Moving Forward

 The weather has been cool and there have been flurries but nothing exciting. Yesterday the high got to 06C. This morning it was -1C and we are to have a high of 7C. There is to be some sunshine which will be nice. 

Lifestyle

Life has been quiet with no excitement until yesterday. On Wednesday I took Son to the surgeon and he got a good report. His shoulder is stable and healing. We went out to have burritos for lunch (excellent) and drove part way home in snow flurries. 

Less exciting was doing the expenses for December. I did really well considering I bought a lot of gifts and food. I need to start the 2023 expense sheet in the next couple of days. I have to do a few things differently this coming year. Some planning needs to be done on my part. 

Yesterday morning, daughter-in-law and grandson came home from Edmonton. We were all happy to have them safely home after being gone for 2 weeks. Their 1 week holiday turned into 2 weeks after their return flight was cancelled.

Yesterday afternoon, I heard sirens coming up the main street in our subdivision. I looked out the window to see what it was and a red car with lights flashing turned down our street. I looked and saw black smoke billowing up into the sky behind a house 3 doors down from our friends. I grabbed my coat and literally ran across to our friends. A shed was on fire and the owner had got some/most of the items out. The first fire truck arrived and the firemen got to work. By the time they started spraying the shed, truck #2 arrived and shortly after that truck #3 from another community arrived. The fire was out when truck #3 arrived but it certainly made one realize how seriously they take fires in the area. Thanks to all the volunteer firemen who came and did their job so professionally. 

I was over to family's for dinner (Chinese food) and we opened our presents. Everyone enjoyed all the gifts I made and gave. I got an Instant Pot, cookbook for One Dish Kitchen, gift cards, and more. We laughed a lot, shed a few tears, and enjoyed ourselves. 

Sewing

I finished watching Day 2 and 3 of Cricut Kickoff 2023. Day 2's video was long and made me feel anxious as there is so much that can be bought for the Cricut. I had ordered mine and then thought I'd be amassing a lot of tools but when the show was over, the tools that come with the Cricut I bought are almost enough. I needed mats and a roller. Day 3 was about the soft ware Design Space which is free and there was a lot of great info in that video. 

I decided to use a gift card to buy the mats and roller. The roller and one mat were not available so I am going to get them from Amazon by Jan. 3. What I ordered has been shipped, as has the the Cricut. A new adventure begins in January. 

I spent some time writing down items I want to make this coming year -- embroidery, Cricut, sewing. I am making a long list in case I want to sell at craft bazaars in the fall. I'm not sure but doing trial runs will let me see if I want to. I have a lot of things I want to make for us. I don't want to be stuck just doing craft bazaar items. Some of the trial runs will be for family and that way I can do cost on them. My planner is going to get a workout this coming year. 

Decluttering the sewing room begins Jan. 1. I will be doing mine somewhat differently this year and it may take longer than 21 days. I'm on a mission to use up items I have been hoarding. If I'm wanting Less Is More, then I have to sew up what I have and buy less of what I have a lot of. The closet in the sewing room shows that I need to work on the Less is More concept. I'm moving forward on this in 2023. 

Knitting

I am down to just having to knit the collar on the doll's sweater/coat. I can probably finish it in an evening. 

Elliott and Little Boy (a friend's cat) gave me 3 balls of yarn for Christmas. It is the nicest cotton yarn I've ever seen. I want to make something for me from it. 

Thoughts

    We have had our first Christmas without the Spousal Unit. All tradition went out the window having it on Dec. 29. We had Chinese food which is not traditional. The only traditional thing was how the gifts were handed out. 

    I have been low on energy and have to push myself to get things done. Part is the short days of winter, part is emotional, and part is how I've been eating. I've started to eliminate sweets from my diet. I am hoping it will help me sleep better, want to move more, and be mentally happier. 

Today

I am going to do some more cleaning upstairs this morning and then try to do some cleaning in the sewing room. Tonight I will try to finish the doll's sweater. 

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