Back in the Saddle Again

 Hey look, its Tuesday and I's posting a blog. Things are back to normal, or as close as can be, for the moment. So normal that I actually got a hair cut this last week. Its so nice to have my hair out of my face and back to looking neat and tidy. I do have to admit I was tempted to just let it grow out but I resisted and decided to get the cut. No picture because its the same 'do as the last three times.

I got to live through one of the events I live in dread of, this week.  I ran out of gas, in a busy intersection, during morning rush hour. Sigh. I knew my gas gauge was acting funny so I thought while its telling me I have 168 liters of fuel, I shall go get some gas just in case. Well the gauge was a big fat liar face and I ended up as a traffic obstruction on Tuesday morning. On the up side CAA was excellent and got a truck to me asap. At least three people stopped and offered to help. There may have been more but I was in a total flap and I do not remember. I do remember thanking several people for the offer of help. A VERY NICE police man stopped to see what I was doing. He initially thought I was texting while at the stop light. Once he found out I was texting, for help and not for fun, he pulled his cruiser up beside my car and stayed with me until the truck arrived. A little gas and I was on my way. I will be getting my car into the garage to get the gauge fixed, along with some other maintenance as soon as I can.

Then later in the same day, my snow removal guy texted me to inform me that he is shutting down his business due to his truck being out of commission and he cannot afford to fix it. I am devastated. I feel bad for him, but worse for me. So right now I am trying to find a replacement person. Not as easy as one would think. I am hoping I can soon get someone locked in as I need this. I cannot do it on my own. 

Enough of the disasters, lets move on to funner things. I finished my scrap afghan. Well its all sewn together. There are some ends to weave in and and edging to crochet but the bulk of it is finished.

I was thinking I would donate it but now I think I'll keep it for a bit. Its super solid and warm so I;ll use it for a bit then donate it later on maybe.

The last of the Christmas quilt blocks has been done. I dithered over the material but then used a Christmas scrap piece. This means I made all the blocks for this quilt completely from my Christmas stash. That was my intention from the beginning.

I may not get back at this quilt until after Christmas. I have other projects that need to be completed for Christmas so it may have to wait. I have been busy making things, but I cannot show them as they are gifts, I will take pictures and show them off after the recipients have them. Christmas secrets!! I love them.

I did decide that masks are not going to be going away anytime soon so I may as well have some fun. I love a good theme so I decided I would make some winter masks as I am tired of the ones I have. So while the Christmas stash material was out I took some time and made these.

These will be good for the whole winter. I was tempted to make a Christmas specific one but I didn't.

Our book club managed to get together for the first time in two or more years. It astounds me how wonderful it feels to be able to get together and do normal things. Things we took for granted not that long ago. Things like spend time with friends. We have picked a book and decided on a future meeting date and had a lovely evening chatting and snacking. It truly was wonderful.

I made black bean burgers. They were not too bad. I don't have the right recipe just yet but I will make them again. I have wanted to try some meatless recipes for a while now. Not because I plan to give up meat. I am too fond of bacon for that idea but having a couple of meatless meals will be ok. I have a recipe for lentil patties that I want to try and I want to keep working on the black bean recipe. Its all in the pursuit of healthy eating and budget benefiting.

So now I need to go and tackle that mountain of laundry. I have been hiding out in my craft room all morning and I can't avoid it anymore. 

Toodles, Linda

 

Quick Check In

 Happy Friday one and all!. I realize I am a tad late with my blog post this week. Its been a little bit of a gong show this week so I never did get around to getting at it on Tuesday. In that light I decided to just post a little nugget this week and give it my best shot to get back to my regular time table next week. I live in hope.

Winter has arrived and while we did not get the big bang of snow predicted, we got enough and its not going anywhere. The snowflakes are here to stay!! My snow shoveling man came twice to clear the sidewalks and then texted me to say he had a catastrophic break down with his truck that he cannot afford to fix so he has had to shut down his business for the season. I felt bad for him but worse for me. I went into a panic. Needless to say I am currently in hot pursuit of a new guy. Phone calls have been made, messages left and I am just waiting to have my property viewed and estimates given. Would it not be lovely if this ended up costing me less in the long run? I feel a little selfish thinking that way but dang, I need to budget the best I can these days, as we all do.

Christmas quilt update: This was last weeks blocks and let me tell you the bows were a pain in the butt. I have actually redone them so I won't loose the points when I sew the blocks together.

