On The Go

 Yesterday was cool but sunny. The high got to -1.7C. This morning there is a bit of snow on the ground and -9C. We are to have sun, clouds, flurries and a high of -3C. It is to snow tonight. 

Lifestyle

I spent the morning cleaning. The kitchen got all the counters scrubbed and everything else got touched up. The recycling was taken out to the bins in the garage. The floor was swept and mopped. The kitchen looks great once again. 

Next up was to take all the paper craft items to the basement and clean up the area where I do the journal. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning it up and it is ready for me to do the next part. I do like clean work areas.

I had an early lunch and was off to daughter-in-laws. We had to pick up one of grandson's friends and head in to watch grandson's team play in the playoffs. 

The game was great with grandson's team loosing in a kickoff due to a tied score. Grandson played several great moves and it was great to see how those boys played as a team. The other team is good also but their organization has an attitude problem which can be seen in the field and in the bleachers. It makes for some uncomfortable moments for everyone. 

My hip and knee bothered me a lot yesterday. My knee was stiff and my hip sore. When we got home, I did some exercises that helped the knee but the sore spot in the hip was not going to go away. I walked and stretched to no avail. It was telling me there was a weather system coming in as it is much better today. I am sure it will hurt some today as there is another system coming in tonight. 

Sewing and Crafts

I got the two blocks sewn together, then the batting trimmed, the backing pinned, and hand stitched prior to having lunch. It is ready to have the red piece quilted. 

The more I do this, the easier it is getting to do. I seem to have a system in place that allows me to do each row a bit faster than before. 

Knitting

I worked on the socks last night and got the heel flaps done. I have two more stitches on these heel flaps than I usually have  so may be ripping them out and starting again with two less stitches. I wait and see until I turn the heel on sock #1. 

The colour of the yarn is so rich looking and having a simple pattern really allows it to show. 

Today

My plans for today have changed. I am going grocery shopping this morning as I will probably be shovelling snow tomorrow morning. I do have to do the balance sheet before shopping. This afternoon I want to do a bit of paper crafting and work on the quilt. Tonight I will turn the heels on the socks and see if I proceed to the gusset or if I rip them out and start again with 2 less stitches on the heel flap. 

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

Pleating The Doll's Chemise Neckline Completed

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with one small snow flurry. The high got to -2.0C. This morning it is cloudy and -11C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 0C today. The snow that was predicted for later today is not happening. 

Lifestyle

I did yoga yesterday and I could feel the sore spot in my butt. Other than that, all went well and I felt good afterwards.

I got a list of jobs done in the morning. I tidied up the living room, did the spare bedroom and the hall. I picked away at the jobs and was done by noon. I am slowly catching up on housework and hope to have it done by the end of next week. 

I have been doing stretches in bed and I did some last night. My hip cracked twice. Things are aligning up again or, hopefully, more. I know it helps alleviate any pain I am having in my hip. I am able to do more things after it cracks. I am at the point of being about 80%+ better than I was last summer. 

My glucose dropped to 3.9 last night and I had a good dinner. What I am noticing with this is -- these low readings has me gain a bit of weight. Not a lot. The balance act is hard but I am working on it. 

Sewing and Crafting

I finished up the belly band page first thing. 

I also found a tutorial on making an envelope using circles which I will make for the other little book I want to put in. The other books are in a bag to go to the a thrift shop. 

I worked on the doll's chemise and got the pleating done. I spent about an hour on it and am happy with the results. 

The next job is to sew the sleeves to the body front and back and then smock it. 

Once the tub holding the smocking supplies was put away, I started work on the next row of blocks. I pinned 4 blocks to backing and batting and stitched around the center blocks. Blocks 1 and 2 were quilted and are ready to be trimmed and sewn together. 

I got done at 4 pm and was tired (low glucose level was hitting). I left the sewing room happy with what I had accomplished. 

Daughter texted me and told me she got me 6 pieces of Christmas fabric. They are all 1 meter cuts so I will be busy making gift bags, mug rugs, and wine bags. In return I have to make a reusable bag to donate to one of the dog trials they go to. It means I need to buy fabric which I had hoped I wouldn't have to. I am putting the fabric buying off until March. 

Knitting

I knit the heel flap on the first sock. That was 42 rows which wasn't too bad to do. 

The second sock is set up ready to go. 

Thoughts

    With only one appointment this coming week, I hope to get the house cleaned. It certainly didn't get done while we had the snow storms. It isn't dirty but it does need to be done so I am not worrying about it. It is a good week to do it as the temperatures are going to be cooler and I won't be outside much. I only need to go grocery shopping. 

