A Day Of Doing Lots

Yesterday was another dull grey day where it snowed in the afternoon and evening. The high got to 1.4C. This morning it is 0C. Today we are to have sunshine, clouds, and, maybe snow flurries with a high of 0C. 

Lifestyle

I had one busy day yesterday. I was out the door early to shovel the slush off the driveway. I was the only one doing it so I was either smart or stupid. I enjoyed it as I was outside in the fresh air and exercising. 

Once inside, I brought the Christmas decoration tub upstair and put all the decorations away but the 4 cowboy snowmen. They will go away when spring arrives. I lugged the tub downstairs and put it under the stairs. I put plastic bags on the two small trees and they are under the stairs also. 

I didn't stop there and moved downstairs to clean. The sewing room was completed before lunch. After lunch, I did more cleaning in the family room. All I have left to clean is the downstairs bathroom. 

My IBS is starting to settle down. I had the last flare up yesterday afternoon and it almost put me on the couch. I am hoping it is going to settle down now that I am feeling less stressed. 

Sewing/Crafts

I finished cleaning the sewing room. The area was dirty with lots of fibre lint on everything. I wiped, cleaned, scrubbed, and did a bit of cursing at myself for not doing it during the year. I was down on the floor with a swifer duster to get under the cabinet cleaned. Once done, I swept the whole room and stood back to enjoy it. This is the area I cleaned up since Christmas. It was also the dirtiest area. 

I did do a tidy up around the room before I took pictures. It took me about 5 minutes to do. 

My goal is to keep it clean and tidy. I love the way it looks and my creative juices are flowing. 

I cleaned up my craft materials so that they are now in the maintenance room. What is left out is what I am working on right now -- tea holders and the junk journal. Once that job was done, I cut the 18 x 24" sketch book pages into 9 x 24" pieces for the junk journal. I have done 2 signatures but may add more pages to them. I need to buy a cutter so I can cut the sheets down to the correct size and then start decorating. 

All the inserted pages will be white and I will add patterned paper as pockets, belly bands, etc. Where there is a lot of white, I will use stickers to help break up the white space. On this page, I plan to rip the wrapping paper I got on my gifts (snowflakes) and glue it onto the paper. I have to make an envelope to put a cartoon onto and it will go into a corner pocket. Ideas are coming strong so I will be printing, cutting, pasting and having fun. 

I took out the body stitching on the snowman and redid it. I am happier with it as it is less dense and easier to work. 

This project had turned into being a chore rather than a delight to work on. Once again it is a delight to work on. 

Knitting

I got 10 rounds knit on the socks. I am almost half done the leg part of the sock. 

I enjoyed knitting on this last night. The first night I wanted to do more than 5 rounds. I think it is because I want to make a hat for daughter using my new knitting needles. 

Thoughts for 2023

    I looked at my goals for 2023 and I met them all. Decluttering, purging, cleaning, and getting things organized all got done. I am amazed that I got it done. 

    I started off in January having a bit of a pity party and realized that I was a secret eater. I was eating and hiding the results in the trash bin. February I started on Weight Watchers and have stuck with it. I have lost a total of 58.6 lbs this year. I am amazed at what I have accomplished. I can have a day where I eat a bit more and then go back to the plan the next day. 

    Being told in March I was in the diabetic range really scared me. I became an advocate for myself and 4 months later I was able to see a dietician who then referred me to their physiotherapist. I haven't seen the dietician again but she knows how well I am doing through the physiotherapist. 

    I tried to do more exercises but it was a fail. I hurt so much that I was in tears. Walking was getting harder to do without using a cane or pushing a shopping cart. I was frustrated and on my second visit to the physiotherapist at the hospital, I did as advised; see osteopathy and begin physio again with the therapist doing another evaluation and giving me yoga exercises. The best thing I ever did. I also got X-rays done and  we know I have severe osteoarthritis. I now have a plan and am working on getting stronger and ready for surgery when it has to happen. Mobility wise, I am doing well and am stronger than I have been for years. 

    I gardened this year and had a decent garden. The weather wasn't the best for it but we had plenty of fresh vegetables to eat. It has made me confident enough to continue growing vegetables for as long as I can. 

    I have less fabric in the stash than ever. I sorted the fabric keeping what I wanted, giving some to a quilting group, other pieces went to the thrift shop and I sewed up more than I had planned. I knit less than in previous years but did do quite a bit of knitting in the cooler weather. The yarn stash has less in it but not by a lot. I hope to continue knitting it down though. 

    I have used my Cricut when I first got it and then again in December. I need to use it on a more regular basis. 

    I still miss the Spousal Unit every day. I miss the lively conversations we had, the sharing of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. I still have spells of depression from the loss but I am learning to cope with a lot of things I didn't think I could cope with a year ago. I am no longer angry or frustrated. I realized that I did what I could to help him be safe and as happy as he could be with the way Alzheimer's affected him. 

