Ready For The Binding

Happy Easter

Yesterday was damp and cloudy with a high of 5.1C. This morning it is clear and -1C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 5C. 

Lifestyle

I spent the morning doing genealogy as I was looking for a hint that came up. I found that hint and then started looking at my dad's side of the family, especially his half sisters. It was interesting and fun to make some neat discoveries. I am still looking for one piece of information. 

At noon, I went over to family's to have lunch. It was delicious; meat, cheese, crackers and a yummy dip. We visited some and then I came home. They had lots to do before heading into the city for grandson's soccer practice. 

Sewing

I spent the afternoon quilting the last row of blocks on the cardinal quilt. Once done, I stitched close to the edge around the quilt and then trimmed it. It is now ready for binding. 

I did cut out the binding before leaving the sewing room. I was tired from doing 3 hours of sewing where I was man handling the quilt. 

As I finished the quilt, I realized that I have put a lot of time into this quilt. I have had a lot of issues with my thoughts when making it. I have realized now that I am allowed to do things the way I want to and really not worry about what others say or think. As long as I am happy, I can and will do what I want when quilting. When I want help, I will ask for it and pick and choose the ideas I like. 

I had a coupon to use up by today and I bought a doll's dress that I want to make. It is a dress with a underdress/slip. 

I am looking forward to making it later this spring. I have the fabric in the stash. 

Knitting

I knit quite a few rounds on the socks last night. I had to quit when I started to get warm from the heating pad on my sore muscles. 

I am enjoying this sock as much as the first one. The colours still amaze me and I love the feel of the soft yarn as I knit. 

Thoughts

    Once I had realized that the quilt was weighing me down mentally, I started to feel better mentally. I didn't realize that I was trying to please others when I should have been pleasing myself. It is how I roll with some of my projects though this was the worst case scenario for me. I am over it and realized how much this quilt for me to continue to explore a different method of quilting and to use my embroidery machine to showcase some of the blocks. I am proud that I set out to do what I wanted to do. 

    I also realized how much I haven't wanted to do things around the house lately. It is hooked to the feelings I have had with the quilt. I am ready to do more housework, go back on my diet (yes I have gained a bit of weight), and start doing the things I need and enjoy doing. 

    I am by myself today and have planned my "Easter" dinner. Family will be having Easter dinner with friends which I think is wonderful. They need to have more of these times with their friends without parents tagging along. 

Today

I am to do laundry and some housework this morning after I do the balance sheet. I want to get the binding strips sewn together and onto the quilt so I can start hand stitching it down. Tonight I will knit with hopes of finishing the leg of the sock. If I have time and the wind isn't blowing, I would like to go for a walk as I need the exercise. 

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

Nearing The End Of The Quilt

 Yesterday was a mix of clouds, rain, a bit of sunshine and a high of 16.4C. Just over .5" of rain fell yesterday. This morning it is cloudy with showers and 2C. Today is suppose to be showery or snow flurries and a high of 4C. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I did paper work for the accountant. It is not my favourite job so I sat until it was completed and then emailed it. Was very happy to have that done. 

Next up was to fold laundry and put it away. That job was completed so I can do more laundry today. I did putter and make sure things were cleaned up and tidy before I went out. 

Dinner was at family's last night. We celebrated my birthday by having chicken enchiladas, apple tarts, and ice cream. My friend was invited and we had a lovely dinner. My birthday is today but family is in the city this afternoon and evening. We also made it our Easter dinner as they are out for soccer practice tomorrow. 

Elliott was happy to have me home in the evening. He slept on the sofa and was quite relaxed in this position.

Even though he has a quiet purr, I could hear him purring last night. He was one happy cat. 

Sewing

I did spent quite a bit of time working on the quilt. I hand sewed the 48" of seam, then quilted the vertical seams and finally did the horizontal seam. That row has no pull on it horizontally and the blocks look quite square. 

I am nearing the end of the quilt and hope to have all the quilting done today. 

When done and ready to hand sew the binding down, I will complete the wine bottle bags and the doll's chemise. Then it will be time to start new but easier projects. 

Knitting

I got 10 round knit on the socks last night. I am 1/3 done the leg at this point. I didn't even take a picture of the sock last night. 

Thoughts

    I went down the genealogy rabbit hole this morning. It is always fun to find a bit more information for the family tree. I may have to go to Newfoundland to get some more information on a few people as I can't find anything online. I keep searching and do find some interesting bits here and there. 

    We continue to have rain and I estimate that we are up to 9.5" as of early this morning. We are excited as the sun is suppose to shine for 3 days starting tomorrow. It will be so nice to have it bright rather than dull. 