    I am looking forward to spring. I am tired of the dullness of winter. I want to get out and walk some several times a week. I know that I need to be patient and endure whatever weather is tossed at us. In the meantime, I need to get in touch with people to do outside work for me. 

    The days are getting longer and I love having it daylight before 7 am and not getting dark until 6 pm. I am moving out of hibernation mode and am getting more done. I don't feel like I need an afternoon nap most days. 

Today

I am going to do yoga first thing and then clean the kitchen up. I will have an early lunch as I am going to watch grandson play soccer this afternoon. I may do some knitting tonight depending on when we get home. I am looking forward to the afternoon with family. 

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

An Afternoon In The City

 Though yesterday started out cloudy, the sun did shine. The high got to -0.3C. This morning it is cloudy and -10C. We are to have sun, clouds, and flurries today with a high of -3C.

Lifestyle

I was out to shovel the driveway first thing and there was about 1.5" of snow. It was up and down and back and forth to get rid of the light fluffy snow. Once done I sprinkled salt on the icy patches to help them melt. I was out for about 45 minutes and the only person in our area shovelling their driveway. I did not do the deck and worried about it turning to ice. No fear as both the driveway and deck were clear and dry mid afternoon. 

I rested a bit and put heat on my hip and once I felt it was happy, I folded laundry and put it away. I then had some applesauce as daughter-in-law and I were leaving early for the city. 

I drove into the shopping area just outside of the city where we went into the Asian store. I love looking in that store as it has so many interesting items in it. I bought grandson his favourite treat for his birthday. 

Daughter-in-law got what she needed and we were off to Value Village to snoop for items there. I found some tiny books of which I want two for the journal. I will take the rest back and donate to another Value Village. Daughter-in-law got what she wanted and we were off to the city. 

We went to the Halifax Mall to get lunch and then went to daughter-in-law's appointment. I had gone in with her so I could drive home if necessary. She was fine and drove home. We got home just after 3 pm. 

I was tired when we got home so I rested until bedtime. I had a light dinner as I had another IBS attack after I got home. The cause was from worrying which was totally unnecessary. It had started the evening before and I have no idea what I was stressing over. I need to stop worrying so much as I know I can handle a lot of what needs to be done. 

Sewing and Crafting

I read through signature 2 of a Charlie Brown Christmas and got some ideas down on paper for it. I also got some pictures into word documents so I can print them off. Now to find ideas to make them interesting when the book is looked through. YouTube will be my friend. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks and got the leg done on sock #2. 

Next up is the heel flap. These socks are progressing at a good rate. 

Thoughts

    I am so happy that I could go with daughter to her appointment. Helping family is important to me as they help me so much when I need the help.  

   Daughter-in-law and I have back to back appointments for osteopathy next week. I am sure the therapist will have fun doing us and giving us the one for all if things are out of place. I am most worried about my hip turning in though it is not sore since it went back into place. I know she needs to work on other sore spots. 

    I noticed when walking I am able to walk with a more natural gait. I do know that I have weak muscles and tendons in the right hip area. As they strengthen, I will be able to walk better and further. One thing I am trying to do is not baby it as it hinders the strengthening process. I hope to start walking again once the storms are done. That will help strengthen the weak areas.

    I have had a busy week. Being out 3 days is fine but add the snow to the mix, it made the week extra busy. I know I worry about the snow even if February is our snowy month. I am trying to stop worrying as I can handle the snow. I think I worry about it as I have nothing else to worry about. 

Today

I am home today. First up I need to do yoga. Then I need to do housework this morning. This afternoon I want to work on the doll's chemise and the quilt. The heel flaps will be knit tonight on one sock. 

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

Another Round Of Snow

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and cloud with a high of -3.8C. This morning we have another 1-2" of snow on the ground and it -4C. The wind has shifted from the NE to the west. We are to have an overcast day with a high of -1C. Tonight is going to clear off and drop to -11C. 

Lifestyle

My friend's youngest son had a hard time shovelling the snow berm at the end of the driveway. It was packed solid. My friend came over and ran the snow blower on the driveway. It was packed and heavy. I am glad we didn't have to shovel it as it would have taken hours. 

I went out and did my part at the front of the house and the areas I do had heavy packed snow. I went and did the deck. It wasn't deep but I had to break up the snow so I could throw it off the deck. I was over 30 minutes doing the job but am glad I got it done. 

