Working On Projects

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 16C. This morning it is clear and 2C (frost). Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 20C. 

Lifestyle

I made a batch of cookies and put them into the freezer so I will have them for the next time we make sandwiches. I had the kitchen cleaned up and surfaces wiped down. I did not see any ants yesterday so am hoping they are gone. 

I did read more on the doctorate thesis and then did some searching. One of the sites is Fort Louisburg, a historic site on Cape Breton Island. One of the other sites is Beaubassin which I had to look up after 3 days of reading. It is near Amherst which is located near the New Brunswick/Nova Scotia border. The Acadians at this site were prosperous building boats for sale. It is located on the Chignecto Bay which is an arm off the Minas Basin. I now understand when they say it was a trading post and on trading routes. 

I decided to cook hamburgers on my little bbq last night. When I took off the cover there was a wasp building a nest on the handle. I swiped the nest off and killed the wasp which was probably the queen. I will have to watch that the wasps don't build a nest there again. I enjoyed my dinner and didn't see any wasps around when I cleaned up. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon sewing on the bicycle skirt. The first job was to make the buttonholes of which I had to pick out the 5th one when I hemmed the legs. Legs were hemmed and the crotch sewn. I made the pleats in the back which were enjoyable to make. About 2 hours after starting I tried it on the doll. 

This picture shows the skirt with the flap closed. 

The flap is opened so a bicycle could be ridden. 

The pleats in the back. I longer pleat is sewn first and then a shorter one. I really liked the look of this when it was completed. 

I have to make the 5th buttonhole, sew on the waistband and add the buttons. 

I have looked and almost decided on the fabric for the Short gown. Is it historically correct? I do not know as we don't know if the Acadians wore muted or bright colours. They may have worn bright colours in one location and muted in another. 

The white is linen and would have been used for the hat and the apron. The stripe would have been included for the skirt. The print will probably be for the top with one print being used for the turn back on the sleeves. A contrast could have been used or it could be my imagination allowing me to use it. 

This is my second choice for the outfit. I have natural linen in the closet I could use. 

I would use white linen for the hat though the women did wear printed cotton hats everyday and white for Sunday. 

Knitting

I finished the vest last night and sewed it together. I now need to pin and steam it and add the closure. 

I had 49 grams of yarn and got it done with a tiny bit of yarn left over. 

Thoughts

    I was out to look at the rosebush and it is growing well. I did pull weeds in that area and have a few left to pull around the shed. Then that area will be done. I have a few weeds to pull around the house and then it will be the hedge. I plan on putting my weeding stuff on the deck so I can grab it and do a bit when I have time. 

    We have rain starting tonight. We do need it to keep the water table high. It is also going to be cool with only 2 days this week having highs of 20C. With 3 nights of frost, I hope the apple blossoms aren't affected. When we went to New Minas on Friday, the trees were starting to bloom. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet and type of the minutes of the last financial committee meeting. If time I will pop out and finish weeding around the shed. This afternoon I want to try to finish the bicycle skirt. I am going to family's for dinner and hope to start a new knitting project tonight. 

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

Oh No! Another Tow Truck

 Yesterday was cooler with lots of sunshine. The high got to 15C. This morning it is sunny with frost and at 5 am it was 1C. It is now 2C. Today is supposed to be sunny and 16C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I spent a lot of time cleaning the kitchen. There were still a couple of ants and it was bugging me. I really scrubbed everything down good with a cleaner in hopes it would help. 

I phoned about my car and they said it would be ready by 5 pm. Daughter-in-law and I decided we would head up to New Minas at about 2:30 pm as she had things to get for the hall. Our first stop was the liquor store and we filled the back of her car as there are two bars in the next 2 weeks. Next we went to Walmart to get pop and water which we sell at the bar. We were doing great. Two more stops and we were done the to-do list.

When we went out to the car, we got in and it wouldn't start. Not uncommon as it needs a part replaced. Daughter-in-law gave it a boost. It started and then turned off and a turtle showed up on the dash. She tried again. No luck in it starting. We drained her littler booster so she got help from someone else. In the meantime, she had called Kia to let me know what had happened and they were sending down a person to look at the car and give us a ride to the shop. I had called for a tow truck using CAA. The fun was now to start. 

