A Christmas Place Mat

 Yesterday started out promising and then it clouded up and rained. The high got to 10C. During the night, the temperature rose to 15C only to drop to 11C this morning. Today is supposed to be cloudy with showers and  a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

My morning started out late as I had to help daughter with an issue. It entailed me doing a couple of hours of research for her. It ended up she had to do what I had told her months ago. She did most of it and I hope she does more as it will help her in the immediate future. 

When that was over, I got the bed stripped and the laundry on. I moved the bedroom furniture and washed the floor. I was surprised at how clean it was so Rosie gets an A on her report card. When I made the bed, I added another blanket to it as I was feeling cold at night. I was a lot warmer last night though it was warmer outside. Tonight will tell the full story. 

I did put the pictures I had been looking at back into the storage tub. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures and it prompted me to do a bit of work on the family tree. The elusive still remain elusive but I did find a few bits of information on some family members. 

Sewing

I decided to work on the Christmas placemat challenge the quilter's guild has for the December meeting. Mine will have flying geese on it which I am calling flying cardinals. I made one mistake when cutting the geese and cursed myself for that. I made another one and carried on. The two sides will have the flying geese on them with a block of the white fabric (snow flakes) at the bottom. 

I spent a lot of time marking, sewing, pressing, and cutting accurately and it paid off. I am pleased with the two rows of flying cardinals. 

I will have to check my diagram for sizes and then cut them out so I can work on it some more. 

Knitting

I did knit 6 rows last night. No picture taken. 

Thoughts

    I was really tired yesterday as I hadn't slept well for a couple of nights. My energy level was rock bottom and I had to push myself to do things. I did have a good night's sleep and didn't wake until 5:20 am. I am hoping this bad spell of sleeping is done and over with. 

    I signed up to take a class in late November. I know have to look for fabric for it. I need 8 different fabrics and a small amount of each. It is going to be a bargello table runner and I am hoping to make 2 of them. I want to do them in Christmas fabrics. I am on the hunt for fabric ideas. I am really leaning towards the fabric I am using for the placemat as there is a lot of them at the quilt shop. 

Today

I have to do the minutes for the community hall meeting. I am going to go out to New Minas and look at fabric. Once home, I will work on the place mat as I want to see how it looks when the top is sewn together. I have to make a couple of meals today also. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. 

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

Going Down Memory Lane

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with lots of wind. The high got to 12C. This morning it is clear, frosty and 2C. Today is supposed to become wet this afternoon and night with a high of 10C. 

Lifestyle

I was late getting started yesterday but I did get the walls in my bedroom washed. I used the mop and went at it. They were dusty which is what I expected. I also washed the floors under the furniture I moved. I am down to washing the floors and cleaning the windows. 

I sat down to rest my SI joint as it was tired but not overly sore. While resting, we had a good power flux which shut down the everything. It was caused by the winds we had all day. 

I was going to sew yesterday afternoon but daughter asked me to go through the pictures looking for a couple she wanted. It was a lot of fun looking at the old pictures. My mom and dad were outdoors people and after they married they use to go to my dad's oldest brother's place in Alberta. Here is his "house" which was a cabin with a shed where guests slept. 

I remember sleeping in that shed as a child. It had no power and was pitch black at night. 

When my parents visited in 1947 or 1948 they were involved with the haying. My mom tried her hand at everything and ended up behind a team of horses on a mowing machine. 

My dad helped out also and had something to do with this piece of equipment that brought in the loose hay. 

I am sure we were involved with the haying when we went to visit my uncle. I do know we were outside all day only going into the cabin for meals. 

While growing up, we use to go on holidays throughout BC. One of our favourite places was outside of Merritt. I didn't realize my parent went there before I was born. Mom and dad took pictures of a small cattle drive in that area which I am assuming was near Nicola Ranch. This picture was taken in 1950 and the road was gravel. 

I spent about 2.5 hours looking at about 200+ pictures. I did find what daughter wanted and will scan them for her. 

Knitting

I knit 4 rows last night. I laid it out on the floor and took a picture of it. 

I am not even half done it but am loving it. It is big enough to keep me warm while knitting. 

Thoughts

    I am really tired right now. I have been sleeping poorly which I hate. I didn't nap yesterday but I haven't slept since before 4 am. Some of it is going to meetings at night and some is stress. None is pain as I have been almost pain free since Monday. 

