Prepping For The Retreat Is Finished

 Yesterday was sunny and then a mix of sun and clouds. It snowed at 7 pm. The high got to 3C. This morning it is cloudy with a light rain and 6C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 11C with it being 6C near us. I'm not sure what that means. 

Lifestyle

At 8 am Rosey the Robot scared the daylights out of me when she said she was going to vacuum. I thought she was to vacuum at 1 pm. I checked and I had forgot to change the time. I raced in to the bathroom and got the items off the floor so she could do her job. Because I changed her time, she did the floor again at 1 pm. Cleanest bathroom floor ever. 

I put the sheets from my bed into the washer and dryer. I cleaned the bathroom which needed doing. I folded laundry that I had done the day before. I made my bed later in the afternoon. 

My Chef's Plate box did not arrive and at 8 pm I talked to them. I wasn't notified that it was delayed (weather??). I have to say I was worried about the driver as he is such a nice person. The box is to arrive today and they know I will be looking at the ingredients carefully. I was prepared to cook a meal but had to heat up frozen lasagna for dinner last night. 

Sewing

I spent a lot of time in the sewing room prepping the bag for the retreat. I interfaced the back pieces and basted the heavier interfacing in place. I then cut the light fabric for the lining and the piping. 

The pieces were sewn together and then I made it into piping. I have enough cord to make one more hunk of piping. I then started to add the piping to the front and back. I hand basted the piping in place and then sewed the top part to it carefully. I use the piping foot on my Diamond hence why I did it at home. 

The back got done first and I really love it. Daughter called the piping fabric Saskatoons.

I did the front piece next and it looks good also. 

The handles and to closure tab also had piping added to them. I just photographed one handle. 

The last job was to cover the button using a scrap of the Saskatoon fabric. 

I was done and quite tired from doing all the prep. The bag was the most time consuming as I need both my sewing machines when I make them. I have it ready to sew with the Juki.

I have a few piles of items stacked to put into a bag to take to the retreat. I will start that today and focus on finishing it tomorrow. I have a spool of thread to buy for the bag. 

Knitting

I picked up the socks and knit 20 rounds last night. I was tired but I can knit them in my sleep. 

I checked my yarn stash and have enough yarn for 6 more pairs of socks plus another pair of the bamboo silk yarn to knit between now and Christmas. 

Thoughts

    My birthday is Sunday March 30. I will be at the retreat that day and will come home to have dinner at family's. Daughter-in-law makes our birthday dinners and we have to do hers. It has been a tradition since we moved here in 2017. 

    I was stunned at how much snow fell in a short period of time last night. The deck was white with about 1/2 -3/4" snow on it. The wind came in bringing warmer temperatures and rain. The snow is gone this morning. It is going to be cool with a couple of days of flurries. Not how March is supposed to end. At least in my books. 

    Rosey the Robot has certainly been forcing me to keep the house picked up. That is a plus. I know I will have to mop the floors as there are couple of marks that she can't get off. She doesn't have the spinning pads to do deep cleaning. If I decide to have another vacuum I would get the Narwal Freo X Ultra. At this time Rosey is doing the job I want her to do and I can do the mopping as necessary. I know I will have to vacuum with the Dyson to get into the places that Rosey can't get to. 

    I was surprised at how fast Chef's Plate responded to my inquiry about the delivery of my box. They have taken care of a few details so I will be notified if a box is delayed again. They know I will be looking at the ingredients in each bag to make sure they are fresh. 

Today

I am going to do a bit of housework before I go with daughter-in-law to her back to back appointments with physio and osteopathy. When we get home, I want to start packing for the retreat. I do need to cook a meal tonight. I also want to knit on the socks. 

Until the next time..................................................................

Prepping For The Retreat, Vest Completed

 Yesterday was a day of snow flurries and cold wind. The high got to 6C at 10 am only to drop to -2C by 5 pm. This morning it is clear and -7C (windchill -10C). Today is supposed to be sunny with increasing clouds with a high of 3C. 

Lifestyle

I did the balance sheet yesterday and all is good. I made a list of expenses for the rest of the month and all I need is groceries and 2 spools of thread. 

I did a large load of laundry also. I am trying to keep up on it as I am out most of the week. I have another load to do today. 

