Designing An Apron

 Yesterday was sunny and hot. The high got to 27C (humidex 33C). This morning it is partly cloudy and 16C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 27C (humidex 32C).

Lifestyle

I got up to do my chores earlier than normal. I folded the laundry and put it away first thing. I wanted the job done and out of the way. 

I decided to clean my bedroom as I haven't done it thoroughly for quite a while. I wiped all the furniture with a damp cloth and it had dust on it. I also wiped the floor where Rosie doesn't go. It was also dusty. The rest of the floor was clean so I left it for Rosie to do after lunch. I also did some other cleaning in the room that needed doing. I was happy to have a nice smelling room when I got done. 

My next job as to clean the kitchen. I did the counters and stove plus washed a few dishes. I left the appliances as I had to switch on the humidity control in the fridge. I had moisture on the edge of one door. I will do the appliances next as they have lots of finger prints on them. 

Later in the afternoon I emptied the dehumidifier. The tank was almost full due to the hot humid weather we had. I have been emptying it every other day due to the high humidity. 

I didn't sleep well last night. I am not sure why but it happened. I was up around 3 am to the bathroom and I opened the windows in the house. It was 18C outside. Time for the a/c to be off and the cool outside air to be inside. 

Sewing

After a battle with myself as I was tired, I went downstairs to find an apron pattern to sew. I found this one in my tiny collection of patterns. 

I traced the blue one onto tracing pellon as it is the easiest one to cut up and add a border to. 

As I was on a roll, I got out some scrap fabric and made flying geese. I used the method I learned last summer and took my time to make these. I do love my flying geese ruler which family gave me a couple of Christmas's ago. 

I carefully sewed them together and started to play. I grabbed some left over piping to help me. My first try was okay. 

Laying them on the pattern helps me visualize what I want to do. I could see what it was going to look like. I then took the flying geese and started them at the center front. 

This really helped me as I now know I have to add one more flying goose to the end plus a piece of the apron fabric. The main fabric will allow me to turn under the hem at the side. 

I will make two more sets of flying geese so I have 12 flying geese. Then I will work on where to place the strip of them on the apron. I am thinking about 2/3rds the way down the front. I may make a few smaller flying geese to put up at the top of the apron. I wait and see on that one. 

Knitting

I did sit and knit 7 rows on the afghan last night. I did enjoy working on it after a short break. 

Thoughts

    I did a quick survey of my lawn this morning. The cinch bug damage is unreal. A quick google states my lawn has had lots of nitrogen for growing which they love. My neighbour and I are the only ones who have well tended lawns and both of us have cinch bug damage. Everyone else doesn't. 

    I have 4 or 5 tomatoes to pick as they are almost ripe. The plants have lots of tomatoes on them and they are turning colour. The jalapeño peppers are growing but I lost some blooms during the heat wave. The cucumber plants have a lot of blooms but not a lot of little cucumbers can be seen. We wait and see about them. 

    The developer is working like crazy every day moving soil from between us and the highway. There is a never ending noise all day long and we have dump trucks parked on our road waiting to back in to be loaded. The developer is also developing an area down closer to the hospital and I was told he is doing all this because of grant money to build more homes. Though he sells the homes for a big price, there are a lot of homes for sale in his development as people are moving out. 

    It is so nice to have the house opened up this morning and cool air coming in. We really needed this coolness after the heat we had. Yesterday was as hot as the previous days but it wasn't muggy when you went outside. It wasn't soupy outside which was nice. 

Today

I am going to finish cleaning the kitchen and launder my sheets. I do have to water the all the plants today. I want to play with the apron pattern so I know where to cut the pattern apart to add the border. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. 

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

The Day Was A Bust

 Yesterday was another sunny humid day with a high of 27C (humidex 35C). This morning it is somewhat cloudy and 20C (humidex 27C, no heat warning). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 27C (humidex 33C). 

Lifestyle

First - I just heard and saw 5 Canada geese fly over us. Fall must be approaching as we only hear them in the spring and fall. 

Yesterday was a first class bust for me. I was virtually nonfunctional and moved at a snail's pace. I was able to do some research on something that interested me. I had thought about making cookies to sell. I worked on a bit of a plan in which I learned a lot of information. Then I did some googling about selling them in our area and it isn't going to happen. There are 4 places that sell homemade cookies. I put it to bed. I did learn a lot and can use some of that information when I do have to make cookies. 

