Goofin' Off With a Little Bit of Time

The year is coming to a close real soon here.  I can't believe how long it's been since I posted.  The past year has been pretty good with my travel advisor job really taking off last summer.  I feel lucky and grateful for that and have been able to check a couple of items off my bucket list this past year in addition to planning vacations for clients.

We had a new addition to the family in 2019..thanks to Mr. Goofin' Off.  Hubby knew the minute he saw it that he wanted it and what he wanted to name it (yes hubby likes to name his cars).  It has been named Nemo.  Although we've had Nemo for a number of months now, he's actually only been driven a few times.  Nemo has needed a lot of tinkering and Mr. Goofin' Off loves to tinker with cars.  It's a win-win!

Welcome to the family, Nemo!

As I write this post and reflect back on this past year, I am reminded of a little whimsical prose written by Dr. Seuss:

How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.

December is here before it's June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?
--Dr. Seuss

The year has flown by.  The holidays are upon us.  As I have pondered the past 11 months, I am grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened.  But I have also felt a large hole in my life where my quilting, stitching, charity work and blogging were.  My time has been limited by my new career as well as helping in taking care of my dad.  

Since my mother passed away last year, my dad has needed a lot of extra time.  Early in the year we moved him into assisted living.  Then we began the task of getting his home ready for sale.  This was a monumental job because my parents had lived there for over 50 years and raised five kids there.  I like to tell people my mother was an organized hoarder.  It was unbelievable how much stuff she had managed to tuck away under beds and oozing out the dozens of closets throughout the 2700 sq. ft. house.  It was all good stuff and in brand new condition.  She liked to purchase clothing and knitting and sewing projects through catalogs.  It would have taken her several lifetimes to complete all the projects that she had bought.  I guess a lot of us quilters, cross stitchers, or whatever type of crafter you are, can relate to this (I write as I stare into my closet overstuffed with fabric).  It literally took us weeks of working 20 to 40 hours a week to go through everything and get all the items that were donate-able donated.  

Then this fall my father fell in his assisted living apartment and broke a hip.  He spent time at the hospital, then three weeks at a rehab center.  This time, he really needed more help when he left, so we found a fantastic group home for him.  My brother and I had toured a number of homes and this was the only one we felt good about.  We were so grateful that they were able to take my dad on and for the care and compassion he receives there.  

Professionally, this year has been great, too.  The month of July I booked more travel for people than I had the entire year before.  I now have money coming in each month.  I have met people at conferences and through my travels that have become great new friends.

I've even checked some things off my bucket list.  For Halloween, I went to Disneyland with my two sisters.  I dressed up as Edna Mode to go trick-or-treating at Disneyland.  What a fun experience!

BUT...

...there has been next to no time to quilt or cross stitch or work on charity projects.  I just don't feel complete at the moment.  I am committed to doing better in the coming year.  I'm coming at 2020 with full steam ahead.  I'm so excited to see what I can accomplish this coming year.  

All About My Time and Priorities

I know that in order to give myself more time for things that are important to me--and absolutely necessary for me to keep my sanity when things get insane--I must start making some time for myself to do the things that I enjoy.

I've already gone and purchased my planner for next year.  I understand that everyone's day has 24 hours...that's 1,440 minutes...which is 86,400 second.  Once a day is gone, we can't borrow against yesterday's hours...or trade for tomorrow's minutes.  I need to make be sure to prioritize my days to get the most out of my time for them.  I've got to plan better to be sure that the things I want to get done have the time allotted for them and not just wait for "spare time" to magically appear.  

My 2020 Planner and Pretty Pens to Get Me Started

In the past, I've been able to reshuffle priorities to be able to accomplish what I want to...like charity quilts and cross stitch projects...especially Disney projects.  It's time to get back to that.  I know if I'm willing to invest more to quilting and stitching that I'll be able to get some sanity back in my life.  

