Just 3 Things | #26

What a busy week! There were lots of moments of enjoyment, for certain, but there were several tasks that just needed to get taken care of as well. I got the chance to view and listen to granddaughter, Lydia's spring band concert since her parents live-streamed it on the school's YouTube channel. There were so many beautifully played pieces and I am so glad that I didn't miss it altogether. Being in the online audience is not nearly as good as sitting in the room with the musicians and experiencing the notes bounce all around but it was still a nice concert and I didn't have to miss it. I also followed along to a couple or three ballgames of grandchildren's by logging on to Game Changer. I really wish I could be there for all their events, but with ten grands, that is almost impossible. Both teams celebrated wins, by the way, and our little players seemed to shine. One turned a double-play and one pitched a perfect three-inning junior varsity middle school game. I'm so glad that they are feeling a sense of accomplishment at things they love and for which they work hard to improve their skills. My volunteer works, our doctor appointments, and even our battle with the birds are tasks which take up time that might not have been a blip on our agendas in years gone by but do make things around here seem busy these days. 

- What I've Been Reading -

It just so happens that both of the books I've been reading this week include amnesia issues. I'm wondering if that is why I have been forgetting a few things lately. I'm still listening to Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. I'm getting a bit better at listening but I still find that I am better at listening when I am taking a walk than I am when I'm multi-tasking and folding laundry, or cooking, or something like that. I guess that I've spent years of ignoring things and letting it be background noise and I don't really listen. I really like how Tintera reveals little bits and pieces about characters as time goes on. I also like that there are different formats and voices telling the story. At some points it is as if the podcast is revealing the story and at other times a character is speaking to tell the story. 

I'm also reading Caroline B. Cooney's Unforgettable. It is an alright young adult novel. I don't think it measures up to some of Cooney's other books. I think my personal favorite is Code Orange but I also enjoyed Flight #116 is Down. Many of my students loved her Janie Johnson series which began with The Face on the Milk Carton.

- What I've Been Loving -

I have been playing practicing different stitches and creations with my new piece of equipment - my sewing machine. I started off by adding a decorative monogram to some checked napkins that had been here for quite a while. I chose the design because I thought it was a good combination of adding decorative embroidery as well as lettering. 

I stitched the same design on six different napkins. Each one is a wee bit different from the other. I guess that goes along with custom work to a certain degree. Not a single one was completed without some sort of mistake learning experience. On the first one, I did not have a thick enough stabilizer under the fabric. For the second one, I accidentally tapped the stitch button after I had finished the design and it started all over again with the last color - blue. This allowed me to learn how to make the machine go back and start again after I had hooped up and loaded the next napkin. 

For the third one, I forgot to change the thread color. So, the blue flower wound up being stitched in green. On the fourth one I inadvertently skipped a color and spent a little time learning to cancel the design, reload it, and skip the colors that had been completed. On the fifth one, I honestly don't recall what mistake I made with the next one. For the sixth one, the bobbin ran out of thread. So, I had to cancel the design, remove the hoop, load a new, full bobbin, reload the design, and skip some colors. It was good experience and I learned a lot but it made the project go on for multiple hours instead of taking a bit more than an hour. 

I learned that this pre-made design would look pretty as a simple monogram without completing it by adding the flowers. Plus, I learned just how large the largest option for a ready-made design turns out. Since I had no new investment in the napkins and I was provided learning opportunities, I am marking it up as a good experience. Plus, I have some napkins that Mike and I can use every day that are pretty. Win! Win!

This is a somewhat larger learning curve than a lot of things I have done lately. However, I am truly learning loads and loving the precision and smoothness that comes with stitching with this new machine.

- What I've Been Working On -

I've been doing a bit of cleaning and organizing. I know that I don't want my new sewing machine accessories and supplies to get out of hand and clutter up the office. So, I have done some cleaning out to make space, shuffling furniture to make it more efficient, and sorting and organizing to make things most tidy and usable. I realize from watching my mother and daughter and their sewing endeavors that the different supplies need to be handy and easy to reach when one is stitching but also need to have a place to call home in order to keep the different pieces and parts from getting lost or broken. So, I'm in the process of moving a cabinet that my Daddy built into the office to be ready for a helper to hang it on the wall. 

