It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

 Yesterday was mainly cloudy with rain. The high got to 10C. This morning it is clear and 1C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 12C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I cleaned the bathroom and laundered the shower curtain. There was pink mould showing up on the shower curtain so it was time for it to be done. It is plastic so I can bleach it easily. Putting it into the dryer was fun as I got the floor and myself wet. The bathroom is now clean. 

The next job was to do the balance sheet. It went rather quickly and I was done before I knew it. 

I took a bit of time yesterday afternoon and read my book. I haven't looked at it for a long time. When I read it, I think of my uncle by marriage and how a lot of his siblings were Home Children from England. His oldest sister (my great aunt by marriage) was a Home Child for a couple of years and was domestic help in a home in New Brunswick. I am enjoying the book very much and will have to spend more time reading it. It also takes my mind off the mess I am creating in the sewing room. 

Sewing

I did sew on the doll's blouse yesterday. I worked slowly and got the laps on the sleeves. I didn't even get stressed out as I was very careful. I also set the sleeves in before calling it done for the day. 

There is still quite a bit to do before it is done. The cuffs are folded back and need to be interfaced. Then it will be hemming the blouse and then doing a bit of gathering at the waist in the back. I will be waiting for the snaps to arrive sometime this month. 

I tackled the cottons and it was very stressful. As soon as I started to move things around and not deal with them, I stopped for a break. That included lunch and sewing on the blouse. It was hard to make some decisions. 

I have a bit of a mess on the cutting table. One pile is for zippered bags. The winter fabric is for mug rugs and the larger piece is going to be folded and put away for now. While handling that piece of fabric, I decided to keep only the newest winter/Christmas fabrics. The rest was put into the donation pile. 

I have most of the fabrics on 2 shelves and it is sorted into piles so I can focus on sewing them up. Some pieces have projects attached to them, others are there because I want to sew them up. 

I am not done yet as I had to leave it be. I was feeling stressed and started to move fabric from one spot to another. I wasn't dealing with the fabric. 

I have realized that my tastes have changed in the fabric I buy. I am less excited about Christmas fabrics and have a small pile of them left to sew. The rest will get sewn and what I don't sew will be given away. Truthfully, I am tired of having a stash. 

Knitting

I worked on the hat last night and have to start using the light ball of yarn to finish it. This hat takes almost 100 grams of yarn. I am down to having about 6-8 rounds left to knit. 

I have a tub in the basement to put these types of projects into. I will buy some dark coloured socks to add so that when the knitting is handed out, they can get a pair of socks to go with it. 

Thoughts

    I surprised myself yesterday by walking down the stairs with ease. Usually I have to make sure I focus on going down the stairs as it can be painful. When I got to the bottom step I realized I had very little pain and that I had done it without thinking. That is a great improvement for me. 

    The snow has melted a lot in the past 2 days. I can see more lawn this morning. The huge piles of snow from shovelling the driveway are almost 75% gone. It is great to know that spring is coming. 

    I priced blinds for my bedroom and was shocked at the price. I am going to go to Home Depot and get styrofoam insulation and use it. I know of people who do that. 

Today

I am going to go shopping in New Minas this morning. This afternoon I want to play with the fabrics in the sewing room and then I hope to take fabric to my friend for her quilting group. I hope to finish knitting the hat tonight. Then it will be on to knitting socks. 

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

Toppers Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy, then sunny, and finally it rained by late afternoon. The temperature rose all day and it was 7C at midnight. This morning it is cloudy and 9C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds, and windy with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I started out the day folding laundry and putting it away. I put the sheets into the washer and while they were on, I got to work turning the mattress. It is a job I do twice a year and I don't like to do it. The mattress is heavy and awkward to push around on the foundation. But it gets done. 

I cleaned the kitchen. That included wiping walls, scrubbing counters, cleaning the stainless steel, and organizing the electronic cables. Those cables are like snakes and I finally decided to contain them with twist ties. 

As I don't have a drawer to put them into, I keep them in a basket. I also mopped the floor and it was dirtier than I had thought. I am pleased with how it looks. 

