Did I Miss A Memo?

We had two days of rain and everything is soggy. Today is suppose to be nicer and we shouldn't see rain until Wednesday. 

Lifestyle

I have talked in the past about having a more minimalist home. Not a lot of clutter which seems to be what my brain needs. Seeing minimalism relaxes me. Seeing clutter stresses me. Its freedom vs feeling caged. We did a lot of freedom purging when we moved here as we left a lot behind. A goal we had. 
We have worked hard at keeping this house as a minimalist home though it would be classified as cluttered by a true minimalist. We have felt relaxed and less stressed. When the clutter shows up, we both feel it and I have to tackle it. 
I'm improving on keeping the house tidy. I do the jobs I've set out most days. Even on the busy ones, I make the bed, monitor the bathroom, and clean the kitchen. I'm even getting better at keeping the paper levels down. It is a feeling good. I'm improving. I still can be a slob if I don't focus on it daily. 

Blog Snooping

I was looking at blogs where the writers have been showing their homes in their fall decor. One thing I noticed is how light their walls are. Almost white. I asked myself if I missed the white wall memo. Nope, as we don't go in for a lot of season-changing decorating in our house. With our plan of being a minimalist home, I don't want the extra wonderful items stored and oozing out of closets. I did look closely at what some of the ladies had and got a couple of ideas. I will choose a color theme and stick with it. I can have my gray walls and enjoy myself. But, looking at those homes was fun and those ladies really do enjoy what they do. And they do a great job of decorating. 

Sewing Room

I got about 2/3rds of the sewing room ceiling painted yesterday. By the time I got to that point, the painted part had about 2 coats on it. There is a difference in the color. I chose more white. 
The vision is coming with the sewing room. The dark corner will become my reading/inspiration corner. I see it being the quiet area. A place to read about sewing and knitting. A place to work on a couple of knitting projects that entails a learning curve. 
The other parts of the room are coming to fruition. I need cutting, sewing, and pressing areas. The knitting cube and jewelry desk need spots also. With some tweaking and some containers, I see it being peaceful and a nice place to work in. 
What is stressing me out is the fabric stash. It is making me happy and and sad at the same time. I look at it in the family room and I want to do something with it. 

• Sew it up fast
• Give it away

I'm leaning towards sew it up fast. I'm leaning towards sell it cheap or give it away. A lady on a Facebook group makes bags and donates them to a senior's home. That is when it started to niggle in the back recesses of my mind to do the sew it up fast/give it away/sell it cheap thing. A lady on another group said something similar to my thoughts when another lady talked about her feelings of purging her stash. No matter what, I'm looking forward to  celebrating the removal of the stash shelf. Hopefully next year. I need to focus on the removal of the stash shelf. 

Today

I have to put plastic on the rest of the sewing room floor and paint the ceiling. We have to be done by 4 pm as we are having a BBQ at our son's house. 

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

Sewing Room Vision Has Begun

Yesterday it rained off and on. The wind was gusty and it was quite warm. I kind of assumed the storm was coming up from the tropics. Why? The temperature at 2 a.m. was 22C; a full 24C warmer than it had been 48 hours prior to that. And yes, I did turn on all the ceiling fans and the a/c.
It is raining hard enough that someone doesn't want to go and put the garbage out. 

Lifestyle

Wednesday morning was busy. The Spousal Unit and I spent quality time together sanding the sewing room. When my sanding was done, I vacuumed the dust up. It was one of those win-win situations. I got the floors pretty dust free. 

We are getting excited about debeiging our builder's grade cookie cutter house. We are both excited to add our flavor to this house to make it what we want it to be. We both laugh and say the next people will be degreying this house. 

Sewing Room

The sewing room has a dark corner in it. It has been a hard place to figure out what to use it for. I decided that it could be my reading corner. 

I am thinking of putting in a chair, book shelf, and corner desk into the area beside the closet. As you can see, it has no lights so I'm leaning towards buying a lamp that looks like this one. 

I love the look of this lamp as it is a cross between industrial and farmhouse. My small peg board can go up on the wall for my ideas. I'm seeing this as a good place. My vision of this room is coming together. 

Today

I'm going to put the plastic on the floor. Tape it down and get ready to paint. That will allow the Spousal Unit to fix a spot in the ceiling. We are moving ahead; slow but sure. 
Until the next time....................... 

