Make-A-List Monday - Life Is Getting Back To Normal!

Hi, all!

Well, a week has passed and Monday has rolled around again - a fresh week and a new start!  Let week was busy but things are finally starting to come together around here and I'm beginning to feel a little less stressed out.  Hooray!

So let's see how last week went...

1.  Work on the design for this week's Charmed, I'm Sure quilt.

Done!  Last week's quilt took some creative finagling, and ended up being a two-for-one tutorial!  You can check it out here...

2.  Start painting at the old house.

Thanks to a series of propitious events (you can read the story here) I finally got MINIONS!  And those minions came and started painting my house for me today!!  

3.  Finish clearing out the storage unit.

Done!  So glad to have this finished...

4.  Haul more boxes up to my quilt studio and unpack them.

Still a work in progress but it's getting better!  The grandkids have taken to calling my quilt studio "The Playroom" (they love to play up there!) so I started charging them rent - they have to carry up a box each before they can go play up there! And my wonderful husband is repaying my bringing in his book boxes by taking a box up every time he comes in from the garage. I've been trying to unpack them as they come up, so it's staying fairly neat up there.  More to do this week, though!

5.  Haul a bunch of stuff to Goodwill - things that were donated at church that we can't use.

Done!  And the guys at my new neighborhood Goodwill are much friendlier than the ones at the other house!

6.  Plan a fun Friday evening for the grandkids while my daughter and son-in-law are at a home schooling conference.

We had a blast!  We made individual pizzas, and my youngest granddaughter, who is a confirmed carb-a-holic, discovered that pepperoni is DELICIOUS!  I know this because she told me over and over, and didn't even eat the crust of her pizza because she was so busy eating all the pepperoni in the house....

7.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  This quilt went to a man who is having a double knee replacement this week...

...and this quilt went to a person going through some medical issues.

So a good week all in all, and it's starting to feel a little more normal around here.  Hooray for normal!!  This week should be busy, but I think it will be more "finishing" than "plugging away".  Here's what's on tap for the week...

1.  Finish hanging pictures at the new house, and haul any that didn't make the cut up to the attic.

2.  Work on the quilt and tutorial for this coming Sunday's Charmed I'm Sure post.

3.  Try to get all the remaining quilt studio boxes upstairs and unpacked!

4.  Update the blog Page about Hands2Help 2020.

5.  Mount and frame some pictures for my husband.

6.  Take Fly to be groomed again.

7.  VOTE!

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

I feel like I'm forgetting something important, but who knows?  I'm sure everything necessary will get done.  I just found out that we will be hosting the family Easter lunch this year (hooray!) so that gives me a deadline to get the house in order (double hooray!).  Am I the only one that works best on a deadline?

And speaking of deadlines, for those of you who have been emailing me to find out if I was still going to do Hands2Help this year, yes!  The move has put me really off schedule, but I realized that the schedule we've gone by in the past is purely arbitrary, so I'll just be starting (and ending) it later than usual.  I hope to get a new schedule posted this week, and will announce the start date in Sunday's Charmed, I'm Sure post.  Thanks for being patient, and for checking in - it's wonderful to know that people look forward to it!

And now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah                                                                                                    

Make-A-List Monday - Better Late Than Never!

Hi, all!

I am more than a little bit behind this week, it appears - since it's Tuesday night and I'm watching This Is Us while I write this blogpost!  But it's been a good week - in addition to working on my list, we FINALLY got the carpet done in my husband's office (third time is the charm, apparently!) and we found some floor in the garage.

So let's take a look at last week's list....

1.  Finish getting Jolene and her frame set up and connected.

Done!  It's so nice to have her back where she belongs!

2.  Continue hanging pictures at the new house.

Coming right along!  Here's just a sample of what I've been doing...

3.  Do a quick sweep/vacuum at the old house.

Dust bunnies evicted!

4.  Start on wall repairs at the old house.

Started, but still a ways to go!  I did get all the nails pulled, the holes spackled, and all the cracks repaired.  Next step is to sand those down and start painting!

5.  Work on the next tutorial/quilt for Charmed, I'm Sure!

Done!  You can find the tutorial for this quilt by clicking here...

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We did give away a few quilts this week...

Occasionally one of our staff members request a quilt where they are unable to share the name of the recipient or the reason they need one.  We take it on faith that it's a legitimate request.  This quilt went to one of those recipients, and it's a beauty - it will definitely give a powerful quilt-y hug!

