New Block: Railroad Spike

For my September MadCatQuiltsBOM I modified a block I saw on CrazyMomQuilts. She uses it as part of her crossed canoe quilt, but mine came out a little more like a railroad spike.  

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In these blocks I'm trying to bring in the colors and fabrics that I have chosen for this project. In the last few block, I am seeing where I need balance and contrast. I will try to incorporate these ideas as I go into the final stretch of the MCQBOM. 

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Linking up with Kathy's Quilts and Slow Sunday Stitching

A Week of Bowls

My smoothie bowl obsession is still going strong. Here's what a week in the life looks like:

Monday 9/5: Acai, banana, leftovers from last bowl (pitaya, bananas), spinach, cherries, coconut milk. Topped with local bee pollen, local peaches and blackberries, bananas, coconut, chia, cacao. 

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Tuesday 9/5: Acai, banana, spinach, blackberries, coconut milk. Topped with grapes, local blackberries, chia, local bee pollen, cacao nips and dried cherries. . 

Wednesday 9/7: Banana, local peach, red grapes, almond milk. Topped with cacao nibs, chia, bee pollen, local blackberries, and coconut. 

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Thursday 9/8: Acai and frozen mango with coconut milk. Nectarine, chia seeds, bee pollen, cacao nibs, bananas, on top. 

Friday 9/9: Bananas, spinach, mangos and coconut milk with local blackberries, nectarine, bee pollen, chia and cacao nibs. 

Saturday, I ate a bowl out. Sunday I ate some refrozen, then reblended left over bowl bits. And I've eaten a bowl everyday since. You can catch some on my instagram

Simple Matters

One of my goals in 2016 is to read more. See other books I've read here.

I love Erin Boyle's blog, Reading My Tea Leaves, so I was happy to get and read her first book, Simple Matters

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I've bought 4 books this year, and 2 of them about decluttering and organization (the other two are about sharks). What does that tell you about my head space?

Like her blog, Simple Matters focuses on Erin's methods for simplifying and organizing one's life. She uses her own life to test theories and try out ideas for decorating, meal planning, entertaining, baby raising, and tiny life in the city. 

It took me a while to get through Simple Matters. Although I love Erin's blog, I found the book to be a bit clunky and disorganized. Not everything on the blog in relevant to me but the book somehow felt less so. I had trouble weeding out things that felt useful and those that didn't. There were still many things I enjoyed about this book, but I wish it were organized more like her blog. All that being said, Simple Matters is full of gorgeous pictures and sage advice. I can't wait to read her next effort. I would recommend this book for anyone interesting in living in a tiny space, people trying to reorganize their home, or those who enjoy simple living. 

What genre of books have you been reading more of these days?

New Block: Wrench Variation

I found this block on instagram (@kerenlewistextiles) and got a screen grab so I could try it out. When I was looking for my August MadcatquiltsBOM I happened back upon it. I'm not sure if this block has an actual name but it seems like a wrench block variation to me. 

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This block was quick and easy to put together. A perfect block for one behind in their BOMs. 

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New Block: Equilateral (Sorta) Triangles

Here is my MadCatQuiltsBOM from way back in July. I started it that month but Summer's been rough and I just got around to finishing it recently. I have seen a lot of great equilateral triangle quilts but never attempted this block before. 

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This is another block that is made tougher by using my no-measure technique. The triangles were definitely not equal, but they came out pretty interesting. 

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I'm linking up with Kathy and Slow Stitching Sunday as well as Moving it Forward Monday over at Em's Scrapbag. 

Saga: Book 1 - 4

One of my goals in 2016 is to read more. See other books I've read here
I added a new addition to this goal in June, which is to read at least one comic book trade paper back per month. 

Saga by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples is probably my favorite comic to come out in recent years.  

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Landfall and Wreath have been at war for what seems like forever. But they and the worlds they've out sourced the fighting to have forgotten what the war's about. Some fight blindly, but some are starting to see that war might not be the answer. When a feisty Landfall guard falls in love with a pacifist Wreath defector, all hell breaks loose.  

