I Finally Quit Talking About It

I tend to talk about something for a good long time before I actually kick my arse into gear and do it, whatever it is that I have been going on about ad nauseum. My Dad used to do that too and it drove my Mom up the wall. One of these such subjects has been a trip to :

This is our west end location and its still a normal sized store. It has not been turned into one of those giant supersized locations when just about everyone needs a golf cart to get around. For the longest time I have toyed with the idea of taking a trip here to see how far I could get before my back and legs gave me up to the pain monsters. I FINALLY did it.

I got down the fresh veg/fruit aisle and up the deli aisle before I had to call it quits. Not a terribly long way for most but a major triumph for me. I have really missed shopping for my own food. I would have gotten farther but I lingered over the brussel sprouts and grapes. YES I bought grapes, I am a child and I wanted to celebrate my victory, So I choose carb laden red grapes and they were WONDERFUL!!  I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this outing and now that I know I can do it, I will be going again and again. If I can pick up my own meat and fresh produce I can still you Superstore  PC Express for the other stuff if needs must. I was so happy that I finally got doing it instead of going on and on about how I should try it.

The other thing I did while at the store was I did not use as many plastic bags as normal. I did not put things like celery and cauliflower in a plastic bag. I wash it when I get home anyway so no need for the bag. I will be taking my mesh veg bags with me the next time so I have something for the carrots, brussel sprouts and apples. I am making a real effort to reduce the amount of plastic single use items that I use. Every little bit makes a difference.

Enough about food I have other things to be happy about and I am so happy!! The Safe and Warm quilt is finished. I finished sewing the binding this morning. I have to wash it and then take a picture of it. I will post it when I have done that but for now here is a little peek at the quilting

All those little x's and the big O's has me calling this quilt Big Hugs and Kisses. The pattern did not have a name attached to it when I found it on Pinterest. I have worked hard on this for this this last week and my hands are paying the price. I knew I was overdoing but I wanted it done............ well it had to be done by November 1st . Its completed now and I can take a break and move onto other things. I have some Christmas projects on the go that I need to get working on.

Nessy and I finally made it to the bottom of the Thanksgiving stew/soup. It was good and long lasting. I tell you this little soup ladle makes me so happy. I cannot help but smile when I get her out and use her

She will be getting more of a work out in the coming days as we move into the soup and stew sort of weather. I do love fall and I love it more these days as the snow is gone again and we are more back to normal weather once again

Its not been all sunshine and roses. There was a fly in the ointment. Saturday when I was to meet The Hostess and Teddy Bear for an afternoon coffee, I discovered my front tire was as flat as flat could be. Thank goodness for modern technology. I texted both to see who wanted to give me a ride and I left the tire to be dealt with today. Any other time I would have had a melt down. The Hostess picked me up and Teddy Bear took charge of me after out lovely coffee was done. We did her errands and then she and I went out to supper. It was a lovely day which could have been so easily ruined by a screw in the tire.

Today CAA came and fixed it all before I knew what was happening and I am mobile once again. One phone call and my troubles are taken care of. I love it. I would have had more of a melt down if I had gone out Monday morning and made the discovery. That did not happen, it was found, dealt with and is behind me once again. I have had more than my fair share of flats in this last year. I am ready to move on.

I have more to tell but its going to have to wait for another day. Right now I need to have a little nap and then get into the kitchen to organize something for supper with left overs for lunch for the coming week. 

Toodles

Linda

Mother Nature's Little Bitch Fit

OMG Mother Nature needs a few new meds as she is getting more and more prone to pitching a legendary bitch fit. This weekend she picked on us and it was not pretty. It is seriously too early for these shenanigans. My area  did not get the worst by any means but enough to ground a lot of Thanksgiving weekend plans and send us all scuttling to our homes, to stay safe and warm. I was going to spend this weekend with family but called that off. I love to be with my family but not if it means travelling in horrible weather. Nights in the ditch in the winter are not my thing. We did manage No Cook but did not stay out as long as usual and we did not transfer from one place to another for coffee after supper. We coffeed at the restaurant.

Like I said we did not get the worst of it but it was nasty. These were taken Saturday morning. It continued to snow for the most of the day.

This last picture shows the snow that was stuck on vertical surfaces all over the place. This snow is so heavy and wet. It broke branches and all manner of things. Its perfect for snowman making. Boy if I could,I would have been out there making one.

