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Friday, April 13, 2012

Life Without Margins!

Sometimes, once in a blue moon --- there is just no way to possibly put it all into words ---

Everything that I saw and experienced at MQX yesterday impacted me in so many ways --- from the people who came to talk to me that I either knew from previous visits with their guilds, or quilters who joined us on cruises, or stranger-friends who stopped to introduce themselves and welcome me to Rhode Island, or mentioned they were blog readers, or book owners, or magazine column followers---I am just so touched by everyone’s kindness and open friendship!

Fran, Nancy and I left Westerly around 9:30am and headed back to Providence eager to see the show.

Tina was already there waiting for us ---we all met up and spent the morning viewing a good portion of the show before breaking for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.

Goodness gracious the size of those oriental chicken salads! I think ONE would have fed all 4 of us!

After lunch we browsed the show some more, before it was time to head on over toward Portsmouth for my evening guild meeting.

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One quilter who wishes to remain nameless stopped us in the hallway on our way out when we were leaving……opened up a box she carried with her after telling me she was hoping she would run into me at the show --- and gave the three of us our choice of handmade stilettos, as a gift….just out of the blue. It blew me away! But this is what quilters do….

I chose the blue one with the big beads…..I might not lose that one!

From MQX we drove to Portsmouth. Drop the bags at the hotel, grab a quick dinner ---yes---we ate AGAIN! ---and off to the church we went to set up and make everything ready. From one thing to another with no space in between ---- where I gave a lecture last evening, and will have a workshop today, and tomorrow ---Sunday afternoon I fly home. I'm running out of steam!

I took so many photos at MQX but because the guild meeting wasn’t over and cleaned up to get me back to my room til close to 10pm, I found myself too tired to even THINK of going through all the photos to edit them down and get them ready for a slide show for you.

My margins right now are non-existent. There is no time to prepare photos to post. I have to be ready to leave for class this morning at 8am ---

Last evening instead of editing photos at 11pm, I was online trying to arrange air flights to go to Illinois in May --- and because I was so tired, I forgot that I was looping that trip with an Ohio trip together…..and I totally screwed up buying my tickets online----and spent an hour or more trying to cancel that and add a leg -----I’m still not sure if it’s resolved.

Because there are no margins, I’m having to purchase airfare at 11pm when I can’t think straight and mistakes happen.

I have not sat at my sewing machine for more than 2 blocks this trip so far --- because there have been no margins of time ----

Margins are like shoulders on the road --- a little room for lee-way, a bit of breathing space…..did you ever drive on a road that had no shoulder? Did it make you feel uncomfortable like you were afraid your tires were going to go off the edge? I am feeling kind of that way ----and I spent so much time on hold on the phone trying to deal with the stupid airfare thing –the tires of my sanity are feeling very close to the edge.

So today ---I’m taking a bit of a breather from a travelogue of a post with a ton of pictures, and not stressing it. I’m going to teach a class. There may be an ipohone-o-gram popping up later ---or maybe not.

I’m in search of margins ----wherever I can find them.

PS----while on hold with the airlines ---I went through the listings of the 80+ people on the “What’s On Your Bed” post! Some I had to remove --- because they linked to their whole blogs, not the specific post they wrote about the quilt that is on their bed, and since they’ve added new posts on top of their bed quilt post --- it was impossible to find the bed quilt posts. When I do a linky,, you need to link to EACH SPECIFIC post, not just the whole blog address, okay? So if you don’t see your link there anymore ---try again, and make it post specific…it helps us all to find the post you were trying to share.

It's FRIDAY! Enjoy!

25 comments:

  1. I'm sorry we've run you ragged. I hope you get a break after today's workshop.

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  2. So glad to hear that you realize that your pace lately has been on supercharge. I hope that you can build in more moments of rest and relaxation to prevent burn-out. You are in my prayers for comfort and safety.

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  3. Anonymous7:50 AM EDT

    Glad you enjoyed the show! I hope you can squeeze in a little down time for yourself.

    Karen Lieberman
    vetala13@aol.com

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  4. It sounds like you need a serious vacation...at home, relaxing. Take care to build some time in for you. <<>> I hope you can fit in some rest and relaxation for today and I hope the airline stuff is all straightened out so you don't have to mess with that any longer.