It isn't a big kitchen and I've worked hard to keep the counters free of clutter. It was one thing I have always done. 

My last job was to tidy up the couch where I sit and knit. It wasn't messy but it needed to be tidied up. When that was done, I went downstairs to do some work. 

My goal was to get all the fabric on the floor into 2 bags to go to the donation centre. 

I did that and found a roll of embroidery stabilizer on the floor. I labeled it and put it into a box. I put everything in an area so I can get it up the stairs and out into the car easily. 

The red box has to be emptied into recycling and garbage. I use it when I am decluttering. 

Sewing

I did not look at the fabric yesterday. It was a day off as I needed to think a bit on how I will sort the cottons into piles. I am wanting it to be organized so I can grab what I need for a project and make it. 

I did sew the binding onto the two toppers and was happy that there was only about 20" of binding left. It is in a bag for a quilting group to use in scrappy quilt. 

I took the two toppers and the doll's blouse to the family room and hand sewed. I really enjoy hand sewing as it relaxes my brain. I turned on the tv and watched a series I enjoy and save for hand sewing. 

I was thrilled with how the topper looked on this bedside table. I need to find something else to put on it. For years the bedside tables and dresser was empty as Elliott use to push everything off of them. My bedside table has its topper on it also. 

Other than pictures and a couple of small items, my bedroom is finished. I have to look at what I have first and then will go looking for what I want. 

I have to be super careful about how much I can put in the room due to my sleep disorder. I cannot have a tv in it. The only electronics is my phone which is silenced at night. 

Knitting

I did knit on the hat last night. I got over an inch done last night and forgot to take a picture. 

Thoughts

    I am deciding if I will put black out blinds on my bedroom windows as this room gets a lot of sunlight and becomes quite warm in the summer. I will have to do the measuring and figure out the cost. I don't want to remove my curtains as I do like them. 

    The snow is melting quite quickly with the warmer weather we had yesterday. If the temperatures are going to be warm for the next few days, most of the snow could be gone. I am amazed at how fast it went overnight. 

Today

I have to clean the bathroom and will go downstairs and start sorting the cottons. I want to get the fabric I will sew this month into one area so I can grab them quickly. I want to put the donation boxes and bags into the car as I will take them to the thrift store tomorrow. I may go and visit my friend this afternoon and will knit tonight. 

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

More Done In The Sewing Room

Yesterday started out cloudy and then turned sunny. The high got to -3 (windchill -7C). This morning it is cloudy and -4C (windchill -7C). Today is supposed to have showers with a high of 8C.

Lifestyle

It was another day of doing a few tiny chores like taking out the recycling to the garage. I did a load of laundry and it is sitting in the dryer waiting for me to fold. The spaghetti sauce was put into containers and most was frozen. The pot was soaked as it needs a good scrubbing. 

I was sore yesterday and realized that both my knees were stiff. The barometric pressure was dropping slowly with the rain coming in. I did hobble around most of the day and was tired from the pain. I ended up rubbing my left knee cap and it hurt in spots. The muscles in my right leg are sore as they are rebelling as I am pushing them to do something new and they want to do the old thing. 

Sewing

I spent a lot of time in the sewing room yesterday. Before lunch I worked on the 2nd topper and got it finished. After lunch I pieced the backing for both toppers and got them quilted. 

I cut the last of the blue fabric and added to the binding I already had. The toppers are ready to have the binding sewn on and then it's hand sewn. 

I looked at the doll's blouse and didn't work on it. I do have a plan on what I will do next. I have to do some hand sewing before I can work on the sleeves. 

Remember this from the last post.

I tackled the top two shelves. I hauled all the fabric to the family room (no you are not seeing the mess) and sorted through it. It was a trip down memory lane for some of the fabric and some "what and why did I buy this fabric" thrown in. I put the fabric I was keeping into a pile and then measured the fabric I am donating. The number was staggering - 48.75 meters of fabric that had been in the stash between 9 and 15 years. Most of it was for another life and some was for fantasy sewing.

