Tired Enough Not To Sew

Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -3C. The temperature dropped after that. This morning it is cloudy and -10C. (windchill -16C). Today is going to be a mix of sun and clouds with wind this afternoon. The high will get to -4C. 

Lifestyle 

I had a busy morning. I got a load of laundry on and then went and finished cleaning the bathroom. I had Rosie vacuum the room and then I mopped it. The floors are dirty but not filthy. Happy with that room, I put the load of laundry into the dryer and put on the next load. 

I also cleaned the kitchen and took out all the garbage. The cleaning in the kitchen was more maintenance cleaning with a focus on the stove top. I wanted to deep clean it. Once all that was done, I set Rosie to vacuum and then I mopped. 

While out in the garage sorting recycling into their proper bins, I got the WD-40 and decided that I would see if it would help the front door lock. I couldn't get the key in to unlock it on Sunday night. I gave the lock a few shots of WD-40 and then gave the key a shot. The key slid into the lock perfectly. I was so happy to have that fixed. I will do a test run this morning before I go out. 

I threw salt on the driveway so it could melt the ice on it. The "snow" was actually ice. I didn't want that on the driveway as it is to snow 1 to 1.5" tonight. It did snow last night but most of it has blown off the driveway this morning. 

I went to the dentist after lunch and had my teeth cleaned. The technician got X-rays without me gagging too much. No cavities to be seen. She used the lasted method to clean my teeth. She was impressed at how strong my teeth are which is from me drinking water with fluoride in it for 8 years. The dentist did a check up also and was pleased with me. She said all the little bits of tooth are out and the site is healing well. Next visit is in 6 months. 

Once home, I rested as I was tired. I haven't been sleeping all that well and have pushed myself to get things done. I allowed myself to rest until it was time to make dinner. I made 3 meals of chicken with peppers and onions. I destroyed the kitchen which I cleaned to within an inch of its life after dinner. 

Sewing

I didn't sew yesterday as I was too tired. 

Knitting

I did knit on the socks and am almost done the toe. I have 5 rows of decreasing to do and then graft it together. 

I should get it finished tonight and then start sock #2. 

Thoughts

    I now have both the bathroom and kitchen cleaned and am working on keeping them clean. I am finding that if I spend a bit of time daily in those rooms they stay clean. Next is the dining area which needs a good cleaning. 

    I am hoping the front lock will be okay for a while. I do need a new front door unit but it will be a big expense. I will add a touch pad lock to it. I am still thinking about what colour I want the door. I had chosen brown but wonder if I will have too many shades of brown on the house. I keep thinking of a light denim blue. I continue to think on this. 

    We have a cold spell coming in but it isn't as cold as they first predicted. They said -20C on Saturday night but now are saying -17C. I know I will be sore as it is to rain and be warm tomorrow before it gets cold. 

Today

I am out this morning for osteopathy and hope to do a bit of shopping either in Sackville or at home. I am not sure if I will sew today as I could be sore from osteopathy but do know I will knit. I am going to let the day unfold and go with the flow. 

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

Doll's Outfit Finished

 Yesterday had snow flurries with a high of 0C. This morning it is cloudy and -4C. Today is supposed to have snow flurries with a high of -2C which is supposed to drop to -4C late this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I was out the door to shovel snow before 8 am. I did a path down the driveway to the road and then cleaned the berm across the driveway along with a 2 foot section of the road. I then did a path back up to the house and cleaned the front step area. At that time, Fyn came out with his shovel to help me. We worked hard clearing the driveway as there was about 5" of wet snow. We divided the driveway into sections and tackled each section. The fun part was shovelling most of it into the ditch. We got done by 9 am at which time I threw salt on the driveway to melt any ice. It was also snowing lightly. 

Fyn headed home to play on the trampoline and I headed inside to rest with a cup of coffee. I was tired as we had only taken 1 minute breaks. 

Mid morning I heard a noise and there was the big snow plow going down our street. The municipality was cleaning the slush and a bit of snow off the streets. There were some pretty big rolls of snow put into driveways and they cleaned the turn around at the end of our street. On the way up, more rolls of snow into driveways and I was worried about mine. I got the least amount but still it was enough for me to go out and shovel it off. 

