You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically - to say 'no' to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside. The enemy of the 'best' is often the 'good.'
~Stephen Covey
I started yesterday morning thinking I was pretty much caught up with all of my commitments. And then I started thinking........still have to do a Bee Block........and a pincushion.......and make a baby quilt.......and get scraps together for another swap.......and make a couple of 6" blocks. So much for thinking the rest of the month was free - lol! I did complete the Loving Hands challenge quilt (will share that on Friday) so that was a big load off of my shoulders. I did make the Bee block yesterday so that's ones done and I even got the pincushion all cut out. Little by little I'm whittling down my 'have to do's' so hopefully soon I will have a few days just for me. There is a quilt I want to start but I better get these other things completed first. Priorities have to be set and I've set them. Better put the blinders on and keep my head down to keep away from all distractions.
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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are one of my very favorite winged creatures to watch in my yard. I have two feeders that are protected by several of the little birds. Occasionally we are visited by Rufus hummingbirds as they migrate through in the spring and fall. While I await their visit, I thought I'd share a few facts about these acrobatic artists:
* There are more than 325 hummingbird species in the world. Only 8 species regularly breed in the United States, though up to two dozen species may visit the country.
* A hummingbird’s brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation, but rather by iridescence in the arrangement of the feathers and the influence of light level, moisture and other factors.* Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.
* Hummingbirds have 1,000-1,500 feathers, the fewest number of feathers of any bird species in the world* The average ruby-throated hummingbird weighs 3 grams. In comparison, a nickel weighs 4.5 grams. From 25-30 percent of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectoral muscles, the muscles principally responsible for flight.
* A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily, and the average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour.* An average hummingbird’s heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute
* The Rufus hummingbird has the longest migration of any hummingbird species with a distance of more than 3,000 miles from the bird’s nesting grounds in Alaska and Canada to its winter habitat in Mexico
* Despite their small size, hummingbirds are one of the most aggressive bird species and will regularly attack jays, crows and hawks that infringe on their territory.
* Depending on the species, habitat conditions, predators and other factors, the average lifespan of a wild hummingbird is 3-12 years.================================
FLOWERS FOR WEDNESDAY
On Monday I received hexie flowers from my swap partner in The Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap......
Hanne of Denmark made these adorable flowers. I just love the fabrics she fussy cut. Won't these look great in my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt? Thank you so very much, Hanne!
I've had some petals made for my Aunt Sarah quilt but hadn't made flowers until over the weekend.....
These are the first two 3/4" flowers I've made in almost a month!
And, of course, I had to make two flowers for One Flower Wednesday......
My DD#1 really likes Sugar Skulls so this hexie flower was made with her in mind. We found this fabric at Joann's while she was here earlier in the month. She bought enough for a scrub top and there was just a remnant left so I bought that at a great savings. Yes, I know, more Halloween flowers - lol!
And with my love of candy corn I just couldn't help making this one. And, as I learned from your comments in the last giveaway, there are many of us candy corn lovers out there. This way I can get my fix without the calories.
To see more hexie flowers around blogloand, just click on the link above to take you to Karen's linky page. Thanks go to Karen for making it so easy to view more flowers.
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FORGOTTEN SQUISHY
When my daughter was here, I received a squishy that I put away for safe keeping. I put it some place I knew I would find it once everything was back to normal. Would you believe I just found it on Monday?
Last month I won Teresa's blogiversary giveaway. In the squishy was a pattern from Clares Place, a fold over travel pouch, two fat quarters and a darling pincushion. I'm so glad that I found the squishy so I could publicly thank Teresa. Thank you, Teresa!!
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MY NEW SIDE KICK
On Monday I made reference to something I bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I bought a Lazy Susan. So what, you say? Well, let me show you what I did with it.......