    Kathy Tattershall
    Country Rose Quilt Guild

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  5. Anonymous8:18 AM EDT

    Oh the dreaded phone calls! You can be on the line forever either listening and pressing appropriate buttons or waiting only to be transferred again. It took a half an hour to cancel a dental appointment the other day! The only good thing is that you can play a bit on the 'pute while waiting if you were smart enough to have one close by.

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  6. Take some time for Bonnie today! She deserves it! Have a Super Day!

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  7. You are really good at recognizing when you need to scale back and take a breather! You can only do so much! (I bet you never heard that before, right?!?) We'll be here, patiently waiting for those pics when you find a margin of unfrazzled time to put them together =^..^=

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  8. Your quilting friends need you to take care of yourself! Very selfish on our part. :-) What is a stilettos? I saw the picture, but can't figure out what you do with it.

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  9. Glad you got to go to MXQ. It looks like so much fun. We will all live if you don't post anything for a day or two. I love reading about your travels and adventures but you sound exhausted. Get those margins back!

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  10. Hang in there, when I don't have margins I begin to get frazzled and it is miserable

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  11. I hope today your tires come away from the edge a little!

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  12. Hope you have a wonderful day. Wish we could add the margins for you! We'd help you! Please take it easy, and don't worry about us...we're going to be just fine!

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  14. You're coming to Illinois? Ohh my, wish I could be there.
    I wondered how you kept going the way you do! Take a break, you make the rest of us look lazy ;)

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  15. Margins! What a great way to describe that time. I wondered how you managed to do so much more than I do AND find time to post several times a day to share it all with us. Please, just like margins on a page, you need to leave some of those margins open--a little "white space" to allow you to breathe. We love you and all that you do, so take care of yourself a bit--for all of us!

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  16. All of us need that extra time, but especially you when you are traveling so much. Hope you get some time to yourself to fill in the margins with ME time.

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  17. Anonymous12:35 PM EDT

    Its no wonder you are having frayed margins...you do so much and get so much done in the same amount of time that has been alotted to me. I am continually amazed at your work, your schedule, your enthusiasm, & your ability to be upbeat in the midst of all of it!
    Take a breather for a while today...and enjoy the beauty of "stillness" and "quiet"!

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  18. Anonymous3:14 PM EDT

    Would the woman that so nicely gifted you the stilettos have an Esty site or blog? I know you said she did not want to share her info, so probably not, just thought I would ask!
    They are so very pretty and would make excellent gifts for my quilter friends.

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  19. Man oh man! I need one of those stilettos. I am making small Log Cabin blocks with 1" strips. I have been looking for my "purple thang" and ended up using a chop stick as a stilleto or like having one long fingernail.
    Take a breather Our Bonnie. We will be here waiting for you....
    XOXOXO Subee

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  20. Ha! My MIL made me 6 of those pretty things and she told me they were for piercing fruit and cheese cube appetizers. Stilettos make much more sense! :)

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  21. Take time to breathe and relax. You wear me out just reading all that you are doing. Your stiletto is beautiful. She needs to sell them or do a tutorial so we can make some for our quilt friends.

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  22. Hmmmm... I have a caring suggestion. Pay someone for a few hours a week to handle travel arrangements, book order fulfillment and other administrative stuff. A part time assistant. I am sure you would have no trouble finding someone to do those things. Heck, I would do it if I lived near you! You can buy those margins this way!

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  23. I would love to find the person who gifted you with the wonderful stiletto. I think they would be perfect gifts for my quilting friends who will be meeting up in California this fall, and which I can't go to be with them.
    If anyone finds an Etsy shop or the person making them, please share...I would join the line to get these!

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  24. I would love to know where those stilettos could be purchased also. Love them. Please take care of yourself Bonnie. All us quilters appreciate all you do for us. As all your awards state- you are tops on my list. Off to finish my Crayon Box. That will make 6 of your quilts ready to be quilted. Love, Susan

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  25. What a nice thing to happen! Those stiletto's are really pretty.

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