    Daughter-in-laws daffodils are up with buds on them. Her tulips are also up but only the leaves. I will be looking for daffodils at the place where we turn off to come into our subdivision. They have a lot of daffodils amongst the trees and they are a wonderful to look at when coming home. 

Today

I have one load of laundry to do, some floors to sweep, and a bit of tidying up to do. Then I will spend time quilting the row of blocks with hopes of cutting out the binding. I want to knit tonight. It is a stay at home day for me. 

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

A Fun Day of Shopping

 Yesterday was warm and wet. Just over an inch of rain fell and the high got to 18.8C. This morning it is cloudy and 8C. We are to have periods of rain, maybe a thunderstorm, and a high of 14C. 

Lifestyle

Daughter-in-law and I were into the city in good time yesterday. The drive in was foggy and damp. The roads were wet but not running with water. 

Our first stop was Costco in Bayers Lake. It was busy and a bit of a gong show. It took us almost an hour to get what we wanted and we were happy to leave. 

Next up we went into Halifax. We did another wholesale store which wasn't as busy. I pushed the buggy and marked items off the list. Once done there we did grocery pick up at Walmart. That works out quite nice as it is at the back of the store and very quiet. We did have to go in to get some items from the coolers. 

Lunch was at the mall (next door to Walmart). We left once we had eaten. The drive home was foggy and damp. When we were almost home, the fog lifted and the roads were fairly dry. I helped unload the car before coming home as grandson had to be picked up from school at 3 pm. 

I was tired when we got home. I didn't do much. I used the heating pad on sore muscles. It was either from physio on Wednesday or the weather. Or it could be both. The heat helped a lot and I did do a few little things to keep moving. 

Sewing and Crafting

I didn't do any sewing yesterday. Nor any hand sewing. I was too lazy to go downstairs and do it. 

I opened my birthday gift from daughter. She gave me this lovely piece of fabric. 

It is Dandelion Wishes Vintage by Hoffman Fabrics. I am thinking of buying a solid fabric for a border and binding to make a lap quilt. This piece is 42" wide by 40" long. I could do 2 borders if I wanted to. It would be a fast and easy quilt to make. 

Knitting

I cast on the 2nd sock and got 35 rounds knit on it. It was nice to have my hands busy while I had heat on the sore muscles. 

Thoughts

    A person in our area reported we had 207 mm of rain fall up to yesterday morning. That is just over 8" of rain/snow. That is 5 times the amount that fell in March 2023. No wonder we are a soggy mess. The dirt is starting to run out from the bottom of the vegetable boxes and the edging on the outer side of the hedge is sticking out of the ground with air space under it. 

    I had a great time shopping yesterday. Though we had a deadline, we were able to have a bit of fun while in the stores. I stayed within my budget which was wonderful. 

    I am not sure why the font size changes from large to very large in some parts of the post. I have tried everything. Some days it is fine and others I have to go back and fix it. 

Today

I have to work on some paperwork for the accountant. I have 4 days in which I can do it. I want to hand sew down the seam on the quilt this afternoon. Tonight I am out for dinner at family's to celebrate my birthday early. I hope to knit when I get home. 

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

A Box Of Fabric

 Yesterday was cloudy and a bit wet. About 1/3" of rain fell and the high got to 13.4C. This morning it is cloudy and 12C. We are to have rain or drizzle with a high of 14C today. 

Lifestyle

I was out early for physiotherapy. It was a great session. I am moving better and we are working on getting the right leg to rotate more inwards and outwards. I did the gym exercises and the balance board before having the TENS machine and heat so I wouldn't have inflammation or soreness in the muscles we worked. The muscles are starting to relax when worked vs tightening up. 

Once home, I sat on the heating pad and had my 2nd cup of coffee. I was tired as I had done 40 minutes where my body was either relaxing to be moved manually or it was physically working out. I did alternate between the heating pad and doing laundry and a few other little jobs. The heat really helped. 

I was out for dinner with my friend and we had fish and chips at a restaurant I had never been to. It was good but not the best fish and chips I have had. We had a great time out and then she came in to see the mother lode of fabric daughter sent me. 

Sewing and Crafts

I got row 6 sewn onto the main part of the quilt. The seam on the back has been done and it is ready for me to sew all 48" of it. 

I am on track to having it done to hand sewing down the binding by April 1. I can work on that in short spurts after that.

Daughter excitedly told me that the box of fabric was waiting for me to pick up. I did that just before lunch and Elliott and I opened it after I ate. 

He watched me remove all the fabric and admired it with me (sniffing the animal and people smells). As I was texting daughter, he got into the box and laid down on top of the Christmas fabric. 

He did let me take the fabrics out and he had a wonderful time resting in the box. 

