I Had A Fun Afternoon

Yesterday was grey, glum, and very wet. Two inches of rain fell and the high got to 3.4C. This morning it is snowing lightly and -1C. We are to have a mix of sun, clouds, and a few flurries with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

I was out early to get my hair cut and lucked out that I was between showers when I got in and out of the car. When I stopped at the scrapbooking store, it was pouring rain. 

The rain continued all day and it was a bit worrisome. On our streets, you could see water coming down the side of the road in waves. The ditches had water in them and were running quickly to the big culvert. On the way into town, the ditches were full of brown water that was moving quickly. There was water on the roads in town but I didn't hear if any businesses flooded. The rain stopped in the early evening and then it started to snow lightly during the night. The roads are bare this morning so I am assuming they were salted during the night. The storm is gone thank goodness. 

I had chicken that I had cooked in 7 spice, garlic, and lemon juice. It was okay but not as exciting as I thought it would be. The next container I will add a sauce to the meat. 

Elliott had a day of sleeping and was still wanting to be under a blanket last evening. He is a great sleeper on dull grey days. 

Sewing and Crafting

I spent the afternoon playing. I finished hand sewing the long seam on the back of the quilt. I am happy that job is done and I can start quilting the row. 

My next little job was to make a card. I put on the video showing the process and made my first card. I am very pleased with it. I used some gems which I bought at the scrap booking store. 

I am very pleased with it. I added a strip of paper and a cut out to the inside. 

Next on the list was to smock the next row on the doll's chemise. It is the trellis stitch done between rows 1 and 2. I counted a lot to make sure I did the right number of stitches going down. Once I had to fix a mistake. 

I worked on it being well done. My smocking muscle memory is returning slowly. 

And with enough time left over, I made another card. 

I added a strip of paper and a cut out to the inside of this one as I want to use up the scraps of paper. 

The two cards together. 

I have the inside sentiment stamp and will stamp them once all the cards are completed. 

Knitting

I knit on the hat last night and am ready to start the decreasing rows. 

This has been a fun little project and once done, I will finish up the cross stitch picture and start on the next pair of socks. 

Thoughts

    I played with my diet yesterday and I need to increase my carbs at noon. I was quite low at dinner. This is the hard meal for me to get right as I haven't eaten a big meal at noon for years. 

    I spent my day enjoying what I was doing rather than striving for perfection. I got a lot more done in the afternoon than I had expected. I noticed that I was more relaxed than I have been for a long time. 

    I am still working through the first module on perfectionism. It is helping me think about what I have been doing and why I do or don't do certain things. It is hard but I am working on accepting what I do is well done even if it isn't perfect. 

    I enjoyed making the two cards realizing that I can donate them if they don't sell. I am happy with what I accomplished and know that I can do it. 

Today

I have a massage first thing and this will be my last one for a while. Once home, I want to do some tidying up before lunch and then have fun sewing and crafting. I will work on the cross stitch picture tonight. 

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

Another Storm Has Arrived

 Yesterday was cloudy and warm with a high of 10.2C. This morning it is raining and 2C. We are to have rain, freezing rain, ice pellets, and a high of 5C. It is suppose to snow overnight. 

Lifestyle

I was out for physio yesterday morning. It was a great session with lots of positives. The SI joint is in its proper place. There was very little cracking going on as my body has relaxed and everything is good. I did the exercises and did 400 lb leg presses. I was quite proud of myself for doing that. I left the session quite happy. 

I went to see family for a bit after physio. They are over covid though I wore a mask most of the time. We had a great visit and lunch and I came home as they were busy with other things. 

I did a bit of tidying up, visiting with Elliott and relaxing before I headed downstairs.  Later in the afternoon, I took recycling out to the curb for pick up. That meant I had to take recycling up from the basement and from the kitchen. I filled 2 bags full. 

I ate more yesterday and felt good. I am ready to eat a more balanced diet today. I will increase the amount of carbs I can eat at lunch and dinner. I haven't gained weight and am working on maintaining at this weight. 

Sewing and Crafting

I had a relaxing afternoon in the basement. I got half of the seam hand sewn on the back of the quilt. That was 24" of tiny stitches. My hands started to hurt so I stopped. 