Daughter sent me a birthday parcel from Amazon. When I stepped out to pick it up, I almost froze. The wind was brutal. She gave me chocolate and some Mary Ellen's starch. 

I started the robot vacuum around 10 am as I was going to work in the sewing room. It took almost 90 minutes to vacuum and mop the floors. It did a great job of vacuuming though I had to take the Dyson to one spot that was dirty that it couldn't reach. Mopping was okay but it didn't get 3 dirty spots. I took care of them in hopes that it will mop the floors without any issues. 

Sewing

I spent a lot of time prepping for the retreat. First I trimmed the half triangle blocks to 4.5" and got them put away with each row marked and pinned. 

Next I cut the backing and a new piece of batting for the table runner. Then I used most of the left over fabric and made binding. I cut it on the bias. 

It is now in its bag ready to be packed for the retreat. 

I turned my attention to the bag. I cut a piece of the green for a topper for the bag. I interfaced it and the panel for the front. I then put deco bond interfacing on those pieces so it would be stiff. I stitched them in place as this interfacing does not like to adhere to the fabric even though it is iron on. Play time came next and I am going to put piping between the two pieces. 

I am now ready to do the back part of the bag. It will have the green print on the top also. I then have to cut the handles, the lining, and make the piping. Once that is done, this project will be prepped for the retreat. 

Knitting

I finished the vest and I am pleased with it. 

I also worked on the socks and now have 11 rounds done on the first one. 

I bought this yarn in Sweden and it is from Denmark. It is merino wool and so soft to work with. 

These socks are for me. I have yarn I bought in Sweden to make daughter a pair. I have yarn I bought in the fall to knit into socks so will be busy for months knitting socks. 

Thoughts

    I was surprised at how clean my floors were when I ran the vacuum (her name is Rosey) yesterday. White fluff, some of my hair, and a bit of Elliott's fur. The Dyson has done a great job of picking up everything when I last used it. I know I will be using the Dyson when I need to move furniture and clean under it and when I do closets. The mopping pad wasn't that dirty either. I know I will have to mop by hand every couple of  weeks to get the stubborn spots off. I am pleased at how this vacuum worked after one use. Today it will clean the bathroom again. 

    Our weather is going to be somewhat brutal this week. Snow, colder temperatures, and probably winds from the north or west. It looks like March will have come in like a lion and will leave like a lion. We did have a few warm days this month which was nice. 

    Prepping for the retreat has been a lot of work. There will only be one cutting and one pressing station. I am not sure how much table space we get. I decided that I should be well prepared so I can work mainly from my sewing space. Also being prepared will allow me to sew with precision and accuracy. It will also allow me to enjoy each project without worrying having to take a lot of extra items with me. 

Today

I have to fold laundry and do another load of laundry. I am going to spend quite a bit of time in the sewing room prepping the bag. I will also start packing what I will be taking with me. Tonight I will be knitting on the socks. I also have to cook dinner as I have my Chef's Plate order arriving today. 

Until the next time...................................................................

Table Runner Design Had Emerged

 Yesterday started out cloudy and damp but ended up sunny. The wind was cold and the high got to 10C. This morning it is cloudy and 2C. Today is supposed to be cloudy with showers this morning and flurries this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I headed out to the garage first thing and backed the car outside. I stood and looked at the mess thinking I would be 2 mornings cleaning the space up. I started moving things around - bottle returns to the garage door, boxes into the middle, and items moved to make space to work. I organized items together (gardening, painting, etc.) and got them put where I wanted them. I swept areas and set them up again. Boxes were broken down and stored to be put out in 2 weeks. I just kept moving things, sweeping, and before I knew it, it was done. 

I took the bottles in for a refund and came home. I spent the rest of the morning at neighbours having tea and visiting. Family was there also. It was a nice way to spend the morning after cleaning up the garage. 

The robot vacuum cleaner arrived after dinner. I got a Narwal Freo X Plus. I had a huge learning curve. I followed the directions and was chasing the robot so it would connect to the wifi through the app on my phone while it was mapping the house. After many hours I have figured out how to schedule it so it will clean the house. It is easy once you know how. I let it do a bit of cleaning and am amazed at how much dirt it picked up. I am going to have it clean the whole upstairs while I am in the sewing room. Then it will be set on its schedule starting tomorrow. 

