Great Progress On The Stocking

 Yesterday started out with clouds, then rain, and finally sunshine. The high got to 16C. This morning it is cloudy and 6C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 6C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday was fraught with pain. I did my exercises 3 times during the day with some relief. At midnight I rolled over and everything moved back into place. I have a little pain today which is better than what I had yesterday. 

I was out to make sandwiches and I used a small step stool to put one foot on while putting sandwiches in the trays. I stood on both feet while cutting. It did help. There were 3 of us doing it once again. Daughter-in-law had gone in early and mixed the filling so everyone could make sandwiches. 

Once home, I sat on heat for a bit and then I got up and started working. I washed a few dishes and then started to clean the living room. I moved the furniture out of the bay window area and cleaned it. It was dusty due to the construction going on near us. I vacuumed the floor and mopped it. While it was drying, I folded and put away laundry. 

Once the furniture was put back into place, I set about getting chicken and vegetables prepped for dinner. I marinate the chicken and let it sit in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours. The vegetables are chopped and put into the fridge also. When done, I did the dishes and called it a morning. I was ready to sit down and have heat on my SI joint. 

Sewing

I finished sewing the last 4 wedges onto the 2nd piece I had started the day before. I then cut out both stocking pieces from the fabric and fusible fleece. I pressed them into place and started quilting. I have the cross hatching done one way when I had to stop. 

I did the quilting in red and the black lines you see are where I stitched. They disappear when I press them. I will do it after I finished the quilting. 

I also swept the sewing room floor and picked up all the thread and bits of fabric. It still needs to be vacuumed and I will do it when I can get the vacuum cleaner down the stairs. I can't do it if my SI joint is giving me a lot of pain. 

Knitting

I knit 8 rows last night and have started a new ball of yarn. 

I have 2 balls left on the couch and then I will have to get more out when they are gone. This afghan is growing but it isn't long enough yet. 

Thoughts

    I am tired this morning. I was awake a lot last night and am short on sleep. I plan on having a nap this afternoon so I can be awake for dinner tonight. One reason I was awake for so long was from the pain I had and it took a while to settle down after everything moved back into place. I don't know why I woke up early as I was virtually pain free. 

    The doctor's office called me and let me know I can get my Covid vaccine on Tuesday. Once I get it, I am done for the winter. I can't wait for that to be over with. 

    It is time change tonight and the confusion starts. Some provinces will stay on daylight savings time while other provinces will fall back to standard time. One province has one part remaining on daylight savings time while the other part goes to standard time. I personally think Canada should not change their clocks and all should be on same page and choose one or the other. I loved it when we didn't have to change our clocks. 

Today

I am out to help with sandwiches this morning. Once done I will go to the city with daughter-in-law to shop. I will have a nap this afternoon and will be out for dinner tonight. I don't think I will be sewing or knitting today. My only job is to make sure a tub of candy is out for the kids. 

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

Progress On The Next Stocking

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 18C. This morning it is cloudy and 12C. Today is supposed to be rainy with a high of 16C. 

Lifestyle

As I couldn't eat yesterday morning and I had to be out the door to the hospital for blood collection at 7:30 am, I did a couple of small chores that needed to be done. I was to the hospital, got the blood work done and was back in the car in 20 minutes. Early morning appointments are great; no waiting at all. 

Once home, I had breakfast and did some more chores. It was mainly things like empty the dishwasher and get things ready for making soup. I was out the door at just after 9 am for a hair cut. 

Back home, I spent the rest of the morning making a big pot of fish chowder. It is not a cream base soup but one made with tomatoes. I actually like it better. I got enough soup for 5 lunches which I will enjoy immensely. The house smelled so good for the rest of the day. 

My SI joint decided to give me a lot of low intensity pain yesterday. I walked a lot as it gave me relief. I did my exercises which helped some. But I knew it was there all day and again this morning. It is annoying and tiring. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday and got one piece of the paw fabric completed. 

I got the 7 pieces cut for the back of the stocking and the tan fabric attached to each wedge. I had enough time to sew 3 pieces together before I called it a day. 

I am pleased with my progress as it takes quite a lot of time to get these pieces done. 

We got an email telling us what to bring for the course next month. I will be starting to put things into a bag over the next 4 weeks. I do have a few things to buy which I can use. I will be ordering some next week and buying others over the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to the course. 

Knitting

I knit 4 rows last night and called it a night. 

The ball of yarn is getting smaller and it may be done in a couple of nights. The afghan is keeping me warm while I knit and I am enjoying that part now. 

