Another Busy Day

 Yesterday was mainly cloudy with almost continuous snow flurries. The high got to 0C (windchill -3C). This morning it is cloudy and -3C (windchill -6C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of -1C (windchill -11C??).

Lifestyle

I started early cleaning the kitchen. It was a full on cleaning job to make sure all the dust, dirt, and what ever was gone from painting. I got all the covers put on the plugs and switches, the window washed, the appliances shined up, and the floors vacuumed and mopped. It was a great time with me climbing my ladder to get the jobs done. The room was dusty but the floor was dirty. 

Daughter-in-law came over to see how bright the house looks and we took out the blind for the kitchen. The colour is a perfect match to the wall colour. The blinds will go up as she has time. No rush. 

Later in the afternoon, I did climb back up on the ladder and counter and removed light bulbs from the light over the eating bar. The light is really yellow when turned on. I also cleaned the light fixture. New LED light bulbs will be bought for it. 

I watched the One Notebook system yesterday and I was disappointed. It was promoting her course which you need to buy. I was disappointed but understood what she was doing. Build you up so you will buy her course. I had time to reflect and I won't be buying it. I do something similar already. Maybe a bit more rustic in nature but it works for me. I have a note book I write in daily which includes my daily to-do list, thoughts, etc. and a small notebook for grocery shopping. I have been working on having plans for sewing and knitting this year and I am now working on a plan for the bathroom. It includes what I want to buy for it. I also do my balance sheet weekly. I find that is keeping me organized. I can look back at everything quickly and decide on what I will be doing. I don't think I need more than that to be productive. 

Sewing

I did get the two doll blankets sewn. They were very easy to do. I had both of them done in an hour. 

They are about 17.5 x 20" and will be perfect for the dolls. I have the next two fat quarters chosen and both can be sewn with the red thread on the machine. 

Knitting

I knit and unknit last night. I found a mistake and had to go back and fix it. I now have 57 rows knit and am almost finished the part ball of yarn I started with. 

I will be getting the yarn up to start knitting the doll's sweater at noon. 

Thoughts

    The painter was back yesterday morning to finish the bathroom. As I looked at that room, I came up with a detailed plan for updating it. I did a lot of research for new taps, towel bars, towels and counter top. My first purchase will be a new door handle for the linen closet. I am going to buy the new items as I can afford them and then have a person come in and do the work when they can fit it into their schedule. 

    The upstairs is really bright and the lights bounce off the walls and I am getting use to it. It has been a long time since I had that nice issue in life. I have had to struggle getting the upstairs bright enough to work in. Now it is "sunglasses" as it is so bright. 

    I thought I would be sore from all the cleaning I did. I am almost pain free this morning. I think that this is actually helping my muscles. I did have to sit for a few minutes when cleaning to let my SI joint relax. I did not have to release it yesterday. I may have to clean house every day so I keep my muscles from hurting. 

Today

I was going to go shopping in New Minas but I have to shovel snow this morning. I want to make a pot of soup first thing this morning. Once those two jobs are done, I will tackle cleaning the bathroom. I want to sew this afternoon and may get some knitting done tonight. I am out for dinner at family's as it is son's birthday. I do have to get the cake before I go over there. 

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

Children's Socks Finished

 Yesterday was cloudy day but not depressing. The high got to -1C. This morning it is cloudy and -3C. Today is supposed to be cloudy with light snow this afternoon. The high is to get to 0C. 

Lifestyle

The painter arrived in the morning with the wrong paint colour. It was darker than I had asked for. She went home and mixed white into it and got a perfect match. 

The painting team is a husband and wife. They are very careful and do their jobs without fuss. By 4:30 pm they had the main part of the house painted and only need to put another coat of paint on the walls in the bathroom. 

The main area of the house looks huge now. And it is very bright. We did talk about how the old tan colour made the area look small and depressing. The contractor who built this house no longer uses this colour as his "contractor's white". 

The One Notebook course is interesting. I am doing some of what she talked about already. I already schedule appointments and some other tasks on calendar. I have recipes in binders in one cupboard and knitting patterns on my iPad. I put my daily list in one notebook and then add everything else I think of in that book also. Some notes I take need to be put into a central location that I can access easily. I am looking into a couple of ideas she suggested. I also need to figure out if I have reference information that needs to be stored. I am further ahead than I had thought. 