In order to feel like I've had a successful 2020, I know I'll need to find a better balance that will keep me on track to finish some projects and start some new ones.  I'll try to keep you updated on this journey (although blog posts will probably be the best indicator).  I look forward to jumping back into the swing of things.  Now for a pictorial show of how much I have (or maybe "haven't" is a better word) accomplished this year.  

Time for Quilting in 2019?

This is where I left off at the beginning of the year.  I had picked out these fabrics for my first (and apparently only) quilt of 2019.  I had cut out all 624 pieces and...that's where I stopped until about June when we finished getting my Dad's house ready for sale.  

By the end of June I had managed to sew a few pieces together:  

Where I left off last summer.

It felt great to sit behind the sewing machine and piece together these triangles.  But that was the last time I sat behind my sewing machine.  Because in mid-July, my business really took off.  I'm not complaining about my business.  I have lots of fun helping people plan their vacations.  It's a real win-win for both my clients and myself.  

As things quieted down a little at the beginning of Fall, I had my first conference to attend (in Florida, of course), a wedding to attend in Portland, Oregon, my dad took a tumble and broke his hip, we had to find a new place for my dad and get him moved in, and then hubby had a conference (back to Florida).  I just haven't managed to get my sewing machine back out.  It's time to take back control of my life and get back in the sewing room.  

Stitching Time...

Now I have managed to get a little stitching in.  And this is where I am now with my Mickey and Pirate friends cross stitch piece.  Hey, any progress is still progress in my book.  Right?  

So thanks a million for following me through this journey of my 2019.  Now it's time for me to put some time management skills to work and find more hours for the activities that will bring me some sanity.

I look forward to reconnecting and keeping up with all of you, my friends.  Wishing you all a Happy Holidays for all of the great things that you are celebrating this coming month and into 2020.  

Goofin' Off With a Mystery...or Possibly Two

Do you like a good mystery?  I love a good mystery...however, I'm not so good at things where the end result is a mystery.  I have never participated in a mystery quilt before because I don't like working on something when I don't know what the final quilt will look like. I've had a couple of mystery quilt opportunities come up recently and am taking the plunge as they both really piqued my interest. Both mysteries are currently in the choosing fabrics stage. I'll be asking for your help on that a little further down.

As for progress pictures on Captain America, I've got the first set of borders attached now. Just the last set of borders after this, and the flimsy will be complete.

Captain America Quilt with First Set of Side Borders

Captain America Quilt Complete First Set of Borders Attached

I only got to do about 200 stitches in to my Pirate Mickey stitching project since my last update. But any progress is still progress...at least that's what I always tell myself.

Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 07/06/2017

As I mentioned earlier, I am going to be participating in at least one and possibly two mystery quilts this summer. The first mystery quilt is being offered on the QTMysteryQuilts Yahoo group. Fabric requirements came out on July 3rd along with cutting instructions.The finished quilt will make a great size for a Project Linus quilt.

Below are the fabric choices that I've pulled from my stash for this first mystery. I noticed afterwards that each of the fabric choices I pulled have a summer or travel theme to them. Apparently, I am getting the itch for some travel. 

Option 1:  The main focus fabric you may recognize as the Cars fabric I ordered a couple of weeks ago. The white will be the background with the black as the accent and the dark gray with silver circles the border fabric. Aside from the Cars fabric, the other fabrics are all left over from Captain America. 

Option 1 - Cars Theme

Option 2:  A sweets and baked goods theme.  The focus fabric has lots of tasty sweets on it and has me drooling just looking at it. The white will be the background with the brown as the accent and pink as the border.

Option 2 - Sweets Theme

Of course, this fabric reminds me of all the fun sweet treats you can find at Disney.  When we were there last March, I took a picture of some of the fun sweets we found at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Elephant Caramel Apple - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Monkey Caramel Apple - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Hippo Marshmallow Pops - Disney's Animal Kingdom

This is what Mr. Goofin' Off decided to get for his mid-morning snack. Everything else looked almost too sweet that early in the day.