Sewing

All the fabric I laundered was pressed and starched. One piece was heavily starched and will be pressed again. The other pieces were lightly starched. They are hanging up drying on hangers. 

I cut the squares I sewed together along the line I drew. I laid out the pieces until I got a design I liked. 

I will probably tweak it a bit more so the big flowers are a bit further apart. Other wise I am happy with the layout out. I have started to trim the squares to 4.5". I am getting closer to having it prepped for the retreat. 

Knitting

None done last night as I played with the robot vacuum. 

Thoughts

    I chose the Narwal Freo X Plus as it has good reviews from several different people. Daughter loves hers as it has done a great job on her floors for 6 weeks now. She has 2 dogs and a cat. I found the app a bit hard to figure out. I found out how to schedule by accident and had no idea what I had done. A google search this morning said to touch the name on the screen and voila it worked. No where in the instructions did it say to do that. One video on mapping failed to tell you that. A bit of playing around in the schedule section and I have it set up for times and days of the week. I do know that every couple of weeks I will have to vacuum the areas the robot can't get to. 

    The wind was cold yesterday. It was coming in from the west which is cold at this time of the year. It is supposed to come in from the north later today bringing in the storm going through New Brunswick. It is going to be cool this week. March came in like a lion and it seems like it wants to leave like a lion also. 

    I am slowly starting to get my energy back. I still want to nap after lunch which tells me I am not back at my normal levels. It is coming as I can do more each day. I am going try and not nap after lunch. I need to push through the day so I sleep better at night. I think napping is now interfering with my sleep. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet first thing. I have to deal with all the cardboard from the vacuum and put the box it came in away. I want to trim the blocks for the table runner so I can put it into its bag. I hope to work on the vest tonight. 

Until the next time........................................................

Fabric For Project Purchased

 Yesterday was cloudy with rain in the evening. The high got to 14C. This morning it is cloudy and 5C. Today is suppose to be cloudy with showers or drizzle and the high is supposed to get to 9C. 

Lifestyle

I was out early to make sandwiches. I was the 2nd person there so we got things ready -- wiping counters, setting up the stations, and prepping fillings. We were done by 9 am. 

I went to New Minas before lunch. I was to the quilt store and Walmart. I was home by noon. I have to stay that traffic was light in New Minas. It wasn't lined up for several blocks as the only stop light in the town. I was in and out with no problems. 

My right hip was sore yesterday and it cracked last night. I really think the SI joint was out and is still out a bit. Or it may not be quite seated properly. The pain is back to the old pain in my knee and glutes. I am tired of the pain but will endure it until the SI joint is seated. Part of the soreness could be from the barometric pressure dropping but I think most of it was from me vacuuming and mopping daily. 

I got a lovely gift from an internet friend to remind me of Elliott. I was so surprised to open the box and see it. 

I have hung it up in the dining room window near where I sit. I can look at it every day and remember my companion. 

Sewing

My sewing consisted of the visit to the quilt shop. The first thing I looked for was fabric for the bag I am going to make. I hunted around quite a bit and finally came up with these for daughter to choose from. 

The pink on the left was bought for a shirt and the purple print on the right was not chosen. Everyone in the store was excited to see what fabrics daughter would choose. They love how I do it texting pictures to her. It works for us. 

The lovely eggplant and the light print will go great together on the straps. The green will be a border at the top of the bag front. I am looking forward to making this bag. 

I also bought the fabric for the table runner backing and binding. It is the line I wanted but the darker shade. 

The half square triangles look lovely on it. 

Knitting

I finished the one side seam last night. As I did more, I got better at it. I made a decision not to undo it start again. 

I hope to start the other side tonight. 

Thoughts

    It was great to be out yesterday getting the fabric. I enjoyed it a lot but know I won't be buying any more until I get all the projects done. I am thinking of using the left over bag fabric for another bag which I may put embroidery on it. A surprise for daughter. 

    I am the dark horse at the retreat I am going to. I am the unknown person. This has me a bit nervous but I have been assured that the people attending are really nice. I do hope to meet people so I can connect with them at other functions. 

