We're professionals. Don't try this at home.

A short, sweet note: I owe both Brian and Crystal massive hugs of thanks. Both of them came to stay with me this weekend, and they asked what I needed. I hated admitting it, but what I needed was help housecleaning. Not just superficial tidying, but a really deep and thorough cleaning — the kind of cleaning that helps set your house to rights.

Spring cleaning. Well, winter cleaning. I couldn't hold until spring, not with the house in the state it was and Jeff still hospitalized.

So they came, and they worked magic. They helped scrub the kitchen, fix the living room, and do major bathroom cleaning. (The bathroom isn't totally done, but it's close!) I helped with the chores that required my attention, and then I got the most amazing and valuable commodity: time. Time to start processing the quilt projects that have backed up, because once those are out of my house, they'll make it possible to do the same level of cleaning to the reading room.

• Linus is effectively done; I just need to check it for threads that came loose in the wash. (I don't think there are any.)
• Stargirl is about 80% quilted. My goal is to give it to Crystal this weekend.
• As soon as Stargirl is done, Oregon Trail is next on deck for quilting.
• Tim is looking for a large foam board I could use to do the layout for Eat This Quilt; the major hurdle for this king-sized quilt has been needing to kneel on the floor for long stretches to lay out pieces in the correct order; having a design board would mean this quilt could get finished relatively quickly.

I was amazed at the difference a weekend of cleaning made. The house desperately needed it (and some rooms are not done) and now I can come home without immediately going into firestorms of twitching. Being able to bring projects to completion does a wonder for my sense of self-worth, as well.

The plan:

• Hand Linus over to Rick and Jessica, as it's for one of their daughters.
• Finish quilting Stargirl. Bind it and give it to Crystal this weekend.
• Start pinning Oregon Trail immediately after.
• Once Oregon Trail is quilted, reset the machine back for regular sewing. Restart assembling Eat This Quilt.

Once those are off the reading room couch, I can do a deep cleaning on that room, and get these huge stacks of fabric samples from Suzan and Danielle processed and sorted neatly. More order, less twitchy.

There's also someone else who is very very glad I've restarted quilting again. Silly, dear, predictable Tenzing:

['We're professionals. Don't try this at home.']

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