Another Project Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy with a mix of dull and dismal. It rained quite a bit yesterday. The high got to 19C. This morning it is cloudy, foggy, and 17C. Today is supposed to have showers with a high of 23C (humidex 28C).

Lifestyle

I started the morning off with my yoga moves. I was stiff but did limber up some. My core muscles aren't as weak as I had thought they would have been but still not strong as they should be. I ended the session on the couch doing a 3 minute stretch for my SI joint. I was not as sore when moving or sitting. I actually did the stairs correctly yesterday. 

I opened the windows in the house and started to work in the spare room. I put the quilt on the bed and it looks funny. A twin size quilt on a queen size bed. But, I left it there as it adds some interest to the room. I actually had to close that bedroom window as the rain came in from the north. 

I did get 2 loads of laundry done. One load was a blanket that is folded and put away. The other load is to be folded today. I am trying to do that job as soon after the load is done. It was late getting dried so the job is for today. 

Sewing

I finished the doll's blouse. I hand sewed the neck tie down before top stitching it. Next I marked where the snaps were going on the front and sewed them on with a button on top. It was a lot of finicky sewing which takes time. 

I gave the skirt and blouse a good press and Lily is modelling this outfit.

This little outfit was a success. 

I cleaned up the sewing room and left without looking at projects for August. I really need to do that so I can focus on what I am going to make and design. 

Knitting

I attached the ball of yarn to the afghan, knit 2 rows, unknit 2 rows and did the pattern rows correctly. 

I have started the 5th full ball of yarn. I have knit 4 full balls  plus one (almost) half ball to date. I have 5 full balls of yarn left. 

Thoughts

    Daughter told me she saw turkey vultures on the way to work yesterday. They do migrate to Ashcroft in the spring and leave in the fall. You only see them if there is something for them to eat. She sent me a picture of them.

The numbers seemed to have increased over the years as we would only see 3 or 4 when we lived at the ranch. 

    Daughter also informed me that there was a wildfire between the mine and a community named Logan Lake. There has been a lot of activity on that fire she said with the mine's fire department helping out. It grew quickly but hasn't grown much since yesterday morning. It has brought back memories for many as they had to evacuate in 2021 when they had a wildfire. They are a fire smart community which saved it from being destroyed. 

    I am frustrated with my weight. I have cut back my protein by 50% and am eating less. I have gained a couple of pounds so am now going to start measuring everything I eat. I am also going to drink more plain water vs drinking sparkling water. I will be talking to the doctor about this if I don't loose any weight before Thursday. 

Today

I need to do my yoga moves, fold laundry and then do some cleaning in the living room. I am going to plan what I will sew for August and maybe work on the reindeer this afternoon. I will knit tonight. 

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

Nearing The End Of The Blouse

 Yesterday was sunny with a high of 27C (humidex 31C). This morning it is cloudy and 17C (we had a rain shower). Today is supposed to be cloudy with showers and a risk of a thunder shower. The high is supposed to get to 21C (humidex 25C). 

Lifestyle

After I wrote the blog post, I heated up my magic bag and went to bed. I wedged the heated bag against my SI joint and had an hours rest. It helped but I still have some pain in the SI joint. I have to do the yoga exercises at least 4 times a week once again. 

Sewing

I did go and sew yesterday afternoon. It wasn't without its problems. I hemmed the blouse and then added the first front button placket. When I did the second one, I didn't reverse it so had to cut out a new one. It was then that I had to figure out which piece needed the inside edge folded under. Tiredness was interfering with my thinking. I did get it figured out and the placket sewn on. 

The next step was to add the neckline binding. I struggled with it but got it done and it is now ready for me to hand sew in place and top stitch. 

Once that is done, I have to sew on snaps and maybe buttons. This blouse went together faster than I had thought it would. I think making it once before helped as I knew how it went together. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night as I was too tired. 

Thoughts

    It seems as if I over extend doing a job, I really throw my alignment out and cause my SI to flare up. I need to remember moderation when doing jobs. The physiotherapist feels my core muscles are a bit weak hence why I have to start my exercises again. 

    There has been a lot of dump truck activity on our street lately. The municipality is dumping dirt into a gully at the end of our street. Across the road, a bulldozer is working on making a road and there are dump trucks taking dirt from that area. The roads will not stand all the heavy traffic and we will be dodging potholes which will take forever to repair. What I don't like is that the dump trucks going into the development back down our street and then block my driveway while they wait to get their trucks filled. I'm sure I am not the only cranky resident. 

