Another Year Older

I did not blog on the weekend. Its not that I forgot but its just that I did not know what I wanted to say. I needed some time to think it through and decide what to share and what to keep private.

It was a very nice weekend. I got some yard work done!! I actually dug out the dead bush and removed some of the soil that I think was not great and was laden with weeds. I find digging an interesting experience now  so I was proud of myself that I did it. I added some fresh soil but I need to get some more before I plant the new shrub in there

I bought two shrubs and some petunias this weekend. I am not doing as much planting as I usually do, too expensive this year but next year I will be better prepared.

There are petunias in Mom's wash tub and that makes me happy. I hate to see it sitting empty, She used to plant petunias in it so I like to do it too in her honour. I even spray painted the butterfly thing orange for her. 

I really have to work on the lawn, its more weeds than grass at the moment. Its always something

The peonies are blooming like mad across the front of the house and I love them. I wish they were all pink but I have mostly white ones but these ones have hints of pink

This potentilla will get planted in the back flower bed, then next year I will get two miniature lilacs to flank it. My neighbour is cutting down the trees between our properties (they are growing into the power lines) so there will be more sun on that portion of the flower bed. I have more digging and planting and arranging to do back there but I have this year and next to do it.

Friday at No Cook I got to choose where we went for supper, Chinese of course, and then we went for ice cream for my birthday. On Sunday, Teddy Bear took me out for Breakfast for my Birthday, after breakfast we went for coffee then a little shopping, By noon she had me home and she was off to clean out her shed. 

I got my butt in gear and got quilting on the Blarney Night quilt at last. Once this one is finished I am going to do another right away so they have it for next year, not just the promise of one.

I got cards, texts and facebook wishes. All in all it was a good day. Any day I can spend quilting is a good day in my world. I bought my self a couple or three presents which mostly arrived on Monday but hey I accept presents any day of the year

A couple of these things are from Best Friend and Birthday Twin. This is how I love the mail. I would be happy if it was like this more often. Can we all say Needy Baby Greedy Baby ???

So  I am another year older. I have been in my house for ten years this month. I am now the same age my Dad was when he died. I have accomplished somethings and failed at others. This birthday brought o many feels I didn't know what to do with them. I am going to do my best to focus on the good, embrace the blessings and let that which is beyond me to change, go,  because it hurts my heart and I cannot change it. 

Toodles'

Linda

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What to do on a Rainy Sunday???

Well I plan to sew. Once Coronation Street is over I will park my self at the sewing machine and sew. I have cushions to make for a co-workers bistro set, I have a quilt top to finish and a quilt top to start. Lots of projects to do and the rain is a good excuse to get at them.

Yesterday was Parade day in town because of the fair. I ran out and did a quick errand before the parade blocked off my street. I sat on the veranda and listed to a marching band, watched clowns, princesses and a couple of floats float by. The parade starts on my street, so I get a sneak peak.

KitKat and I went to Fabricland and I got some material to finish one quilt and to start another for First Sister-in-Law. KitKat bought the material for me to make runners for her dresser and chest of drawers. Now she has her bedroom painted the old ones don't match. These will be quilted Celtic knot runners. I cannot wait to get them started and show them off. A trip to the fabric store turned into coffee and then Teddy Bear texted us and coffee turned into supper out. I love days like this, where you have plans but happier, more fun plans take over.

Last night was a rather "finish" night. I finished the last baby sweater:

So I can get that delivered to the new owner this week. (I need to find something else to knit now). I finished the owl I was making for Birthday Twin's granddaughter;

I found this silly little guy on Pinterest and then tweaked it to fit the yarn that I had on hand. Birthday Twin is very pleased with it. Its always a relief when the person who asks you to make something is pleased with the end result.  I can wrap it and her Monkey up and get them mailed away.

The wine bottle project is coming along nicely:

12 down and only 116 to go. Before you pass out I am not planning to consume all that wine on my own. I have commissioned my co-workers and friends to recycle their empty wine bottles my way. So excited about this, can't wait to see the end result.

So on this rainy day I shall putter away at my sewing. I may do the odd chore or two and if someone decides that they want to go for coffee or something else, I will go that too. I may plant a plant or two or I may make some tea and sit on the veranda. This is a lovely day and I plan to enjoy it.

Toodles.

Linda

PS.

Two chair cushions finished!!

