What A Job!

 Yesterday was another cloudy day with snow flurries and a high of -6 (windchill -11C). This morning it is partly cloudy and -13 (windchill -17C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds and flurries with a high of -3C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I did most of the exercises I am supposed to do for yoga. It was hard as I am stiff. But it felt good to be doing it on the days I don't walk. I will continue to do more repetitions as I limber up. 

I made the bbq pork balls with mashed potatoes and broccoli in the morning. I liked the meat balls and mashed potatoes but wasn't fond of the broccoli. It isn't my favourite vegetable. I would serve carrots with this meal if I make it again. The meat balls had great flavour and the bit of cheese in the mashed potatoes was really nice. I will make this again. 

I put my SI out yesterday and was in pain most of the day. It hurt though it didn't bother my pace when walking. Stairs were the hardest but I forced myself to do everything I would normally do. I stretched in bed last night and it cracked loudly back into place (or almost). I can feel it today and know it will need to have physio done on it on Wednesday. I will keep stretching both the SI joint and the adductor muscle. 

Sewing

I worked on finishing up the two wine bottle bags. I decided to add a vinyl decoration to the fronts. What a struggle that was. The tiny pieces were hard to weed and I wrecked the saying twice on one bag. I had to sit under a lamp to see the cuts and realized I had to go very slow when weeding the words. After nearly 3 hours, I got the two bags done. Even the ribbons are attached to them. 

I just need to add a tag and a bit of decoration to them and they can go into the inventory tub. I am happy they are done. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night as I was tired. 

Thoughts

    I am not sure how my SI went out. The only thing I can think of is bending over to pick up something off the floor. It certainly hurt all day and the pain made me even more tired than I was. Between it hurting and not sleeping well the night before, I was a bit of a wreck by bedtime. I did sleep well last night. 

    We have a storm coming in Saturday night and it is to bring warm weather and rain. Monday night it turns cold again. The chances of seeing sun for the next week is slim. I would love a day of sunshine as it has been so grey and gloomy. 

    I have the next project on the cutting table. I need to buy an embroidery design and do a shirt for daughter. Once it is done, I am going to tackle a wall hanging that I made in the winter of 2009-2010. I will be donating it once it is done. The other unfinished project is going to be bagged up and put into the thrift store box. I will never finish it. 

    Today's declutter challenge is to tackle fabric scraps. Mine are in a bag to go to a quilting group. I don't keep scraps as I don't do scrappy quilts. If I keep scraps that are large, I try to make them into items to sell at the craft bazaar. My goal in the last year has been to keep scraps to a minimum and it has worked for me. 

Today

It is walking at the arena first and then home to apply heat and have my 2nd cup of coffee. Once done, I want to do a bit of housework that needs to be done. I will spend some time in the sewing room cleaning up the cutting table ready to start the next projects. I hope to knit tonight. 

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

Crafting On A Snowy Day

 Yesterday was a snowy day with a high of -3C (windchill -9C). This morning it is cloudy and -6C. Today is suppose to be cloudy with a high of -4C (windchill down to -10C). 

Lifestyle

I headed out to the arena early yesterday morning and we started to walk at 8:10 am. We did 6 laps only as I forgot my poles in the car. It was work on extending the knee. I have one muscle that is tight and fighting me like crazy. I am still doing stretching exercises to try and get it to relax and be full length. 

Once home, I shovelled the driveway. There was about an inch of snow on it. It took me no time to get it cleaned off and looking nice. Then it snowed harder and I had to go back out later in the afternoon to shovel the driveway again. Another inch had fallen. That was a colder job as the wind was coming in from the north. I am glad when the job was done and the garbage was out to the curb. 

Once inside, I rested a bit with a cup of coffee and the folded laundry and put it away. I also cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed and mopped the floor. I also vacuumed some other spaces to control the cat hair and dust. 