More Controlled Hoarding in the Sewing Room

Yesterday was cool but sunny. This morning, it is 12C and raining. It seems as if it could rain until tomorrow. We do need the moisture so we aren't complaining. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I gave myself a big kick in the butt and did some housework. I cut the work load into areas with rewards after cleaning up each area. 
I started out in the master bedroom. I took down the room-darkening-fabric-that-should-be-curtains-but-isn't as the sun isn't as hot as it was during the summer. I folded the load-of-clothes-that-wasn't-done-last-week-and-forgotten-about. After the clothes were put away, the bed was stripped, room dusted, and floor swept. Reward - spreading paint stripper on the second shelf of the table. 
Next up came the bathroom. I've been doing a pretty good job of keeping this room clean so it was easy to do. The extra job was washing the floor, especially behind the toilet. White fluff loves to live in that area. Reward - scraping the goop off the table. 
Last was the kitchen. I swept the floor, emptied the dishwasher, washed a few dishes from this morning, put away the crock pot, wiped the counters and stove, and washed the floor. Reward - a cup of tea and doing nothing for 15 minutes. 
The laundry was going all morning and into the afternoon. But it has been dealt with and I'm happy, happy, happy that it is all folded and put away and the bed was made. 
Go Me!!

Sewing Room

The Spousal Unit is putting mud on the drywall to bring it up to a Grade B level. If I let him do a Grade A level, I'd never get to paint the room. He'd be skim coating every inch of those walls as he wants perfection. Perfection isn't needed so he is doing the next best; almost perfection. We have this joke about Grade A and B as it really is our way of saying an excellent and great job of fixing the walls. 
Just before lunch, I got out the doll's notion's tub to look for red piping and none was to be found. Red bias tape that I can make into binding. Lots of it. So it is out waiting for me to make the decision. I probably will make use it even if it isn't piping. 
Next I opened the top of the desk and took out the vast majority of the jewelry making supplies. Two baskets full of the stuff. 

It was neatly stored in its space and it was controlled hoarding. Controlled hoarding as I have used very little of it since moving here. I dumped it all out on the coffee table. 

And I looked up to see Elliott feasting on the shamrock. It isn't the first time in the last week that he's feasted on it. Look at how few leaves there are. 

I got after him so he climbed up on the chair and settled down to nap behind me. He is a chair hog (and a bed hog too). I started sorting the stuff out. The bigger of the two baskets is donate, the smaller is keep. 
The keep basket ready to be put away. 

The donate basket ready to be bagged and donated. 

I had these lovely crystals in the drawer. They were gifted to me and I wasn't sure what to do with them. 

The clear ones I kept. The smoky ones were donated. The water bottle will be trashed as soon as I get a new one. It is so tippy that I'm afraid it will fall over with the lid open and ruin a piece of furniture. 

I took the keep pile and put everything away. I don't feel like I'm hoarding stuff for a rainy day that will never come. I feel lighter. And happier. 

Today

I'm out making sandwiches this morning. Then it will be sanding the closet and windows and wiping them so I can be ready to paint when I get the go ahead. 
Until the next time...................

Controlled Hoarding in the Sewing Room?

Saturday got to 21C and it was warm and humid after the small rainfall we had in the morning. Sunday morning and Monday morning were both cool at 4C and sunny. This morning it is -2C and frost is on the pumpkins. 

No snow, just frost. 

Lifestyle

The fair is over for another year. We went on Saturday and left early as it was quite warm and humid. Sunday we went later and it was cool and drier. The humidity dropped to 37%. And on Monday, cool and dry again; humidity 36%.
Yesterday morning I headed out to help the ladies' group make sandwiches for after a funeral. I enjoy helping this group of ladies. We chit chat and I learn a bit every time we meet. 
When I got home, I ignored the upstairs and went downstairs and wiped the walls in the sewing room. I ignored making the bed, doing the laundry, and wiping down the bathroom. I was thinking of the sewing room and ignored the rest of the house. I am a slob as the jobs are quite easy to forget ignore. 
Yesterday morning while I was doing my daily internet reading I came across what one person said about organization. He said:

.... I read (I can’t remember where) a definition of organization that made my heart skip a beat. ..they said that organization is just well controlled hoarding!