Duct Tape on My Shoe

Oh Lord, I do wonder at myself some times. First on my list of things to do this pay day is invest in new work shoes. I have a pair of flats that have given me a horrible blister, so I cannot wear them anymore. I cannot mess about with sores on my feet, not these days. I usually wear a pair of black runners that have nice support but the sole has come loose. Every now and then it bends back and I fear it will trip me. Which is why I started to wear the flats.  I have come to think, poverty is the mother of invention and apparently can override any sort of personal pride. I now have duct tape on my shoe. I will forgo a little personal pride to avoid a trip and fall. Friday cannot come fast enough is all I can say! (yes I have tried glue but I do not trust it to hold) The upside is the shoes are black and so is the duct tape. Its not the silver stuff, I do have a smidgen of pride left, people.

I have heard back from Revenue Canada and we are having a difference of opinion on who owes who money. Long story short, I am going to have to file an appeal. This has certainly taught me to triple check everything from now on. One stupid mistake and its has begun a series of unfortunate events that just seems to go on and on and on. Sigh. I just hope it does not take until this time next year to get it all resolved.

I have other things in motion to fix some of the unfortunate events and I have had help to fix others. It just as been an eye opening lesson that has made me do things I had hoped I would not have to do. This adulting malarkey is a pain in the butt sometimes. My greatest hope is that this time the lessons are learned that need to be learned and things will move to normal again. I am once again grateful for the helping hands that seem to be there when I need them. That is enough said about that. I have no desire for this post to become a "woe is poor little me: post.

It was a lovely day today. Just right for veranda sitting and lawn mowing both of these things I did. Once I found the key to the shed. With my darling Mama's voice singing in my head "If you would only put things back where they belong this would not happen" I searched high and low for that stupid little key. Cursing myself for not putting it back right away when I used it last I  finally located said key on the floor in the living room. I must have left it there and one of the cats used it for a play toy.  Once the lawn was mowed today, the key was hung back in the kitchen exactly where it belongs.

I just finished with the lawn and was preparing to tackle the last of the flower beds at the front of the house, when Teddy Bear showed up with a cool drink for me and a coffee for her. She was a very welcome sight I can telly you. We indulged as we sat on the veranda and chatted. It was a most lovely surprise. Drinks consumed she toddled off and I weeded that last bed, leaving only the corner with the dead bush to be dealt with.

I know anyone else could have this all done in  a day but I can't. I putter at it as I am able. There are no rules or laws that says there is a time limit. I will do as I can, when I can, because it is good for me and I need to work at getting myself back to where I was before I got sick. I have had many offers of help but I need to do this on my own and I need to do much more of it.

It was lovely here to day, sunny but cool so I was happy to take advantage of these days. I cannot stand the heat, never could, so these days are precious. They are to be taken advantage of while they last. Next weekend I hope to dig out the dead bush and dig up some more of the back flower bed. If the weather cooperates that is.

I will leave you with this on picture, does this not look the very epitome of sadness? He just looks so forlorn and depressed. Poor baby. He really isn't, he is just seconds away from falling asleep. Silly cat.

Toodles
Linda

Wet Weekend

I am going to try this post again, Windows 10 installed itself on my computer and I have to say I am not impressed so far. I cannot load pictures onto my blog like I used to. I could do it with relative ease and now it just does not happen. I have discovered a painful, slow, backwards  way to do it for now but there has to be an easier way to do this. I am not good with computers. So here we go again.......


Sunday :

Although today was sunny and cool, the most of the weekend was wet and cold and perfect for staying inside and quilting. Not the whole weekend but the most of it was devoted to quilting. My favourite thing to do

I ran some errands on Saturday morning, one of which was a stop at the fabric store. One of the fellows I work with has recently become a father. He and his wife have welcomed a baby boy into the world. I wanted to make something for the baby I was hoping to get some instructions from them as to what they would like. I got nothing. I am rather fond of this young man, he reminds me of my oldest nephew. I put off making anything, waiting for a clue and then it was announced that we were having a little baby shower at the office on June 2nd. Well I about passed out.

Picking myself up off the floor, got my thinking cap on and  I got an idea. To the fabric store I went and purchased this:

I don't always think black, white and grey when I think baby quilt but the times they are a changing. So I took a chance. I used the pattern I used for The Tater Tot's crib quilt. It was Miss Mouse approved so I figured it would work and on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I got sewing.

I especially like the fish skeleton material, It whipped up in no time at all thank goodness and by Sunday evening, I had it quilted and bound.

The lighting is poor in this picture but you get the idea. I just have to wash it, wrap it and get it delivered. I hope they like it.

The Banker and her Sweet Baboo stopped by on Saturday and trimmed the tree in my front yard for me. I am very happy about that, I wish I could find a before picture but the after is available.

