Another Busy Day

 Yesterday was more cloudy than sunny but the sun did shine some during the day. The high got to 7C. This morning it is cloudy and 5C. Today is supposed to have showers this morning and the cloudy. The high is to get to 7C.

Lifestyle

I went to New Minas and handed in the paw stocking at the quilt shop. Everyone loved it and one person asked for the pattern. We learn so much from each other. I looked at the stocking 3 of the staff made and they are gorgeous. I will do pictures when they are all completed. They have moved from calling it a contest to a challenge and the staff are enjoying putting them on. 

I left and then went to get prepaid boxes from the post office and headed home. I did notice that the leaves are almost off all the trees. The leaves that are left are brown or dull yellow. The splendour of fall is over with and we are now settling down for a new view to look at while driving. 

Once home, I had lunch and went to pick up son. He had the car so he could find a place to fix his truck. He did some phone calls and found one place. I ordered the tow truck through my CAA membership. It arrived later than anticipated as it came from the Halifax area. The driver was a hoot and the truck was loaded and gone. 

We had our monthly meeting at the hall. Only 5 people showed up but it was a lively meeting. Lots of laughs and chuckles. 

I did do a bunch of cleaning out in the pantry and fridge. I read labels for sodium and what ever chemicals that are hard on my kidneys. What saddened me is not being allowed to have canned tomatoes at this time. I had my heart set on making a spaghetti sauce. I also did the fridge and got some items out of it but still have a couple of jars to get rid of. I did get a few items of food that I can have. Right now it is limiting but I am coping. Next week I will figure out some more foods to buy. 

Sewing

None done yesterday. I do need to finish the doll's jeans. I need to watch the video on the tree skirt I want to make. I would love to start it later next week. 

Knitting

While waiting for the tow truck, I sat and knit on the socks. I got 10 rounds done on the foot. 

I also knit on the afghan last night and got 4 rows done on it. The ball of yarn is getting smaller and I do hope I will be starting a new ball in a night or two. 

Thoughts

    I did incredibly well with food yesterday. I had less salt than I usually do and I had been working on keeping it below the daily limit. I grabbed seasonings and used them instead of the salt. It wasn't bad but it will take some getting use to. Salt does add a nicer flavour to your food. Processed foods are definitely out and I need to figure out some foods for dinner when I am tired or busy. Also eating a lot of chicken is going to be a challenge. 

    My SI joint is a bit tight this morning and that could be from sitting a lot yesterday. I did do my exercises and will need to do them a couple of times today. I don't want the pain to cause stress on my body. 

    Our temperatures have gone back to more normal for this time of the year. It is not time for the winter coat but a lighter one may not be enough at times. I alternate between wearing a lighter jacket and a heavier fleece. 

Today

I am out this morning to make sandwiches and will help set up the hall for the celebration of life. Once home, I have some housework to do. I may sew this afternoon and tonight I am out to the quilter's guild meeting. A late night for me. 

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

Mixed Results From My Blood Tests

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 9C. This morning it is cloudy and 3C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 7C.

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I fought with my blood pressure machine and phone as they wouldn't sync after the 2nd reading. Of course my blood pressure was up as I was trying to get this done before I headed out for physio. I finally gave up. 

Physio was a bit of a torture session. I started off in the gym which was fine. Then the therapist did her evaluation and I was out of alignment and the SI joint was tight. She pushed, and she pulled, and she made me hurt. When I bent over to see how much the session worked I had a loud crack. That was good. I went back and finished my gym exercises and then had the current and heat. I will say I did feel better. 

Once home, I sat for a cup of coffee and then started to take out the recycling. I had the garage door open and in walked son. He had no brakes on his truck and needed to get to the doctor's. I grabbed my purse and went with him as I had to see the doctor also. 

I had a mixed result visit with the doctor. Everything was good until we got to uric acid. I had had a bout of gout last spring. Then we got to my kidney function and it had dropped from 48% to 44%. That was a huge scare for me. The gout had caused some damage to the kidneys. So it was time for me to clean up my act and take care of myself. 