The fabric I am keeping was put back on one shelf. If it isn't sewn in the next year, it will leave the house. 

There is a pile of fabric on the left side of the first shelf. It is expensive flannel I will use to back a lap quilt. 

On the 2nd shelf down are two pieces of silk organza I had lost in the stash and dress making rulers I need to deal with. I was happy I found the silk organza as use it for press cloths. 

Am I ready to tackle the last shelf? Not at the moment as I have to bag up the fabric to go to the donation center. It will get done and I may spread it out over 2 shelves so I can see it easier. 

Knitting

I knit last night and am making progress. It is slow knitting as it takes quite a few rows to knit an inch. 

Thoughts On Organizing My Life

    Have I always been organized? No. Two very fast moves, blending my mother's possession in with ours, and renovating left me unorganized for quite a few years. While we renovated the house in Ashcroft, we lived in chaos. There was stuff everywhere and I was climbing over old furniture to get what I needed. It was then that I decided to get our lives and house organized. As we renovated each room, we would unload everything from that room and I would go through it with a fine tooth comb. The amount of stuff we let go of was amazing. When we sold that house, we had purged 50% of what we had brought in to it. When we sold the house in Kamloops we let go of a lot more as we were moving across Canada. 

    Since moving into this house, it has been a lot of work to get everything organized. We brought too much with us even though we had pared back a lot. We both had emotional attachment to the possessions we had brought with us. I think part of it was moving here and what we had was comforting in a new and unknown province. I picked away at it slowly but there was a lot of feelings of guilt when I tackled areas of the house. I did keep it organized. I was on top of it. It wasn't bad as long as I did kept up with the cleaning and organizing. Miss two days and I felt like I was living in chaos. 

     It was difficult to do anything while the Spousal Unit was declining with Alzheimer's. I was exhausted taking care of him and he was trying to keep track of all our possessions. Just moving things was hard on him. I had a spell after his death that I did very little. I was grieving and getting my hip, etc. worked on. Physically and mentally I was in survival mode. Cleaning out the Spousal Unit's possessions was done when I was ready to tackle it. There were a lot of decisions to make. Some were easy and others were very difficult. 

    I have picked away at what I didn't need. It was slow going but I could see that I was getting more organized once again. I still had things I wasn't using and needed to get rid of. Since coming home from Montevideo, I made a decision to purge hard and keep this place minimal, organized and tidy. In actual fact, I am on round 2 of cleaning and decluttering since coming home. I am pretty happy with the upstairs but need to continue working on the downstairs. It is coming but it isn't where I want it to be. I am struggling with it as I am letting go of things and have to work through emotions that can run high. 

Today

I have to clean the kitchen today. Once done, I have to fold laundry and put it away. I have to bag up the fabric to go to the donation centre and get it ready to load into the car along with 2 boxes. I want to finish the toppers and hand sew on the doll's shirt. I will knit tonight. I am aiming for a quiet day. 

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

Some Sewing and Some Clean Up

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds. The temperature dropped all day and at 3 pm it was -8C (windchill -14C). This morning it is partly cloudy and -9C (windchill -12). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I made a pot of chicken soup and had it in containers by noon. While I was waiting for it to make, I swept the floors, stairs and front landing. I tidied up a few things and was, in all honesty, bored. 

Later in the afternoon I made a pot of spaghetti sauce. I cleaned up the kitchen for the 2nd time and had supper. It was, in general a boring day with me tired. I wasn't at my best yesterday to say the least. 

Sewing

I pushed myself downstairs for an afternoon in the sewing room. I got started on the doll's red and white striped shirt. The white piece on the front gave me issues and I finally had to ditch the instructions and do it my way. The rest was easier to do. 

I have to now hand sew the white yoke and front pieces into place. I stopped there as I didn't want to do it. 

From there, I went to cutting out the squares for the second topper. They are all done and I stopped as I had to sew them together. I didn't want to do that either. 

