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. 

Ready To Sew The Seams

 Yesterday was mainly a cloudy day but we had no rain. The high was 11C at 6 am and the temperature dropped all day. This morning it is raining and 6C. Today is supposed to be wet with a high of 11C.

Lifestyle

I was out to the community hall to make sandwiches at 7:15 am. It was done thanks to daughter-in-law coming in to mix the fillings and make some of the sandwiches before going to work. Another volunteer came as she was leaving which was so nice. We got things done around 8:40 am. 

I left the hall and drove to the doctor's office to get my Covid vaccine. I was in and out in around 5 minutes. This is the vaccine that can make me extremely tired and sore. It didn't disappoint. 

Once home, I had to push myself to do things on my list. I got it all done but one item (laundry). I alternated between doing things and resting. I even took items to family's house mid afternoon. I even made dinner. I didn't want to do anything but I knew I had to. By 7 pm I started to feel better. It was over with and I felt better. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday. I hand sewed the largest pad onto the stocking and stitched it down. 

I even flipped it over and marked the stitching line 1/2" in from the raw edge. Much easier to stitch the paws when they are marked. 

I do have the two pieces pinned together and ready to sew. At that point it was rest time as I was exhausted and sore. 

Knitting

I did knit yesterday in the afternoon. The leg on the sock has 80 rows knit and I have set up and knit 1 row on the heel flap. 

I also knit 6 rows on the afghan last night. It is around 41" long now.

I had it draped over my legs and it was making me overly warm. It is dense enough to keep in my body heat but loose enough to have a lovely drape. 

Thoughts

    All of my social media feeds are full of the midterm election results even though I am Canadian. I profess not to understand the American voting system, I do understand what people are thinking after an election. I know there was a lot of talk after our federal election; some good, some bad, and some neutral. 

    It is hard to believe that we went to Uruguay almost 1 year ago. We still talk about our trip and all the wonderful things we saw. I still look at it as a trip of a lifetime.

Today

I am going to New Minas this morning to shop. Once home, I do hope to sew on the paw stocking after lunch. I will knit tonight. I will probably have to do my exercises today as I will be walking on concrete floors and they do make me sore. 

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

Progress On All Projects

 Yesterday was mainly sunny with a high of 16C. This morning it is cloudy and 11C. Today is supposed to have showers this morning and some sunshine this afternoon. The high is to get to 12C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I finished cleaning the living room. The tv stand was dusted as was the tv. The baseboards were washed. The floors were vacuumed and mopped. I was surprised that they were dirty as I had washed a lot of them the day before. They weren't filthy just dirty from me walking on them. 

I made a pot of chicken broth using up the frozen carcass I had. I got enough broth for 4 lunches. I used the new cube containers and put 3 portions into the freezer. When I looked into the freezer, I have used up most of the meat and about half of the vegetables. It is going to need to be restocked this week. 

My SI joint was sore as were the muscles. Not overly painful but quite annoying. I did do the exercises once yesterday but made sure I was moving about to stay limber. I was up and down off the floor quite a few times. I did have a crack last night so we wait and see if it has gone back into its proper place. 

Sewing

I did a lot of hand sewing yesterday. The 4 pads were hand sewn down and then stitched. I had to stop as my hands were cramping up doing the tiny hand stitches. 

It is at the stage where I am not sure if I like it or hate it. I have this stage with everything I make so I sit and stare at it and shrug my shoulders. 

Knitting

I did get 20 rows knit on the sock. 

It is certainly very green and earthy feeling. Though not exciting like other yarn I have knit, it is calming when I knit on it. 

I also knit 4 rows on the afghan last night. It is still growing and keeping me warm while I knit. 

Thoughts

    I heard noise late yesterday afternoon and it was my neighbour mowing his lawn. Another neighbour did his after that. Mine will need doing once more and hopefully it will be this week. 

    Though I had pain yesterday, I think my SI joint was not as tight as it had been the day before. I was able to do move around better and getting up off the floor wasn't as painful as I had thought. I think doing the exercises a minimum of once a day will keep it moving into place but I am going to try for twice a day until I see the physiotherapist on Monday. 

Today

I am out very soon to make sandwiches. Daughter-in-law is going to be there for a while to help and then it will be just 2 of us. I am annoyed. Once home, I will get ready to get my Covid vaccine and then I will be home for the day. I do hope to do a few things unless the vaccine knocks me flat on my back. I would like to sew and knit but all my plans depend on how my body reacts. 

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

Progress Made On The Paw Stocking

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 7C. This morning it is clear and 9C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 16C. 

Lifestyle

I started the day out by doing the balance sheet. It was a bit of fun as I made a mistake, found it, and then did another balance and when I looked, I had a huge mistake. I just undid all my entries and started again. Undoing 5 entries wasn't a huge job. I redid the entries and all was good. I put October to bed and am ready to start November's on Sunday. 