I now need to remember that so I don't bring extra items in the house, organize them, and realize I have controlled hoarding. I need to mutter daily "Less is more" "Less is more" a hundred times a day. 

Sewing

I think my sewing room is an area that has well controlled hoarding. At least it is in my mind. I want way less than what I have and I decided to really focus and work hard on this. 
I have continued cutting out items while the sewing room is being worked on. These last few days have seen me cut out 5 meters. Go Me!! Now to sew up what I have cut out. Hopefully later this week while the paint is drying. 
While wiping the walls in the sewing room, I thought about my vision of the room. It has been hard to figure it out when I know I want the stash shelf gone. But, I did figure out if I put the corner desk into the corner where the shelf was, I can put the shelf on the door wall. When the shelf is gone, I can put my second desk for beading into that area along with a good lamp. That is the dark corner.
While thinking of the beading desk, I thought about all the beads in it. All is organized and it really is controlled hoarding. I'm going to dig it all out and put it on the cutting table, sort through it and give away the larger beads. I'll keep the smaller ones as I use them for doll jewelry. 
How did I get so many beads when I said I was going to keep the supply small when I started? I really got carried away buying beads when they were discounted and then discounted by another 50%. I had to organize the huge basket one night and my pile just kept getting bigger and bigger. I'm sure that a group in Windsor will be happy to take them off my hands. 

Today

I have to do laundry, my usual chores and sand the closet and windows in the sewing room. I will look to see if I have red piping and then dig out all the beads to sort into the keep and donate piles. That should keep me busy for the day. If I get frustrated, I will take the last of the paint/stain off the first side of the second shelf. 
Until the next time..........................

For The Life Of Me

Yesterday was lovely in the morning and cloudy in the late afternoon. It got to 18C and was nice. So nice we opened the garage door to warm up the space. This morning, it is 18C, windy and it's trying to rain. 

Lifestyle

I am at Go Me. I got the upstairs cleaned except for the guest room. It needs to be tidied up but nothing major except for the built in vacuum hose and attachments. The house is ready for the weekend. 
I also worked some on the little table. The first shelf is stripped and I'm on the second one now. Stripping paint, varnish and stain takes a lot of elbow grease. The second shelf has had the first coat removed on one side. One more of stripping paint and then we tackle the varnish and stain. Won't happen until Tuesday. 

For The Life Of Me.......

Every now and again, I get sucked into Pinterest's Black Hole. Yesterday was one of those days. I typed in "lazy Susan organization" and I was down their black hole. 
Why did I type that in? I have two of those monsters in the kitchen. And I hate them as I can't seem to organize them to my satisfaction. 
Why? Because everything seems to fly off them in to the back corner where man nor beast can barely get to. I don't know how many times I've unloaded a lazy Susan to get the lost items out so we can use them. In this house one lazy Susan has a cat bowl and the cat's measuring cup on it and the other one has the containers for left overs in it. Not a lot as I hate the thought of digging into the back for the stuff that could fly off those revolving shelves. 
I swear if I take out all the cupboards in this kitchen and start again there would be zero of them in there. It probably won't happen so no use dreaming about it. So, I need to think about organizing those lazy Susans. They sure aren't going to do it themselves. So I am going to come up with a plan of attack that may entail moving a lot of stuff around in the kitchen. And it is going to mean a trip to the dollar store or Ikea for containers to organize the items I want to put into said spaces. I'm thinking and am coming up with The Plan. Even if I hate them, I need to figure out how to use them effectively as they are now wasted space. 

Sewing

I did spend some time downstairs with the rotary cutter. I spent the time cutting out a grocery bag (that needs a lining) from the sports fabric. 

Then I got out the remaining soccer fabric from grandson's pillow cases and cut out a grocery bag and an Everything bag. I need to find the black cotton in the furthest tub from the front to finish it. Here is the pile of soccer fabric I've cut out. 

All the remaining scraps are in the garbage can. Yes!!
While I was cleaning the house, stripping furniture and cutting out fabric, the Spousal Unit sanded the wall in the sewing room. He is now ready to vacuum the floor. Then I will wipe the walls and he can do the filling.  He rocked it yesterday. 

Today

We are heading out the to Exhibition for the day. We have several things we want to see that are new to us and several things that we've seen or been involved in. 
Until the next time.............................