Today

I have laundry to do, the driveway to shovel, and a few small things that I must do to keep the house neat and clean. I am going to enjoy today. I won't be going out so will knit tonight. What ever I do, I will enjoy myself doing it. 

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

Mug Rugs Cut Out

 The weather yesterday was wet, dull, and downright miserable. We had rain, snow, and a high of 2C. There was over an inch of moisture fall. This morning it is cloudy and 1C. Today we are to have drizzle, snow, and a high of 1C. 

Lifestyle

I did my yoga exercises yesterday. Elliott helped me by grabbing my leg when doing one of the exercises. I didn't have any cracking until one exercise and it would crack every time I did it on one side. I wonder if it was the rolling movement having a joint crack. I did feel better after doing yoga. 

My knee and hip joint did ache with the crazy weather. I did keep heat on it as much as I could. It helped some but not a lot. It was the weather doing its thing to my poor joints. 

I cleaned up the house as I was having my friend over for dinner. I made turkey dinner for us which was delicious. We talked and laughed and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I really should do more of these dinners as I enjoyed myself. I even need to have family over once in a while for dinner. 

I did 4 loads of laundry and that still needs to be folded. The last load was just my white tablecloth which I've had for many years. It came out nice and white which thrilled me. 

Sewing

I didn't clean the room yesterday as I didn't have time. I did have time to go and play though. I looked through the Christmas fabric and found the scraps I wanted and cut out 2 mug rugs. The stitching will be done in red. 

I will do them on the embroidery machine once the room is cleaned. The bits of scraps are in the scrap tub waiting for me to make a decision on how to use them up or if they go to the quilting group. 

My friend brought me over about 100 tiny jingle bells and some red ribbon. I can use them on the crafts I am going to be making. 

I have all of my crafting materials downstairs and need to figure out how to organize it so I can do crafts bazaar items and the junk journals. I don't like working in a mess so am thinking of putting away all of the stock and bring out only what I plan on working on. I have ideas rolling in my head on how that is going to look. 

Knitting

I got 5 rounds knit on the sock last night. I am 1/3 of the way down the leg. It is coming along slowly but surely. I need to continue knitting every night so I can get them done. 

Daughter sent me some lovely yellow yarn (buttercup) to knit her a hat. I am looking forward to making it next. She really loves to wear hats in the winter. 

Thoughts

    My IBS continues to bother me. Part is stress, part is pain, and I think part is another food I love irritating my system. I will be eliminating it from my diet in the near future. 

    I have lost weight which I am happy about. I did eat a bit more from Dec. 23 to Dec 25, I have been good since then. I had thought I was down as my clothes are getting bigger and I am hungry. My glucose levels are on target which tells me I am loosing weight. 

    The roads were salted during the night and are a soupy mess. I am sure they will be out to clean them before we get more snow. I am hoping as I may have to go out this afternoon for a few minutes. I am not worried about driving in the mess but it is nicer when the roads are clear of slush. 

Today

First up will be yoga. Then I am going to start putting away the Christmas decorations. It is time to put out the winter items I have. I have to shovel the driveway so it is free of slush and safe to walk on. I also want to finish cleaning the sewing room. I want to knit tonight. A busy day for me. 

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

I Am Happy

 Yesterday was cloudy with a few showers. The high got to 4.5C. This morning it is raining and 1C. We are to have rain or snow with a high of 2C. 

Lifestyle

I was out the door to New Minas yesterday and had fun doing some craft shopping. I got most of what I wanted at the stores and at one store I bought nothing. I was home just after noon. 

In the afternoon, I did broke down the cost of items into each item. When I bought the items, I had done some quick estimations to make sure they weren't going to be expensive when used on the items I want to make. 

I did clean up the craft items and took them to the basement. I need to figure out how to store them as I don't have a lot of containers. Something to figure out using what I have. Right now the newest purchases are in two big gift bags. At least I have pictures. 

I cleaned upstairs and swept the floors. The house is almost ready for my friend to come for dinner tonight. I will do more today to make sure it is clean and tidy. 

I was out to family's for dinner last night. Daughter-in-law made a pot of jambayla and it was delicious. I brought home 3 meals of it for the freezer. I was home early as they were tired and going to have a quiet evening. 

Sewing/Crafting

I did look in the sewing room to admire it. I will be finishing it up tomorrow. I am very happy with how it is looking and my creative juices are flowing once again. 

One of the craft items I bought was miniature ornaments. They will be used on my first project. 

I am looking forward to crafting as I miss it. Not only am I going to sew and use the Cricut, I am going to play with paper. I use to have so much fun doing paper crafts when teaching school. 

Knitting

I knit 15 rounds on the 2nd sock last night. It is growing in length and I need to focus on doing some each night. 

