2019
Wednesday, August 07, 2019
Cash/Credit Goals
I continue to think about the financial /
lifestyle goals from The Prudent Homemaker.
(I was also thinking about when FAFSA would get my parent plus loan on
Renee’s account, but that finally happened and I am in good shape
mentally.) I know the first goals for 2
financial things and how to incrementally grow them. On the 7th of each month is the
best day to assess them – the biggest bills are paid and whatever is left in my
account is truly ours. So here we go.
Cash Goal $1000
saved up between all 3 savings accounts
Credit Goal $1000
reduction in the Discover card balance
Now the Discover card is a dicey topic. I want it gone, but it has the capacity to
handle a lot of emergencies if needed.
Renee’s implant will go on there; there’s nothing else that can be
done. So the Discover card balance will
not be listed until September 7, after the tooth is on there.
Here’s where things stand on Aug 7:
Cash Goal $824.16
– need 175.84 to meet goal.
Let’s see if I can find that between now and
September 7!
Monday, August 05, 2019
International Jane
I've mentioned International Jane when I talked about G-5 Poof. Here it is. My Poofs are in the corners.
Here's the back. The siggies don't line up with the blocks. My bad.
Close of an international siggie.
This Jane got around....
Sunday, August 04, 2019
D-7 Meeting Place
I've got a nice little system going. I have 4 different hand-pieced blocks going at once. I cut one step for each one and then take the little stack upstairs. I do a needle of a binding and then do all the handwork that I can. I then head downstairs and start the process again. It's maybe not the fastest way, but it's working for me.
After 4 or 5 of these repeats, D-7 Meeting Place was the first one to finish. Some of the others just have a LOT of pieces and so it's slow going.
The block color is green. The little ducks are just precious.
The goal is to hand piece this Jane. So far, so good, but I'm only 2 blocks in.
After 4 or 5 of these repeats, D-7 Meeting Place was the first one to finish. Some of the others just have a LOT of pieces and so it's slow going.
The block color is green. The little ducks are just precious.
The goal is to hand piece this Jane. So far, so good, but I'm only 2 blocks in.
Friday, August 02, 2019
Goals of a Different Sort
I love lists. I admit it.
And goals are part of list-making. After all, what are goals, except dreams with deadlines (at the most optimistic) or things that must get done for your mental health (more practical).
I read several different blogs, not always of the same viewpoint as me. That's OK; it helps me learn viewpoints and stretches my world view. It also can provide new avenues for me to reach my goals.
Sometimes I've had goals. I wanted to own a home and either be very content or married by the time I was 30. (Marriage was not a requirement - just a goal - and not one to compromise on. I've been married for 23 years. I got married when I was 25.) I wanted to get my MBA by the time I was 40; I turned 40 in my last term of school work, a goal that I shared with many, and many celebrated right with me!
And as I get ready to send my girl off to college, I am realizing I need some new goals. One goal I've had percolating for a while is to be out of debt by the time I am 60. I turn 49 next month.
OK, I thought, that's do-able. We refinanced the house a few years ago. (Always have your spouse meet you at the paper signing meeting with milkshakes. OMG what a wonderful treat! My love language is the little things and this is one of his top gestures!) Anyway, we had been here 10 years and I changed it from a 30 year to a 15 year, I knew I was close to the done-at-60 goal, and since the payment comes straight from my paycheck (mortgage through work's credit union), I make one extra payment per year. I did some recent math on my mortgage to find out I have 12 years to go. Not much adjusting to make this 11 years to finish on time. However, I consider this managed.
Next up are cars. Just finished paying off Ted's car. I ask for 12 months of no payments from the driver before they ask for a replacement car. I believe Ted will try to go all 4 years of Renee's college career before asking for another car. He wants an SUV next time, as it is getting harder to bend down into a car. Additionally, he and I love to roadtrip for vacation, so I am OK buying a nice vehicle for this purpose. Hopefully we can replace and pay off his next car before I am 60.
Then there are the 2 Sonics. Renee and I each have Chevy Sonics - hers is a 2013 and mine's a 2015. They were bought used. My car is to be done in 2 years and hers in 3, but I am making advanced micropayments on hers to make it finish when mine finishes. For me, I've learned that when a car is 10 years old, I need to turn it in because then it's good money after bad. So in 2025 I will get a new car, used no doubt, and probably another small Chevy, and have it paid for by the time I am 60. For Renee, the goal is for this to be the only car we buy her. She knows this and she knows she needs to replace her car a few years after she graduates. (If something happens, we are willing to evaluate that situation as it happens.)
That leaves credit cards. Well, that is always hard to handle. I always overpay each month. I try to get the other two to limit purchases but the struggle is real for all 3 of us. Renee has moved over many of her fun purchases to her own accounts so that has been a help. I keep reevaluating things and it will another thorough review once we adjust to life as empty-nesters. Another financing thing will also end in 4 years, so that helps as well.