Sewing

I did not sew yesterday but I did clean up my sewing room. It was fibre dusty and a bit messy. I also tidied up the cutting table. I have fabric on it that I am unsure of what to do with. The person I was going to make it for has separated from daughter. I need to talk to her about what I can do with the fabric. I will put it away and get out the fabric to make her a quilt. I also have to talk to her about piping. In the meantime, I have doll blankets to make. 

Knitting

I finished the children's socks last night. I was so close that I pushed through and got them done. 

I am struggling with how to deal with the yarn I knit in the spreadsheet. Do I adjust the amount I have left and move on or do I create columns that tell me how much I have knit. I want to keep track of how well I do knitting the stash this year. 

Thoughts

    Taking this course has made me realize how long it takes me to process ideas. I have downloaded 3 apps to look at and see if they I want to use them or if what I have in place is good enough. Having the painters here also slowed my thought process down as I was thinking about how to quickly and efficiently clean the house. 

    Cleaning the house is also a priority. I need to get floors cleaned, counter scrubbed, and all the little things I did to get ready reorganized. I figure it will take me 3-4 days to do as I am wanting to do a good job. 

Today

I am going to clean and set the kitchen back up. It will take me a bit of time to do. I have the course to take after lunch, Sewing with Cinnamon to do while I eat breakfast and I'd love to sew this afternoon in my tidy sewing room. I will knit on the scarf tonight. I will be busy today. 

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

Ready For The Painters

 Yesterday was warmer but still windy. The high got to -3C (windchill -7C). This morning it is cloudy and -3C (windchill -6C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 0C (windchill -6 to -9C). 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I spent all my time taking off plate covers, sanding filled areas and wiping walls. I even took the blind off the kitchen window which entailed me getting up on the counter and work around the sink to get the brackets off. I did it. 

I put all the furniture back into its place and let Rosie the robot vacuum cleaner do the floors. As each area is painted, I will go in and give the floors a good cleaning. 

While dinner was cooking, I went out and shovelled the berm off the driveway. It took me 10 minutes and another 5 minutes to clean the drifting in one area of the driveway. The snow was light and easy to move. I enjoyed doing it as it got me outside and moving. All my soreness left so I called it great therapy for me. 

Sewing

The doll's dress is done. I sucked it up and made the 5 button holes on the back. Not as hard as I had thought it would be. I took my time doing it. I sewed on the buttons, gave the dress and press and photographed it on Kit. 

I got out the flannel fat quarters and chose two red ones to make into blankets. I have them cut and ready to serge. 

I looked at my fabric for piping and I am going to have to dig deep as I can't find any I want to use. That will be today's job. 

Knitting

I finished knitting the gusset on the child's sock and am ready to knit the foot. 

Two more sessions and it will be done. 

I did knit on the scarf last night and got 16 rows knit. I am happy with how it is coming along. 

This scarf will be 49" long and I have it scheduled to be done in March. It will be done by then. 

Thoughts

    I was somewhat cranky yesterday. Most of it was from getting the house ready and being sore from going up and down the ladder so much. It wasn't my SI joint that hurt, it was muscles and my knees. I did feel better after getting out and shovelling snow. I needed do do that for both mental and physical health. 

    I watched the first video on One Notebook Method for organization. I do part of it as I keep track of most everything in one notebook. I do have a small notebook for grocery shopping, one for knitting, and one I keep information on when doing genealogy. I gathered all the notebooks I have and most will be leaving the house. Those notebooks are not for planning. Today is about how to start. I will continue to use the notebook I am already working in as I don't want to waste it. I have two others I will keep and the rest I will deal with after the course is done. 

    We are to get snow tomorrow and the storm we were to get on the weekend has been downgraded from lots of snow to a small amount. We have had a lot of snow this year and are getting tired of it. Winter isn't done with us as we can get heavy snow in March. 

Today

The painters will be here today and I am hoping they will be happy with what how I have prepped. I want to start cleaning the sewing room this morning, do my course after lunch, and sew on the blankets this afternoon. I hope to knit tonight. I will be living in chaos until the painting is done. 

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

Another Busy Day

 Yesterday was warmer with a high of -5C (windchill -13C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and -5C (windchill -11C). Today is supposed to be cloudy and windy with a high of -5C (windchill -13C). 

Lifestyle

I had another busy day. My first job of the morning was to do the balance sheet. One entry and then the little bit of month end stuff I do. I had a low spend month with my biggest expense being groceries. I had to fill the fridge and freezer as they were empty which I had planned. There were some purchases that I didn't need (junk food) and some purchases to tide me over in case the power went out. 

