Medicine Wheel National Monument, Wyoming USA

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."

--Beverly Sills

Intentions Progress

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions 

but

for the past couple of years I've made a list of Intentions.

Part of it is just a list of things I need/want to do 

and as such only gets updated as I work on them.

There is a section for things I really want to incorporate into my life or thought patterns.

Some health related-like losing weight (i'm happy to say I didn't gain any in January which is always a month for calorie laden comfort foods.)

Those things I'm tracking daily.

Because,

what you track and measure is what you value.

Some of them are quick like a bunny things,

like making the bed and taking my meds,

those get done nearly every day.

Some are longer.

Like playing the piano,

and taking a walk.

Some haven't been done at all!

Some only sporadically-it's been far too cold to walk!

Over all though I'm really pretty pleased with my progress.

Especially since I've quit binge reading!

The fact that photos are being scanned is entirely due to this list.

I hope that February sees some more regularity in some things 

and the addition of some of the others

without losing anything I seem to have a handle on.

Tomorrow, I have one of those health related things.

An appointment with the Urologist for my Kidney stones.

Wish me luck.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

All the Blue 9 patches completed so far.

I have several more in progress.

Then the foundation pieced

string tumblers.

One of the day's I'm going to have to take all the paper off the backs!

The tumblers are not very big - it's going to take a whole lot to make a quilt!

Everything in blue for this month.

I have so many more blue pieces to use up!

Progress Report

First Up,

Ryan's Trip.

Coming along nicely 

I'm liking it more and more which each additional group of strips.

I'd hoped that Ethan's Trip would be finished but not quite.

all the quilting is done.

The binding is cut.

So, just need to finish making binding 

Sew it on, and stitch it down.

On other fronts.

I've nearly finished the house cleaning/purge for now.

Except for the garage

that will have to wait for warmer weather.

I've been scanning paper photos 

onto the computer.

Only 15 minutes each day

but soon it will be done.

Well, soon in the cosmic sense,

who knows how long in days.

I have plans for all those digitized photos-more later.

I got an Ancestry membership for Christmas. 

( DNA kit too!)

I've managed to play around a bit each day.

Plus,

I figured out how to use the little TV as a second monitor!

So I can look at two things at once.

Then I finally got the newest version of Family Tree Maker 

to work. 

Turns out I have to open that version-

who ever heard of an upgrade that didn't over-write the old?

I'm hoping to get my excitement about research up and running again.

See you tomorrow with the RSC blues!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Gates of the Mountains National Monument.

Missouri River

Lewis and Clark Trail in Montana

"So great has been the endurance, so incredible the achievement, that, as long as the sun keeps a set course in heaven, it would be foolish to despair of the human race."

Ernest L Woodward

Monday Musings

Me-1968-69 (At least the hair is right for then!)

This girl had no real clue who she was or what she wanted to do.
If I'm correct in the year
I was a Freshman at Baylor University in Waco, TX
Majoring in Elementary Education.

Looking back I can only think of how much I let my parents have their way.
I went to Baylor-instead of Missouri.
Mostly, I didn't care too much about that I just wanted to go to college.
(Or at least didn't want to be a secretary-I had/have nothing against secretaries I just didn't want to be one and was a TERRIBLE typist.)
I think my Mom wanted the cachet of her daughter being a Baylor Belle.
I wasn't, a belle.
Mom thought being a teacher was perfect-got your summers off to stay home with the kiddos.
Never mind that I had absolutely no talent for the job.
Again, didn't much care but looking back I should have majored in Anthropology!
(I didn't even know what that was then!)

I pretty much did what I needed to and what everyone else wanted me to.
Now, I wonder where my teenage rebellion was.

After all the kiddos grew up I discovered that there is life after being a Mom.
And I didn't know what to do about it.
Then Larry became ill and died.
Since then, having much time to think and I've learned a few things about myself.

I'm a sensitive, empathetic person.
That means my feelings are easily hurt and that the hurt remains long after the event.
It also means that I "feel" the emotions of those around me.
And those emotions effect me.

I'm an Upholder-so if there a stop sign at 2am and the nearest car is no where in sight- I will stop.
So, there's where my rebellion went!
I follow the rules and other folks expectations.
(Thank you Gretchen Rubin for the 4 tendencies!)