But the big goal - OMG, the Big Goal - will be the Parents Plus loans for Renee's education. It's like buying Chevy Sonic every year for 4 years straight. Please note she is taking loans as well, so she is not getting a free ride from her parents. She also earned a scholarship for half her tuition and the other half of her tuition is a benefit from Ted's work, as her school and his employer are in the same university system. These loans have a 10 year period and when she is done with school, I will be 52, so that does not make my plan.
This is where I am racking my brain. I'm not deferring payment - let's get the show on the road. Ted's car payment is done, so I can afford her payment for now. But I want to just shorten the life of the loan. I think I might do micropayments every 2 weeks.
The way I micropayment is to take the monthly payment and divide it in half. Then round that up to the next $5 (no pennies. just no.) Make that payment every 2 weeks for 3 months. Each quarter, I add $5 to those biweeky payments. While it doesn't seem like much, I do make one whole extra payment per year, plus all those little $5 extra payments add up. I've been doing this with Renee's care and I am 6 months ahead on it. At this rate, I will be done with her car in 2 years. So I am a firm believer in micropayments!
OK, that's a lot of what I am doing. But yesterday I was on one of those blogs that is different from me and they pointed me to another blogger who, while the polar opposite of me, has some great money-saving, money-stretching ideas. She also acknowledges not everything works for everyone, but everything should be worth a try. Fair enough.
She blogs at theprudenthomemaker.com, and the most intriguing thing is the idea on feeding her large family for 40 cents a day on average. While I will never get that low, I wonder how low Ted and I can go.
And the challenge begins. She talks a lot about being mindful, and while I won't post every week, I will post every once in a while on this...
And goals are part of list-making. After all, what are goals, except dreams with deadlines (at the most optimistic) or things that must get done for your mental health (more practical).
I read several different blogs, not always of the same viewpoint as me. That's OK; it helps me learn viewpoints and stretches my world view. It also can provide new avenues for me to reach my goals.
Sometimes I've had goals. I wanted to own a home and either be very content or married by the time I was 30. (Marriage was not a requirement - just a goal - and not one to compromise on. I've been married for 23 years. I got married when I was 25.) I wanted to get my MBA by the time I was 40; I turned 40 in my last term of school work, a goal that I shared with many, and many celebrated right with me!
And as I get ready to send my girl off to college, I am realizing I need some new goals. One goal I've had percolating for a while is to be out of debt by the time I am 60. I turn 49 next month.
OK, I thought, that's do-able. We refinanced the house a few years ago. (Always have your spouse meet you at the paper signing meeting with milkshakes. OMG what a wonderful treat! My love language is the little things and this is one of his top gestures!) Anyway, we had been here 10 years and I changed it from a 30 year to a 15 year, I knew I was close to the done-at-60 goal, and since the payment comes straight from my paycheck (mortgage through work's credit union), I make one extra payment per year. I did some recent math on my mortgage to find out I have 12 years to go. Not much adjusting to make this 11 years to finish on time. However, I consider this managed.
Next up are cars. Just finished paying off Ted's car. I ask for 12 months of no payments from the driver before they ask for a replacement car. I believe Ted will try to go all 4 years of Renee's college career before asking for another car. He wants an SUV next time, as it is getting harder to bend down into a car. Additionally, he and I love to roadtrip for vacation, so I am OK buying a nice vehicle for this purpose. Hopefully we can replace and pay off his next car before I am 60.
Then there are the 2 Sonics. Renee and I each have Chevy Sonics - hers is a 2013 and mine's a 2015. They were bought used. My car is to be done in 2 years and hers in 3, but I am making advanced micropayments on hers to make it finish when mine finishes. For me, I've learned that when a car is 10 years old, I need to turn it in because then it's good money after bad. So in 2025 I will get a new car, used no doubt, and probably another small Chevy, and have it paid for by the time I am 60. For Renee, the goal is for this to be the only car we buy her. She knows this and she knows she needs to replace her car a few years after she graduates. (If something happens, we are willing to evaluate that situation as it happens.)
That leaves credit cards. Well, that is always hard to handle. I always overpay each month. I try to get the other two to limit purchases but the struggle is real for all 3 of us. Renee has moved over many of her fun purchases to her own accounts so that has been a help. I keep reevaluating things and it will another thorough review once we adjust to life as empty-nesters. Another financing thing will also end in 4 years, so that helps as well.
But the big goal - OMG, the Big Goal - will be the Parents Plus loans for Renee's education. It's like buying Chevy Sonic every year for 4 years straight. Please note she is taking loans as well, so she is not getting a free ride from her parents. She also earned a scholarship for half her tuition and the other half of her tuition is a benefit from Ted's work, as her school and his employer are in the same university system. These loans have a 10 year period and when she is done with school, I will be 52, so that does not make my plan.
