Checking in for the Start of April

Can you believe it!  I went to a gardening conference on Saturday and spent the day in our community garden on Sunday getting to see things like this coming in.....

...only to then start off TODAY like this!

Prince was right:  Sometimes  it DOES snow in April!

Fortunately, by noon it looked like this....

Temps are expected to stay up and we're suppose to get rain for the next two days so it'll probably be ALL gone by then! 

Admittedly, since my mind has been on the start of the gardening season, it hasn't been snowing progress in the quilt studio.  While I got the wholecloth basting finished last month, I still haven't put it in the hoop so there's that to do this week.

I'm hoping to be able to pile the bottom of the quilt into that bin while I'm stitching so it won't be all over the floor while I'm working.

I had planned to work on my DWR as my other "Bucket List" project for the start of the year. 

Rachel Hauser of the "Stitched In Color" blog has been hosting a "Big Bed Quilt-Along" that is supposed to end this month and the DWR was supposed to be my project for that.  I thought I'd have already gotten started on it by now but there's still a chance to focus on it this month and at least get the top done by month's end (she said, fingers crossed).  I had finished the piecing of the center back in August 2012 (although looking back, I realize I never posted about that!) and cut out the borders back in April 2015.  Now I need to add the applique onto them. 

In anticipation of the applique work, I decided to treat myself and sign up for Sue Pellan's "My Magical Garden" BOM.  For the blocks in it, she is using her Leaves Galore and Hearts and More templates.

The first two blocks of the BOM were just posted this week and I'll see if I can learn how to use her rulers to create the leaves for the DWR borders.  After I signed up, I bought the grippers for the rulers that she recommends and a couple of small packages of Mistyfuse.  While I'll use the fusible for some test leaves, I don't plan to fuse the leaves to the DWR.  There are leaves already appliqued to the center of the top that were machine appliqued using invisible thread.  Since I don't have working zigzag machines at the moment, I can't do that so I'll have to hand applique the borders ones for now. 

I've had the "Leaves" rulers for years, having purchased them after I learned to hand applique because I thought I would do a lot of those types of projects.  I've done a few but not as many as anticipated and to compound things I now have a lot of Accuquilt leaf dies.  However, I'd still like to learn how to use the rulers since Sue also has some interesting alternative designs that can be made with them like gift boxes and applique bows. 

At this point I also don't plan to make the whole BOM -- just a few units or blocks to get the hang of the rulers.  I am budgeting to purchase the Hearts and More rulers in June since the BOM won't be covering use of them until then.  

The goal of just getting the top finished is a good one for now since I'll need to get my other machines fixed if I'm going to eventually machine quilt this quilt as desired.  With the weather finally clearing, a trip across the bridge to Queens to have the repairs done is far more likely to happen.  My DH will be on vacation again in a few weeks so maybe I can plan to bring them in then.

Well, back to clearing the cutting table and organizing things (yet again) so I can finish making my project plans for the month!

Happy New Year and What's On Deck for 2018

A Very Happy New Year To Everyone!

 

 

When a New Year dawns, we all think about what we hope the year will bring and what we can accomplish in it.  Normally, this is the time for quilters to reveal the "Word of the Year" that they want to guide their project aspirations for the year.  I have done some work this past year using a Bullet Journal and studying the prompts of illustrator and author Jessica Abel through her blog and her book "Growing Gills".  If you feel like you never seem to get what you want to accomplish done, I highly recommend the book (and the email prompts she will send you after you purchase it) to help you pinpoint what your issues are. 

Between the two, I realized my biggest problem was determining what the "Realistic" part of S.M.A.R.T. goals (see Tip #1 on this post) really means and how to truly prioritize them.  Those two things were the main reasons why I was able to stay on track at the end of the year and get a few projects competed even while juggling a Christmas gift project and Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery without getting discouraged or feeling like I was going crazy.

 

So as 2017 ended, I tried to think about what would be my guiding word for 2018.  However, as I rolled around the possibilities in my mind, two words kept bubbling to the top for me.  They represent what I want to do more than how I plan to work and that is:

 

BUCKET LIST 

 

Yes, for me the guiding principal will be that this year I want to finish up my original Bucket List goals.  I wrote about my Bucket List back in 2010.  The projects on it represented the quilts that when I started quilting, I felt I NEEDED to attempt in order to be considered a "real" (as opposed to fake?!?) quilter.  To fulfill those lofty aspirations, at that time I had seven projects still to attempt: Double Wedding Ring, String Quilt, Lone Star, Dresden Plate, Complex Applique and a Hand Quilted Wholecloth.  I finished the Dresden plate quilt called Merrimac Dresdens in 2013 so that left six more still to do.