    Yesterday's wind was really annoying. It kept up all day long and is bringing in a storm and then some cooler weather. Just as long as it doesn't snow. 

    It was a lot of fun going through the pictures from years ago. I was amazed at how often my dad's family visited us when we lived in the Vancouver area. My mom's mother and sister visited us once when we lived there. They had to travel from Nova Scotia whereas my dad's family came from Alberta and Manitoba. I do know they all came by train as we would go to the train station to pick them up. 

Today

I am going to wash my bedroom floor and fold laundry this morning. This afternoon I am going to put away the pictures and start on the placemat. Tonight I want to knit on the afghan. 

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

Out To A Quilter's Guild Meeting

 Yesterday was a day of rain and showers. The sun did try to peak through the clouds for a few seconds. The high got to 14C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and 9C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I got the 2nd closet in my bedroom cleaned. It wasn't bad as I had done a big cleaning on it earlier in the year. I have a few boxes to toss. One of the things I did do was sort through the Christmas gifts I have bought and put them into their boxes so I can ship them late next month. 

Once I had done with the closet, I wiped down all the furniture and the window ledge. There was some dust on all of it. The room is now ready to have the walls washed. 

After lunch I laid down and had a nap. I was tired for some unknown reason. Part was from a poorer night's sleep and some was from the dull grey day. I did wake up feeling better.

In the evening I was out to the quilter's guild meeting. They are 2 hours long which is a tad long for me. There is the meeting, a short presentation, and show and tell. The meeting was good. The presentation had its issues. The presenter couldn't get the power point presentation to fill the screen so no one could read what she was presenting. Most of what she was talking about I was familiar with. Show and tell was spectacular with many showing the beautiful quilts they have made. At least 5 of them will be sent to Africa (charity quilts). Many of these ladies quilt for hours each day. 

I did not sew or knit yesterday. 

Thoughts

    It rained more than anticipated yesterday. When driving to the guild meeting it was quite foggy in spots. The drive home was much better as it had quit raining. We will have more rain tomorrow night. At the moment, we are going into winter with lots of moisture in the ground. 

    The fruit flies have been unreal this year. I have seen them in spaces where no food is available. I put out a dish of apple cider vinegar and there are around 100 dead fruit flies in it this morning. I also poured a lot of boiling water down the kitchen drain. I have heard a few comments on how bad they have been in other people's houses. I wonder if the warm damp weather we had earlier was perfect for them to reproduce quickly. The only other bug complaint I heard this year was how many earwigs were around. I noticed them everywhere this summer also. 

    I had very little pain in my muscles yesterday. No pain in my SI joint. Nothing even with the storm that came in. I am hoping that I am on the road to having this problem over and done with. We wait and see. 

Today

My plan today is to wash the walls in my bedroom. I hope to do some planning and cutting for the Christmas placemat I want to have for the guild's contest. I hope that I have enough energy to knit tonight. I don't always sleep well after being out to an evening meeting. 

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

Time to Rest After Osteo

 Yesterday started out sunny and turned cloudy very quickly. The high got to 9C. This morning it is raining and 7C. Today is supposed to be rainy until mid afternoon and then cloudy. The high is to get to 15C. 

Lifestyle

I was off to osteopathy yesterday morning. I am properly aligned and was the best she'd ever seen. I showed her my improvements and she was happy with them. She worked on my adductor and hip flexor as they were tight. She warned me I would be tired and somewhat sore after the session. 

After the session I drove into Bedford to shop. I walked a lot of Walmart getting a few things and snooping. I got my groceries and was going to do Dollarama when the tiredness of the osteo session hit me. I headed for home instead of stopping at Dollarama. 

The drive home was stunning. The colours of the leaves are at their peak. Reds, oranges, yellow, and shades of green could be seen everywhere. I wished I wasn't driving so I could have taken pictures of it. I slowed down a bit and enjoyed the scenery.

Once home, I put all the groceries away, got something to drink and crashed on the couch. I was exhausted from the session and it was a bit sore in the two muscles. I will have to say, I spent the afternoon resting on the couch and walking to keep the muscles loose. 

I was out to the community hall meeting. It took a bit longer than usual as there were some lively discussions on some topics. I got home about 7:45 pm and knew I was done for the day. 