This is where I am racking my brain. I'm not deferring payment - let's get the show on the road. Ted's car payment is done, so I can afford her payment for now. But I want to just shorten the life of the loan. I think I might do micropayments every 2 weeks.
The way I micropayment is to take the monthly payment and divide it in half. Then round that up to the next $5 (no pennies. just no.) Make that payment every 2 weeks for 3 months. Each quarter, I add $5 to those biweeky payments. While it doesn't seem like much, I do make one whole extra payment per year, plus all those little $5 extra payments add up. I've been doing this with Renee's care and I am 6 months ahead on it. At this rate, I will be done with her car in 2 years. So I am a firm believer in micropayments!
OK, that's a lot of what I am doing. But yesterday I was on one of those blogs that is different from me and they pointed me to another blogger who, while the polar opposite of me, has some great money-saving, money-stretching ideas. She also acknowledges not everything works for everyone, but everything should be worth a try. Fair enough.
She blogs at theprudenthomemaker.com, and the most intriguing thing is the idea on feeding her large family for 40 cents a day on average. While I will never get that low, I wonder how low Ted and I can go.
And the challenge begins. She talks a lot about being mindful, and while I won't post every week, I will post every once in a while on this...
Sunday, July 28, 2019
I had an idea....
...and I went with it last night and today.
(First though, a note of frustration. Tons of students and parents are receiving bills from the bursar's office. Why, oh why, is this the weekend that the Parents Plus loan website has to be down for maintenance? This was to be my day today - get the student loan. Now I have to do it tomorrow night. Whee.)
The idea?
Teeny tiny log cabin blocks. Itty bitty ones.
I sorted through all of my 30s fabric and I have a lot of 5" charm squares. You need more than a charm square to make a DJ block, however (painful personal experience here), and so I gotta use them up.
Well, the first two letters of my URL are LC for log cabin for a reason...
So I did some math. I can get 4 1.25" strips from each charm. Then I did some more math to see how many logs. And then I needed graph paper and a calculator. I had been doing all the math in my head for a few days (hey, some meetings are really boring), and now I needed to write it all down.
I can get up to the 9th log using the 5 inch strips. Hey hey hey.
So I decided to make 16 blocks. That is how many centers I can get from a red charm square. I decided to go ahead and use Kona snow for the light sides and then warm colors (pink, orange, yellow) and cool colors (green, blue, purple) for the dark sides. I made 8 of each.
So not sure where this is going or how many I will make, but I did learn a few things.
I used 1 red charm and 2 of the other 6 colors. I needed to add 4 more strips of each warm and cool to finish off the blocks. So I need 2 more charms. I am keeping all the scraps together; while the cast-offs may or not be usable in blocks for this effort, I can certainly cobble something together at some point. For example, I have a lot of 1.25 squares left. That's OK.
(First though, a note of frustration. Tons of students and parents are receiving bills from the bursar's office. Why, oh why, is this the weekend that the Parents Plus loan website has to be down for maintenance? This was to be my day today - get the student loan. Now I have to do it tomorrow night. Whee.)
The idea?
Teeny tiny log cabin blocks. Itty bitty ones.
I sorted through all of my 30s fabric and I have a lot of 5" charm squares. You need more than a charm square to make a DJ block, however (painful personal experience here), and so I gotta use them up.
Well, the first two letters of my URL are LC for log cabin for a reason...
So I did some math. I can get 4 1.25" strips from each charm. Then I did some more math to see how many logs. And then I needed graph paper and a calculator. I had been doing all the math in my head for a few days (hey, some meetings are really boring), and now I needed to write it all down.
I can get up to the 9th log using the 5 inch strips. Hey hey hey.
So I decided to make 16 blocks. That is how many centers I can get from a red charm square. I decided to go ahead and use Kona snow for the light sides and then warm colors (pink, orange, yellow) and cool colors (green, blue, purple) for the dark sides. I made 8 of each.
So not sure where this is going or how many I will make, but I did learn a few things.
I used 1 red charm and 2 of the other 6 colors. I needed to add 4 more strips of each warm and cool to finish off the blocks. So I need 2 more charms. I am keeping all the scraps together; while the cast-offs may or not be usable in blocks for this effort, I can certainly cobble something together at some point. For example, I have a lot of 1.25 squares left. That's OK.
Of course, it's G-5 Poof
Here's my G-5 Poof, done in yellow. It was done by hand, and frankly my handwork needs some work. One stripe is a bit wider than the other and my applique of the poof is so-so. We shall see how things look by the end of this effort.
Time to explain the title of the post. Years (and I mean years) ago, I joined a swap of lots of people. We were each to make a DJ block multiple times and swap with a siggie square. Many dropped out, but we had about 20 or so by the end. I picked G-5 Poof.