 

I had actually started on the Double Wedding Ring way back in 2009, made siginificant progress on it in 2012 and had last worked on it in 2015.   

 

 

 For the Wholecloth project I had plans as far back as 2012 to start it and made them again at the start of both 2016 and last year but each time got sidetracked.  So with the Bucket List my focus, I could finally get it started this year.

 

 

 After doing the "Growing Gills" lessons, I wound up completely reorganizing my "Hussy" stacks (HSYs - Haven't Started Yet projects) which reacquainted me with some of the things I had chosen to fulfill my Bucket List goals.  For instance, while I had considered doing a number of projects to fulfill the Complex Applique wish, I realized that there was a project that I had long wanted to make that could actually fulfill that for me and I decided right then to forego all others in favor of it.  For that one I plan to make (or at least start) one of the Robert Callahan's Applique projects.

.
I also have stashed no less than five different Lone Star designs, all using different approaches to the construction. 

 

These are just some of the patterns I have.

 Again, I had long debated about which to start with but with cleared creative "Gills", I finally made a firm decision on which project to start with:  I'm going with the Jelly Stars kit I have.

 

 

Now that I know where I want to go, I am ready to plan the when and how.  I had always planned for the wholecoth to be a whole year project so the push for that one is just to get it started and in the hoop.  Once that's done I can work on it a little each week until it gets completed (and it will be great for "Slow Sunday Stitching" linkups).  For the other projects, I thought that the easiest plan for attacking them would be a personal quarterly challenge.  I can attempt to get one BL item started (or in the case of the Double Wedding Ring, continued) in each quarter.  If I plan well, some might even get finished within their quarter.  And from my experience at the end of last year, I know that it is possible to juggle more than one project as long as I was realistic about what I thought I could get done and monitored, accepted and re-grouped when I was sent off track from my plans.

 

This is not to say that I don't expect to work on other things during the year:  I definitely want to get the two Bonnie Hunter mystery projects, On Ringo Lake and En Provence, at least to the top stage:

 

Lots of parts still in progress......

A Bonnie project may also fulfill my String Quilt bucket list item but I haven't decided on that definitively yet.

I'd also like to make some headway on some decorating projects like my Halloween quilt and a few wallhangings I want to make for the house.  Hopefully what I learned last year about planning and deadlines, will clarify for me just how much additional time, realistically, I can devote to these projects if at all.  If I realize I can't get them done, then at that moment it will be time to decide what will take precedence.  I'm also sure there will be those times when the project du' jour may be frustrating me and I will welcome having a diversion at hand.      

 

So that's the 2018 plan for me in a nut shell.  What is your Word for the Year or plans for 2018?  Whatever they are I wish you well in bringing them to fruition and making 2018 the best it can be for you! 

A New Tuesday Archives Post: 2017 Word of the Year and Goals

Happy New Year!

 



This week, Val over at Val's Quilting Studio is asking everyone to post their goals for the New Year in the Tuesday Archives link up.  I am more than happy to oblige in this annual quilter's "right of passage" as we hope for a productive quilting year.

Word of the Year:  Prioritize

Since planning is still my big goal, setting my priorities is a first step to that.  I've found in the past that I need to get better, on a day to day basis, of considering and setting priorities.  I've come to understand that priorities can (and sometimes have to) change day to day, week to week and month to month regardless of the overall goals set.  So the push this year is to manage that better.

However, that doesn't mean that there won't be those times when "what I WANT to do" will override "what I NEED to do"!  I just need to make sure I take note of that when I re-do the list.

APQ and TBQs

American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine is once again doing their UFO Challenge for 2017.  You make a list and each month they pick a number and you try to get that project done.  If successful, that's (potentially) twelve projects off your "To Do" list by the end of the year.

When I sat down to make my list, I realized that outside of projects that have specific deadlines, all but one of my UFOs were "TBQs" -- that is "To Be Quilted" or close to it because they  need the backing prepped.  I decided to try to give this a whirl.  The first number has already been picked so if you want to join in, make up your list now, go here and get your UFO goals for the year started!