After I ate lunch, I laid down for a nap. It turned into a 2 hour deep sleep. I did wake up feeling a bit better but not great. I was in no shape to do any sewing or knitting. It was a day of doing nothing but a few odd things I could find to do without having to think too much. 

I did sleep well last night and will be able to do more today but I will have to monitor myself so I don't nap or over do it. I know the heat we will have today will make me tired. 

Today

I want to clean the kitchen up as it needs some love. I have to fold the laundry also. I want to look at my apron patterns and choose one to make so daughter can donate it at a field trial. I hope to knit tonight. It is a day of getting back on track. 

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

An Interesting Night

 Yesterday was one of those days where it did everything but snow or hail (hailed west of us though). It was sunny, turned grey and dark, rained, had thunder, and then more rain. It was like living in a big pot of hot soup. The high got to 26C (humidex 34C). This morning it is cloudy and 21C (humidex 28C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with (maybe) some showers. The high is to get to 30C (humidex 36C).

Lifestyle

The heat and humidity got to me yesterday. Even though I got the house cold I was still feeling the effects of the weather. Part is not getting out and part is living in a house that has all the shade drawn. It is like living in a box. Anyways, I turned on the heat pump in the basement to dehumidifier and then emptied the portable dehumidifier as its tank was almost full. 

I did get a load of laundry washed and dried but not folded. 

I had a rest but didn't sleep. 

I was out at 3:30 pm to the community hall where I helped daughter-in-law work the bar. It was busy as everyone wanted to drink due to the heat and humidity and because we were forewarned they were drinkers. We worked steady for 90 minutes. I then helped get the plates of dinner out of the bar cooler which we had been playing Tetris with. I did a turn that hurt me something fierce while doing that. 

The bar cooler started to warm up and we put it to the amount of time the door was opened and the warm stock we put in. In actual fact, the cooler got turned off and daughter-in-law did a quick google search and turned it on. There was a lull almost 4 hours in so I left thinking it would be slower and that son would help. He was on duty to buy if stock went down. He went twice. I should have stayed and pushed through as it was busy and I didn't sleep but much until an hour after the bar closed. 

I woke about 90 minutes after going to bed to a power outage. Not sure why it went off but estimated time was 2:15 am. I go the portable generator into the bedroom so I could have a lamp and my cPap machine plugged in. The house was cold so I knew it wouldn't get warm for about 3 hours. It was raining soup outside. I checked the power outage map at 2 pm and it was clear here but we had no power. I reported it and a few minutes later the map showed it was still out and estimated time now 3 am. It came back on at 2:05 am. I was out of bed to make sure the a/c and fans were on and running. It was still raining. I did sleep after that but not enough for me. 

Sewing

I got the doll's dress finished. All I had to do was sew on the button and snaps and give it a good pressing. 

I held the top button down so I could fold the top of the opening back for a cuter more relaxed look. 

The back turned out good considering you were to put loop and hook tape on it. I put on snaps instead. I did a couple of hidden stitches to hold edges in place. 

I will be making the top part of the dress again when I find fabric for the capris and shorts. 

Knitting

None done last night. 

Thoughts

    My thoughts are going out to the people in the Okangan. The area of Summerland has a fierce wildfire. The community has been evacuated and many homes have been burned. The hospital in Penticton is operating under an orange code as they receive patients from Summerland and treat those people who need it. The province of BC is under a state of emergency as there are about 100 wild fires burning and thousands who have been evacuated. 

    Ashcroft, where daughter lives, has the worst air quality in all of BC. They have smoke coming in from all directions due to the wildfires. Every time I say it is raining she wishes they could have it, even if it feels like soup outside. They are very hot and dry there and have been for a long time. 

    The fog has rolled in adding to the list of weather conditions we are experiencing. I am starting to see the humour in this even if it is ugly to be outside. 

Today

It is survival day for me. I will be having a nap sometime today. My goal is to fold laundry and make sure I have something for dinner. I won't be touching any sewing or knitting projects as I know I will turn it into a disaster. 

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

Almost Done The Doll's Dress

 Yesterday was mainly sunny and hot. The high got to 32C (humidex 38C). This morning it is clear and 20C. Today it is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a chance of rain this afternoon. The high is to get to 30C (humidex 36C).