I made the swap into a wall hanging which is at work. It's called International Jane, as many blocks came from overseas. I had so many leftover Poofs that they are the 4 corners of the wall hanging!
So of course when it was the first loose paper in the pile, it just made me giggle. Of course. It had to be. How could it NOT be?
It was a full sheet of paper, so the next block up is G-6 Papa's Star, to be done in orange. I now realize I am woefully low on orange.
And while doing this first block, I had an idea! Stay tuned for how that idea turns out....
Monday, July 22, 2019
Monday Post About July
Updates on July goals...
Knitting - I have no desire to do the August Camp Loopy challenge and I was killing myself to get July done. I decided to just chill out and not worry about completing anything on time.
That being said, I did get some more of the body of the June challenge completed, as well as the second sleeve. I use it for knitting in the car, at the dentist, the doctor, pub trivia, etc.
The black Faroese shawl has a 12 row repeat and my goal is to get 1 repeat done per week. It will take a while but the rows keep getting longer to knit. Weekend mornings are the best time, as that is when the room is brightest, as the yarn is black.
Quilting - well of course, nothing new really. Biggest thing is that I joined the Dear Jane challenge to do one block a week.
We've been go-go-go for many weekends so I will be happy to be home and then to go into the basement and declutter and sew. I need to make sense of the space. And I hate to go down there now because Ted is not just gaming; he is frequently watching training videos for the new system at work. So I do not want or wish to disturb him if he is actually working.
In many ways, life is in this holding pattern of getting ready to send Renee off to college. There are things that have to be done and things I want to do that will be so much easier once she is gone.
Knitting - I have no desire to do the August Camp Loopy challenge and I was killing myself to get July done. I decided to just chill out and not worry about completing anything on time.
That being said, I did get some more of the body of the June challenge completed, as well as the second sleeve. I use it for knitting in the car, at the dentist, the doctor, pub trivia, etc.
The black Faroese shawl has a 12 row repeat and my goal is to get 1 repeat done per week. It will take a while but the rows keep getting longer to knit. Weekend mornings are the best time, as that is when the room is brightest, as the yarn is black.
Quilting - well of course, nothing new really. Biggest thing is that I joined the Dear Jane challenge to do one block a week.
We've been go-go-go for many weekends so I will be happy to be home and then to go into the basement and declutter and sew. I need to make sense of the space. And I hate to go down there now because Ted is not just gaming; he is frequently watching training videos for the new system at work. So I do not want or wish to disturb him if he is actually working.
In many ways, life is in this holding pattern of getting ready to send Renee off to college. There are things that have to be done and things I want to do that will be so much easier once she is gone.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
The Block That Started It All
The Dear Jane saga continues.
So, one member of my DJ small group was planning on attending the DJ meetup / retreat held periodically in Indiana, with Barbara Papadakis herself in attendance. This guild member has attended several times and so knew Barbara well enough to know that the following was possible.
If Barbara is presented with a D-13 Field of Dreams block, she will autograph it for you to put in your Baby Jane. Our guild member was willing to do this for us if we gave her the block.
I was on that, man.
I picked that fabric because I love it. I have found it in my travels in pink and purple as well. (Yes, I am doing my Baby Jane in 30's, as it will remind me of my dad, born in 1935.)
So then after having the aforementioned fabric placement crisis, I realized to get this effort off the ground this time, I HAD to find this block and mark it as green in the grid so I could do other blocks.
Whew.
I've done this and it means that the center square (always the best choice in Holly wood Squares) is pink The corners are pink. I am thrilled. I might like pink.
So now it's time to get going. I believe the goal this week is to take a piece of paper in the box, find its color and make it. Don't care which block, just get one done.
So, one member of my DJ small group was planning on attending the DJ meetup / retreat held periodically in Indiana, with Barbara Papadakis herself in attendance. This guild member has attended several times and so knew Barbara well enough to know that the following was possible.
If Barbara is presented with a D-13 Field of Dreams block, she will autograph it for you to put in your Baby Jane. Our guild member was willing to do this for us if we gave her the block.
I was on that, man.
I picked that fabric because I love it. I have found it in my travels in pink and purple as well. (Yes, I am doing my Baby Jane in 30's, as it will remind me of my dad, born in 1935.)
So then after having the aforementioned fabric placement crisis, I realized to get this effort off the ground this time, I HAD to find this block and mark it as green in the grid so I could do other blocks.
Whew.
I've done this and it means that the center square (always the best choice in Holly wood Squares) is pink The corners are pink. I am thrilled. I might like pink.
So now it's time to get going. I believe the goal this week is to take a piece of paper in the box, find its color and make it. Don't care which block, just get one done.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Oh, Dear....Jane!
