Keepin' on Keepin on

Ok so I am slow at getting at my weekly blog post because I broke my computer. I was out of commission for a couple of days. Some days I am so much my father's daughter and this weekend I channeled his capacity to be rammy and not do things the way one should.  I was working in the craft room and I did something to the computer. The picture went black and the sound went off. So instead of unplugging the mouse cord from the front of the tower to check the connections at the back I laid it on its face with the mouse still plugged into the front. Long story short I was pushing on the plugs on the back and the something went snap. I bent the plug and the USB port. When I pulled the mouse cord out the USB port came with it. Crap, crap, crapity crap. Just when you think there cannot possibly be anything else  going wrong or needs to be fixed the powers that be say "hold my beer". I tried the other USB ports and nothing. So no mouse no computer. Results in a temper tantrum.

The Banker's daughter heard of my plight because I like to share my misery on facebook. She asked her son to come look at my computer for me. Well I think the universe knows I am close to snapping,  Grandson was able to get me up and running again. The first USB port is kaput but he got the thing to work in another one and I am on the interwebs once again. I am so happy and it did not cost me a dime which makes me even happier. Its nice to know people that know stuff.

This weekend was a continuation of the craft room purge. Remember this?

Well now it looks like this

The best thing is that I know what is in each of these boxes. I have made an inventory, the boxes have been numbered and the contents have been recorded in  this

Cute little book that matches the colours of the craft room. The S initial stands for stuff. Everything is written down in there and so when I want to find something, I will be able to look in the book and find it without ripping the room apart. This is a project I have wanted to do for a long time.

The walking area in the room is growing. Its fabulous but I still have a long way to go.

I will have to admit I had a snit when I broke the computer. Snit/tantrum .... potato/pohtatoo. I had to leave the craft room because I was tempted to smash the computer tower to bits, cause its all its fault not mine of course. So I sat in the living room and instead of just pouting I sorted my scrapbooking embellishments.

I am going to alphabetize them and write out some nice Martha Stewart labels. I found this accordion file when I was purging the room. I thought I had gotten rid but it showed up and now I have put it back to good use.

I made good use of my gift card from Michael's and a super good coupon and got myself some punches.  I wanted heart punches for some time. I also got  some extenders for the album posts. I have needed them for some time.  So happy with a good deal.

I paid less than half of what I would have paid full price. $45.00 worth of stuff for $19.50 sweet!!

So the craft room purge continues. I have finished my 2017 album with this last cute page.

The embellishments are sorting into categories and next I will do the printed papers. I have been knitting as well. I am trying to use up the last of the dishcloth yarn. I have a basket full of dishcloths and I don't need to make any more. I am not doing the craft sale so I don't need a stock pile of them but they are so darn easy and fun to make.

I have enough garbage to fill my dumpster three times, I have three boxes of donation stuff and I still have more to go. It feels so darn good to be getting this done. I just keep plugging along and bit by bit I can see that I am gaining ground. 

Toodels

Linda

The Purge of 2018

Like most people I start the new year with high hopes, new resolve to improve, get healthy, make changes and it all goes to hell about this time of the year. I am happy to say that while I am not doing as well in some aspects of my life, others are ticking along nicely.

The current thing I am most happy about is the great purge. I said that once I got the quilt done I was going to start on the craft room and danged if I didn't. I dove into the cupboard in the corner and went to work shredding documents and clearing out old records that are so outdated it is not even funny. I got started some time last week and I think I will be done tomorrow. Now to be fair, I have a small shredder and it overheats in minutes. Boxes like this

turned onto boxes like this

and bags like this began to show up in the dining room

I only had three bankers boxes full of stuff and believe me I was wishing for a burn barrel. But I have been happily filling bags with shredding since a bonfire in the back yard was not on the agenda and like I said I should be done by some point tomorrow. Then more magic happens. I get to turn this

into a proper organized, inventoried storage area full of things that I need to keep, use and have no real place to put at the moment. I cannot wait to get going on this space. My hope is to get some of the stuff that is taking up space on the floor in my craft room, can be put into this cupboard, out of the way and give me back my walking space.

So far I have found things I forgot I had. Decided there is more that can go and am just feeling so glad that I actually made myself get at this project. The house looks like a horrible mess but its got to get messy to get better. To know that it is headed to ward the getting better is the best.