A Magpie and a Sparkly Thing

Yesterday was cool and lovely. We loved it when we had to go outside. This morning it is 4C, sunny, foggy, and cool. We are ushering in the fall season according to the weather forecast. 

Lifestyle

I made the bed and was working through the plan of tidying up the house. The Spousal Unit came in and said he need to make his saw horses. He kept on talking and I gave it half my attention until........Mention I can park the car in the garage this winter was the big sparkly thing that this magpie grabbed onto. I was out in the garage in a flash. To heck with the house. 
We worked out there most of the morning. Items were moved from one side of the garage to the other. The floors were swept clean, the window washed, and the saw horses made. We moved the chop saw into its place, measured and the car can fit in there is winter. The clean up is done and there is a bit more for the Spousal Unit to do on his bench. 
To end the morning, I did some paint removal on the cute little table I bought in August. Ideas are floating in my head on how to make it cuter. While I was dreaming I got two of the three legs stripped. 

 The third leg was drilled out after I got the first layer of paint off the bottom shelf. My thoughts are leaning to paint the legs in an off white paint and stain the shelves in an American stain (dark and similar to walnut). 

Sewing

As we focused on the garage cleaning and the saw horses, the Spousal Unit only got the moulding and baseboards out of the room and the entry way vacuumed. We did talk about the new moulding, baseboard and the crown moulding we to put in the house. Other than that, nothing. 
I decided to cut out items to sew if I can work in the sewing room or make after the sewing room is done. I made Laura this dress and hat way back when. 

I cut out a shirt pattern to use as a jacket over the dress. 

The pocket (which I may omit), cuff, and collar are cut on the bias. There is still fabric left from both the chambray and the plaid. 
Next up, I cut out Everything Bags. I have larger scraps to use up for the outside of the bags. First up is the frog bag. I have enough material cut for 2 bags. I need to find cotton to finish up the bags. I'm thinking lime green cord for one bag and, hopefully, red for the other one. 

The next two bags are sports related. I have cut out two of them and need to buy the lining fabric if I don't have any. 

I'd like to do the cord in orange or brown for these two bags. I need to buy the lining for them. I have enough of the sports fabric left to make a grocery bag. That will get cut out today so I can make a list of what I need to buy to finish these projects. 

Today

I need to clean the house up and vacuum the sewing room. These are non-negotiable jobs for today as we will be out tomorrow and Sunday. 
Until the next time......................

Focus, Focus, Focus

Yesterday we had some rain. Not a lot but more than they forecasted. The high was 18C and quite nice outside. This morning was 11C and cool. Probably no rain today. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday, prior to leaving for the morning, I made the bed and the Spousal Unit emptied the dishwasher. I did do a quick check and everything looked tidy. I did clean the kitchen last night; a great habit to have. 
I went back to WW last night and, let's say, I need to focus on myself again. I did a lot of comfort eating while my back was sore. It is much better and I need to move back to healthy eating. I hate changing my goal date all the time. This week I have to track my food. I am adding it to the things I need to do daily. 

I have to say, being a slob with an overactive mind, that I can do something and totally forget what I did. The Spousal Unit has a cute little red pry bar to take off moulding. I brought it down from the shed and, for the likes of me, I could not find it. After said moulding was removed, the Spousal Unit found it in with the paint that I neatly stored in the garage. I do remember saying I would put it there as we would use it when painting. In the brain, out of the brain. 

Sewing

The sewing room has all the moulding and baseboards off it. The Spousal Unit is doing some repairs to the drywall. We bought the mud yesterday. We then went out to get more sandpaper blocks. I found a mesh sanding paper for the big hand sander which is turning out to be a great investment. Reminder to self -- when we put it away, remember to put it in the dry wall supplies tub. 
I took the sewing machines out of the sewing room so they won't get dust on and in them. I won't be sewing until after we have the last coat of paint on. I have decided to cut out a bunch of items, label what they are and sew them up when I set up my machine. An hour a day should give me quite the pile and, hopefully, not a huge mess. I can press interfacing onto the pieces if necessary. I can also trace a pattern as I think I have enough tracing material to do one pattern. 
I am trying to turn of my over active mind and focus on what I can do right now and sew when I have the sewing room back. I can't be looking at other projects I could do. The slob in me could have a real hay day and be up to my knees in the mess as I haul it out of the boxes and tubs. Not Going To Happen.