Oh Dear!! Oh Dear!!
When Julie over at JulieKQuilts put up this post about Dear Jane, I said, why not? So here I am and welcome if you come from that link!
Now that I declared myself, I better get going. So I went to the basement where my studio is and tried to find my Dear Jane stuff. Had a mild panic attack when it wasn't where I thought it would be. Rifled through things - may have made a mess - not sure, was in a state of panic - will assess damage later. Then I went to my trusty green notebook and looked at my inventory listing and it told me right where my DJ stuff was. Amen for documentation.
So here's my DJ stuff:
I then had to dig for the book, which was of course at the bottom. Not only was there fabric and the rulers in there but a whole ton of papers that I had copied from the book. Clearly, I have tried in the past to get this project off the ground. Found the book. I needed the book to figure out where I was.
See, last time I valiantly tried to work on this effort, it was with a small group from my local guild. One member said she had to have the fabric matched to each block before she could start. Some said that they wanted theirs to be monochromatic (oh, the idea of an all-pink one!). Another was doing hers is redwork. I thought I would let color placement fall where it may.
However I kept getting pulled back to the idea that Jane herself originally had, which was basically a barn-raising effect on the color placement. After that I threw up my hands, packed it away and here we are.
So how does all of this come together? Stay tuned for the post about The Block That Started It All.
When Julie over at JulieKQuilts put up this post about Dear Jane, I said, why not? So here I am and welcome if you come from that link!
Now that I declared myself, I better get going. So I went to the basement where my studio is and tried to find my Dear Jane stuff. Had a mild panic attack when it wasn't where I thought it would be. Rifled through things - may have made a mess - not sure, was in a state of panic - will assess damage later. Then I went to my trusty green notebook and looked at my inventory listing and it told me right where my DJ stuff was. Amen for documentation.
So here's my DJ stuff:
I then had to dig for the book, which was of course at the bottom. Not only was there fabric and the rulers in there but a whole ton of papers that I had copied from the book. Clearly, I have tried in the past to get this project off the ground. Found the book. I needed the book to figure out where I was.
See, last time I valiantly tried to work on this effort, it was with a small group from my local guild. One member said she had to have the fabric matched to each block before she could start. Some said that they wanted theirs to be monochromatic (oh, the idea of an all-pink one!). Another was doing hers is redwork. I thought I would let color placement fall where it may.
However I kept getting pulled back to the idea that Jane herself originally had, which was basically a barn-raising effect on the color placement. After that I threw up my hands, packed it away and here we are.
So how does all of this come together? Stay tuned for the post about The Block That Started It All.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Update # 2 for July
Monthly Goals - Let's see where I end up.
Quilting:
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in. That's the post before this one. I was #3 on the Queen's List I believe so I'm glad to move down!
Nothing else has been completed quilting-wise. Knitting takes over.
However, we did do the Eastern Central IL Shop Hop and boy, did I enhance my stash! All in good fun. It's my hobby, right? a few places had really good sales rooms - Peanuts fabrics, etc. Others had really unique notions and so I had to get some of those. The lace zippers alone were worth it.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - I am behind schedule but persevering forward. There is hope!
June Camp Loopy - One sleeve is done because having 2 circs going at the same time on the sweater meant the sweater couldn't travel well. Since there was so very much knitting time (hours at the dentist office, hours upon hours in the car travelling to all the shops in the hop), I did get 3 repeats of the pattern done on the body. That is a lot, I assure you.
August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project <--not started but must be done this next week
Tivo:
Tivo weirdness continues. More of Durrells are gone, but again, I can watch on PBS Passport; I got 3 done this weekend! I am the Night, a miniseries about the Black Dahlia murders, also disappeared. So I took a minute to find it on demand and start watching it and it is a NO for me. (And then it mysteriously reappeared. I left it there for Ted.) So no loss there. Did watch two more of MacGyver.
I have tivo'ed a lot (omg a lot) of the PBS programming on the 50th anniversary of going to the moon. That will be some solid immersive viewing when I start.
Other topics:
Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it. 10 bags of donations from garage. 5 hours in the green room. make sense of the lawn and garden. <-- none of this got addressed. Oh well.
Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.
i'm 2 for 2 on Monday posts, so hey that's good.
Quilting:
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in. That's the post before this one. I was #3 on the Queen's List I believe so I'm glad to move down!
Nothing else has been completed quilting-wise. Knitting takes over.
However, we did do the Eastern Central IL Shop Hop and boy, did I enhance my stash! All in good fun. It's my hobby, right? a few places had really good sales rooms - Peanuts fabrics, etc. Others had really unique notions and so I had to get some of those. The lace zippers alone were worth it.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - I am behind schedule but persevering forward. There is hope!