I laundered the bed sheets and got the bed made. I also did a lot of prep work for the painters. I sanded all the spots I had filled and did some more patching I knew I had to do. I cleaned up the mess so it wouldn't track throughout the house. 

Mid afternoon I headed out to put gas in the car and to get cash for the person who will clear my driveway (if I don't beat him to it). It was nice to get out of the house for a bit. 

I had several discussions with Fitbit support. The lady was very helpful but nothing worked. As the warranty is done on the original Fitbit, there is no warranty on the one I have. They did offer me 35% off a new one. I am thinking on it at the moment. 

I prepared for the power to go out last night. I set up my portable generator and plugged a lamp and the CPap machine into it. I also boiled water and put it into a thermos and wrapped the thermos in a heavy bath towel. I was ready and am happy to say the power did not go off last night. There are very few power outages in the province this morning. Most are on the Atlantic side of the province. 

Sewing

I worked on the doll's dress yesterday. I finished pleating the skirt and pinned it onto the bodice. I carefully sewed it in place and serged the seam. A good press and it is now ready for button holes or snaps. Still deciding. 

I also have to decide if I am going to keep the little appliqué on the collar. It hardly shows up. 

I have decided that I will be cleaning up the sewing room in the morning while the painters are here and sewing in the afternoon. My next projects are easy ones; 2 flannel blankets for the dolls and 2 pieces of piping for daughter. 

Knitting

I worked on the sock yesterday afternoon and am happily knitting the gusset. Progress is being made. 

I will not have any of the blue yarn left but should have enough of the cream to do the cuffs and toes on another pair of children's socks. 

I set up and knit 24 rows on the scarf. I did feel clumsy knitting on larger needles but got use to it. 

The pattern is 8 rows and I am starting to memorize it. I do have to unknit as I do make mistakes. 

At least I can watch the knit stitches to make sure the pattern is lining up correctly. 

Thoughts

    The wind came up about 8 pm and it snowed during the night. The maintenance crew did salt the roads in the afternoon and plowed during the night. There is very little snow on the driveway; just the berm. I was prepared for the worst and am happy we didn't get it. Along the Atlantic coast people are being warned about very high tides this morning. 

    It is Groundhog Day. In Nova Scotia the celebration to see if the groundhog sees his shadow has been cancelled due to the weather. It is predicted that we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Truthfully we can have up to 8 weeks more of winter. 

Today

I have to get the patches I fixed/did yesterday sanded and the floors swept. I also have to remove all the electrical plate covers. I want to do a load of laundry this morning. I will probably do some other cleaning as I move from room to room. This afternoon I want to finish the doll's dress and start on the doll's blankets. I also need to pick 2 fabrics for piping. If I have time, I will start to clean off the cutting table. I want to knit on the socks and scarf today and I do have the course at 1 pm. It is another busy day for me. 

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

Prepping For The Painters

 Yesterday was more sunny than cloudy with a high of -6C (windchill -13C). This morning it is mostly cloudy and -15C (no windchill!!). Today is supposed to be mainly cloudy with a high of -5C (windchill -18C).

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning was another busy one. I did go to the community hall and help make sandwiches. I was home shortly after 9:30 am. I had my 2nd cup of coffee and then got busy. First job was to put away the laundry. Done in 5 minutes. 

I finished cleaning the living room and was so happy with it. As I looked around, I realized I had to take down the curtains in the living and dining areas due to the painters coming on Tuesday. It was time to say goodbye to the curtains as I am putting up blinds. 

Taking down the curtains was a bit of a struggle. I was trying to get them down without dropping anything. Not happening as I dropped at least 2 curtain rods. Those things are awkward when working in tight spots. Next was to get the brackets down and more hard work. I then filled all the holes. Some were huge as the brackets were not put up properly and the weight of the curtains pulled everything out from the wall. The dining and living room area should never have had curtains put up. Only two rod brackets were screwed into wood and the others had plastic plugs put in that failed. The previous owners should have put in blinds. I will be putting in blinds once the walls are painted. 

By the time I finished with the curtains and getting the holes filled I was tired. I sat down and had lunch and something to drink. 

I was out to family's for dinner last night. We had curries which was delicious. They were tired as they had snow blowed their bottom driveway and their large deck area in preparation for the storm which is coming tonight. They also did housework. We talked for a bit after dinner and I came home early. 