Thoughts

    There is a "trunk and treat" at one location in town tonight. I think that is a great idea and wish we could do it here. They set the time (6 to 8 pm) and it is done and over with. Here the children start at 4:30 pm and they will still come at 9 pm if you leave your lights on. We also get children from other towns as they know there are big bags of treats given out next to our street. We are leaving a tub of candy at my house this year as we are doing dinner with friends tomorrow night. I will be home around 9 pm and will not answer the door after I get home. 

    I have been noticing how much Christmas is out already and has been for about 2 or more weeks. We do not start to decorate until after Remembrance Day though others will start on November 1. I still have lots to do before I can decorate for Christmas. 

Today

I am out to make sandwiches this morning. Once home, I hope to do some cleaning and folding laundry. I want to sew this afternoon and knit tonight. I do know my schedule can change today and am prepared for that. 

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

I Figured It Out

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 8C. This morning it is mainly clear and 1C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 15C. 

Lifestyle

I headed out to the community hall to meet the company that was cleaning the heat pumps. I sat around for almost 30 minutes before texting daughter-in-law. She called and they said the service person's vehicle had a flat tire and she was going to call and let her know. It was already 30 minutes past the time to come. I went home and waited for them to call and say they were going to the hall. 

The call came in and I headed out about 10:30 am to the hall. I let in the person and then sat and waited for the job to be done. There are 4 heads that needed to be cleaned and the person was done around 1 pm. I had got cold and was feeling cranky but I kept smiling. 

Once home, I had lunch and warmed up. My SI joint was rebelling as it was cold but it did ease up once it got warmed up. 

Sewing

I sewed 2.5" strips together to make a new piece of cloth. I cut the first wedge and then the 2nd and I had the same issue. The colours matched up perfectly in a row. I was not happy. I let it sit while I was out and thought on it. When I started up again, I decided to try a tan strip on the large end of each wedge. I cut a 2.5" x 5" strip and sewed it on. I pressed everything neatly and it turned out close to what I wanted it to look like. 

I cut out wedges two at a time and sewed on the tan strip. I then carefully sewed the wedges together. It was a lot of work but I got several on to see how it would look. 

It is more patch work like than a diagonal design but I am happy with it. I know to get the diagonal look, I would have had to make each wedge separately and that is a lot of work. For a stocking, I don't need to put in hours of work to make something ultra custom. 

I did lay the pattern on the piece I made and I will add 2 more strips to it. 

The tan will not be seen as it will disappear into the stitching at the toes and under the cuff at the top. 

Knitting

I knit 12 rows last night. I didn't take any pictures but the ball of yarn is getting smaller. Soon it will be time to add another ball of yarn. 

Thoughts

    The temperature dropped to -2C with a windchill of -6C yesterday morning. It happened when the sun came up and is not unusual. It could drop again this morning as it is going to be sunny today. 

    As I was out with the hall I went into town and got the tire torqued on the car. One person was between jobs and grabbed the iron and went right out to do it. I was happy to have that job done and off my list. The staff at the shop is always pleasant. 

    My SI joint is flared up slightly. It did not like me getting cold inside the hall. I did try standing with my right foot on the small step stool and it should work for me when cutting sandwiches. We will see tomorrow morning if it works or not. 

Today

I am out shortly to have blood work done. Once done, I will have breakfast and then head out for a hair cut. When I get home, I will do a few things this morning and then sew this afternoon. I will knit tonight. A fairly quiet day for me.

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

I Made A Mistake

Yesterday was sunny and windy with a high of 7C. This morning it is clear and -1C (windchill -3C). Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 9C. 

Lifestyle

I was out to New Minas in good time. It was windy and the wind caught the back of the car once and it kind of scared me. I survived the scare as no damage was done. 

At New Minas, I went to the quilt shop looking around for a few minutes. One of the sales people had her Christmas stocking out. It is done in red and white and looks like she cut an old quilt up to make a stocking. Very well done. 

At Walmart, I had to shop for 3 orders; mine, a friends, and the hall. It took some time for me to get everything on the lists. No time to snoop shop. I was home by noon. 

Sewing

I had a long run in the sewing room yesterday. I cut the strips for the spiral table runner I am going to make in a class. I have enough for 2 table runners and possibly a third if I want to make that many. I did sew the strips for one table runner. 

I only need to get fusible fleece batting and fabric for the binding. 

I then cut out the strips for the next paw stocking. I cut 4 fabrics at 2.75" and sewed them together. 

I then cut out 3 wedges and cursed at myself. I should have used 3 colours only. I wasn't thinking and own my mistake. I staggered the wedges and got this look. 

