Category: Random Thoughts

The junk that pops into my brain

My Wishful List

~ JodiLea

Paperwork Mountian

I do not have a Bucket List.  My days are filled with too many lists as it is.  Well, it’s more like one list and too many things listed upon it.  I often overestimate my level of energy and underestimate how much time I have to accomplish everything on the stupid list.

I instead have a “Wishful List”.  This list would not be like your routine bucket list, you know, things you want to do before you die. (i.e. you now have a deadline!)  A Wishful List is where you write down the things you want to happen – to you or other people.

This list is for my imagination and amusement only.  Occasionally, I may share items from my list with my wonderful readers, but some of my items will be private.  I know y’all will understand.

  1.  Write a post worthy of being Freshly Pressed.  It could happen.  I have no idea what gets you Freshly Pressed because NONE of my 958 posts have qualified. Yet.
  2.  Go on a date to interview Channing Tatum.  He would need a chaperone – just sayin’.
  3.  Get a small part in the 4th Thor movie. I’m pretty sure there will be another. No, wait!  Co-write the screenplay – that would be so fun.
  4. Swoon Reads falls in love with my manuscript and fixes the link to read it, OR, asks me to resubmit it.  I already sent them 2 emails, so I will not send another. Sigh.  It’s the waiting that kills your soul!
  5. I wake up missing 30 pounds and every outfit in my closet fits me.  Some are too big.
  6. If I have to break off another tooth – let it be the sweet-tooth this time.
  7. I’m successful in training my dog to dance with me
  8. Something, not brain damage or anything, makes my hubby want to spoil and romance me like never before.

Some are more likely than others.  The point is to entertain me.  Try it sometime and see for yourself.  I would love you to share them with me!

♥  TTFN  ♥

 

 

STOP! What’s Your Last Word?

~ JodiLea

When I was a kid, pre-high school, one of the most memorable summers ever experienced was when my cousin flew to visit our grandma & pa who lived in California. My cuz, Mags, and I had been pen-pals for a few years and I could not wait to meet her in person.  It was BFF’s at first sight.

We had so many things in common it was eerie. One of our ‘things’ was writing.  Both of us had spiral notebooks full of poems, short stories, episodes of our favorite TV shows.  I was working on a new episode for “Emergency!” and I think Mags was working on one for Alias Smith & Jones.  It was a Western romance – that I remember. 

We were busy scribbling and all of a sudden, Mags yells “STOP!”

“What?!  What’s wrong?”

“What’s your last word?”

I looked at my notebook and the last word written before her scream is “thready”

“Hmm.”  she contemplates.

“What is yours?”  two can play at this game.

“muscles,” she said.

“Ohh,” I say.  “You win.”

We must have laughed for 20 minutes.  Then we refilled our sodas, grabbed a snack, and went back to work.  When I noticed Mags hitting a roll with her focused scribbling, I hollered out, “What’s your last sentence?”  Only one word at a time was not giving me any clue about where her story was going.  Yes, even back then, I was impatient.

I wished that I could remember that episode!  I knew it had to be juvenile and corny – it was corny back then.  Curious, I dug into my file drawer that had research, old drafts, and false starts.  And there it was. My old blue THEMEBOOK 100.   Five short stories were listed on the second-page table of contents.  (Table of Contents!?)   I laughed when I found “Code I LUV U”.  That had to be the infamous Emergency! episode.  42 pages (front and back) of pure corn.  Beyond corny, corn.  Copywrite 1972.  The summer between junior high and high school.   I was 14. 

The last sentence?  My character was singing, “Everything’s all right, yes, everything’s fine.”

I’m still smiling about that.  

I hope that Mags can find hers.

 

♥  TTFN  ♥

.

Monster Quilt

~ JodiLea

The first 2 rows are quilted and put together. From the beginning, this effort has taken 5 months to get this far. I almost have the other 3 rows all prepped and ready for quilting and connecting to the first two. It probably will take me another month.

THEN… The Borders are sewn on. The front sashing is all cut, but I must also cut the backing fabric to be sewn also. Maybe part of the month above or a week extra. I will have to keep you posted on that – it all depends on the things that always pop up and take my focus elsewhere.

So, I will be positive and estimate the quilt will be king sized and finished by April 15th

Progress so far:

Zoomed in
Left-Side

If I start feeling better (I have a sinus infection) I will do maintenance on my sewing machine then change the needle to a new sharper one, before I begin to free-motion quilt each block before joining them to the quilt. I also need to decide whether or not I will quilt the sashing between rows. I will need to experiment with scraps because this may be the answer to my dilemma about securing the backs of the sashing. I am hopeful.

I hope you are following this and still reading – Ha! This post is more suited to a Quilter’s website, however, I want to surprise my quilting friends in person. And because I’m stuck inside the house, under a “Winter Weather Watch” – this means it will start snowing any minute now. I am hopeful about this also. I LOVE watching fat snowflakes falling outside as I snuggle up by the wood-burning stove.

TTFN