I had read the first two or three books of Saga back when they first came out. I've been wanting to pick the story up ever since. When I decided I wanted to be reading more comics this year, these were the first books I went for. I read more than my months worth and I'm glad I did. This isn't a beginner's comic, as it jumps in time and is narrated by a character that is only a baby. But the love story in the midst of struggle and strife is compelling, and the characters are really interesting, both good guys and bad guys. Sometimes you're not sure who you're rooting for. Plus there's a giant talking cat. Can't go wrong there. 
If you're a comic book fan, particularly a indie or super hero parody fan, you should be reading Saga. I would also recommend these books to people who like sci-fi love stories, wartime stories, and space adventures. If you're new to comics, it might take a little effort to get the hang of this book, but stick with it, the simple, colorful artwork, and heartfelt story are worth it!  

Asbury Park Reborn

One of my goals in 2016 is to read more. See other books I've read here.

My mother gifted me Asbury Park Reborn: Lost to Time and Restored to Glory by Joseph G Bilby and Harry Zielger bc she knows I have a deep nerdy love of the history of my surroundings. 

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Asbury Park, NJ, has a rich and varied history that i s clear to anyone who walks through the city. By looking at the architecture, one wonders how the city developed over time and wonders at the stories and significance of many buildings. Asbury Park Reborn... has the answers. 

One of the reasons we moved to Asbury Park was it's distinct, infamous, and controversial history and the mark the city has made on the world. So, it was a great pleasure to read more on this history, and especially of buildings we pass every day. Concisely written with a small chapter on each building, some demolished, most still standing, Asbury Park Reborn... is packed with information. The histories are more than just of the buildings, but also of the city as a whole and how each piece fits together. This book also illuminates how Asbury Park looks today and sheds some light on the future of the city. 

Asbury Park Reborn... is a fascinating, brief and enjoyable read! the authors were thorough and clearly love the city they were researching which makes this book even better in my opinion. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in US history, shore towns, small towns, gay rights, racial rights in America, or New Jersey. 

New Block: Failed Star

Here we are six months into my MadCatQuiltsBOM! How did we get here so fast!? I've had such a great time coming up with new blocks to make and pushing myself to try new things!
For June I'd chosen a star block using diamond shapes I'd glimpsed. It was an 8 point star, similar to a Sawtooth Star.    

My inspiration came from Pomegranate and Chintz, but I can remember what post...

My inspiration came from Pomegranate and Chintz, but I can remember what post...

Here's where my no measuring, no rulers method kinda falls down. I cut out eight diamonds in what I thought looked like a good approximation of what I needed and started sewing them together. And immediately hit some problems. No points, bunching, ugh. I decided to take two of the points out and try again.... But that made the sewing of the background awkward at best. I ended up making it way bigger to compensate. 

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So, although this block got a little out of hand, I'm keeping it in the BOM. It was a great learning experience, for sure. I hope to try diamond shapes again... but not too soon.  

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Juicy Update

First off:
Give me all your juice recipes, please!!

We've been juicing for about five months now and we are still loving it. My husband has jumped on board and it really helps me keep on track. Here are a few more tips I've learned to help with a juicing lifestyle:

Benefits - We find that we feel better when we juice. We are less tired, more energized, sleep better, and dream more. My skin is clearer, my mood is better. Juicing has helped us consume more greens, more regularly. Personally I could eat a salad every day, but they start to bore my better half. And honestly, I don't eat salad every day. If we juice, at least I feel we are getting some good leafy greens. Since we don't eat meat, juicing helps us get iron and other vitamins. We use all our veggies/fruits and have less waste. Buying lots of fresh veggies but not eating them before they went bad was really bumming me out. Now we don't have that problem.