Lifestyle

I had the house opened yesterday morning to air it out and enjoy the cool air. As the sun got higher, it got hot quickly. I shut the house up and closed all the blinds. You could actually feel how humid it was as it warmed up.

I decided to get groceries while it was "cool". It wasn't busy at the grocery store which was nice. I got everything I wanted and looked at a few things I didn't need. It was just snoop shopping. I did help one lady as she couldn't find what she wanted. She is on a low sodium diet like me so we chatted for a few minutes as we read labels. 

At home, I was greeted by the people who mow my lawn. The lawn was due for a mowing and weed eating. I paid them and we talked about the humidity coming in so early yesterday. 

I got all the groceries put away and sat down to have a large amount of water. I was getting dehydrated from being in the house and being outside in the heat. 

I did water the vegetables twice yesterday and the flowers once. I always water the rose bush and had to go in and get the scissors as there were some gorgeous blooms read to be picked. 

Sewing

I worked on the doll's dress yesterday. It was time to make the skirt. I read the instructions first and then proceeded to not fold the ruffle in half. Am I glad I didn't do it the way the instructions said. I did the serging, hemmed the bottom and sides and put in 3 rows of gathering thread. I'm glad I did the 3 rows of gathering thread as there was a lot of fabric to gather onto the bodice. I picked and played with the gathers and then hand basted it in place. 

Next up was the skirt. I followed the instructions and even did a double turned hemmed. I serged and then did 3 rows of gathering thread as there was more fabric to gather in the skirt. I will have to say I did a of grunting as I gathered the fabric to fit the bodice. I did it without breaking a thread. I fiddled with the gathers and then sewed it all together. I even serged the waist seam before I stopped for the day. My hands couldn't handle sewing snaps and buttons on. 

I am impressed with this pattern. It fits the doll well which is what I do want when sewing for them. The instructions are good with only one spot I got confused (operator problem) and one part where it said the "dot" was to be at the back edge of the bodice. There was no dot but a line where you folded the fabric back. 

I certainly will be buying another one of her patterns and will sew this pattern again. I want to do the top again with capris. 

Knitting

I knit 7 rows and ran out of thread while knitting the 8th row. I stopped for the night and will get a new ball out to knit again on Sunday night. 

Thoughts

    I am working through some guilt I am still dealing with since the Spousal Unit passed away. I have dealt with the guilt of him passing first and the guilt of me not being able to stop him from having Alzheimer's. The guilt I am dealing with now is from not visiting him at the hospital as we were following orders from the RCMP. I now know I should have visited him as there was no formal paperwork delivered to me or him. The hospital could do nothing about me visiting. They were struggling with this also as this was their first time dealing with this type of situation. If it happened today, I would be in to visit him and saying show me the paperwork. We learn as we go and I know I will work through this as I come to terms with it. 

    Though we have no humidex this morning, we have 100% humidity and no dew. I walked out onto the deck this morning knowing I will be outside only to water the plants. This heat is tropical air coming in from the Caribbean and could last a couple more days. 

    I found a 2nd cucumber yesterday. I am looking forward to having fresh cucumbers off the vine. The Early Girl tomatoes are starting to ripen and we will soon be eating them. The jalapeño peppers are growing but it will be a while before they will be ready. Though the plants got a slow start this year, they are doing much better than I had thought. 

Today

I have laundry to do and a bit of cleaning upstairs. I want to finish the doll's dress this afternoon. I am out to help in the bar at the community hall tonight so I won't be knitting. 

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

A Great Check Up

 Yesterday was hot and sunny with a high of 31C (humidex 35C). When it was 30C the humidex was 37C. This morning it is clear and 16C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a chance of showers this afternoon. The high is to get to 33C (humidex 38C). 

Lifestyle

I did my exercises and noticed that I am loosening up and my muscles are getting a tiny bit stronger. I didn't have any issues while doing them. 

My job of the morning was to prep the onions and peppers for dinner. I got them done, put into the fridge and the area cleaned up. 

I was to the doctor's after that and didn't have to wait long to see him. He was pleased with my blood pressure saying it was excellent. We talked about my possibility of having gout and the test was added to my blood work. He checked the toe and said it didn't look like gout. He thinks I had a flare up with my bunion. He was onto Amazon to show me what I had to buy. We talked about me having fluid retention (drink lots) and that I should loose the weight I have gained. My next visits will be for the flu shot and the Covid vaccine and after that to see him in early November. 