This sits just to the right of my sewing machine. I attached the different plastic containers with Velcro dots, leaving the straight pin holder unattached. I even made sure to have the right size container for my Diet 7-Up. I can never have that too far away - lol!
susan but they come in a variety of sizes. Something for you to consider to keep everything close at hand.
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FREE MOTION QUILTING RETURNS
As I said I would, I got back to FMQ......
After working on this one, I almost gave up on FMQ. I was not at all pleased with the final results of this practice. Leah made Space Star look so much better. My petals ended up too fat and I managed to have a couple of areas not quilted at all. Yuck!
Even thought I don't like the name of this practice, Frog Eggs, I did enjoy working on it. As you can tell, the further I went into the block, the more tired my hands became. The stippling is nice and small in the upper left corner and gets pretty spacey by the time I reached the bottom right. I don't see how people can do a whole quilt with tiny stippling.
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TODAY'S GOAL
Today I hope to get the pincushion made for the yahoo swap I'm in.
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GIVEAWAYSLots Of Pink Here! is having a giveaway. You could win a $25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop. This giveaway ends Wednesday, October 26.
Fresh Lemon Quilts is having a giveaway. You could win a $25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop. This giveaway ends Wednesday, October 26.
Amy's Creative Side is having a giveaway. You could win a copy of Modern Mix. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21.
The Confused Quilter is having a giveaway. You could win FIVE half yard pieces of Laura Gunn's Poppy Collection and a copy of 'Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee'. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21.
A Stitcher's Heirlooms is having a giveaway. You could win a whole bunch of stitch related stuff. This giveaway ends Friday, October 28.
Jackie's Art Quilts is having a giveaway to celebrate her 500th post. You could win 4 fat quarters of her beautiful hand dyed fabric. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21.
Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her Monday Mystery giveaway. You could win 5 fat quarters. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22, at midnight Mountain Time.
Gen X Quilters is having a giveaway. You could win a copy of The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22 at midnight EST.
Blushing Rose is having a giveaway. You could win one of two copies of The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22, at midnight.
Jaybird Quilts is having a sponsored giveaway. You could win your choice of jelly roll from Fat Quarter Shop. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21, at 10:00 pm PST.
The Average Quilter is having a giveaway for her followers. You could win a wonderful Dresden Plate clock. This giveaway ends Monday, October 24.
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FINAL THOUGHT
Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.
~Author Unknown
A Stitcher's Heirlooms is having a giveaway. You could win a whole bunch of stitch related stuff. This giveaway ends Friday, October 28.
Jackie's Art Quilts is having a giveaway to celebrate her 500th post. You could win 4 fat quarters of her beautiful hand dyed fabric. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21.
Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her Monday Mystery giveaway. You could win 5 fat quarters. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22, at midnight Mountain Time.
Gen X Quilters is having a giveaway. You could win a copy of The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22 at midnight EST.
Blushing Rose is having a giveaway. You could win one of two copies of The Devil's Puzzle by Clare O'Donohue. This giveaway ends Saturday, October 22, at midnight.
Jaybird Quilts is having a sponsored giveaway. You could win your choice of jelly roll from Fat Quarter Shop. This giveaway ends Friday, October 21, at 10:00 pm PST.
The Average Quilter is having a giveaway for her followers. You could win a wonderful Dresden Plate clock. This giveaway ends Monday, October 24.
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FINAL THOUGHT
Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending.
~Author Unknown
28 comments:
Reading blogs once a week is tough...but here goes.
Love the Halloween mug rug and hexies.
Congrats to Pam on her win.
Always fun to find a forgotten squishy. That way it brings a smile to your face twice.
The lazy susan idea is a good one.
Have a great week!
Very cool Sugar Skulls!!!! And, yummy candy corn, just had some last night!
Great eye candy in your post today, but I especially love the Covey quote at the top. Something important to remember when someone asks you to do something that will take you away from the important things!! Thanks for sharing!!