Today

I need to do laundry, finish cleaning the upstairs and prepare dinner for tonight. If I have time, I will do some cleaning up of the craft area so I can begin paper crafts in a clean area. I hope to knit tonight. 

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

Cleaning The Basement

 Yesterday was grey and damp with a high of 6.4C. This morning it is cloudy and 3C. We are to have more clouds and a high of 6C.

Lifestyle

I was down into the basement in good time. The goal was to get under the stairs cleaned and all the items strewn around on the family room floor put in there in some kind of order. 

I dug out what was in that hole and sorted it into keep and go piles. I swept up all the dirt that has accumulated in there. The first job was to put the 55" tv box into the back part with the other 55" tv box and extra items for the couch. It was quite the session fitting it in where I wanted it to be but after a lot of stretching on my part and moving things around it was in place. 

I started to put items back under the stairs and I was very careful on what went back under there. I am pleased with how it looks. 

I did sit down when the job was done but only for 5 minutes. I was up to finish cleaning the family room, get the garbage into the trash bag, and what needed to go to the paint depot and electronics depot into the car. The items to sell are in the garage but 2 suitcases which are still in the basement. 

After a drink of water, I was out the door to get rid of the items in the car. The paint was left outside the door of the paint depot and the electronics in the pile at the other depot. My treat to myself for that was to go to the dollar store. I enjoyed my trip there and found items to be used in craft making. 

Later in the afternoon, I took the recycling to the end of the driveway for pick up today. I had broke down more boxes to go. 

I was very happy that I had done the whole family room in one morning. I am stronger than I was this time last year. 

Sewing/Crafts

The cleaning roll was on. I spent time in the sewing room cleaning more of it up. I did the cutting table first as I wanted it to look empty and clean. I even washed it.

As I put away fabric, I realized that I have sewn up a lot of the cottons I had stashed in past years. I am pleased about that. My goal in 2024 is to continue to sew down more of what is left in the stash and see how much will be left. 

I scooted around the area I had cleaned earlier and dusted it. The floor was swept and then I got down to work in the remaining area. I started in a corner of the back wall and worked my way across the width of room. I wiped, sorted, put away, and swept. The dolls were done first and are all standing up looking sweet. 

Next up I cleaned the table the embroidery machine is on. I spent a lot of time in that area as it had been ignored for longer than it should have been. I even got down on my hands and knees and washed the floor under the table. It is now ready for me to use Jan. 1.

I was tired when I was done this area but happy that I got more done than expected.  I have the main sewing area to clean, wash the floor and I'm done. 

My trip to the dollar store was fun. I found items for crafting with this year. I have a couple of more items I need to buy and I can start having fun. 

I did play with the junk journal and after some research I am going to use paper from a sketch book. I looked at the dollar store but their biggest was too small. I can get them at the craft store. I have the paper to cover parts of the white pages and am going to have fun with it. 

I have decided to start making inventory for one craft bazaar in 2024. It is a smaller local one which runs for 4-5 hours in mid November. It is going to be smaller fun items. I am on the hunt for items at the dollar store and will get some from Amazon if I can't find them locally. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night. I was tired and went to bed earlier than normal. I hope to resume tonight. 

Thoughts

    I am getting stronger all the time and able to do more for longer periods of time. It has really helped me mentally as I am not struggling to do just part of a room before I have to stop. I feel like I am having a better quality of life. 

    I am feeling better about the fabric stash this year. The amount has decreased and I know some piles will be gone by the end of the year. I am being very focused on using it up buying only what I need to complete a project. 

    I decided to do a craft bazaar this year to help use up all the supplies I have bought. The list of ideas is growing and I will have to choose what I want to make and what I will leave out. I will have to buy some items for these projects but won't get them until late summer so food items will be fresh. My big items will be bought in January so I can get the paper parts cut out and folded. 

Today

I am heading out to shop in the morning and will do what I can for cleaning upstairs in the afternoon. This evening I want to knit. 

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

Cleaning Up Christmas Has Started

Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 8.2C. This morning it is cloudy and 5C. We are to have mainly cloudy weather with some drizzle. The high is to remain at 5C all day. 

Lifestyle

I really wanted to sleep yesterday as I was so tired. I literally forced myself to do what I had to do which was a lot. Yoga did not make it onto the list as I was too tired and quite sore in the hip joint. 

I put away all the wonderful Christmas gifts I received for Christmas. I was truly a lucky person again this year. Next up was the boxes and wrapping paper. I pressed tissue paper, folded it and put it into the gift bag tub. I kept only 3 pieces of gift paper for the junk journal. The rest was put either into recycle or the garbage. Boxes were dealt with and I have 2 left to break down for recycle. They need to be done today as I have to put recycle out late this afternoon. 