Knitting

I put the buttons on the Billie Baby Jacket I knit prior to the hot weather settling in. It is ready to be put away for sale. I need to finish up the beaded sweater as a trial and get it put away as a reference for the pattern. It is not for sale. When done, I will be knitting a little shrug for Laura's dress and hat. It is cool enough to start knitting again. 

Today

I need to do some tidying up in the house, remove nails from moulding and prep it for garbage. Then I will treat myself to cutting out some Everything Bags and a shirt for the dolls. The size I am making is the one in the free tutorial even though I have the pattern to make all the sizes. I like this size the best. I'm going to stay focused and it is hard when my brain is jumping all over the place. 
Until the next time.................................

A Big Fibre Diet

Yesterday was remarkably humid. So humid that we were sweating with the a/c on. The remnants of Florence have come. The high was 26C, the humidity 76% and the humidex temperature was 30C. Like walking into a sauna. Yucky to say the least. 

Lifestyle

As hard as it was to stay focused and do housework, I had to. Yesterday morning I noticed orange "mould" on the compost bin. Yes, orange. I freaked out and the Spousal Unit got rid of the compost bag as I was making breakfast. I couldn't get it out of my mind while I 

• made the bed
• dusted the bedroom
• swept the bedroom floor
• wiped off bathroom counters and cleaned the toilet
• swept the bathroom floors.

When I got to it, I took disinfected wipes to the floor and realized the orange "mold" was the powder from a Kraft dinner package. Now, I wonder who put that package into the compost bin? (finger pointing to the Spousal Unit) All is well as everything has been scrubbed to within an inch of its life. 

I worked all day upstairs as the Spousal Unit was removing moulding and baseboards in the sewing room. It was a monumental day as I cleaned the dining and living areas. Yes, that means dusting and removing cat hair from the bottom of the chair legs. Then I did the dreaded entry way. It is the area that cat hair, grass clippings, and other interesting things go to die. Two things remain to be done 

• wash the floors
• tidy up the guest room

I have another day to do all of that. I can guarantee that it will be there tomorrow. Plus the other cleaning I do on a regular basis. This slob needs to try and keep this house tidy. 

Sewing Room

I have been working on my vision for my sewing room. It is a large room that can become a total mess in about 35 seconds if I don't watch myself. Yes, I am a slob and when it gets to a certain point of messiness, I notice I loose my creativity. I have to clean to get myself creative again. 
But.....I have learned something else about myself. I can't handle all the stuff that is in my sewing room. I am realizing it also kills my creativity. If the stash is hidden behind closet doors, I can stay creative. If in the open, I am absorbed at how I should be sewing it up and how fast I need to get it sewn up. Like a magpie looking at those sparkly things and deciding which one to take.
And....I don't like dark painted rooms to sew in. The dark colors suck the creativity out of me. I have to pack it up and leave. This was discovered since moving into this house. My other sewing rooms (and houses) ended up being light and airy feeling. 
Now that I have that sorted out (Whew!), I can think about the vision of that room. 

The vision is starting to form in the recesses of my mind. Generally speaking I want a room that is a place in which I enjoy creating in. I want a life that has a place for everything and everything in its place. So how does that look in reality?

• I want specific areas in the room. Areas that aren't overflowing into other areas. I want these areas organized and if that means having less is best then that is what it is. 
• I want peg board on the walls so I can hang items up that I use on a daily basis.
• I want storage that is not a pain in the you know what. A place for everything and everything in its place. 

I keep repeating that the goal is to sew down the stash and store it in a dresser in the closet. I have to make it a reality. A big time reality. And no day dreaming, procrastinating and blah, blah, blah. If I plan on getting the vision of this room a reality, I need to get the stash reduced. That said, this slob is not allowed to bring any more fabric into the house. Oh, lets include notions and other supplies unless I really and truthfully need it. This is a big fibre diet. 

 The stuff we own is creating the life we want in every room but the sewing room. 

Today

We are going to get drywall mud so the Spousal Unit can do the repairs needed in the sewing room. I will be taking my machines out of the room and covering furniture to keep the dust off of it. The floor will be covered with plastic before any mud goes on the floor. 
Until the next time...............................

A Crafty Afternoon

Yesterday was another hot day. It got to 29C with a humidex of 31C. We both sweat and felt very tired from it. It is suppose to be as hot again today and then rain on starting tonight. 