Once inside from round two of shovelling snow, I decided to have sparkling cranberry juice. When I did my glucose at dinner time, my reading was up. I checked the can and realized I didn't get the sugar free like I normally do. I did feel good after drinking it so I must have been having low glucose. My other readings for the day were low normal which is great. I will be saving the cranberry drink for the days I have to shovel a lot of snow in the afternoon. I will get myself some sugar free drink when I shop next week. 

Sewing

I hand sewed the lining shut on both of the wine bottle gift bags. They were then put on the coffee table to look at. I decided to think on how to decorate and worked on the middle page of the memory book. 

I spent time cutting out music symbols from black card stock using the Cricut. I used up the cutting scraps from when we did snowflake chocolate holders and allowed myself to have fun. 

I was upset that I put one of the music notes on backwards. I couldn't get it off without ripping the circle to pieces. So I left it on and will blame Lucy for that. 

While still thinking about the pieces for the bags, I traced around the rabbit's leg so I had 1/4" seam allowances. They are cut out ready to print on tag. I didn't do anything with the soles of the feet as they will be a bit too big for the opening or I can adjust when I pin them in. 

I need 2 legs so I can cut one curved section back to the stitching line and trace it onto the fabric for when I sew the legs together. 

With the wine bottle bag's design in my head, I worked on it. Found the iron on vinyl I wanted and cut the pieces out. The small green snowflakes were hard to weed but I got them done. 

I have since moved the design down so it won't be scrunched up when it is tied shut with a ribbon. I will use Cricut heat tape to hold the design in place when I press it down. I still have to cut the design for the 2nd bag. When done, I will attach the ribbon and put them away. 

I didn't do yesterday's challenge which was kits and pre-cuts. I have no kits and 5 bundles of pre-cuts. Two I won in a contest and 3 were given to me by daughter. All are usable. Today's challenge is UFO's. I have one wall hanging to finish and will donate it to our community hall. The other one is going to the thrift store as I will never finish it. I haven't looked at it for two years so it is time for it to leave my house. 

Knitting

I started the arm and neck decreases. I got 24 rows knit on it. 

The neck decreases didn't show up but they are there. I am at a point where I know what I am doing. Last night I was guessing but it clicked on row 24. 

Thoughts

    We were not expecting to have snow fall all day yesterday. Most of the day it was light but there were a couple of times it really came down. The wind has kept my driveway clean after shovelling it late in the afternoon. All the snow will be gone as we get rain Saturday night and Sunday. Then it turns cold again. 

    My hip and leg were sore from all the stretching I did yesterday. My SI joint popped last night when stretching in bed. I will keep stretching during the day and in bed. I really want to get the muscles back into good shape. Hopefully I can get some ideas from physio next week. 

    I am coming to the end of projects on the cutting table. I have one left which involves me embroidering a shirt for daughter. After that, I can clean the cutting table and prep for the next batch of projects. I am amazed at how many items I did in the first half of the month. I now need to figure out what to make for the second half of the month. 

Today

It is yoga day so will do that first. I am going to then make meat balls and mash potatoes and get them into the fridge so I have 3 meals cooked for the rest of the week. If time, I will do a few minutes of vacuuming and charge the battery on it. This afternoon, I will finish the wine bottle bags and finish clearing off the table. I have an idea for my next two projects and need to lay them out and see what I need to do on them. Tonight I will knit on the vest. 

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

Grinchy Wine Botte Bags Made

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -1C. It started to snow last evening and snowed lightly most of the night. This morning it is cloudy and -4C (windchill -7C). Today is supposed to be snowy with a high of -2C (windchill -10C).

Lifestyle

I did 7 minutes of yoga yesterday morning, which was about all I could handle. I am back to the basics with it. I also was on a time limit as I was going to New Minas with daughter-in-law. A racoon decided to commit suicide on Monday night and she has to have the bumper of the car replaced. We were heading to the collision place to get it evaluated and parts ordered. She can drive it as friends of theirs zip tied it together really well. 

We did some grocery shopping and some snooping around Walmart. The Valentines stuff is coming out and there was some Christmas stuff on sale for 75%. Not a lot was left and we bought nothing. We got what we needed and left. We were home before noon. 

