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!
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