I've ordered some storage tubs and begun to organize items as well. I'll create a separate post for that but there are just so many options and ways to organize threads, stabilizers, and other supplies. I sort of feel like that by planning and trying to get ahead of it all, I can keep things in better shape. I know that cleaning out and planning out organization really did make my remodeled kitchen work better and stay cleaner as we use it. Being organized also makes me look forward to jumping in a working on different projects, too.

I'm glad to have opportunities for volunteer work these days. Even though those volunteer duties tend to take more time than I ever dreamt they would, it is good to have purposeful tasks to take care of from time to time. Fulfilling doctor appointment commitments and such also seem to take up more time than I might have realized when I was squeezing them into a too-busy schedule. Now, instead of stopping off to have my eyes checked after work, I find that we are showering and dressing for them and preparing for them as if they are day-trips - and I guess they are. We give up our leisurely morning tea and news reading for grabbing a bite and dashing out the door. I am still ever so thankful to be able to schedule my time or just have a quiet day where the beds get made and reading a book and laundry fills the hours. So, our busy may not be the same as the busy-ness that we used to have or that our children or others now have but, busy or not, I'm thankful to be able to enjoy all of the experiences that become opportunities for us - online concerts, ballgames, as well as trips to the ball field or completing volunteer tasks. I could do without a battle with the birds but that is temporary, I guess, and better than having to trek off to work each day. I hope you have a restful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

A New Piece of Equipment

I got a new toy. 

Ahem.

I got a new piece of equipment.

I had been operating in a sort of handicapped manner. I was using an older sewing machine that was purchased years and years ago. It was inexpensive and all that I could afford at the time. It has served its purpose and is limping along. The back up option no longer works and sometimes it is a hit or miss if it will zig-zag consistently. I decided that I really would like to upgrade.

I was sort of inspired by Leslie Saeta from My One Hundred Year Old Home. She recently shared about her Craft Room Upgrade and her new-to-her embroidery machine. Now, I have wanted an embroidery machine for years, but like Leslie mentions in her post, they can be a bit pricey and shopping for what I might want was rather confusing. 

I consulted my daughter and she gave me some tips because she has her own small business where she offers some machine embroidered goods. Her advice has been quite helpful to me because she knows me so well and knows a bit about the things I like and would like to stitch up. So, I surfed online and did my research. Then, I trekked off to visit the shop where my daughter gets her sewing machines serviced, Angus Sewing Center.

The gal there was so helpful at showing how to use different machines and explaining what options are available and giving tips for what to use to have the most success. So, I left with a new machine - a new piece of equipment to use in my endeavors. 

(Total aside: The Mister has a full machinery shed with all sorts of hay equipment that was an absolute need for his farming endeavor. So, I am 'justifying' myself at needing an upgrade in equipment sort of like he does when he gets a new piece of farm equipment.)

I brought home a Brother SE2000 Combo Sewing and Embroidery Machine and some accessories. My old sewing machine had been set up back in a dark little corner of my office. I knew that I wanted my space to be more efficient and inviting for my sewing enjoyment. So, as I mentioned in a post earlier this month, I worked on the office to make it better serve its purpose and accommodate for my new upgrade.

My upgrade can be seen there to the left of the desk. I can still enjoy the views outside the window and I have plenty of space to work. I can set needed items on the corner of the desk for easy access. For now that has been the perch for the operator's manual and extra spools of thread while I'm working on a project. 

I'm using the gifted typing table that has my name on it and it works just perfectly. It is just the right size and is sturdy but doesn't have space for me to set a bunch of junk on it when I'm not stitching. The boxes below it are currently holding the embroidery attachment and some of the accessories that came with it. This works fine until I have a better organizational idea of how often I will use them and where I should store those items when not in use. 