Sewing

I had another day of fun in the sewing room. I pinned, basted and sewed the outer skirt of the doll's dress. I gathered the bodice and pinned and basted the outer skirt onto the bodice. Then it was time to tackle the skirt. I had a great time doing pleats which I have not finished but am over half done. 

As I was working on the dress, I realized I wasn't doing View B but View A. I am happy with my error as View A's outer skirt matches the collar much better. 

With the doll's dress almost done, I am thinking about what fabric to use for the piping I want to make and which of the flannel fat quarters I will use to make doll blankets. Those are next on the list to make. Some quick and easy projects after the detailed dress sewing. 

Knitting

I knit on the child's sock only and am ready to pick up the stitches for the gusset. 

I have decided to start the scarf next as I need to knit (and fumble) on larger needles. 

I told family I had inventoried my yarn and how many skeins and weight I had. Daughter-in-law thinks she has more than I do. Son decided to give us both a ribbing. I will keep them updated on how well I do this year as I knit down the yarn stash. 

Thoughts

    We are not supposed to get the storm they predicted. The storm seems to be heading out into the Atlantic which means we will get less snow. Right now they are predicting less than 2". What we will still get is the winds. We are supposed to get winds up to 40 km/hr with gusts up to 60 km/hr. Power will go out in areas so we are preparing for that. 

    I emailed about my Fitbit and got a reply. I have a case number. It is now a waiting game to see if they will fix it or if I get another brand. 

    I am going to take a 5 day online course on how to keep everything in one notebook and branch out from there. I am in the process of getting all the notebooks I have in the house together and letting them go once I know what kind of notebook I need. I am not buying something expensive from the presenter. I am wondering if I am on the right track and need to get better at using only one notebook and using what I have to make detailed plans. 

    The house feels so different without the curtains. The area feels bigger and brighter. I feel exposed having no curtains. The blinds will help when they are installed after the walls are painted. I have ideas floating in my head on what I want to do after the walls are painted. 

Today

I have to do laundry just in case the power goes out during the night. I also have to sand the patching I have done and o a bit more. I also need to do the balance sheet. I have to go out to put gas in the car so it is full in case of an emergency. I want to sew on the doll's dress this afternoon. I will knit on the socks and cast on the scarf. 

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

A Very Productive Day

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds but it wasn't dull and grey. The high got to -9C (windchill -15C). This morning it is cloudy and -11C (windchill -18C). Today is supposed to mainly cloudy with a high of -4C (windchill -13C).

Lifestyle

I spent part of the morning getting a few things done. I emptied the dishwasher, washed some dirty dishes, folded laundry and cleaned the couch I sit on. That was a job and a bit. I tidied up all the yarn and vacuumed the couch. It is much nicer now that I have it done. I just have the couch, end table and lamp to move and vacuum and mop the floor. 

I was out to get groceries yesterday morning. It was very busy at the grocery store. I got what I needed and left. Once home I put it all away. I am ready for the snow storm that will arrive tomorrow night. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon in the sewing room. I was in my own little world of pinning, basting, sewing, and admiring. When I stopped at 5 pm, I was freezing cold. The room was 17.5C and I didn't feel it until while I was sewing. 

I had decided I wasn't going to serge around the edge of the facing piece. Too small and too many curves. Instead I cut a piece of fabric on the bias and bound it. It is finicky work but I enjoy the end result. 

The bias piece was cut 1.25" wide which is too wide. I sew it on with a 1/8" seam allowance using a smaller stitch length. I turn it to the back and stitch in the ditch. The final step is to trim the excess fabric with my duckbill scissors. 

The next step was to attach the facing to the neckline. I pinned and hand basted it in place. I carefully sewed it down and got it finished so I liked it.

I then inserted the sleeves which had more hand basting before sewing. Once they were inserted, I sewed the side seams and called it a day. I was where I wanted to be. 

I had a small appliqué of flowers I had cut out for the coat. I trimmed them down even smaller and put them on the front part of the collar to see if I liked the look. I am living with it for now. 

I did work on a long range plan for sewing. It took me a while to get what I want to make this year sorted out in my head. Though I want to sew mainly from the stash, I know I will be buying a few pieces of fabric to finish projects and allow myself to buy a few pieces as a reward. Thinking about what I want to make and writing it down made me realize that I can sew more in a month than I have been without a plan. The past week has shown that. 

