Where Do the Days Go?

It's been an interesting few weeks here. The time goes so quickly, I couldn't believe that I checked when I last posted and it was more than two weeks ago.

We've been milking along our old computer since our daughter's wedding 2 1/2 months ago. A friend took it and got it to boot up again, but the fix was temporary and it started shutting down again. He tried again and couldn't really find anything, and it seemed like maybe whatever it was had resolved itself with the tweaking that had been done.

Until it didn't and it wouldn't boot up at all again. We need our computer for our business, the parent company requires one as all reporting is done via computer now. It's also our way of communicating with much of our family, Rachel needs it for school work , and having one has become almost a necessity. We can do without one for a while, Rachel can do her computer work at school, we can use the library for some of the business work, if need be, but not having one does make some things quite cumbersome.

So we headed off to Best Buy, checkbook in hand, to check out their latest (and cheapest) bundle deal. After much agonizing, we went with a little better system, which came with a free printer, and hopefully we are good for some time.

We have our first flat panel monitor, and it's amazing how much less crowded the desk seems without that huge monitor on it.
We also were able to order the new window for our bedroom, a much needed item as ours has been falling apart for quite some time. All this last summer we were unable to open it, but it didn't seal right anymore either, making last winter a chilly one. Even this fall before it was in, we had some chilly mornings, it's been much more pleasant in our room with a proper window!

The quilting has been moving along and a big part of the reason that so much time goes between posts right now. I'm not as good at multi-tasking as I used to be, so multiple quilt projects in the works along with new patterns and a blog to write has left me floundering some. I am finally starting to get a handle on "scheduling" myself.

One of the most difficult projects right now is Rachel's quilt for Christmas. I'm really trying to finish it without her ever seeing it. That has turned out to be not so easy a task as she often gets home early from school, or let go a bit early from work. I have to really pay attention to the time when I'm working on it. It was out one day when she got home quite a bit earlier than expected, but she either didn't notice it, or it never occurred to her that it was for her. I've been much more diligent since then, but that also means less time to work on it.

I wasn't sure about this one when putting it together, but ended up liking it very much...and even more when I draped it over her bed to see how it would look in her room. My matchy matchy girl will be very happy.
With a lot of sewing going on, and many small pieces to press, I really needed a better setup. Getting up and crossing the room every few minutes was not a good use of time and it got old quickly. I'd not had room to do this before, but since switching out my tables this became more feasible. I love having the ironing board where it is now, and it also serves as an extra work space when laying things out or working on written work as well.

It doesn't prevent a messy table, though, when working I need all my stuff close at hand!
In a previous post I showed the drawing of my new project, here is a bit of it done. I'm working through the project and writing the pattern, hoping to have it ready by shortly after the holidays. Here is a bit of it in progress.
I really enjoy having so much to work on. It seems that no matter what I feel like doing, I have some project in the works that fits the bill. In addition to all the sewing, Rachel and I have been baking quite a lot. She is enjoying learning the process and is getting to be quite a cook and baker.

And I have to wonder if Ruthie is about to have a growth spurt. It seems like she's eating all the time! She got out her own plate, found the baggie with the cut bread in it and sat in this storage box to have a snack.

I actually have a couple of hours here alone tonight so I'm going to take advantage of it and get some work done! I hope you all are well and...

Happy Quilting!

Sue