I have been soooo out of the routine. I would like to do an audio submission for tne GP by Monday's deadline, but I have been so busy making things for those little girls! Plus, they want hats and scarves for their parents. Hats, maybe, not sure if I will get the scarves time in time for when I need to send everything out.

I am such a major major nimrod! I saw a reading pillow on a sewing site. The little girls would love those. For some reason, it did not click that it is just a pillow cover with a front pocket to hold a book, paperback is best, and/or a small plushie. 

I followed the instructions for one today and the way I made pillow covers, with a zipper on the back, is much much better. All I have to do is add a front pocket, which is easy enough. I thought there was something going to pop up that made them more than a pillow with a pocket!

I have to go through my material tomorrow and see what I have. I want to remake the one I made today, and I have another to make for her sister. I have some material, but it is not specifically kids material. That should be fine, it is verh pretty and they like pretty. We picked them each up a paperback book for the pocket. There is also a handle in the top so they can carry it out to the car or downstairs to read. With the pillow, they can lean against the wall when they sit in the areas they have below each of their high beds, or set the pillow in the lap, and the book on top, which would also make it handy in the car.

So, I need to get everything done this coming week. Since I am going to make the pillows my way and add the pocket and handle, they will go much more quickly. Maybe, I can do up an audio video to submit tomorrow. I have been playing it, even though I already submitted. I won't have to get dressed up, just play. So, tomorrow, I will try to do that. I like that cello part in the piece. It really adds to it. Plus, I learned and am learning a lot from the part.

So, that has been my story the past few days.

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I might try to get a for audio video done in the morning. After I select the material, it win't take long to make the reading pillow, since I am just adding a pocket and handle to what I have been doing all along. 

Who knows, maybe I will get some violin in later, when I take. sewing break. I don't like to spend too much time doing the same thing. I don't want to get any repetitive motion issues. I know too many people with those issues. I think that that is why I have so many hobbies.

I hope you get a lot of violin playing time in tomorrow, @ABitRusty.

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It has been a while. I have been playing my violin,,viola and cello, but not serious playing. I have been very busy redoing my craft/hobby space. I am cleaning house, and getting rid of a lot of many items. Not much interest in my area, so I have been going through things and recycling what can be recycled and trashing the rest. 

I will be calling the two local schools this week. Maybe there is a student who is interested in some of the better stuff. I am not dumping the stuff that is not really worth it to others to have to deal with, I am just disposing of that, but the better stuff, I will do my best to find a place for, locally. Not shipping things out.

I did rearrange my tables in the one room that I will be using, and what a difference!

In between, I am taking breaks and pulling an instrument off the wall, or from its stand to play. It is a nice break.

So, that is what I have been up to.

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I have done about 4 hours of cello playing today. It felt good. I do think I was making progress. I did do my usual, but then I went back to the Suzuki book, either 2 or 3, can't remember which it was. I reworked some of those pieces.

I could see where a few pieces had things I have been concentrating on, so I kind of honed in on those. I feel like I made great progress. I haven't felt that in a little while. I may set the other pieces aside, and just do them periodically, and concentrate on these pieces, Whatever I find helps me more.

I was trying to play more without looking at where my fingers were hitting and trying tp hear where they were hitting, if that makes sense. Worked a bit more than ever before.

That said. I have a horribly sound A string. I am very picky about that. My ear seems to pick up on the nuances of the A string.  There is a new A string coming. It made it very hard to play completely by hearing. 

I am considering upgrading my cello. I love my Master cello. It is great, but I am looking for a little more oomph. I seem to need the oomph, even though I am just playing for myself, in my house. The lack of oomph hinders me, again I think it is because my ears are so tuned in to what I want and I keep picking up on it.

I am waiting until I get my new strings and see what that does. I wrote to the company of the strings I have and told them what I liked about the strings, and I do like them, but I told them what cello I was playing, and what those strings did not do for me, and what I was looking for. I asked them if they could recommend a set, based in what they know about their strings that I could order to try. They are sending me a set, with an extra A string. I did not know that some companies still did that. Anyway, I am waiting until I get these strings and try them on my Master Cello before I do anything. Unfortunately, the sale will be over by then. Bummer. Oh well, it is better than upgrading and then find the strings would have given me what I need. 

I am also fighting a terrible wolf tone on my D string. It is an angry wolf. Please do not post links about wolf tones, or anything like that. I have a magnetic Kretzer(?) eliminator/modulator, that I purchased, on my cello, and I need to find the sweet spot. There was one on the Goronok that I used to own, also. My cello also came with a wolf tone eliminator in the G string. It is just so out of control. I will get it tamed. 

I have also been playing my grandfathers fiddle, the past few days.

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My former instructor contacted me last night. He had done is jury(?) piece and recorded it at hime so I could see and hear it. Wow! I am so glad he has that cello! He did things that I did not know you could do with a cello. He got sounds that I did not know you could get. Fantastic! He sent me the sheet music. I have no clue! It is wild. I am so thankful we are still in touch and he lets me know about these performances. 

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This song has my former cello instructor playing cello. He sent me the link.  His friend, Zack Worden, asked him to be one of the accompanists for his Christmas Album. It is a lovely rendition of Do You Hear What I Hear. 

https://zackworden.bandcamp.co.....hat-i-hear

I have included it in my blog so I listen whenever I please.

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Cookies baked yesterday. Cookies glazed today.

Cello was not too bad today. 😁

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I am going to add one of the two or three violin pieces from the book above to one of the songs Worldfiddler so kindly gave us, and use those to work on my violin. 

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