Just recently I put another piece of the puzzle that is me together.
I have Inattentive ADD.
I have no sense of the passing of time-have learned over the years to set alarms and timers.
I tend to jump from thing to thing.
These two things are why I never finish a "To Do" list!
I'm horrible with people's names.
I'm always looking for things-working at putting things in one place!
I can and do hyper-focus on one thing to the detriment of others.

Wonder what the next piece of the puzzle will be?
Why has it taken me so long to figure this out?

Friday Night Sew In

 For the first time I'm joining in the Friday Night Sew In!

The third Friday of each month there's a virtual sew in.

For last night

I made up another set of strips and attached them to Ryan's Trip.

I'm doing this one a bit different-

I was always forgetting that the stripes run in different directions

then having to un-sew and fix

So this time I broke the design into four parts.

That means that there might be fewer than 9 strips in each block.

That's okay though,

No un-sewing.

Oh, who am I kidding

There will be un-sewing!

    Then I made a couple of blue 9-patch block

 as leader/enders for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I've done this one before. 

Then I went out on adventures so I stopped.

But since I'm wanting to use up fabric I thought I'd join again!

I have a LOT of blue fabric!

I'll likely be doing blue's all year along with the other colors. 

Finally, I went off to the movies again yesterday.

This time to see The Post.

About Katherine Graham, the Washington Post and the publishing of the Pentagon Papers.  

I enjoyed it- Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks what's not to love? 

I love watching a woman find her strength in spite of the men!

This particular reporting made the Post into a national paper and went to the Supreme Court.

It ended with the break in at Democratic Headquarters -universally known as Watergate-which ended Nixon's Presidency.

So many parallels between Nixon and he who shall not be named.

I would love to see the same outcome.

The State of The Stitching

First up, Ethan's Trip.

Under the needle being quilted.

Hopefully done by next weeks report.

Next,

The first strip sets of Ryan's Trip.

I'm never sure if I'm going to like the fabrics sewn together-

BUT this is going to rock I think!

Last one,

Nora's Great Granny

being cut.

Think I'll need to find more than one girl

 to use up all the scraps in pink and purple.

I've also been cutting blue fat quarters into squares and strips.

I hope to use up most of the fabric I have before I move from this house.

(I never intended to live here longer than 5 or 6 years.

Once I'm sadly dogless I'm going walk-about.  

Or perhaps sooner in North America.)

I'll be making 9 patches out of the color of the month Rainbow scrap challenge.

Other progress,

I've finally figured out the new update of Family Tree Maker,

have it hooked to Ancestry.

Beginning to look at those "Hints"

Now, I need to figure out using a small tv I have as an extra monitor.

I took several books of piano music to the FedEx store to have them spiral bound.

Now they'll lay flat when I play.

One of those small details that make life easier but take forever to get done.

Thinking I'll go to the movies later today!

Catching up!

Woke this morning to the sound of the snowplow scraping the street.

An inch, perhaps a bit more, of snow.

When it snows I often I stand at the door to the backyard and think how beautiful it is.

So pristine.

Without the wind is lays gently on all the branches.

Then,

I open the door and let Quinn out!

So long pristine whiteness.  

Hello doggie footprints!

She does love the snow.

I drove to Columbia and home again yesterday to celebrate

this boy's birthday!

Ryan was born on Christmas Day (2014) but we party later!

He's come so far, hits every milestone 

and is quite smart.

This photo reminds me of everything that happened the first few months after he was born.

He is Boston Children's Hospital's perfect result

and I couldn't be more grateful.

Finished!

Brayden's Trip Around the World is finished!

Delivered too!

He likes it.

I'm still taken with the way the colors seem to "bleed" together on this one.

Ethan's top is all but finished.

I'll be making a sandwich on Monday.

Quilting begins on Tuesday.

I've been cutting fabric for the past two days along with working on Ethan's trip.

Not quite caught up on cutting scraps into squares or strips but close.

It's horrid cold again.

Snow is in the forecast for Sunday and Monday.

More time to stay home and stitch!

Mostly Wordless

Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides,  according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing. 

                                                                                    -John Stuart Mill

On Monday

2016 Fire road down from Lolo Pass.

On this Monday I wish I was

on a gravel road adventure somewhere in Montana!

Instead

I carried all the boxes of decorations up to the closet in my office.

Thank goodness that's over!