The box had a wide variety of items in it. I have to make two smaller quilts for daughter using up what she sent. You will see more of them as time goes on. Both use panels. The first one is to be auctioned off and I wanted to get it right. I hauled what went well over to my friends. 

The dog panel will have flying geese around it and then will be bound with a dark fabric that my friend had made and put away. She also printed me off a copy of a pattern to make the flying geese. Elliott approves.

For the records, Elliott never gets into boxes that I open. He will sniff them and then leave me to enjoy the contents. I was surprised and laughing when he joined in to help me unpack this box. 

I have looked up information on how to make the flying geese blocks and am ready to begin making them when I have time. 

Knitting

I got the first sock completed and I had my issues with it. I finally got it done after a few choice words were said. 

I didn't start the second sock last night as I was tired and spent the evening thinking about the fabric I had got. 

Thoughts

    The box of fabric increased my stash size. It will decrease a lot over time as most will be sewn up this year and the left over pieces go to my friend. She is as excited over the fabric as I am. I have decided to only add the Christmas fabric to the stash spreadsheet and add the other pieces as in/out when I sew them up and ship the finished projects to daughter. 

    I am happy the cardinal quilt is almost completed. I am glad I stuck with doing it the way the instructor said. It helped me get better at learning this quilt as you go method. I see improvement in many parts of the quilt. On the back, the vertical seams match as I got more experienced. Though I am still struggling with stitch in the ditch, I am getting better at it. Slow is the key thing. Stitching down short vertical seams helps keep the long horizontal seams from distorting the squares. I am tired of working on it and am focusing on it daily so I can get it finished. I have been working on sewing this quilt together for almost 2 months. This does not include the hours spent embroidering the 12 center squares and sewing the 24 blocks together. 

    With March coming to a close, I will be happy to see spring arrive. I am itching to get outside a bit each day to do things. I am hoping that I will have less physio and osteopathy appointments which means I can do more outside jobs. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. 

Today

I am out with daughter-in-law today. Not sure where we are going but I am looking forward to going where ever it is we are going to. If there is time when we get home, I would like to start hand sewing down the back seam on the quilt. Tonight I would like to cast on the second sock. 

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

Row 6 Completed

 Yesterday was dull and grey. Midafternoon it started to rain and just over 1/2". fell. The high got to 6.3C. This morning it is cloudy and 4C. We are to have drizzle, showers, and a high of 12C today. 

Lifestyle

I was to see the doctor yesterday morning. It was short and good. My reports from the hospital dietician and physical activities coordinator were excellent. My blood pressure was good and the only worry is the low glucose levels. With everything under control, my body is using up glucose very efficiently and I need to keep working on eating more carbs. I see the doctor in 3 months and if that appointment is good, I see him every 6 months after that. 

I had a bigger lunch with chicken and air fryer fries. I was full after lunch and hoped that it would hold me over. I felt good until 4 pm when I did my glucose and it was 4.5 (low). I had an orange and some crackers to hold me over until dinner. 

I picked up grandson from school yesterday and I enjoy our little visits to his house. We had a lovely dinner and visit. After dinner, I helped daughter-in-law put together a Lego Mixel's package. We sorted through the bins of colours to find the pieces for the package. I left after we had found the feet and faces for the remaining 6 packages. Once those are done, it will be on to the smaller Lego kits and then the big ones. Grandson has a lot of lego thanks to his two sets of grandparents (I'm guilty). 

Sewing and Crafting

I sewed a lot yesterday afternoon. Blocks 3 and 4 were completed and joined onto blocks 1 and 2. I hand sewed twice, pressed and quilted lots. Row 6 is now ready to sew on to the quilt. 

I will be happy to have this quilt finished. I am tired of working on it. It has given me a lot of negative feelings that I am slowly working through. Part of hanging onto the negative thoughts has been pushing myself to become proficient in this method and to finish it up by the end of March.

On the positive side, I have learned a lot about this method of quilt as you go. Anchoring the seams vertically helps to eliminate the horizontal stretch I have had. Stitch in the ditch is an art which I am still learning how to master. Hand sewing the back seams down can be relaxing even if unnecessary. I love how hand sewing makes the seams disappear on the backing I chose. 

Once this quilt is done, I am going to work on some simple projects while I prep the next quilt. I need a break from handling a heavy labour intensive project. 

Knitting

I took the sock over when I was out for dinner and daughter-in-law tried it on. It fits her foot perfectly. Once home, I worked on the toe and the sock is now ready for me to kitchen stitch the toe closed. 

I can write up the pattern in my knitting book as I plan on knitting her more socks. Her feet are tiny and her pattern is specifically designed for her. 

I will finish the sock quickly and start on the next one. I will be writing the pattern as I knit it. 