I am very happy with what I have sewn in January. Though I didn't sew a lot of yardage, I did make quite a few items during the month. I also spent time researching how to make zipper tabs on bags, clothing worn my Acadian women in the 18th century, and I even designed tags for some projects. 

Knitting

The Nova Scotia plaid socks are done. I am happy they are off the needles and ready for me to wear. 

I cast on the 2nd child's sock and got the cuff knit along with a couple of rows in blue. 

I am pleased with what I have knit in January. I also enjoy knitting for 30 - 45 minutes at noon. 

I am now deciding if I will start a scarf or a doll's sweater. I have patterns for both of these projects and the yarn is in the stash. 

Thoughts

    Having long range plans is helping me focus on getting my fabric and yarn stashes under control. I am feeling much better having these plans in place and noticed my anxiety has dropped this month. 

    We have been getting a lot of updates on the storm that is to arrive tomorrow night. Where I live is at the edge of the heavy snowfall. They are predicting low barometric pressure, wet snow, heavy winds, and the possibility of power outages. I am ready for it all and am happy the temperatures are going to be warmer than they have been. I have my knitting to work on, food to eat, and blankets to keep warm. I will also be doing some shovelling for exercise. 

Today

I am off to make sandwiches at the hall this morning. Once home, I will finish cleaning the living room floor, put away the folded laundry, and do some more cleaning. This afternoon I will work on the doll's dress and tonight I will knit. I do have to pick a second project to knit. 

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

A Busy and Productive Day

 Yesterday was sunny and the high got to -8C (windchill -15C). This morning it is cloudy and -12C (windchill -18C). Today is supposed to be cloudy with a high of -9C (windchill -20C). 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I opened all the curtains as the sun was shining. The last curtain I opened was in my bedroom so I started the day making my bed. From there it was the bathroom, the kitchen, and part of the living room. It was glorious to work in a bright house with the sun shining in. 

I also did some patching on the walls in the living room and bathroom. I took out the garbage and recycling to the garage and put them into their right containers. 

With time to spare I did the balance sheet. I had one stupid issue that I solved in less than 3 minutes. All is balanced and waiting for me to do the month end on Saturday or Sunday. I ended my cleaning session cleaning the keyboard on the laptop. That was quite the project with some of Elliott's hair coming out from the keys. 

Sewing

I had a good day sewing with only a few issues in the last bag I made. I started out with the wrong video and had to adapt how I sewed the side seams using the other video. But the end result was great. 

I am very pleased with how the zipper tabs turned out. I am so close to having this technique perfected. 

 The little tabs lay flat quicker using this method. The bag with the red zipper looks good but it took a bit of time to get the tabs to look nice. 

And both together.

Two fat quarters and two zippers make 2 bags. The larger one is cut 12" x 8" and the smaller one is 8.75" x 8". 

Knitting

I finished knitting the child sock #1 yesterday afternoon. I am pleased with it as I used 2 patterns to get this sock knit. 

I also knit on the adult sock and have the first 9 rows of the toe done. The picture I took is horrid as the sock did not want to cooperate. 

I will be finished this sock tonight. 

I put a tab up for knitting down the yarn stash. I have the next two months planned and will update it as I knit projects. I am doing this more for myself so I can knit as much yarn as possible in 2026 and buy only the yarn I need to finish one project. 

Thoughts

    We are under another storm warning. The barometric pressure is dropping and the temperature is rising. We are to have wet snow start on Sunday night. Predictions - up to 12" of wet snow and the possibility of power outages. We certainly have had more winter this earlier year than in previous years. 

    I had the best day for a while yesterday. I felt good mentally and physically. I ate less food, moved quite a bit, and didn't feel tired or sleepy all day. I am hoping that I will feel better and will be getting outside to do some shovelling during the snowfall. Not the whole driveway but part of it. 

    I got weighed and have gained weight since coming home from Uruguay. I know the reason why and I am trying to get myself back on track. Yesterday was a better day for me and I hope to continue eating healthy and loose the weight I gained. I want to really work on this as I need to loose weight for my joints. I knew I was at my upper limit when my joints were sore doing normal activities. 

Today

 I have to get a few groceries this morning so I will be prepared in case the power goes out. I am looking at healthy foods that can be eaten cold. I need to fold laundry and focus on cleaning my knitting area on the couch. I want to sew on the doll's dress this afternoon and knit tonight. 

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