The person who came down got the car running so we decided he could drive it to the shop. I went with him and daughter-in-law drove the other car. I talked to the tow truck driver and said I would either call him with a location update or CAA to cancel. We drove through New Minas rush hour doing 19 km/hour. We turned off to go up a quiet street and a  2 minute drive from the shop, the car stopped. Got it going and we went 25 ft. Stopped again. We did that twice more and 1 minute from the shop it stopped for good. I got out to walk down the road as the person backed it down to a driveway. Daughter-in-law became traffic control. A car stopped and 2 men got out to help. They were mechanics from the shop. They pushed it off the road for us. I called the tow truck with our location. He arrived 5 minutes later. We drove behind the tow truck to the shop. 

At the shop, daughter-n-law got a car for the weekend. My car was not done. It needed another road test and an oil change. I was to get a car for the weekend but didn't take it. I didn't need it. I get my car at 9 am Monday. We loaded up the loaner car and finished our to do list. It was interesting as daughter-in-law has not driven a gas car for about a year or more. We got home, unloaded the car at the hall, stocked the bar fridge, and then went to get dinner (A&W to the rescue). I got home with my dinner at 7 pm. I was tired from the adrenaline rush we had. So was daughter-in-law. 

Sewing

I didn't sew yesterday. I did read more of the thesis on Acadian clothing. It is really interesting. The Acadians were prosperous people who lived in nice homes, were as self sufficient as they could be and probably had both work clothes and nice clothes. From what has been discovered, they had access to fine cloth like silk, Dutch linen, and cotton. They did hand work using silk and linen threads. Though there is no clothing to be found due to the wet acidic soil, there is plenty of written documentation of what was brought to Nova Scotia from other countries. 

The Acadians did weave cloth from the linen they grew, the wool they spun, and cloth they bought and took apart to weave again. Through looking at clothing the Acadians wore in Louisiana post deportation they discovered that Acadians wove stripes and they did a two colour barber shop stripe in their weaving. 

I am still reading the thesis and still doing some online research. The thesis has given me information to google. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night. I was too tired to think about knitting. 

Thoughts

    We had frost again last night and they are predicting we will have frost again tonight. My plants are all inside. I am going to fill a pot with dirt and plant cucumber seeds in it. It is time to start them.

    The Kia dealership/shop now has 4 EV-6 cars in their yard needing repairs. They have a specialist coming June 1 to see what is wrong with them. They have so many loaner cars out at the moment that I decided not to have a loaner car for the weekend. Family will take me where I need to go. I am hoping not to have to get anything. 

    The tow truck driver we had for the car was amazing. He was waiting for my call to pick up the car at the location we stopped at. He was polite, kind, and very helpful. We did thank him profusely for all the extra things he did. 

Today

I am going to bake a batch of cookies for the freezer. I think we have to make sandwiches soon so I want to be prepared. I would like to finish the bicycle skirt this afternoon and knit tonight. I may be going out to family's for pulled pork for dinner. 

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

Small Projects Finished

 Yesterday was cooler and sunny with gusts of wind. The high got to 15C. This morning it is sunny, frosty, and 2C. Today is supposed to be sunny with winds. The high is to get to 16C. We are under another frost warning for tonight. 

Lifestyle

I started the day out laundering the sheets and then moved to cleaning the bathroom. I got out my dusting cloth and dusted the bathtub. It had a good layer of toilet paper fluff on it. I crawled around the top of the tub and in the tub. After that session, I finished cleaning the bathroom and mopped the floor. It felt good to have the bathroom spotless. 

I did play with a curtain panel I bought at Fabricville. It is a fabric that I really liked. I hung it up on the back door to see if I liked it there. No I didn't go I will get some film for the door to block the sun coming in. I have it hung in the bathroom and am not sure if I like it in there. I think the length is making me dislike it. It hangs down into the tub. 

I have done nothing to decorate this room as it will not talk to me. I am hoping that once I get the window sorted out, I can move forward to get some decorating done. 