Ignore the lawn that is a total mess concentrate on the open space between the top of the fence and the tree leaves. Not only did they cut it down, they also hauled the mess away. Good Friends, I could not live without them.

So that was my weekend, hope your's was wonderful, whatever you did.

Toodles,
Linda

Turned into a Basket Case by a Basket and other Stuff

I will get to the basket business later in this post because its depressing and right now I am happy with myself, if only  for the moment. I have a zillion quirks and oddities that are all part of my charm and one of those quirks is my ability to mow the lawn. The weird thing is I actually like to mow once I get going. The quirk is getting me to get started. If you listened to me you would think I had a football field to mow not a postage stamp. Well today is a day of ordinary miracles, I finally mowed the freakin' lawn in the back. I got the front done last weekend and finally the back has been beat into submission.

It all started when Lucy reminded me that I needed to put down the knitting and get out of the house.

The grass and weeds were to the point where the weed whacker was needed before the lawn mower could be brought into play. I had the battery all charged up and ready to roll. I love my weed whacker.

It looks not bad in the photo but trust me it was almost knee high. I was starting to think the city would be sending me letters. Now it looks like this

A lot less green but amazingly shorter. Its suppose to rain this week so it should green up in short order

So much better and I am sooooooo happy its done. I had promised myself last night that if this was all I did today, I would call the day a success. I did not stop there though I forged on because its a gorgeous day today, Cool, sunny and a slight breeze. Perfect weather to be out and doing. I started the day with coffee on the veranda, a favourite thing to do.

Once the lawn was done, I moved onto the front flower beds. Weeds had taken over and needed to be tackled

I did both sides of the sidewalk and down the south side of the yard where the hosta bed is.

I filled this bucket up three times, and I still have to do across the front of the yard.

The work always lasts longer than my energy. So I am pooped out but I am pleased with what I got done today. I now can do the last of the flower beds in the front yard and finish the big bed in the back yard. I am hoping to do a bit each night next week. Next weekend is going to be digging out the dead bush at the front, adding fresh soil and trying, yet again to grow a bush in the corner.

I have been knitting again. Little sweaters for people at work. I have another of these blue ones to make. I need to add the buttons to this finished one. Its bluer in person than it shows in the photo.

Then there is another of these lilac ones which is now almost finished. I have two more rows and I can cast off the needles.

The 11 puppets are finished and ready to be wrapped to mail. I have several things to mail. A quilt, three surprises and the puppets. Now all I have to do is get them to the post office. Another one of my charming quirks, I have postal issues.

SO the basket that turned me into a basket case. Well I mentioned a while ago that Lucy had been using a basket in my bedroom as a litter box. Now as the weather warms up I have come to the realization that she was doing it far longer than I knew about. My bedroom smells wonderfully like cat pee. Crap Crap Crappity Crap. I am going to try a few things because where she was peeing there is a crack in the lino and I fear the floor boards got soaked. If what I try does not work, I will have too remove the boards  and replace them. Crap Crap double Crappity crap. More money I don't have. I do know that no new carpet goes down until Lucy has moved on. I can't risk it. She is using the litter box that I have put up there so this is not a case of her peeing where she pleases. She just assumed the basket was a box and thought I had provided her per own personal toilet. It never occurred to me this would happen but it did so now I have to deal with it.

So new shingles, new tires, new fridge and new floor boards. Hmmm I wonder what a slightly used kidney goes for on the open market.

Toodles
Linda

A Plan, A Start and No Photos

So I finally got going on some of the yard work around here. Oh my there is so much that needs to be done. This is the year I want to get the yard to the point that it looks as nice as I can make it be with a minimal amount of work on my part. I am not a gardener. I like a nice looking yard and I have all sorts if ideas of what needs to be done but I am not so good at the doing. If I had minions to do all the work, I could boss them around like nobody's business.

So in the real world, while I have had offers of help, the reality is the its up to me and this is the year that I want to get the yard finished. I want to dig up the big flower bed by the shed and re plant it. I have decided on mostly hostas for that spot as a lot of it faces north.  I am done waiting on my neighbour to decide if he is taking down the trees between our properties or if he is leaving them. The trees shade my flowerbed and I was waiting but now I have decided hostas will work if the trees are there or if they are gone.

So I got digging on Saturday. Well that was an eye opener. In order to dig I have to stand on my bad leg and sink the shovel with my good leg. Bad leg was not impressed with this little adventure and in short order let me know this was not going to be tolerated or the entire flower bed. I am the first to admit, that I never had a vast amount of energy but since I was sick I have next to none. Shoveling was interesting. I did get a four foot by eight foot patch dug up before I hollered UNCLE and gave up. I had the best intentions to finish the rest today. Did not happen, I also did not take pictures. I forgot the befores and if I took an after, you would wonder what I did with my time. I don't know what the heck I do. The Banker does yard work and her place is pristine, not a leaf, twig or root out of place. The dirt of her beds has no debris in it at all.  I work til I am done in and at best it looks like toothless goats have been at the place.