As I was going out to shovel that lovely berm, I decided to clean off any slush and snow from the rest of the driveway. I was happy that my driveway was clear of all snow when I was done. 

As I was finishing up I noticed a boy racing up the street. He had been shovelling a driveway at the far end. He turned into my yard and it was the boy who lives 4 houses down on the other side of the street. He apologized for not being here earlier and hustled around and cleaned my deck for me. He helped me last year as his parents want him to do community service on our street. This year he is back doing 2 driveways. 

I sat on the couch resting for the rest of the morning as I was tired. I had done a lot of shovelling. I will say my muscles let me know about it all day. I did release my SI joint after each time I was out shovelling. 

Sewing

I didn't start a new project yesterday but finished up hand sewing the appliqués onto the doll's hat and coat. The hat took quite a long time as it had a lot of bits to secure to the hat. 

I really wanted nothing to move on the hat. I was also very careful to make sure it is not attached to the lining. 

I also stitched a tiny flower onto the lapel of the coat and then added the 3 rhinestones under it to make it fancier. 

The 2 pieces are done and I can now start on another piece of the wardrobe. 

I am going to take more pictures of it today using the little mirror I have. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks last night and only have 12 rounds left before the foot is done. 

I stopped and read my book for 30 minutes before bed time. 

Thoughts

    About 14,000 customers lost power in the snow storm. We were very fortunate. A small band of customers in our area did not loose power but there were about 4000 customers on each side of us that did. This morning there are about 360 customers without power in the province. 

    I am certainly happy that I can still shovel snow. We have more snow coming tomorrow night and again on Friday night. I know I will have a date with the shovel twice this week. I know I will move at a slower pace so I don't get too exhausted. Housework will have to wait while I keep my driveway clean. 

Today

I am going to try to finish cleaning the bathroom and do a load of laundry. I also need to tidy up the kitchen a bit. I go to the dentist at 1 pm to have my teeth cleaned. One home, I will cut out another zippered bag and I may even get to sew some on it. I have to make dinners later this afternoon for the next couple of days. Tonight I will knit on the socks and ready my book. 

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

And It Snowed

 Yesterday had a bit of sunshine before it clouded over and then it was gloomy. The high got to 3C. This morning it is snowing a bit and 0C. Today is going to be snowy with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

Though my knees hurt as the barometric pressured bounced around, I got a lot of work done. My first job was to do the balance sheet. That was quick and easy to do. No mistakes and it balanced right away. I put everything away and moved on to the next job. 

I cleaned up the kitchen was another quick job. I have been keeping it clean so I had to empty the dishwasher, give the counters and extra cleaning, and got Rosie to vacuum and mop the floor. 

My last job for the morning was to finish cleaning the bathroom. I did the tub first as it was dusty. It is a job where I have to get into the tub and as it is a jetted tub it is high. I managed it well considering my knees were sore. When it was done, Rosie was saying her wheels needed checking so I decided to give her a spa. 

The spa was a big job as I scrubbed her wheels clean and then took the vacuum roller out and cleaned it well. I also cleaned her sensors and decided to wipe down the case. It was a bigger job than I had expected and took me about a half an hour to do. I am glad I did it as her wheels were gummed up enough she had very little traction on one side. To see how she was doing, I got her to vacuum and mop the bathroom. 

I was out to dinner last night at family's with my friend. We had a great visit with daughter-in-law's parents and got home before it started to snow. And snow it did. I am not sure how much but it looks like a lot. I will be out there shovelling most of this morning. I have a big berm at the end of the driveway from the plow truck. 

Sewing

I decided to sew the cloche to go with the coat yesterday. The pattern calls for it to be made out of felt but I knew it could be made out of fabric. I carefully sewed the pieces together, pressing after each seam. The hat turned out great. 

I hand sewed the lining in by hand to give it a finished look. 

And tried it on the doll. 

It was then time to start the embellishments. The hat was first and as I put it on the hat I snipped it to fit. 

I also added embellishments to the coat and will be taking off the three rhinestones on the one side. 

At that point I was done for the day. Happy, yes as I got a lot accomplished in a couple of hours. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and got 11 rounds done on the foot of the sock. It is easy knitting as I don't have to think about decreases. 