Sewing/Crafting

None done as I was too tired from osteopathy. 

Knitting

I got 4 rows knit last night. 

I am going to have to lay it out and take a picture of it. I haven't even seen it laid out. 

Thoughts

    The heat is on in this house. It has been cool here. The house is not warming up as we are not getting much sun. I have switched to winter mode with the heat on during the day and turned down or off at night. I still like a cool house at night. What made me decide on this was the fact my feet were cold last night. 

    I think I had my first sugar low at noon yesterday. It hit me as I was going to get lunch. I thought it was coming while shopping as I was looking for something sweet to eat. I refrained and had a breakfast sandwich at Tim Horton's. I did have applesauce after I got home. I was fine the rest of the day. Lunch was the only meal I deviated from my eating plan but it wasn't heavy on calories. 

Today

My plan is to clean the 2nd closet in my bedroom. I have blinds to charge as two have dead batteries. I would like to do something in the sewing room this afternoon. I am out to the quilter's guild meeting tonight so I won't be knitting. 

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

Trying To Finish A Long Over Due Project

 Yesterday was rainy though the sun tried to peek through late in the day. The high got to 14C. This morning it is cloudy and 4C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 10C. Rain is coming tonight. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I texted with a friend in BC. Her husband passed in September on the same date as the Spousal Unit did. She is going through what I did at that time - feeling lost and alone. 

When done talking with her, I decided to clean one of the closets in my room. The one with my clothes in it. I took almost everything out, sorted it, and cleaned the space. I need some more winter clothes which I will buy slowly over the next couple of months. I have enough summer clothes as I bought lots for Uruguay last year. 

Once done the closet, I did my exercises on the bed. I had a deep movement and felt much better. I then sat on heat so the muscles wouldn't tighten up. 

I looked out the window and the deer decoy was still in my neighbour's yard.

Two yards down, there was a doe and her fawn eating grass totally ignoring the decoy. You can barely see the doe in the pictures but she is there. The fawn was behind her. 

The decoy has now been put away. 

We had Thanksgiving dinner at family's last night. It was a chicken pasta curry dish that we like. It was delicious as usual. Daughter-in-law got me caught up on her trip. The snow fall wasn't as bad as anticipated so driving from her parent's place to her brother's wasn't too bad. 

Crafting

Rather than sew yesterday afternoon, I decided to redo one page in the memory book. What I had made ripped when I used it. I redid it in another way which is easier to open. The long book is to show the characters in the book. 

I used some washi tape on the booklet as it was looking a bit boring. 

It is a bit boring as I don't have a lot of scrapbooking paper, stickers, etc. left. 

I do have some stickers to put in the bare spot on the page. Now I have to watch the video on how to bind the book and I need to see if I have some glue which actually comes out of the container. Some of my glue containers need to be tossed. 

Knitting

I did knit 8 more rows on the afghan last night. The yarn is now the dark blue. 

It is getting longer every night I knit. 

Thoughts

    It was wetter than anticipated yesterday. More rain in the morning and more showers in the afternoon. That rain was the dregs from the hurricane. Tonight and tomorrow's rain is coming from Ontario. After it is gone, the temperatures will be closer to the normal fall temperatures. 

    My appointment this coming Monday is for my flu shot. I was wondering when it was going to happen. I can tick that off my list and then wait to get my Covid vaccine later in the month. 

    The weight is coming off quickly. I have a feeling that portion control is the main reason. I will still eat the same way I have been for the past while as I am enjoying it. I am also enjoying having less processed foods in my diet though I know a few will sneak in. 

Today

I have osteopathy this morning and then will head into Bedford to shop. Once home, I will see what needs to be done and get ready for a meeting tonight. I will probably have time to knit after the meeting. 

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

Doll's Vest Completed

 

Yesterday started out sunny and quickly became cloudy. The high got to 13C. This morning it is showering and 11C. Today is supposed to be wet with a high of 15C.

Lifestyle

Confession time -- I turned on the heat for a while yesterday to warm up the house. It wouldn't get warmer than 18C and with no sunshine, it stayed cool inside. 

I started out the morning doing the balance sheet. One small error on my part which I caught quickly. I was done before I knew it, had it all cleaned up and ready to do the next job on my to-do list.