Routine - It really helps me to keep up a routine with my juicing. We try to drink juice every day, but sometimes it goes a little longer. Rarely we will have more than one juice per day. We don't juice more than once a day for several reasons (I eat a ton of fruits and veggies besides what I juice, the machine is a pain to clean, juicing is time consuming etc...) but it's not a hard and fast rule. I try to keep track of when we juice, how many we drink and recipes in my Bullet Journal. We have mostly been juicing in the evening when my husband gets home from work. 

Simple is Key - For a while, we were adding a million fruits and veggies into our juices. More is better, right? Turns out adding too many flavors is like the equivalent of mixing all the paint colors: you just get muddy brown. Since this realization I've been trying to limit to 4 ingredients plus apple. Apple almost doesn't count. I like to use apple as a sweetener, and to add liquid. I think apples do a good job of blending a juice. And an apple a day.... Although apples are good for you, I know store bought conventional apples aren't the best (factory farms, pesticides, etc...) This summer I plan to get apples in bulk (keep em in the cool basement) from local farms for all our juicing needs! 

No Juice Fruits and Veg List - Along the way we have come up with a few things we do not like in our juices. In the earlier months, I used quite a bit of grapefruit bc I had a lot of it. But I've decided that I'd rather eat it than juice it. The bitter flavor doesn't enhance my juicing experience. I've tried romaine lettuce a few times and just don't like the flavor. Again, romaine is something I'd much rather eat than drink. We like celery and cucumber but only in low doses. We like the taste of mango, but not the texture. Try as I might, I'm not a fan of carrot juice. We also have had a few instances of having a veg we really like make our juice undrinkable. We got some kale that was so bitter and peppery that neither my husband our I could bare it. If it's questionable (something new, strong smell, etc... ) I try to taste test it first. 

Juices We Love: There have only been a few juices that we have recreated more than once of twice. Here are three of our favorite recipes so far:
Apple, Spinach, Red Pepper, Lime
Apple, Orange, Cherry Tomatoes, Blackberries, Kale Stalks, Lime  
Mixed Berry (Bluebs, Raz, Black, or whatever is at hand/needs to be used), Kale, Cucumber, Green Apple

Anyone else working on their juice journey? Please share links to your juice posts, favorite recipes, or ideas!

 

OMG: May Recap + June Goal

Welp, May didn't see me get as far as I would like on my Ohio Star Quilt.
But a fail for May OMG is an opportunity for June!

It may be ambitious, but I'm shaking up my June OMG Goal and expanding it to incorporate two items; Two quilts, one goal! This will help me get back on track for OMG and the 2016 Finish Along.  

So, this month, I will finish my Ohio Star Quilt and the Tree of Life Baby Quilt (or cry trying).  

New Block: Diagonal

MadCatBOM May! I went back to Blossom Hearts Quilts HST Sampler for my May block. I like the geometric aspects of many of the blocks there. Diagonal shows this off well!

This block had a bunch of HSTs but it came together really quickly. I tried to add some different and bright colors into this one. But I wanted to make sure it still worked with the rest of the blocks. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching

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Sunday Stash: Yard Sale Finds

In my Year of the Stash Manifesto, I stated that I would try not to add too much to my stash this year. The exception would be vintage or reclaimed fabric. For 4 months, I did a good job at not buying or aquiring anything. 

But now it's yard sale season!

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Right after I wrote a YoTS post (here), I added quite a few yards to my stash. Better get sewing!

Today I'm linking up with Mollie Sparkles for Sunday Stash. 

April OMG Finish + May Goal

I finished my April goal early in the month so I could add it to my Q1 finish Along completed list, as well. Check out the post here

So I'm on to May!

I've been working on this Ohio Star quilt for a looooong time. It's been on every one of my Finish Along lists for 2015, and 2016. I think May is my month to get it done!

Linking up with Red Letter Quilts for OMG May.
Since I started this quilt way back in 2014, all the cats have had a hand in helping me. Here, pit gives me some advice about how to continue the quilting and reach my May Goal!