Cleaned the kitchen

and 

Baked bread.

Did some stitching.

Had a Jameson's and sprite.

Now I'm sleepy.

I've begun telling the characters in romance novels what to do.

I don't think they listen!

Perhaps it's time to read something else?

Progress!

I'd like to say finishes but I'll have to stick with progress!

Brayden's Trip-binding on, sewing it down!

Can't wait to finish it and give it to him.

Ethan's Trip.  I think it's the most dramatic of the quilts so far.

Kind of like Ethan, fiery and dramatic.

I've sewn together the first set of strips for the last row.

Will get the strips sewn together tomorrow.  

The hardest part of this quilt has laying out the strips while making sure I don't match up the same fabric!

Having the design wall across the room

Any errors really stick out!

Lastly, I put together this little side table this week.

The pedestal is from Scott's old chess table which he no longer has a use for.

I bought a 24 inch round and glued and screwed it onto the base.

My bed is high and this table is tall and perfect for a small lamp.

I have to either make a cloth for it or buy one.

It needs to be 80" across so far ready made ones come either 70 or 90!

I'm thinking I'll design a quilted pattern for the bottom edge

Celtic knots maybe

I'll put my little tablecloth from Ireland on the top.

I've made progress towards getting the house back in order 

working towards meeting all my intentions every day.

Doing all those pesky little jobs like changing the furnace filter and sharpening knives.

Tomorrow is 12th night and the last night for all my holiday 

decorations to be on display and lit.

I'll be hauling all the boxes down and sorting out the excess as I pack things away.

All in all keeping busy and staying warm.

New way to cut!

I was at Quilter's Station Quilt Shop before Christmas and I learned a new cutting trick!

Tape down a sturdy ruler-make sure its straight!

Set you ruler up against it and cut.

I have found it does not slip around, not even the long 18"!

Makes for more accurate cuts-which is always a good thing.

My sturdy 48" ruler I found at the big box lumber store-LOWE's.

I think even a strong yardstick would work. 

Taped down on the IKEA cabinet I use to cut on.

I don't intend to buy a Go! and look for anything that makes those squares I love more square!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

It is impossible to live without failing at something,

Unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all--

in which case you fail by default.

--J.K. Rowling

Books and Movies

First, movies.

We went to see "The Greatest Showman" today and we ALL Loved it!

So often folks forget that you go to the movies to be entertained and this was the most entertained I've been in a LONG time.

Brayden (11) said it was the best movie he'd seen all year-keep in mind that this year is only 2 days old!

Then he said he was preordering the movie and buying the soundtrack!

Then he said he liked it better that The Last Jedi!! What?!

Anyway, really good!

Think I'm going to go back and see it again, order the music for piano and the soundtrack.

(Disclaimer-this is a Broadway-style musical, if you looking for something else you won't find it!)

I knew Hugh Jackman could sing (saw him in Oklahoma!) did not know Zac Efron could sing!

As for what I'm reading.

I'm still struggling through Number: the Language of Science most of which is WAY above me but is mostly the history of Mathematics.  

My youngest son is a Mathematician-I feel like I should know a bit more about what he does.

(That could be said of the computer programers as well but I haven't gone there yet.)

Most of the information I've never heard before and I find it sad because Math might have been more comprehensible had some of this been mentioned!

One thing I'll remember-Thank you India for giving us ZERO!

In other Non-fiction,

I began The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, another book about forest fires, again purchased in Montana last summer.

In Fiction, I can read a book in an afternoon.

Kindle makes it inexpensive but I often don't remember the title or author without looking again.

I do usually remember two things-how entertaining the story was and how many annoying errors there were!

2018-Day 1

Quinn has been exhausted since Christmas!

She gets cranky when I lay on the couch as I'm in her way!

Also, it's very,  very cold so she only goes out for a very few minutes at a time.

I go out only if I absolutely HAVE to.

Trying to begin the year as I mean to go forward.

Did I manage everything on the list?

NO!

I did get quite a few things caught up

Cleaning,

Laundry,

finished the quilting on Brayden's Trip

Anyway,

I knew I wouldn't get everything done but un-time is over

and some work needs to be done.

January is one of my deep-cleaning/purge months so it takes a bit more time to get the house in order.

Now, I'm off to make up the bed with clean sheets and put away the rest of the clean laundry.

Doesn't that sound like fun?