This Just In!  While checking on links for this post, I found out that Judy Laquidara over at Patchwork Times is also doing a UFO List pick.  She's has also picked her first number and ironically, on my list that just so happens to be a quilt designed by her!  However, I believe my APQ pick would be easier for me to finish and a finish will keep me motivated so I'll stick with them on that one.  I will be joining Judy for her monthly Quilt-A-Thons but if you'd also like Judy's help picking your UFO projects, find out what her first pick was here. 

Staring Down The Bucket List

My next big and admittedly ambitious goal is to finish the last four items on my original bucket list.  Why ambitious you say?  Well, those projects consist of some pretty heady quilt designs:  Double Wedding Ring, Lone Star, Complex Applique (in the vein of a Baltimore Album) and a Hand Quilted Wholecloth!  The plan right now is to devote attention to one of these projects each quarter. 

I'll start the wholecloth first since once it's in the hoop, I can take a little time each week for the rest of the year stitching it up.

The Double Wedding Ring is  already half done -- the last time I worked on it, I only got as far as cutting out the border strips for it.  Let's hope this year I can get the border applique done, get it layered up and quilted! 

In some ways I feel the Lone Star is the easiest to piece (can be done by strip piecing) but not to choose!  I've got at least five different versions I want to try (and fabric already in house for at least two) so the one that gets made up (yes, definitely won't be more than that this year!)  might not be a "traditional" Lone Star. 

Up to now, I didn't really know exactly what I wanted to do for my "Complex Applique" project.  That's why it pays to shop your stash or shelves!  Long ago I fell in love with Robert Callahan's applique samplers when they appeared in McCall's Quilting magazine.  At the time they came out, they were soooo beyond my abilities, I could only dream.  However, that didn't stop me from setting up a box and occasionally throwing some "starting stash" into it. 

Now that it's many years down the road, applique is not the scary prospect it was back then.  I'm finally ready to tackle one and try to get that stash box off the shelf once and for all. 

 

All that said, while I'd give better than average odds that at least one of the Bucket List items probably won't make it all the way to the finish line this year, starting is still that much closer to finishing!

But Wait There's More!

Other big projects I want to get to this year are:

Finish my Label Pledge (So far two down, six to go!)

Finish my (first two) Quilts of Valor (and hopefully start on that during this week's Quilt-A-Thon with Judy at Patchwork Times).

Make a Tote Bag For my Featherweight (kit and supplies are already in house)

As noted earlier, I've got some "specific deadline" projects, mostly gifts and for decorating at particular times of the year so have to schedule those accordingly.

Oh and did I mention that I'm trying for the first time to do one of Bonnie Hunters annual mystery projects -- this year it's called "En Provence"?  Well, it's actually not a mystery any more since the reveal came out on Sunday.  I've had the stash set up for a while but the aborted "Holiday Quilt-A-Thon" put a wrench in an early start so at this point I'll be playing catch up. 

The good news is that from what I've read over the years, that's par for the course for most people for her mysteries so I'll be in good company!

As usual, I think I've lined up too much but out of sight, out of mind!  If you'd like to see what your other fellow quilters have in store for their year, hop on over to Val's at Val's Quilting Studio and peruse all the lists!  Have a Very Quilty New Year!!!

A UFO Challenge At Jo's Country Juction

O.k., I said I wasn't going to join any finish challenges this year.  I have to admit that the impending end of the year always makes these so appealing to me!  I've been doing my monthly "Get It Done!" reports and they have definitely been helpful in keeping things on the radar which pushes me to get them done.  However, I'm also realizing that without definite deadlines, I've let projects nag at me for a lot longer than I'd like. 

To that end, this morning on Jo Kramer's blog at Jo's Country Junction, I saw that she has hosted a UFO Finish challenge for the last two years in preparation for Bonnie Hunter's annual post-Thanksgiving Mystery Quilt project reveal.  For Jo, it has been about getting some of the many Quiltville mysteries and projects she has going finished up before adding the new one to the list.  Actually, her post would have been a great link up for this week's "Tuesday Archive" at Val's Quilting Studio where UFOs are this week's theme.