I did however get the sidewalk shoveled........today............ at long last. Sigh. Spent more time fretting about it that it took to actually do it.

Probably if I had left it, it would have cleared itself by tomorrow but I needed to do it. I need to get used to doing this stuff. I have to push myself to do more, I cannot let this osteoarthritis in my knee and lower back win and rob me of all my mobility. So I am rather proud that I did it. Its such a little sidewalk but I can turn it into a mountain. Its one of my talents, molehills into mountains.

It so sad that my marigolds were still blooming when this happened.

It is a blessing that we did not get all the snow that other regions got. We did not loose power. Thank God for that. As for me there was sufficient food in the fridge to get me through the weekend. I had crafty things to do and enough housework to last the entire winter.

Time for show and tell. I got this finished for my friend's father:

I got caught up on my 52 blocks project:

Then I did this pretty for the silent auction at our upcoming scrapbooking weekend:

It was going to be snowman themed but being trapped inside, I had to shop the house and come up with stuff I had  on hand to make this. I did not get to the fabric store to get back and batting for the Safe and Warm quilt so I could not work on that. Stopping at the fabric store is on my list for tomorrow. To stop from going completely crazy I turned my attention to other things that needed doing.

Christmas is coming so I need to get at those things that I want to make for that. So many ideas racing around in my head. For others, for myself. It never ends, thank goodness!!

I have got the kitchen cleaned, the laundry done, the bed in the spare room is finally made with clean sheets, all ready for the next visitor. It took me forever to get that done. It amazing how easy it is for me to ignore that sort of thing.

Groceries will need to be ordered to day. That is usually done every second Friday but since the snow had nipped my Saturday plans in the bud, it was not done. Its getting to be like old Mother Hubbard's cupboard around here. I was really regretting the lack of yummy snacks in this house when the storm hit.

Today is more household chores, some computer things, finding a new craft project and folding up the last of the laundry. Nothing very spectacular.

I was invited out to Thanksgiving supper yesterday but I choose to stay home. It was celery stuffed with cheese whiz appetizers, Hamburger "clean out the fridge" stew/soup for main course and sliced apples with peanut butter for dessert. Not turkey and pumpkin pie but very tasty. I do regret the lack of pumpkin stuff this weekend. I had pumpkin spice marshmallows but I am saving them for when I have rice krispies. I have resolved to have canned pumpkin and cream cheese in the house before hand so I can make a pie or cheese cake if I need to. I could have roasted a chicken but the stew/soup made use of so many things that needed using up.

So that's what's been up with me this weekend. Snow, snow and more snow. Its stopped and is rapidly melting yesterday and today. I am not sad to see it go.

Happy Thanksgiving

Toodles
Linda

Sunday Stuff

Slow start to the morning but that is the norm at this house. I take the day of rest thing to heart. I know I have mentioned this before but Sunday is my day to sleep in. I get up late, have a big proper breakfast, bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns and coffee. Today I got breakfast cooked almost perfectly. I baked potatoes yesterday so I used some of them for hash browns and they are my favourite. Bacon nice a crispy, toast just golden, the eggs were a tad hard but on the whole I did good. I don't usually. Sometimes I rush and things get overdone or are underdone but today was perfect.

Right now I am sipping on my second cup of coffee and feeling a bit defeated. Back in the day I would have finished my breakfast, jumped in the car and headed to the big craft sale in town. I would have roamed the booths and gotten a million ideas, bought some stuff and had an old fashioned lemonade for sure. I can't do that anymore. Its way too much walking and I would never manage it. It makes me sad that these simple pleasures are out of my reach. So disheartening but really things could be so much worse for me. I can still manage, it just gets me down now and then to deal with the fact that my world has shrunk. That's all, I will get over it, I just like to indulge in a little pity party now and then .

I just realized I have no pictures for this blog post. Honestly not much has been happening this week. I was not feeling well for part of it so that limited any activity. Thankfully whatever it was has passed on and I am as normal as I ever am.

