Progress report, sort of ;0)

So here's my tiny bit of progress.  I did finish the baby quilt for the shower on July 28th.  It was pretty simple, just pieced yardage from Hobby Lobby and a minkie backing.  I didn't even use a batting since there was flannel and chenille in the top and the minkie was fluffy too.  Quilted a meandering feather all over it.  The first picture still has my blue washout marker marking the spine so I had a guide.

Next, I knew I had to change the ceiling fan in the quilt room before I could make any progress on the challenge.  There was a short or something in the chain pull for the ceiling fan light.  I know this and use the wall switches to turn it off and on, but Mr. Calico came through and used the chain pull to turn it off at some point, and after 500 + pulls over the course of several days, I couldn't get it to come back on (yeah, I'm a touch stubborn, LOL)

SO - out came the tool box.  Luckily I already had the new ceiling fan on hand.  It had been bought on clearance some time back, as a discontinued sample . . . . . just never got around to putting it in.  Gee, I hope others have that problem too, I'd hate to be the only one!  Once I took the old (heavy) fan and light down, I was reminded that I never finished painting the ceiling a few years ago . . . . . . ran out of paint and time, never got back to it  *sigh*  I'm seeing a pattern here!

And it was such a small patch of ceiling too, only about 1/4 of the room.  I quickly threw some heavy fabric over my shelves, found some ceiling paint in the cellar and drug out the ladder.  The new fan base was going to be much smaller, so I was going to have to do this anyway.  Might as well dig in.  The trim at the ceiling needs done too, but that can be for another day, LOL.

So after I was done and put the paint stuff away, I waited to the next day and tackled the fan.  UGH!  It wasn't as easy as painting!  Couldn't for the life of me get the silly light to work.  The fan worked fine, but no light.  Checked and rechecked my wiring, but nothing.  So I went to the hardware store to ask the guy some questions.  And we decided my course of action would be to take the light kit apart and check the wiring inside there - maybe it got jiggled loose sitting around in my quilting room.  Well, I did that and would you know?  The light kit had never been connected to the fan base!  Gee, I fiddle farted around for a couple of days checking and rechecking stuff, changing light bulbs, getting zapped by the electricity a few times -- thinking I was doing something wrong when NOPE!  Even making a trip into town to consult with Mr. Hardware guy -- and It wasn't me at all.

Finally got the fan and light in and working - Yeah!

Then MIL calls to let me know the blackberries are ripe and oh, there are plums too.  So that meant another pause in the action to pick fruit, process it and make jelly.  We are picking berries every three days, and plums every two days.  I manage to get a batch of jelly done by the day after picking.  This picture is from a few days back, there are even more jars now.  So far we are at 18 jars of Blackberry Jelly, 24 tiny jars of Plum Jelly (for teacher, mailman, propane guy, etc. gifts this Christmas) 10 jars plus two tall jelly jars of Plum Jelly.  Today is the day to pick blackberries - so expect 6 more jars of that by tomorrow.

But all that put a crimp in the quilting plans.  Plus a friend came over to use the machine so I unloaded the quilt I was working on, and we did hers that evening.  The SUPER DUPER part of that is, a friend came over  . . . . . . . that means I had to tidy the house which really needed it!  But I lost the morning to tidying and laundry, and the afternoon/evening to helping her quilt.

SO -- with renewed vigor, I set myself back to the quilt challenge and hope that life doesn't interfere again!  I still have 33 days - that's a lot of quilting time.  For today my goals are to get the darn berries & plums picked and processed, and then finish up the main body of the charity quilt and one border.  That will get it ready for turning and finishing the last two borders tomorrow.  Wish me luck (and send me Diet Coke for energy, LOL)