I also usually check-in for Bonnie's mysteries and while I have downloaded many of them, I've never actually been "in a good place" to do one.  In fact, the only Bonnie Hunter project I've ever done is "Floribunda" (the instructions for that are here and see my finish here).  Jo's plan is to have everyone pick and gather their UFO and try to have it completed by the time Bonnie releases the new mystery -- which is usually the Friday after Thanksgiving -- and then do a finish link up by December 3.  This turned out to work right into my plans for my biggest UFO:  my Autumn Double Wedding Ring!

 

I was so sure I'd get back to this either during the summer or in September at the latest and by now be layering it up or even finishing the quilting.  Not only that, I've been saving Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Wedding Quilt" book (from the Elm Creek Quilts series) to read while I worked on it.  My cousin gave me the book a few Christmases ago (actually, she gave me Ms. Chiaverini's "Union Quilters" but I had already read that so exchanged it for the WQ book) and I've been holding it for just this occasion ever since. 

Right now I'm working on a scrap quilt (for the Fabrics 'N Quilts challenge) and a Halloween quilt (doing them leader/ender style like Bonnie has taught us).  My plan was to work on the DWR next month so Jo's challenge is a chance to make sure I make good on that plan.  In fact, I realize I might be able to squeeze in starting to cut the leaves and vines I need for the DWR border applique while I'm cutting for the Halloween quilt. 

Hey, this now can also be a post for Val's link up, so I will link there too!  For those coming from there, Val also asked how we store our UFOs.  In contrast to a WHIMM (Work Hidden In My Mind so no stash yet), a PIG (a Project In A Grocery Sack) which is usually a HSY ("Hussy" or Haven't Started Yet"), a UFO usually winds up in a box like these:

From left to right: "Heart & Home" my Wool & Taupes BOM, "High Strung +2" this year's Christmas quilt and the DWR project.  In this case, size does matter since the size of the box is an indicator of the size of the project stash!  The box needs to be big enough to hold the project stash, finished blocks or tops, the backing, the project scraps (until the quilt is done and they get processed for general scrap projects) and any books or printouts of ideas specifically for those scraps.  I'm actually hoping to finish all three of these projects before the end of the year (she said, fingers crossed!). 

Now, if my UFOs are TBQs (To Be Quilted) then they're up on the Flimsie shelf with their backings (if I have them already):

So head over to Jo's to find out who else plans to join her in her challenge or to link up yourself!  Head to Val's to see what other UFOs are lurking out there in blogland and are pointed toward a finish!  May we all end the year with our UFO lists a little shorter!! 

My List for the 3rd Quarter of the 2014 Finish Along

I'm making a list and checking it twice so for the 3rd quarter of the 2014 Finish A-Long let's see if I'm going to be naughty or nice!  Katy Cameron of the The Littlest Thistle blog  is our host this year.  I did pretty well last quarter and have another ambitious list of things I'd like to get done over the next three months.  However, it is Summer and the challenge will be to try to keep up the pace even as activities or just the desire to just "chillax" tempt me. 

So still on the list from the previous quarter are:  

1.  Spring Fling

The plan last quarter was to get this done as part of a plan to freshen up my bedroom for Spring along with the Fabric Gal quilt that I did finish.  I'd still like to get this Jan Patek wall hanging done because I have another wallhanging that you will see later in this list that I want to be able to hang in the Fall.  

2.  Civil War Lap Quilts

I started off last quarter with these two partial sets of blocks....

 

...and during the quarter I got one of them to this:

My hope for this quarter is to finish both of these or at the very least get them to the flimsy stage.  The blocks are for two lap quilts featuring Civil War reproduction fabrics.  Both are from quilt patterns by Kaye England, one from her  "Re-Piecing the Past" Craftsy class and the other from her book "A Civil War Legacy".  I now have one block left to make for the "Legacy" quilt and scrappy sashing to piece for both.  The border, backing and binding fabrics for both are already in house.  When finished, these will be added to a gallery of reproduction quilts I have made.

3.  Civil War Chronicles

Another addition to that CWR gallery (and to be displayed on my bed) will be this quilt when it's finally quilted. This was one of the projects I worked on during Sinta Borland's BOM Rehab when she hosted it on her Pink Pincushion blog in 2012.  Now I need to "Quilt Whisper" the completed top and tackle the big challenge of quilting it.

