A Busy Day

 Yesterday was cloudier and cooler. The high got to 8.2C. This morning it is clear and 2C. We are to have more clouds and some drizzle today with a high of 10C. 

Lifestyle

I spent a bit of time first thing taking out all the garbage. That included emptying the garbage cans in the sewing room. I was ready to take out recycling and compost in the afternoon. 

Once done, I was off to New Minas. My shopping list was tiny -- the quilt shop and the dollar store. I spent under $15.00 combined (last of the big time spenders). I noticed that the town was quiet for a Wednesday morning. The quilt shop had no customers, parking lots were not as full as they usually are, and the dollar store had 3-4 customers. Usually there is a line up at the tills but none yesterday. The other quilt shop wasn't busy either. Very unusual. 

Elliott was to the vet in the afternoon. He was not a happy camper about this visit. He didn't like the vet. She wasn't as friendly as his usual vet which was probably the reason. He weighed in at 19 lbs and is now on a diet. He has to loose 3 lbs. His heart beat was rapid which was either stress or a heart issue. He got his shots and was happy to get back into his carrier. He did try to bite me and lunged at me at the end of the visit. Once home, he was happy to roam the house and settle down. He actually squeezed into the recliner in the family room with me and stayed there for an hour. He was happy to cuddle and snooze with me as he was feeling slightly off from the shots he had. He is back to normal today and I am sure he will be very vocal about the amount of food he can have. 

I got the recycling out to the curb after we got home from the vet. The bit of wind we were having was cool so I was happy to get that job done. I did look at the hedge and started thinking about it. 

Sewing

I swept the sewing room floor while I was doing the garbage. It was dusty and needs to be done again in the next couple of days. I also need to start dusting and wiping surfaces clean as there is a lot of fibre dust in that room. 

I had a wonderful visit at the quilt shop. The lady who teaches machine embroidery petted my cardinal quilt saying it was perfect. We talked embroidery and she showed me the wall hanging she is making. It is done in panels and I had seen this done when living in Dawson Creek. A lot of work goes into these panels which are then sewn together to make a picture. 

The dog panel quilt was admired, measured and is in the system to be long arm quilted. Once that was done, I took out the bundle of fabrics as I wanted to buy .3 meter of 2 fabrics to go with it. I got these two fabrics.

The salesperson is so good with ideas and fabrics. He will be leaving in the fall. New adventures for him as he will have completed his masters degree. We will miss him so much. 

After lunch, I starched the bundle of fabrics plus the two new pieces. I did a 1:2 ratio so they would be stiff. It took about 6 hours for the fabrics to dry which is not bad. They are now ready to press. I will use the Cricut  heat press on them. 

I finished hand sewing the outside edges of the appliqués on the dolls dress. 

The next step is to hand stitch the centres so they lie flat and secure on the fabric. I estimate 2 more sittings and it will be done. I have to re chalk the lines so I can see them. That will take me 5 minutes to do. 

Knitting

I started another hat last night. I had to restart it as I somehow twisted the joining part. I did get 10 rounds of ribbing done and am ready to start on the pattern. 

This hat is for daughter. I am hoping to finish the ball of yarn on this one. Then another peach one for daughter-in-law and I will be back to knitting socks. 

Thoughts

    I am trying to figure out a plan for working in the yard so I can start next week. I will start with weeding under the hedge so I can hire someone to edge it for me. I would also like to walk the days I don't do yard work. I need to get outside now the weather is warming up. 

    Elliott started his diet this morning. I have measured his food for the day. He will be angry with me at some point as his dish will be empty and he can't have any more. He needs to loose weight so he can have his teeth cleaned. That means he will have an anaesthetic. I want him as healthy as he can be so he will live a long life. He will be 14 sometime in May. 

    I saw on Facebook that the magnolia buds are starting open in Annapolis Royal. It will be another week before we will notice them here. I love the magnolia blooms and enjoy looking at them when I go out for appointments in town. I am enjoying the daffodils as they are blooming right now. It is so nice to have colour after the dullness of winter. 

Today

I need to get ready to go for a haircut in less than an hour. Once done, I want to sweep floors and tidy up a few things in the dining area and kitchen. The starched fabric will be pressed and the next quilt fabric will be starched. I am trying to get ahead of the game and starch fabrics and then clean up the mess and not touch it again until summer. I want to work on the hand appliqué on the dress and knit tonight. I would go outside but we are to have drizzle today. If no drizzle happens, I will put away the winter tools and get out the dutch hoe in preparation to start weeding under the hedge. I want to knit tonight. 

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