    I have been looking at what is new for fall decorating. I am not planning on buying but am just interested in what is new. It surprised me that brown is a popular colour this fall. Brown print on dishes was the biggest surprise. Green is also popular which wasn't as surprising. Also included is rust, mustard, yellow, and burgundy. What I didn't see was blue which is still popular this fall. 

Today

I have to do my yoga exercises and then will work in the spare room. This afternoon I will finish the doll's blouse and I hope to knit tonight. I need to plan what I would like to sew in August. 

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

A New Project Begun

 Yesterday was mainly sunny and warm. The high got to 27C (humidex 31C). This morning it is cloudy and it was 15C at 6 am. Today is supposed to be sunny and 28C (humidex 33C).

Lifestyle

I am late this morning as I was out at 7 am to help make sandwiches with daughter-in-law. She mixed and I made 2 loaves of sandwiches that required no mixed fillings. I did a 3rd loaf and she did 2 more. I cut the sandwiches and put them on the trays. We cleaned up and were out of the building at just after 8 am. Two other ladies were doing the rest of the sandwiches and cookie trays. 

I was out for physiotherapy and I was a mess. I was out of alignment and my SI joint was tight. It was a case of work through the pain so she could do everything in one session. I am exhausted from it. 

Yesterday I did go grocery shopping and then did some stretches to help with the pain. I felt pretty useless all day as it was persistent. I did make dinner and rested a lot with heat on my sore spots. 

Sewing

I did sew yesterday afternoon. I started on the Doll Joy blouse for the Gotz dolls. As I had made it before, I knew how I wanted to proceed. I do not like pressing the hems up before I sew. I was able to get a lot done on the blouse. They are easy to make even though there are a lot of pieces. All the seams are marked with numbers and you sew them according to the numbers. 

I am down to the front button bands and facing, the neck tie and the bottom hem. I tried it on one of the dolls and had a good laugh. The neckline needs to be gathered so it looks like a mess on her. 

Knitting

I knit on the afghan last night and used up another ball of yarn. I have knit 4 full balls and 1 part ball. 

I will have to unknit a few stitches and attach the new ball and then continue on. 

Today

I am off for a nap as soon as I post this. I am exhausted from all the pain I had from the treatment. I hope to sew this afternoon and will knit tonight. A very quiet day for me. 

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

The Quilt Is Bound

 Yesterday was sunny and more humid. The high got to 26C (humidex 30C). This morning it is cloudy and 18C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 28C (humidex 31C). 

Lifestyle

I was out to make sandwiches at the community hall. We were done in good time and had all the sandwiches in the cooler for pick up later on. 

Once home, I had something to drink and then I started cleaning the front entry way. I did the top landing on my hands and knees and worked my way down the stairs. The landing at the door was cleaned with the vacuum cleaner and a mop. Then back on my hands and knees down the stairs to the basement. I have to say I was sore when I got done. 

Once done, I laid on the couch and did the 3 minute stretch. After that I sat on the heating pad for quite a long time. It did help and I was able to move around with way less pain. 

I watered all the vegetable boxes last night due to the heat. They need a lot of water. When I got up at midnight, I checked to see if I could open the windows and it was raining. It had cooled off but it wasn't cool enough to do any good. The humidity had left only an hour before that. 

Sewing

I finished hand sewing the binding down on the quilt. It took me almost 3 hours to finish it. I am happy it is done and I can move on to the next project. 

I am going to clean the spare room and put it on the bed. 

Knitting

I only knit 4 rows on the afghan last night as I had to take some things over to family's house. We had a good chat. 

Thoughts

    I finally got my protein cut back to where I am supposed to have it vs where I thought it should be. I wasn't hungry at all during the day. I did have lots of fresh vegetables which helped. My body decided I should retain fluid though. It does it when it thinks I am starving it and from the humidity we had. I didn't move as much due to the pain I was having both of which can cause fluid retention. I will be drinking a lot of fluid today to get rid of it. 

    Rosie is back to working like a charm for me. I set up her schedule so she will clean each day. I have adjusted how she is to clean to see if she does a better job of mopping the floor. I also realized she has been upgraded a bit. If I replace her, I will buy one that has a different mopping system which means I will spend more money. 

    My SI joint seems to have moved back into place as it isn't as sore this morning. I am happy about that but know that it will have to be worked on tomorrow. 

Today

I need to get groceries this morning at two locations. I want to do a bit of tidying up as I have a bit of clutter showing up. Once done that, I will decide if I will do more reindeer or if I will sew on the doll's blouse. I will knit tonight. 