I decided to cut out cards and I spent an hour or so doing that. I had chosen the prints and it took a while to choose the plain colours. I decided on yellow and a dark pink. I cut, made a mistake, thought how to fix it, and continued on. I have 6 card fronts cut out ready to put together. I laid out 3 cards.

I will have 2 of each print with 4 backgrounds in yellow and 2 in the dark pink. The cut outs are picked and I am ready to work on assembling these cards. I will need to watch the video to make sure I am doing the order correctly. 

There are some scraps of the paper left over to cut down and put a strip on the inside of the card. I will look at the cut out pieces and see if I will put a piece on the inside. I need to get a stamp to put a greeting on the inside. 

Knitting

I cast on yarn to make a hat. This yarn was sent to me by daughter and I made us hats from it in burgundy. It is lovely and soft to work with. I also love the tweedy look it has when knit. 

As I know the pattern quite well, I sit and knit. I did 18 rows last night. 

I did look at the counted cross stitch picture and need to figure out where I want to cross stitch the border around it. I will get it done in the next couple of days. 

Thoughts

    I am pleased with my progress at physio. I am much more flexible and stronger than I have been. I do worry about falling down the stairs but I am doing the right things to avoid that happening. I have stopped worrying about having surgery as I have very little pain in the joints. Most of the pain I have comes from tight muscles, tendons, and one cranky nerve. Upon reflecting I have come a long ways since September. 

    I had an anxiety attack over failure yesterday. I really had to work hard to get over it. Part of it was failing in physio (which I am not). Most of it was about making cards. It was time to make them and I am glad I did. I am still a bit worried about them not selling but have come to the conclusion that I will donate them to a women's shelter if they don't. That helped me settle down a lot. 

    It has really rained since midnight. The ditch has a lot of water in it and running like a creek. The storm is to be short lived but it is doing its best to drop all its moisture on us. 

Today

I have to go out and get my hair cut and then I want to go to the scrapbooking store to see if they have a stamp I want. I want to look at card stock they have on sale and buy a few pieces of it. Once home, I hope to do some laundry, tidy up a bit, and then settle down to sewing and crafting. I will monitor the weather and see if I need to salt the driveway. I will knit tonight. 

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

Keeping My Thoughts Positive

 Yesterday was full sunshine until late in the afternoon when the clouds started to come in. The high got to 7C. This morning it is 8C and we've had rain and the fog is coming in. It is to be dull and damp today with a high of 10C. We are under a rain warning that is to last until Friday. 

Lifestyle

I got yoga done yesterday. Worked on the moves/stretches and did them to the best of my ability. I am having less pain doing them and even during the day. 

Once done yoga, I washed the three living room windows. It was kill mould day. I sprayed, washed, rinsed, and cleaned the inside of the windows and the bottom panes on the outside. I stood back and admired them. It is still too cool to take the windows apart to clean the rest but I will do that when it warms up. At least the mould is gone on the inside. I am hoping that washing the windows with isopropyl alcohol keeps the mould at bay for a while. I did bleach them when I started to clean them. 

Once the windows were done, I swept the living room floor and then cleaned the stairs down to the front door. That job is done for now. It gets dirty quickly but I don't anal over it as it is the only way to come into the house. 

Lastly, I cleaned up the table, marinaded and cook chicken, and relaxed while I ate lunch. It was a great morning in which I didn't allow myself to stress out over things. I made sure my anxiety level remained low. 

Sewing and Crafting

I spent time in the sewing room. I quilted the one square that needed to be done and discovered I had quilted another square wrong. I had a chuckle as I had thought it would happen and fixed it. The row was attached to the quilt and is ready to have the back seam hand sewn. 

The quilt is now 48" square. I am loving it. It is getting heavy to handle now but I am still able to manage it. 

I had some time before dinner so I sat in the family room and smocked row 2. I found this row easier to do as row one has stabilized the piece. I had forgotten about that. 

I had the tv on but didn't watch it much. It was more for company than learning time. I wanted to focus on enjoying the chemise. 

Knitting

I didn't knit again last night but got the main part of the cross stitching done. 

I have to do a border around it and it will be done. I have enjoyed this little project to date. I will be ready to knit again in a couple of days. 