Inside the house, I rested with heat on my hip. It was sore from the heavy shovelling and it actually bothered me most of the day. I did 2 loads of laundry and a bit of tidying up. Later in the afternoon I took out my garbage to the road and called it a day. I was hobbling some from my hip being sore. 

Sewing and Crafts

I spent part of the afternoon finishing up signature 1 of the Charlie Brown Christmas. My first job was to trace around the snowflake in navy pen so it would pop from the page. 

Next up I worked on the belly band page. It took longer as I had to fussy but the bottom of the page and add it to the part I was using. Choosing the cut outs was hard but after having a good search through 100 pieces I was ready to put the page together. 

There is nothing in the envelope but I will be putting a piece of cross stitching into it. 

Lastly I made a bottom pocket, found a little bag for puzzle pieces and got that page done. It took quite a while do make as I stencilled the page. I am still nervous when I stencil. 

The puzzle is the Charlie Brown gang skating. 

I have signature #2 upstairs to start looking for ideas. I have 4 ideas already pulled for it and need to look for more. I will be going through videos for page ideas. 

I also worked on the chemise trying to get it pleated. I threaded that pleater 4 times, thew away 3 bent needles and finally got one half of the front pleated to my liking. 

I now have to unthread the pleater, pull back the threads at the right side 1/2", rethread the pleater and do the sleeve. The process is repeated many more times. I am making progress, very slow progress. 

My last job of the afternoon was to work on the quilt. I got all the grey squares in the middle section quilted. I only have 3 red squares left to do and I can start the next row.

It is guaranteed this quilt will not be done by the end of February. 

Knitting

I knit another 20 rounds on the socks last night. I have 23 rounds left and the leg part will be done. 

I love the rich coppery colours in this yarn. When these socks are completed, I will have knit 8 balls in this colour as I love it so much. 

Thoughts

    My hip was quite sore from shovelling though part of it may have been the storm we had last night coming in. It was mainly the tight tendon in the groin area and the sore spot in the butt. They get to scream at me this morning as I have to shovel the driveway.  

    I am so grateful that my friends help me with the driveway. I can do it but it would take me forever when it is packed in like it was yesterday. 

    I woke up last night with a sore stomach. I thought I was getting the flu but it wasn't. It was part of eating too many carbs so I could shovel. I am bloated today with a 2 lb fluid gain. Back to my old eating habits and fighting low glucose levels. I will deal with the low glucose. 

Today

I will be out shovelling the driveway this morning and I do hope to fold laundry. I have to eat an early lunch as I am going to Halifax with daughter-in-law. We will be home mid to late afternoon from her appointment. I am taking my knitting with me as I don't need to shop. I hope to start the heel flaps on the first sock tonight. 

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

Another Snow Storm Come and Gone

 Yesterday was another nice day until 6 pm when it started to snow. The high got to 0.6C yesterday. This morning it is white and -7C. We are to have a bit of everything today; flurries, sun, clouds, and wind. The high is to get to -5C with a windchill of -13C.

Lifestyle

I did some housework and yoga yesterday morning. I was stiff and a bit sore due to the storm coming in. I pushed through to get what needed to be done completed. Daughter-in-law brought me flowers for valentines and they are beautiful. I have them on the server in the dining room so I can enjoy them from several places in the house. 

I had massage therapy at 11 am. The therapist worked on both hips, back and then the right knee and thigh area. She hit one sore spot and got it worked out. She was able to work at medium tissue level which is an improvement from last time. I did feel better when done. My next appointment is 4 days before osteopathy to see if it helps with that treatment. 

They say you don't recover from a massage but I find that I do. In actual fact I felt better over the next few hours though I did feel tired. Getting the muscles worked over is tiring for me. But, I could move with less pain which was wonderful. 

I went and got dinner and had a few extra carbs in preparation for shovelling snow today. I also bought food with extra carbs to eat after I shovel snow. I am hoping that I can ward off low glucose levels as I really should only have to shovel snow once today. 

Sewing

I threaded the pleater and tried to pleat the chemise. I bent a needle. Tried again and again and kept bending one needle each time. I finally took the chemise apart and am trying to pleat it without seams and then sew the seams up prior to smocking the top. 

It is a longer process but I am hoping it will work. The next step is to unthread the pleater, pick back the threads 1/2" on the front, start pleating the sleeve, rethread the machine once I have the 1/2" seam allowance off the needles. I will be two or three days doing this as it tries my patience. 