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

Binding The Quilt

 Yesterday was sunny and warm with a high of 26C (humidex 28C). This morning it is partly cloudy and 10C. Today is supposed to be mainly sunny with a high of 28C. 

Lifestyle

I made a list of things to do and got at it immediately. My first job was to do the balance sheet. It was done without any issues. I am still having problems spending my money. I got it done and put away in less than 30 minutes. 

The next job was to put the sheets into the wash and then I folded the laundry. It was done and put away in record time. The sheets were put into the dryer. 

I gave Rosie the Robot a good cleaning and found her sensors on the bottom. I really cleaned them up good and deleted the map. I set her to map and vacuum but she stalled and told me to put her back into the dock. I did that and then set her to map. She mapped the house with no issues and then I set her to vacuum and mop. She did a great job. Hopefully I have solved the problem of her being confused. I will remember to clean the sensors on her underside frequently. 

The last job of the morning was to cut up and marinade the chicken for dinner. Later in the afternoon I cut up the vegetables and made the sauce. I cooked 1/3 of the meat for a third meal and then made a delicious dinner last night and tonight. Having lots of  peppers and onions cooked in a garlic and ginger infused oil gave the meal loads of flavour.

I did go out and water and fertilize all the vegetables on the deck. I took a watering can down to do the flowers and weeded along the side of the shed. I need my weeding tool to do the back of the shed as the weeds' roots are in deeper. The Spousal Unit's rose has lots of buds on it again. 

Sewing

I hand sewed down more of the binding on the quilt. I have one long side and half of a short side left to do and that job will be done. 

Knitting

I did knit 8 rows last night on the afghan. It is getting big and heavy but I am pushing through to do 8 rows a night. 

Thoughts

    I was quite sore yesterday. I did 2 different stretches which did help the SI joint but not the muscles. I sat on the heating pad for 2 hours last night and it really helped a lot. The muscles have relaxed and are only hurting a bit this morning. I hope it helps and will do the exercises again today and then sit on the heat in the evening. 

    I was looking for something about real estate for daughter yesterday and I found our house in Ashcroft is for sale. I looked at the pictures and the owner took away the warmth in the house. They painted the walls either white or a very pale grey. The cupboards and desk unit we had left in the original wood finish have been painted white. They did some renovations to the house. Some were good, some were questionable. The fruit trees and garden are gone and it is only lawn in the back yard. It has been on the market for 2 years and is over priced for the market. The people have moved out and it is sitting empty. 

    I had the windows opened in the house until noon yesterday. We had very little humidity which was nice. Today is supposed to be the same with no humidity to speak of. I will be able to do a few things outside in the mornings and evenings. 

Today

I have to go to make sandwiches at the community hall. Once done, I want to clean the front entrance as it is dusty. If I have time, I will do a bit of cleaning in the living room. I want to finish binding the quilt this afternoon and will knit tonight. 

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

In and Out of the City To Beat The Heat

 Yesterday was sunny and quite warm. The high got to 27C (humidex 29C). This morning it is clear and 10C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 27C (humidex 30C).

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning we were gone by just after 8 am to shop. We arrived at Costco at just before 9 am and were out the door ready to leave the parking lot at 9:20 am. It was a fast trip through the store as we didn't have much to buy -- 21 loaves of bread for sandwiches was the big purchase. 

From Costco we were heading to Walmart in another area. We stopped at Princess Auto. This is similar to Harbour Freight Tools. We went looking for something that was out of stock and came out with screwdrivers. They weren't on the list but I got a screwdriver that has the bits in the handle. A happy lady. 

We headed to Walmart which was a 10 minute drive. We did our shopping there and I got 4 bottles of sparkling water. We were home before 11:30 am. We were happy as we beat the heat. 

I did do 2 loads of laundry after I got home which needs to be folded this morning. I also fooled around with Rosie but will give her a good cleaning and redo her map. She did about 10 minutes of cleaning and then went to her dock. The next time she did a bit more before going back to the dock. 

Sewing

I made the binding for the quilt and got it sewn on. It was a wrestling match getting it on but I won. I did put up the extension table on the sewing cabinet which helped a lot. Once sewn on, I sat down in the family room and hand sewed about 1/4 of the binding down. 

The backing on this quilt is flannel and very easy to hand stitch the binding to. I did enjoy sitting and hand stitching the binding. 

Another picture, which both are horrid, as the quilt was not cooperating with me. 