I took the two tubs of embroidery stabilizer into the family room and sorted it out. I put the stabilizer I wanted into the longer tub and it fit. The rest I put labels on and 7 rolls went into the donation box. All of the stabilizer is good but I don't use it. Since moving here 8 years ago, I have bought 1 piece of stabilizer. I don't need to buy any more for a long time. 

I looked at the upholstery fabric and batting for the dining room chairs. I left them on the top shelf as I am not sure if I will upholster my dining room chairs or not. 

The tub of stabilizer and the stuffing is on the shelf with the patterns. The fabric for the aprons is in with the cottons. 

The bottom shelf is still empty and I swept the floor under the shelving unit. 

My next shelf is the garment fabric. I did look at it and cringed. There is still some emotional attachment to it. 

Knitting

I did knit last night and decided to do a small band of knitting in another colour. 

At the moment I am not sure if I will have enough yarn so I added the stripe so I can do the top in the lighter colour also. This hat will go into a box for the homeless. I am sure they will enjoy any hats I make. 

Thoughts

    I was tired yesterday. Some of it was from shovelling snow, some from holing up in the house due to the weather, and some from a few other things that have been happening. I am going to get out a bit more as I do find that helps me. I don't need to buy anything, I can look and enjoy myself. 

    I am hoping to make and buy  Christmas gifts over the year. I think I am ready to buy a few small items and make some things using up some of the stash in April and May. 

    I have done a bit of reading on the Acadians in our area. The numbers were larger than that of Grand Pre. They were supposedly poorer but they weren't destitute. After the expulsion of the Acadians, English settlers took the land for their own. Over time, the Acadian cemetery washed away into the Minas Basin. Some Acadians were held as prisoners at Fort Edward. There is no real history of the Acadians in our area though some did return. The history of our area evolves around Fort Edward, and everything that happened in the town after it was established. It is also known as the birthplace of hockey. 

Today

I am going to get a few small things done upstairs and then will work in the basement. I do want to sew and clean some. I am hoping to visit my friend if she is at home. I will knit tonight. 

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

One Table Topper Pieced

 Yesterday was sunny and warm with a high of 6C. This morning it is cloudy and -2C (windchill -7C). Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy with the temperature dropping this afternoon to -4C. Just Mother Nature giving us a friendly reminder that winter is not over yet. 

Lifestyle

I was out to shovel snow by 8:30 am. There was just under 2" of heavy wet snow to remove from the driveway. The roll at the end of the driveway was good sized chunks of ice. I did it first while I was still fresh. Then I did the driveway. As I was finishing up, the plow came by and cleared our road. As I had done some of the road, I had very little put in my driveway. It wasn't fun to shovel as it was full of water. 

The white on the driveway is ice so I had to salt it and go back out later and scrape it off. By 3:30 pm my driveway was clean and dry. 

I had my usual pain as I am retraining my muscles again. When I came in from shovelling I wondered if I had over done it. After a rest I noticed that I had less pain in all areas. I tested the stairs and my knee was in great shape. I took shovelling snow as a win.

My afternoon was taken up with a meeting. When the ladies left it was late afternoon. 

Sewing

I had 2 short spells of sewing yesterday. One in the morning and one in the late afternoon. I spent the time working on the topper. It is done with me only having to pick one seam apart. I had sewn one block upside down and the seams couldn't nest. By 4:30 pm, it was done. 

I now need to cut more small blue and white blocks before I can start the 2nd topper. That will happen over time as I need to work on a doll's blouse. 

Knitting

I knit on the hat last night. I have 35 rounds done which equals 3". 

I keep hoping I have enough yarn to make this hat. The larger size is supposed to take 100 grams so I am hoping the smaller size will take the 76 grams of yarn I have. It is going to be close. 

Thoughts

    The price of gas went up yesterday. This will affect my budget and allow me to fill my car once a month maybe twice a month some months. I am glad that my car has the ability to kick into electric mode which helps on gas consumption. I know of some people who will be feeling it more than I do. If the price of gas/diesel remains high, it will raise the cost of groceries and other items we buy.