Lifestyle

I was in and out of Dartmouth in 3 hours. I got everything done. Truly amazing. I did make the bed before I left and that was all. I was on a mission when I left -- the thought of it being hot was making me move fast. 
I did another solar light after I got home. They are very simple to do. I use plain glass narrow mouth jars as I don't want the brand name showing. Just me. These cost 4.50 each which is expensive. If I wasn't so fussy, I 'd buy a dozen canning jars for the price of 2 jars.

 You will need the jar, a cheap solar light for the yard and some foam tape that is sticky on both sides. 

Remove the screw band and lid. I put the lid in a pile as I'm deciding if I will keep them or not.

I put some clear glass blobs that I bought from Walmart into the bottom so it gives them more stability and they shine pretty when the light hits them.

Pull the lamp head off the base and remove all stickers and tags. 

Test your lamp head to see if it fits well in the bottle. Mine is too small and slides down the neck of the jar. If that happens, wrap foam tape around the top of the lamp silver thing so it will attach to the jar. 

Peel off the green protective paper and you are ready to put it into your jar. 

Once in, screw on the cap and it is ready to charge up and let shine on your step or patio at night. The three looked very pretty last night. 

I also did a second display on the front step. I bought 2 bunches of flower and had a third one in the house. I spread the flowers out from the big stem at the bottom. I shoved the white one in to the middle of a pot of dirt. (this pot was bought with greens in it for Christmas and we planted flowers in it for the summer). On each side, I shoved in the cranberry flowers. I fiddled with the flowers to make them look like they are mixed up. When I liked what I saw, I quit. I put two solar lamps in front and said "Done".

Our boards are to be replaced; we are still waiting for a quote. 

And we are happy and just about ready to celebrate fall. Then I had a thought and we had to find the antique skein winder after dinner. 

This thing has been in my family for nearly 150 years and is hand carved. It comes in today before it rains. 

A different time of the day and much brighter in front of the house. I need to get a wreath hanger for the front door and hang our lovely wreath that Daughter made. Here is a picture from last December of it. 

Nothing else got done as tomatoes were picked and delivered before dinner. After dinner I did do the dishes and tidy up the kitchen. I wasn't a total flop at keeping the house tidy. 
Until the next time...............................

Exhibition Weekend

We are still experiencing warm weather. Saturday and Sunday were 28C and sunny. Nights are cooler but still above 10C. We will be having a storm come in but it could be from the north for us. Hurricane Florence, or her remnants, will hit the Atlantic side of the province with rain before she disappears into nothing. This being said, we could get storms from both areas. The temperature will be on the cool side Wednesday and rain. We wait and see as usual. 

Lifestyle

We have been busy and tired. The heat drains us or is it the humidity. I have tried to keep up on the housework but I haven't done as well as I wanted to. I do

• make the bed each day
• clean the kitchen twice a day
• run the dishwasher when its full. I hate the dishwasher as it say it is running but it then shuts itself off. It is running right now as it did this trick on us last night and we didn't notice.
• did laundry - clothes and sheets

What didn't I do

• dust the bedroom
• wipe down bathroom counters and toilet
• sweep the floors

I also let a load of clothes languish in the dryer for two days. But we had fun while it languished. 

On Saturday, we went to the fair. We looked around at the entries, talked to people, and had lunch. 

The buildings which hold the entries are beautifully decorated and, again this year, I fell in love with this sleigh and how they decorated it. 

I wonder what color they will use next year. 

The entries were down in most categories this year. People's excuses were they didn't get the entry forms mailed to them. They are on line but that could be a biggie for some people. Our two favorite entries were rocks. 

The rock city took 2nd place and the owls didn't win a prize and were my favorite. 

I didn't look at first prize as I honed in on these two. 

After lunch, we headed out to the arena as it was horse judging on the first weekend. We enjoyed the big horses pulling wagons (four in hand -- four horses make up the team). The best part was the Mini Horse Barrels. We didn't have a clue what this was about except with barrels you do the regular barrel racing pattern but not around barrel but pylons with a tennis ball on the top. We had a hoot when they called in the first contestant. It was a miniature horse pulling a person in a sulky.