All items I had hauled over to family's for Christmas were put away. I was done around 11:30 am when I went over to family's to help find the Christmas stocking I had put away safely. They were in a gift bag which was in the wrapping paper container. I brought home the placemats I had left there. 

After lunch I was outside taking down the Christmas lights and they are now in their box. I am rethinking how I will use them next year as I am not putting them around the door. I may even buy a new wreath to put on the door and call it done.

After getting everything done, I sat on the couch and had a good nap. I was tired from not sleeping well, having both my hip and IBS flare up, and worrying about getting everything done. I woke up feeling better though still tired. 

I allowed myself to have treats for 3 days. I didn't eat a lot of sweets as I don't like them. I did not gain weight but I did not loose weight. I start today tracking what I eat and being very careful with portion control. 

Sewing

I didn't do anything in the sewing room yesterday. It wasn't on the to-do list but is today. 

In one of the boxes, daughter sent me a bit of fabric for the Charlie Brown junk journal. It is perfect for the spine and I will put gold rick rack down the raw edges. 

I did fool around with one idea for the journal and will continue to figure it out. I have everything I need for it which is wonderful. 

I also did 2 rows of counted cross stitch on the snowman. I was tired and quit after the 2nd row. 

Knitting

No knitting on the socks yesterday. I did tip the bag it was in on the floor and now need to find the pen that rolled under the couch. 

I love the yarn I got for Christmas. I am going to add two balls to each of the sock yarn to knit socks. 

The other yarn is for a vest for me. 

I am thinking this pattern and adding to the design so the body is longer. 

It is in my size already and will challenge me as the pattern is advanced. I will take my time as I really want to knit it. I have ever since it was published several years ago. 

Today

After I do yoga, I am heading downstairs to start cleaning under the stairs. I am hoping to get it done by noon. After lunch I want to clean in the sewing room for an hour and then I may go out. Not sure. I do want to cross stitch and knit today. 

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

A Wonderful Christmas

 Yesterday was cloudy but we had not rain or wind. The high got to 7.4C. This morning it is clear and 0C. The full moon was shining when I looked out the window. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 9C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning, I opened gifts from daughter after eating breakfast. I got some wonderful things from her. I took the two containers of mustard over to have for lunch. The other items I left on the counter so I could look at them later. 

I was out the door to family's just before 9:30 am. All was quiet so daughter-in-law and I talked and knit. We started to open gifts after 11 am. Daughter and son-in-law were opening gifts at the same time on the other side of Canada. I got some wonderful gifts which included yarn to knit another vest for myself. We had a lot of laughs and admired the wonderful gifts we got. 

Lunch was delicious smoked meat that family had done. We had the mustard on them. The apple smoked bacon mustard was lovely with the meat. The dill mustard tasted like having dill pickles without the crunch. It was dig in the fridge and get what you wanted for chips, veggies, etc. 

After lunch we talked for a bit and I had a nap while family was busy. Grandson and son set up grandson's new computer stuff and daughter-in-law talked to her family. I knit while daughter-in-law had a nap and son set up his new toy to his computer. Grandson worked on a model. All was good.

Friends arrived around 5 pm and dinner was cooked and eaten. A lovely meal that was perfect - ham, potatoes, carrots we grew, and broccoli casserole. After dinner was cleaned up we had Christmas with our friends. It was a lot of fun once again. I got home about 9:30 pm. Elliott greeted me wanting his treats and we were in bed by 10 pm. 

Sewing

I didn't sew but I got fabric. Daughter bought me this line in the greys and I love it. 

I am thinking about what I can use with it. I have an idea it may be a quilt. 

I wore the shirt I made. It fits really good so I will be making that pattern again. I now have one pattern I know will fit. 

Knitting

I knit a lot yesterday. The first sock has the leg done and the second sock has been cast on and 5 rounds knit on it. 

I have done a bit of an adjustment to daughter-in-law's sock pattern in hopes they won't be too big when I knit her next socks. 

The vest I made myself fits to perfection and I wore it. I love it as it is warm and soft. The yarn I got is  a lovely blue colour which I love. 

Thoughts

    We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Day. We are talking about what we will do next year to keep it simple. There was lots of good food and many good laughs. It is the time with friends and family that make those 2 days special. 

    I have all but one of the fabric gift bags back home and they will go into a tub. I will add to them this year and we will be using them again. They were a hit and the custom ones were really enjoyed. I need to think about some fun ones for next year.

    I also need to start early thinking about Christmas gifts to make. I also need to think about the fun ones to buy. I am churning ideas in my head already. 

Today

I have to put a lot of presents away this morning. I will need a nap this afternoon and we will see what gets done downstairs. If I am able to I would like to haul everything out from under the stairs and start sorting and cleaning to put it all back. I would like to do one insert in the junk journal. I finally found one idea I love.  I hope to knit tonight. 