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Bangkok 8

One of my goals in 2016 is to read more. See other books I've read here.

Another book from my unread book pile, I think I originally picked Bangkok 8 by John Burddett up off a stoop or at a cheap book sale but it may also have been given to me by a fellow mystery lover purging his collection.

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I did not pay $2 for this book, that I do remember. I'm pretty sure it was totally free. 

Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is trying to stay on the path to enlightenment with the Buddha, but it doesn't come as naturally to him as it does to his partner and best friend.  When Sonchai's partner is killed as a result of a mysterious and snake filled murder, he must solve the case and put aside his spiritual ascension to seek revenge. Although a gifted detective, the case proves difficult not the least bc of a sexy and forward FBI agent also on the trail. Sonchai's learning a lot about about Western vs Thai culture, life in general and himself. Will he be able to avenge his brother when the time comes? 

I really enjoyed this book, it has an interesting pacing and inner monolog of it's main character, both of which switched back and forth from a seemingly Western pace and mentality, to a more Eastern slow and spiritual approach.. The details of life in Thailand make it clear that the Author spent a lot of time there but I still felt that the reader was getting the information translated through a Western white male perspective. I felt that took away from the book a bit bc I felt dubious about some of the feelings and reactions in the book. This might have just been my take on it, tho. I really enjoyed the fact that I wasn't sure what the resolution would be, right up to the last chapter. I would recommend this book to those who like foreign thrillers, books set in exotic locals, and people who enjoy reading about Buddhist mentality.  

Have you read this novel? Can you suggest other books set in Thailand?

Something New: Bullet Journaling

I'm a list maker. I make a list everyday. I like to cross things off, to add things in, sometimes to add things in just to then cross them off.

But lists get lost, they get full, new lists need to be made. I'm also a note taker. But where to keep these notes? How to find them?

Even with my notes and lists, I'm not so great at self motivating for well, myself. Give me a job, at work, I'm all over it. But me telling myself I need to do some laundry, or complete a project, or any number of tasks I'm doing for myself, just isn't the same.  
When I realized that I would be working less, and being home more, I knew I needed a real system. 

That's when I discovered Bullet Journaling. I first found it through a link on Rowdy Kittens, and thought it was intriguing.

Bullet Journalling is an analog way to keep your to-dos, appointments, lists, events, personal notes, calendars, habit tracking, reminders, etc.... in one place and away from the internet/phone. It really appealed to me bc it's physical, simple, and easy. 
The idea behind BuJo is simple, keep every thing you need in one place, a single notebook. But the possibilities and variations are endless.

You can find everything you need for the basic set up in the Bullet Journal video. I really love that you don't need any special supplies, you only need a note book and a pen (of course, there is a special BuJo notebook you can buy if you want to). 
Bullet Journal suggests you set up 4 basic things in the journal: An index (where you keep track of everything in the journal), a six month over view or Future Log (where you keep track of large events, holidays, birthdays, etc...), a monthly calendar with checklist (which you make at the beginning of every month and where you keep an overview of that moths events and tasks), and a daily log (which you make day of or a day or two in advance and contains tasks, notes, etc... that pertain to each day). There is a set of symbols to use for each item on any list: a dot for task (to be crossed out when finished), a circle for events, and a dash for notes. It suggests covering these with a forward arrow to move to the next day or month, and a backward arrow to go far in advance (onto the six month overview). 
In addition to the basics, you can take notes (classes, meetings, etc...), make lists (movies to watch, books to read, shopping, and so on), track your habits (water intake, exercise, whatever!), set goals, track social media, log expenses, make charts, graphs, note the weather, draw, practice your calligraphy, and pretty up your journal however you want, to name a few. 
Many people fancy up their journals, making them sketchbook, inspiration book, note book, calendar, appointment book, scrap book, and diary all in one. They use washi tape, markers, fancy headers, stickers, mantras, and anything thing else one can think of. There are tons of site and videos to watch for inspiration and ideas. Some creators have reached near guru status.  