I got home in time to make lunch. I have to say that I am tired of chicken and turkey but I am to continue on with this for a while. I am to monitor my salt intake also. I am trying different spices and herbs and have found that I like some and not others. I can have red meat on occasion but not as often as I would like. 

There was a lot of noise outside my house at 1 pm. I looked out and the municipality had a truck and small digger on our road. They were cleaning the ditch. The digger operator was great and he did a great job at the culvert that takes all the water under the road to the stream that goes down the gully. He methodically worked down the street cleaning out all the grass, garbage, etc. that was in the ditch. 

Sewing

I started sewing the dress. I cut out the straps and pressed them and sewed them and ended up with straps just over 1/4" wide. I pinned them onto the bodice front and read the instructions on how to sew it together. I was confused. They didn't make sense at all. I started to sew how I thought it should be. Not right. Then, I realized I should have read the instructions first. I didn't understand how to put the bodice together. When I read the rest of the instructions for the bodice it made sense. I took out the I took out the stitching I had done and did it right. It is ingenious when you know what to do. 

The bodice is actually 2 pieces and you sew it shut in the front with 4 small buttons. The back will be closed with snaps. 

I am now ready to start on the ruffle and skirt. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and got 8 rows done. The ball of yarn is almost finished. 

That is my book where I keep track of my knitting. The page showing is for the afghan. I actually do go back and look at projects I have done so I know what yarn and needles I used. 

Thoughts

    Thank you to the person who gave me a bit more information about the Rolling Barrage. I read a bit more on Facebook about them. Two people gave the number of riders (87 and 129) for this year. The riders had breakfast at the Legion before they set out on their journey. I do thank them for what they do for fund raising for veterans. 

    I have the house opened up and am enjoying the cool air this morning. Yesterday the humidity dropped in the late afternoon and, though hot, it wasn't unbearable when I went out to water all the plants. This spell is supposed to last for the weekend and then move on. 

    I am now watering the vegetable tubs twice a day due to the heat. They are drying out quickly especially the cucumbers. I do the flowers once a day as they get a lot more shade from the shed. The rose bush drinks a lot of water each day. It is ready to have a bunch of blooms open. 

Today

I have to do my exercises and then figure out what I need to do for cleaning. I want to work on the doll's dress this afternoon and knit tonight. It is going to be too hot to do anything outside other than water the plants. 

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

Starting A New Project

 Yesterday was the beginning of our heat warning and it was sunny and somewhat humid. The high got to 30C (humidex 36C). This morning it is clear and 17C. Today is supposed to be sunny and hot with a high of 32C (humidex 38C).

This person cracks me up with how he writes his weather reports. He is quite accurate which is amazing. Environment Canada gives us our official weather forecast.  

Lifestyle

I was out the door before 7:30 am to start making sandwiches at the community hall. I had 1 hour before I had to leave for my appointment. I got everything out for making the sandwiches, got 2 fillings ready, and made 3 loaves of sandwiches. I was hustling as I wanted to do my share and we were short a person. 

On my way to get my hair cut, I stopped at home for 2 minutes (timed). I went out through the way I go shopping as there are delays the usual way we go. When I got to the stop sign to get on to the main road, I had to sit through 2 green lights. The police were escorting about 150 bikers to the parking lot at the strip mall. They blocked side roads so they could move as a unit. It was interesting to watch them as they were very polite and courteous to everyone. Update -- I just read they are veterans travelling across Canada. 

I got to my hair appointment 2 minutes late and got my hair cut. Once home, I got my weeding tub out and I weeded around the shed. I removed all the weeds in the bed plus those growing along the edge of the lawn. I got over warm sitting in the sun doing the last bit. I did prune the rose bush and watered it and all the flower tubs. I then went in and had a break and drank a lot of water. 

The last job of the morning was to clean the downstairs bathroom. It wasn't as dirty as I had thought it would be. But, it got done and looks much better and smells like grapefruit from the cleaner. 

The only task I had to do after lunch was get the mixing bowls and left over dressing from the hall and take it to family's house. I did that and went downstairs to see how son is doing with demolition. He had the ceiling tiles down in the exercise room and was ready to start taking down the metal parts that held the tiles in place. We had a chat about what he is doing and I left for home. 