Mr. Goofin' Off with His Spotted Leopard Mickey Cookie - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Sorry that I got sidetracked there for a moment. Sweets will do that to me.

Option 3:  The last option I have chosen is fabric I've had in my stash for years.  It's from a line of fabrics by Teresa Kogut. The focus fabric will be the bears all dressed up to enjoy their vacations. The white will be the background fabric. The blue (which is a bit darker than it appears in the picture) will be the accent fabric.  The vacation accessories fabric (cameras, swim shorts, etc.) will be the border fabric.

Option 3 - Vacationing Bears

From what I understand a larger print will be just fine and recommended for the focus fabric, so all of these options should be good options for the quilt.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Do you have a favorite fabric option you'd like to see come to life in the mystery?  I've got a few weeks to get the pieces cut out before the actual mystery begins.  

The second mystery I will keep a mystery a bit longer. I'll pull some options for it later in the month. 

As always, thanks for dropping by. Feel free to leave comments or send me a message.  Mr. Goofin' Off and I love to hear from you!

Linking up with:
Needle and Thread Thursday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Goofin' Off With a Few Stash Enhancements

Time just seems to be flying by right now. I can't believe we've already had our longest day of the year. That means from here on out we lose daylight hours for the next six months...I say yuck to that. But to make today a little brighter, I received my package from Fat Quarter Shop from the sale they had last week. I am still feeling I got quite a steal on some of these fabrics. I'll give you a peek at them in a moment.

First I want to let you know I finally finished the big blocks for the Captain America quilt. Can I get a whoop, whoop? The blocks finished up at 24-1/2 inches by 24-1/2 inches.  They are quite large.

Captain America Finished Big Block

This quilt only has two blocks for each row. Because of the size of the blocks, it seems to be plenty big.

Captain America Rows

Finally, we've got the center finished.  The center finishes out at 48-1/2 inches by 48-1/2 inches. The next decision I've got to make is on the border fabrics. I have laid out the suggested fabric choice given by the pattern, but I am not quite sold on it yet. I will give myself a day or two to ponder on it before I start cutting.

Captain America Quilt Finished Center

As I look at the above picture, I realize that one of these days I'm going to ask Mr. Goofin' Off to make me a design wall. I have to pick out a design for my design wall before I have him do it, though. I do have an idea in mind.

I managed to get a little bit of cross stitching in over the past few days. I've got a small update on Mickey and Pirate friends.  So far we have seen Goofy's hat slowly begin to emerge, but now we have the left side of Goofy's head or ear (I can't tell which yet) peeking out.  I know Mr. Goofin' Off will love it when Goofy is recognizable. I don't think we're too far off.  My goal continues to be seeing Goofy's eye before the end of June. It will be close.

Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 06/22/17

Now for a little peek at my first stash enhancement. For this particular fabric, it was already on sale and the additional discount was added to the price.  This piece was definitely a great deal to me. The Fat Quarter Shop website said they only had to 1.625 yards left, so I nabbed it.  This is one I've had on my wish list for a while. They e-mailed me and told me that the yardage was in two pieces a 1-yard piece and a 0.625 yard piece.  Did I still want it?  Yep!  I'll take it.

Minnie Mouse and Flowers Fabric

My Minnie Mouse that watches over the living room approves of the new fabric 100 percent, as you can see.  Glad I got it before it was gone.  Don't you just love that little Minnie Mouse figurine?  It's a piece by Jim Shore.  I believe we have about six of them around the house at the moment.  I try not to be a collector of things (other than fabric and stash), but I have a difficult time staying away from these little pieces.

Next is the set of fabrics I have been admiring for the past few months. They are from the collection called Seasalt Batiks by Hoffman Fabrics.  I don't have a project in mind for them. I know there are a few mystery quilts in the near future that I might be participating in soon, so maybe it would be fun to use them there and see what comes out of them.  