Once home, I had lunch and then spent a bit of time thinking. In the end, I did my research and my diet is changing. I will be spending the next couple of days removing foods I can't have and getting foods I can have. I will say that I am going to hate poultry by the time I have blood work done in late January. 

I went out for my last hamburger last night. I had a smash burger at one of the fast food places. I am so glad I chose it as it was like eating a regular hamburger with a fancy name. It cured me from wanting another hamburger for a while. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday. I put the pockets on the back of the doll's jeans and sewed the yokes on. I fought getting those two little seams serged and admitted defeat. 

I pinned the fronts and backs together at the side seams and called it an afternoon. I was starting to feel tired from all the excitement I had. 

Knitting

I did knit last night. I finished the gusset on the sock and am ready to knit the foot. 

I also knit 3 rows on the afghan. It is growing slowly and keeping me warm. 

Thoughts

    I am going to be busy learning what I need to buy for my eating regime. I have been looking for ways to add flavour to what I eat as I need to cut back a bit more on salt. I don't want to go on any more medication but will if I have to. I am glad that my doctor likes to let me try and adjust my eating habits before he prescribes medication or removes the water pill from my blood pressure medication. 

    I decided to fix the syncing error between the blood pressure machine and my phone. When I did it, two reading are still missing. I then took my blood pressure to see if everything would sync. My blood pressure was perfect and it synced to my phone. I just need to monitor the machine and if it doesn't work, I can add it manually. 

Today

I am off to New Minas as I want to hand in my Christmas stocking and pick up mailing boxes. Once home, I need to prep for dinner. If enough time, I will sew on the doll's jeans. I have a meeting tonight but hope to knit when I get home. 

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

Exhausted

 Yesterday was a mix of sun, clouds, rain, and wind. The high got to 15C and then it dropped all day. By 5 pm it was 9C. This morning it is cloudy and 6C. Today is supposed to be cloudy with drizzle and a high of 10C. 

Lifestyle

I was exhausted yesterday but I had to push through. I was out to get groceries at 9 am and the store was quiet. I got everything I needed and left. Once home, I put away the groceries and laid down on the bed to rest. I did not sleep as text messages came in. 

I was to the hall just before 12:30 to help decorate for Christmas. I didn't want to do it but I did it. The plan was -- if 2 of us, just the tree and a couple of items, if 3 or more the time limit was 90 minutes. Four of us decorated the hall simply in 90 minutes. Not decorations hanging from the ceiling. When the time was up, we cleaned up and the other two ladies headed home.

Daughter-in-law and I had to change the message on the announcement board so down we went. It was cool and windy. She hands me the letters she doesn't need and keeps those she needs. Between us, we get the new announcement up. As we were doing the last of it, the skies opened up and we were caught in a heavy shower. We laughed about it and then headed back to the hall, cleaned up the remaining letters and went home. 

Once home I sat on the couch and with in a short period of time, I fell asleep and slept for 20 minutes. I was still tired when I woke up and after an early dinner I was in bed early and slept well. 

I did not sew or knit yesterday. That was asking for a disaster. 

Thoughts

    I am doing the household inventory for daughter via photos as the mediator asked her to do it. She is in the house and her ex cannot help due to a protection order. While she is chasing paper work, I can do the inventory. At the moment, I am done as the areas left are full of stuff that will take too long to photograph. She now needs to have someone help do it but I say he needs to pay for that as most of it is his stuff he has stored downstairs over the years.

    Marianne, I am glad you like the red ribbon on the stocking over the other one. I do to. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I am glad you love the mug rug. It really finishes the placemat. I will be excited to use it this year. I can have it out until sometime in January as it is more winter themed. 

    The first part of this week is busy with appointments and meetings and then it will be quiet after that. I need to remember to pace myself so I don't get exhausted. I know Wednesday will be the hardest as I have to help make sandwiches and then have an evening meeting which I will be late getting home. That could leave me tired on Thursday.  

Today

I am out to physio this morning and then will be home to do some house work until I go to the doctor's at 11 am. Once home, I hope to sew on the doll's jeans this afternoon. Tonight I want to knit on the afghan and socks. 

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

A Crazy Day

 Yesterday was dull, dark, grey and wet. The high got to 11C during the day. This morning the sun is trying to shine and it is 14C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with the temperature dropping to 9C this afternoon.