I can reuse some pictures since the relate to the blog

I am doing a lot of quilting right now. I have my friend's quilt to finish and then the one for the Safe and Warm raffle to get done. I have less than three weeks to get this accomplished. Not to mention I need to prep for my scrapbooking weekend and get something gathered/made for the silent auction we have there every year. The Banker and I usually do up a basket for that. She, of course, has her stuff ready and mine is still a tiny germ of a thought in my little brain. Sigh. It will all get done but I am at that stage where I feel overwhelmed by it all.

So there you go, I am feeling defeated and overwhelmed but breakfast was awesome. I am sure once the coffee kicks in I will be fine. Of course I will be fine, everyone has a wobble once in a while maybe I do more than I should but so far I have always worked my way out of it. 

For now I need to get back to the quilting hoops and get the last two rows quilted on my friends quilt. My goal it to finish this quilt today. A unattainable goal, maybe, maybe not, time will tell. I will, at some point need to go to the fabric store and get back and batting for the other quilt. I was going to do that  yesterday but it never happened. Once I sit and quilt, time seems to evaporate and I get nothing else done. It truly is my favourite thing to do.

Off I got to the hoops. I thought I needed to add one more a picture, even though its not related to the blog in the least. It makes me happy.

Toodles
Linda

I Caved

I was trying to hang in there until October 1 but Saturday morning I could not take it anymore. I folded like a house of cards and gave in. I turned the furnace on. This cold damp weather is too much for my old bones. I got out of bed and I was reminded of growing up in the railroad housing that my Dad got with his job. Ice cold everything so on went the heat. I don't have it cranked up but its on enough to take the chill off.

We have had rain, rain and more rain but at least its not snow, not yet anyway. Thank goodness for that. Staying on the weather theme in a way I have finally got the air conditioner out of the dining room window. The Banker and her Sweet Baboo came, removed it and got the window to shut. I am doing a total happy dance

It was in the window when I bought the house. It was old then, one of those super heavy wood panel things. It gave me ten fits to the square inch to turn it on. You could see sparks at the plug in. But now its gone and I can get a portable one for next year. I am amazed at how much more light there is in that room. The thing did not take up that much space I thought. They came, took it out, took it to the dump and except for the fact that the thing is no longer in the window, you would not know they were here. Once again my friends are too good to me.

I got an order for a single bed quilt for a friends father. She picked a simple pattern and I got the top sewn up in no time at all. Today I started to quilt it.

Its a brighter green and a brighter blue than the picture shows. I am not sure why it does not show up in a picture. Its more like the colours of my 52 blocks 52 weeks project

I am caught up again with them. Waiting patiently for next Tuesday for the next new pattern. I have so enjoyed this project

I was also pleased just recently, I had someone comment on my blog!! Thank you Janice. I have had someone comment before but its been so long I cannot remember when. I mostly write this blog for myself. I do know a few people read it but mostly its just an outlet for me to write out the things I want to remember, share and vent about. It was lovely to have someone take the time to read and to remark.

Of course this week when I would really like to be spectacular and entertaining I got nothing!!. I went to Downton Abbey the Movie twice. yes twice, because I cannot convince my friends to go all that the same time. I ate out three times and hardly poked my nose out of the door all weekend. I was sewing and quilting and that is my happy place.

Toodles
Linda

All Done

So I baked enough potatoes so I will have fried ones all week. I love fried potatoes. I cooked chicken breasts so I have sandwich meat for the week. I have bagels for breakfasts and I have a pork tenderloin roast taken out to cook at some point this week. I am rather proud, I have the food issue locked down for the first week back to work. This is something I struggle with at times. I would rather have someone else make the meals. I am a tad lazy in that area. When I say "tad" I mean I am totally lazy about meal planning.

So its back to work tomorrow. I did not get everything done that I had planned but I did get somethings done that I had not planned. It all balances out.

Busy's slippers are done

KitKat's slippers are done: they look grey but they are a dusty blue

I got the top put together for the Safe and Warm Raffle quilt

I got an order for a single bed quilt. I am happy about that. Its a simple pattern and I think its going to be very nice when I get it finished.

I crocheted a baby doll blanket:

And I started another one. I have not taken a picture of it yet.

I never did get the material to cover the kitchen chairs. I have to wait on that, the budget does not stretch to it this time. The funds had to be used for other things.

The Banker and I went for high tea

There were two lovely scones on the bottom plate but we devoured them before I thought to take a picture. They were delicious.