Well, the weekend is quickly approaching. I am hoping this weekend will finally be the weekend I get to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I have a lunch planned with a friend I haven't seen in a while.  Mr. Goofin' Off and I may also go to a parade this weekend or take a short road trip to the city of Leavenworth on the other side of the mountains. We'll see where the wind takes the Goofin' Offs this weekend. 

As always, thanks for following along.  I love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment.

I'm linking up with Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop! and Finished or Not Friday and Sunday Stash

Goofin' Off When Fabric That Slips Into Your Shopping Cart

I may or may not have let some Dixney/Pixar Cars fabric slip into my shopping cart yesterday evening. Just sayin'...  You know you've been there, too (although maybe not with Cars fabric). Admit it! More about that later. (And if Mr. Goofin' Off is reading this post, he's probably doing a little bit of eye rolling as he reads this.)

For progress on the Captain America quilt.  Here are the steps I was able to complete during my sewing session yesterday:

Step 4 - H

Step 4 - I

Step 4 - J

Step 4 - K

The blocks are certainly beginning to build up.  I am still hoping for a complete quilt finish before Independence Day.  Nothing like having some red, white, and blue on the bed...and Captain America protecting us from all the evil villains out there.  The pattern for this quilt comes from the June/July 2014 issue of McCalls Quick Quilts.  I am making a few small changes to the pattern so it fits our bed.

I've got a quick little update on my Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch piece.  I am still working my way through the top of Goofy's pirate hat, so there isn't a whole lot that is recognizable at this point.  But one day soon, you'll be able to see the image slowly begin to appear.  I still haven't seen the new Pirates movie, but I have my fingers crossed for this weekend...maybe...

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/15/2017

Now, as I was mentioning before, some Disney/Pixar Cars fabric may have just happened to slip into my shopping cart last night.  I was catching up on e-mails and read one from Fat Quarter Shop. It's one of my favorite online places to buy fabric.  I am not affiliated or sponsored by them, and they certainly aren't the only shop I buy from, but this deal was too good to pass up.  It was a special that they were running for the day where if you buy $100+ in fabric, you got $25 off.

I've had my eye on some of the Cars fabric since the new movie is coming out.  I donate a lot of my quilts and/or quilt tops to Project Linus and other charities, so I love to pick up fabric with themes that are currently popular.  As luck would have it, the fabric was also on sale.  Here is a picture of it:  

Disney/Pixar Cars Fabric

While I enjoyed the first movie and haven't seen the second movie, the third movie looks quite enjoyable.  We might just have to try to see it...after we see Pirates in the Caribbean, of course.  If you've been to Disneyland in the past couple of years and been able to experience the Cars Land area, you may know why I have a new love for the Cars characters even if I wasn't in love with the movies. That place is amazing.

My favorite ride and/or attraction is Radiator Springs Racers...at least I think that's what it's called. It takes you straight into the heart of the first movie.  You are in a car racing along the old Route 66 highway with another car.  You never know if you'll be in the winning car or not.  All the while, there is all this great music playing providing a nice background and setting the mood for experiencing all of the scenic valleys along the highway.  

Entrance to Radiator Springs Racers

Above is a picture of the entrance.  The sign says there is a 10-minute wait.  That means it must be either right at opening or possibly even before opening.  It's not uncommon for this baby to have a 3+ hour wait later in the day.

And below is a picture taken from one of our favorite spots right outside Flo's V-8 Cafe.  It's a great place to sit and eat a snack, usually pretty quiet, and you can watch the cars race by every 30 seconds or so.  

Taken From Just Behind Flo's V-8 Cafe - The Cars are Racing

Okay, now it's time to get back to reality and off my Cars tangent.  I'll post a picture of the fabric when it arrives...along with all the other pretties that I happened to let slip into my shopping cart. I had to hit that $100 mark, you know, to utilize that full discount...and qualify for the free shopping.