Most people seem to use either a Moleskien or the Leuchtturm 1917 journal but I just rummaged around until I found a blank book with graph paper that I already had. I use a black pen (either a uni-ball, or paper-mate). I don't make any attempt to make it pretty, I really use my Bullet Journal in a utilitarian way.

Here's what I have in my Journal so far:
The Index - My index is a mess! I wasn't really sure how I wanted to set this up so the first page is ugly. That's OK! One of the great things about BuJo is when you "mess up" you can just move on, keep going, and not worry about it. I changed the way I made my index from the first to second page, and I will most likely change the whole thing when I start a new journal
The Future Log - Since I started this journal in April, I made mine until the end of the year. I keep birthdays, holidays, and major events here. It's nice to reference back to when I'm like "when is Calvin's christening?" or "what month are we seeing the Violent Femmes?"
Monthly Calendars - I started this book in mid April and used that month as a test for how I would set up my monthly calendars. So far, I'm making them just the way BuJo suggests; I list the dates of the month, what days the dates fall on, and fill them in with events, appointments, and birthdays. I reference back to this when I need to see only one month, not my entire Future Log. 
Monthly Tasks - Next to each month, I put a list of larger tasks that I want or need to accomplish that month. These are mostly items that do not have a specific date to get done. I refer back to this list to see what I've finished without realizing it (cleaning the microwave) or to add to a daily list if I think I can. 
Daily Log - I use one page for each day of the week (except Sat/Sun, they share a page) to list the tasks I need to or want to get done each day. These can be as mundane as doing the dishes or laundry, cleaning the cat boxes, etc... I use this space for my work schedule, events for the day, and keeping track of getting work at home done. I use the bottom of each page for making notes about that day. I like to keep track of when I took a nap, when interesting things happen, or anything I think I might want to reference back to like "won at cards with Al and Sienna" or "opened all the windows today" etc... My Daily Log is by far my most used and most helpful pages. When the day is over, I make sure to move things forward and cross things off.
Habit Tracker - This is where I keep track of things that I want to get done or things that I do on a very regular basis, or that I want to keep track of how often I actually do them. I list things like exercise, quilting, drawing, juicing, watering the plants, and other things for each day of the week there. When I have completed it, I fill in the little box for the appropriate day and item. I have been doing a weekly habit tracker this month, but for May I'm moving to a monthly one. A nice thing about BuJo is that it's very easy to try new methods of keeping track. You can find what works for you. I think a monthly tracker will give me a better overview of which of these tasks I get done and when I do. If I see I'm not doing something on the regular, I can add it to my Daily Logs. 
Expenses/Earnings - I keep a weekly record of everything that I spend and everything that I earn. I divide one page in three parts, at the top I put my expenses and the date they were purchased, and in the middle I put my earnings for the week (from work, web sales, etc...). At the bottom of this page, I make any note I want to look back on. I'm working on a monthly overview for this as well, to see what I made, spent, and saved, what went to bills, eating out, etc... I haven't worked out how to best log this yet. Any ideas?
Lists and Notes - I keep a few running lists (my yard wish list, things I need my husband to help me with, long term goals...) and a few reoccurring lists (groceries, food that needs to be eaten, dinners for the week...). I keep some notes on budgeting (expenses and time), future projects, and other things.  I add to these whenever necessary. 

These are the symbols I use:
Dot ( • ) - I use the dot for an and all tasks.
Circle - I use this for events such as "work (10am - 3pm)", "drinks with Mike", "rummage sale". 
Dash - I use this for notes in my daily logs, expenses, lists, etc...
X - I X out all finished tasks and events. If I do a task twice, I add an additional X next to it (say washing the dishes twice in one day).
Forward Arrow - I use this when I'm "migrating" a task, when I move a task from one day to the next, or one month to the next if it's a monthly task. I use a double forward arrow when I'm moving something far in the future (more than a day or two). 
Box - I use boxes for habits. I also use them on daily tasks when the task was halfway completed. I fill in boxes as I go. 
Eyeball - I use the eyeball for a research task. Bc I might not need to get this done in a specific time frame, or bc it's easier than writing " • research how to make a bullet point with the keyboard". 