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

Merry Christmas

 

Hoping you have a wonderful day. I will be out today celebrating with family. 

Keeping Busy

 Yesterday was a mix of sunshine and some clouds. The high got to 1C. This morning it is fairly clear and -5C. We are to have sunshine, clouds and some wind with a high of 6C. 

Lifestyle

I started the morning out boiling eggs and getting them prepped for devilled eggs for tonight. The yolk mixture was made and all is in the fridge marinading to enhance the flavour. 

I puttered around the house in the morning. I swept floors, cleaned the bathroom and mopped that floor. I tidied up the living room, was up and down to the basement to get things and had a busy morning. The last job was to clean the kitchen. I was happy with what I got done. 

I got the tags made for daughter-in-law. They were fun to make. I have designed two shapes to cut out on the Cricut. The machine will print and cut them in one step rather than print from the printer and then cut. I am excited about that. I will do a trial run after Christmas to see if the size is correct. A good way to use up scraps of paper from making candy holders.

I was out to family's for a lovely dinner. For dessert they brought out the sample box they get monthly from Japan. We tried one of the little packages of treats and I found the vanilla flavour very sweet. The chocolate was less sweet. We tried a jelly treat and you eat them slowly to get the flavour. It was nice. We also tasted some potato chips and they were very flavourful. They are cooked in sesame oil and have salt on them. Grandson showed me his boxes from months gone by and the whole experience was really wonderful. I learned a lot as they talked about the boxes they get. The January box has been shipped and you guessed it; I will be snooping through it. 

Sewing/Crafting

I didn't sew or do any clean up in the sewing room. I focused on counted cross stitching. I got the head and the scarf done on the snowman. 

The tinsel thread in the light grey is still a pain to work with but having one less thread has made the snowman look much better. 

 

I will continue to work on it over the next few days. 

Knitting

I knit more on the socks last night and am about half done the leg. I didn't take a picture of it but will today. 

Thoughts

    I put off cleaning the basement until after Christmas. I didn't want my hip and knee to be sore and me hobbling. I can go slowly and take breaks as needed. I will be up and down off the floor a lot which makes my hip tired. 

    I have decided to relax a bit on my diet for today and tomorrow. I can have one treat if I want to. Today I am choosing a coloured cake from Japan. I am not sure about Christmas Day's treat. Boxing Day I am back to being strict. I have a goal in mind and will work hard on it. I have been on the journey for almost 11 months and don't want to ruin my hard work. 

    We are to have warm sunny weather for today, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The snow will be gone (as will the ice). Then it will still be warm and wet until Friday when we could see some cooler weather and snow flurries. I have grown use to having a green Christmas but do miss having a white one once in a while.  

Today

I must do yoga this morning and then head out to grocery shop. I have to pick up the vegetable platter and a few things to hold me over as the stores won't open until Dec. 27. I will be going to family's in the afternoon for our Christmas Eve get together with friends. I will be home early in the evening to be with Elliott. 

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

Slowing Down As Jobs Are Almost Done

 Yesterday was cloudy with a lot less wind. The sun even tried to shine. The high got to -3.6C. This morning it is clear and -10C. It is suppose to be sunny with clouds and a high of 0C. It is going to warm up.

Lifestyle

The morning started with yoga. I pushed myself to do every exercise carefully and to the point of feeling a bit of soreness. I am trying to get a bit more flexible and we wait and see. 

After yoga, I started to clean bedrooms. I did the spare room first and got the litter box area cleaned. I then finished the room and was pleased with having everything in its place. I am always cleaning this room due to the litter box being in there. 

Next up was my bedroom. I dusted and wiped to make sure there was no dust. I swept the floor which was a mistake. I stirred up the dust and had an allergy attack. I persisted and got the floor swept and mopped. I went back in later to do a bit more dry wiping on the floor. The room smelled incredibly clean after the dust had settled and was removed from the room. 

My neighbour's popped in for a minute to deliver 2 cinnamon type rolls in the tin I had delivered butter tarts in. They were warm and I had them for lunch. I wanted to do a bit of an experiment with my blood glucose. Four hours later I did my glucose and it was 7.1. It confirmed my suspicions that I need to stay away from sweets. Though they were delicious, they weren't worth having a high reading. No more sweets for me for quite a while. I need to stick to what I know is good for my body. 

I fell asleep on the couch in the afternoon. I slept for about an hour and woke feeling a bit more refreshed. Not having a lot to do left me bored. The wind bashing against the house for a few days also left me a bit short on sleep. 

Sewing

I did go down to the sewing room for a bit after lunch. I backed the Christmas tree cross stitch with light weight interfacing and stitched the cuffs down on the jeans. It felt strange not having another project to work on but it felt good knowing I will be cleaning up the room in a few days.  