Later in the afternoon, I took out the recycling and the compost bin to the road for pick up this morning. It was hot and somewhat humid. Not as bad as I had thought. I also watered the vegetables and picked the first ripe tomato. It was sweet and juicy. 

Sewing

I forced myself to sew later in the afternoon. I cut out the remaining pattern pieces for a dress for the Gotz dolls. I laid it out on the fabric and got it cut out. I just have to cut out the straps from a left over piece. 

This project challenge was to use a new pattern designer and a piece of fabric I had bought 3 years ago. 

Knitting

I did not knit last night as I was too tired. 

Thoughts

    I struggled yesterday to get a normal blood pressure reading. I think the reason was having to rush around in the morning. It was close but not normal. I also worried I had a bit of retained fluid though I had drank a lot. Not to worry as I lost .5 lb yesterday. 

    I changed the filter in the fridge. If all could go wrong, it did. The holder fell off when I took the old one out. I struggled and wrestled with it to get it back on. I won. The new filter is in even if it did take me 20 minutes to do a 5 minute job. 

    The hot weather and humidity is to persist until Saturday. There is a haze, which is the blanket of humidity, over the Minas Basin. People who have lived here all their lives say this is not common though I remember this type of weather when we visited Nova Scotia in the early 1990's. We forget unless something jars our memories. 

    I have put weeding on hold until next week when it is cooler. I have the next spot picked and should be able to do it in about 20-30 minutes. I will have to go outside early to do it so I won't be sitting in the sun and overheating. 

Today

I have to do my yoga exercises today as I missed yesterday. I will try to prep the vegetables for supper this morning before I go to the doctor's. Once home, I will sew on the dress and I hope to knit tonight. 

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

A Teeny Tiny Cucumber

 Yesterday was warm and windy. The high got to 26C (humidex 29C). This morning it is clear and 19C. Today is supposed to be sunny and hot with a high of 32C (humidex 37C). 

Lifestyle

I had a busy morning. I did my yoga exercises first and I am getting more flexible. I am also having less cramps as my muscles are getting stronger. 

My next job was to get some money out of the bank so I can pay for my haircut today. The drive was uneventful. 

Once home, I worked on the chicken carcass from dinner the night before. I got 6 ounces of meat off it which I have in the fridge for lunches. I then put the bones into the Instapot and pressure cooked them for broth. I use it when cooking. 

I folded the laundry and got it put away. It didn't take me long as I pushed through focusing on it and not other things. My last job was to take out the garbage and recycling. I sprayed everything as there are fruit flies showing up. I don't like them at all so out comes the bug killer for fruit fly season.

I moved the cucumbers on the deck as they are starting to hang over and I don't want the deer to munch on them. I found one tiny cucumber. 

I also noticed that I have one larger tomato ripening. 

While out watering the vegetables, I noticed my neighbour's mom was out holding the new baby. She is 5 weeks old. I went up to see her and visited with them for a while. The baby and their other daughter are going to look alike. 

The company was out to spray for cinch bugs. The person doing the job hasn't been here for over a year. He told me that most of the damage to my lawn is cinch bugs from last year which was done twice. He said they will be doing fertilizer and weed control in the next 6 weeks. He also said my lawn needs seeding which will be done in September. 

Sewing

I cut out a top and capris for the Gotz dolls. I do not have fabric for the capris that goes with any printed fabric. I have decided to make the dress so have printed the pieces for the skirt. 

Knitting

I did knit 8 rows last night and am doing the dark colour. 

Thoughts

    We are under a heat warning until Saturday. The highs are to get up to 32C with a humidex of 37-38C. The humidity soup arrives Friday or Saturday which will be disgusting. The humidity this morning is 67% which is low for us. No dew either. 

    I had less pain in my SI joint yesterday even though I was busy. The stretching exercises are working which is great. I am hoping to get outside next week when it is cooler and do some things in the yard rather than just do housework. It is time to be outside and see how much I can get done. There are a lot of weeds to be pulled and I should do some other things. I also need to call the person to come and mow my lawn. 

Today

I am out shortly to make sandwiches as I have to leave early for a hair cut. Once home, I want to do some cleaning in the basement. I didn't get to it yesterday. I hope to cut out the doll's dress today and knit tonight. I won't be outside today except to water the plants. 

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