What are the items most likely to "slip" into your shopping cart? Fabric? Patterns? Clothes? Books? Or am I the only one that happens to?  Inquiring minds want to know.

Linking up with Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?  Found here:  Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?

Goofin' Off With a Fun Family Weekend

This past weekend we had a lot of family come in town for a wedding.  We had a lot of fun spending time together and creating new memories.  I was able to sneak in a little stitching and quilting time even with all the fun activities going on and was able to get this done on the Captain America quilt.

Step IV - D

Step IV - E

Step IV - F

Step IV - G

These pictures show the progression of how the large blocks are slowly being assembled with the sub-units that I pieced earlier.  It's fun watching this all come together.  I am still really looking forward to having this quilt on our bed when it's finished.  I am shooting for an Independence Day finish so I can have a red, white, and blue quilt on the bed.

I also did a little bit of cross stitching...much more than I had anticipated.  Here you can see I finished another small section.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch - 06/11/2017

On Friday night, my niece got married.  It was a simple and beautiful wedding.  She did so much of the work herself.  She is quite the talented and independent woman.  It was a fairly small wedding with family and close friends.  Personally, I love intimate weddings.

My niece and her husband have a one-year-old daughter who joined them right after the final "I do's" were said.  Here is the family being introduced.

The Awesome Family Being Introduced to the Guests

And should you be worrying that there is no Disney slant to this story, please worry no more.  My niece's husband once worked for Disney at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park in Orlando, Florida. How is it that there is always a Disney connection for me?  Just lucky that way, I guess.

On Saturday, since there was so much family in town, the extended family got together for a gathering at my parents' beach cabin.  The weather was cool but at least not raining.  The kids played for hours on the beach digging holes and catching baby Dungeness crabs while the adults chatted away and got caught up on what was going on in everyone's lives.

Then this moment happened...

A Boy and His Great-Grandpa Walking on the Beach

This cutie of a boy grabbed his great-grandpa's hand and they went for a walk together.  I can't begin to tell you how much this picture means to me.  My Dad (Great-Grandpa in the picture) has had a lot of health issues this past year.  The fact that he is able to walk on the beach is a small miracle in and of itself.  I snagged a picture quickly because it reminded me of this...

Partners Statue - Mickey Mouse and Walt

This statue can be seen as you come down Main Street in Disneyland in California or the Magic Kingdom in Florida.  Blaine Gibson, the sculptor, said he was trying to reflect Walt's goal of making a destination where families could play together and make happy memories. When my parents bought their cabin on the beach, they were trying to create happy memories where families could play together...just as Walt did.  My parents have now created four generations of happy memories at their cabin on the beach.

It was a magical weekend!  What more can I say?

Linking up to Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts.  

Goofin' Off Crossing Off Bucket List Item...Or Did I?

This update has me reflecting on whether or not I actually crossed an item off of my Disney bucket list.  First I'll give my project updates, and then maybe you can help me decide.

First off, I'll show you how Captain America is progressing.

Step III Is Complete

Step IV - A

Step IV - B

Step IV - C

And as for how our Mickey and Pirates cross stitch project is coming along, you can see for yourself. This piece will be poster-sized when completed, so it may be hard to tell at this point what is what, but since I know what the completed picture looks like, I'd say things are looking pretty accurate. We've got more of Goofy's pirate hat taking shape at the moment.

Mickey and Pirate Friends - 06/07/2017

Now where was I?  Oh, yes, last post we had just finished up with Day 3 of our Disney cruise trip report.  Well, the morning of Day 4 arrived early.  The cruise director had mentioned the night before that we would be going under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco about 6:30 in the morning. So, if we wanted to see it, we had to be up early.

Mr. Goofin' Off and I managed to get up early enough, but whether or not we would actually see it would be another story.  It was a bit foggy when we first got out, but by the time we reached the bridge, well, the fog had burned off and we had a lovely view.