I worked on the quilt also. I have the row I am going to quilt all stitched in place. I am now ready to quilt each block. Easier to do than the pleating. 

I played with the junk journal for a few minutes. I still need to trace around the snowflake on one page. I did play with the layout of the next page. It is coming along in my head. 

I will cut the background paper to size, then cut out the bottom border and glue it on. Then I can decide if I want to do any stencilling of snowflakes before I glue the belly band down and add the envelope. 

Knitting

I worked on the socks last night and got 21 rounds knit on sock #2. 

I am pleased with my progress. 

Thoughts

    I don't know why but I stressed out and had an IBS attack prior to going for my massage. I am not as comfortable with the massage therapist as I am with the physiotherapist. I am hoping that it will come as the massage does help in the big picture of things. I notice that the tight muscles and tendons are more relaxed which is good. 

    Though we didn't have the storm warning like Halifax did, we were on the edge of the heaviest part of the storm. I know we got more than 1.5" of snow recorded at Kentville but not the 12" of snow that Halifax got. I would think we got 6" or a bit more. I am grateful that the storm only last less than 12 hours this time. 

    The snow plow went through at 11:30 pm and they must have done more during the night. The roads seem to be wet so I am certain they salted them. I have a good size snow berm at the end of the driveway to get rid of this morning. I am not the only one that has this. The back deck has snow drifted on it and it needs to be shovelled so I can open the back door in case of an emergency. 

Today

If I have to shovel snow, I will not be doing much more. If I get help (snow blowing or the neighbour's boys) I will only have the deck to shovel off. I would like to do a bit of pleating on the chemise and quilting on the quilt but if it doesn't happen it doesn't happen. I do hope to knit tonight. 

7 am -- I have one boy shovelling snow and if I have one, I will have 2. They are doing their "good neighbour" job for me. 

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

Progress Noted At Physiotherapy

 Yesterday was another sunny day with a high of 4.6. This morning it is clear and -2C. It is suppose to be mainly cloudy with some sun and a high of 0C. The Nor'easter storm warning has been lifted and we are to get periods of snow and winds tonight only.

Lifestyle

I was out to physio early. It was a bigger assessment day and I am improving. First noted improvement was my gait. It has really improved in the past 3 weeks. Most of the muscles are still relaxed from the needling, my body is aligning nicely, and I am not favouring the right side as much. The therapist was pleased and will continue to monitor the muscles to make sure they don't tighten up. After being put into some moves to help stretch muscles, I rode the bike, did the slider (which was tightened up) and did the leg extenders with weight. The electrical current was hooked up and we found a sore spot. I got 15 minutes of heat and current to help keep everything in good shape. 

I got home and was back out the door to go to New Minas with a friend. We did some shopping and I got 2 new kitchen knives and a bag of cat food. Elliott will be happy as it is the food he likes better than what he is on now. We were home by noon and I had a great time with my friend. 

After lunch I took the car to get washed. I did the full thing-- wash, rinse, rust inhibitor, and polish. The car looks very clean now and will last for a bit. The line up to the car wash was long. There were at least 4 cars waiting in line all the time. 

I did do a bit of housework. I looked at the heat pump head and used canned air on it. Not as dirty as I thought it would be. I swept the dining room and hall floor and it was dusty and full of Elliott's hair. I am thinking he is going to be shedding for the next while. Though I didn't do the all the cleaning, I did get some done. 

Sewing and Crafting

I looked at the smocking pleater and decided I needed to read the instructions. They are scant to say the least so I turned to YouTube. I found one video that I watched and am ready to start. It is going to take me a while to pleat the chemise as they show you how to pleat precisely on the machine. 

I also hand sewed the back of the quilt. It took me almost 2 hours to sew 48". I do tiny stitches that are about 1/4" apart which is slow going. I am now ready to quilt the joined parts. I am making progress on the quilt. 

Knitting

I had a good evening of knitting and have the leg of sock #1 done. I am pleased with the pattern and will be putting it into rotation for more socks. 

Thoughts

    I am happy that the snow storm is only going to be one night. It moved off shore further than the meteorologists thought it would. I will be shovelling once not several times like I had thought. I can handle that. 

    I am making progress with my hip and knee. The cracking was alignment and we are hoping it will stay in place. I have some weak muscles in my right thigh which we need to continue work on strengthening. They may not come back 100% but I am hoping I can get 85%. Something to work towards. At this time, having replacements is on the far back burner. I will have some pain but not a lot. Strengthening the muscles around the joints is helping support both joints. 