Sewing

I headed down to finish sewing the snaps onto the rest of the doll clothes. They are on even if I did have to get down on the floor and find snaps that decided to escape on me. 

My next job is to make the buttonholes in the bicycle skirt and get it finished. 

This month, Sewing With Cinnamon is about colour. I love colour though I struggle combining prints. I usually buy from a line of fabrics someone else has designed. The homework this month is to make a 5 colour palette using an off white as one of the colours. I want to do a historical outfit and I know that dyes were limited in the 1700's. When I read about the Acadian's and their clothing I continue to learn more. 

    In Nova Scotia, most of what we know about their clothing comes from what others wrote as the Great Deportation left huge holes in what was known about the clothes they wore. Research is filling in some of those holes which is great.

    We do know that fabric was mainly woven at home using flax and wool but most household could not produce enough wool to be self sufficient. I am still reading a doctorate thesis on this that is about Acadians in Nova Scotia. 

    When the flax was made into linen cloth, it was bleached white for good clothing. It was a lengthy process that took a long time. 

    Most fabric goods came from England though there was a healthy but illegal trade from the US. Most often they traded furs and feathers for goods off the ships. There was a lot of trade between Louisburg and Minas (our areas) that I just read about in the thesis. 

    The clothing they wore was more simple due to time constraints for sewing and the amount of yardage that could be made in the home. Children wore hand me downs and worn clothing would be made into bed covers or picked apart and woven into cloth once again. 

When this pattern was shared, I decided it was more like what a working Acadian woman wore in the 1700's. 

Now to find the fabrics for the outfit. I am still reading the thesis and will know more about the cloth used to make this outfit as I get further into the thesis (over 600 pages of reading). 

Knitting

I had a good evening of knitting. I am almost finished the vest. I think I have about 12 rows left to go. I also may run out of yarn. 

If I win by having enough yarn, I will have this finished by Saturday night. Then I will have to decide what to knit next. 

Thoughts

    The wind blew yesterday and the air was full of dandelion fluff. It looked like huge snowflakes falling lazily from the sky. I don't think I have ever seen this before. It lasted for hours. 

    My IBS has flared up and I have been ignoring the signs. Yesterday I had to stop worrying about a lot of things as the flare up is from stress. I have to simplify my diet also as I have been eating more processed foods lately. It is a vicious cycle for me. 

    I slept well last night and didn't wake up until 5:30 am. I was exhausted as I had two poor nights of sleep due to the heat. I am hoping I will have a few good night's sleep as it does leave me feeling tired during the day. 

Today

I have to phone to see when the car will be ready. I want to clean the kitchen this morning and will go with daughter-in-law to shop this afternoon with hopes of picking up my car by the end of the day. I hope to knit tonight. 

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

Progress On The Doll's Vest

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds. It was hot and somewhat humid. The high got to 30C (humidex 35C). This morning it is partly cloudy and 12C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 15C. We are under a frost warning for tonight. 

Lifestyle

I was out the door early for physio. My evaluation showed that I am aligned and my SI joint was in place and moving well. In the first 30 seconds of treatment we had a nice crack. Not my SI joint though. Somewhere around my hip so we think it was that joint. My muscles are still stiff though not as bad as usual. I am working on that at home. 

After physio, I went and got some groceries. Once home, I turned on the a/c as the house was getting warm. I also put the blinds down half way. I did sit for a bit wishing I could put heat on my muscles but it was too hot for that. Instead I got up and cleaned up the couch where I sit. It was getting messy. Once done that I had lunch. 

I prepped for a meeting mid afternoon. It was late as one person had to get her car fixed out of town. I was ready and then had to wait. After the meeting, I returned the rental as I don't need it today or tomorrow. I pick up my car (supposedly) late Friday afternoon. 

I hauled the garbage out in the evening. I put it into the wagon as one bag is quite heavy. It was very warm and humid which I don't like. Everyone was moving at a slower pace due to the humidity. On the upside, all the garbage left over from the yard sale is out ready to be picked up today. 

Sewing

I did not sew yesterday as I prepped for a meeting and then waited as it was delayed. I wish I had gone downstairs to sew on snaps. 

Knitting

I knit on the doll's vest last night. I started the second front at row 69 and finished at row 100. 