This is what they use. Found on the internet

They trot these around the pylons using the barrel pattern. If you knock the tennis ball of the pylon, you get 5 seconds added to your time. We watched all 12 entries of which one entry was a miniature donkey. 

We left after that as it was hot and busy. People started coming in after lunch to go on the midway. There were several thousand people 

Yesterday was rest day as we were both tired from getting too hot. The Spousal Unit got rid of all the flowers as they are done. I put out the fall decorations. 

Sewing

I decided to finish up my t-shirt yesterday. I got it ready and after sewing one sleeve together and wanting to insert it that I had two sleeves for one hole. That means I have to cut out more sleeves which means I have to find which box the fabric is in. So, I gallantly gave up and picked up the piece of molding the Spousal Unit took off and left on the floor. I then pulled out the nails and disposed of it all. 

Today

I have to head into the city early, get home early, and do a few things in the house. I should sweep our bedroom floor and continue out to do the hall, bathroom, kitchen and dining areas. I should do the budget and look at how well we are doing. I should make plans on do better next year in the budget area. I should do a lot but if it is hot, I'll probably sit and keep cool. And nap. I'm good at that too. 

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

Sewing Room Cleaned Out

We are having the side effects of Hurricane Florence here. She has pushed up warm air and it is quite warm in our neck of the woods. No rain or wind, just warmth and the a/c is on. Yesterday got to 28C and today could be just as warm. 

Lifestyle

Thursday we were out the door to do more shopping. It was warm and we came home quite tired. I got the bed made before I walked out. I have been very good about cleaning up the kitchen on a nightly basis. That has been a nightly habit for a long time. 
Yesterday morning, I took the time to

• make the bed
• dust the bedroom
• wipe down sinks and toilet in bathroom
• wash bathroom floor
• put away dishes, tidy counters in the kitchen
• wash kitchen floor
• sweep dining room floor
• put on a load of laundry that is ready to fold. 

I looked around and saw lots to be done and know I should do it. So I did something I needed to do for a while. I made of list of all the meat in the downstairs freezer. We have about 14-16 days of meat left. We will be eating chicken every other day if we have to go that long before I buy more meat. Probably not. We do need to use up some of the meat prior to buying more. At least we can keep track of the meat as we use it. No more guessing what's down there. 

Sewing

One of the stops we made Thursday was to buy fabric to ship to Daughter in BC. I kind of fell off the wagon as I bought some also. 

This is for a western shirt. I hear the girls in our area are asking where they can buy shirts in Alberta. 

For another shirt. Double yoke and some accent parts. The body will be the mint green in the print. 

I put this fat quarter on the table but think it will become overalls or jeans for the dolls. 

Yesterday, I spent 2.25 hours finishing up the sewing room. Other than large furniture, it is cleared out. The Spousal Unit now needs to take of the moldings and baseboards and I need to remove all the covers off the switches and plug ins. 

Did a vision come come to me as I cleaned the room? No it didn't. I hope it comes when I paint it. I do know that I need to sew lots and not let this room get so dirty. Found it quite disgusting. 

Another pattern has come out that I would love to test. I am going to cut it out and sew it up while I wait for the room to be ready to paint. 

Today

We are going to the fall fair. it runs this weekend and next weekend. We are going for 3 days of the 5 it runs. Today it is to see the entries put in by people and to watch some of the barrel racing. 

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

Another Test Pattern Revealed

Yesterday was warm and damp. It stayed about 20C all day and there was mist in the air in the morning. The sky cleared up in the afternoon and it was nice to see some blue sky amongst the clouds. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I had an interesting morning. I had to go to Dartmouth and set up an account with the lawn specialists. After getting gas, I plugged in my phone so I could get directions on how to get there. I thought I knew but wasn't taking any chances. No internet. I headed back home to figure it out. Left again with no internet and called when I was on the highway. Hands on phoning is wonderful. When I got through to someone, I pulled off the highway. We went through my account (perfect) and then he asked if my data was turned off. Yup it was and I have no idea why. I don't play with that area of my phone. I thanked the technician and headed in. Account set up, shopping done, and I was home at 12:30 p.m. 
I promised myself I could look at ideas but couldn't buy. I did look and I did not buy. Nothing extra came into the house so I don't have to worry about storing it. 
Before I left, I did make our bed and made sure the kitchen was tidy. Nothing else got done but there was no dust and the bathroom would make it until tomorrow. I am a slob but I did make sure the house was in maintenance mode. Yah me!