My next job was to get the sheets into the laundry. I then proceeded to do my exercises on the couch as my SI joint decided to act up something fierce. A bit of relief from that. 

I then took the couch I sit on apart and cleaned it. I tidied up my knitting stuff, vacuumed all the cushions and the couch. I then moved the couch out and vacuumed under it and mopped that part of the floor. While it was drying, I cleaned the railing spindles and the floor around them. A lot of dust from that job. Once the floor was dry, I put the couch back into its place and vacuumed and mopped the floor. One more day and I can wash the walls. 

Once done the living room area, I got the sheets into the dryer. I was really sore at this point but I couldn't stop. I put two containers of the fish chowder into the tubs and froze them. I heated the third one for lunch. After lunch, I did more exercises. This time, I had a bit more relief but it was still sore. I was able to get the muscles to stop hurting at that point which did help a lot. 

After I made the bed, I laid down on it and did a third session of exercises. At this point, it was only my SI joint hurting. It wasn't going to release so I decided I had to live with it and take Tylenol at bedtime. 

Sewing

I spent some time sewing on the paw stocking. I drew the lines on the stocking and quilted them. I then cut out the pad pieces and gathered them around cardboard templates. When it came time to pin them on, I couldn't find the stocking piece I used to place them in the correct position. I had to do a new one. I got all the pieces pinned and adjusted. I am ready to hand sew them down. 

I am going to stitch down the pads using red thread and the same stitch I used on the other stocking. Once this step is done, it won't take long to finish it. 

Knitting

I started a pair of socks on Halloween and did knit on them yesterday. I am half done the leg. 

I want to knit about 20 rows a day on it and will have to do it at noon. 

I also knit 6 rows on the afghan. It is now long enough that it will cover my legs while knitting a row. It is keeping my legs warm which is nice. No picture last night. The ball of yarn is getting smaller. I have one large ball and 1 small ball on the couch plus 3 more in the closet. I am thinking I will be using them all to get the length I need. 

Thoughts

    We are going to get temperatures into the teens this week. Even the nights are going to be warm. I am not sure what system is coming in. The wind shifted to the south last night and the temperature went up all night. It will be nice to have some warm weather for a few days even if there are showers in the forecast. 

    I found it very difficult to do housework yesterday but I pushed through the pain once again. I spent between 45-60 minutes doing exercises and they did help. I added one more to the list and that one helped relax the muscles. I massaged the SI joint last night and it was very tender. I will continue doing the exercises and I have physio in a week. 

    I went back onto my eating plan yesterday and I was wanting comfort food. I didn't cave in and I felt better for it. One thing I have noticed is that I am eating less at dinner time. My food is portioned out and I get full quite quickly now. 

Today

I want to do some more cleaning in the living room so I can do the walls. I need to get the mail and do some shopping. This afternoon I will hand sew the pads onto the stockings. I want to knit on the socks and the afghan today and tonight. I plan on doing my exercises at least twice and maybe 3 times today. 

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

And Halloween Is Done For Another Year

 Yesterday was damp and cloudy in the morning but sunnier in the afternoon. The high to 6C. This morning there are some clouds and it is -1C. Today is supposed to be sunny and 8C.

Lifestyle

I did my stretching before heading out to make sandwiches. It is a good thing I went as the lady who was to cut the sandwiches couldn't come. I made 1 loaf of sandwiches and then cut and arranged all of the sandwiches on the trays. Daughter-in-law was there yesterday and we had some giggles.

After the sandwiches were done, we headed into Dartmouth to shop for sandwiches and a few things she needed. I do enjoy our time together and the conversations we have. I did buy compost bags and silicone containers to freeze soups, etc into. 

I am looking forward to using these this coming week. 

Once home, I had lunch and then and went for a nap. I slept for almost 1.5 hours and woke up feeling groggy but better. Once awake, I went downstairs and wound wool to knit a pair of socks. I also drew one line not the paw stockings. 

Upstairs I had to get the sign put up, the box and tub of candy out for Halloween night. I shut the blinds and watched the people start to arrive. At 5 pm I left for family's. 

We had a great evening. I knit on the socks, we talked, and had a lovely dinner with our friends. It was delicious. We visited after dinner and I got home after 10 pm. Trick or treating was done, the tub was empty, and I put everything away. 

Thoughts

    I had mixed feeling about not being here for Halloween. I love to look at the costumes and enjoy the little ones coming for their treats. What I don't like is sitting in the garage when it is cold outside. Next year we may revamp how we hand out the treats as it seems as if it has been cold and windy the past few years. 

    Time changed for us last night. I hate time change with a passion. It leaves me tired and off schedule. The only nice thing is that the mornings are light. It gets darker earlier which is okay. I am hoping that time change will stop as many people want to be on the same time all year round. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet and then I am going to start cleaning the house. It is time to get back to that job. This afternoon I will sew on the stocking and I will knit tonight. I will be adjusting to the time change today. 

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