On Tuesday we received the last set of blocks. They complete the top and once I get them put together, the top can be sewn together into the flimsy. I have not done them yet because I am having a bit of a dilemma, The blocks  require a more brown material but I have no real brown Christmas material. I could use other brown or I could buy something. I don't want to do that because I only started this quilt to use my stash. Using a brown from my other stash is not technically Christmas scraps. .Am I over thinking this? Yes I am but that is how I roll. I will make up my mind soon.

I have been making little animal hats lately. I finished these first:

Then she ordered two more and I made these this week.

I love the little shark!! I am also very happy to have these made. I have two quilts to make for a lady and they need to get done for Christmas. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend???

Last week The Banker and I managed to watch the second season of Discovery of Witches. I loved it and cannot wait for the third season. I also discovered that there are FOUR books in this series not three like I always thought. I have an order into Amazon even as we speak. I really need to get back into the rhythm of reading and stop with all the YouTube videos as night.

Busy texted me that she has already got her Christmas tree up !! I am amazed!!. I need to get going on that too as there are still a million pumpkins out and about here. With all the snow they look a bit out of place. I usually wait until Dec 1 but I feel like I am being left out as so many people are getting the Christmas stuff up.

I have been playing around with the idea that I will just put out just a few decor bits this year. Minimalist if you will, instead of my usual Christmas threw up in my house. I am thinking only three trees this year not 6. We will see how I do. I am not good at minimal. I lean more to excess!! Wish me luck.

I have more to tell but if I tell it all in this post I will be scrambling next week. So I am going to save some for then. 

Toodles, Linda

Feeling A Little Smug

Well I am, for sure, in a much better mood this week. Still fed up with the pandemic but other than that I am definitely perkier .  I am putting it down to actually getting some things done around here that I have been procrastinating over for weeks. 

We got the raffle basket delivered to its new owner. The Banker and I went to the ministry, got the name drawn and then got the basket to its new home 

We have such fun doing that basket. It raises a nice amount of money for a very worthy cause and its something we enjoy doing. We already have a theme picked for next years basket. I have the runner figured out so its all in hand.

Our scrapbooking weekend garnered me a couple of orders for knitted pumpkins. I was rather happy to get those made.

I actually managed to write myself out a pattern for possible future pumpkins. I really need to get better at writing out a pattern. I often make things with no actual pattern and I fail to write down how I do it. Inevitably, when I do that, someone will ask me to make them one.  That sends me back to square one. I really am trying to get smarter in my old age.

The Christmas quilt goes on. Last weeks blocks were very cute and very east to put together.

Four little Christmas ornaments. This weeks blocks are here and ready to put together. Something I hope to get at today. There will be only one more week and the top will be complete. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy these quilt a longs. I cannot wait to see the top all put together. 

Speaking of Christmas, I am just about done with my shopping. I have a couple of stocking stuffers to get and that is it I am done. I am so pleased with myself this year. Very smug to be on top of it. How Christmas actually pans out this year is another matter. I am not holding out great hope that I will get home for that holidays but I have a way to get my gifts there. At least that is off my mind. Its good to have friends!

See this rather funny looking little bag:

Its the bag I use to put my medications it when I go somewhere. I call it my medicine bag and it has been lost for two or even three years!! All because I put it someplace safe! Someplace sensible. Well I must have thought it sensible at the time. Long story short a frantic hunt for a piece of blank legal sized paper led to its discovery. I never did find any paper but I am thrilled to bits to have my medicine bag back. I have a whole new place to keep it that is actually where it should have been all along.

Yesterday I actually made it to the basement to deal with the furnace filter and turn off the outside water. Oh my word, you cannot imagine how I have dithered over this and put it off. It was completely ridiculous. I just wish I had easier access to the basement, not the trap door in the floor that is. Whatever, I made it down there and the disposable filter fits in the furnace!! My furnace has a reusable filter. I hate it. It means doing down there, get the filter, bring it upstairs, clean it, take it back, then come back up stairs. Double the trip. The disposable one means just one trip and I am thrilled beyond measure about that. The water is shut off for another year and I can stop obsessing over those tasks.

To top off my day of doing things I have trouble making myself do, I got the dumpsters out for emptying. If I could have I would have danced a jig. Now I am very very very aware that these tasks would be nothing to anyone else but to me they are a battle and one that I do not win each time. This month I am triumphant!!

