Design Table Monday - 11/7/16

I had a nicely busy weekend. I spent all day Saturday in Niagara Falls - now don't get too excited cuz I left home in the dark, spent all day in a EMT conference (in a casino!), spent about at least an hour walking around the state park at the Falls, picked up Indian food for dinner and then drove home in the dark. I'll show those pictures later this week.

Yesterday I slept in a wee bit thanks to the time change and then got busy making zipper bags and mugrugs for the next holiday bazaar.

I spy something that starts with a Z!

The table works as my staging area - each pile is a different pattern but I sew them in
any order depending on which ones match the thread color I'm using at the moment.

The prep always takes the longest - cutting batting pieces, letting cats outside, cutting fabric pieces, letting cats back inside, matching fabrics to zippers, letting cats outside, matching fabric to trims, letting cats inside again, answering rescue calls and eventually one gets to the sewing part! Phew!

I've got 4 almost finished...the rest should move right along since all the decisions have been made already.

99% of the branches have buds!!

And, just because everyone at my office loves it, I thought I would share my Christmas Cactus. I know it's the beginning of November but this little beauty likes to blossom 3 times a year. I don't do anything special to accomplish this  - in fact, I think it's merely because it's by the front door and the blast of cold air every time a customer comes in "forces" it to blossom at Halloween, Christmas and sometime in the spring.

Feline Friday - 11/4/16

Z - Hey Blue! It's time to get our costumes on!!! The candy grubbing, costumed little people kiddos will be here soon!!

Z - I definitely feel like the man of the house when Momma puts on my collar and tie.

B - Zorro, you have got to be kidding! I don't mind the jester collar so much, not even the bells, but what's with her selfie obsession?? I am NOT posing for that flashy thing!

Z - You just need to look adorable - then you get more scritches and snackies for playing along.

Z - If you act interested in the kids and their costumes, Momma even moves the cat tree closer to the front door. I call Crow's Nest!!

B - No way Dude - I'm gonna go hide under Momma's bed.
Z - Your loss Dude cuz here come the kids!!

An InLinkz Link-up

The Bibliophile Files - 11/1/16

Uhhh...I have to say this was my worst reading month ever. Not sure why I only finished 3 books but it is what it is.

Luckily, goodreads.com says I'm still 4 books ahead of schedule so I should still finish 84 books by the end of the year. I'll be driving to a conference this weekend and I need to dedicate some time to sewing Christmas bazaar items this week and next so that should bring me some good "reading" time. Wish me luck!

FINISHED:
     I'll give you the Sun - some nice twists and turns.
     The Tombs - another excellent book in this series!
     Grasshopper Jungle - I'll admit that the story/concept was interesting but the writing style and the reader made this nearly torture to listen to. It was short choppy sentences, with lots of repetition, and the reading was almost staccato. Ugh.

IN PROGRESS:
     on my iPhone - Pennies for Hitler - this is a YA book about a young boy in Germany during the World Wars who discovers he is Jewish. He's secreted off to England and later to Australia. It's quite interesting but I'm not yet sure where the title comes in to play
     on my home stereo - Memory Man - I started with book 2 in this series so some of the details in this first book feel a bit repetitive - on the other hand it's good to get more detail and understand where the series started. Can't wait for the third book to come out next year...

And now it's your turn! What did you read in the last month?? A novel, magazine, quilt pattern or cereal box??