Approaching Golden Gate Bridge with Fog

Getting a Little Closer to the Bridge and a Little Less Fog

We're Almost There - Fog Is Almost Gone

We had a small pod of whales, probably four or five, guiding the way in front of the ship. Unfortunately, they weren't breaching so it was difficult to get them in the pictures.  But it really set the mood nicely for the morning.

Our excursion for the day had been to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum and then see some of the other prominent sites around San Francisco.  We went with the excursion offered through the cruise ship.  I won't say too much about our guide, but let's just say she didn't seem too prepared for this tour.  She had never been to the Walt Disney Family Museum...and she was guiding a bunch of Disney nuts, so she really didn't have much to offer early in the tour.

Our first stop actually turned out to be at the Lucasfilm headquarters which is just down the street from the museum.  We only had about five to ten minutes here, so I snapped a quick picture of the Yoda statue out front.  Who doesn't love Yoda?

Yoda Statue and Fountain Outside Lucasfilm Headquarters

After a few wrong turns in the Presidio, where the Walt Disney Family Museum is at, we managed to arrive at the museum about a half hour late.  Our tour guide then went in to purchase the tickets for us, while we waited an additional 15 minutes on the bus.  We would have thought since this was a Disney Cruise tour that the tickets would have been ready and waiting...but no. When she returned with we were able to get off the bus and I was able to snap this baby...there may have been a tear or two of joy shed because I am such a Disney nerd.

Walt Disney Family Museum - Front

I snapped lots of pictures...in the first gallery of the museum, but since I'm pretty sure most of you really don't have the same Disney affinity that I do, I'll only share a couple that had meaning to me. First is the picture of the furnishings from Walt's original apartment at Disneyland.

Furniture and Furnishings from Walt's Apartment at Disneyland

The other picture I'll share is one of the Oscar's Walt Disney won.  Of particular interest to me was the one he won for Snow White.  It was a large Oscar with seven little ones next to it.  As a child, I loved watching old Shirley Temple movies, and there is a clip of her talking to Walt about this particular Oscar that always comes to mind.  Who couldn't love Walt and Shirley Temple?  

Walt's Oscars - Snow White Oscars Front and Center

Now visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum has been on my and Mr. Goofin' Off's Disney bucket lists for long, long time.  While, technically, we did make it to the museum, we wound up with a little less than an hour and a half there. The tour had to move on.  The museum has 17 galleries, and we only made it through 3 of them.  We didn't even begin to see the things we had wanted to.  So one has to ask, did we or didn't we check this item off our bucket list?  Please let me know if you think we did below...seriously, I'd love your thoughts (or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize another trip).

The tour moved on.  We tried to go to Twin Peaks, but the road was closed, so the bus couldn't get there.  So...another strike against our unprepared tour guide.  We diverted to some park so we could at least get a potty break.  Then we headed to Lands End Lookout.  I have to admit, there were definitely some beautiful views here.  

Lands End Lookout

Lands End Lookout - Seal Rock

From there, we headed to the Golden Gate Park.  We had a few minutes here, so we snapped some pictures, did a very short hike, and grabbed a snack.  

Golden Gate Bridge as Seen From Golden Gate Park

Alcatraz As Seen From Golden Gate Park

We left Golden Gate Park and headed back to the cruise ship.  Mr. Goofin' Off and I admittedly came away from this tour a little disappointed. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the top deck of the ship and catching a little sun. We didn't see very much sun the entire cruise, so it was a nice treat to grab some Vitamin D. Then we had dinner, went to the show, and came back to our cabin for a good night's sleep. It had been an early day, and I am pretty sure I zonked out early.

So here it is a few weeks later, and we're still deciding whether or not we can say we can cross this off our bucket list.  I think I know Mr. Goofin' Off's thoughts because he was already researching a trip to San Francisco before we even got home.  

Thanks for dropping in.  I love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.  

I'm linking up with Midweek Makers