There has been a learning curve to using my upgraded equipment. I've already completed a couple of projects and have learned so much in the process. I love the precision that it provides when stitching. I've done some repair work to sew up a few rips. I love the simplicity of the way it fits together when changing out the embroidery deck and the sewing deck. I already love the options it provides for embroidery projects. My first embroidery project was adding a design to some napkins. I learned about the sizes available by completing a couple of practice samples and learned lots more things about the options the machine offers that I will share later. I tried out a couple of fonts for embroidering names and monograms and sizing that it offers for that. Then, completed a simple project for one of the grands to apply what I had learned.

A headband made from an old T-shirt and personalized.

I must say that I am so very grateful to be able to have the time and the opportunity to indulge in such a fine piece of equipment. It is rewarding to create something from scratch and even when a project doesn't turn out as perfectly as I imagine, I am grateful to be able to give it a try!

Today I noticed...A post labeled as Success Tips.

Early voting starts today in our area. Get out there and try to make a difference.

Battle with the Birds

We are in a battle with some birds. 

It started earlier in the spring when a bird or two noticed the mirrors and reflective properties of the window on my truck. They pecked and pooped all over the mirrors and down the doors leaving a big mess that was unsightly, unsanitary, and probably damaging to the paint.

I'd had this to happen before. So, I got a couple of plastic grocery bags, pulled them around he mirrors, and tied them on there. That helped a lot. However, they still would perch on the door and windshield and leave their mark. 

Then, I noticed that there were a couple of birds that had found an opening on either side along the hood near the windshield that is just about the width of my hand. I first saw them climbing out of that opening and flying away. Next, I saw them getting under the hood of the truck; plus, I saw them taking pieces of grass and straw when they went in. There can be nothing good about that. 

I moved where I had the truck parked in our back yard. I went around the side of the house and parked it on the concrete slab near our basement entry. I washed the mess they had made off of the hood, windshield, mirrors, and doors. Then, I opened the hood and began looking for where they had stashed the grasses and straw pieces. I could see a bit or two down in between the windshield wash fluid container and the battery. So, I tried poking my hand in there to pull it out. I could not reach it. I took sticks and long tweezers and all manner of pokey things to try to wedge the bits out but could not reach it all. I felt down under the fender well of the tire and saw some grass sticking out down there. So, we discovered that they were trying to build their nest between the plastic container where the battery rests and the plastic that protects the motor from mud being slung up by the tires. The Mister took the hose and flushed out what he could and we pulled some from the fender well and hoped the move would do the trick. It did not.

At this point, the Mister was on a mission. He found some old socks that I had banished to the rag bag for him to wipe grease on at the barn. Those old socks got stuffed into the openings at the windshield to block the bird entryway.

The next morning I glanced out the window and there was a bird hopping round on the hood of the truck. It would peck at one sock and then flitter over to the mirror and look at it and squawk. Then, it would skip over to the other side and peck at that sock and squawk. I smiled thinking that we had deterred them and they would soon find another nesting spot. 

Then, that afternoon I noticed the bird had come back and had brought a friend. They perched on the hood of the truck. Then, flew under the fender well and perched on the tire. Next, one would disappear under there and then the other would do so. After a bit, they would come out to sit on the tire before flying away only to return a little while later. Outmaneuvered!

The Mister is determined not to be outdone. I looked out the window earlier and noticed that the Mister was hard at work. He is tenacious. He whole-heartedly intends to win this battle with the birds. 

We have a whole farm here where they could nest. There are trees all around the place that would provide wonderful perches for their home. We are trying to be humane and considerate but our patience is growing thin. 

A Bit of a Chuckle

I was scrolling the other day and paused to read one of those screens that look like words or wisdom. The message made me laugh out loud.

(Please know that I am not advocating nor proposing violence. It just struck me as funny to think about!)

Wise Words

When I see a quote from Morgan Freeman, I can hear his deep, gravelly voice.

Just 3 Things | #25

I don't ever want anybody to think I might consider myself an athlete because that is something that I never have aspired to be. As an adult, however, I have always battled carrying too much weight. At my recent check-ins with doctors I made a decision that dropping some pounds and getting healthier is something that I intend to focus upon. The Mister says he is prepared for me to be a bit grumpy until this focus becomes a habit but he will try to be supportive of my efforts. So, I will be spending a bit of time on the stationary bicycle and a few minutes each day working through my exercises and stretches. Look out!