I did go out late in the afternoon to pick up the rest of the groceries I needed. I am set for another week or so. I was surprised that the grocery store wasn't really busy. 

I heard the plow/salt truck at 3:30 am and got up as it was noisy. I looked out the living room window to see 5 deer. Three were in my yard and 2 in our friends across the street. I opened the window and yelled and the 3 in my yard calmly walked across the street to join their friends. These deer are use to people and are roaming our neighbourhood as their habitat is now being developed in a new subdivision. 

Sewing

I decided to get another pile of fabric off the table. It consisted of a piece of grinch fabric and a solid black. I cut out what I thought was one wine bottle gift bag and it was for 2. Both are made except for hand sewing the lining shut and adding ribbon. 

I do box the bottoms of the bags so they stand up nicer. 

The time spent was just under 2 hours. I will finish them today. I am deciding if I want to add something to the black part which I will cut out from the Cricut. 

Knitting

I finished knitting the body of the vest last night. 

I will now have to pay attention as I am going to start shaping the armholes and divide the front for the V neck. 

Thoughts

    My right leg is improving considerably. I walk slower as I have to pay attention to extending the leg and knee. It hurts but not like it did on Monday. Stretching the leg and knee during the day really helps. It will take time to get it back to being more normal but I can feel a difference already. 

    The doctor's office called yesterday and the nurse said I need to have blood work done as I am diabetic. I am not diabetic but do need my blood work done. I am going to start doing my glucose levels again on a daily basis. It won't hurt to monitor it to make sure I am okay. I start it again this morning. If I need to buy more supplies, I will buy them out of pocket. 

    The snow was a big surprise as it was not in the forecast. It came in from the west as there was a post on Facebook about the roads in the next country getting covered with snow. It is supposed to end this morning and we may get a flurry this afternoon. 

Today

We are out walking at the arena this morning. The goal is to walk correctly for a minimum of 6 laps and hopefully 7. Once home, I have a list that includes shovelling snow, taking out garbage, folding laundry and, hopefully, cleaning the bathroom. I want to finish the wine bottle bags and see what I can do next. It may be the memory book. Tonight I will work on the vest. 

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

Rabbit Arms Redone

Yesterday was another cloudy day with flurries in the afternoon. The high got to -3C (windchill -6C). This morning it is cloudy and -5C (windchill -7C). Today is suppose to be mainly cloudy with a few flurries with a high of -1C (windchill between -3 and -11C). 

Lifestyle

I got a couple of small things done before heading out the door to walk. We went early as people start walking before 8:30 am. We walked 6 laps on the track. The first three were to make sure I was walking straight and the last 3 were to stretch out my knee. That hurt but I did it. Improvement noticed and I realized I have been babying my right side. I did 3 laps with both poles, 2 laps with one pole and 1 lap with no poles. I was tired when done as I had worked really hard at an intense level. I continued to stretch the leg all day and it has improved considerably. 

Once home, I put heat on my leg and had a cup of coffee. It was nice to rest but I knew it wasn't for long. I spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen. The laundry is ready to fold and the kitchen is spotless including the floor. It was a lot of work but I am so happy it is done. 

This week's Chef's Plate arrived and I made a pork and beef noodle bowl. It was tasty. The second serving is in the fridge for tomorrow night. The second meal is meatballs and mashed potatoes. 

My weight finally decided to move downwards. I lost 1.4 lbs this past week for a total of 6.4 lbs. I walked a lot yesterday and got this reward for doing 5000 steps. 

On an average day in the house, I do half that. I am interested in seeing how many steps I do when I am shopping or out and about. 

Sewing

I looked at the arms for the rabbit and found two spots on each where the fraying was showing through the stitching. I decided to make 2 new arms. I carefully traced them out, stitched with a shorter stitch length, did another row of stitching on the hand part, snipped the curves and turned them right side out. No issues with fraying.