I started doing the snowman cross stitch again using 2 strands of embroidery floss. A huge difference in how it looks. The rayon floss I used on the other 2 ornaments is finer/thinner than the regular embroidery floss. I made good progress and got quite a bit of the head stitched. 

Knitting

I knit quite a few rounds on the sock. I am not quite half done the first leg but am doing well on it. I will continue knitting on it until I have the 85 rounds done and then will start the 2nd sock and do those 85 rounds. I love to knit socks like this. 

Thoughts

    I was grateful that wind died down to almost calm yesterday. My nerves calmed down and I relaxed. I don't like the sound of wind, never have. Strangely enough, I have lived in a lot of windy areas in the past 50 years. I learn to tolerate it but never enjoy it. 

    With the sewing done and the room waiting for me to clean, I am bored. I may have to go down and fold the Christmas fabric to entertain myself. 

    As I was doing housework yesterday, I realized that I have improved mobility wise since starting osteopathy in early September. I am no longer worried about it and have focused on how to get even more mobile. The pain in the muscles and tendons is almost gone. The joints still hurt but are almost in their correct places. I can do more each week. The only thing that bothers me is weather changes. It makes the two bad joints hurt. I have to push myself to do things which isn't harmful to my body. 

Today

I have to boil a lot of eggs this morning and prep them for devilled eggs for tomorrow night. I need to make 2 tags for daughter-in-law which is an easy job. I have to do yoga, sweep floors and mop them. I want to cross stitch and knit. If I have time, I will do a bit of tidying up in the sewing room. I also need to take some pictures of the sock and cross stitch. 

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

It's Cold Out There

 Yesterday's weather was not pretty. We had freezing rain during the night and the wind was blowing hard. There were snow flurries in the afternoon with a high of 0.9C. This morning the wind is still blowing from the north and it is -8C with a windchill of -16C. We are to have clouds, sun, snow flurries, wind and a high of -5C with a windchill of -16C.  

Lifestyle

I didn't do yoga yesterday morning as I was to be out the door by 9 a.m for a hair cut. I had to put salt on the driveway with hopes of it melting some of the ice off. I dressed warmly and did the job. On my way to the hair dressers, I stopped and put the garbage cans from across the street into their bushes as they were scooting their way into the ditch. 

I drove carefully into Windsor for my hair cut. The roads were okay but one never knows after freezing rain. The roads in town were wet and free of ice. I had my hair cut and came right home. The wind was too cold to do anything. I was also worried about our streets as they had not been salted much during the night. The truck came around near noon and literally poured salt on the streets. They are now bare and safe to drive on. 

Once home, I folded laundry after warming up. I also did a bit of cleaning up. I know I was suffering from jangled nerves from the wind blowing hard against the house. I could not find a quiet spot to do anything. Not even in the basement. I finally turned on the TV to help drown out the noise. 

Sewing

I spent some time in the sewing room and did a bit of tidying up on the cutting table. I also put cuffs on a pair of jeans for a friend. I need to top stitch them in place and they are done. 

I was going to put cotton cuffs on them but found stretch denim in the doll's stash. I like it better as the jeans are stretch denim and it is denim. The top stitching will be in a dark denim so it blends in with the fabric. That job will be off my to-do list today. 

I put down the cross stitch snowman and have been thinking about it a lot. I am going to start over again as I am not happy with it. I am going to use 2 strands of embroidery floss vs 3 strands. I will add the silver thread to the grey. I will start it today as I want to see how it looks. 

I have been watching a lot of videos on junk journals and need to sort out what I want to do with mine. I am going back to the beginner's series I first watched so I can start planning mine. I do have to get a few more supplies after Christmas so I can proceed. 

Knitting

I started another pair of socks and knit 16 rounds on them. This pair is for grandson. 

Thoughts

    It was nice to have a day where I didn't have to do a lot of things and feel stressed all day. I am almost done my Christmas to-do list. I will be helping daughter-in-law prepare for dinners on Dec. 24 and 25th which I will enjoy doing.

    Yesterday was not as tough mentally as I had thought it would be. The Spousal Unit passed 15 months ago. I did think about him and I do miss him. But, I didn't go into as bad a funk as I had been. I know he will be forever in my heart as I move forward to live a life without him. 

    I am ready to start cleaning the basement after Christmas. It needs to be completed so I can start fresh in 2024. I am physically ready to start cleaning out under the stairs and am itching to start. Who knows, I may do a bit before Christmas. 

Today

I need to do yoga this morning and then will tidy up a bit. Floors need to be swept and mopped. I want to finish up the jeans. I may do a bit under the stairs if I have time. I want start the snowman again. I am going out to have a family dinner tonight. I hope to knit some when I get home. 