Thoughts

    There are a lot of power outages in Nova Scotia this morning. We are fortunate to have power this morning as both sides of us have no power. That is about 4000 homes in our area without power. There are almost 124,000 homes without power in the province meaning a lot of snow fell last night. It is going to take a long time to get power on due to the high number of outages.  

    I am sure the roads are in crappy conditions but my neighbour was out shovelling his driveway so he could go to work near the airport. This isn't his first time driving on poor road conditions. The schools are closed for safety reasons and I am sure a few schools have no power. A good day to stay home. 

    We have a couple of days without snow and then it comes again on Wednesday night and Thursday. It will be fun shovelling snow on Thursday as I will be sore from osteo on Wednesday. 

Today

I am going to eat breakfast in a few minutes and then head out to shovel snow. I am sure it will be an all morning job. Once it is done, I will rest for a bit and hand sew the trim pieces on the hat and coat. I doubt if I will do any housework today. Tonight I want to knit on the socks if I can keep my eyes open. 

Doll Coat and Purse Completed

Yesterday was less windy with little rain until it started to snow in the afternoon. The temperature rose and it rained. The high got to 3C at 11 pm. This morning it is cloudy and 2C. We are under a snowfall warning when snow will start to fall tonight. 

Lifestyle

I was out to make sandwiches yesterday morning. We had talked about how pink the sky was at 7 am and how a storm is coming in. I helped daughter-in-law afterwards by getting out the cups and plates as the celebration of life was being held at the hall. When we finished I stood outside at the hall enjoying the calmness and how nice it felt. 

Once home, I had a cup of coffee and put heat on my sore knees. The barometric pressure was going down causing the muscles and tendons to expand slightly and increasing pressure on my poor knees. The heat does help relax the muscles even if it is only temporary. Cold therapy is also only temporary. 

I made a pot of chowder and had some for dinner. It was delicious. I have 3 bowls in the fridge for lunch this week. Then it is back to making cheddar broccoli soup. 

Sewing

I made the doll's purse and it was fun to make until putting it together. I really struggled with that part. But it is done even if it isn't perfect. 

The appliqué is up too high on the flap which I may redo. The inside of the purse was done in a small stripe which I really like. 

We are supposed to do a flap a month and I am only doing the flap rather than make 12 of these purses. 

I also got the remaining 2 snaps on the doll's coat. I still need to press it. 

I am very pleased with it and am still deciding if I will add some appliqués to it. At the moment, I am leaning away from doing that. 

My next small project is to make the cloche to go with the coat. My other small project is to make another zippered bag using up the 2 fat quarters I bought the other day. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and got the gusset finished on the sock. 

I put everything away at 8 pm and read. 

Thoughts

    I had to so my stretching exercises several times yesterday to release my SI joint. The tightness was caused by the barometric pressure dropping and making the muscles swell around it. I will have to say heat and stretching were my best friends yesterday. Here is hoping the barometric pressure remains steady for the next while as I am done with the soreness. 

    The book I am reading is about British Home Children. It is a sad story where children were put into orphanages and when they reached a certain age or level of skill they were sent to Canada for cheap labour. The book I am reading focuses on one person's experience where they were sent to Ontario through Dr. Bernardo's charity. I am more familiar with the Middlemore charity as my uncle's siblings were sent to work in Nova Scotia through it. My uncle wasn't sent as he was too young and they were training him to be a baker of which he was until he retired. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet, try to clean more of the bathroom, and tidy up the kitchen. This afternoon I want to sew. I go to family's for dinner tonight and hope to knit tonight if I have time. I want to be home before it starts snowing. 

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

Success and Frustration

 Yesterday turned cold with the temperature dropping to -6C by 5 pm. It also snowed and was windy in the late afternoon. This morning it is cloudy and -8C. Today is supposed to be cloudy with a high of 2C. 

Lifestyle

My first job of the morning was to fold 2 large loads of laundry and put it all away. After that, I did tidying up and tried to get my new iPad to work. I am still having issues with it. I gave up and went to get groceries. 

When I went into the grocery store, the temperature wasn't too bad but when I came out, the temperature had dropped and a cold wind was blowing. It wasn't pleasant. The barometric pressure was low and I was struggling with my knees hurting. Add the cold wind and I was feeling a bit miserable. 