And I love the story behind this quilt - one of our church members is loving on a young woman who is expecting a little boy, and has literally nothing for her baby.  She is throwing a baby shower for her, and asked if we could provide a quilt for the new baby.  Of course we can!

So that was last week!  Busy as usual, and no end in sight.  Let's see what this week looks like...

1.  Work on the design for this week's Charmed, I'm Sure quilt.

2.  Start painting at the old house.

3.  Finish clearing out the storage unit.

4.  Haul more boxes up to my quilt studio and unpack them.

5.  Haul a bunch of stuff to Goodwill - things that were donated at church that we can't use.

6.  Plan a fun Friday evening for the grandkids while my daughter and son-in-law are at a home schooling conference.

7.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Short list this week, but I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed.  I really miss my sewing time! But it will be back sometime, hopefully soon.  In the meantime, it will be good to get all our stuff under our roof, and close up the storage unit.  That's something I know I can finish this week!

So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Guess Who's Back?

Hi, all!

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day... did you ever wonder why you couldn't trust Monday?  I actually like Monday and the fresh start it gives us!  And today's was especially fun, as the grandkids were out of school and I got to spend time with them.  I'm going to like living closer!

But enough about that - let's see how last week's list went.  (Please bear in mind that I had a wicked cold most of last week that is just now vacating the premises...)

1.  Work on organizing/setting up the quilt studio.
It's getting there!  I've had some excellent help from my eldest granddaughter...



...who not only helped me put this Kallax unit together, but then unpacked boxes and organized my fabric by color on it!

This week my husband and I went back to the house to rescue Jolene and her frame...





We packed her carefully into the truck and brought her to the new house.  I'm sure my husband thinks I'm a little obsessive over her, as careful as I was making him be while taking her frame apart!



And this afternoon, Lilli and I decided to put the pieces back together.  (She informed me she called dibs on the electric drill!)  This girl isn't afraid of much of anything, and she did a great job re-assembling the frame.  We did have some stops and starts, when we forgot a step and got ahead of ourselves, but eventually...



...the frame was back together!  Then my husband came home and helped me get it level (always a tricky procedure) and then...



Jolene is back!!!  I've still got to put the front bars on, but I decided I could do that tomorrow - it was time for a little pizza!  I'm happy to say that my IKEA wire shelves fit underneath the frame now, and I've almost decided what I want to fill them with.  
More on that soon!

2.  Hang up pictures.
No pics yet, but I did get started on this one, plus I took several pieces to Hobby Lobby for framing.  We have so much great art, it's fun to have new ways to display it!  I'll share some pictures soon.

3.  Organize the bedroom closet.
Unfortunately, this one was a victim of that bad cold I had.  I just didn't get to it!

4.  Finish a quilt top for a special event at church.
Done!  No full pictures yet, but here's one showing that I put the binding on!

5.  Write blogposts for the "Charmed, I'm Sure" tutorial series.
Started!  The first tutorial in the series posted this past Sunday, linking to a great tutorial by the fabulous Amy of Diary of a Quilter for this pretty quilt...

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  This quilt went to a young woman dealing with serious unexplained pain issues...

...and this quilt went to a young girl just diagnosed with bone cancer.

And finally, this quilt went to an elderly woman dealing with issues following heart valve surgery.

So not too bad, all in all, although I wish I could have gotten much more done!  This week, I really need to kick it into overdrive and get to work on the old house, getting it ready to go on the market.  So here's my list for this week...

1.  Finish getting Jolene and her frame set up and connected.

2.  Continue hanging pictures at the new house.

3.  Do a quick sweep/vacuum at the old house.

4.  Start on wall repairs at the old house.

5.  Work on the next tutorial/quilt for Charmed, I'm Sure!

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Sounds like a short list, but I really need to get to work on the old house!  Plenty there to keep me busy for a couple of weeks...

And since most of my sewing is being enjoyed vicariously these days, I want to show you a picture sent to me by Heather. She used my Supernova pattern to create this beautiful quilt, adding to the size to make it a full twin size.  She used reclaimed fabrics, such as curtains, sheets, shirts, and a tablecloth to make this. And can you believe it was just her second quilt? AMAZING!!

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - New House, New Start!

Hi, all!

Rumors of my disappearance being totally inaccurate, I am actually alive and well despite my minimal presence here on the blog over the last two weeks.  And I've missed it!  Now that I feel like I can finally keep my head above water, it's time to get back into the regular swing of things.