    I have been watching videos on the robot cleaner I have coming. One thing I have learned that it does a good job of vacuuming but the mopping part is only for floors that are not really dirty. If floors get dirty, you need a robot cleaner that has spinning pads and will go back to the dock to clean those pads. They then go back and finish washing the dirty area. My floors do not get ultra dirty and if they do, I will mop them by hand. One thing they are not designed to do is to pick up spilled liquids. If this arrives today, I may not be able to set it up until tomorrow as it will arrive around 5 pm. 

    The one good thing about the weather today is the flurries/snow have disappeared from the forecast. Flurries not until Wednesday which I hope disappears from the radar. March does not need to go out like a lion. 

Today

I need to do some laundry and I want to start cleaning the garage. I know this job will take me several days as I need to do a real clean up after parking in there all winter. I want to prep the fabric I bought yesterday and, if I have enough time, cut out the pillow and pillow case for the doll's quilt. Tonight I would like to start sewing up the other side seam on the vest. 

Until the next time.................................................................

Some Sewing and Knitting Done

 Yesterday was cloudy with a high of 14C. This morning it is cloudy and 4C. Today is supposed to be cloudy with showers with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

I was out early to make sandwiches which were done by 9 am. It was a small but efficient crew that worked on them. There is a cold going around that is keeping people home. 

Once done, I went grocery shopping. I walked around most of the store to get some exercise. Once home I rested as I was sore. Sometimes I think my SI joint is out and won't go in and other times I think the adductor or hip flexor is so tight it is affecting my SI joint and knee. I keep stretching and applying heat to help it, and it feel better and then it gets sore again. 

I made a new dinner to me. It was Cheesy Bacon Pasta. It was okay but if I make it again, I would use this recipe. I would decrease for 2 people. This recipe calls for salted water for the pasta which mine didn't and it had no onion which would add flavour. I do research recipes to see how they are done by other cooks and I like the one I found to replace this one. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday. I did the stitching on the squares so I will have half square triangles. They are ready to cut down the line I drew. I won't do that until I get to the retreat. I didn't take pictures of them as you can hardly see the stitching on the light side. 

I did spend some time looking for fabric for the backing of the table runner (half square triangles) and found some ideas. I also looked for fabric for the bag I want to make. I have a list for when I go shopping today. 

Knitting

I picked up the vest and started to sew the side seams together. I did some, undid it, and redid it. This is how much I got done in 90 minutes. I do not like to sew the seams when I have to deal with purl stitches on the right side. 

It looks okay but what a lot of work to get half the seam sewn together. I am going to persist and get this vest done so I can knit the socks I started 2 weeks ago. I am ready to knit socks once again. 

Thoughts

    I was hoping to start cleaning the garage this weekend but I may have to put it on hold. It may be too cold to do much of anything out there. I could take the bottles to the return depot so they are gone. After that, I need to have the garage door open and the car outside. Not happening if it snows like they say it could. 

    I have been watching videos on how to set up the robot vacuum cleaner. I want to set it up right away and start vacuuming the upstairs. I will try the vacuum and mop setting once I get the house mapped and have it vacuum for several days. One of the videos said it only uses water and no cleaners so I know I will be mopping the floors if they start to look streaky. I also know I will have to vacuum the areas it doesn't get to once a week. 

Today

I am out again this morning to make sandwiches and then I am heading out to get fabric so I can prep the rest of the projects for the retreat. I want to sew one item this afternoon (pillow for doll's quilt) and I will work on the vest tonight. 

Until the next time.................................................................

An Afternoon Out

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 4C. This morning it is partly cloudy and -2C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 12C.

Lifestyle

It was a morning to get the laundry folded and put away. Not a lot but it needed doing. I also vacuumed the upstairs and tidied up a bit. It is nice having it clean and organized. 

I was out before lunch to pick up Elliott's ashes. The container is lovely. I got his paw prints, a sympathy card, and a certificate that he was cremated alone. I put the paper work into his file. His ashes will be buried with the Spousal Unit's later on. 

I sat on the stairs waiting for daughter-in-law to pick me up. I rolled my sore spots and had a loud crack. I think my SI joint is acting up again. I rolled again after I got home. I sat on the bullnose and really went at it. It took care of the sore spots. 

