Don't Watch Hoarders, Ikea Shopping, Cheater's Cloth

I spent three hours in the sewing room and had very little stitching to show for that time.  I wound up sorting my cardboard collection (yes, I have one) and throwing a bunch of it in recycling.  I collect those little stiff cards you get in the mail from realtors and the like and use them for templates.  We get quite a few and some of the cards are thicker stock than others.  All the flimsier stuff went out.

This spree was prompted by a particularly horrible episode of Hoarders I had on the laptop.  Who knows how this hoarding thing begins.  Perhaps with bits of cardboard. No one seems to know how to get to the bottom of it really and after their houses have been shovelled out and all the dumpsters hauled away, I'm not certain those poor folks have truly been cured.

During that little closet foray, I did uncover my bag of scraps and moved it downstairs to the t.v. area. Last night I began to cut them into a few different sizes and wished I'd been doing this from time to time...this heap has built up fast!  So yes to ongoing scrap management.

I also found this.  I'd looked at this panel called "After the Snow" in a fabric shop priced at $19.98 and enjoyed the very nostalgic scene by Bob Fair. When I returned to buy it, it had sold out.  I took note of the name and back in April found it for $9 at one of the online quilting sites. I'm hoping to find some coordinating fabric in my pile and do a little hand quilting on it.  So any opinions on using convenience/ cheater's cloth??

I also found my small box of Christmas fabric and pulled a few things for Chuck's snowmen.

We were Ikea shopping recently.  I had my usual in their efficient cafe, the smoked salmon plate.

                                           
Did you know you can have wine with your meal there?  Happy shoppers indeed!
 Hubby had his usual, the meatballs and we shared a piece of cheesecake. We both had refills on the coffee as we like it there.

I'd enjoyed this video from Auntie Coo Coo beforehand so had some idea of what the 2018 Christmas stuff would look like.  I bought various strings of lights, one with squirrels that I'll show you when Robbie, the 5 year old grandson, comes over to help me decorate.

Pumping gas is one of my least favourite things to do, especially in our frosty winter temperatures. We've been talking about the next car being electric.  Ikea is well prepared with lots of docking blocks and we were surprised to see how many cars were plugged in there. It looked rather futuristic to me.

I found my way to this quite accidentally. Older daughter had just finished reading The Aviator's Wife and enjoyed it very much. Anybody else read it?

 I had read it some years back when it first arrived at the library. Anne Morrow is a favourite of mine for many reasons. I always had a copy of Hour of Silver, Hour of Lead and Gift From the Sea and often reread bits to take solace and inspiration from her carefully crafted words.
 I love books about marriages and have a special admiration for authors who can give voice to real people. The Aviator's Wife offers a look at Anne's marriage (from Anne's perspective) to Charles Lindbergh- very interesting and a very easy read too btw. I'm listening to it on audio and enjoying it in this format.
                              
  I was sorry to see Rhonda at Down to Earth retire from blogging.  I've read her blog for years and enjoyed her perspective on how simple home life is the best kind of living. She is leaving her posts up in the meantime; they are a fantastic resource for everything from baking to keeping chickens. Update, Rhonda is still publishing posts at her blog site. Still lots to check out there. Update, Rhonda is still posting from time to time. 

As always, thankful on a Thursday to link with Not Afraid of Color, My Quilt Infatuation, Sew Can She, Busy Hands Quilts and So Scrappy.