About 3 pm, the snow came in on the wind and it was beautiful to look at out the door. You could see across the street but not much further than that. 

The driveway kept clean as the wind blew the snow off it. It snowed for less than an hour and stopped. The temperature kept dropping but the barometric pressure was going up. At 3 pm it was -4C (windchill -11C). 

Sewing

I played around with the zippered bag I was making. I took the accent strips off and redid them and I liked my modification better. 

The only thing I will do differently is to leave more of the zipper tape exposed. 

Making this bag kept me entertained for 2 afternoons. I have enough fabric to make one more and will reverse the fabrics and use a yellow zipper. 

I also sewed the buttons on the doll's coat and got the snaps sewn on behind the buttons. I got 2 snaps on the other front and stopped. I was not having fun with the snaps as I put one on 3 times before I got it lined up correctly. I was frustrated. 

Once I am done the snaps, I will add any embellishments to the coat.

Daughter gave me some ribbon which fills about 1/3 of the spool. She knows I love cardinals. 

I had a look at the spool and noticed it was put out on the shelf in Nov. 2020. It has a price tag on it that I can't read but they put it on clearance before Christmas at $.58/meter. I do wonder about the store where she bought it and where I worked. I know they are moving to a smaller store and if they started to put notions on sale already. I will definitely use this ribbon in projects. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks last night and got 10 rounds done on the gusset. 

These are the hardest 10 rounds as there are 68 stitches on the back of the sock and at this point there are 58 stitches. It is really hard to manipulate those stitches when knitting them. It will become easier now that I have less stitches to manipulate. 

Thoughts

    I did not read last night as I ran out of time. I do have a book out to read and am looking forward to reading it. I think it is about English children in orphanages who are sent to Canada and live with families. I know this happened to most of my uncle's siblings. I know that some of his siblings had wonderful people who looked after them and others who didn't. 

    I am going to start doing more activity and eating much better. With my knees being so sore, I want to be in good shape so the muscles around them remain strong. Loosing weight will also be better on my knees. I need to drop 10-15 lbs. I will be setting up a plan to be ready to start on Monday. 

    I am slowly working on cleaning the house. I didn't do anything yesterday as my knees were very sore. I did walk inside a lot to keep them moving and to help the muscles stay strong. I noticed that when the barometric pressure started to rise, my knees stopped hurting and I could do things so much easier. 

Today

I am out to help make sandwiches first thing this morning. One home, I have to make soup for lunch. Once it is done, I want to do some more cleaning in the bathroom. I hope to start sewing a purse for the Edwardian wardrobe and finish getting the snaps on the coat. I will knit tonight. 

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

New Fabric New Idea

 Yesterday started out rainy, then was cloudy with a bit of sunshine peaking through in the late afternoon. The high got to 10C. This morning it is wet and 5C. Today is supposed to turn cooler with snow. The temperature is to drop to -4C this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I started cleaning the bathroom yesterday morning and got the part I wanted cleaned done. It is more dusty than dirty. I will finish it either today or tomorrow. I am prepping for painting the room so need to get my filler in to do some repairs. 

I went out to the quilt shop not far from home. The drive was pleasant as it was only misting rain. The roads were wet but not running with water. I enjoyed my drive. I was one of two customers in the store and I am sure it was quiet most of the day due to the weather. I did enjoy my time in the store looking at the fabrics and will be back to get some new prints. 

I visited with my friend in the afternoon. We had some great laughs and I showed her all the fabric daughter sent me for Christmas. I will see her once more before she leaves for Ontario as she leaves next week not this week. 

Sewing

At the quilt shop, I bought the thread I needed and then allowed myself to buy 2 fat quarters, a meter of interfacing and buttons for the doll's coat. The fabric I bought is cute but I do not know the company it came from. 

I decided that I am going to play with zippers and make a bag out of it. I want to have tape run along the top of the bag so I started to experiment. I have a book out writing my ideas down and then will put the finished details into another book so I can track what I am doing. 

My first attempt at adding tape onto the zipper was good but it isn't exactly what I want. 

