Decluttering and Sewing

Yesterday was cloudy and cool. The high got to 1.8C. The wind blew in the afternoon which always makes me feel cold. This morning, the temperature was -1C, the wind from the ENE and the snow fall warning is now in red. We are to have up to 4" of snow fall today. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning, I tackled the remaining bottom cupboards and drawer. I started with the little cupboard that I deem almost useless but the tubs with the immersion blender and Kitchen Aid accessories fit in it perfectly. I wanted the toaster in a tub or ?? in there also. I found it in the pantry. The spices went into another bin and are on the Lazy Susan and the toaster is in the bin in the cupboard. I moved the Kitchen Aid mixer to where I had the toaster after cleaning the counter. 

The last drawer was tackled and I got rid of a set of measuring spoons I don't use. The other two sets I use on a regular basis. I have two spatulas that I may get rid of as I don't use them and will replace them with smaller ones that I do like to use. The pull out cupboard that is like a deep drawer was emptied out, cleaned and rearranged. Everything went back in. I use it all. The last thing to do was scrub all the counter tops and admire the results. But there is one thing left to deal with. 

I have a tub on the counter that I put recycle, garbage, etc. in and empty it once a day. I hate it but it saves me many trips out to the garage. I need to find something that will work better and be off the counter. It may mean going out to the garage several times a day with the garbage. 

I made homemade fries in the air fryer last night. I soaked the cut potatoes in cold water for 20 minutes and dried them well. I tossed them in less than a tablespoon of olive oil. I cooked them at 165C for 5 minutes (will do it at 175C (350F) next time). I then shook them and turned up the heat to 200C (400F) for 15 minutes shaking them every 5 minutes. They were almost as good as the ones I bake in the oven. They both take about the same amount of time. I had them with a pulled pork bun for dinner. I will make them again in the air fryer.

Sewing

I finished the microwave bag for baking potatoes in. 

It is slightly bigger than my old one. I didn't put the over lap in the centre as I like it near the top. I fiddled with that until I got what I liked. It is now residing in the drawer by the stove. With this project done, I have now sewn 3.9 meters of fabric. 

My next project is to make a Juliette cap to go with a doll's wedding dress I made in 2019. The hat and dress will go to the little girl I sew for. Once done I will make a cover for my Kitchen Aid mixer. It will be in grey fabric to keep everything on the counter more neutral. 

Knitting

I got the heel flap knit and the heel turned. It was neat to watch the video on how to do this on the TV. I watch to remind myself what I need to do or I will forget to knit the extra plain rows before starting to do the slip 1, knit 1 heel flap padding stitches. You need the two extra rows for picking up the gusset. 

I am enjoying knitting these socks as they are going so fast. But, I do enjoy knitting socks in finer yarn also. Not sure what I will knit next thought I have an idea if there is enough of the sock yarn left over. 

Thoughts

    I am enjoying cleaning the kitchen and getting it to where I want it to be. It makes me happy to see my plan come to life. My focus at the moment is to buy spice jars and the organizer to hold them in. After that, I will decide on what I will buy to help contain items. I have a couple of ideas I'm mulling in my head. One is for tea bags and coffee pods. I know what I don't want - something on the counter. 

    I am thinking ahead on how to deal with paper effectively. This has been bothering me for a long time. I don't have a lot of storage space to put it into that I can access easily and quickly. I do a balance sheet to track how I spend my money so I keep receipts. I keep things in several different areas of the house. I'm now looking at videos on this and will be revisiting them over time so I can figure out where to put everything in one spot and what I need to buy to keep it contained.    

    My mental health is improving. I am feeling more content and want to do more purging in the house. Up and down need to be done. As I am doing it, I am trying to figure out a plan for each area and decide if I need to keep things or let them go. I am getting to a point where I want to loose weight once again. I hope to walk further and will set that as a goal. These are all good signs for me.

Today

I am not sure how much of anything will happen with the snow warning. I will need to shovel the driveway a couple of times to keep up on it. But, I am thinking I will work on the cookbooks today. It is something I can do off and on at the table. If I get to sew, I will start on the Juliette hat and if I'm not too tired tonight, I will knit on the socks. It all depends on the snow. 

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