Thoughts

    I found a workbook and another site to work on understanding my perfectionism. What I read yesterday helped me focus on not being negative about myself. I did notice that I had to do self-talk several times during the day and those really helped me move on. I tried to focus on the positives and it can be hard. 

    I ate more food yesterday and felt better. I had no headaches or feeling overly tired. I am looking at how to increase my calories safely. Cooking chicken with new spices was exciting and I plan on having them with rice and vegetables. I am also getting out recipes to make other dishes to make and freeze. 

    I have decided that I am going to head out on Saturday to shop in another community. It will do me good to be away for half a day or longer. I don't have to shop locally though I will continue to support some local businesses. I may try to do this a couple of times a month. I was doing it after osteopathy but stopped for some unknown reason. 

    One thing I am working on is the "use what you have" concept. I know I took it to the black and white stage in life and had some guilty feelings about buying fabric. That in turn made me stay at home isolating myself from stores. I wanted to be in control of "using what I have". It spiralled from there to isolating myself from others and denying myself from having enjoyment in my life. I realize, now that I have analyzed it, how much I was hurting my mental health with this.

Today

I have physio this morning and am looking forward to that. After I'm done I want to come home and do a couple of things in the dining area. I may wash the insides of the windows and sweep the floor. I want to quilt on the quilt and do some paper crafts this afternoon. This evening I want to work on the border of the cross stitch picture. 

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

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly News

 Yesterday was another lovely sunny day (no drizzle or clouds) with a high of 6.3C. This morning it is clear and -2C. Today it is suppose to cloud up and drizzle later this afternoon. The high is to get to 8C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I did yoga and it went well. I am starting to notice that I have less pain when doing the exercises. I know that I have some weak muscles and tendons and will continue to work on them.

Once done, I cleaned the living room area. I moved furniture, swept and washed floors. In the end, the room was cleaned and I was happy. If I have time, I may bleach and wash the windows in that area to kill the black mould that has started to show up. 

I did get all the laundry folded and put away. I also put the blankets I washed back onto the couches. 

After lunch, I went to the dietician. It was an interesting visit. I am not considered diabetic anymore which was good news. I am not eating enough carbs which I was wondering but the bad part is I am not eating enough calories. I have put my body into starvation mode. Bad news. My weight is good but she feels I weigh about 5-10 lbs less than I am due to the fact I have quite a bit of excess skin on my arms and some on my belly. Take that away and I am at a good weight for my age and small body structure. 

We talked about body image of which I have had a bad one for many years. It is improving since loosing weight. We talked about perfectionism. I have that which is causing me to have issues. I fit the profile to the "t". This is what I need to work on for the next while. This has caused me a lot of issues in the past and it is going to take time to change over the next long time. I have to stop looking for mistakes and failure and stop criticizing myself or set higher standards. This is how I got the handle "Anal Annie". This was the ugly news the one I don't wish to deal with but must. 

After seeing the dietician, I went grocery shopping. I bought extra food for yesterday and today and will start cooking more over the next while making sure my portions are larger. I have been eating too small portions and need to up the size of them. This is going to be hard but I am willing to tackle it slowly. 

Once I got home and got the groceries put away, I had a snack and sat and thought about many things. It is the start of a talk to myself about getting things where I can feel better about myself and my life. 

Sewing and Crafting

I didn't sew or do crafts. I did look at both briefly. I did take out everything I have made for daughter and I have done well for January and February. 

I have one more piece of piping to make for her and I will send it to her. 

I have a couple of goals for sewing and crafting. They are evolving and sort of look like this.

    Sew down the fabric I have making items to sell or donate to others. Have less focus on how much I am making and to stop being so perfect. 

    Work on the quilt but don't set difficult deadlines to meet or having it perfect. As a friend said, once done and on the bed or couch no one will see the mistakes. 

    Cut into a pad of paper and make some cards/tags. Don't sit and play and put it all away. I have everything to make cards but am being too critical about them not being good enough. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night but did some counted cross stitch. I have the blue done on this little picture for the journal. 

Thoughts

    I am glad that I saw the dietician yesterday. She is willing to work and help me get things back on track for me. I have to stop thinking the worst will happen and enjoy myself more. It is going to take time which I am willing to invest. I have found a course on Perfectionism which I am going to start on today. 

