2026 OneThing #42 - Finish Binding Morgan & Angela Quilt

I may have set "finish the quilt" as the actual goal, but this (the binding) was first on my brain. I had sewn on the binding before we went to the lake, but got very little stitching done on the back (perhaps 3/4 of one side). A few people asked why I didn't machine stitch the binding down. I've tried that method, but it does NOT look nice. Stitching it down by hand is what I know how to do.

 

It came with me to the MQ in-town retreat last week (Thur, Fri, Sat) and I stitched at it until it was done! I still need to clean up some threads, make and attach the label, and do a few other little things, but I hope to deliver it to their house this week.

 

I've blogged about this before . . . Angela and I shopped for fabric TEN YEARS ago! It was going to be a wedding quilt. But I was nervous and wanted it to be nice and so now it's a tenth wedding anniversary quilt. I hope they like it. 

 

Their bed is a California King, so this is a pretty big quilt! 

2026 One Thing #41 - Third Quarter Check-in / Review / Summary

Honestly, I don't feel as though I've been getting as much stuff done lately. But as I look over July, August, and September, there are definitely some things to celebrate. (I had to laugh as I looked back . . . I seem to pick a different title each quarter! Perhaps I should just pick one and stick with it.)

 

July was actually fantastic! Finding someone to take all of my father-in-law's music books was a blessing, we had a delightful visit with Louie's Aunt Shirley, I have my paint color picked out (though we won't be painting until next year), I finished reading the book, . . . and I tried chair yoga once that week. 

 

Exercise is definitely something I can work on! July was also when I got to enjoy a trip to Grand Marais with my sisters, spend a week at Camp Akina, and go to a quilting retreat in Wisconsin. What an incredibly fun month!

 

My verse was Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (NIV)

 

I love that reminder to persist in doing good - for God's sake and eternal rewards - not for any self-aggrandizement.

 

August 2026 was a bit more of a mixed bag. Lots of good intentions, but little progress. I think I feel best about sewing up that green camp chair (finally) and sorting through and getting rid of some baby toys. 

 

It was a month that flew by. My verse was Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in," (NIV).

 

I want very much to live out my faith in Jesus. I want it to be apparent in how I treat people and how I talk. Helping others matters.

 

For September, my verse was Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard over my mouth, Oh Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips." (NIV)

 

I definitely need my mouth to be watched over! Sometimes the words jump out before I think about what I'm saying (and why). 

 

I did all right in September. I feel best about getting the Morgan and Angela anniversary quilt finished! And helping Louie with his goals up at Strawberry Lake was nice, too. I love my husband.

 

I did NOT do the chair aerobics more than once . . . I don't think twenty minutes once a month is going to help me much. 

 

All in all, I feel fairly good about the third quarter. I think this system is helping me make some progress that I might not otherwise make. Onward! 

 

 

 

 

2026 OneThing #40 - Help Louie with Goals

I wish I'd blogged about this on Sunday! Here it is, Tuesday, and I think I failed my partner yesterday. He was super short with me yesterday and when I asked him about it on the way home from the lake, he attributed it partly to tiredness and partly to me not doing enough to help us leave by 3pm. Ah well.

 

Last week, it was very interesting to have this as my goal. I found myself constantly thinking, "How can I best assist Louie with what he wants to get done?" It helped steer me away from my own goal-setting and personal focus. That was nice! (It's much too easy to be selfish.)

 

I did some research on the supplies for his workshop, I went to Ace and bought a "plug" that he needed for the electrical stuff (see pic), I helped unload the trailer of things from Jordan, I wrapped up his tie-downs, I fetched an extension cord for him from the shed, I helped get the canopy off the lift, I drove the pontoon across the lake so we could take it out, and I helped on the trip to Lowe's in Fargo to get some materials.  

 

Oh! We also took out the dock together and the pedal boat. It was hard work and tiring for both of us, but the weather was simply gorgeous! We're hiring the Mularis to take the lifts out. I hope that goes well. 

 

We're well into a new week and I need to get a move on. 

2026 OneThing #39 - Get Rid of Stuff

I know I've been working on "decluttering" for a few years now, but there's a LOT still in this house that needs to go away. I've been frustrated enough that I made it my week's goal. I'm posting this on Tuesday instead of Sunday, but most of this was done last week. And it felt good.

 

I've had these books set aside for several weeks and brought them to church one day for people to take. I didn't want to just dump them at Goodwill or in a Little Free Library, but then I realized I could bring them with me to an MQ meeting at the Recovery Church in St. Paul. They have a LFL book shelf and I believe they'll get to the hands that need them. So they will sit in my quilting space until the next time I go to a meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louie said it was okay to get rid of our VHS tapes (save a few he wanted to hold on to, like the original Star Wars movies). I put the "save" videos in the bin with the VCR and dropped off the rest (mostly Disney movies) at the Goodwill. 

 

I was kind of torn about the Veggie Tales videos (I added them after taking the photo) because the old episodes were so good! (The new ones are not so good.) But honestly, we just have too much stuff. So away they went!

