I am at Month #6, with #7 coming along.
Testing is a lot. We are hoping to get done with each of the months before the BOM starts in January. As a tester, we are invited to give suggestions, tips, make corrections and other comments. I've given more than a few and the organizers will take what works and leave the rest. Its a very interesting experience in quilting as it uses squares.
I am keeping track of the blocks by pinning the instructions to each one. We are sworn to secrecy so while I cannot post any of the blocks, I could post tracking.
Even this was a suggestion that might come as a teaching tip. I am free to say that I need to be extremely organized as I quilt. I have been trying to stay organized for years. Its all about retrieving. A piece of fabric gets lost like a piece of paper.
I went into the closet this afternoon to ensure that the more recent projects were labeled. Only one needed a note. One box needed a note. Not bad. I appreciated my attention to this particular detail and how I am handling it.
I watched a video on You Tube that focused on using up holiday fabrics. It started with a 10.5" square, used white with other coordinating fabrics, so with the 5.5" border made a nice, fast quilt top. I may try it later.
Meanwhile I printed off the next two months for the test quilt project I am in. Admittedly, I am behind, so will work on getting these squares cut, and pinned. #3 still needs to be pressed and rows pinned to finish.
All the boxes of cookies have been delivered and received. I need to bake again this week to ship out the Italian dolci to my Sons, as well as some regular sugar cookies that go to the holiday pot luck as a host/hostess gift. (I am also bringing deviled eggs, & fresh baked rolls for the potluck.)
However, today, I am focusing only on the test months (#3, 4, 5). I am still behind on the Merry & Bright quilt as well as some other BOMS. It has been a less stressful season for me to get family holiday gifts taken care of through the giftcards. Yes, they were more than what I might usually spend, however, I know that giving $25 today is like receiving a $5 bill when I was a teen. In the hands and gone in a flash. As my life progresses, I may only have $25 to give. So this year was a good one.
Well, onto work.
My younger Sister is the cookie baking expert in our family. She takes the best of photos, has the most variety of cookies to share, and outshines even Martha Stewart. Notice the tray is more for 4th of July than for the December holidays. I have winter dishes...just not set in place for PR here.
These are what is left, either broken or extra, after packing 8 boxes and shipping them out yesterday. The green trees are lime shortbread, the Oreos are simply coated with a thin layer of chocolate and sprinkles added, the balls are also dipped into white chocolate with crushed peppermint, and finally chocolate chips. There was more, like Anise strips and fudge. Enough to make it into boxes perfectly without leaving more for me to eat.
My last venture is to make the Italian dolci or sweets. Those only go to my Sons, and if there is extra, to 2 Granddaughters who don't live with their parents any more. They can ship even at New Years.
And now, after some cleaning in the kitchen, I can get back to the quilting projects that wait, wait, wait.
I have to say my spiritual practices have been on hold too. That is a bold admission because everything I do has a spiritual component to it.
Not so much lately. My faith has been challenged of late. Sometime, I think it is because my life force energy diminished over time and I just realized I got older. Older means not having the stamina, the strength, the passion of a younger woman. Even 5 years made a difference.
I do less because I just don't care about a lot of the minutia. I find that trying to please others or do what I think they want, doesn't cut it. They don't want what I think they do. I have to ask, to listen and to respond accordingly. I know I am not in control of things.
What is huge for me is saying what I want or need and having someone listen TO ME. What I am really aware of is that when you get older, you become invisible. Yes, even to people you love who love you. For the most part, it starts with all of us denying the reality of aging. The aging person denies it and everyone around them does too. No one wants to believe the end of days is coming even if it is 14 years from now.
When I baked this year, I wanted to use up bottles of sprinkles for the cookies, so that is why I did the Oreo cookies. I made fudge to use up chips. All this stuff!!!
Well, I need to get back to work here and figure out what is on the quilting 'to-do' list.
This mug rug goes to my DIL and is the last of the quilty things needed for this year.
Her favorite bird or animal is the Hummingbird, so I found a silhouette, traced it and found fabric. The back is a darker purple. It turned out sweet.
I discovered that I forgot to order the silver bells for the Grandgrrrls...just a 25 year tradition. Gone. I can back order them for March and that is what I need to do next. Dang. Oh well. I doubt any of them will even question it.
This was the first snow of the year, in fact, the first snow in maybe four years because of the drought. Flakes were huge and didn't stick at first, and then covered the ground with a blanket of white.
Gorgeous coming down, and now, of course, it is melted. I got out to rake the Labyrinth and filled the trash container, ready for pickup. Both rain and snow packed leaves so they were easy to pick up. My gardens are not like lawns of old, therefore, this task is easier to do. After a shower, and some breakfast, I am ready to do a bit more quilting. My holiday cards are done (except to seal the flaps) and go out on Monday. All that is left are the cookies.
I woke up thinking I would get into the garden and rake. Well, the rain has come, welcomed after many drought years. Steady downpour, making the air wet, the ground even more so. I am content to watch from inside and hope that I will be able to get outdoors and take up the carpet of leaves.
The blur in the photo is simply rain coming down. The Labyrinth is totally hidden. I am not complaining because we really need the natural water. Obviously, this is a bleak time of year.
Indoors, my Rico cat, old guy that he is, had a very bad day yesterday, yakking and the loss of bowel control. Goddess, he stayed near me in the studio, and had one incident after another, so I was cleaning and cleaning and cleaning.
Its hard to see children and animals be sick and feel so very helpless. He has been laying in this bed barely moving except to use his litter box and get some water. I have simple things to do in the studio that will not disturb him and allow me to keep an eye on him. Sometimes the ones we love need to just be close.
Yesterday was Target's 10% off sale on Gift Cards. I got them. However, it was not easy to switch what I wanted to what they offered. I ended up getting plastic cards that will be delivered on Friday the 14th and next, need to be mailed to the recipients. I still need to get some email-delivered gift cards, which are safer to send. I had planned to mail everything with cookies so there was only one delivery to a household, cookies that would go out on the 10th.
This is the thing in life about having the best of plans that cannot manifest if others have a different agenda. Sometimes people will negotiate and other times, I am the one who needs to accept the differences and go on with the reality life gives.
Meanwhile, my quilting projects have been on hold. The last pattern is out for the Merry & Bright quilt-along, and another two block patterns were released for the Solid Colors BOM Mystery. I have the 3rd step for the Testing BOM to do. Oh and yes, the Graduation quilt in Yellow. Things will suddenly slow down and energy will shift as soon as the gift-card issues are resolved.
Its like the wind here. It is quiet this morning and most of the leaves have fallen so I can get outside to rake. Everything has its season or perfect timing. I need to be patient and rather than resist things happening that don't fit into my plan, I need to do what I can when I can while I can. Nothing lasts forever.
