Slow News Day

It felt like a lazy day yesterday. I did some stuff, but maybe it would be more accurate to say it was a slow sewing day. There was plenty of time for slow-stitching, however. I had to fly out fairly early (for me) for my monthly pedicure, but I still had some time for slow-stitching in the morning. There was enough time to fill in the section I was working on.

After my pedicure, I made a trip to the grocery store. I think I have enough food to get us through until after Thanksgiving now. Erik and Mae are hosting Thanksgiving this year. I'm making the sweet potatoes, cranberries, and two desserts. I was only tasked with one dessert, but I wanted to try a new recipe for a Cranberry Pecan Tart. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated, which requires a subscription to see, and so I'll share it later if it turns out good. But all of that to say that when I try a new recipe for an event like Thanksgiving, I also have to make an emergency back-up dessert. This time around it will be this Bourbon Pumpkin Tart with Walnut Streusel...an old standby of many years running. Here's one from a Thanksgiving a few years back. 

I've also turned this into a tart for two.

While I was out, I picked up enough stuff for "regular" breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the Thanksgiving grocery shopping madness is over.

So, you can see that the day held plenty of activity, but I still felt lazy. When I got home, I had a light lunch, and then took a nap. It was past 3:00 p.m. by that time. I felt as if I "should" work on my challenge piece, and I did for a little while. I added the first bit of not-neutral color to it.

My quilt actually has two subjects...one large and one small. Adding that bit of color brought to a finish the larger and more difficult of the two subjects. Now I'm starting on the smaller of the two. I barely got started on it, but I just wasn't feeling it, if you know what I mean. When I had it this far...

I took the Scarlett O'Hara approach by saying, "Tomorrow is another day." So, I'll get back to it today. After all, today is a free day. I can work on it all day if I want to. It's best not to hurry these things along...and this piece is very challenging. I'm hoping it will work in the end, but I keep reminding myself that it is a challenge, and not a contest.

Okay, but I still had some time left in the afternoon, and it's hard for me to sit with idle hands. I ended up finishing off the next section of Calendula Patterdrip.

You can see that I'm nearing the top of this one. It seems as if I've been working on it for a long time, and I'll be glad to have it finished.

This morning, I stitched the next section. There wasn't much here, and so it went pretty quickly. The next section is similarly open, and so that will stitch up pretty quick too. It's time to start thinking about tracing out my next project.

While I was stitching, Smitty took advantage of the little bit of quilt that fell to the floor when Mike left it draped over the arm of the chair. If the quilt mountain will not come to Meowhammed, then Meowhammed must go to the quilt mountain.

Sadie was curled up between my legs. When I think about how anxious this little formerly feral scaredy cat was when we first brought her to her new furever home, it makes me smile to see her looking so calm and comfortable.

So, you might have noticed there was no housework in yesterday's activities, and so I'll have to do a couple of things today. As for the rest of the day, I'll start plugging away at the second subject on my challenge quilt, and I'm hoping to get it at least close to a finished top today.