I was support for daughter-in-law when she went to physiotherapy. I sat and waited for her during her treatment. It was her initial intake assessment and she got dry needling done to help some muscles relax. She has exercises similar to what I do unconsciously each day. 

I had supper with family last night. Delicious curries with rice. We talked about her treatment and both grandson and son were interested but not in the dry needling. Like daughter-in-law and I they don't like needles. Grandson and I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher. I was happy to leave knowing the kitchen was clean.

We watched YouTube videos last night. The first one was how rice is planted in China. Very interesting to see how it is done using a machine. The second one was harvesting rice and how rice balls are made. The last one was about street food and how it is made. Though they showed quite a few food stands, we saw only 5 different foods made. I learned a lot and family drooled for the food. They have eaten it before when they travelled to Asia. 

I bought a robot vacuum cleaner. It is the same one I bought for daughter. I got it at the same price as I paid for hers. It will be here on Saturday. I decided to get one as I find vacuuming hard on my hips. It seems to irritate the SI joints. I know I will have to use the Dyson weekly to get the areas the robot won't get to. If I want a different one for upstairs, this one can do downstairs. 

Thoughts

    I see the physiotherapist in 2 weeks and I know she has some work to do on me. I still have soreness and it needs to be dealt with. I am able to do everything around the house so know it is mainly muscles that are acting up. I also think the SI joint is out a bit. I will work on that at home on a daily basis. I am also doing some exercises to help and I know which muscles are tight. 

    Our weather is going to be cool with some showers for the next week. I was hoping to do a few things outside but won't be able to. The sunny days will have temperatures just above freezing. Spring is coming slowly. 

Today

I am out this morning to make sandwiches. I also have to go grocery shopping after sandwiches are done. I am hoping that I can get downstairs to sew this afternoon and I'd like to work on the vest tonight. I do have to cook dinner tonight. It is going to be a pasta dish.

Until the next time......................................................................

A Clean Upstairs

 Yesterday it rained constantly and the temperature dropped to 2C in the afternoon. This morning it is cloudy and 0C. Today is supposed to be clear and 12C. 

Lifestyle

With it raining fairly hard, it was a great day to continue cleaning the house. My first job was to defrost the fridge. After a google search, I got the basket so I could put towels in to catch the water. I boiled water and put it in the freezer. I got the ice off after a couple of hours and then put more boiling water in to finish defrosting. By mid afternoon, I was finished and had the fridge cleaned and put back into its spot. 

While the fridge was defrosting, I cleaned the dining room. I did not clean the heat pump head or the windows. But, I did get rid of junk off the table, clean it good, vacuum the floors and mop them. I took out some garbage and stood back to look at the upstairs. It was officially cleaned. Now to keep it up. 

I ran outside to pick up the flyers at the end of the driveway. It was cold and wet out there. There was plenty of water running in the ditch. I didn't stay out very long as I was getting cold and wet. I didn't put on a jacket just a light sweater. 

I was tired from not sleeping well on Monday night. I was also sore. I sat on the hot pad and napped after lunch. My energy level was low. I am happy I pushed through the house and am hoping that my muscles will stop aching now that I can take it easier for the rest of the week. 

I didn't sew or knit yesterday. 

Thoughts

    It rained for about 18 hours yesterday. It ranged from light to heavy rainfall. Very little wind which was nice. What air movement we had came from the northeast blowing the storm down on us. It was moving more across New Brunswick and was pushed down onto us. Hence why the colder temperatures. 

    I am amazed at how much cat hair is still floating around the house after it has been cleaned. Elliott was a big shedder and it is going to take time to get the hair gone. I do miss him a lot and called out to him twice yesterday. As the days go by, I am sure he will be the last cat I have. 

    I was shocked to hear that Donna Jordon from Jordon Fabrics passed away. I enjoyed watching her videos on quilting. She was always inspiring and talked about her process openly. She will be missed in the quilting world and I know I will be watching some of her videos again for inspiration. Some of the tricks I use today I learned from her. 

Today

I have to fold laundry and do a bit of vacuuming and mopping. I would like to do a few things in the sewing room today I am going with daughter-in-law to her physio appointment this afternoon and hopefully work on the vest tonight. I have to take recycling down to the road also. It is going to be another day at home as I will be busy the next two days. 

Until the next time...................................................................