June Camp Loopy - One sleeve is done because having 2 circs going at the same time on the sweater meant the sweater couldn't travel well. Since there was so very much knitting time (hours at the dentist office, hours upon hours in the car travelling to all the shops in the hop), I did get 3 repeats of the pattern done on the body. That is a lot, I assure you.
August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project <--not started but must be done this next week
Tivo:
Tivo weirdness continues. More of Durrells are gone, but again, I can watch on PBS Passport; I got 3 done this weekend! I am the Night, a miniseries about the Black Dahlia murders, also disappeared. So I took a minute to find it on demand and start watching it and it is a NO for me. (And then it mysteriously reappeared. I left it there for Ted.) So no loss there. Did watch two more of MacGyver.
I have tivo'ed a lot (omg a lot) of the PBS programming on the 50th anniversary of going to the moon. That will be some solid immersive viewing when I start.
Other topics:
Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it. 10 bags of donations from garage. 5 hours in the green room. make sense of the lawn and garden. <-- none of this got addressed. Oh well.
Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.
i'm 2 for 2 on Monday posts, so hey that's good.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Q3 2019 UFO Finish
As I am #3 or #4 on the Queen's List, it's time for a finish, don't you all think?
A few years ago I asked to join a swap that revolved around the baseball season. Long story short, lots of 6.5 inch charms are swapped each fall among the members. And so each year I try to find a pattern that lets me use up the squares all together.
I love the double slice pattern, but instead of starting with 10 inch layer cake squares and cutting and sewing and subcutting (ugh), I actually just cut pieces 5 by 6.5 or 5 by 3.5. I have a shoebox where I put the cut pieces when I process scraps and when it's full, it's time to make a donation quilt. So I cut the 6.5 charms into these sizes, which left me with a strip from the large cut and a rectangle from the small cut. I believe those just got processed in with the other scrap stash. I don't believe I had quite enough charms so my stash supplemented the rest.
So here it is: the Baseball Swap Double Slice. Its owner has not yet been revealed to me.
Stats:
54 x 63
5.13 yards used
And with that, I will ask to be moved down!
Monday, July 08, 2019
Update #1 for July
Quilting:
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.
I'm #5 on the Queen's List, so I found the UFO to bind. Did 2 needles yesterday and will do 2 needles a day until it's done. Should be done this week.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - completed
I wanted to be at row 36 on the chart, and I ended last night on row 24. Goal for this week is to row 68.
June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves
Got one sleeve done. There's some road trip travel this week so I only wanted one active set of needles on the sweater. I will work on this in the car this week.
Tivo:
Get through half of this list. This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good. I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off. Final count on the tivo should be 170.
Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3 - deleted
Hillary 5 - done
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6
OK, my tivo is wigging out. It deleted 26 episodes of one show. Then it deleted Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and BIG. Then every couple of days, an episode of Hillary and the Durrells. I am ticked.
I don't care about the Tupac thing and the 23 episodes of Chicago PD can be found on reruns without issue. However, the 2 PBS shows really piss me off.
So I went to PBS Passport and set up Hillary on my laptop. Got my 5 charts for my shawl set up and promptly knit my way through all 5 episodes that I had left.
And that was my week!
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.
I'm #5 on the Queen's List, so I found the UFO to bind. Did 2 needles yesterday and will do 2 needles a day until it's done. Should be done this week.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - completed
I wanted to be at row 36 on the chart, and I ended last night on row 24. Goal for this week is to row 68.
June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves
Got one sleeve done. There's some road trip travel this week so I only wanted one active set of needles on the sweater. I will work on this in the car this week.
Tivo:
Get through half of this list. This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good. I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off. Final count on the tivo should be 170.
Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3 - deleted
Hillary 5 - done
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6
OK, my tivo is wigging out. It deleted 26 episodes of one show. Then it deleted Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and BIG. Then every couple of days, an episode of Hillary and the Durrells. I am ticked.
I don't care about the Tupac thing and the 23 episodes of Chicago PD can be found on reruns without issue. However, the 2 PBS shows really piss me off.
So I went to PBS Passport and set up Hillary on my laptop. Got my 5 charts for my shawl set up and promptly knit my way through all 5 episodes that I had left.
And that was my week!
Monday, July 01, 2019
July Goals
Monthly Goals - Let's see where I end up.
Quilting:
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.
5 things - I've thought about this and I want to complete 5 things in the basement to the flimsy stage. Then I can add one project from upstairs and also start something new if I wish.
Then for every day that I am home for the day, I want to get one sandwiched. Right now that looks like July 4, 6, 7, 14, 21, 27 and 28. I have 4 flimsies I think ready to go, then add in the 5 above and I think I'd be doing pretty well.
Quilting - Once I get through sandwiching, I usually have a quilting plan. If I do, then I just jump in and quilt it. Only 1 quilt that is sandwiched languishes.