Thoughts

    I was surprised that the doctor will start seeing me every 6 months after my next visit. He only has a handful of patients who are on that schedule. It makes me happy that I am at a stage of health where I can be on that schedule. 

    We talked briefly about my low glucose levels (eat more carbs) and my fear of gaining the weight back. He is understanding of that and is encouraging me to eat healthy and monitor my weight. We are both happy with the weight range I have chosen. We also talked briefly about my physio and osteopathy and he is hoping I can start seeing them to maintain where I am will be after we get the stubborn muscles relaxed and strengthened. 

    The major amount of rains we were to receive are not happening. The two big storms have broken up and moving off in different directions. It seems as if showers will happen over the next few days which is fine with me. The ground needs a chance to dry out a bit as it is so soggy. It also seems as if we are going to be warm for the next few days and then return to the normal temperatures. 

Today

I have to be at physio early this morning. Once home, I want to do laundry. I also want to work on the quilt so I can have it ready to finish this weekend. I will knit on socks tonight and start writing the pattern out.

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

Last Row Of The Quilt Started

 Yesterday was cloudy but not dull. There was very little wind and the temperature got to 3.5C. This morning it is cloudy and 1C. We are to have showers and rain is to arrive tonight. There could be freezing rain. The high is to get to 4C and rise overnight. 

Lifestyle

I did yoga yesterday and it always feels good to do it. Once they were done I did the arm exercises. They are harder as I am just starting out and my muscles are weak. I also did the "brutal" exercises and, though they hurt, they are definitely doing their job. 

I tidied up the house yesterday and mopped floors. They were dirty from normal living. I was busy doing the little things until almost noon. It is nice having the house easy to clean. 

I had a sugar low yesterday afternoon. I had an orange at 3 pm thinking all was good and at 4:30 pm it was low. I was making dinner so added more carbs to the mix. I now need to figure out what to add to lunch to keep me going until 3 pm. I have an idea or two to try out. 

The noise wasn't evident last night and I slept well. It was back to just a few vehicles coming and going due to shift work. The nice thing living here is how quiet it can be at night. 

The sky last night was beautiful This picture shows it pink and pale blue but it was deep orange and medium grey. I stood and looked at it until it was completely dark. 

Sewing and Crafting

I spent the afternoon sewing and quilting the first two blocks on row 6. I forgot how much quilting there was on the last row. It seemed to go on forever. 

It took me about 2 hours from start to finish which included hand sewing the back seam. 

I looked at the doll's chemise and the journal but have decided I won't work on them until this quilt is ready for the binding to be hand sewn down. I am at the point of wanting this quilt completed. 

I haven't even looked at the fabric for the next quilt. I need to launder and starch it before I can even start cutting it out. I will only be making the top (flimsy) for this quilt as I don't want to wrangle another quilt as you go. 

I have several pages planned for the journal and will work on them once the quilt is done. I am looking forward to doing them as they will be something different from sewing. 

Knitting

I worked on the sock and have sock 1 ready to try on. I need to know if it is long enough or if I need to do a few more rows. 

Once I know how many more rows I need to knit, I will write up the pattern in my book so I can refer to it when knitting socks for daughter-in-law. 

While I wait for her to try them on, I will start knitting a hat. This hat will be for daughter-in-law and the next one will be for daughter. 

Thoughts

    I am furiously thinking about what to change in my lunch menu. I am not a big eater at noon which makes it hard. If I eat too much, I don't want to do things in the afternoon. But, I need more carbs than I am eating. I will have to work on it so I don't have those low readings. 

    While working on the quilt, I had some negative feelings about quilting. Most of it is that I am doing a quilt as you go method that isn't done around here. Quilting is done traditionally in this province and if you step out of the box, it had better be creative vs different. I have worked through that and moved on to figuring out how many quilts I have left to make and budgeting for having them long arm quilted. Will I do quilt as you go again? Maybe though I am leaning towards finishing the quilts I have planned and doing no more. I will work on other items like placemats, potholders, and mug rugs. 

    I have made a plan on how to do under the deck. I want to do it myself with little to no help. It will take me some time to rake up the gravel towards one end of the deck and then move it back onto the weed barrier cloth I want to put down. I know I will only be able to work on it for short periods of time. I will need help with getting the edging straight as I have never used a laser level before. I can buy the gravel I need in bags and put it in the wagon to get it from the front of the house to the back. 

Today

I am out to see the doctor this morning and when done, I am coming home to work on the quilt. I have to take time this afternoon to cook. This evening I will cast on the hat and work on it. 

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

I Rested Yesterday

Yesterday's high of 11.5C at 6 am dropped dramatically to 0C by noon. It was mainly cloudy all day. It did clear off and it was bright outside at 1 am as the moon was shining. This morning it is hazy and -1C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds. NE winds, and a high of 4C. 