    A house behind me went up for sale 2 weeks ago and it has an offer on it already. I am waiting to see what it sold for as it will tell me how much my house is worth. At the moment, there is no inventory in our subdivision and it is a popular area to live. I am not ready to sell my house as I want to do some work on it. 

    BC does its last time change March 8 and then it remains on that time going forward. I am envious as I lived 10 years in northern BC and they didn't change their time. I loved it as I didn't have to adjust to in so many ways. Our biggest thing to remember was the time change in Alberta in the spring. I do hope Nova Scotia considers doing this as it has been lobbied for over the years. 

Today

I have to make a pot of chicken soup. While it is making, I will do a bit of tidying up around the upstairs. I want to tackle the top shelf of the fabric stash and sew on the doll's blouse. If I have a few minutes I will cut blocks for the 2nd topper. I will knit tonight. A relatively quiet day for me. 

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

A Table Topper Is Emerging

 Yesterday was clear and sunny with a high of 4C. This morning it is snowing and -1C (windchill -4C). Today is supposed to be cloudy with a high of 7C. 

Lifestyle

I was out for osteopathy yesterday morning. The soreness I have had is from tissues/muscles being sore. She worked on that and I could feel it in some spots. She then worked on my knee and, wow, did that hurt. She was breaking down scar tissue and letting the blood flow into it. The scar tissue will eventually turn soft allowing me to have less pain around my knee. I will now be having soreness as I retrain my muscles and tendons as I will be walking with a more flexible knee. This is going to take time which I know is part of the journey I have been on. 

Once done osteopathy, I drove to Bedford to shop. My one and only stop was Walmart to get items I couldn't get at the local grocery store. They had lots of fresh produce and I got what I needed plus a few other items which were cheaper. When done, I was ready to go home and apply heat to my sore spots. 

I applied heat twice yesterday. Once when I got home and one in the evening. I still have the one spot around my SI joint that is sore. It comes and goes and I think it is sore because I am walking up and down the stairs normally. It hates me when I go down the stairs. I did the stairs 4 or 5 times after I got home as I know it is good for me to do it. 

Sewing

Before I left for osteopathy, I spent 30 minutes in the sewing room. I folded the quilt top and put it away. I looked at the placemat pattern and thought about it for a bit. All the fabric is with the pattern so I can make it when I have a bit of extra time. At the moment, I think I can make 3 placemats. 

After sitting on the heat and feeling better, I decided to work on the toppers for my bedside tables. I cut the squares from the last two blocks to 2" and started to sew 9 patches. I was having fun with that as it was relaxing. I got blocks made. I cut out the plain blocks and laid out the first topper. 

Once it is sewn together, I will have to cut out 2" squares for the 2nd topper. What was once a UFO I didn't like has been made into something I will enjoy having in my bedroom. And the expensive fabric will be used up and not go into the donation bag. 

With the sewing machine threaded with white thread, I laid out the doll's blouse I am going to make this month. I will work on it next.  

I will allow myself to sew some blocks at the end of each sewing day.

My sewing room tidy up was to get both trash cans emptied and out into the garbage can. It made a huge difference to how the room looks when you enter it. No overflowing container under the cutting table. 

Knitting

I worked on the hat last night. I have 11 rounds done. I have memorized the pattern but do make stupid mistakes that I catch quickly. 

Thoughts

    I am happy that I am walking much better. I realize that I will have pain but I will have to push through it. Retraining muscles is hard as they fight you every inch of the way. I could give up but knowing how far I have come has made me fight back. 

    Our weather is crazy at the moment. Tomorrow is going to cool off and then it is going to warm up and fool. us all into thinking spring is arriving. I will take advantage of the warm afternoons and have the windows open to air out the house. I am going to be ready for the next cold spell. My winter clothes are not going away yet. 

    I didn't do anything but look at the fabric shelving unit yesterday. I wasn't lifting items off the top of it as I was sore and tired. I will do it Thursday. I have a game plan on how I will deal with the embroidery stabilizer and will put the tub(s) into the closet. 