    I am hoping to get out and do some shopping out of town. It won't be this week as I have appointments every day this week. I will use some of my time to plan what I want to buy for meal planning. I may go Saturday as the weather is going to be nice. 

Today

I am going to do yoga first thing. I want to wash the living room windows as it will be warm and then work on putting away the winter items I had out on display. If time, I would l to do a bit of work in the dining area as I am wanting to clean it up again. Making sure I eat enough is also on the list. This afternoon, I want to work on the quilt, plan a card layout and smock one row on the chemise. Tonight I will continue working on the cross stitching project. 

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

A Day Immersed In Paper

 Yesterday was a grey damp day with a high of 9C. About 1/2" of rain fell. This morning it is cloudy and 3C. Today is to be cloudy with drizzle and a high of 5C. 

Lifestyle

I did the balance sheet and one week is easy and the next week has its issues. This week had its issues and I finally got it sorted out. Staying home and using what I have certainly paid off. I'm doing this in March. 

After putting everything away from doing the balance sheet, I headed downstairs to clean up the crafting area and worked down there until noon. I sorted, cut scraps, tossed garbage, and got everything put away. It is an area that I need to use up what I collected last year. I also need to keep it much tidier. I need to sweep the floor today.

I did 2 loads of laundry and need to do more. I am slowly getting caught up with the extra laundry from when grandson was here. I am also laundering the winter placemats as it is time for them to be put away. Spring will be here and I don't need winter out. 

Sewing and Crafting

With the craft area tidy, I decided to do paper crafts in the afternoon. My first job was to work on the second signature of the journal. The first page is done and I am pleased with it.

Going through every tub and basket was great as I found stickers I had forgotten about. 

I am doing the pages that talk to me as this signature is pushing me to really think about some of the pages. This was one of them but I got it done. 

Next up was to play with the Cricut and I made 3 tags (and several mistakes). Each tag is made up of 2 tags so they are sturdy. I had fun with these. 

After watching a few new videos, I have made one of the tags shorter and will cut out a few of them. I also made 2.5 x 3.5" rectangles so I can do a few of them and see how they turn out. The Cricut does a great job of cutting out the tags and once I have the sizes I want, I will do them by the page. These are made out of scraps left over from other projects. 

While cleaning up the work space I found the little cards I had made. I will be making more of them as they are cute. 

These are for wine bottle bags and are perfect for using up scraps. The others I plan on making are square. I need to get a stamp for the inside. 

I sat for a good 45 minutes smocking the first row of the chemise neckline. It was good to do some slow stitching at the end of the afternoon. 

You can barely see the stitching as the thread matches the chemise perfectly. 

Knitting

I finished sock #2 last night. Though they gave me some issues, they turned out alright in the end. 

Thoughts

    I had a good day yesterday doing some things I had wanted to do. I am working on having a day where I do 5 - 6 hours of paper crafting. I really needed a day to play. 

    The sun is rising earlier and I can see the sky lightening up when I get up. I do enjoy it. I remember when we saw the sky lightening up in the mornings when we lived in northern BC. It was wonderful after the short dark days of winter. Here it is just as nice even if we don't have the real short days during winter. 

    I am starting to feel like I am really on the road to having the hip and knee issue resolved. I am having less pain this week. I am hoping that I can start going to physio and osteopathy less often. 

Today

I am doing yoga this morning as I am feeling like I need it. I want to do some housework also. I have to see the dietician after lunch and then grocery shop. If I have time, I will do another row of smocking. I am going to start a small cross stitch picture this evening as I need a small break from knitting. 

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

Sock #1 Completed

 Yesterday was another warm sunny day with a high of 10.4C. This morning it is raining and 6C. Today we are to have rain and 9C. It is going to be a grey day for us. 

Lifestyle

I got busy yesterday morning and cleaned up more in the kitchen. I took out the recycling, swept the floor, and mopped it. It was dirty but not filthy. 

Once done the kitchen, I did a bit more cleaning up and then went out to enjoy the warmth and sunshine. It was lovely. 

In the afternoon, my friend picked me up and we went to New Minas. She needed thread and a piece of fabric. I needed nothing. We did wander around looking at all the fabrics. I mean all the fabrics. We had a delightful time in the store. 

