Sunday, February 28, 2016

Make a List Monday - Week 9

Well, I lost week 8, but I am back for week 9, Monday February 29th - Sunday, March 6th
In week 7, I said I was going to do the following....

1. Finish Project for Photography class.....it's due on Thursday, and I think I am just about done....I got this one all done!!!!

2. Domestic Goddess Training -- Time to finalize that cleaning routine, and then actually do it!!! I did this one too!!! But in week 8. It's done none the less. Every single piece of clothing that I own is currently clean. And I don't have nearly enough storage. I guess that is why my dirty clothes hamper is perpetually full....it's a closet!!! On a serious note, it's time to do some serious purging, I am seriously tempted to get rid of all of my business suits, since I haven't worn them (other than for interviews) in 5 years!!! SO, if I still feel that way a month from now, they are going. 

3. Taxes - Ugh!!! But yeah, taxes....I have just a few items remaining in transit, but these are essentially finished, even the out of state ones. yippee!!!

4. Bindings - I am heading to Stitches West at the weekend, so I want to get a couple of bindings on this week, so that I have something to work on in the hotel and during the car ride....I ended up driving myself, so I didn't work on these, but they are ready for some attention sometime soon.



This week is another busy week....It's project week in Photography class, so I have to get that done. It is also end of month at work, and first weekend for teaching, so a very full week indeed. Given the number of things to do the list of sewing activities is pretty short....

1. Make a back for my 6 pointed star table topper that I finished last week.
2. Put binding on Sunshine quilt, and bind it over the weekend.....
3. Finish photo 120 project (due Thursday)
4. Puppy class midterm (Wednesday)
5. Daily cleaning routine activities - Domestic Goddess Training

and with that I bid you all good night and happy sewing....


Cat


Monday, February 15, 2016

Make A List Monday -- Week 7 of 2016

So, onto this week...I had big plans, and I was a big fat delinquent....see below for my delinquency details.....

1. I have Photography class Tuesday and Thursday this week, and Puppy Training starts up again on Wednesday, so there won't be much time for sewing during the week....but I am hoping to make up for that on Friday and Saturday evening, with some sewing with friends events (I always find that that helps me get things done!) - Technically, this was all true.....though I didn't sew a single stitch during friends night.....

2. As for projects -- I am going to focus on Pepperdish this week, and leave it at that, there are several hours of work to get done on that one, so I'm just going to stick with that!!! If I get more time, I'll find something else to work on!!! - didn't touch it!!!!

3. Domestic Goddess Training.....research on cleaning routines starts this week.....I managed to get some research done, but nothing really planned or completed.....

so, now that you know how little I got done last week, here's the plan for this week....

1. Finish Project for Photography class.....it's due on Thursday, and I think I am just about done....

2. Domestic Goddess Training -- Time to finalize that cleaning routine, and then actually do it!!!

3. Taxes - Ugh!!! But yeah, taxes....

4. Bindings - I am heading to Stitches West at the weekend, so I want to get a couple of bindings on this week, so that I have something to work on in the hotel and during the car ride....

I'll resume my other projects next week!!!!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

What I have been up to......


So, what have I been up to lately??? This is what I have been doing....


Watching - Criminal Minds on Netflix, at least until Gilmore Girls comes out!!!!

Craving - Samoas....it has been so much fun to see all of the girl scouts out and about, and I have really enjoyed cookie season, but the samoas are all gone now, and I am craving some.

Doing - chores, lots of chores

Obsessing - about knitting, and Stitches West (which is this weekend), so excited!!!

Loving - my photography class, we're just about a month in and I am learning so much!!!!

Reading - Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments Series -- I started the series in mid January, and I finished the series yesterday.....needless to say, I haven't done a lot else lately!!!

Wanting - a quick week, I am so excited for a girls weekend at Stitches West this weekend.

Pinning - not much, I have been buried in books

Dreaming - of a tropical vacation

Writing - not much...

Crafting - dog treats...I made several versions this past weekend, some successful, some not so much

Sewing - not much, been to crazy at work

Knitting - Hats!!! I finished 2 hats this past week, 1 out of my Slytherin Prefect Yarn, and on from my Barty Crouch Junior

Listening - to Gloriana

Wearing - PJ pants, every single day, because comfort is key

Needing - my hours in the day, every day

Planning - my Stitches West stalking plan, I mean Stitches West vendor visit plan


Trying - new recipes  -- some with success, and some not so much.....

Monday, February 8, 2016

Make a List Monday

Well, it's Monday!!! Welcome to make a list Monday. If you haven't been here before, it's where I make out my list of things to do for the week and then get to work on them. I come back next Monday and tell you whether I got them done or not.....

So, my goals for the week were ....

1. Sort projects in the garage....I got that one done!!! I went through 25+ boxes of fabric, and donated over 100 lbs of fabric/projects/books/etc. It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it!!! It's weird how my tastes have changed in the past 20 years of quilting.....and how some things haven't. It was great to go through everything, and really be honest with yourself and your life, and make some decisions. Some were easy no brainers, and some were a bit tough. Some that I anticipated being tough were easy, and some that I hadn't even remembered existed were hard.....now, before you get worried that I might die from not having any fabric.....I still have 8 - 66 gallon tubs of fabric, 6 of which are batik. So have no fear, there is no fabric shortage here.

2. Organize ruler storage - done!!! I'm not 100% sure that I have found the perfect solution, but I found one for now.

3. Log all of my quilty projects and work on a schedule for the year....I got the list completely made and updated with exact situation for every single project. I didn't get a schedule sorted out, by the time I got them all logged and updated, I was feeling a little overwhelmed, so I stepped away with the intention of coming back to it this week.

4. Work on February Priority Projects. This one didn't happen, I simply ran out of time, and didn't get to it, so, this one will remain on the list this week. I did end up getting a couple of bindings made and put on, but nothing serious.