Lifestyle

The balance sheet was completed in fairly good time with only 1 small but easily found mistake. I am on track at this time and am very happy about that. 

Once done, I chose to do very little all day. I was exhausted from the storm during the night. I did putter some, rested lots and went to bed early. I did no sewing or knitting yesterday. I looked at the sewing and couldn't focus on it. 

I went outside for a few minutes yesterday to see if someone's bbq cover landed in the yard. I found a metal lid off a box on the lawn so put it against the fence. There were no other "offerings" in the yard. The lawn was super squishy when I walked on it. We need a few days of warm dry weather to help it dry out but that isn't going to happen this week. 

What was annoying about last night was a motor ran all night. I could hear it though I did sleep through most of it as I was tired. It was still going when I got up. It is outside as I opened a window to listen. I have a feeling a night crew is working on the highway and the noise is a generator for lights. 

IBS

Carol, I have had IBS for a long time. The main cause has been stress but foods have played a part. In 2019 it became worse as my stress level went off the charts. I didn't realize it was stress and thought it was food. I was eating rice and chicken to calm my system down which helped marginally. The IBS got worse as the Spousal Unit declined with Alzheimer's. Then the pain in my hip and knee kept flaring the IBS issues. Though I wasn't ill from it, I was mighty uncomfortable. 

When the pain and stress were reduced, I noticed that my IBS was better. When it flared up, I started to think it was more food related vs stress related. I know corn can be a trigger food. I don't eat it very often. I thought onions were a trigger food but I eat them regularly with little to no issues. When I ate peas, I had major issues and my body went into overdrive to get rid of them. It took about 48 hours of my body quickly get over what I ate. I retained fluid, bloated, and finally my body expelled it. 

I am never sure what foods will trigger a flare up but I am very careful about what I eat. I look at certain foods that I love and won't eat them often as they could be "that" food. I have played around a lot with the foods you shouldn't eat and I can eat some of them. Others I haven't tried as I don't care for them. It is a trial and error process. What affects me may not affect someone else. It is a case of trial and error.

I have a list similar to this one that I refer to.

FODMAP Click to get the food list. 

This is the elimination part of the diet and once you are ready you can add the avoid foods to it one at a time. Have a flare up and you eliminate it, wait a couple of weeks and try a new food. It is a long process and I did it while loosing weight. I was very methodical and found out that some foods will cause a flare up if eaten regularly but not when eaten occasionally. 

I monitor wheat and dairy. My mom reacted to wheat as does my daughter. My mom's eyes would swell shut whereas my daughter has the same issues as I do. Wheat is one of her trigger foods. I also eat less refined wheat than she does and in smaller amounts. I also monitor milk products as my brother has a dairy fat sensitivity as does my daughter. I try to limit the amount of dairy I eat.  

I have to continue to monitor my stress levels and not let things get me upset. If I get overly upset, I will have a flare up and it takes longer to get over. It is also comes on very quickly. I have a hard time controlling stress and am trying to focus on what I can control (within limits) vs what I can't control. I catch myself thinking about things I can't control and have to give myself a little talking to. 

Am I better today IBS wise? I think so. I am dealing with my stress, diet, and quality of life. I am not perfect or over my issues but I am working on them so I can have less IBS problems in the future.  

Today

My goal today is to do yoga and some housework this morning and sew this afternoon. I hope to knit tonight. I plan on staying home today as I have no need to go anywhere. 

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

Five Rows Done On The Quilt

 Yesterday was cloudy with a good snow flurry in the afternoon. Midafternoon it was -3C. It started to warm up after 3 pm and this morning it is blowing, raining, and 11C. The rain is to stop around noon. It is to start cooling off this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I did yoga and exercises yesterday morning. It is really helping to do them as I feel less pain in the muscles. My arms are sore when doing their exercises but that does go away. I did the brutal exercises twice yesterday and I know they are helping. My joints don't hurt and if they do, it is a quick pain and gone. I still have some cracking but even that isn't as much as before. 

I cleaned the floor at the top of the stairs, all the stairs and the landing at the front door. It was the usual dirty as that door is used all the time. I did a good job as it seems to collect dust on the trim. It is done and I am pleased with the results. 

Sewing and Crafts

I worked on the quilt and after 2 hours I had all the quilting done. 

It is ready for me to start row 6. I will be happy when this quilt is done as it has become a wrestling match when quilting it. The 2 hours of quilting was quite the work out. 

Knitting

I worked on the sock last night and have the gusset done. That went fast. 

I still love the yarn and how the colours are working out. There is no rhyme or reason to the design which is neat. 

I have 25 rounds to knit on the foot and then daughter-in-law will have to try them on. If they fit well and are the right length, I will do the toe. I am hoping I have a pattern figured out for her. 