My hair did not get cut, I did not do any more purging and  there are a number of things that are still on the list. They will be dealt with in good time. I did get rid two of my old wooden chairs. The Banker's granddaughter decided she would take two of them. I am so very happy about that. I just have two left to do something with. The kitchen is still relatively tidy and I did get to a couple of appointments that I was glad to get done while I did not have to leave the office to do them. I did not forget to put the dumpsters out again this week. I forgot last week and they were full!!

I cannot and will not ever recover from how quickly these last two weeks have gone. I cannot talk about it. Its childish but I would rather just be at home. Its the same old song, we all know the words and the music. No need for me to keep harping on and on about it.

The Banker and Sweet Baboo are going to take the old air conditioner out of the dining room window at some point in time. He looked at it when they installed the light fixture and he feels he can get it out and get the window to shut. (That makes me happy). Next year I will look into getting a portable one for that room.

Some things are falling into place and somethings are falling apart. Life is normal. One day at a time and one foot in front of the other. Its all we can do.

Toodles
Linda

And With the Speed of Light

Ok I am already half way through my vacation, Its not fair!!! Yes, I am having a childish temper tantrum. A work week takes forever to move along but vacation time goes at warp speed. Yeesh. I am determined to make the best of the rest of the time I have.

So far its been lovely. I got to spend a few days with Busy and the Carpenter. Miss Mouse and Tater Tot came for supper and I got to give him his sign for his chicken coop. The Farmer is up to his neck in harvesting, it was not unexpected that he did not make it in.  I am please to say that Tater Tot loved his sign, made him fall over laughing.

I am not sure if it was the word "butt" or the word "nuggets" both he found super funny and that is what I was going or.

I had a great visit with the family. It was short but good. I actually don't mind the drive,yes its a long one but the roads are good and there are lots of places to stop.  It was so nice to get the quilt delivered to its forever home, to catch up on the news and spend some time together. The quilt looks good in its new home and they are both happy with it. That is all that matters.

I talk like I did the whole thing, don't I but I did not.  All I did was quilt it, Busy choose the colours and she did all the putting together of the top. She is good with picking out colours, that girl.

The Little Entertainer was going to come and stay with me for awhile on Saturday afternoon while the Nurse caught up on some paper work. That plan did not work out so I had to come up with a new schedule for the day. I did get my groceries earlier and had my breakfast on the veranda. (I am doing that as much as I can because the days are limited for that short of thing now.) I did not have thought as to what I would do with myself.

So I decided I would get at some more purging. I have a list of things that need to be purged and I felt that this was a good chance to  dip my toe in the water again. The kitchen hutch had had a going over, all but the three drawers. Good place to start so  I dove in head first and did them. Here are the obligatory before and after pictures.

The two small drawers:

So much stuff crammed into two tiny spaces! I truly do wonder why I keep these things. There was so much crap in the one you could not open it. I had to work, wiggle, shuffle, empty and swear a little to get that sucker out. Ok here is the after party:

I threw out an entire grocery bag of junk. Sooooo  nice to have that done. Next I moved onto the bigger drawer. Before:

I have not cleared out these drawers for probably 12 years. It was long past due. This space looks so much better now.

I found my old cigarette case and lighter. I have not smoked since 1995. No surprise to any one that knows me but I did not get rid of them. I kept them for fun. I always felt so so sophisticated when I would pull a cigarette out of that case. Its a habit I am proud and pleased to have beat.

Once I was done with them I parked myself in front of Netflix and I finished knitting the slippers for Busy. Not in time to get them to her on this trip but they will get delivered next time.

Today I got going on the ones that KitKat wants. I like the colour and she seems pleased with it. I like having a small project to work on while I have bigger things on the go. So between washing towels and clearing up after breakfast, I knit.

I need to get going on the Safe and Warm raffle quilt. I was looking today for a pattern. I had thought about buying material but I have so much material here, I think I am going to make a scrap quilt instead. 

KitKat dropped in for a visit and to show off her outfit that she got for a wedding she is going to . I love having company and chatting away on the veranda We spent a good couple of hours chitting and chatting. 

I had a lovely surprise when I got home on Thursday. Sweet Baboo and The Banker had installed my new dining room light. He had said he would do it and she has permission to go into my house if I am not home. I was so excited about it being up I took a picture of it in the worst possible light and then I tried to lighten it on the phone. Its not a good picture but you get the idea.

I love it, I love love love the Edison bulbs. Yes they are expensive but I really like the look and I really like the look of it with the clock. I am going to try an get a better picture but I was too excited to wait. I needed a picture to text to people RIGHT AWAY!!!!

I suppose I should get myself to bed. I have about had all the quality television I can take for the night. 

Toodles,

Linda

And its Fall

No gentle fading of summer this year, that bitch packed her bags and bolted out of here. Its FALL!!, I am not sad, fall is my favourite time of the year. It was just a very sudden change. I do hope that this season hangs around for a long time. Drags it all out so we do not have to deal with the white stuff too soon.

This has been a busy weekend,. I have been wishing I could be in two places at once but that never works out at all. Oh well we do what we can.

My lilacs bushes are GONE, the bed has been dug and now I just have to maintain it. Wish me luck with that.

Projects are being knocked off the list, left right and center. I finished KitKat' table runners. Two snowman runners done, dusted and delivered, Now I can get at working on the slippers that she wants and also a pair for Busy.

Next!! I did not take pictures of the whole gang together because Teddy Bear stopped in and I gave them to her before I had a chance. Trust me there were 5 of these and she was thrilled with them. If she wasn't she gave a very good performance. There were squeals, giggles and much gratitude.

I still am going to make one of these for myself. The complete one with the four buffalo on it. I was happy to have them finished so she has them to give away to her other friends in September. 

I have been sewing as well, doing mending for other people. My supervisor at work had one of her dogs eat two duvets and a duvet cover. SO I patched them up a good as I could for her.Man those little feathers get everywhere  Sewed up some seams in pant legs and applied patches to other assorted garments. I am sad to admit but this has become my new best friend when I am sewing.

I can no longer get the dang needle threaded without much cursing and sweating. This little do-dad saves me from all that. This getting older is just no fun in so many ways.

I had a lovely visit with the Nurse and the Little Entertainer. The Little Entertainer is not so little any more, she is 12 and turning into a gorgeous young lady. They made my Saturday. I love that they make a point of visiting when they can.

What else have I done over the last two weeks?? I have started to work on getting the craft room in order. Its a slow go but I am seeing progress. So here are a few before pictures

.And here are some afters:

Not totally perfect but progress!! I have done more but do not have the picture proof. You can actually walk from the door to the computer without taking your life in your hands. I also found homes for a ton of little things and put put all the embroidery thread in one place instead of being in all sorts of bags and boxes in eleventy million places. A lady on YouTube who resells stuff says "its not hoarding if you store it in a pretty box". Its my new motto. Pretty boxes here I come.

I finished up the little afghan that I made with yarn I got from Princess Diva's Mom. I think it will go to the women's shelter. I was thinking it was for a baby but its bigger than I anticipated. More a toddler or lap blanket'

I finally made it to Michael's. I have put off that trip for at least four weeks but I managed it this week.  I got some scrapbooking supplies, slipper yarn and because I have no control and it was buy one get one, I bought these. I LOVE fall stuff.

I cannot wait to get some mini pumpkins and fill up that wooden bowl. I think they will look adorable. There was so much stuff there I could have bought. For some reason I love pumpkins. I have already got too many pumpkins but I could so easily buy more. I restrained myself.

Anyone notice I did not mention cleaning the kitchen??? Well that is because its clean!! The table and counters are cleared off, the floor could use a wash but other than that its good. No garbage, no recycling, its a miracle!!

Not sure what I will do with the rest of my day. I have done some things on the computer that I have been putting off. I have had breakfast and I have done the blog post. I guess I should start the slippers.

Oh the best part of the week is I found my black handled fork. I have had this fork all my adult life. Mom got it on a bottle of dish liquid years ago. She got a fork and one spoon with this tapered handle. The Carpenter always claimed them as his. He left home and left them behind. I claimed them. I have found a knife, salad fork and another tiny spoon in thrift stores. I had an entire place setting and then I lost the dinner fork. It was missing for some time. I was brokenhearted. Then in the course of cleaning in the craft room  I FOUND IT!!!

SO HAPPY. Now if I could just find my project book and about a dozen other things that are missing in this house.

I hope are having a fun weekend

Toodles
Linda

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