Time

I saw on Facebook the other day one of those things you often see on friends pages. It had to do with time. It went something like -- Time flies but you're the pilot. How come I don't feel like I'm the pilot? It's more like sand flowing between your fingers.

I guess it could have to do with HOW I choose to spend my time. Really?!! That could explain a lot. There's always the Gotta Do stuff like cooking meals, cleaning, laundry, bathing, paying bills, feeding the animals, etc. Then there is the mindless stuff -- reading emails, facebook, blogs - when there is time. Included in the mindless stuff is TV. Very mindless. Mostly just background noise in our house.  Then there is the Love To Do stuff and I always seem to find time to squeeze in lots of it. Stuff like quilting. I was just telling someone the other day I wasn't going to start another quilt. Lasted about as long as butter takes to melt in the microwave! I'm going to blame Bonnie Hunter on this one. Yes, it's her fault--mostly all her fault. I've been watching her on her Quilt Cam. Reading her blog about sorting and folding her fabrics. I started feeling guilty about the bags of unsorted scraps by my sewing table. I pulled them all out and sorted them by size. I now have a BIG bag of scraps that I am cutting down while I watch the mindless TV. I have a TV tray set up with a cutting mat and I am cutting 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2" and 3 1/2" squares and thin strings. The thin strings will be used to make more fabric covered clothesline baskets.   The 1 1/2" squares are being sewn into nine patches -- read ----- new project. I fell in love with one of the patterns in Bonnie's book Scraps and Shirtails 2.  I brought the sewing machine into the living room a couple of weeks ago so I could be in the same room with Hog Man in the evenings. I will cut for awhile and sew for awhile. I get up first thing in the mornings and sew for a few minutes. It doesn't take a lot of concentration to sew little squares together. The blocks finish at 9 inches.  They are so cute! Don't you think?

I have other things I need to be doing. Don't we all? But sometimes I think we just need something to focus on other than what there is in our lives to focus on. You know what I mean?

I went to Saginaw to the Thursday Quilters last well, Thursday, of course.  I was running a little late to begin with that morning. I should have loaded my stuff the night before but I was tired and Hog Man said he would help me in the morning. Long story short--I was a few minutes later leaving than planned. Not that it was going to make any difference. Right before I left my ears perked up at the TV when I heard two things-Rhome and Hwy. 287. Seems there had been a bad wreck early that morning involving two 18 wheelers and the road was shut down. Oh, no. Oh, yes. And right before my turn off to Saginaw--there was another wreck. Well, I got to Saginaw but just 45 minutes later than planned. But they were very understanding. I always enjoy visiting with quilters wherever I go. These are hand quilters who meet in their local communtiy center once a week and quilt on four quilts each week. They have enough room to have four quilting frames up at one time! The first time I visited them that blew my mind. And to have 29 members! They take a break mid morning and have refreshments and go around the table with show and tell and also what is going on in their lives.  One lady there is a very prolific quilter. She makes charitable quilts for the homeless. She has made over 60 this year! People give her scraps and she makes these quilts. Wow is all I can say.  Another lady was going to go on a quilting cruise this week. How exciting! And I'm sorry I forgot my camera.

Hog Man is-- bored. And you know what a bored man is like! Not fun. He will be getting another Doppler sonogram or whatever it is called to make sure the clot is gone. He has the okay to go back to work since he doesn't have anymore pain. Finally! Bless his heart-- patience is not one of his strong points. Anyway, I'm not sure which one of us is going to be the happier one on the first morning he goes back to work. : )  Sissy aka "Little Doggy" is going to miss him something terrible.

Anyone else having trouble with allergies. Mine always act up in the fall of the year. I heard them say something about ragweed on TV tonight. All I know is I am so ready to feel better. Some years it doesn't bother me and other years it is bad. Coughing, sneezing, drainage. Yucky. Nyquil is my friend. Best sleep. 

I'm been making my sourdough bread. The kind that you feed the starter every ten days or sooner. I experimented with making cinnamon bread using the sourdough. Oh, yeah. I've been making our bread now for months and haven't bought any. At first, I was eating too much of it. I mean--what is better than a fresh loaf of bread -- make that warm fresh loaf of bread-- with butter. But I have slowed way down on it. Several years ago I was given a long loaf pan. I like to shape one of our loaves (the recipe makes two) in that pan. It makes for a smaller slice of bread. We generally eat one and I share one loaf. Now that I am making the cinnamon bread I make a plain one and a cinnamon one. 

Blessings and warm cinnamon bread to all,
Catering Quilter