Thoughts

    This storm blew in during the night and woke me up. The wind was blowing up and over 65 km/h and the rain was beating against the house. I am short on sleep as it kept me awake. I am happy I have everything put away and what is outside is firmly in place.

    I am eating more and have lost all the weight I gained. It fell off me over the past week. I am still monitoring how much I can eat. I realize there is a fine line between eating too little and too much. I want to eat enough to maintain this weight. I do worry about gaining it all back. I have to tell myself constantly that it is okay to have a bit more to eat if I feel hungry.

    When thinking I had my IBS under control, I had an attack. I know exactly what food caused it; peas which I love. I am now over it and know that it will cause flare ups if I eat it again. 

Today 

I have the balance sheet to do first thing and then I don't know what I will do. I am tired enough that I know touching projects could be disastrous. I will probably do a bit of housework and rest. If I feel like doing something, I will pin the 4 blocks together for row 6. I would like to knit tonight. I know I will be going to bed early if I don't have a nap this afternoon. 

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

Learning As I Go

 Though yesterday was sunny, the wind was cold. The high got to 0.3C. This morning it is clear and -6C. We are to have flurries and a high of 2C. We are under a rainfall warning for tomorrow. 

Lifestyle

I was to New Minas yesterday to grocery shop. I went alone so I could do price comparisons and see if I need to shop at other stores. I did find some items I buy cheaper at Walmart though others were the same price as the usual grocery store I shop at. I went to the grocery store to see what they have for variety vs the one in our community. It was fun to look and snoop. I did get what I needed. 

I was to the craft store and got what I needed and returned what wasn't what I needed. It was time to go home. 

Once home, I put away groceries and had lunch. I was tired so sat and rested for a while. I think I had over dressed so I would be comfortable outside but over heated in the stores. At one point, I sat in the cold car to cool off. I did get over it and was able to do things prior to going out for dinner at family's. 

I went out to check on the garlic and there are 25 plants sprouted. I covered them once again as it has been cold. I am hoping that I can uncover them this coming week as it is to be warmer. 

Dinner was great. I got caught up on all the news while we ate a delicious meal of spaghetti and meat sauce. It is nice to have a meal with them when they are so busy. After dinner I sat in the sunshine and enjoyed it. Then it was home so they could do a few things. Spring soccer season/training has started and they are busy with that. 

Sewing and Crafting

I stitched down the long seam to secure it before quilting. I realized that sewing it down first is making it go off square a bit. I should be sewing down the short seams first to secure it, then do the long seam, and finally quilt. Something to try on row 6. 

The quilt is getting heavy to handle. It has made me realize that I will be rethinking the size of quilts I make in the future when I do quilt as you go. I have not planned any more quilts other than the ones I have in the stash. I may make one more and then stop. All the ones planned are going to the long arm quilter. 

I stopped a subscription that I had bought last year. I have not looked at it for a while. Their mission is very different than mine. I do look at what they make and then adapt to what I have. There are pros and cons to their presentations but they do wonderful cut files and fonts that I have downloaded and used in the past year. 

Knitting

I did 6 or 7 rounds on the gusset and stopped. The first 10 rounds are the hardest to maneuver and I was tired enough I was having to check each row to make sure I wasn't making a mistake. 

I bought a skein of peach coloured yarn to make more hats. Yes I am crazy but they are so easy to knit. 

I will be getting the darker colour and a green later on. I need to knit up what I have bought before I do that. 

I did snoop in the stash at the sock weight yarn. I have enough yarn to make 3 pairs of socks. One pair for grandson, 1 pair for me, and 1 pair either for me or daughter-in-law. The rest of the yarn needs to be knit up for the dolls. I have some I can knit into socks if I can find it in the stores. 

Thoughts

    I am happy I took the time to do some price comparing for groceries. I will be shopping at two stores once or twice a month trying to get the best deals. The price of groceries is very expensive and I understand why people are looking for good deals. 

    The two new exercises are doing their job. Though they still hurt when doing them, I am noticing that the muscles are not as sore when I walk. It is wonderful that I can walk easier and not get tired as quickly when out and about. 

    I went back and looked at our weather around the first day of spring. We had 12" of snow fall on March 22, 2018. It snowed March 23, 2020 and March 20, 2021. Flurries March 2022 and 2023. A bit of a theme for snow falling around the arrival of spring. We did have it 17C around this time in 2021. Spring's arrival is crazy in Nova Scotia. We survive whatever weather is flung our way. 

Today

I am going to do yoga and exercises this morning first and then do housework. This afternoon I am going to quilt. If time, I want to look at how the gusset is put into the doll's chemise. I will knit tonight. I am staying home today. 