If all goes well tonight, I should have the second front finished and maybe the back started. 

Thoughts

    I am slowly accepting the fact that my friend is going to move. I am excited for her as she starts her journey as a home owner back in the area where she grew up. I will miss her. I know I have a lovely group of people here on my blog plus others on a forum I belong to. I will manage and move forward in my life. 

    I was not surprised to see the frost warning for tonight and tomorrow night. I have not planted anything outside as I thought it was going to happen. We have a good chance of frost as the wind is from the north right now. I will plant outside shortly and get some blankets ready for those cool nights. 

Today

I am going to do some cleaning this morning. I am also going to hang and measure a curtain for the bathroom window so I can cut and hem it. I want to sew on more snaps this afternoon and knit tonight. 

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

It's Like Starting Over Again

 Yesterday was quite warm and sunny with a high of 22C (humidex 25C). This morning it is a mix of sun and clouds and 11C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 30C (humidex 35C). 

Lifestyle

I was busy before my friend picked me up to go into Halifax. I got the recycling out into the proper containers, a visit with daughter-in-law, and the dishwasher emptied. I also emptied the dehumidifier as it was full. I have to watch it carefully as we are moving into our hot and humid weather. 

The trip to Halifax was uneventful. We made it to Fabricville without any issues. I haven't been there for 5 years. The last time I went, they weren't open. I had thought the store had closed but it was moving from their huge store to a smaller location in the same strip mall. This store is also houses the Maritime's supervisors office. 

We explored the store and I bought buttons, a couple of closures, and a curtain. I helped my friend find some fabrics for puppets a group are making for the Christmas parade. We walked most of the store. I found standing around and waiting hard on my knees so I went to the car to wait. I was there about 15 minutes before my friend came out. She had found the bargain fabrics and bought 3 pieces of sparkly fabric from those bins. 

Leaving Halifax was easy. Two turns and we were are on the highway. We stopped at Lower Sackville to have lunch in a restaurant I like. It was my friend's first visit there. From there, we headed home on the old highway. She had never driven that route either. 

Once home, I sat down and didn't move. Depression hit me hard. My friend will be moving in a month and I will have no one to visit, bounce ideas off, and have our treats. I felt lost and had to work through this. I know that her move has been weighing on my mind for quite a while now. It is like starting over again.

As I worked through my thoughts, I tried to think about the future and what I want to do to keep busy. A few ideas are perking in my head. I still have quilts to make. I can sew for the dolls. I can knit up my yarn. All great plans to keep me busy. 

What I won't have is the mental stimulation of visiting with someone. Many of the seniors in my area are busy with activities I am not interested in. Others don't accept me as I "come from afar". I can go to one quilt shop once a month to quilt but I am not sure about that. I do not like crowds of people and I am not sure if they want me to join them making quilts for a charity. I could ask for fabrics to make the quilt tops at home and bring them in when they are completed. I could also go up on one Tuesday a month to sew in their classroom. 

I spent the rest of the day thinking and only looked out the window when I heard a noise. It had rained and a father and son were playing street hockey. 

I did not sew or knit yesterday. 

Today

I am out shortly for physio and then will get some groceries. Once home, I need to do some cleaning. I have a meeting at 2:30 pm. I may get a few snaps sewn on and I hope to knit tonight. I will be turning on the a/c today as it is going to be hot and humid. 

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

Sewing On Snaps

 Yesterday was a mix of sun, clouds, and wind with a high of 19C. This morning it is partly cloudy and it is 10C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds, and showers. The high today is supposed to get to 24C (humidex 27C).

Lifestyle

I had a busy morning. My first job was to fold and put away the laundry from the day before. I prepped chicken for dinner. Then it was a quick tidy up in the kitchen. Sugar ants are out and I am fighting with a few each day. I have to keep the kitchen spotless. They get into everyone's house and are annoying. 

I went to the grocery store to see what plants they had in their plant center. There were a lot of plants and few customers were there. I wandered around and picked up this selection of plants. 

I still need more plants but will go to Walmart for the rest. 