I've only been Bullet Journalling for about three weeks now, but I'm pretty sold. I'm excited to have a small, simple space for all my planning, and to add to it in the future. I can see it being becoming an essential tool in my lifestyle journey. And I can see improving on how I use it to an almost infinite degree. I like it as a day to day tool, but I also like seeing my progress, process and evolution in work and home life I can't wait to see that on a larger scale as weeks and months go by. 

Who out there uses a bullet journal? Share your experiences and links to pics in the comments!

New Block: Drunkard's Path

I knew I would eventually try the drunkard's path block during the MadCatBOM. But what an intimidating block!! I bet a lot of quilters feel that way! Curves!! How nerve-wracking. But guess what? This block was awesome to make. 

I looked at a few tutorials for this block, but in the end I really didn't use one. I just winged it! I tried to bring in some brighter and new colors with this block. I'm hoping to add more and pull it all together at the end. 

As you know, I don't measure my fabric, I free hand measure and cut all my work. I found this worked well for the curves in this block, but the block itself came out quite a bit smaller than my other blocks for the BOM. So I might add a boarder later. 

You can find the rest of the MadCatBOM blocks here. I'm linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching today. Are you?

Neither Here Nor There

One of my goals in 2016 is to read more. See other books I've read here.

Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson was a book that I had in my "not yet read" pile of books. 

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My "not yet read" pile of books is actually about 20 wine boxes of not yet read books now housed in our basement. It's my goal to get thru at least some of them this year. Last year, I read A Walk in the Woods and really enjoyed it, so now when I see a Bill Bryson book, on a stoop, or thrift shop, I usually pick it up and add it to the pile. I can't recall where I picked this copy up, but I was pleased to note it too had traveled to Europe:

Neither Here Nor There sees Bryson retracing the steps of travels he took nearly 20 years before in Europe. Now a seasoned traveler, he wanders with relative ease and confidence, but the trip reminds him of a time when he was new to traveling and new to Europe. He remineces about his past trip, his memorable travel partner (the infamous Kats), and how times have changed as he explores a "new" Europe.   

Bill Bryson makes you want to be a better writer. His style is so easy, effortless and approachable, you start to think "Well, if he can do it, so can I!". For this I think I will enjoy all his books. In this book, he makes apt and interesting observations as he wanders rather aimlessly thru various countries. Even though this book was written some 30 years ago, and many things have changed, the pleasures, annoyances, victories and defeats of travel never do, and Bryson makes you feel as if you are right there with him. 
I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys travelogs, people who have traveled in Europe and those who wish to. 

Have you read this book? Have you traveled in Europe?

YOTS Check In

This year I'm participating in Year Of The Stash. I've vowed to try and not buy much new fabric, but to use what I already have in my awesome stash! You can read my YOTS Manifesto here. I think it's time for a good old check in. 

I've been pretty busy finishing up quilts this year so haven't been making many new things yet, so I haven't been using my stash much at all. I'm proud to say I haven't bought any fabric since the beginning of the year!! I was lucky enough to win a scrap pack from Quarter Inch From The Edge! Check out her post about the packaging of my scraps. (I still get a thrill when I see something on a blog I follow that later ends up in my hands!)

Here's what my fabric intake/usage looks like so far this year:
Fabric Added Since last Update: Approx 1/2 yard
Fabric Added Year to Date:  6 yards
Fabric Used Since last update: approximately 1 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: Approx. 4 1/4 yards

So far this year, I've been using my stash for my MadCatBOM, I used some stash to finish my Original Mini, and I'm using lots of it in new projects. 

Please share your YOTS update in the comments!