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

Snowflake Candy Holders Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy with some wind that got stronger in the evening. It also rained most of the day. The high of 6C at 6 am dropped steadily all day until it was 2C at 5 pm. This morning the wind is blowing from the north with gusts up to 52 km/h. We have had snow during the night and it is -1C with a wind chill of -7C. It is to be windy and the temperature is to fall to -2C with a windchill of -13C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning started out with making buns. They turned out not too bad though I think the dough may have been short a tablespoon of water. They rose quickly and were light. I had them done by noon.

While the dough kneaded, I swept floors and tidied up. While the dough rose, I did my yoga exercises. I got a good workout done which was nice. And while the buns cooked, I cleaned up the kitchen. I did have a busy morning which was good. 

I decided to put the outdoor lights into a box and use the tub for Christmas gifts. I did that job yesterday and the box will go under the stairs when I finish cleaning it and the tub is in the maintenance room. 

My last chore of the day was to haul the garbage out for pick up this morning. The wind was cold but I got the job done while it wasn't raining. 

Sewing/Crafts

I spent a few minutes in the sewing room putting away the Christmas fabric. I will be busy making gift bags next year as I have lots of fabrics for the outer bags but very little for lining. That I will need to purchase. I also need to go through my embroidery files and select the ones I want to embroider on the bags. 

I also have kept a lot of the Christmas fabric pieces that are too small for gift bags and will see if they are big enough for mug rugs that I can embroider in the hoop. I can make them and put them into the Christmas gift tub and decide later on what to do with them. 

Daughter-in-law bought me the right card stock and delivered it. I was so happy that she found off white in 80 lb weight. She is a treasure. I spent part of the afternoon cutting out the snowflakes. While the second sheet cut, I weeded the first sheet. Then I did the blue backgrounds. What I learned is using a new mat is not wise when doing intricate cuts. It is harder to remove the card stock from the mat. 

After all the pieces were cut, I set about gluing the snowflakes together. The first one was the hardest as it was a learning curve. But it looked good. I did spend time making sure the snowman on the candy was facing the front. 

The second one was easier. I had a bit of a plan on how to glue the white snowflake and how to layer the blue onto the back. 

By the time I got to the third one, I was on a roll. It took about 2.5 hours to cut out all the pieces and put together 6 snowflake candy holders. 

I will be making more of these for next year. I also want to make some other types also. I will cut them out, put them into page protectors and assemble starting in October. 

Knitting

I haven't started the next pair of socks yet. I am having a break to let my shoulder rest. It is almost ready for me to start knitting again. 

Thoughts

    We have had enough storms lately to last me all winter. But that is wishful thinking as we haven't started storm season yet. One nice thing is we will have nice weather for Christmas. It will be a green one. 

    I am enjoying using the Cricut again. I am also learning lots. Using good quality and correct products is important. Having patience and multi tasking while items are cutting is necessary. Having watched videos on how to make junk journals was great as I learned to have dry baby wipes on hand while gluing. They do a great job of cleaning up glue in a hurry without smearing it around. 

    My to-do list for Christmas is almost done. I have devilled eggs to make and a vegetable platter to pick up on Dec. 24. Having the list kept me focused and allowed me to ignore what I didn't need to be working on. I am thinking of making a journal to keep track of what I need to make and do for Christmas. 

Today

I am out to get my hair cut this morning. Once home, I need to work in the sewing room and add the cuffs to a pair of jeans. When they are done, I have nothing left to do in the sewing room. I want to do some counted cross stitching, start knitting on socks and maybe do a bit of extra cleaning. We wait and see what the day brings. 

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

Wrong Supplies = Frustration

 Yesterday was calm and grey. It rained late in the afternoon. The high got to 13.8C (before 6 am) with high being around 10C during the day. This morning it is cloudy and 6C. We are to have periods of rain with the temperature dropping to 5C. 

Lifestyle

I did a good session of yoga yesterday. I pushed the moves more than I've been doing. There was some cracking but it is expected. My hip and knee were sore which was to be expected after the treatment. It will improve as time goes on. 

After finishing yoga I put a load of laundry on and finished the socks. Then it was getting the rest of the gifts wrapped and into laundry baskets to take over to family's. I went over mid afternoon and came home after having dinner with them. I had a lovely visit and helped daughter-in-law as she is fighting a cold and a sore back. I tried their massage heating pad on my knee and hip but am not sure if it worked or not. It did hurt some as it massaged those joints. 

I looked out the window yesterday morning and the neighbour's trampoline had been uprooted and was against their fence. It was the loudest noise I heard during the storm. The trampoline seems to be beyond repair as it has been tossed in storms three times. 

I did a walk about of my property and there was no damage at all. The roof looks great but I have expensive shingles on it which seem to hold well during the storms. I did gather up the garbage in the yard and put the net back over the fence. I found a square shingle in the front flower bed which came from another house down the street. If I had lost any shingles they would have been blown across the main road to the neighbour's or beyond. 

