Beautiful Autumn Leaves

I just had to stop and take a picture of these trees that I saw after dropping off some items at the local thrift store. In a day of near panic attacks for stupid reasons, this was a refreshing reminder of God's handiwork. I'm thankful that I could enjoy these beauties as I went about my daily tasks.

A Day Off Turns Into a Day to Shop Hop

Yesterday was my "day off." A day just for me. I decided that I needed to go on a little shop hop down south. So I took off at 10am and was able to get to 3 shops and back by 4pm. Not too bad.

First stop - Quilts N' More in Midlothian. Next was the Corner Square Quilt Shop in Cedar Hill. I ended my journey at Common Threads in Waxahachie. It was quite a little trip...complete with a stop for lunch at Burger King - yuck! and a stop at Dairy Queen that was much better - way, way cleaner. Below are my thoughts about the places I visited.

Quilts N' More has tons of stuff. Fabric, Notions, Books and Patterns. Lots and lots of stuff. It's a bit of a ramshackle kind of place with a somewhat cluttered look. This store is packed to the rafters with all things quilt related. If you're looking for awesome ambiance, this is not the place. If you are looking for something unique to complete your quilt, you'll likely find it here. I was overwhelmed and awed at the same time. I wouldn't put this shop at the top of my favorites list and I probably won't be back, but if I lived in the area I'd be happy to be a customer.

Corner Square Quilts is a bright, cheerful little shop with an enthusiastic and hospitable shop owner. The selection is limited and that helps keep things fresh because turnover is quick. For such a small shop I felt that it had a nice variety of projects and patterns. The batik and blender sections were full and could be incorporated into many lovely quilt tops. The shop has tables available for guests to drop in and use.

After a bit of back tracking I finally landed in Waxahachie at Common Threads. My friend, Sally Ashbacher, adores this shop and I can see why. It is indeed a lovely shop. Packed with beautiful samples and a large range of fabric, there surely must be something for everyone. While the focus is on Civil War reproduction fabric, there are certainly many other genres of fabric available, such as thirties, blenders, novelties, and other traditional styles. There were many patterns and books. The staff was friendly, even though there focus that day seemed to be redecorating after Halloween. The displays in the shop are well done and present interesting vignettes. The downtown location is quaint, attractive and clean. Located across the street is a nice antique shop. The town itself offers many scenic photo opportunities and I am inclined to think that I will be returning at some future date, with the hubby.

Over all, I was satisfied with my shop hop and am glad that this was how I chose to spend my day. My GPS, on the other hand, died part way home. Thankfully, it was the part where I already knew my way, so I made it home safe and sound, with a few fat quarters and a pattern or two.

Hello, Old Friend

Yesterday I revisited my Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll quilt. I started this quilt just about 2 years ago. It was a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, that is now only available in her String Fling book. I was excited, on fire, hyped up. I just knew I could keep up. Ha! Right! So here I am 2 years later still plugging away.

Yesterday was a sew day and I was amazed at how much I got done in a little over 1 1/2 hours. I was motivated after watching Bonnie on her quilt cam. She is my quilt idol. I decided to follow her example and set aside some time to quilt and just see what I could knock out. All these blocks got the red & white side triangle strips added. It's amazing what I can do when I focus!

Now, it's time to set some goals and get this baby finished. The top and bottom triangles and cornerstones are next. I'm shooting for Friday.

Sewing is Fun!

Tomorrow is the second day of my "weekend." Since I spent yesterday (the first day of my weekend) doing household stuff, I will be able to spend tomorrow having fun. Now I just need to decide what that fun looks like. I'm thinking it could look like sewing.

I tend to put off sewing until all the work is complete. Which is being disciplined, I suppose. Or boring. I got a chance to sew a little at work the other day and it just whet my appetite for more sewing time.

 Here's what I whipped up -

It's a 10 minute table runner. I saw the instructions on YouTube. It really took about an hour. That's because I was using a strange machine - not my usual trusty Bernina. Plus the ironing board was in a different room. The instructions were in yet another room. It was crazy. At the insistence of a co-worker I even made the tassels with metallic embroidery floss - that took the most time. I think it turned out cute. And it motivated me.

 Now...what to work on tomorrow?

Gratitude

A lesson I'm learniing...

Focusing on One Thing at a Time

I have this premise. Multitasking is a lie. Well, kinda sorta a lie. You see, I believe that we can truly focus on only one thing at a time. If that’s the case how is it that I can wash dishes and have a conversation? Or drive and listen to the radio? how about watch TV and clip coupons? Well ... something has been delegated to the realm of habit – maybe even a couple of somethings.

There is a book out called The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. It is a great book. At least the Kindle sample part that I read was great. I really want to get that book, but since I’m on a tight budget I hope to get it for my birthday…this week…with an Amazon gift card.

But I digress. What struck me as I read this book was the idea that habits are formed by repetition and once formed they move to a different area of the brain. As far as I can tell this is what makes it possible to multitask. When you can engage multiple parts of the brain for different tasks you are multitasking.

Since multitasking is basically another term for being ADD, (which isn’t a bad thing), I tend to find that I’m not really focusing in on one task, but sort of splitting my attention. However, one of those tasks is going to win and get the better part of my attention. When that happens, the other task is being relegated to the habit center – the basal ganglia.

All this is fine. It also explains how I’m able to drive the car to work (habit) and think through the tasks that await me at work (focus). This explains why I get to work but don’t remember much about the trip there.

If I were to try to navigate to a new location while listening to an audio book (two completely new activities), one would get my attention and the other would be ignored. Neither of these activities can be handled by the habit center because both are brand new activities not yet formed into habits. And this is why I say that multitasking is a lie. Multiple tasks that require thought and concentration can’t be performed simultaneously.

So rather than claiming that I can multitask, it would be more honest to say that I can function in an environment with multiple interruptions. Function – yes. Thrive – not so much.

A Free Saturday

I usually work on Saturdays. Today I have the day off work. It's like I'm playing hooky. I'm not sure what to do. There are so many options. Should I sew? Or shop? Or doing chorey stuff like clean? Ugh...no to that!

But just for the record, I do want to say that I am thankful for this day and all its possibilities. I feel a little guilty that I don't approach each day with this same kind of enthusiasm. Let's face it - work days just don't hold the same promise and options. There's a different kind of thankful for those days.

Today I just might work a little bit on this baby -