Friday - TGIF ???

Mrs. H reminded me yesterday that others actually read this blog ... I tend to use it as my personal journal for myself and then once in a while I get reminded.  It's just been a weird week/month of stuff/junk/change .. as bad as it has been for me -- it's been worse for others .... but damn -- the older I get the testier I get ... 

yep this is me ...

the deer in the headlight look ..

not pretty 

this has become my life

I don't like it -- not at all

time to take charge eh

Take Charge

1.  Step One -- decide what is important

2.  Step Two -- implement change

3.  Step Three -- follow the action plan

so today ... I'm going to  ....

1.  mow the grass 

2.  pay a heap of payroll taxes

3.  start printing a heap of income tax returns (software has arrived)

4.  empty the trash

5.  sweep the garage

6.  chop some weeds

7.  have supper at a fabulous restaurant

this weekend

1.  sew binding on a lot of quilts

2.  quilt a couple quilts

3.  piece a couple quilts

4.  play with some burlap

5.  read some books

6.  take some long walks

7.  eat at some other fabulous restaurants

and take charge ...

so I

put on my "big girl panties" and came back to the office after supper  -- I

1.  vacuumed the floor -- clean office is always good

2.  finally was able to upload some payroll files

3.  fixed another mess

4.  bought and downloaded a good book for Saturday

5.  bought and downloaded an app for a digital organizer 

                      (no laughing allowed)

6.  chopped some more weeds -- best stress reliever ever

7.  took a deep breath and got 'er done.

tipping point

you know that moment when you just can't do it anymore

i've reached that point today

I'm leaving


for the day


back to the chaos tomorrow ...

the endless list (s)

Well, the Saturday list project went very well.


Sunday List:
1.  back to the lake
       a.  piece a couple of crib quilts
       b.  start the next book
       c.  vac the floor out there

2.  laundry, the endless laundry
3.  make lists for the week.

so this week

I sewed my first drawstring bag (well last Saturday morning)

and my second ... the first was a hit with my internet peeps

I found my prescription sunglasses 

oh joy!

and I spent 8 hours in school -- with my Amazon cheeters so I could actually read the book ...

argh -- old age -- old eyes

Today's Project List

1.  Back up the home computer

2.  Back up the office computer

3.  Lake day

        a.  sew more drawstring bags

        b.  piece a couple crib quilts

        c.  finish my book

        d.  clean the lake place

4.  Class Reunion ... waffling on this one waffled on to work instead

5.  Vac/Laundry (the usual)

toodles

M

ahh attitude adjustment

I've been a structured Diva lately.  Up and out the door and at my desk early and attempting to be productive -- well, attempting.  There's been a seminar and a pile of meetings, events, thought provoking moments in 3 short days ...

so yesterday afternoon (aka Wednesday) I picked up Mom, the leftover pizza in the office fridge and my breakfast strawberries and we went to the cabin for supper and r/r .... it was a beautiful night to be on the deck --

us, the skeeters and across the hole -- a power washer, a lawn mower and some fairly load music (I assume trying to mask the other equipment) ..

it was a good thing. 

tuesday in the Valley

so, I'm turning a new leaf and getting up in the dark and coming to work ... quit laughing

thankfully -- this was the view from my office at 6:00 am ...

yesterday I had a farm income tax conference and I had a few things to finish before  I left town -- it was in Mankato -- love the Mankato commute :)

this morning I needed to get the trash to the curb before the trash man arrived ... well -- it got to the curb and he has yet to arrive ...

I took a drive to Norseland last night to see the tribute to Landon Gran -- 45 tractors -- cleaned up and lined up .. it was a wonderful, crazy, caring and compassionate sight .. 

the outpouring of support for him and his family restores / strengthens my faith in our community -- we stand together thru good and bad 

peace 

List for self

I'm just a diva that needs a lot of lists .... every day another list .... it keeps me hopping.


1.  mow the lawn
2.  pay bills
3.  get the truck out ?
4.  get to Sam's
          paper products (office and cabin)
5.  laundry
6.  proto type notebook covers ...

6.1  press the pillowcases and pack away (started 1/2 done)
6.2  vac the basement at home and office
6.3  pull fabrics from stash for kids clothes (?)