Elliott let me know that he is cute (and fat). I reminded him he can be nasty and not to push this cuteness too far. He had had his treats and he was done for the night. 

Sewing 

I didn't sew yesterday as I wanted to make the snowflake Lindt holders for Christmas dinner. I got everything set up and started cutting. The paper I bought wasn't the right weight and I ended up with a disaster. 

They wouldn't stand up, tore when I was weeding them, and had me so stressed out that I had to clean up and leave. The one I took a picture of was the best of the lot. Daughter-in-law is going to see if she can get me 3 sheets of the right weight paper today. 

I do have to say that I am learning a lot about making these candy holders. I need to start making them early, use the proper weight paper, and be patient by having another project I can work on while the machine cuts. The nice thing about doing the projects throughout the year is I can store them flat until I am ready to use them. 

I worked on the counted cross stitch snowman last night. I found black embroidery floss in the little kit I had bought so used it. 

He is a lot more work than the other two and using a silver foil strand makes it even more work. I will be glad when he is done. 

Knitting

I finished the socks and I am so pleased with them. They are under the tree. 

I will cast on the next pair tomorrow night. I am having a break at the moment as my shoulder is sore from knitting the socks by flashlight. 

Today

First thing I have to do yoga. I have to make a batch of buns and sweep floors while they rise. I need to fold laundry also. I will start on lengthening the jeans. If I get the card stock, I will start cutting out snowflakes. I will do counted cross stitch tonight. 

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

Another Nasty Storm

 Yesterday's weather was windy and wet. The wind gusts were steady at about 70 km/hr with the highest at 77 km/hr. There was 1.4" of rain fall and the high got to 15.2C. This morning it is 10C and cloudy. We are to have showers, some wind and a high of 11C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning was wet and windy. Then just windy. I was monitoring the weather carefully as I had to travel 25 minutes to osteopathy. I did go out earlier and put gas in the car. When I left for osteopathy, it was windy but no rain. The trip was not pleasant as I had to drive into the wind and then be hit on the side in areas that were open. I made it in 30 minutes which was not too bad. 

I had my treatment. I got to see (picture) where my SI is and now I understand why the crack is so loud when it adjusts itself. My hips are levelling out slowly which is good. There was no pain during the treatment and I actually felt nothing until I stood up. Then I knew I had had a treatment. My knee was stiff and I was sore. 

The drive home was easier as the wind pushed me all the way. I got home safely and hunkered down for the afternoon. I had heat on both my hip and knee. I sat and listened to the wind blow and watched the rain come down in buckets. It was like being in a hurricane without a vortex. Mid afternoon I got up and got myself organized to finish wrapping and tagging gifts. I got all but 3 done. They will be finished today. 

I was excited that we had power all afternoon so made myself a simple but hot dinner. I cleaned up, started the dishwasher and was going to watch the video on how to do the toe of the sock when the power went out. I was ready for that and turned on the big flashlight. We were very fortunate as the power was off for 90 minutes. I texted with family to say I was okay by myself. But it was wonderful to know they were nearby and would come to get me. 

Elliott wasn't scared of the noise made by the wind though he did listen to some of the noises. So did I. He actually crawled under a blanket and slept which means he was fine. 

I slept all night. I did not wake up until 5:45 am. I didn't hear the wind at all I was so tired. I woke up feeling refreshed and surprised. The storm had passed and all was quiet inside and out this morning. 

Sewing

I didn't sew or do crafts yesterday. I didn't want to be in the middle of a project when the power went out. 

Knitting

I did work on the socks last night. I am now ready to close up the toe. Doing it by flashlight wasn't going to happen.

It was nice to get the socks done. I call the page with all the marks on it the story of the socks. 

I keep these stories as I refer to them when I knit socks for that person later on. I have grandson's last sock story marked as I will be making his new pair next. 

Thoughts

    With 2 big storms in a week, I have decided to get a portable generator that I can charge inside and then use where I am working. I will be ordering it before the end of the month. We are very fortunate as we are on the hospital power grid and that is worked on first when power goes out. But, there are times when conditions are so bad the power is off for longer periods of time. Hurricanes are one time we can be without power for many hours. 

    I survived driving in the wind. It wasn't fun and reminded me of the many different weather conditions I have driven in over the years. I can do it but prefer not to. 

    Knitting by flashlight is not the most enjoyable thing to do. My shoulder hurts this morning from the way I had to sit. The only positive thing was it gave me something to do when I was bored and not able to do things. 

Today

I have to do yoga this morning, finish wrapping presents, sweep floors and do laundry. I want to start cutting out the cuffs for a pair of jeans I need to lengthen for a friend cut out snowflake candy holders and start grandson's socks tonight. A stay at home day for me. 

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