List of things to do...go to BB&B to get a turn table..for on my table next to where I sit in my living room.. it is far too crowded, and cluttered, and this lazy susan will certainly make it much more organized.. now I am thinking we need to take it one step further.. don't we need to sew an organizer for attaching on top of it, and make little pockets for it.. (I'm not that talented..can't you make me a pattern..come on.. U can do it..)
Cute hexies - all of them!!
I hear ya about the "to do " list. I am just struggling to finish up projects. There are too many that need quilting when I really want to play with colors.
Great quote to start the day with. Congrats on the win of such a nice squishy package. I love the lazy susan idea! Now I must get to work on my To Do List!!
Loved reading about my favorite little bird the Hummingbird, had no idea there were so many varities .Great hexies and congrats on the win!The lazy susan idea is terrific , have to look for one!
I really like your Halloween hexies. The skull one especially appealed to me with all the colors. Very nice fussy cutting. i like the lazy susan idea. A friend made me a frisbee lined with flannel that i keep all those things next to my sewing machine.
Great Quote for the Day. I need to do that more often.
I can relate to your post too. I need to go to the cave and catch up on some swaps SOON.
Nice swap hexies and your flowers are lovely .
Yay for delayed open squishies...those are almost more fun for the extra anticipation! Your FMQ always stuns me, how do you *do* that?!?!? And your Covey quote was exactly meant for me today, thank you!
Love all those hexies! What an amazing bunch of flowers! Linda, one of these days you must take a photo of all your hexies stacked together with a ruler showing how tall the stack has become!
The lazy Susan is such a good idea! I wish I had the space for one, 'cause I'd sure be borrowing your idea.
Have a lovely Wednesday!
The lazy susan is a great idea!
Love the hexies.
Congratulations on your two recent wins!! What fun!
Sweet hexies from Hanne - those little bears are just too cute!!!! Lots of wonderful flowers. Clever you with the lazy susan.
Very sweet hexies. I like the lazy susan idea, but I don't have room for one!
It sounds like you have a full "to do" list!
I am loving all of the hexies. The candy corn is adorable. Those will make a great I Spy quilt.
I noticed that my hummers are starting their migrations as I am only filling my feeders every other day instead of each day. We have lost two this year as they crashed into the windows. I feel so awful, but what can you do? We had more Rufus this year than in the past. They are so tiny.
I still think you are doing a great job on your FMQ projects.
Love the Lazy Susan idea! I'll have to do that...
Beautiful job on the fussy cut hexies! It will be fun to see how you put them together in your finished project.
Also loved the lazy Susan idea...especially that you used velcro to hold the containers in place.
Have a great week!
Lazy Susan - I'm going to need to look for one of those when I have a permanent sewing station! Thanks for the tip!
Oh and I can see how the FMQ could get very frustrating =/ I applaud you for your perseverance - you should be so proud that you've done so much!
Have a lovely day, Linda!
Oh my gosh! I love your Space Stars. I think they look cool. And as always, I'm drooling over your hexie flowers. :D
I have that same lazy susan, but it's in my pantry. I've been looking for another for my sewing room.
As always a great post.
Cute Halloween hexies, interesting facts on hummingbirds - always enjoy your blog
I love the hexy flowers. The lazy Susan is a great idea, I don't know why I haven't thought of it. Will have to get me one. Have a great week.
G'day. Love the story about the hummingbird. Truth be told, I loved the whole jolly blog. Take care. Liz...
Love your hexies , where do you find such exquisite fabrics? you must have got an expert eye.
Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed my humble gifts.
Spooky flower!
Your lazy susan idea is great. Nice way to keep all of your tools so close at hand. I am working at a round table so it will not work for me right now but I will file that idea away to when I have a desk I can work at. Your flowers are wonderful. What are you going to do with all of those Halloween flowers? Maybe you should start up a seasonal hexie wall hanging.
You do still have a bit of a 'to do' list, don't you? Why do we quilters do this to ourselves? WHy do we commit to so much?
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