I sat in the family room with the tv on and took the stuffing out of one arm and put it into the other one. It was almost as hard to get the stuffing out as it was to put in. With both arms stuffed and looking good, I hand stitched the openings closed. I am happy with the results. 

I decided not to interface them and if they still frayed, I was going to then interface and buy more fabric. I don't need to buy more fabric as I have lots. Next are the legs.

Knitting

I knit 12 more rows on the vest last night. I have 12 rows left to knit and then it will be the arms and V neck decreases. 

This part has gone faster than I had thought it would. Setting a goal for knitting each night has paid off. 

Thoughts

    I am going to push through with stretching my leg. The muscles are so stiff that they are rebelling when I extend my knee. It hurts but I keep saying "no pain, no gain". I know that as soon as it is extending properly, we will be walking further on the track. I will be talking to the physiotherapist next week about this and try to get a plan in place for walking. 

    I read up about low oxygen levels when sleeping. It is a good thing meaning that I am not having problems breathing when sleeping. 

    I have been watching shows where people cook. I really like to see what others are cooking/baking. Some cook simple meals, others more complicated. I love to see what people cook in different regions. Some ideas are great and others are not to my taste. One of my favourite videos is "Cook The Books". The person makes recipes from vintage cookbooks. There are a few that I would like to try. The reason I like her is that most often she cuts the recipe in half. In last video she made I would like to try Betty Crocker's Holiday Spaghetti 1950. 

Today

I have to do yoga to help stretch muscles. I also have to fold laundry and get groceries. This afternoon, I want to sew but am not sure what project I will start next. I am almost out of projects on the cutting table. I will be making the 2nd meal from Chef's Plate for dinner. I want to knit tonight and finish the body part of the vest. 

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

Still Working On Small Projects

 Yesterday was cloudy with a few flurries and high of -2C. This morning it is cloudy and -4C. Today is suppose to be mainly cloudy with a high of -1C. 

Lifestyle

My first job yesterday morning was to do the balance sheet. 38% of the month is gone as is money. As I am on a low spend month, I am hoping to come out ahead this month. The last of the bills are paid so I owe no one at the moment. 

Once done the balance sheet, I vacuumed my bedroom floor and mopped it. It was dusty. I also vacuumed the spare bedroom and the hall. 

I also did a lot of cooking. I got everything out in the morning and started to cook at 3 pm. I made pulled pork in the Instant Pot which I really like but need to adjust the liquid. I will probably cut it in half as I threw most of it out. I had half the pulled pork on a bun for dinner. 

I also made a big pot of chicken soup using 2 tubs of chicken stock and a tub of chicken I had picked off a carcass. I add orzo, some vegetables, Italian seasoning, and summer savoury. I got 5 containers for lunch plus a small bowl for dinner. The soup is in the freezer to be eaten this week. 

I have to say that I made a big empty spot on the top shelf of the freezer. I still have more chicken broth and chicken to use for soup but know it will be gone by the end of February. I am also working on using up the food on the other shelves. I have to make 3 meals a week for the next month so will be focusing on what is in the freezer for those meals. 

Sewing

I decided to use up some fabric that has been lying around the sewing room for months. It is left over from the cardinal quilts I made. There was enough to make a mug rug with a bit of the red fabric left over. 

I am hoping there is enough of the red fabric to use for the top part of a wine bottle gift bag. If not, it goes to the quilter's group. 

I also sewed up the rabbit's arms. I trimmed them and didn't realize I should have stitched the curved parts twice. The fabric frayed and I had to turn them back to do the extra stitching. I also stuffed them with 8 grams of stuffing and they are ready to have the openings hand stitched. 

I have learned two things so far. One is to starch the fabric more than I did. The second is to make the arm openings closer to the top part. They are down too low which is my mistake. 

When I was done, I cleaned up the sewing room and put everything away that I had been using. I am working on that after each sewing day. 

Knitting

I knit 24 rows last night and have 24 rows left to go to the under arms. Progress is being made. 