Add 2 to the binding pile. Hopefully more, but that's the minimum.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - completed
June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves
August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project
Block 2 things
Tivo:
Get through half of this list. This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good. I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off. Final count on the tivo should be 170.
Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3
Hillary 5
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6
Other topics:
Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it. 10 bags of donations from garage. 5 hours in the green room. make sense of the lawn and garden.
Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.
Quilting:
Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.
5 things - I've thought about this and I want to complete 5 things in the basement to the flimsy stage. Then I can add one project from upstairs and also start something new if I wish.
Then for every day that I am home for the day, I want to get one sandwiched. Right now that looks like July 4, 6, 7, 14, 21, 27 and 28. I have 4 flimsies I think ready to go, then add in the 5 above and I think I'd be doing pretty well.
Quilting - Once I get through sandwiching, I usually have a quilting plan. If I do, then I just jump in and quilt it. Only 1 quilt that is sandwiched languishes.
Add 2 to the binding pile. Hopefully more, but that's the minimum.
Knitting:
July Camp Loopy - completed
June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves
August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project
Block 2 things
Tivo:
Get through half of this list. This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good. I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off. Final count on the tivo should be 170.
Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3
Hillary 5
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6
Other topics:
Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it. 10 bags of donations from garage. 5 hours in the green room. make sense of the lawn and garden.
Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.
Updates on Various Odds 'n Ends
June Camp Loopy never got finished on time. However it will be finished because I love it and it's gorgeous. No loss - I'll just do July Camp Loopy and keep working on the June one.
Vacation was wonderful. Posts to follow.
Still loving the new-to-me laptop. Nice to have and since it's small, that's pretty helpful.
I have adapted to my new Kindle. I am currently re-reading Phillipa Gregory, now that I sort of understand who everyone is and how they are related.
Kim's 6th job offer at the job fair we went to in April was for Key West and she did it on a lark. To make a long story short, she did accept that job. She left for Florida earlier this month and their school board officially approved her hire. Her new school calendar has hurricane days in it. This makes me giggle.
I am way behind on all my quilting. The retirement quilt did not get done and I'm not worried about it. Somewhere in all of that was Renee's high school graduation, and frankly that took my time and energy. No one disputes that this was the best choice. She had a great graduation and a great party and all was well. It didn't rain (it was raining non-stop for days beforehand).
I have found the gift certificate for the quilt shop. However I lost my medical credit card. That was easy enough - ordered a new one and ordered one for Renee.
When I look ahead at the calendar for the next 3 or 4 months, I should be able to get to posting regularly. I look forward to doing so.
Vacation was wonderful. Posts to follow.
Still loving the new-to-me laptop. Nice to have and since it's small, that's pretty helpful.
I have adapted to my new Kindle. I am currently re-reading Phillipa Gregory, now that I sort of understand who everyone is and how they are related.
Kim's 6th job offer at the job fair we went to in April was for Key West and she did it on a lark. To make a long story short, she did accept that job. She left for Florida earlier this month and their school board officially approved her hire. Her new school calendar has hurricane days in it. This makes me giggle.
I am way behind on all my quilting. The retirement quilt did not get done and I'm not worried about it. Somewhere in all of that was Renee's high school graduation, and frankly that took my time and energy. No one disputes that this was the best choice. She had a great graduation and a great party and all was well. It didn't rain (it was raining non-stop for days beforehand).
I have found the gift certificate for the quilt shop. However I lost my medical credit card. That was easy enough - ordered a new one and ordered one for Renee.
When I look ahead at the calendar for the next 3 or 4 months, I should be able to get to posting regularly. I look forward to doing so.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
I'm in the Clouds
So this t-shirt was my attire yesterday, as I went into work. Yes, it was a Saturday, but system upgrades / conversions / whatever you call 'em have to happen on weekends. And for us, on a weekend that lines up with a 3 day weekend near or including a month end. Very specific, but very important.
While the 4th is on Thursday, we planned (and planned and planned - for over 3 years) for the end of this June. We can use the 4th as a workday to get caught up just in case - our drop-dead deadline to get caught up is really next Friday night.
So we started Thursday the 27th at 3pm. Friday was uneventful - we were on schedule, actually about 2 hours ahead. On Saturday I was contacted at 5.30 in the morning with an issue. Got that figured out and we lost the 2 hours we were ahead, but that was still OK. Rearranged a few tasks to see how things were - no big deal. By 4pm we were back on track and in good shape.
This morning's call showed that we are now 6 hours ahead. Things are going well. One more critical process is running as I type this and then we will check one last thing. If things are fine, which they should be, as we double check things as we go, then we will get ready for business as usual tomorrow, but in the cloud version of the system.
So yep, clouds are the theme of the weekend. We are moving to the latest version of our system, which is now in the cloud. While some things look different, the system functions the same way and some annoying 'features' of the old version are now better in the new version.