Lifestyle

I spent the morning at the community hall where we had a food drive for the local food bank. For our first one, I think we did well. Three of us looked after it though daughter-in-law did the set up herself. I got home at 1 pm. 

I had little energy due to the darkness all day. It was hard to do things when all your body wanted to do was hibernate. I did decide to do a bit of research and what I found out made me furious. So furious that I had a hard time sleeping. Nothing to do with me but what happened to daughter. Mother Bear was in protection mode. She is safe but it was paper work that got me thinking. It is time for rebuttal. 

Sewing

I did sew some yesterday. I got the two pieces of the fly onto the doll's jeans. I used some velcro for the closure. When done, I left the sewing room as it was too dark to do finicky fine work. No pictures. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night. I wasn't in the mood to knit.

Thoughts

    We got a lot of rain from the last storm. In the afternoon and evening it rained hard. It seems to have rained during the night also as the deck was very wet this morning. 

     I am tired today as I only got 4.5 hours of sleep. I will have a nap this afternoon unless I need to go out to help at the hall. I do feel better as I spent quite a bit of time writing my feelings down. Something I learned many years ago. I have a slow fuse and writing it helps me think and calm down without letting my temper get the best of me. 

Today

I am going to go shopping for groceries this morning and then will find out what I need to do and in what order for the rest of the day. It is a wait and see day for me.

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

Mug Rug Made

 Yesterday was wet, warm, and muggy. The high got to 19C. This morning it is cloudy and 13C. Today is supposed to be very wet with a high of 14C. 

Lifestyle

I sat yesterday and enjoyed my 2nd cup of coffee and did some inventory for daughter. It was nice not to have to get up and rush out of the house. 

Once I had done everything I could do on the inventory, I took the vacuum cleaner and headed down to the sewing room. It was time to clean up. It was vacuum some, clean up some, vacuum some more, and clean up some more. Around and around I went until I got it done. Once more, I can work in there and feel creative. And the job didn't take nearly as long as I had expected it to. 

I did a few things upstairs but my biggest job was late in the afternoon when I went to get the mail. I haven't been for ages and the mail box was full. I did get it all sorted and what I was expecting (oh yes, bills) is ready to be dealt with tomorrow morning. 

Sewing

With the sewing room cleaned up, I decided to make a mug rug in the afternoon. I had pulled up the instructions and was ready to stitch it on the embroidery machine. I had to take out tubs of embroidery thread to find the right shade of blue but it is all put away. 

These are easy to make as the file is beautifully digitized. The only thing I had to do was change the thread from red to blue for the cross hatching on the center fabric. It goes with the placemat I made. 

I changed the ribbon on the paw stocking to a wider red one. I am still not sure if I like it or the tiny ribbon better. I have until Tuesday to decide. 

I left the sewing room tidy as I was upset with how messy I had let it become. 

Knitting

I knit 9 rows on the socks last night and am just under half done the gusset. I have 17 stitches on each gusset and will decrease down to 9 stitches. 

I also knit 4 rows on the afghan. The ball of yarn is getting smaller. I also sweat while knitting on it as the house was warm and with it covering my body I was hot. I was glad to set it aside. 

Thoughts

    The storm showed up on our weather radar mid morning and it is going to last until tomorrow night or Monday morning. It rained yesterday but not hard and we did have periods of time when it didn't rain. Today it is supposed to rain almost all day. 

    I was surprised when I went outside at how warm and muggy it was. The temperature was 18C but it felt a lot warmer than that due the warm wet air. I was out there with no coat on. 

    The price of gas has dropped 12 cents since Thursday. I am going to fill up the tank when it isn't raining. Hopefully later today. Hopefully the price of gas will stay down and here is hoping diesel prices drop also. 

Today

I am out to the community hall until noon as we are having a food drive. Once done, I will be home for the rest of the day. I do have to make dinner as I have been eating sandwiches and need to stop that. I would like to sew on the doll's jeans this afternoon also. I will knit tonight. If there is a break in the rain, I will gas up the car. 

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

Paw Stocking Completely Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy with a high of 16C at midnight. This morning it is cloudy and 18C. Today is supposed to have showers and rain with a high of 18C. 