4.  A Gift Quilt and Tote Bag

As noted in the last quarter these are the fixins' to make a a fish-related quilt and produce-related market bag that will be a gift for my neighbors.  It will also be a chance to make a pattern from an (e)book ("Man Cave Quilts") so it will also be my July (or August or September) "Let's Book It!" project whenever I do get it started. 

New to this quarterly UFO list are a lot of projects I'd like to get done in anticipation of Fall:

5.   Heart & Home Wool BOM

 

As noted with the earlier "Spring Fling" project, I have this similar PhD (Project Half Done) that I'd like to try to finish up for display in the Fall when that season comes around again.  This is another of the projects I worked on during the Pink Pincushion blog BOM Rehab session in 2012.  Half the blocks are done and I would like to put it to bed (or actually above my bed!) once and for all.  

6.  Autumn Double Wedding Ring

This is one of the last of my "bucket list" projects and I did a lot of work on it in 2012.  All that's left to do is add the applique borders and quilt it.  Of course, none of that is as simple as it sounds which is why it's been sitting for so long!

7.  Denim Blue Lagoon Quilts

These will be heavy winter quilts for my two sons' beds.  They are also an attempt to do some String Quilting" so if I make any progress on these I will also be linking it up to the String Thing Along.

8.  Hallowe'en 1902 and Midnight Silhouette

The original plan was to layer these two seasonal quilts by Blackbird Designs back to back for some reversible Halloween fun.  But now I'm thinking they might get made up separately instead.  We'll just have to see what happens "When the Cold Wind Blows" (you BbD fans will get the reference).

I also STILL have a big and long overdue volunteer commission project and two Quilt of Valor mystery quilts (my first attempt at QOV) that I also want to work on.  But those projects are not part of this list.  Once again, I'm hoping that keeping myself busy but focused in general and being able to bounce between different projects will keep me fresh when I'm stumped on (or tired of looking at) any particular project. Here's hoping that the progress of the last three months will inspire the next three!  

Good luck to everyone joining in for what we all hope will be a very productive three months!

How To Bottom Out In Style

Here's a review of what I did just before I took my unexpected break.  As I said in the previous post, I think the break was brought on by over committing myself to one too many projects and then becoming overwhelmed by all the tasks I had committed to both in and away from quilting.
  
Before I completely flaked out, I did get some things done.  All through April and May I had been attending BOM Rehab hosted by Sinta at the Pink Pincusion blog and in the later weeks had worked steadily on the border blocks for my Civil War Chronicles BOM.  I am pleased to say that not only did I get the blocks done but I also got the top finished by the first week of June.

Yes, it's a big 'un!!  The quilting of it was already on my UFO list for this year's Patchwork Times UFO Challenge because I had originally expected to complete this in December of last year, so we'll see if its number will come up in the near future.  I have been entertaining ideas about how I will quilt it and look forward to getting that to a finish before the end of this year.

And speaking of the UFO Challenge and BOM Rehab:  Judy had pulled #12 for the June PTUFOC and for me that is the Jan Patek House & Garden BOM that I had signed up for in the Fall of 2010 (and the last BOM I have in house).  I had hoped to spend June starting it as well as catching back up on the Heart & Home Wool BOM that I had led off Rehab with but when I went off the rails that desire went with it.  I am now ready to get back on track for this to be my weekend work. Look for future posts where I begin work on these two and rejoin the BOM Rehab group.

Another commitment I had made was joining the String Thing Along to work on my Denim Blue Lagoons project.  I had thought that maybe working on this wonky project with my sons would be a quick start for the summer.  But I have to admit as the school year came to a close and they started their summer vacation, it was a lot harder to get in gear than expected.  Just before I went AWOL I had them sew up enough strips sets and I had de-boned and cut up enough denim jeans to make one third (five rows) of each of their quilt tops.

While I really want to get these done for the fall (they will be HEAVY quilts), I'm going to let this one rest awhile so I can I FOCUS (there's the quilt word of the year again!) on other tasks.

I also see that the last time I had posted about my Autumn Double Wedding Ring project was back in April.  I had really worked on this for a good clip and at the time thought I'd bring it to a top but then got distracted by all the other commitments I did or wanted to make (more on that in a few).  But I wanted to note here that in the second week of May I did get those last two rows done and cut the half and quarter block pieces that will be inset between the rows to create a straight edge to attach the outer border to.  This has been sitting on my design wall ever since.