So it's been a good weekend, and thankfully I didn't have to fight.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
And So It Begins...
Yes, that is an episode name in Babylon 5, a show that I love. But neither here nor there, it is truly my status.
Today is the first day of PTO, which is the new term for what is called VACATION! So exciting! Vacation! The trip is planned, the travelers are assembled, the car was sent for servicing, a baby Instant Pot was purchased. We are raring to go!
And then comes illness. Ted started on Sunday and I am running about 36 hours behind him. Thankfully, I don't sound as bad as he did a few days ago, but it's unpleasant. My sleep is horribly interrupted. Anyway, Renee got him to Urgent Care / Prompt Care / Whatever You Call It, and he got diagnosed with a sinus infection. Better living through chemistry.
Our trip is a road trip, and after we got all the places figured out and the general timeline, it was time to book hotels and he sounded horrible, so I didn't bother. A few events require tickets and we hadn't handled that yet either. Just as well - our lack of detailed planning has resulted in a flexible leave time. Things has been edited, we will wing it more than we like, but certainly no more than we have in the past, and we will be off.
So today we rest. I will work from home for a bit, we will pack, I will knit (OMG am I behind for Camp Loopy), I will process the CSA from Farmer Henry so that we eat it today for our meals and/or it gets put up for winter, and the Jetta will get its stupid, expensive part. Yes even the Jetta went down, days after the final payment on it was made. The A/C wasn't working, and well, it is a road trip and it is summer.
Estimated departure: tomorrow morning, after Ft. Jesse Cafe.
Today is the first day of PTO, which is the new term for what is called VACATION! So exciting! Vacation! The trip is planned, the travelers are assembled, the car was sent for servicing, a baby Instant Pot was purchased. We are raring to go!
And then comes illness. Ted started on Sunday and I am running about 36 hours behind him. Thankfully, I don't sound as bad as he did a few days ago, but it's unpleasant. My sleep is horribly interrupted. Anyway, Renee got him to Urgent Care / Prompt Care / Whatever You Call It, and he got diagnosed with a sinus infection. Better living through chemistry.
Our trip is a road trip, and after we got all the places figured out and the general timeline, it was time to book hotels and he sounded horrible, so I didn't bother. A few events require tickets and we hadn't handled that yet either. Just as well - our lack of detailed planning has resulted in a flexible leave time. Things has been edited, we will wing it more than we like, but certainly no more than we have in the past, and we will be off.
So today we rest. I will work from home for a bit, we will pack, I will knit (OMG am I behind for Camp Loopy), I will process the CSA from Farmer Henry so that we eat it today for our meals and/or it gets put up for winter, and the Jetta will get its stupid, expensive part. Yes even the Jetta went down, days after the final payment on it was made. The A/C wasn't working, and well, it is a road trip and it is summer.
Estimated departure: tomorrow morning, after Ft. Jesse Cafe.
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Well, Hello There!
I know none of you can see this because it's from behind the scenes, but hello from my new-to-me laptop.
About a year ago, I was time-sharing my laptop with my DD. She had it most of the time and was gaming on it. She killed it; it wasn't that kind of laptop. She burned it out.
So a replacement was purchased, but it was for her and at a gaming level. She will take it to college.
Meanwhile, I haven't had a device of my own for a year. I had just moved to a work laptop when this incident happened, so I figured I would cope. But it is still life without access to your own laptop at any time, which is really nice.
Fast forward to the end of the school year, and since we chose to rent a device for the 4 years of high school (many advantages), the device was wiped and available to us once she graduated. She went and picked it up today, the first day of availability. It took us a bit, but we got the free copy of Windows 10 installed (she did it - I suck), I got Chrome installed and here we are.
I am back! With a (smallish) real screen! And a (tiny) keyboard!
So now I can blog again with regularity, instead of trying to cope around everyone else.
About a year ago, I was time-sharing my laptop with my DD. She had it most of the time and was gaming on it. She killed it; it wasn't that kind of laptop. She burned it out.
So a replacement was purchased, but it was for her and at a gaming level. She will take it to college.
Meanwhile, I haven't had a device of my own for a year. I had just moved to a work laptop when this incident happened, so I figured I would cope. But it is still life without access to your own laptop at any time, which is really nice.
Fast forward to the end of the school year, and since we chose to rent a device for the 4 years of high school (many advantages), the device was wiped and available to us once she graduated. She went and picked it up today, the first day of availability. It took us a bit, but we got the free copy of Windows 10 installed (she did it - I suck), I got Chrome installed and here we are.
I am back! With a (smallish) real screen! And a (tiny) keyboard!
So now I can blog again with regularity, instead of trying to cope around everyone else.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
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.
Monday, April 15, 2019
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)