Thoughts

    I slept poorly last night. Less sleep and more awake time. I had more deep sleep and my REM was spread out over the night which surprised me. I also had low oxygen which matched how many apneas I had. 

    I had another pop when stretching in bed. I am sure the right SI joint is seating itself after moving slightly out of place during the day. I still have some sore muscles as they are protecting the joint. Hopefully it will seat itself and stay in place. 

    Today is the day to declutter notions. I did mine back in late October/early November. I got rid of 50% of the notions. I will be selling them in the spring when we have our garage sale. To date, I have been using some of the notions and putting them back into their space after each use. The closet looks amazing as I have worked hard to keep it tidy. 

Today

I am out walking at 9 am for about half an hour. Once home, I want to do a load of laundry and tidy up the kitchen. If I am not too sore, I will vacuum it ready to mop. This afternoon I will sew the arms shut and start a new project. I am making an easy dinner tonight from Chef's Plate. Tonight I will knit on the vest. 

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

Doll's Quilt and Pillow Competed

 Yesterday was cloudy with a high of 0C. This morning it is cloudy and -2C (windchill-5C). Today is suppose to be mainly cloudy with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

I was busy yesterday morning as I did not have to take grandson to school. The event that daughter-in-law had to work cancelled just over an hour before it was to start. So, I hunkered down to do housework and cook. 

The room I targeted was my bedroom. I laundered the sheets and rotated the mattress. I gave the floor a good vacuuming moving all the furniture. When that was done, I was sore enough to stop. I will finish it today. 

I also cooked a double batch of spicy fish chowder. I really like this chowder and had the ingredients to make it. I used halibut rather than bassa. They say to roast the tiny cubes of potato in the oven but I did mine in the air fryer. They turned out perfect. I got enough for 4 lunches this week. The next time I make it, I will get a mixture of sea food for it. We can buy it at the grocery store. I will only have to get the seafood mix and a can of crushed tomatoes. 

I was sore yesterday. It was one spot in the left adductor and a spot in my back. Part was from walking, part from the barometric pressure dropping, and part from something needing to pop into place. It popped last night in bed. 

My Fitbit arrived yesterday. It took just over 24 hours from the time it was ordered until it was on my door step. I got it set up, charged and wore it last night. It is interesting to look at my sleep pattern. I thought I was awake for a long time last night after getting up to the bathroom. I wasn't. What surprised me was it shows low oxygen which will pretty much match my sleep apneas. 

Sewing

I spent the first part of the afternoon finishing the binding on the doll's quilt. It is done and looks good. 

I then made a pillow to go with it. I used a piece of gingham for it. 

I had no fabric to make the pillow case. The quilt and pillow are now folded up and put away in the doll's quilt tub. 

My next job was to trace the rabbit's arms onto the fabric. With that done, I cut them out. I was worried about the hand part, so I cut away the seam allowance on the pattern piece and traced the stitch line onto the two arms. 

They are now ready to stitch together. 

The pins mark the right side of the fabric. I now need to watch the video again to see which side of the arm I leave open to stuff. 

Knitting

I did 12 rows again last night. I have 2-3 more nights to knit on the body and I will be at the underarms. 

Thoughts

    I was very surprised that my Fitbit arrived in just over 24 hours from placing the order. I am looking forward to tracking my health now that I have it. 

    I am working my way through the freezer and trying to use up what is in it. I am almost done the chicken stew. I am making pulled pork using a pork chop for tonight's dinner. Chef's Plate arrives tomorrow and it will make 4 meals this week with me having to make 3. I am trying to plan what I make from the freezer with hopes of using it up by mid February. 