While laundry was on, I got chicken thighs into the Instant Pot to cook. I was able to shred the chicken and put it into small bags to freeze for soup. The broth was divided into 2 portions and frozen also. 

Laundry dried and I got it folded and put away. A first in a long time where I got it completely done in a day. 

I was out quickly to family's to take back all the tubs for sandwiches. I didn't see son as I was wanting to get back home quickly. 

Sewing

I spent time sewing tiny snaps on to the vest. I didn't loose any but they were hard to work with. I sewed buttons on top of the snaps and when done, I called it a day. 

I do like it a lot; it fits the dolls perfectly and goes well with the skirt. 

I cleaned up the mess I had made and called it a day. 

Knitting

I did none last night. I rested my left wrist which was sore from knitting. It is fine today. 

Thoughts

    The storm we were to have tomorrow is here today. I am sure it is the dregs of the hurricane going south of Nova Scotia. We will have showers and rain until it's gone. It will be warm on Wednesday which is a sign it is tropical not northerly. 

    I just got a notification that I have an appointment at my doctor's office on Monday. I will be emailing them as I am not sure what it is. I am assuming it is my flu shot. I am happy about that as I need it and my Covid vaccine. 

    Daughter let me know that Ruger won the "pageant" today. New judge who liked him. He is 3 points from becoming a dual champion. Clark earned 2 points on the weekend which is great for a puppy. He is not a year old yet. I am sure he will be a dual champion also. 

    I need to get my therapy lamp out and start using it. I have done well this fall as we have had enough sun to keep me happy. We will now have less sunshine so I need to have more lights on in the house and the lamp to help me feel "happy" as grandson said when he was 5 years old. 

Today

I plan on doing some housework this morning to keep busy. This afternoon I would like to start the Christmas placemat and make the flying geese. Tonight I want to knit on the afghan. It will be a quiet Thanksgiving for me. I am okay wth that. 

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

The Vest Is Ready For Closures

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 12C. This morning it is clear and 3C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 14C. 

Lifestyle

I started the morning off wash the back door window. The door is mostly window. I also washed the kitchen window. Both are a bit streaky as the sun was on that side of the house. But they are clean. I do have to open the window and do the screen and the frame. A job I don't like as I have to balance on a ladder over the sink. 

I did wash the walls in the kitchen. I used a mop as I can't reach most of the walls thanks to the counters. I did hand wash the wall under the cupboards which was clean as I do wipe it constantly. The kitchen is officially fall cleaned.

I put away the laundry and then I had to do my exercises. My SI joint was sore. I did them and had immediate relief. The tightness was gone and I could do things with minimal pain. 

Around 3:30 pm, I went out and pulled the pepper plants from the containers. I put the containers into the shed and the pepper plants into the compost bin. That job is done before the rain starts on Tuesday. 

The deer decoy is still around. The wind blew it over and I could see it lying on the ground when it was bright and sunny. Someone stood it up in the afternoon and it is facing another direction. It is still standing this morning.

Sewing

I got the doll's vest finished to the closures. I am debating on using snaps with buttons over them. 

I do like the style of the vest but how the designer finishes the bindings is very confusing. 

Knitting

I measured the afghan before I started to knit. It is 25" long. I did knit 8 rows on it last night and it is covering my knees now. I still have a lot of knitting to do before it is finished. 

Thoughts

    Daughter showed 2 of her dogs at a "pageant" (conformation show) yesterday. Ruger didn't place but Clark, the youngest, went out, strutted his stuff and won his categories. He has points. Both dogs are shown twice today. Here is hoping they both do well. They are working towards becoming dual champions.

    We had frost last night. I can see it on the roof of my neighbour's house. Not surprised as it was clear last night. We can see frost off and on from now on. We can also see some warm days and nights also. I haven't turned on the heat yet but I may have to do it in the next while. I have been warming the house up during the day using the sun. 

    It was nice to be virtually pain free for part of the day. I am hoping it will continue so I can do the things I want to do and build strength in my muscles. I have osteopathy on Tuesday so here is hoping I will be pain free when I see her and she only has to do minor adjustments. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet first thing and will have laundry going while I do it. I want to cook more chicken broth and meat for the broth. I want to finish the vest today and work on the memory book if I have time. I will knit tonight. 

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