    I have put loosing weight on hold for the moment. I am just maintaining. Between low glucose levels, having to shovel snow, and working on getting stronger I needed to have a break and eat a bit more food while doing more activities. I will go back to loosing the last 5-7 lbs towards the end of the month. 

    February is a tough month for people around here. It is usually dull and depressing as it seems to be our "winter" month. I feel it when we have lots of dull grey days. We have had some gorgeous days this year that have given us a break. I love those days and enjoy them. I have also tried to get out a bit more this month on those nice days. When at home I have all the curtains open and clean house with the rooms filled with sunshine. It has helped keep my mood uplifting. 

    I tried one of my new knives to cut cooked chicken. I was able to cut very thin slices which thrilled me. I am looking forward to having sharp knives to cut meat and vegetables. My old ones are worn out. They are 30 years old. One item purchased from my February list and a couple of items left to purchase. 

Today

I have massage therapy late this morning so I hope to do a bit of housework and a load of laundry before I go. Once home, I hope to thread the pleater and start pleating the chemise and do some quilting on the quilt. I want to knit tonight. It is basically a day at home doing a few things I need/want to do.

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

An Afternoon Out For Soccer

 Yesterday was another lovely day with a lot of sunshine. The clouds didn't arrive until late in the day. The high got to 7.2C. This morning it is partly cloudy and 3C. Today we are to have a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 5C. We are under another storm warning which is to bring snow tomorrow around noon. 

Lifestyle

 I got the balance sheet done and it took a while. I couldn't find a sheet of paper with numbers on it. I looked and finally gave up and did the numbers again. Everything balanced perfectly for me. 

I did yoga and was sore for the first part. I did loosen up and felt better. I need to get back to doing them every day as they do help me be more flexible. 

I also cleaned up the spare bedroom though I didn't dust. I was rushing as I needed to eat and be ready to pick up son at 12:45 pm. But the job got done properly and that is what counts. 

In the afternoon, son and I went to the city to watch grandson play soccer in a men's team. He got invited to join in the morning while at training. The team he played on yesterday consisted of team mates he played with last summer. The keeper was from another team and is fabulous. We had admired him when we saw him during the summer. He did an awesome job and talks to the team constantly. I understand he is wonderful teaching keeper skills. He is well liked and admired by the soccer community. 

Grandson played some and did a great job. He was on his toes and doing plays that he was suppose to. He thrives playing on this team and pushes himself hard. His team lost but they played a great game. 

We got home just after 4 pm and I was in a great mood. I was happy that I had gone to watch the game. I was also happy that I stood for the game with very little pain. That is a first for me to stand for an hour. Progress is being made. 

Sewing and Crafts

I did not sew yesterday as I was at the game. I did do a page in the journal. It is a simple page that I enjoyed doing. 

The snowflake blends into the paper too much so I need to decide on how to fix that. I may use a pen I have and trace around the snowflake so it pops out. Gluing the tiny snowflakes onto the tree was a pain but I got it done without destroying anything. 

I like how it goes well with the page beside it as this is the center fold of signature one. 

I did play around and found a round ornament to use for a shaker in one of the other signatures. I need to work on it more so I can cut it out on the Cricut. I know I need to buy acetate for this project and then figure out how to do the page. 

Knitting

I knit on the sock last night and am making good progress. I had to stop as I got too warm having heat on my hip. 

I have 45 rounds knit on the leg and 20 more to go before I start knitting the leg on sock 2. I love the yarn colour and know these will match the hat I knit for daughter. 

Thoughts

    I am not looking forward to this storm coming in. Though it is to last only 24 hours it could dump a foot of snow on us. The only good thing is that I will be finished my appointment about the time it starts to snow. Then I can come home and prep for shovelling snow. 

    I am happy that I was able to watch grandson play soccer yesterday. Most of his games are in the evening and I don't like to be out that late. It was great that is was early afternoon and we had such a nice day to travel. 

    With warm temperatures the last couple of days, the snow is melting slowly. Areas of the lawn that didn't have a lot of snow are now bare. The areas that drifted have lots of snow but not like it was. More snow should go today before we the next storm. 

Today

I have physio this morning and will get cat food and have the car washed while I am out. I want to clean the head on the heat pump as I know it is full of cat hair and fluff. This afternoon I would like to hand sew on the quilt and thread the pleater. Tonight I will knit on the socks. 

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