Sewing

The last test pattern has been published and it is another amazing pattern. Well drafted and great instructions. 

I learned a lot about clothing in the 1750's and they are amazing in their construction. Layers and layers. 

I didn't do the shift or the corset. Mainly because I didn't have the fabric or the boning. I got the fabric but didn't see any boning at the store. 

I would do this outfit again starting with the shift and corset and then the petticoat and robe. It is a truly amazing outfit. 
As I have said many times, I am always looking for ideas to use for organization. One of my worst items to keep organized is receipts. They languish in a bin on a counter stool at the moment. Thrown in and it looks ugly. It is better than having them languishing on the table and counter. But still not pretty. I really want to get how to keep them organized and neat and pretty. Once I deal with the receipts, they are contained in a container with the bank statement and will be shredded in January. Until then they are one of my biggest nightmares. 
While on Pinterest yesterday morning, I saw this project. 

From Pinterest

I can keep it in my purse and put all our receipts in it. One side can be receipts using debit and the other for using cash, savings or the credit card. I can take it out when I go to do the budget. It can even sit on the counter and look cute. 
This pattern calls for oil cloth but I don't need to make it from that fabric as I have none in the stash. I can use quilter's cotton and some bias tape. As usual, I will have to do some adapting to get the look I want. That means using interfacing to give it some structure and cutting the pieces differently. Hey, I am game. Stay tuned for my rendition as I want to make a couple of these. 

Today

I am going to make the bed, dust, wipe the bathroom counters and toilet. I can't leave the house until these jobs are done. Then it is out for the Spousal Unit's shopping time and I hope I have enough energy to finish cleaning out the sewing room. I really want that room ready to start sanding the walls. 
Until the next time............................

A Vision That is Blurry

We had rain yesterday and an inch fell. The temperature hovered around 18C all day and it was just what everyone wanted. During the night, the temperature rose to 20C and we had a total of 1.5 inches of rain. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday was Elliott's tooth cleaning day. Before he went to the vets, I had done a load of laundry and made the bed. He was home by noon acting a bit drunk. He had a couple of good naps and ate canned cat food and now thinks life is excellent. He is mad at us which is normal for him. 
After I got home from taking Elliott to the vet, I dusted the bedroom and wiped down the bathroom. I emptied the dishwasher and made sure the kitchen was clean. I put the laundry into the dryer and at 10 a.m. I folded it and put most of it away. GO ME!
My sore hip is getting better. It was tired after lunch so I put some stuff on it plus the hot water bottle. I read until I fell asleep. Pain sure makes me tired. I didn't feel too bad about sleeping as the Spousal Unit fell asleep also. 

Sewing

I hustled down to the basement to work on the sewing room in the morning. I started off in the closet and took everything out container by container. I did a bit of organizing and got it all done by 11 a.m. My big embarrassment was the tub with fabric for a shopping bag that was purchased 8.5 years ago. 

I'm over half way done clearing out the room and happy I chose the worst side first. I have to tackle the other half Thursday. It won't be as hard. So far it looks like this in the family room.

And a bit more on the other side of the TV stand. I said something to the Spousal Unit about not putting it all back in and he said I would get it all back in. That means big sewing plans for this winter. 
The cutting table looked like this before I got it ready to put down the sides. 

That isn't bad. A UFO and some projects I want to make prior to starting the big projects. 
I am thinking about how to set up the room once it is painted. I need to really get my organization thoughts into high gear. I need to find organizational solutions that will work for me in this room. I know I want this room to have:

• reading area for my chair and book case
• yarn area - tiny space that holds the cube I keep the yarn in. I need new baskets for it in grey or black rather than lime green (What was I thinking???) This is one organization item that works for me. 
• Cutting area 
• Ironing area for ironing board and press
• Sewing area for machines 
• Desk to make jewelry on
• The stash -- the dreaded stash that needs to shrink to fit into a dresser.

I will keep thinking and reading and thinking and mulling. Something will come up. In the meantime, the vision for this room is a bit blurry and everything that I have makes me wonder if the vision will become clear. I am sure it will. 

Today

I think we are heading out today to do a few things that need to be done. Like grocery shopping and paying bills. I have to do my few cleaning things before we go. 

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