Recovery!

I counted the number of flannel quilt tops in that bag—25! To be fair, some of them are relatively small as they were made for children. But still! And I forgot to mention that I have a few bolts (5?) of flannel fabric that has to be used up! So yes, 2025 is the year of eliminating flannel from Studio B. WAIT—I also have a large flannel kit. That should be added to the mix. I wonder if there are more flannel kits? 

I'm happy to report that another flannel quilt from the 2024 pile is loaded and ready to be quilted later today. Getting rid of all the flannel will be welcome, letting me focus on the rest of the mess. It's not that flannel is bad or can't be used as a backing—it's just a category I can eliminate, but it will take one year to make that happen. I must write that goal down and collect all the flannel in one spot! It's mostly together, but I might as well drag it all out and put it all together. Oh shoot - I just remembered ANOTHER flannel kit, but I want to keep that one! Don't ask me why! 

I'll be pulling flannel items out of nooks and crannies all next year, as I remember various things. 

I love my new desk space. I have my work set out for the morning, and there is room to work, and well, I should have done it years ago. I have a few emails that I need to respond to, and I still have that one presentation I need to finish - I MUST get that done today. 

But there is good news! I got an email from OneDrive yesterday saying that I deleted many files. If that was a mistake, I can go to the RECYCLE bin and recover them! I think I will remember this for the next time. 

AH - the recycle bin

Do NOT yell at me, but I did. I put the files all back in my OneDrive. 

I emptied the recycling bin

Now, I will go back into OneDrive and start ruthlessly deleting them. But I shall do it the CORRECT way, which is to delete them off OneDrive and not on the computer's hard drive. 

Deleting files

I wish I had known that, as it would have saved me some time. But that's OK. I almost have all the old data off the old laptop and onto the new one. Actually, it all went onto an external hard drive. And then, I had to reload my programs. I have one more program to move. I updated some software on some equipment and got the latest software versions, and all is good. 

Reloading programs

Oh my—that new laptop (Windows 11) is like greased lightning! It's fast! I should have moved years ago!

There is one app that I can't reload as it's no longer available or not available on Windows 11. So I need to find a substitute. I'll test it out this coming week to ensure everything I need is there - Office 365, access to Zoom, OneDrive, and all that. I think I'm good. But next week, being away from home for the week will be a good test. And I need to change some settings as the screen is white-on-black, which is not my preference. 

I also did some work in the quilting department. The backing for my T-shirt quilt is complete and ready to be quilted next month. As I finish a UFO, I will also try to quilt the quilt rather than just prepare the top, backing, and binding. I'm running out of space in the "to be quilted" area, so I can't keep that bad habit alive. 

The backing for my T-shirt quilt

I finished a customer quilt. YES, it's very small, but it had to be done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I had to postpone a class last weekend until tomorrow as I just couldn't get around the prep work with everything else going on in my life. I'm happy to report that I made leaps and bounds in that area. I still have a bit more to prep later today. It's a very interesting project and I'll share with you after the class tomorrow. 

I don't think I mentioned the latest issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, which had the theme "In the Woods." It's issue 68 if you're looking for it. There are always so many great articles and patterns! You can get a physical copy or a digital copy. 

Remember, if you want to search for a pattern (quilting, crocheting, knitting, rug hooking, etc.), their website has many choices!

Issue 67 of A Needle Pulling Thread

For this issue, I included something I've never done before—applique!!! Well, I've done loads of applique, but never in a quilt pattern. It's all the things I see in my forest!! Except for the owl! So I'll have to pretend the owl is a hawk! 

My quilt

I believe there was another FREE issue of the QUILTsocial magazine on their website. I love these issues as they contain some of the QUILTsocial blog posts but in a magazine format. In this one, I participated by using the Husqvarna Viking Opal 690Q and making piping, welting, zippers, etc., for my outdoor accessories. You can see it online for free, or you can download it for $4.95. My apologies—I meant to share that link while it was still free. 

I called my doctor in the morning to make an appointment to see if I could get an X-ray or ultrasound to check out my issue. Of course, I could come later in the day. Turns out DH needed something, and we ended up there at the same time. Good grief—how cute—we visit the doctor together in our old age! But I walked, and he took the car! 

The X-rays are already done. But at that clinic, which is in a medical building, the ultrasounds were booked solid for December, and I could call back in a week when the January schedule opens. OR I could take the requisition to another clinic. Well, there just happens to be another clinic near the thrift store, so I walked there and could have gotten an appointment for next Wednesday. However, since I'm away, I went for the following Monday, and I have the choice of multiple time slots. 

So -- why would people wait for over a month when going somewhere else will allow them to get in quicker? Lack of knowledge? That would be my case. Or laziness to go somewhere else? This other clinic is better because there is ample free parking, while at the medical building, you have to pay! 

Anyway, let's see what happens, and if necessary, I may need an MRI. The best news is that she gave me something strong! Meds, that is. I'll pick them up later today, hopefully. If I lay flat on my back with that pillow under my entire leg and DO NOT MOVE onto my side, which I caught myself multiple times trying to do, then I'm OK at night. But sitting and even standing can be challenging, so I'm coping. 

On my way to the new clinic, I passed the Indigo bookstore. I spotted something in a Black Friday email in the morning. I MISSED the part about buying online and picking it up in the store. They only had one in stock, and it was long gone by the time I arrived. It seems orderable online only if you want to pick it up. And while there are ten at another store - it's not close, so I will let it go. But it was darn cute!!! It was a Book Nook (a 3-D puzzle), and then you store it on your bookshelf. 

While there, I browsed the puzzles and games. Oh boy --- a Monopoly/Scrabble game? Well, why not? 

A NEW game

For a dog that was terrified to come into this office a few years ago, Lexi has progressed 1,000% percent. She is tucked underneath the desk and had to squeeze between several things on the floor to get there. One thing was my chair, and the other was a bag of batting that I was sending an email about. There is NO JUNK on the floor. What a silly girl!!!

Lexi hiding out

And then you have Murphy. I don't know what got into her, but she was rifling through her toybox, grabbed an antler, and brought it into the family room. Then she proceeded to toss her blanket about, all the while seeming quite pleased with herself. And yes, when I went to do my exercises before bed, she was all over that mat like a dirty shirt! She thinks it's time to play! 

MOM - a girl has to have fun!

As I was browsing another storage magazine, I came across the most ridiculous idea ever. First, as I read through some of the articles—hey—they are short! I'm shocked because there is ZERO talk about decluttering. It's all about containing the clutter and hiding the clutter, but there is NOTHING to talk about decluttering or how much is too much. So yes, there are some great ideas, but a lot of those storage magazines aren't worth buying. 

But look at this. 

Is this for real?

Yes -- that is what you think it is. A dog's food AND water dish is in a pullout drawer at the bottom of a cabinet. Yes -- it's a good idea, except what if your dog is a grazer? Or how does your dog get water during the day? The editors of this section were NOT dog lovers. It might not be practical even though it seems like a good idea.  

Well, I'm off as I need to get more paperwork done. And part of this is not urgent - it's just dealing with some of the papers I've found in the office, so that's exciting! And I might start my computer file delete process - a few folders each day as there are hundreds of presentations everywhere, and they are taking up a lot of storage and duplication. I need to learn how to deal with the duplication. I think I've got a plan, which starts by putting all the same topics in a folder and then delete - delete - delete! 

OH -- here's another blog post for QUILTsocial. Check it out - pretty fun stuff. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!