So, onto this week...

1. I have Photography class Tuesday and Thursday this week, and Puppy Training starts up again on Wednesday, so there won't be much time for sewing during the week....but I am hoping to make up for that on Friday and Saturday evening, with some sewing with friends events (I always find that that helps me get things done!)

2. As for projects -- I am going to focus on Pepperdish this week, and leave it at that, there are several hours of work to get done on that one, so I'm just going to stick with that!!! If I get more time, I'll find something else to work on!!!

3. Domestic Goddess Training.....research on cleaning routines starts this week.....

So, stay tuned and see how I do on my plans for the week.....

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Domestic Goddess Training

Domestic Goddess Training : noun - the training program that teaches one how to have a clean house, meals on the table, all while maintaining a positive, upbeat home. This programs covers : cooking, cleaning, meal planning, home management binders, diy home projects, budgeting and the other things that Catherine is really not so good at....in my quest for balance this year, I want to be more domestic. I am a homebody by nature, and an artist, so my life has a tendency towards the messy and unorganized, while my work life is highly structured and organized. I really want to bring some of the structure from my work life into my house, while balancing my creative tendencies. And ensuring that we eat, at least occasionally (kidding just kidding, we always eat, but not always nutritiously).

Do you have other responsibilities beyond quilting??? I know I do, and as much as I wish I could sit and quilt all day every day, that just isn't an option in my life. Between working full time, teaching 3-4 days a week, and getting samples made and paperwork done for the business, sometimes I feel like all I do is eat, sleep, shower and start the day all over again. That's why I started #30minutesadaykeepscrazyaway and #1houraday. I want to sew every day if possible, and a minimum of 8 hours a week. So, I am always looking for good ways to "save time" which equates to "creating sewing time". And that means I need to learn new tricks to save time and gain additional sewing time.

Which leads me to this weeks Domestic Goddess Training.....Freezer Meals. I've heard a lot about these, and seen billions of pins about them, but as a single girl, I was always afraid of the "Lasagne Curse"...you know where you make your Mom's lasagne recipe, and then you have to eat it for days. and days. and days. Because the recipe is already a "leftover friendly" for 6 servings.....so, in the past I would get all excited about eating at home and saving money and what not, and by Wednesday I was tired of Lasagne, no matter how good it was. So, now that there are 3 of us, and we are sharing the costs and work of cooking and grocery management, I thought it would be cool to try out some of those pins that are lurking on my "2 make for dinner" board. There is a $.99/lb sale on pork this week at VONS in So Cal, so Friday night I bought a pork shoulder roast, a London Broil, and a couple of pork tenderloins, and various accoutrements and decided to try out some of those recipes. While our Beef Roast was cooking away in the crockpot on Sunday afternoon, I spent an hour prepping several dinners for the week....Broccoli Beef in the Slow Cooker (from the London Broil), Sweet and Sour Pork (from one of the tenderloins), and Pork and Apples (from the other tenderloin). I saved the pork shoulder roast for a pulled pork crock pot style, and left Monday night open for chicken or salad (though we ended up going with Costco Pizza, since it was a late night at work). I spent $108 at the grocery store, and saved $84, so I'm pretty happy about that, and there are several dinners just waiting to be dumped in the slow cooker for the week. Now it's just a matter of determining if we like them or not, and if it works, spending an hour a week prepping a week's worth of dinners, or maybe 2 hours every other week....If my experiment works, and we find meals that we like, I want to be able to prep and freeze enough meals that we only buy food (especially meat) when it is on sale, and we work from the pantry and from the freezer....

I don't really know if it will work, we do have a couple of picky eaters (myself included), so we may have to do some recipe tweaking, until we find the right ones for us, but I am determined to try. At least for February. And if it works, awesome!! and if not, we tried!!!

The next thing I want to tackle....housework and how to speed up the time to it takes to have a clean house, without spending a ton of money...but that is for March (or April, the creative brain is great at procrastinating) .....

Have you ever tried Freezer Meals??? I'd love to get some info on your favorites, or least favorites, and what worked or didn't work....

Cat    

Monday, February 1, 2016

Make a List Monday

I can't believe it's Monday again, and February to boot...how does this happen??? Just kidding, I know how, I just can't quite believe it!!!! It's February already????

This month, I really want to get back to some of the things I did last year, including make a list Monday....so, let's get to it!!!

This week, looks fairly busy....I have photography class Tuesday and Thursday evening, and it's the last Wednesday night free for a while, as we start up with Puppy Training again next Wednesday, February 10th....so, this is the last week that I can get any sewing done mid week...

My plans for the week....

1. Sort projects in the garage. I went through all of the in process projects and sorted them into 5 piles. To Piece, To Border, To Quilt, To Bind and To Go. That's right, To GO. I took a long hard look at a bunch of projects (some of which have been in boxes for 10 years), and made some tough decisions. Now, I need to prioritize the 4 remaining piles so that I can get all of them finished.....this year. Yes, that is an aggressive goal. but a totally doable one, as long as I get to it, and don't procrastinate. Look for some followup posts on these.

2. Organize ruler storage. I really need a new ruler storage system. The one that I have simply doesn't work for my needs, and I need to come up with something. So my job this week is to scour pinterest for ideas and come up with something that is better than what I have. It doesn't have to be perfect, but better.

3. Log all of my quilty projects and create a schedule for the rest of the year, ensuring some "fun" sewing, and some "new" sewing, and some creative time.

4. Work on February's Priority Projects :
                           Pepperdish - just need border units sewn together
                           Log Cabin Cut outs/Spurs - curved piecing and assembly

That's all of the plans for the week!!! Wish me luck, and I'll see you next Monday for a recap!


Cat