Once home, I put the plants in the garage to keep cool as we are going to be hot today and tomorrow. Then I went out and put up the table on the deck, got the bbq and set it up on the table. I put 2 tubs on the deck for the tomatoes and put fertilizer in them. The pots got watered and I can plant tomatoes later this week. 

I did look around the yard and will have to pull weeds later this week. There are a few around the house and quite a few in the hedge. I will get it done over time. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon sewing on snaps. I find it a tedious job that leaves me tense. I want them to look perfect but they never are. The red/white striped blouse had 6 snaps sewn on it. The tiny ones on the cuffs were not fun. I was on the floor looking for one half as it popped out of my fingers. The stomacher requires 6 tiny snaps and after I got 4 on, my hands started to cramp up from squeezing snaps in place. 

I still have to finish the stomacher and put 4 snaps on the doll's blouse I finished. Once done, I will be caught up on snap sewing. 

Knitting

I knit on the sweater and got the first front done. 

The second front is ready to join the yarn and knit. 

Thoughts

    We are to have it warm today and hot tomorrow. Then it is supposed to cool off and be back to normal temperatures. The humidity has been low for here. I have to figure out how to cover the tomatoes for cool nights and have a shade over them on hot days. I have some ideas which I will figure out if they work. 

    I really enjoyed my visit to the garden center. It does not have a huge selection of vegetables. It has mainly herbs and flowers which is most popular here. There are other garden centres that carry more vegetables but not as many as what is sold in BC. The other garden centres also sell flowers in 6 packs where the one I was at yesterday doesn't have many of those. Mainly single pots.

    The lawn was fertilized yesterday. I am hoping that it will help the bare spots fill in. They are getting smaller. I hope that the grass seed sprouts where the garden boxes were. If not I will seed them again in the fall. 

Today

I am off to the city with my friend. We are going to fabric stores as she needs fabric for puppets. I will buy buttons and snaps. I will treat us to lunch. Once home, I would like to sew more snaps on the doll's clothes so that job is done. Tonight I will knit on the vest. 

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

Doll''s Blouse Completed

 Yesterday was sunny and hot with a high of 24C. This morning it is clear and 8C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 20C. 

Lifestyle

I did get a few things done yesterday morning. I put a load of laundry on and it is in the dryer waiting for me to fold it. I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen. I sat down for a break and was so tired that I didn't move until noon. 

After lunch I laid down and slept for an hour. Though I heard the machines working across the street as the people readied their driveway for paving, I did sleep lightly and felt refreshed when I got up. 

Sewing

I spent time in the sewing room after my nap. I wanted to quit on the doll's blouse but I broke it down into small steps and finished it. It wasn't hard to sew and I did end up enjoying my time working on it. 

The pattern fits well which I do like. Pattern drafting for these dolls is hard so I admire those who make patterns that are well drafted. 

There is a lot of top stitching on this blouse so I really got good at doing it. I did a lot of basting and some hand sewing. One thing I like is that every seam is finished. 

I made this blouse to go with the overalls designed by the same person. 

Knitting

I knit on the doll's vest last night. I finished up the body part and am now knitting one of the fronts. 

I have to read every row carefully as there is at least one surprise every few rows. Though I have to look up some of her knitting terms, it is a well written pattern and quite unique. 

Thoughts

    I was out in the garage to look at what is left from the yard sale. It isn't a lot compared to what we started out with and then dug out on the day of the sale. I did put away some things that needed dealing with and I will do a quick clean up once the boxes are gone. 

    I am doing some research on how much protein I need daily with my kidney function. I have decided to be more strict with what I am eating and have decided to cut back a bit on my portions. They were probably a bit on the large size. I know I have to monitor carbs as I do get low glucose readings if I don't have some at each meal. My stress levels are down so I am ready to tackle my eating habits. 

    I need to look at getting my vegetable pots onto the deck. The tomatoes need to go out soon and I know I will have to bring them in some nights as we can get frost until June 5. I want to start cucumbers and buy a few pepper plants. 

Today

I am going to set up my bbq on the deck as I want to use it this summer. I may go looking for some flowers and pepper plants this morning. This afternoon I want to sew snaps onto a few doll's clothes so they are completely done. I will knit tonight. 

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