I tucked the zipper into the folded piece and sewed it down. It left me realizing that I can't add the lining like I want to. So I will pick it off and try again with a different idea. I have also sewn the fabric too close to the zipper teeth. 

I got a container full of zippers from my friend which I will use some for my projects. We have agreed on a price of $.30 a zipper as she bought them in bulk and paid that much for them. I have enough of the above fabric left to make the fabric in reverse and a yellow zipper. 

Daughter sent me a picture of what the shop owner made with the panel she gave me for Christmas. 

It has given me some great ideas for how to use the panel. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and got the heel flap finished, the heel turned and the gusset stitches picked up. 

I will be knitting the gusset for the next couple of nights and am excited to see how it looks. I have done a few things different when picking up the gusset stitches and so far it is working perfectly. No holes where I use to have a tiny hole. 

Thoughts

I am having issues with my new iPad and need to figure out how to finish syncing it. I will work on that a bit today. I may have moved it away from the old iPad too soon. I know daughter had issues with hers. 

The barometric pressure dropped again yesterday and my knees hurt most of the day. It is still dropping this morning so I will probably have sore knees again today. This means more storms are coming in with snow and colder weather. 

Today

I need to fold laundry, make soup, and work on my iPad. If I have time this morning I will do some cleaning in the bathroom. This afternoon I want to sew for a while and figure out the zipper application. I also want to decide if I will do button holes or snaps on the coat. I want to knit tonight. 

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

Sore And Stiff

 Yesterday was warm, grey, and dull. The high got to 10C. This morning it is raining and 5C. Today is supposed to be rainy with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

I was out to physio first thing. The therapist found I was stiff but in alignment. She had me lie on my stomach and worked on my lower lumbar. Within 15 seconds there was a release crack which was lovely. She then had me on my back and worked on the muscles. They were tight and sore. She did help them but they were aching all day. Part of the process. She ended the session with the long leg stretch and my ankle cracked. I go back in 6 weeks. 

Once home, I sat on the heat pad and drank a cup of coffee. I then got up and finished cleaning the kitchen. I vacuumed the floor (careful not to over extend), pulled out the stove and vacuumed behind and under it. I then mopped the floor which was dirtier than I had thought it would be. While the floor dried, I sorted the recycling and took out the two bags of garbage for pick up today. 

After lunch, I got up and could barely walk. My left knee was really sore and stiff. I checked the barometric pressure and it was falling. Once it levelled off, my knee improved to no pain or stiffness. 

When I went to bed, I did my stretching exercise and had both my ankle and SI joint crack. This morning, my muscles are a bit sore but my joints are fine. The weather we are having is playing havoc with my body. 

Sewing

I sat and hand sewed the bottom hem on of the coat and when it was done, I hand sewed the hems of both sleeves. I am now ready to do buttons. 

I am deciding if I will do button holes or snaps with buttons on top of the snaps. I need to buy thread as I am almost out. 

Our Sewing With Cinnamon project this week is to make a tiny purse for the dolls. She has provided the pattern for free. I chose my fabric for the purse with proportion in mind. 

I have a large scrap of fabric left from the coat and am able to get the purse from it. 

I need thread for it and the cloche hat I have to make for this part of the wardrobe. 

Knitting

I finished the leg and got 10 rows knit on the heel flap last night. 

It is coming along quite nicely and I love the mix of colours in this yarn. It is called Nova Scotia Plaid. 

Thoughts

    I fooled around yesterday and made some labels for my sewing. At the moment I am not sure if they are too big or if I need to make them smaller. When I am happy with the size, I will buy the transfer paper to make them for all my projects. I am trying to get them done before my trial with Canva is done. I do not want to pay for it. 

    Our weather is crazy right now. After having "winter" in December, we are having it warm and wet at the moment. It will turn again in a few days to include a rain/snow mix and cooler temperatures. In the meantime, I am happy I don't have to shovel or scrape the driveway. I know I still have a couple of months of that left. 

Today

I have to start a load of laundry and then will be heading out to get thread and a couple of fat quarters to play with a new idea I have brewing in my head. I need to visit my friend this afternoon as she is leaving tomorrow for 3 weeks. I doubt if I will sew but do know I will knit tonight. 

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