I have it put it away for a future project. I have enough fabric to make another piece of fabric for the stocking using only 3 colours. The tan will be omitted. 

I did find 2 fabrics I liked for a tree skirt for daughter. The board fabric is from the stash and will be used for the backing. 

I am going to get 2 more fabrics that I used in the paw stocking for it. I won't use red as I want to keep it subtle. 

Knitting

I knit 8 rows last night and put the afghan on the floor to see how it looks. 

I am guessing I am just over half done. It is keeping me warm as I knit so I know I will enjoy it when it is done. 

Thoughts

    The wind blew from the north all day yesterday and shifted to the south last night. We will have a couple of days of warmer weather and then it will cool off again. 

    My SI joint was not as sore as it had been. If I stop and rest it, it settles down. If I push too hard, it hurts worse. The muscles are sore from all this but I do push them so they will get stronger. It is annoying but I am happy it isn't painful all day long. 

    While driving to New Minas, I was amazed at how much colour can still be seen. The leaves have given us a great show and are still giving it to us at the end of October. It has been wonderful to see the blaze of colours for such a long period of time. 

Today

I am out this morning to the hall as the heat pumps are to be serviced. Once home I need to do a load of laundry and vacuum the sewing room. This afternoon I will sew on the paw stocking and I hope to knit tonight. 

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

Paw Stocking Completed

 Yesterday started out sunny and then became cloudy. The high got to 18C. This morning it is clear and 5C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 9C.

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I was really busy. I had a list that I wanted to get through and I started early. Garbage and recycling went out into the garage. Stuff was taken off the stairs and put away. The bathroom was cleaned. And I finally was able to open the garage door and start cleaning the garage. I went through everything on the cupboards and tool chest. Some went inside to the pantry, other items went into the compost bin and either garbage or recycling. I was able to organize my stuff on the top of the tool chest and was pleased with it. I hauled my containers of tools out of the cupboards, put items away and saw the top of the cupboards look neat and tidy. I did do a bit of sweeping but that will get done Thursday. My last job of the morning was to take the bottles to the bottle depot and I got over $10.00 for them. I take them in twice a year. 

I was very sore all day. I did end up on the couch doing my exercises and then on the bed doing more. A bit of relief but still very sore. I finally did some stretches and twists in bed and got relief. It was not a fun day due to the pain but I persisted as I needed to get jobs done. 

I was out for dinner at family's last night. Our friend is there and we had a delightful visit. Lots of laughs and hugs all around. I got home late which was fine.

Sewing

I finished the paw stocking. The only issue I had was getting the lining in so it sat properly. I had to really work on that. Otherwise it went together really well. 

As a prototype I was really pleased with the results. I did learn a few things. I love the stitch I chose for appliquéing the paw pads down. I need to remember to have a full bobbin when I do it. 

It has been spoken for and will be delivered in the next couple of days. I am now ready to start the one to put into the stocking contest. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night as I got home late. 

Thoughts

    I was surprised to see that parts of Kamloops had snow yesterday. I do know the mine where daughter works has snow and it was cold. I don't know the temperature as the weather station is at the Kamloops airport where it is warmer than higher up. 

    My lawn is officially put to bed unless it gets another mowing. The fall fertilizer was put on yesterday morning. The new seeding has done well with most bare areas filled in. It will all start again in April. 

    I am hoping that I have the pain in my SI joint under control once again. I want to do a bunch more cleaning and I can't get a lot done when I am in pain. I know I will be doing a lot more exercises when I get sore. I will try to do the fall cleaning as I want it done. 

Today

I am off to shop for sandwiches and myself. I am not sure if I am going to New Minas or Bedford. I will decide when I get in the car. Once home, I will vacuum the sewing room and start the next stocking. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. 

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

The Hardest Part Is Done

 Yesterday was sunny and warm with a high of 17C. This morning it is clear and 3C. Today is supposed to become cloudy with wind and a high of 16C.

Lifestyle

I turned off the heat while doing the balance sheet and didn't turn it on until 9 pm last night. The house was toasty warm all day.

My first job of the day was to do the balance sheet. I got it done in record time and everything put away. I then spent some time on the family tree and had a huge score. I was looking for information on a child that died and couldn't find anything. I decided to see if I could find it in Find A Grave. Nothing. I then put in my great aunt's name as I haven't been able to find out where she was buried. I found it and was over the moon with happiness. 