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

Brutal Weather

 Yesterday was a mixture of sun, clouds, wind, and snow. The temperature dropped all day and late afternoon it was 1C. This morning it is -4C (windchill -14C) and cloudy. We are to have wind, flurries, and sun with a high of 0C. 

The deck was covered with snow and the grass was white by 8 pm.

Lifestyle

Yesterday morning I did yoga and shoulder exercises. That took about an hour to do. Yoga went well as I am getting stronger and more limber as time goes on. The shoulder exercises were hard as I am just starting out. I am glad I am only using 2 lb weights when doing them. 

Once done exercising, I folded laundry, swept floors, and did a quick tidy up. I watched the snow whirl around, the sun shine, and the wind blow as I was busy inside. A perfect day for being home. 

Late in the afternoon, I went out to pull the two poles that mark the driveway in winter. It was windy and brutally cold. I grabbed them and headed back inside. The job is done and I don't have to worry about doing it later on. 

I have been following my eating plan carefully and eating a piece of fruit mid afternoon and mid evening. I am feeling much better and have more energy. I am hungry at meal time as I am more mobile but am watching what I eat. I have lost the weight I gained. I will be eating a bit more as I am back at my goal weight. 

Sewing and Crafting

I had time before lunch to play in the sewing room. I decided to pleat the doll's chemise. I had been worrying a bit about the hemmed sleeves going through the pleater. They went through so easily that the job was done in 20 minutes which included setting up and putting away the pleater and threads.

I now need to press the sleeves and start sewing in the underarm gusset. Once that is done and the seams sewn up I can smock them. 

After lunch I played with the journal and got another page completed. It was a page that took a long time to figure out what to do. It came together quickly once I knew what I wanted to do. 

The Joy tag was from a video I watched and I had to modify as I am using up what I have on hand. It is held in place with a hidden paper clip. The corner pocket I saw on Instagram and knew it was what I wanted. 

I put items into the pocket that I had on hand. I did make a card for journaling in and added other little items that can be used or written on/in.

I am pleased with the page. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent hand sewing the seam on back of the quilt. I got all 48" done. I had the quilt over me and it kept me quite warm as I watched the snow fall. I am now ready to quilt the squares where I joined row 5 to the quilt. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks last night and got the heel flap done and the heel turned. 

I had a break and then picked up the stitches for the gusset. This is the part I like as I am nearing the half way point on the sock. 

Thoughts

    Yesterday's weather was brutal. It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of March and having this kind of weather. Hopefully this is it. The only good thing -- I don't have to shovel snow this morning. 

    My pain level is way down and I am moving about easier. I am trying to do the 2 new exercises to help stretch and strengthen the muscles that are weak and sore a few times a day. It is helping a lot. I also noticed I can get up off the floor easier which was a pleasant surprise. I am hoping that I will get the muscles strong and stop physio and osteopathy by the end of May. It is a goal of mine and it is looking achievable. 

    I am also finding that with less pain I am happier and more relaxed. I am also realizing that I dealing with my issues much better and know that I need to set limits on what I can and cannot do. This is a turning point for me mentally and physically. 

    I am actively working on using up what I have in my stashes. I am constantly reminding myself to look before thinking I need to buy something. It is forcing me to be creative which is something I am enjoying. When I let go of negative thoughts, I relax and enjoy what I am doing. 

Today

I am heading out to New Minas to shop for groceries. I also need to return cards I bought that aren't the style I want. I hope to be home by noon so I can work on the quilt this afternoon. I will knit this evening. 

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

The Quilt is Growing Longer

 Though we had sunshine and a high of 7.9C, the wind was cooler than I had thought it would be. This morning it is cloudy, windy and 5C. We are to have flurries/rain, wind, and a temperature of 0C this afternoon. 

Lifestyle

I spent yesterday morning cleaning the house. I started out doing my bedroom and once done, I swept and tidied up the rest of the upstairs. I didn't mop the floors as they are clean. It was nice to have that job done. While cleaning I got 2 loads of laundry done ready to fold today. 

I went outside to sweep the gravel off the driveway and that was when I noticed how cold the wind was. I did the job quickly and the dust will be gone with a good shower. My next job is to pull the two posts that show the edge of the driveway in the winter. 

I had a sugar low at 4 pm as I missed having fruit at 3 pm. I ate an orange quickly. I must remember to eat something at 3 pm. It is hard to remember but I will continue to work on having that piece of fruit mid afternoon. 

I am noticing that the soreness and stiffness in my right hip is starting to disappear. All the hard work is paying off. I will continue to do what I can at home and I hope that I can put more time between physio and osteopathy visits starting mid April. 