Lifestyle

I was out to make sandwiches yesterday. Another lady cut so I made sandwiches. I did monitor her as she has a lot of back problems. At the end of the session she and I held onto the counter and did some good stretching which had us giggling like crazy. 

Once home, I sat on heat to make sure my SI joint didn't stiffen up. It had released during the night and the pain was minimal. I was also tired from all the pain I had. I did get some things done but not a lot. 

I had a call from my friend who moved to Ottawa. We chatted for almost 2 hours. She isn't sure the move there was the right thing as she is not making friends like she thought she would. On the plus side she has family close to her and she has a doctor. I will be calling her next week as we both need to stay in touch more often they we have been. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon finishing up the paw stocking. It is the part that drives me nuts. I strung beads after looking for what I needed. Good thing I knotted the end as the string landed on the floor a few times before I got it secured to the stocking. I then made the bones from fabric and stuffed them. They also liked the floor when I was attaching them to the stocking. When I looked at it done, I hated it which is not uncommon. I decided to add a bow and it was perfect. 

I am not sure why everything was loving the floor yesterday as the whole sewing room is a mess. Today is clean up day as it needs to be done. My creativity has left and I need to get it back. 

Knitting

I picked up the stitches for the gusset and got one row knit. I am now ready to start decreasing. 

I also knit 8 rows on the afghan last night. I found it hot while knitting not realizing the temperature warming up outside. I even turned the heat down in the house. 

The big ball of yarn is getting smaller. 

Thoughts

    We are under a weather warning as a slow storm is coming in and could give us up to 3" of rain. I have no idea where this storm is coming from but the worst of it could be tonight. We wait and see. 

    I am back to doing some household inventory for daughter. Some are from pictures, others are from my memory of conversations. What is difficult is the amount of stuff in boxes that I am certain is from his mom's house. I am trying to figure out a system to deal with it efficiently and effectively. 

Today

I have to finish laundry and fold it. I also need to make dinner for two nights. I also need to clean the sewing room as it is a mess. Tonight I will knit on the socks and afghan. It is a quiet day at home for me. 

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

Finished But Not Completely Finished

 Yesterday was dull, grey, and wet. The high got to 12C. This morning it is cloudy and 10C. Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy and 17C.

Lifestyle

I was out to New Minas yesterday. My first stop was Michaels to get a few things. I did look at their fabric but only bought interfacing that was cheaper than what I normally pay for it. 

My next stop was Walmart. It was at this point I wish I had gone to Bedford. The store was picked over and a bit of a mess. One item I had to buy I hunted through the mess and found 2 containers. It was a bit of a frustrating shopping trip. I was glad to get what was needed and left. 

I was able to get my garbage out between showers and that was a tick mark in the positive list. A few minutes later and it was raining again. 

Sewing

I did spend time in the sewing room working on the paw stocking. It went together remarkably fast. The lining was quick and even putting it into the main stocking wasn't a huge fight. 

I bought these items to add to the stocking. 

I have to work on getting them and a couple of small fabric bones made to add to the stocking. 

Knitting

I worked on the socks last night and got the heel flap knit. I then turned the heel. I am ready to pick up the gusset stitches. 

I had to watch the video on how to turn the heel as I had forgot the formula I use.

Thoughts

    I was sore yesterday. Part was the SI joint being tight and part was the low barometric pressure. I was also a bit achy from the Covid vaccine which didn't help. I did do the exercises once but it didn't really help due to the circumstances. I did have a lot of cracking in bed last night but I do think that the SI joint will tighten up again today. 

    Most of the trees are bare now. The ones that have some leaves left on them are still bright orange giving us a pop of colour here and there. With so much rain, the lawns are green adding more colour. It has been a very colourful fall for us. 

    I have had a small rash of comments that are all the same wording. All have been deleted. I call them spam comments. I know they will give up if I keep deleting them. For everyone else, I truly appreciate your comments and do save them. 

Today

I am out to make sandwiches this morning. Once home, I will do laundry and prep for dinner. This afternoon I want to finish the paw stocking. My goal is to pick up the gusset stitches on the sock and knit on the afghan.