    Today's sewing room declutter is the sewing stations. I did the two areas as hot spots. The embroidery machine has its container of needles, scissors, etc. beside the machine. The bobbins are either in the bobbin holder or the machine bed. The Juki station has been organized also. The needles for it are in a drawer. I looked at the needles and have kept them all as I do sew a variety of fabrics. The bobbins are in their bobbin case, the accessories in their container, and what tools I used in two other containers all of which I have close at hand. The serger is on a small extension of the Juki sewing space. I have been very good about cleaning up each day. It has made a huge difference to how the room looks better every day. The only space I am not happy about is the cutting table. It is improving as I sew up small projects this month. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet this morning and then dust my bedroom and mop the floor. I have to prep for dinner tonight. I want to sew up the rabbit's arms and then cut out one mug rug. I will also cut out a doll's jacket pattern ready to cut it out. Tonight I will knit on the vest. 

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

A Busy Day Walking, Sewing, and Knitting

 Yesterday was cloudy and windy. The high got to 2C. This morning it is mostly cloudy and -1C (windchill -3C). Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy with a few flurries with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

Prior to going out to walk, I took out garbage, unloaded the dishwasher, and folded and put away laundry. It was nice to have those little jobs done before I left the house. 

The drive to the arena is about 5 minutes and I got there a couple of minutes early. People were already there walking. Daughter-in-law and I went in and upstairs to the track. We started to walk the oval and I used my poles for 2.5 laps. Then it was 1 pole and the last couple of laps no poles. We did a total of 7 laps which is 1.1 km. It was nice to walk for 30 minutes at a pace that I enjoy. I had to work on walking straight as I was leaning to the right. Next session is Monday morning. 

Once home, I realized I was tired so I sat and rested with a cup of coffee and heat on the right thigh so the muscles would stay relaxed. It did help a lot. Last night, I had a pop when stretching in bed which also helped. 

I rested for a while and then went to the post office to mail a parcel to daughter. The worker was a lot of fun and I got it off in good time. I also ordered a Fitbit and it will be here on Tuesday. It may be the push I need to do more activity. I am quite interested in my sleep habits also. 

Sewing

My first little job was to add a 1/4" seam allowance to the rabbit arm and then photocopy it until I had 4 of them on stock. I cut them out and am ready to trace them onto the fabric. I am not sure why I traced 4 but I can lay them out to see how much fabric they will take. 

I quilted the doll's quilt. It was a quick job as the quilt is so small and I only do straight line quilting. Next I made the binding, sewed it on and got half of it hand sewn down. 

It is a fun quilt that used up scraps of fabric from western shirts, a quilt, and a piece left over from a project. The only mistake is on the back. I used the soft backing from the Scandinavian quilt and I lined it up not thinking about the nap. I have the two pieces with the nap going in the opposite directions. The dolls won't care about that and I am sure no one will even notice it. 

A close up of the border and binding fabrics. 

There is a piece of brown gingham that I hope to make a pillow out of to go with this quilt. I don't have any coordinating fabric for a pillow case which is sad. I may have to dig into the scrap bag and see what I can use. 

Knitting

I knit my 12 rows last night. It is fun to watch the vest grow each knitting session. 

I am about half done up to the armhole shaping. Hurrah!!

Thoughts

    I really enjoyed walking yesterday and hope we can walk 3 times a week this winter. I know that it will build my strength again. I also need to do yoga on the other days and lots of stretching daily. 

    I have Chef Plate meals coming again starting on Monday. I am only having 2 meals coming (4 meals for me) and will cook the other 3 meals using up what I have in the freezer. I will have 4 orders come and then will cancel. I want to do some meal planning and get a few meals into the freezer for each week. I want to use up the food I have so I can restock some of it in late February. 

    Today's sewing room declutter is about irons, rulers, and cutting mats. I need a new iron but am putting it off until spring. It leaks on occasion and I think that is a me issue. I have a new cutting mat that is in great shape. The number of rulers I have are minimal and used all the time. I did get a new flying geese ruler for Christmas that I am excited to use. I will use it on a doll's quilt when I want to try it out. 

Today

I have to take grandson to school this morning and then I plan on doing a bunch of housework until noon. This afternoon, I want to finish hand sewing the binding down on the quilt, trace the rabbit arms onto the fabric and cut them out, and make the pillow to go with the quilt. Tonight I want to knit. I am making a fish chowder today which is quite easy to make. 

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