I used to get a lot of quilting done. I can provide evidence.
I used to spend time in the garden. More evidence.
The time has come to take the bull by the horns, assess my time management, and get to work around here. It's time for me to take a little blogging break. I'll be back . . . . . .

I'm back! I just returned from a very refreshing week in the 'Land of The Princess!' And what fun was had. First off, there was sunshine. Lots and lots of sunshine. I wore my flip-flops every day.
This was the first time to see The Princess in her new digs and as real, honest-to-goodness nurse.
I made use of her professional services with changing a band-aid - she reminded me that she is a licensed professional!
Of course, I enjoyed many meals at some favorite restaurants. My beloved Mexican cuisine is everywhere. Also I delighted in things like this -
Jamba Juice is located in Massachusetts. But like many things, nowhere conveniently located to us.
I spent some fun times with the CQP's. We went to dinner, we met up at Fat Quarters for an evening gab fest, and we visited several other area quilt shops. Here is a peek at my Fat Quarters purchases.
The loot from my shopping adventures is still on its way here via UPS. Hopefully arriving any day now.
The Princess and I went to the Pasadena area over the weekend for a visit with extended family. Here she is posing in a park with Mark Twain*.
*Mark Twain is no relation.
I was sad to leave for sure. But is was great to see Hubby's smiling face at the airport after a long day of flying. And back at the house . . . .
someone else was pretty happy to see me, too.

It's Friday! Let's take a look back at the week in quilting. Down to the basement on Monday I went to pin this top onto the quilt frame.
Not a stitch has been taken, but at least it's pinned on. This top has been waiting (patiently) for a long time to become a quilt.
Back upstairs to the tree house, I started piecing some blocks.
These are 3" churn dashes - I'm going to need A LOT of them. I'm making a quilt that I saw in an old Fons and Porter magazine. I believe the pattern was called 3, 6, 9, 12 - for the size of the blocks that are used. I say this because I have not yet located the pattern after the move. It's here . . . . somewhere.
Since I plan to just use whatever fabrics I have on hand, I don't need any help with yardages to get started. In the event that I don't find my pattern, I've drawn myself a little guide on graph paper to help with figuring out number of blocks needed and placement.
I've just been cutting for one pair of blocks at a time. While this gives me the satisfaction of getting to the machine to sew right away, I've decided that I need to make better use of my cutting time as well. So I'm going to start cutting triangles, too for something akin to a 1000's of Pyramids quilt.
Why am I so concerned with making the best use of my quilting time?
Because I spend a lot of my day keeping Daisy occupied. She's a lot less of a puppy and more of a Jr. dog these days. The house training is going well. We've developed a bit of a schedule. A lot less time going outside 'just-in-case.'
Still, it takes a lot of play time to get her tired enough for a good nap. We romp, we practice our commands, we take walks, we throw the ball and when I'm worn out (and she's not) I blow bubbles in the yard for her to chase and *pop*
She may be relentlessly active, but she's funny and oh so soft. I think it's a fair trade-off.

It looks like we are (at long last) getting down to putting in the finishes touches of settling in our home. Oh, there are still a few window covering details to work out. But what is here is satisfactory for now. This past week, Hubby installed a couple of ceiling fans to help ward off the coming hot days - one in the master bedroom and another in the family room.
These are both photos taken in the family room (the fans are identical) The reason for the two pictures, you ask? The first is taken without flash. Notice the blur of the blades.
The next was taken moments later, fan still whirling but with the flash on.
Okay, I admit it - I'm easily amused. Even more exciting than ceiling fans was the installation of our dining room light fixture.
We purchased it for our home in California and I could not bear to leave it behind. So before we put the house on the market, we swapped it out for a suitable fixture that I didn't mind staying there. The delay in installing it here had to do with the ceiling medallion. The small inner medallion is the original piece and was too small to hide the spot from the original lighting here.
An email to the maker let us know that a custom piece could be made, but we feared it would be cost prohibitive.
Instead we picked up a medallion from Home Depot, a little spray paint and *voila* a pleasing solution to our lighting problem. It's funny how just the simple change of a light fixture can change the feel of a room.
Now to get the Carpenter's Star quilt all quilted and bound. I finished the last of the applique berries.I think it's going to make the perfect addition to our dining room decor.