I spent some time emptying the dishwasher and tidying up the kitchen. I did take out the items that are to go to the thrift shop to the garage and bagged them up. I also put bags into the containers for garbage and recycling. Back inside, I tidied up the dining room table and washed it well. On a roll.

Next up I gave Rosie the robot vacuum cleaner a good cleaning. I emptied her dust bin and took it out to clean it with pressured air. I also wiped it out while outside as it was so warm out there. I stood and soaked up the sunshine for a bit.

Daughter sent me more pictures and I did inventory. It wasn't difficult to do. It was after 12:30 pm when I got my list of chores done but it felt good to be done them. 

Sewing

I spent a couple of hours in the sewing room yesterday afternoon. I hand sewed down the last small pad and then applied the big one and hand sewed it down. Once they were on, I carefully stitched around the two small and larger pads on the sewing machine. I went slowly to do a good job on them. 

The hardest part is now done and it will be easy to finish. I need to find a piece of material for the lining which will come from the stash. When this one is done, I will be ready to start the one for the contest. 

I have been watching a video on how to make a quilt as you go tree skirt. I may make it after I finish the stockings and the doll's jeans. It remains to be seen but I am interested in making it. 

Knitting

I knit 7 rows last night. The afghan is about 35" long and is starting to keep me warm. It is also getting heavy while knitting on it. 

Thoughts

    It is nice to have a few sunny and very warm days near the end of October. According to the weatherman, we will have two more sunny warm days later this week. 

    I was somewhat sore yesterday but feel better today. I was able to get the SI joint to release which helped. It still isn't in the right spot but much better. My muscles were sore but I kept moving all day. Though they were tired, they didn't cramp up like I thought they would. 

    I am getting back into fall cleaning. I will be starting on the dining area next. I really want to get it done before the end of November as I want to decorate for Christmas and winter. 

Today

I have to do a few small things inside and then will bundle up and start cleaning up the garage. I will work for an hour in there and repeat until it is done. This afternoon I would like to get as much done on the paw stocking and tonight I will knit on the afghan. Another busy day at home. 

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

Change of Plans

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds though the sun shone most of the day. The high got to 9C. This morning it is clear and 2C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 16C.

Lifestyle

While looking out the front door window I saw the moon full moon shining. It looks beautiful against the black sky. I was very grateful to be able to see it this morning without it being obstructed by clouds. 

Yesterday morning I cleaned most of the kitchen and then prepped food for dinner. I put the food into the fridge and finished cleaning the kitchen. I even pulled out the stove and cleaned under it. When done, I vacuumed the floor and mopped it. It was a bit dirty but not bad. 

I folded clothes and got them put away. Another job off the list. The sheets were in the washer and dryer and the bed got made right after they dried. I also spent some time doing more inventory for daughter. I am making progress and am now waiting for more pictures. Hopefully this will get done quickly. 

While doing some chores, daughter-in-law called me to help with the bar last night. There was a wedding at the community hall. I said yes. I then got a call asking me to come earlier as the bar would close at 7:30 pm. Better yet. It was a slow bar but an enjoyable one. I was home just after 7:30 pm as we closed the bar early at the bride's request. We even got the glasses washed and put away before leaving and I stopped at family's on my way to drop off the money. 

Sewing

I did get to sew for a bit in the afternoon. I got one of the small paw pads hand sewn on and the other one pinned on. The center pad is next and then I will machine stitch around the three of them. 

I am looking forward to doing the next one as I am learning lots with this one. Sewing around the pads using a "fancy" stitch is slow as I need to make sure I keep the stitches in the right place. The clear plastic foot helps me see much better than the metal one. 

Knitting

None done last night as I was tired. 

Thoughts

    I was sore yesterday. Standing in one position while making sandwiches is hard on my SI joint and muscles. It doesn't happen at home as I stand, move, sit, all day long. I did take Tylenol for the pain, did my exercises and got a release. The muscles were sore; especially the adductor. I sat and massaged it last night which helped. I am hoping today things will ease off and I can have less muscle pain.

    I saw that a place north of Calgary got snow. The first pictures in the afternoon showed a skiff and 16 hours later it was still snowing and quite a bit had fallen. Hopefully we won't see snow until January. I am not ready for that yet. Getting ready is on my to-do list though.

    The wedding last night had a medieval theme. Most of the guests dressed up for it. They did some medieval dancing, had a mock jousting session, and had fun. When I left, they were doing clean up and visiting at tables as they had the hall for the night. 

Today

I have a small list of things to do this morning. This afternoon I want to sew and will stop early to make dinner which is already prepped. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. I am having a quiet day. 

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