I need to come up with a free  super economical edging for the flower bed that is not wood. Water lies along the bed every spring and the landscaping timbers just rot. I do need something to keep the dirt in the bed. So my thinking cap is on and I am searching Pinterest for inspiration.

I had a rest, got myself cleaned up then went out for sushi with The Hostess. She was in town and we got to have a good catch up over supper. It was a lovely way to end the day. Time spent with friends is always time well spent.

Today, I weed whacked the front lawn. It was so over grown that the lawnmower just flattened the grass without actually cutting it. My battery died just as I got the front finished. I, then mowed, raked and briefly wept at the mess the flower beds are in. I straightened up the lawn ornamentation and weeded around the peonies. I also finally cut down the dead peony stalks, picked up the garbage that has blown into my yard and swept the sidewalks. By the time I had done that I was bushed but its a start!!.

I wanted to keep going, it was such a lovely day today, cool and overcast. It was a joy to be outside but I just could not do any more. This is so sad because my lawn is the size of a postage stamp. It should not be this hard to get it done. I need to keep at it, its so good for me and I need to get back the little energy I had before my leg changed the game plan. I am enjoying it too, even though I have to quit sooner than I would like to. I am enjoying feeling like doing stuff. Making plans and doing projects after so many months of not caring gives me hope that I may get back to my old self yet.

So the plan is that a little gets done each day this week. I want to get the front flower beds weeded and worked up. Kill the weeds down the sidewalk and weed out the hosta bed at the front. Then I want to dig out the bush I planted last year, dig out a lot of the dirt around it,  replace the old with fresh compost and dirt. I will then buy a third bush and hope to heck I don't kill this one as well. The veranda needs to be cleaned up and washed down as its loaded with winter dirt and debris

In the back I want to finish digging the flower bed, weed the patio and add sand to the stones. I need to weed whack the lawn and then mow it as well. The second fern bed needs to be fenced in again. just with the cheap dollar store fencing. it really works to hold the ferns up. The two benches back there need to be painted. I am thinking red will be the colour of choice. That's the plan for the yard. It needs to be done before I get the bedding plants and can start to plant the beds.

I love love love my green bin from the City. Its so nice to have a place to put the dead vegetation. It was a blessing to be able to roll it up and dump stuff into it without bagging it up and throwing it into the dumpsters.

Once the yard is done, I plan to tackle the shed. I need to paint the last wall, decorate the outside, then the inside is going to be purged. There is a lot of stuff in there that does not need to be there and its time for it to be gone. I was in the shed today and I would really like to be able to walk in there without having to move a bunch of stuff to get to what I need. . Its stuffed with things I need but there is a lot of stuff in there that I do not need anymore, not to mention the leftovers from the previous owners. Time for it all to go. That should take some time!!

I have a plan, I have a vision and I am have made a start on it. All. of this makes me very happy...... and very tired!!

Toodles,
Linda

Nothing Left But the Banana

I don't thing much got crossed off the "TO DO" list this weekend. I did manage to crochet, knit and sew but other than that not much happened. No yard work, not much house work and certainly the bathrooms did not get cleaned. Oiy, I am not sure what is up with me but there is something.

I did manage to binge watch Vikings, while I was knitting. Ten episodes, and entire season and while doing that I manged to make this, cause I can multi task doncha know???

Its for the Wee Girl of course. I spied the yarn and just could not resist it. Its much cuter in person than my photography skillz portray it to be. I am just hoping its gonna fit her. This was my reward for finally finishing the puppet order. I have little project in mind for the Tater Tot too. 

I got the puppet order done and the neck inserts sewn into all of them except the sturgeons. I will get those done this week and then  I can get them wrapped and in the mail. That is one of my goals.  

I also made this little dude for Birthday Twin. She found him on the internet and wanted one so I obliged because I like to be nice once in a while,.

There is a little crocheted banana that goes with him but I have not made that yet.

He is a little cutie. I hope she is pleased with him. She has been having a tuff time and I am hoping this little fellow helps to make her smile.

I did the dishes and ordered in pizza. That is the sum total of my weekend. not much to say for myself, that is for sure. Oh well, tomorrow is another day

My grand hope is that I do at least one load of laundry before the sun sets. Sigh.

Toodles,
Linda

There is now a banana