- What I've Been Reading -

Flipping through my James Farmer books a while back inspired me to check out his newest edition. I got my hard copy of Home Again at the middle of last week and have been reading and analyzing each photograph. It makes me wish I had more rooms to decorate. I want to borrow and adapt so many of his ideas. It is one that will join Farmer's other books that roost on our coffee table that I frequently pick up and gaze through for inspiration.

I've especially enjoyed seeing the updates to his own home. It is comforting to know that sometimes even a decorator gets something wrong or has a life that evolves and things need updating to better fit his current needs. I like the concept that our homes are a living, breathing part of our lives that evolve over time and serve us.

I'm trying to work more movement into my days. So, I'm performing a series of stretches and exercises in my daily schedule. I decided to reward myself by listening to an audio book while I'm doing some of this movement. I'm not as good at listening to a book as I am at reading. I catch myself not listening far too often. Then, I need to back up and re-listen to a chapter or two. I'm currently listening to Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. I borrowed it and am listening via my Libby App. Why did I choose this book? Well, it was the first audio book that popped up in Libby that was available. So, I borrowed it and went outside to take a stroll. Years ago, I used to love listening to books as I drove. I was enrolled in graduate school and had thirty-forty minute commutes to class. Later, I had half-hour or hour commutes to different schools where I worked; so, I listened to books on CD. That was back in the day when places like Cracker Barrel allowed you to borrow and swap out recordings. Oh, the good old days!

This week I also started the book that I really wanted to read by Elin Hilderbrand. Remember back in volume #22 of Just 3 Things I decided that I needed to read the first two books in the series before reading the novel that was promoted several places on social media? I'm now reading The Perfect Couple and I have a difficult time putting it down. So, I guess I am like the social media hypers. I'm enjoying it, too! 

- What I've Been Watching -

The Mister and I have been tuning in to The Rookie. What enticed us to watch was the little blurb about the series:

John Nolan, the oldest rooking in the LAPD, uses his life experiences, determination, and sense of humor to keep up with rookies twenty years his junior.

Now that we are seniors, having the opportunity to see others adapting and adjusting to interactions with those younger is truly something with which we can relate and enjoy seeing how others are doing it. There are multiple seasons, so we have gone back to the beginning to see the earlier episodes as well as the current ones. There isn't really anything scary that comes out in this show, so the entertainment factor is good.

The series is a shoot-em-up cop show but it is not so awfully graphic and gory. We have enjoyed getting to know the characters and some of the situations these police officers encounter are purely entertaining while others are hitting a bit too close to home and show the worst side of folks. Generally, it is something we can watch and not worry that we don't follow the story line because most of the episodes are self contained and not a continuation where we are lost if we missed one.

- What I've Been Loving -

One of the things I am most grateful for this week is having leftovers. On Easter Sunday, most of our children and grandchildren came for lunch and the big Easter Egg Hunt. We served a Barbecueterie Board from Witt's Barbecue as our meat. It was an offering of four different meats. In our case, we doubled up on pulled pork and ribs and also had a selection of pulled turkey, smoked bologna, and smoked chicken breasts. We had leftovers as usual. So, all week long the Mister and I have enjoyed different meals because of the different options. One night we had barbeque sandwiches. One night we had ribs and leftover corn, beans, slaw, etc. One night we snacked on bologna, cubed cheese, and a variety of crackers. Tonight it is smoked chicken, mac n cheese, and I will toss a salad. I think everybody left our house with a full belly on Sunday and we have certainly enjoyed the week off from cooking up something new and haven't been wading through the same-old, same-old either. 

Since I had a check-in with my heart doctor and the Mister has been busy with some of his cemetery management duties, it has been kind of nice to be able to take a little time to rest up as well. Again, love having time to call our own. I've taken time to put myself through a bit of exercises and stretches and nursed an ankle with Achilles Tendonitis. 

So, this week, I guess I can say we have been loving leftovers - in a good way!

On the horizon I've got some volunteer work on my agenda and I want to spend a little bit of time on some sewing projects. Hope your weekend is a good one.