Sunday was a perfect Linda sort of a day. I had tv to binge watch, I had baskets full of brightly coloured yarn beside me. I had hats to crochet and it was just the thing for me.

I have all the little hats made now and just need to get them lined and then they can go to their new home.

Saturday was also my perfect sort of a day. Teddy Bear came over in the morning for coffee and we had a lovely visit. Then a bonus event, Mommy Bug came for coffee and a visit in the afternoon. It was so nice to see her. We don't get to see each other all that often but it means the world to me that she makes the effort to come and see me when she can.

I have been watching The Crafty Toads pod casts lately and while they are all about all things yarn related, they also cross stitch. Watching them has got me thinking I should take it up again. My last project was that  I was making a lovely autumn themed tray cloth but I miscounted while doing it. The error frustrated me to the point where I just put it down and never picked it up again. I am now tempted to see if I still have it and give it another try. It really is a pretty thing. The big thing will be it I can actually see it now I'm of a certain age and my eyes are not what they once were. Time will tell if I give it a go again.

Today they are predicting snow for us. I know it happens every year but I'm not looking foreward to it. The best thing is at least now I do not have to get out and go in it if  I do not want to . That is a gift all in itself.

Today I decided I would spend the day in my craft room. Its needed some attention for some time now and while I started to inventory it a while ago, there is still more to be done. Not to mention that just the general usage of the room creates a mad mess all on its own. Combine that with my reluctance to put things back where they belong and you have ciaos.

Yes as you can see it is out of control. Aw well I am going to pick away at it until I get it back into some sort of order. I have Christmas quilt blocks to make, I have a bit of scrapbooking to do. I have hats to line. So many fun things. I am going to do some organizing before I get to the fun things. That's the plan anyway. Time will tell what actually happens.

Toodles, Linda

Getting a Little Fed Up

Ok I admit that I am in a bit of a mood this morning but before I get into all that, why don't I bore you senseless with the mundane details of my week like I always do. Hmmmm?? Doesn't that sound exciting? Buckle up and here we go. 

Today I am tackling the absolute mountain of laundry that has built up over time. The Banker kindly had a look at my dryer and cleaned out the lint that has built up in the cracks and crevasses. I had it on the list for the Carpenter to look at while he was here but this did not pan out.  I, now, feel safe to use it once again. Today I am washing sheets, mattress cover, towels, and cleaning rags as well as the normal laundry. Its rather pleasing to get this looked after. Little miracles.

We did out Safe and Warm raffle yesterday. The Banker and I went down to the Ministry and had them draw the name of the winner. We raised 515.00 for the Shelter. We also managed to take a trunk full of hygiene products and other bits ( donated by scrapbookers and friends) and  I finally got to give them the scarves and hats I had knit over the last year and a half. 24 knitted things were given. 

On Thursday we will get the basket delivered to its new owner and that little job will be finished for another year. I do think I will keep knitting scarves and hats as its a great way to use up extra yarn. I like to have things to do so it works nicely. We already have an idea for our next years basket that I am really hoping we do. 

The Christmas quilt is getting closer to being finished. I think we have two more blocks after this weeks. Last weeks block were easy and fun and I actually had my wits about me when I sewed these. No mistakes this time. Jack the Ripper stayed in the sewing box.

I could be sewing these blocks together into the finished flimsy but I have decided not to do that until all the blocks are done. I am looking forward to seeing the finished top. I think its going to look rather nice.

I have been crocheting little animal themed hats for a friend. She gets me to make some each year. So far I have these done.

I still have to put the lining into these. I have three more lop eared bunny hats to make and I will line them all at the same time. I think they are super cute. I hope the bunnies turn out the same.

One nice thing lately is that I have been out for coffee with friends a few times. Its such an ordinary thing to do but my goodness its a welcome novelty after such a long period of social restrictions. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Good cup of coffee, good friend to chat to, being out in the world, its a forgotten treat.

So why am I feeling fed up? I am fed up with the pandemic. I'm fed up with it dragging on and on, I'm fed up with the price of everything going through the roof with no relief in sight. I am fed up with my income not rising to match. Its just got me down today and I am royally done with it all. I'm not going to go on and on, that is the readers digest version of my miseries today. I have some ideas on how to economize but I resent having to do it. Doesn't mean I won't but I will be resentful.  I am also well aware that I have it a lot better than so many other people. That  being said it does not mean I can't indulge in feeling hard done by now and then. 

One day at a time, this is not going to be forever and things will work out as they are meant to.

Toodles,

Linda