7.  5 problem kids / issues at the office
8.  4 corporate/partnership extended returns
9.  cardboard to recycling
10. get old paint etc tubbed up for recycling.

this is my new favorite self potrait

fuzzy hair -- flapping arms in the breeze

getting shit done but getting no where quickly 

'tis my life

wednesday trivia

this my friends is a picture of a rusty back bumble bee --- not a humble ordinary bumble bee ... this one has super powers

it is on the endangered animal (species) list and can STOP road construction projects immediately. 

wth -- who knows these trivial facts -- well, now you and I do



photo credit: www

ahh another weekend is done

lake shot from Sunday 

looking out of the bay ... our lift/dock is just left of the center ... white canopy 

exiting the bay is between the two trees at center ..

the lake is still very high -- wake restrictions were lifted but ...

so, Saturday morning the sewing room clean/purge/find missing pinking shears continued -- boxes of donation items later -- it's still missing  -- but the scrapbooking paper/supplies are ready to be relocated --

there is 60 days to Maker Fair -- I'm in trouble -- not enough done .. so last night I took inventory ...
4 table toppers to bind,
2 throws to bind --
one throw is on the long arm and ready to quilt this evening --
I have 2 throws pieced and another partially pieced --
36 pillow cases need to be pressed/turned and pressed again (otherwise done)

I zipped off a pattern today for a memo keeper ..
I tried some Christmas ornaments at the cabin -- epic fail .. ugly as sin

Keep plugging away ...

memories ...

Sometimes the memories crop up in the most unusual ways.  Friday nights are devoted to laundry and packing weekend projects for the lake.  It's the way it is when you are almost 59.  It.just.is.  So, this weekends' project box needed some perle cotton thread -- upon searching for it amid the junk treasures I found these jewels.  

Inside the lid of one of my older thread boxes -- I'm guessing the box was a Christmas gift -- the late 1970's perhaps.  Grandpa died in 1985 and Grandma in 2009. Smiling thru the memories this evening.  Grandma was the queen of perle cotton -- she crochet the doilies from memory ... not this chick --- never this chick.  

So back to the laundry and project packing (there will be a spot of vacuuming too ... )

good morning saint peter

inbound commute (with a small detour) ... I had to check out a water / drainage issue and the inbound brought me to the top of the Broadway hill ... it is always breathtaking at sunrise ...

dash cam (just kidding it's my phone on Ruby's dash) ... but I was at a full stop in the middle of the road .... 

thought for the day

a family member (distant ) posted this on Wastebook .... choices, options, thoughts, change  -- for us introverts change can be (and is ) difficult

one day at a time - eh.

alas .. the fun is over back to work

thanks to Jean, Becky and Natalie for a fun weekend in Pine City ... I sewed, they scrapped, stamped and created wonderful things.  we ate, we laughed and we had fun! 

48.5 potholders are done! 
33 mug rugs from scraps
1 table topper is done
1 table topper is ready for binding
1 throw has it's rows pieced

and only 2 trips to WalMart!  In Pine City, WalMart is the place to be -- the veterans of our group are smart -- we packed no food -- WalMart had fruit, bagels, water, ice, yogurt, pop and coffee --- less to pack and carry --  I made a second trip on Sunday afternoon for fabric (needed some more binding), shampoo, q tips, more ice and a comb -- I forgot the comb ... but at least I had decent shampoo :)

we endured road construction -- it was horrible on the way up ... 35 between just south of Rush City to Pine City is 20 miles of torture.  And on the way back we had lane changes but no construction -- there was heavy rain and hail -- we pulled over in White Bear Lake to let it pass .. and then we got lost in a detour.  Scenic it was ...


toodles
M

it was a parade ..

I'm on a little attitude adjustment break with a couple of the super scrappers and there was a parade that passed directly around our retreat center ... it was fun.  

There was a military fly over to start the parade.  It was really really cool.  I wasn't sure if my pictures would turn out -- I just held the phone over my head and snapped.  

So far at the retreat -- it's potholders, potholders, potholders potholders -- they are driving me nuts and I'm going to get the damn things done.

last day of July

I snapped this on the way home from the Scrap Shack last night 

the last day of July was gloriously awesome

truly a beautiful day ...

August

the last month of summer

it amazes me how we try and cram a years worth of living into 3 months

and as I age -- the months fly past way to quickly

I spent the last day of July 

resolving Mn Rev and IRS Issues

calculating and preparing a heap of payroll

carrying more crap out of the basement and tossing it out

chopping weeds and killing grapevines at the office

(find the umbilical cord and they will wilt away)

it was a good July 

and August -- oh August

1.  there will be a vacation (or two)

2.  there will be a County Fair (or two)

3.  there will be oodles of lake time

4. all my extended tax returns will be done

5.  all my outdoor office projects will be done ;)