I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Calendars and Time



Hello, friends! January is chugging on, isn't it. Time for new beginnings, marked by new calendars and day planners [unless you have gone entirely digitally phone organized, of course]. My daughter gave me a Doug the Pug calendar for Christmas.


You know how I adore Doug the Pug! This will keep me smiling all year.


Today, January 10th,would have been my mother's birthday. I won't tell you how old she'd have been because she had an eternally young spirit and subscribed to the notion that we are all age 3o inside. . "OMG, I looked in the mirror, who is that old lady!?''. Sometimes especially if I'm tired or stressed I see that same face now in my own mirror. (Here I am at the clinic Monday in my very cute new socks!)


Anyway , back to calendars. Years ago when I left for college my mom gave me my first little Hallmark calendar book. Every year she'd go to the Hallmark shop, especially in Cape Cod, and get two of these little books--I believe they were free, one for each of us. Not a big planner or diary, just a little thing for your backpack or purse, to note important appointments and events. Some years the books were designed by favorite artist Marjolein Bastin! And they were always pretty.  Approximately 4" x 4 1/2"? I bet I have a box somewhere, with concerts and exam dates noted, flights home, vacations. reminders of college years and early life as a young single woman in NYC.
I don't think the little books exist anymore, nor do Hallmark stores?

In recent years a friend always has given me the rather unattractive datebook his broker sends him. It is plastic! It even has a pen.


I always make a fabric cover for it, that is one of my little New Year's traditions. The challenge is to make a fun and happy small crazy quilt to hide the blue or black plastic,


...using whatever is on my sewing table or in my workbox. No cheating [well, sometimes.]




These are the past two years. I was on an indigo kick.


This year I was cutting fabrics for my Leaders and Enders "Aloha" quilt.


Leaders and Enders are a thing one does when doing a lot of quilt piecing. Many sewing machines, especially my newer Janome, tend to chew up the first piece of fabric fed under the needle. This is destructive and annoying and can also throw off the tension and timing. So we instead use a scrap fabric to Start or Lead. I have never used Enders. This is another scrap [or aloha block] fed into the machine at the end of a seam, to keep one from tailing off and not maintaining the incredibly necessary and important perfect 1/4" seam. So this is something new for me to try. As I mentioned I just used scraps but the idea is to instead use a simple pieced design and in the end, someday! one will have a whole nother quilt done. Huh!
The ALOHA design on the pattern is a table runner; mine will be a beach blanket or deck throw, much longer, a bit wider.


I am cutting the Aloha throw pieces as 3.5 x 6.5" bricks/ rectangles. The pattern calls for squares but I want to show off my collection of tropical fabrics, not chop them up into small 3" squares.
So this is my 2018 pocket/ purse date book!



I remembered to make a buttonhole for the pen this year, yay! Actually since I don't  carry a purse it lives in a basket by my computer. I never have a problem remembering appointments etc, so it mainly gets used to stick in Rx receipts for taxes. and to note copay amounts for doctor visits. Realtime, real life events will go on Doug the Pug, in the kitchen, for everyone to see. For some reason, the book's back is always better looking!


How about you? Phone only? Wall or pocket calendar, or fancy daytimer with stickers and tabs? Or like me do you just remember to show up?


On to other subjects of importance:
Here's the week's weather. 



Things are possibly improving for a few days! Mo is dubious.



"don'wanna go out, mommy."

 Our friend Pork Chop posted an extreme close up, so Mo wanted one too! Cutie!


Have a great rest of the week!




love

lizzy 

gone to the beach....

















6 comments:

  1. Oh brrrrr! We actually have sunshine today so I'm going out for a walk! (still have to bundle up a bit though)
    I buy one of those small calendars similar to the ones Hallmark used to give away and I keep it right by my computer so I can see my month at a glance.
    I also keep a large kitchen calendar at hand too. I usually ask for a pretty one for Christmas but forgot this year.

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  2. Our temps are up and down. A couple of days at 21C, half of what we had last week and now a couple of days at 33C.
    I have a calendar on the wall in the kitchen with what I’ve on each day. Then DH doesn’t need to ask where I’m going. I also have a small diary in my handbag with future dates. At the moment unfortunately a lot of dentist appointments.

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  3. Hmm, today was my MIL's birthday too.
    I remember those little datebooks - I always tried to get one. There was a Hallmark store near me up until a few years ago, I'm not sure if they closed them all or not. Mostly I use my phone, as I don't misplace it much. :) My brain doesn't keep track of days and appointments like it used to. :(

    I like your patchwork cover for the datebooks. I'd probably reuse them from year to year, or have a few I cycled through, instead of making a new one every year. I like the bright colors on the new one, make it easier to find in my purse!!

    Your weather is warming up, and we've got another cold front coming in tonight. Rain, possibly freezing rain or snow, and down to single digits overnight again! I may come cuddle with Mo in his nice blanket!

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  4. Oh those little calendars from Hallmark! I loved those. Rarely go in to a Hallmark shop these days - a little too pricey. Your calendar book covers are sweet. I tend to put the info in my phone and on the Church calendar in the kitchen.

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  5. Well, cheers to your Mom on her 30th birthday �� I will raise a glass to her this evening.

    Oh, I LOVED the Hallmark calendars. We used to have a shop across the street here. It closed a few years ago. Often times I wouldn't get in there before they were all gone :( I would be so bummed. I used them for recording how much I made in tips each shift. I would try stationary stores, office supply stores, none of the calendars were quite right. I was lost without one, lol. I discovered that The Dollar Tree, or Big Lots carried something similar, yay, and they are a TWO year calendar, which is fine with me :) I have a big calender always hanging on the fridge that I write birthdays and appointments on. Usually it's got cats or kittens pictured, surprise.

    Love your colorful socks. You must smile every time you look down.

    Smile for your close-up Mo! That is too cute.

    Kel

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  6. OMG! When you started writing about the Date Books, I jumped....lol I have used a date book for decades! I have to have one each year. Yes, they still make them though they are a bit bigger. And there are Hallmark stores left, but mine was out of date books so the company is sending me one. :) I love the one you dressed up. :) Kit

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