Since I haven't done a list in a couple of weeks, here's a recap of the  ministry quilts we've given away recently...

All of these quilts went to people dealing with serious medical issues and are giving quilt-y hugs as we speak!

Now for this week's list:

1.  Work on organizing/setting up the quilt studio.

2.  Hang up pictures.

3.  Organize the bedroom closet.

4.  Finish a quilt top for a special event at church.

5.  Write blogposts for the "Charmed, I'm Sure" tutorial series.

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

So much to do!  And not nearly enough time to play with fabric - but that will come.  Until then, I'll try to fit in a little fabric play every day.

So now, the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - It's Getting Real!

Hi, all!

Wow, has it only been a week?  Seems like much longer since I made a list (not!) - because at the moment I am living by the list!  Every day starts with a list, and I'm enjoying the thrill of crossing things off.  Closing is on Thursday, and so far, the stars are aligning.  Keep your fingers crossed it stays that way!

So now, let's look at last week's list...

1.  Pull together fabrics and pattern for a gift quilt.

Done!  And I've got the top a little over halfway pieced...

2.  Pack.

3.  Pack some more.

4.  Pack even more.

Oh, I have packed and packed and packed some more!  Tonight I can say that the upstairs is almost finished - except for the attic.  Not looking forward to that!  And I've packed a lot downstairs, too. I'm getting close to having everything packed that can be done before we actually have movers scheduled.

And, wonder of wonders, look what I found while packing!  This is the key to our front storm door, which I have been looking for for about the past ten years.  We don't use our front door, so it wasn't a huge deal, but it sure was nice to find it!

5. Haul all the stuff I packed to the storage unit.

I didn't get ALL of what I packed to the storage unit, but we did take one load over there this week.

6.  Drop off stuff I didn't feel like packing at Goodwill.

Three loads worth!  And there's another load ready to go 

in my car...

7.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

We gave away three quilts this week...

This quilt went to a woman going through some pretty serious health issues...

And we sent this one to a new baby!

This quilt, pieced by one of our newer members, went to a young woman who went in the hospital for a simple procedure and ended up with a serious infection.

So all in all, a good and busy week!  My list for this week will look very similar, but here it is...

1.  Pick a winner for my blogoversary giveaway!  

(Coming up next!)

2.  Pack, pack, and pack again.

3.  Go to our new house (after Thursday) and pull up the floating vinyl floor to see the much better floor underneath. (Fingers crossed it's in great condition!)

4.  Haul more stuff to the storage unit.

5.  Go through the stuff in the attic and decide what to take and what to get rid of.

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

I don't think I'll be getting into much trouble this week - by the time my day ends, I'm so tired it's a wonder if I can do anything!

And now for the winner of my blogoversary giveaway...

First of all, though, thanks to everyone who joined in and played along!  It was a lot of fun reading all your questions and answers!

And the winner is....

Congratulations, Kathy! I'll be emailing you for your snail mail address and can send your package out ASAP.  Good thing, too, because otherwise it's liable to get thrown in a box!

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Not Much Going On This Week!

Hi, all!

Well, we've finally made it to the Monday before Christmas - are you ready yet, or are you still working on last minute projects?  It's been crazy around my place, but I think I've finally finished all the gifts and just have a little bit to do to get ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day cooking.  Hooray!

I've been so busy this week working on packing things up that I haven't even thought about my week from last week - but let's see how it went...

1.  Wrap the Christmas presents.

Done!  And all under the tree, too!

2.  Keep working on packing up the non-essentials. (That means everything but quilting stuff!)

I not only worked on packing up the non-essentials, I even packed up some of my quilt room stuff - and it looks very strange in their now!  There's still lots to go, though...

3.  Make and attach labels to all the grandkids' quilts.

Done - but of course, I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped them up!

4.  Gather and send more documents to the lender.

Done!  I think we're all good until closing...

5.  Purge purge purge!  Goodwill is becoming a daily stop!

Yes, I'm still dropping stuff off at Goodwill on a daily basis.  It's amazing how much you can accumulate in 13 years in one place!

6.  Work on the H2H quilt ideas.

I haven't spent much time on this lately - but it will give me something to do while sitting poolside next week!

7.  Attend our house inspection and take measurements of the house, then draw up a scale floor plan.

Went to the house inspection, took measurements, but haven't been able to stay awake long enough once I sit down to draw up the scale floor plan!  Another poolside project, I guess.