Sewing and Crafts

I worked on the quilt yesterday and got the red squares quilted. I pinned row 5 onto the main part and sewed it on. I then finished the back seam and it is ready to hand sew in place. I got more done than expected. 

Once done, I decided to do the hems on the sleeves of the doll's chemise. I even got them hand stitched. 

They are ready to pleat. Here is hoping I have no issues pleating them. 

I enjoy having the Diamond set up to sew on the doll's chemise. It certainly saves me time threading and rethreading the Juki. I will probably set it up to sew piping from start to finish as I have lots to make for daughter. 

Knitting

I finished the leg and got 20 rows knit on the heel flap of the sock. 

What is interesting is the yarn pattern on the heal flap blends in perfectly with the leg. The leg is done in the round and the heel flap is done back and forth. 

I will be finishing this sock before I start the mate as I only have one skein of yarn. I use a lot of row markers when knitting one sock at a time. When doing a pair, I will move the leg markers to the foot when both pairs of socks have the gusset completed. Doing it one pair at a time, I move the markers after completing a section of the 2nd sock. 

Thoughts

    I had a good day yesterday doing what I had set out to do. I am working on not doing spring cleaning when tidying up. I am at the point where all the windows have been cleaned on the inside and the rooms cleaned thoroughly. The floors are clean and everything is quite tidy. I can now work on doing each room quickly and do some spot cleaning in certain areas. 

    I am making some decisions on what I will be doing for the next while. I am cancelling one subscription as I haven't look at the it for a while. I want to continue doing crafts but don't know if I will have enough inventory to sell at a small craft bazaar this November. My focus has been on getting my hip and knee to the point of no surgery. I will make a decision in August if the craft bazaar is in the books or not.

    I revisited my idea of using up what I have in all my stashes. I won't be buying much for the next several months as I have lots to work with. There will be some purchases to finish projects but my goal is not to purchase materials for new projects. As I looked around the sewing and family rooms, I have plenty to keep me occupied for a few months. 

Today

I have to do yoga and upper body strength this morning. I also want to sweep floors as I see Elliott's fur in some areas. I also need to fold laundry. I want to hand sew the 48" seam on the quilt back and do a bit of paper crafting. Tonight I will knit on the socks. It is a stay at home day for me. 

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

Doll's Chemise Neckline Completed

 Yesterday was the first of spring and I didn't realize it until last night. We had a lovely day with sunshine and clouds. The high got to 5.8C. This morning it is partly cloudy and -2C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 7C. 

Lifestyle

I was in New Minas before 8 am and picked up daughter-in-law. We went for breakfast and it was delicious. I was hungry. Once we were done breakfast we went shopping. We did the big box stores and I bought only what I needed plus yarn for more hats. 

Daughter-in-law's car was finished ahead of time so we headed to get it. It was nice that she could get home early so she could prep for dinner and have a rest before their company arrived. While at the dealership, I got the tires torqued on my car and then headed home. 

After lunch, I relaxed to have a bit of a rest and slept for 40-45 minutes. I was more tired than I thought I was. I had slept poorly as I didn't want to sleep in and then we walked 1 km while shopping. I did that without the sticks. 

I did my new physio exercise each time I came up the stairs. They are brutal but they do help. I noticed a difference when I did them before dinner. 

Sewing and Crafting

Once I woke up fully from my nap, I hand sewed the facing on the doll's chemise. That took me an hour as it needed tiny stitches and only the top of the back of the pleat caught. 

As I hand sewed, I trimmed off all the fabric threads so it is now neat and tidy. Next up is getting the sleeves ready to pleat and smock. 

Knitting

I bought yarn yesterday for new projects. 

The yellow is for a doll's sweater and a hat for daughter. The purple is for hats for daughter-in-law and daughter. I will be using up more yarn in the stash. I know it needs to be knit and I do knit a lot during the year. I will knit from both new and old yarn.

I knit on the sock last night and have 9 rows left before I start the heel flap. 

I love watching the colours mix and mingle as I knit round after round after round. 

Thoughts

    I have been monitoring what I am eating. I have 2 pieces of fruit for snacks during the day. I have started to measure and weigh my food as I was shorting myself on quantity. I am feeling much better and have lost 1.5 lbs. My goal is to slowly loose another 2 lbs and try to maintain that weight. I am finding having fruit for snacks is helping my glucose levels but I have to remember to eat them. 

    My IBS has improved since having less pain and stress. I know when it started, I was stressed out from the basement flooding and it continued on with pain added to it. I know it can flare up at any time but I am hoping it will not be too often. 

Today

I have to do housework and laundry this morning. This afternoon I want to quilt row 5 and get it sewn on to the quilt.  I also want to work on the chemise. If time, I would like to go for a walk. This evening I will knit. It is a day at home doing things as I want to be out on Friday. 

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