 

 

 

 

I had this box of puppets (some homemade) and a box with art supplies (crayons, watercolors, etc.) that I was able to donate at Harriet Bishop Elementary School. The Project Kids coordinator graciously accepted them, but asked if my grandsons wouldn't like them. I told her that I had asked them and I just wanted the puppets and art supplies to go away. I also told her that my son and daughter-in-law don't want their house to be flooded with my stuff. (True Story.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

That said, my daughter-in-law accepted this box of books. These are so cool! They have some clear pages to show you the inside of fruit, musical instruments, etc. I love these books, but they're not getting enough use here. I hope my grandsons love them.

It seems silly to put this picture here, but I used the empty bin from the VHS tapes to dump some of my sewing room stuff that needs to be sorted and dealt with. The TWO boxes that I emptied went to a neighbor who is packing to move. (Yes, I asked her first if she wanted them.)

 

 Titus was just hanging out. I'm not getting rid of him!

 

 

 

 

 

I also have a vacuum cleaner that uses a bag. We don't ever use it any more because we have the cool canister kind. This will get dropped off at Bridging another week when I have more time (and maybe more stuff?) to donate.  

 

I think that's it for last week. Progress, not perfection. It felt really good to get rid of things. I have so many other things going on this week that I won't move forward with more decluttering for a week at least. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2026 OneThing #38 - 100% Prepped to Long Arm

I did it! I finished the two pieces of the quilt top (it's too big to do all as one). I bought, laundered, and pressed backing fabric (from SR Harris). I ordered the bamboo batting for a king size quilt. I did all this before we went to Duluth and now I've got everything ready for tomorrow. Rose and I have communicated a bit about this project. I brought my Lori Kennedy quilting book with me and did some reading and doodling practice. I am very hopeful that things go smoothly tomorrow!

 The main part of the quilt (lower right) is 92" w x 102" long. The smaller part which will hang down one side of the bed is 24"w x 102 long. 

 

The backing is 108" x 153". (I just bought the rest of the bolt, knowing it was more than I needed, but I should definitely have enough!) 

 

I'm just realizing that I don't know the dimensions of the batting . . . just that I ordered a king size piece. It's theoretically 120" x 122" so I should be okay. I'll just need to be careful how I lay everything out. I'm not excited by the splicing I'll have to do with the two pieces. . . but I'm excited at the thought of getting this "wedding" quilt done before their tenth anniversary! 

2026 OneThing #37 - Chair Aerobics 3+ times - FAIL

Oh my. I thought this was a fairly easy goal. The videos I use are 15-20 minutes long. I did a session one day. One. Day. All week long.

 

It felt great, but it's definitely not a habit yet! So now I'm not journaling in the morning. I'm not consistently exercising. I'm not being very disciplined about my devotional / prayer time. . . . Something needs to change.

 

Here it is, Tuesday morning, and I'm just now doing my "Sunday blogging." Ugh.

 

Since success builds success, I'll focus on last week's positives. Here are a few (in no particular order):

• I had a lovely lunch date with Emma.
• I baked some chocolate chip cookies.
• I brought Joyce a card and some flowers on her birthday.
• I consulted with Rose about the quilt for Morgan and Angela so now I have a plan.
• We got to have Morgan and the boys over for dinner on Saturday!
• I am blessed and have so much Praise for God! 

Because I love to include photos, here's one from the MQ (Minnesota Quilters) meeting on Saturday:

It's a money gift envelope, but I don't remember which Asian country it's from. I love it!

 

2026 OneThing #36 - Finish Reading Luke's Book - Kind of a Fail

So back in 2020(?), my nephew wrote a novel. He wanted some help with editing in the hopes of getting it published. I prefer to read a work first, then dig into editing later after getting an overall impression. He didn't really need help with spelling, grammar, punctuation as he is quite literate. Those are my strengths. But I found as I was reading that I didn't find it to be a compelling story. 

 

Then life got busy and I kept intending to finish reading it so I could talk with him about it. And I just kept putting it off. Then at a family gathering a week and a half ago, another aunt asked him about his book. I apologized to him for not following through and he brushed it off. But I felt bad. I never intended to ghost him about his book. So I found my folder with notes and made it my goal to finish the book!

 

I had read 47 chapters. But when I went to my Google Drive to find the story he had shared with me, it wasn't there. I searched several ways but couldn't find it. I texted Luke and he was lovely in his response. I would still like to sit down and talk with him about it. 

 

In my notes from our first conversation, he said he had two years invested in it. He said he had about 160,000 words and was "about" halfway done. I feel like a jerk for putting it on the back burner in my own time management for so long. 

 

So yes, last week's OneThing was a fail . . . but I tried. What I *did* get done was enjoy time at the lake, spend time with loved ones, and read. I've also done some cleaning. On to a new week! And I think I'll make time to visit with my nephew about my initial reactions to his book without being hurtful.