Today

I have to shovel the driveway this morning and do a bit of cleaning. I am hosting a meeting after lunch. I don't know if I will get any sewing done today. I do know I will knit tonight. 

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

A Quilt Top Is Finished

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of -9C (windchill -15C). This morning it is clear and -17C (windchill -23C). Today is supposed to be sunny with wind and a high of 3C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I hunted for things to do upstairs and found nothing. The place is clean so I went downstairs to the sewing room. I spent the day down there. 

I got the two tubs of patterns off the shelving unit and took them to the family room. I went through everything and was able to put a few patterns into a donation box. I kept a few garment patterns and my quilting patterns. I actually found 2 apron patterns I had forgot I owned. I did toss into recycling paper that I no longer need. Everything fit into one tub. 

My next job was to round up the doll patterns and organize them into page protectors and put them into their tub. It wasn't a hard job as most of the patterns were together on a shelf. 

I tossed one small ironing board as it is totally worn out. I got it 40+ years ago and used it until the last five years. 

I put the fabric from the bottom shelf onto the shelf with the patterns. It is slowly moving upwards with hopes it will be sewn sooner rather than later. The sleeve ironing board is on that shelf also as I do use it regularly. 

I am thinking how all of this will be stored as I do want the shelving unit out of the sewing room. 

Sewing

I got the last two 9 patches ripped apart and the squares are ready to be cut in to 2" squares. That job is now done and I can start sewing the squares together a block at a time. I hope to have two toppers for my bedside tables by the end of the month. 

I worked on the quilt yesterday and it was an interesting and somewhat frustrating sew. The pattern is rated as a beginner and it isn't. It has mistakes in it which would turn a beginner off quilting. 

I made rows 2 and 4 and was wondering why it was shorter than rows 1 and 5. I left them on the floor as I built the body of the quilt. I framed the panel which went together really easily. I then sewed the strips on each side which also went together really well. Success was felt at that time. 

I looked at rows 2 and 4 and had to make one block over again as I cut the pieces 1" short. My mistake when reading the pattern. I got them sewn on to the top and bottom of the quilt. 

I then looked at rows 1 and 5. I removed one block off it (which they called for) and cut down the long strip to its proper length (my fault) and it fit the quilt. I sewed it on and the quilt was finished. It was 5 pm. 

I am happy with how it looks and I know how I will sew the next one which is for daughter and a bit of a different size. I will frame the panel and then put the side pieces on before attempting the top and bottom rows. The only pieces I need to measure are the long strips. I will cut the smaller pieces according to the cutting instructions. It is a much easier way of sewing the quilt together. 

I have to put the quilt top away for the next week. I need to cut the binding for it. The scraps need to be folded and put away as I am going to make place mats from the remaining print. I found a pattern when cleaning up that I want to make. I will have to get fabric for it which I will do a bit later on. 

Knitting

I cast on the stitches for the hat and got 5 rounds knit. I had issues as I am still learning the pattern. By the time I got the last round finished, I was getting the rhythm of knitting the pattern.

Thoughts

    Our weather is going to warm up starting today. It is going to snow tonight. I will miss having the sun shining in the house all day but will not miss the cold temperatures. The snow should disappear. The warmth in the sun has already shrunk the piles of snow a lot. 

    I am pleased with how the purging on the shelving unit is coming along. I did keep some garment patterns as I do want to make sew a few items for me. My next shelf is the top one. I have a bit of a plan for it. I am hoping it won't take long but knowing me, it could take a bit of time to get it done the way I want it done. 

    My sore spots are getting better. I am sure I had a flare up and that tightened things up. I had several good cracks last night when stretching. My next thing to do is to start walking outside some most days. I need to strengthen the muscles around the joints. I have been walking inside and doing the stairs a lot more and it is helping. 

Today

I have osteopathy this morning and hope to get a few things in Lower Sackville before coming home. I need to a few things upstairs so doubt if I will get into the sewing room today. I will knit tonight. 

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