Even as I took on other projects, I really wanted to get back to this one.  The next step for this is to put all the rows together to form the center of the top.  After that, it's cutting the outer border, adding applique to it and attaching that to finish the top.  The DWR Chat Group at Connecting Threads-Quilt With Us has been very active lately, so I hope to get to post on this there when I get back to working on it.

Another thing that led to burn out was realizing that two other commitments I wanted to take on were just not going to get done.  The first was that I had purchased a wholecloth kit that I had planned to hand quilt for my own Jubliee Quilt Project.

Since my Jubilee year was actually last year, my goal was just to get this one started for the first anniversary of my Jubilee year by my birthday in May.  But as the date got closer and closer and the projects piled higher and higher, I realized with some disappointment that there was NO WAY I would get to this one!  So it is shelved for the time being, perhaps even for the year.  Since it is also one of the last four projects on my original Bucket List, maybe tackling those can be a FOCUS for next year?

Another thing I had to delay was my plan to work on Barbara Brackman's Civil War Block of the Week blocks from 2011.  I've done many projects with Civil War Repros in the last two years (you can click on the label link on the sidebar to see them all) and have really enjoyed delving into the history of this period through the quilt projects, t.v. shows and reading.   My plan was that after I had finished the Civil War Chronicles top, I would use all the accumulated scraps and remaining yardage I had collected (o.k. and maybe even buy a few more pieces if needed) and make a few of Ms. Brackman's blocks each week in the hopes of having all 52 done before she took then down, which I thought would happen in July.  But the Chronicles top took longer to complete than planned and once again, as the July deadline got closer and closer, I realized that I just could not fit in another task.  The good news is that it now says on the blog that the blocks will be up for the rest of the 2012 year.  Since working on these is also on my Patchwork Times UFO list, I will wait until that number is called to FOCUS on this.  The back up plan is that Ms. Brackman will have a book on the blocks coming out in 2013 that I definitely want to get.  So if I do not get the blocks done by the end of this year, I will wait for the book and work on them then.   

So I think that brings me up to date.  I am looking forward to getting "back on the horse" on all of these projects.  Watch for news on them in upcoming posts!

Design Wall Monday 4/30/12

I was supposed to link last week and did a post and then forgot to link!  You can see that post here.  As for last week, another row of arcs are done!

Only two more rows to go and then I can start putting the rows together and work on the borders.

Also I noticed that the applique in the dark brown center was not oriented the way I had originally planned: 

I debated whether I could live with it but found it a little jarring even among all the busyness surrounding it so decided to go ahead, remove the arcs already attached and reposition them.

There, that's better!

To see what everyone else worked on this week, click over to Judy's Patchwork Times blog.  There is always exciting projects happening in the quilt world!

Design Wall...uh, Tuesday

I had prepped this for Judy's Design Wall Monday linky and then forgot to post it! Oh, well a Tuesday post in the wilderness it will have to be!

There was almost a DWR Crisis last week! It was supposed to be an easy week with only three centers in the current row to add arcs to.  But a full blown crisis was anticipated when I went to do the second center and thought I only had four arcs left! 

At that point I had one more center to do for the week and (correcting the information I reported in my Design Wall post last Monday) I still had three more rows still to do after this week's blocks were done.

A while back, I had added a gold melon to some arcs and then decided not to use them for the row I was working on at the time.  For balance, I had decided that arc/melon set should go at the bottom of the quilt and added it to one of the green centers down there.  However, based on the sequence of fabrics I have used so far for the red connecting corners, it now looks like I put the the wrong set on that last row.  The good news was they were just what I needed for the row I was working on so the new plan was to take that arc set off the green center and use it on the last center and then make up one more set of arcs to finish this row.

Except when I went to check the project fabric stash I found these:

Arcs, beautiful, already made arcs!  Thank goodness!  I still took the arc/melon set off the green center and used it in the current row.  And although the balance of the melons used in the top will not be exactly what I would have liked in this area, it is what it is and what it is will have to be.  More importantly, I now don't have to make more arcs or push the estimate up of when I will finish this top.  I do expect to run out of the red connecting corners shortly but have no problem with cutting more of those as I work on this during the week. When all was said and done, here's where I was:

Whew!  Crisis averted!