Once home, my friend gave her dog a quick walk and came over to look at my mini iron. Hers was recalled and she saw mine at the quilt shop. It isn't a fit for her due to how it is heavier at the front and the handle is wrong for her hands. She did love my mini heat press and is going to look at that. 

Crafting and Sewing

I did get the back seam on row 4 hand sewn and am ready to quilt the middle block. Once done, the row can be sewn onto the quilt. I am pleased with how far I am. 

I did not touch the smocking as I had no time to do it. It is on the list for today. 

I was out to the scrapbooking shop to get some paper for cards and tags. They are moving to a new and better location towards the end of the month. It is good to hear that a business is flourishing not only in our area but the owner ships across Canada. I look forward to going to their new and larger store. 

Knitting

Sock #1 is done. I am happy to have it done and I will admit it isn't perfect. You can't see the mistake as it showed up as I was finishing the toe. 

Sock #2 is set and ready to do the toe. It has the same mistake as sock #1 so they will be a matching pair. 

Thoughts

    I tested negative again today and will test again tomorrow morning as I go to the dietician after lunch. I think I have dodged Covid this time around. Hopefully grandson has dodged it also. 

    I had a good time with my friend and we both realize we need to do fun things together. She invited me to go with her to Hope for Wildlife today but I declined. I need to do more inside jobs today. And I hate being outside in the rain. 

Today

I need to do the balance sheet and pay a couple of bills. My cleaning job for today is the paper craft area. It has become a mess once again. I want to focus on smocking one row on the chemise and pin row 4 onto the main part of the quilt. If I have time, I will cut out some tags ready to glue two layers together. I want to finish sock #2 tonight. It is a perfect day to stay at home and get some things done. 

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

A Day Doing Very Little

 The weather has gone from cold to less cold. We had sunshine and a high of -2.5C yesterday. This morning it is -4C. We are to have sun, clouds, and a high of 12C. 

Lifestyle

I didn't post yesterday as I was busy getting grandson ready for son to pick him up. We both had to test (negative), and be ready to go at 7:15 am. I hope he has a great weekend in Ottawa. 

After grandson left, I pushed myself to eat, clean up the kitchen, and get his things to his house. I spoke to daughter-in-law from a distance and she is feeling a tiny bit better. I hope she is on the road to getting over Covid.

I walked down to visit my friend. I wore a mask for safety reasons. We had an hour visit. She told me the excitement of emergency vehicles going to the area behind us was a person who had a heart attack. Unfortunately he did not survive. I was sad to hear that. She also told me her son and 2 grandsons (my helpers) had Covid also. They must be over it as the youngest went to school yesterday. Her daughter-in-law didn't get it and my friend is safe as she hasn't had contact with them for several days before they got sick.

After lunch, I had a nap. I woke up still feeling tired but knew why I was tired. The worrying, stress, etc. had caused me to have an IBS attack. By evening things had settled down and I was feeling much better and less tired. 

Sewing and Crafting

I didn't sew yesterday. On Thursday I worked a bit on the quilt and it is ready to have a seam hand sewn. I had to stop as the iron spit on the backing and I had to get that off. I had used the iron before it had heated to full temperature. It always spits when I do that. I know better but I was rushing.

The fabric I ordered arrived and it is darling. I admired it but was too busy to think about colours for it. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night but did on Thursday night. I knit sock #2's foot until I ran out of yarn. I then started on sock #1's toe. Fourteen rounds later I realized I hadn't moved stitches so I had the same number on each needle. I unknit 14 rounds. When I went to move stitches I realized I had decreased two round too many on the gusset. I wasn't unknitting the foot to fix that. It will work. I am now ready to knit the toe on sock #1. 

Thoughts

    Grandson and I tested negative yesterday morning. We may not get Covid this round. I will continue to test as I have to see the dietician at the hospital on Monday and the physiotherapist on Wednesday. If negative then, I will stop testing as I won't get it. 

    I got a letter to say my car has to go in for recall work. I need to make an appointment and have them do everything (recall work, oil change, and engine check light). If it stays overnight so be it. I need to have my car safe to drive. 

Today

I am going to do housework this morning, sew this afternoon, and knit tonight. It is a day at home for me as I get caught up after doing very little yesterday. 

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