I am hoping to have this quilt finished by Tuesday afternoon. 

The bag I made was for the contest. I have an idea forming to take part in the table runner contest. I found a pattern I like and will be looking at fabrics for it. 

Knitting

I did knit 8 more rows on the afghan last night. A few more nights of knitting and I will have finished ball #5. It is growing and getting heavy. 

Thoughts

    Daughter let me know her boss did not loose his house to the wildfire as he had thought. It was saved as was most of the town of Clinton. The fire has moved south and it put more people on either an evacuation alert or order. The hot and windy weather is allowing this fire to burn out of control and making it hard for the fighters to work on. 

    I was sore yesterday. I really did hurt a lot. I did the stretching exercise and it helped some. I also did another one on the bed and it helped a lot too. My SI joint is tight as I still have a bit of pain but not like it was. I have physio on Wednesday and she will fix the SI joint. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet first thing and then fold laundry. I have to do another load of laundry. Rosie needs her spa day and I have to make dinner tonight. I do want to sew more binding down on the quilt and knit tonight. 

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

Home Made Pizza

 Yesterday was sunny and warm with a high of 26C. This morning it is clear and 11C. Today is supposed to be sunny and hot with a high of 29C (humidex 32C).

Lifestyle

I was out to make sandwiches yesterday morning. I did made the cucumber sandwiches and did the cookie trays. I didn't do a lot as there were too many people there. 

Once home, I had something to drink, got the bag and headed out to New Minas. My first stop was the quilt shop where I took in the bag. They hid it in a brown paper bag so no one would see it. It is labeled and hid in the storage room until the end of the month. They have had a good response to this little contest which is good. 

My next stop was Walmart to get a few things and then on to Canadian Tire to buy a plate to replace the one that is chipped. I was home by noon. 

I was out mid afternoon to family's and son and I sat outside visiting. While visiting we both got news that a small community called Clinton was evacuated due to wildfires. Clinton is about 50 km (30 miles) north of Ashcroft where we use to live and where daughter still lives. Her boss lives there and hauled out his horses to where daughter keeps hers and then went back to get other things. She said he lost his house. I did see a video of the fire just outside of Clinton. It is scary but the people did have a meeting to help them prepare and leave while on an evacuation alert. As far as they know, this fire and 2 others in the area were caused by lightening. They have had a lot of lightening lately. 

Dinner last night was homemade pizza. Son and daughter-in-law are still figuring out things and they have nearly got it right. They have a propane fired pizza oven that friends gave them 3 years ago. 

We do one pizza at a time and let the oven heat to 800F. Heat is turned off when the pizza goes in and it cooks until the temperature drops to 600F. Then fire on low and the pizza is turned to finish it. 

We each make our own. Mine was ham and pineapple and I have to say it was delicious. I have to say they are on the road to having perfect pizza. 

Sewing

I did not sew yesterday but did put the quilt binding out on the table to sew. 

I did look at fabric at the quilt shop and they brought in a line that I quite like. One piece in particular. I will be buying at least one piece, maybe 2 and doing a challenge on what to make out of it. This piece is so soft in colour whereas the rest are more royal blue. 

The quilt shop has a new contest for the fall. It is a table runner which can be pieced, appliquéd, or embroidered. The theme is fall or Halloween. I will look at the fabrics and see what I can make and donate to the auction. I will have to find one embroidery file figure out what to do for a design. I would love to do it on linen but I think the fabric has to be bought at the store. I do like the idea of the store having small item contests several times a year rather than something big once a year. It is a good strategy to pull in people to the store. 

Knitting

I did knit 4 rows last night on the afghan. The ball of yarn is going down quickly and soon I will be getting out a new ball to knit. 

Thoughts

    Yesterday was not humid at all. We sat outside until 7:30 pm and you could feel the coolness coming in. It was nice to sit outside rather than be inside all day because of the heat and humidity. 

    Carolyn, I am happy to hear your family went to Anne of Green Gables. The site has grown commercially over the years. I went in the 1990's when it was just the house and a gift shop. I loved the house. I was and still am a great fan of Anne of Green Gables. 

    I looked at my jalapeño pepper plants and they are loaded with small peppers. Son will get his fix of them this fall. They have taken off lately which is great as I thought they never bloom due to the colder weather we had earlier. 

Today

I am off to the city to shop with daughter-in-law. We want to get home early. This afternoon I will sew the binding pieces together with hopes of getting it on the quilt. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. I do have to water the plants as it is going to be quite warm today. 

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