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

We gave away three quilts this week, but for the life of me I can't remember the backstory.  Just know that they will be giving quilt-y hugs to two men and a woman in need of some comfort...

This one went to the woman...

...and these two went to the two men.

Apparently my brain got packed away somewhere this week, because if I don't write it down, it's gone!  Thank heaven for notebooks and lists!  

And if you noticed the "poolside" mentions above, here's the explanation - we are going on a cruise!  Bad timing with the move and packing and all, but it was planned before, so we're just going to enjoy it.  And since I have no idea if we'll have internet or not, I'm going to take a little hiatus from blogging, just until after the first of the year.  If I can get some posts written before I leave, I'll schedule them, so you may still see something from me.  And cruise pictures after I get back!

So my list for this week is short...

1.  Stuff the Christmas stockings!

2.  Cook lots of yummy food for Christmas Eve breakfast and Christmas Day meals.

3.  Enjoy Christmas with the family!

4.  Pack for the cruise!

5.  Get the house ready for our house/dog sitter.

6.  Pack up some more boxes, and take them to the storage unit if time allows.

7.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

The next Make-A-List post will be in 2020 - isn't that amazing?  When I was a kid, I was fairly sure I would never be so old that I saw the turn of the century, and here we are at 2020.  Will wonders never cease?

Oh, and be sure to check in tomorrow, as I will be posting the winners of last Wednesday's giveaways!

And now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - My How Time Flies!

Hi, all!

Monday is here again and the last month of the year seems to be just flying by!  So many things to do and it doesn't seem like there are enough hours in the day, but it's still "the most wonderful time of the year"!  Let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Return borrowed chairs to church.

Done - and after returning them to church, we did the next item on the list...

2.  Transport and deliver quilts to our local elementary school that will be given to the support staff and a few teachers that were hired  since we gave them to the teachers last year.

With a lot of help from my friends Deb, Piper (pictured here), and Rita, we delivered 41 quilts to the school as Christmas gifts for the support staff and the teachers hired since last year.  We just love doing this!  Our teachers work so hard and it is just wonderful to be able to express our appreciation to them in a tangible way.

3.  Quilt Emmy's annual quilt.

Done!  I'm happy to say that all three quilts are finished, except for the labels (must get those done this week!)

4.  Take pictures of Lilli's annual quilt for Friday's blogpost.

Done!  You can see more pictures by clicking here.

5.  Get those packages in the mail!

Forgot to snag a pic before they went away, but both boxes are winging their way (probably slowly!) to Canada!

6.  Review the Christmas gifts I have and make a final shopping list.

Done, and not only is the list done, I think I've finished all my shopping except for helping my husband with the stocking stuffers!  Hooray!!

7.  Gather and send financial documents to the lender.

Done, at least so far.  I've just received a new list of things they need from me this afternoon, so I'll be working on this again this week.

8.  Work on the plans for this year's pre-H2H quilt-along (and maybe ask for a little help from my friends!)

Things are starting to come together a bit - at least, the ideas are congealing in my brain.  With a little luck, I may have the first top finished before Christmas!  I did also get a chance to play with an idea I had...

9.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

It was a quiet week, although we did give away a quilt to a teenager who had brain surgery this week.  Unfortunately, no picture!

Apparently picture-taking is one of the things that falls by the wayside when I have way too many things to do, but I'll try to do better this week!  Oh, I did one more thing last week that I did get a picture of...

I taught my last class at Joann's, and it was a blast!  Only one student, but she was a friend, and so excited about the new sewing machine she got for Christmas!  She learned how to make pillowcases burrito-style, and now says she'll never buy ready-made ones again.  I love teaching someone who is so excited about learning.  Unfortunately, with our move, it just won't be cost effective to drive back to Mt. Juliet to teach, and in all honesty, I think I was making about $2 an hour after all the prep time and the cost of materials for making my own samples.  It's a great concept but Joann's needs to work on taking care of their teachers better!

So with all that in the books, let's take a look at what's on tap for this week....

1.  Wrap the Christmas presents.

2.  Keep working on packing up the non-essentials. (That means everything but quilting stuff!)

3.  Make and attach labels to all the grandkids' quilts.

4.  Gather and send more documents to the lender.

5.  Purge purge purge!  Goodwill is becoming a daily stop!

6.  Work on the H2H quilt ideas.

7.  Attend our house inspection and take measurements of the house, then draw up a scale floor plan.

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

So much to do!  And I'm sure I've forgotten something, but it will all come out in the wash.

So now, the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah