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

Busy Times

 Its been some busy times these last few days. Its a bit of a change from the Covid routine. Sort of dipping a toe back into the life that was. Lets start with last Friday shall we? 

My scrapbooking weekend this past weekend. I wait all year for this weekend as it is something I really enjoy and I really like the people that I spend the time with. We could get into our room at noon so five of us (the no cooks) went for breakfast first. It was so much fun to go out for breakfast with some other people. My going out for breakfast for the last year and a half has been zipping through the McDonald's drive thru and heading home to eat in front of the Ipad.

We ate, giggled and then Teddy Bear left us as she does not scrapbook. The rest of the gang headed to our room and a weekend of fun fun fun.

We were a small group this time around. The Banker, The Sailor, KitKat and I. The Banker's sister and sister-in-law rounded out the group. Pre Covid we used to have 42 happy scrappers but the times have changed. There should have been two more of us but it just didn't work out. I managed to get 57 pages scrapbooked which took me from January to June 2021. Thank goodness for the kids, they are great scrapbooking fodder. If I had to depend on just me I could have knocked it out the first day.

This year I am trying to make some of my embellishments rather than buy them. So often I cannot find what I want. Stickers are wildly expensive as well. The Banker's sister does her own and she makes some really cute, lovely things. For example:

Not sure why the picture is sideways but moving on. I managed to make some things, I have a long way to go until I'm as good as she is but I am working on  it. It actually adds to the fun of the whole business, only if you like that sort of thing of course. Pinterest is a gold mine of embellishment ideas. 

We had three days of scrapbooking, ending with  the traditional Chinese food supper and then all home again. I really have to say I am so blessed to have good friends who are willing to help haul my stuff. Thanks to them I can participate. Scrapbooking is not for the weak, paper and the supplies are super heavy. I could do it myself but it would take me all weekend to get it out to the car. 

I did not do a lot on Monday, I actually had planned it that way.  Teddy Bear was over in the morning for coffee and a visit, The Banker came for our weekly date to watch Call the Midwife. Needless to say that took the biggest part of the day. My scrapbooking stuff is still sitting in the living room but I am starting to get it back to where it all belongs. I have some organizing to do before it all goes away.  The paper is in a terrible state and needs to get back in its proper places. 

Today I am getting off my lazy butt and starting to do things. Big morning this morning. I went for gas, I got breakfast, picked up my grocery order and got a Michaels order. Big DAY!! I am allowed to get breakfast out on the days that I go for a grocery pick up. Its something I love to do but its too costly and not exactly healthy but I do like the treat. I indulged an awful lot when I worked but now I have restricted myself.

I took out the garbage and the compost before I ran my errands. Post breakfast  I ran the dishwasher and washed up the extra dishes. gave the kitchen a bit of a tidy. Things had gotten out of control over the weekend as I just sort of was only in there to mess it up but not long enough to tidy up. I've had a chitchat with KitKat and now am blogging.  have some things to do in the yard but I will get at those tomorrow, not to mention the dreaded trip to the basement. Furnace filter needs to be tended to as the furnace is now kicking on. Yes its that time of year again.

Last weeks Christmas quilt block:

Its called a cup of coffee but I think hot chocolate would be more suited to a Christmas quilt. Oh my word I made a pig's ear of this block. I did so many things wrong that I finally ended up piecing tow narrow strips on either side to make it square. It was no fault of the pattern I just was having one of those days where nothing would  go correctly. I have decided I need to get a proper 1/4 inch presser foot for my machine. It would make things much better I think. I hope.

So today I got groceries and I had a mental moment when I realized something. My freezer is full, my pantry is full and the fridge is full. This is a blessing, its a good thing and I am so lucky that I am able to have this. So why do I have nothing to eat most of the time?? Well the thing is I have lots of ingredients, plenty of Mom food, but it all has some assembly required. I have to up my cooking game and get a grip on this situation. Does all this sound familiar? It probably does because I have been droning on and on about it for some time now.  What I wish is to somehow get a meal plan, magically, with little to no effort on my part and then I might stand a chance. The struggle is real people!! First world problems if there ever were any.

Toodles

Linda

Dreams

 My scrapbook weekend is coming up and I am so excited. Its a weekend I look foreward to each year. We have a good group and its lots of fun. I was very concerned that Covid would put an end to it but so far the rules are going to allow us to get together. I have been making lists and packing supplies for a while now. Today I actually started to move the supplies out to the front entry for easy loading, The worst part of this hobby is the equipment and paper is so freakin heavy. We have tote boxes and trolleys becase its not our first day at the rodeo. Thank goodness for the Banker, she helps me greatly to do the things I love to do.

The Christmas quilt is coming along. This week we have to make only one block. Last week it was two big blocks. Two stacks of presents.

I realized after I got them sewn up that the Santas in the biggest presents were upside down in several places. That has been corrected and Santa is no longer standing on his head. I am amazed that my box of Christmas fabric is still as full as it was when I started this project. You would think that I would be used to that happening by now but its always startles me.

I did some Amazon ordering lately. I have not done that for awhile but I ordered up a couple of things I wanted. I now have a five foot pencil Christmas tree  for the piggy ornaments. I will use it in the dining room. I, somehow. managed to throw out the top of my piggy tree two years ago. I don't know how or why I did it but I did. I decided I wanted a pencil tree to replace it but not one that was six or seven feet tall. Amazon was the only place I could find what I wanted in the size I want. I am very happy. I simply cannot survive one less that 6 Christmas trees. (Ok that even makes me laugh)

My other purchase was a book I started reading eight years ago. Twitch upon a Star, a biography of Elizabeth Montgomery. I was reading it on my kindle while I traveled to Ireland. I, then, read some more on my trip to the East coast.. I do not like reading on a kindle. I like an actual book. I have never finished the book and I want to finish it. I'm not even sure where my kindle is. Finally I broke down and actually ordered the book so I can get it read at long last. I just have to figure out where I left off or just simply start from the beginning. 

Not much else going on.  I have some toddler hats to make and I'm still kitting on the scrap afghan. I am slowly getting things out away upstairs. My project to find a home for things is still going on and I am still making headway. Its a slow and unsteady project. Raffle ticket sales have been good and steady. We need to get our book club up and going again, this means I need to get sending out some emails. Busy, busy, keeps me out of trouble. 

Toodles

Linda 

Me Again

 I have been watching podcasts, crafting podcasts and its a total rabbit hole. There are so many things I want to do and learn and try, my mind is spinning. There is not enough time in the day. I used to think that work was in my way but now I don't have that excuse and there still is not enough time in the day. Who knew there were so many different ways of doing familiar crafts and so many new things to try? The mind boggles.

Speaking of rabbit holes, I totally went down one last week when I got making lop ear bunnies. I made four blue and then I switched colours.

And I added cozy little scarves. So much fun but I did have to stop, I have other things that need to be tended too so I put the bunnies away for the moment. I still want to make one for myself.

This last weeks Christmas quilt block was very easy and not nearly all the little pieces as the Christmas lights..

I wish I would have fussy cut the snowman material but I am not going back and remaking the block. One of the quilters in the group pointed out that they look like they are playing peek-a-boo so that works for me. I just opened up this weeks block and its going to be fun. 

A friend has asked me to make some toddler hats again this year. I do animal themed winter hats for her nieces every year. I, of course, was convinced I had to order a lot of yarn for the project. I even got looking on line for what I "thought" I needed. Thankfully I got distracted and never placed the order. In my moment of chasing down shiny objects I went through some tote boxes. Long story short, after my snoop through the totes, I could cut my yarn order down from 6 balls to 1. When will I learn to shop the house first? I know that I cannot rely on my memory when it comes to my craft supplies. I can remember some but not all. I have promised myself that I will look first from now on instead of spending money on things I do not need.

In my snoop, I came across some material I had in a pile of stuff that I did not know what I was going to do with. Its not my favourite and it was given to me with some other material. Recently, I had seen a tutorial or making a very simple shopping bag that I wanted to try out. One of the stores here has bags that I do not like but I have some. I use these for those times when you may not get the bag back so you don't care. I decided to try the new pattern on this material that I am not overly fond of and then I can use the bags as ones I don't care if I get them back. This pattern is super easy and I will, for sure. make again

I had enough material to make two. The sides are done with French seams so they are nice and strong. I put the material to good use, I gave myself something to do and now I have two new bags to use. Excellent results in my opinion.

Thanksgiving came and went. It was a rather sad lonely weekend but I would rather my family be safe than sorry.

I made myself a nice meal. Crock-pot chicken and gravy with rice and yellow beans. I went to town and made a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. My meal looks a little grey but it was very tasty and the crock-pot chicken was very easy to make. The cheesecake was not as good as it should have been. I will try another recipe in the future because I really like pumpkin flavoured things. 

I spent Sunday and Monday being very lazy. I binged watched Netflix and knit for the best part of the days. I watched the entire season of Maid. I liked it but it was so sad to watch, I guess because I worked in that world for so many years I could understand the frustrating bureaucratic side of the story but it did not stop me from feeling for this poor woman. I also LOVED the ending. 

Something really good that has been happening to me lately, that I am very pleased with, is my blood sugars. They are excellent lately. So many things are not going all that great in the health and wellness department as I get older. Much to my annoyance, hings keep ceasing up and failing to function like they should. Not my sugars!!  My blood sugars are being stellar and make me do a happy dance everytime I test.

I started to knit a scrap blanket. Its was mindless knitting and easy to do while I watched tv on the weekend. Its going to use my scraps up once again. I always seem to have scraps, no matter how many scrap afghans I make.

Its going to be very warm and rather nice to look at if I do say so my self. 

Well  I think that is all for this time. The Banker is coming for coffee this afternoon and then on Thursday I am meeting a former work mate for coffee. BIG week for me.

Toodles

Linda

Trivia

 This is going to be a very random post because there is not a lot to chat about. Events are thin on the ground around this house these days. Thanksgiving is a no go and my scrapbooking weekend has not happened yet. Housework looses its reporting appeal after awhile. especially when it takes me forever to get anything done, Not to mention as we all know, it never ends, its always there needing to be done. Curses!!

Ok so what do I have to report?? Well one exciting thing, for me at least, is I am getting on with the Christmas shopping, I want to get it done sooner than later and I am doing rather well  I have 3/4s of the big gifts organised (as long as they are shipped in time) and am in hot pursuit of my exchange gift. I started nagging for suggestions yesterday. I also have a good start on the stocking stuffers. Some I had from last year that never got delivered and I have been beavering away making some others. I am actively looking for ideas at the moment. All in all I am very happy with my progress. Regardless of how things go for Christmas, (covid is still with us), I am going to have gifts to give.

Look at these!! Its getting to be the end of the growing season and the leaves are dropping like crazy, just look at what my marigolds doing?? Blooming their little heads off! They look better now than they did all summer. Crazy. It does make me happy though because I love those little yellow flowers flanking the sidewalk in my front yard. I had hoped to get them to self seed this year but I think I missed the boat on that. Oh well there is always next year.

The Christmas quilt is still ticking along. Last weeks block was a challenge! So many teeny tiny pieces and so many blocks to make. 12 blocks, each with 13 patches in each block. I like the finished product but I doubt I will ever make them again, at least not that small.

I have not pressed the block yet. I was not interested in hauling out the iron when I got them finished, Six little Christmas lights in each block. Each little light is a 3 1/2 by 6 1/2 inch block. I am still using material from my Christmas stash. I am thinking I maybe should have found some solid colours for this patch but its too late now. I am not redoing it.

I also have been busy making something else super cute this week. A friend asked me to make some bunny stuffies for her to use as a prize for a race she is organizing on Thanksgiving. The race is to  raise funds for a four year old boy who needs to travel to Florida for surgery on a benign brain tumor. His favourite toy is Hoppy the blue lop eared bunny. Thanks to Pinterest I fount the pattern for this guy

I think he is super cute and is pretty close to the original. Before I knew it there were bunny bits all over the living room. She needed four for the race,

These happy little guys are not very big and very easy to whip up, I got them all done last week with lots of time to spare

They are all made with the same pattern, by the same person and yet each one looks a little different and has its own personality. This pattern is definitely getting printed out and saved for future use. I almost think I need one for myself.

Last Friday the No Cooks had a lovely Chinese meal then finished off the evening with coffee and a campfire. The Sailor has a fire pit in her back yard and we have never had a chance to test it out. Covid and other commitments kept us away. So last Friday we finally got to sit around it and toast marshmallows. It was the best of evenings.

The weather was perfect. We hung out until after 10 which is always a good indication of how much fun we were having, Making the most of the last days of this lovely warm weather. Lets hope it hangs in there for some time to come.

Toodles

Linda