I also had another little project asked of me. A co-worker has animals and right now his sheep are lambing. Newborn lamb ears are in danger of frostbite in this cold weather. My supervisor suggested to him that I could make something He asked and I thought I could. A little research and I was told lamb heads are about the size of a cat's head. I have cats I could do this. Google offered up no patterns so I went to work on making a pattern of my own.

 I made the first one and went looking for a model who was willing 

Lucy was not all that thrilled with being part of the new adventure. So I moved onto my tried and true partner. Desi to the rescue

He may not be happy about the deal but he tolerates me putting things on his head and I don't fear for my health as I sleep if I use him. Lucy would take you out in a heartbeat. Anyway this was the first trial and I got the top part to high. there is too much space at the top of the head,  it needs to fit tighter to the crown. SO onto prototype number 2.

I got the fit better this time round. Desi is so not happy because I woke him up out of a sound sleep to see the fit and he was a little miffed. A good belly rub and some chin scratches assuaged his snit, all was well with us once again. A 1/2 teaspoon of cheez whiz helped too. The fit was good and little lamb ears will now be warm and cozy.

I am so very pleased that I could help out. I have made him a half dozen so far. Two green, two gold and two black. I am using left over yarn which is great. 

Tomorrow is a holiday so no alarm clock for me on a Monday morning, complete bliss. I have another cold going, Had one over Christmas, now having another one. Ugg. But enough about my bad behavior. Tomorrow I will repeat what I have been doing most of this weekend. Shred, do a load of laundry, knit or crochet, more laundry then shred again. I work around the machine overheating.

This afternoon I took a break and went to see LadyBird with Teddy Bear. We went to the afternoon matinee at the university, then an early supper. She let me stop and pick up some things so I did not have to go out tomorrow if I did not wish to. Eggs and bread for breakfast, I am set. It was a very nice afternoon. I have such good friends and I do like spending time with them. The movie was good, odd but good.

Well I think I will sit and knit for a bit then head to bed. I have a "sleeping in" on the agenda for tomorrow and I can't wait.

Toodles

Linda

Pancakes for Supper

I like pancakes just once in a while and lately I have been craving them so I made pancakes and sausage for supper tonight. I didn't make soup, I didn't make porridge but I made pancakes. They really just are a syrup delivery system aren't they??

I have had a lovely weekend. Teddy Bear, KitKat, and I spent Saturday at the Banker's scrapbooking.

I am trying to finish the 2017 album that I worked on in November at our fun scrapbooking weekend.  I nearly have it finished. We had such a good day. Lots of laughs, lots of creativity. Its so good to have others around for this sort of thing. You exchange ideas, advise and you can show off your pages for approval or improvement suggestions or at times a complete re do because it doesn't look right.

we trade papers and use each others equipment. Its a lot of fun. 

 Today I continued on with the book. I am hoping to get it completely finished. Well at least as much as I can do. I need to get a couple of pictures printed and some embellishments and I am done. I have already started the list for this year's book.

Its just past supper time and I have not started the laundry, and the kitchen is a bit of a mess but the book will be finished by the end of the day. I will at least do one load of laundry before tomorrow. It will be nice to have pants to wear to work.

So that has been my weekend. Good friends and making stuff. I like it.

Now that the quilt is finished, this week I am going to start to purge all the old paper from this house, OId bills, old bank statements old crap that is taking up valuable real estate in my house. I want to find room to get some of the boxes off the floor in the craft room. I'd like to be able to walk in there without the fear of ending up trapped if I trip.This is part of the January purge that I got side tracked on but I am determined to do even if I am late.

So that is my weekend. I am trying not to focus on the fact that it is Monday tomorrow. Why do the weekends go by so fast.??? Aw well. I have next  Friday afternoon off and its a three day weekend  so its all really good.

Toodles
Linda

Ding Dong the Quilt is Done

Just needs a brushing and a washing and it will be ready to go to my friend's daughter's social and hopefully it will raise them some money. I am so tickled its done. I was late getting it started and I had visions of working on it til all hours the night before it was needed. However I surprised myself and got it done two weeks ahead of schedule. I am doing a bit of a happy dance. I had an audience as I got stuck in and spent the best part of the weekend with my needle. Apparently quilting as a spectator sport is super relaxing.

Next quilt on the docket is the one for my room. I am tired of not having the room finished so onto that quilt, even if I have no idea what I am doing past the center section. I will pray for inspiration as I go along. Once its done I may paint some of the furniture in my room but I have to give that some thought yet as to whether I will do it. Some thought also needs to be taken if I do just as to what will I do to it. So many possibilities.

For the now I am back to knitting dishcloths. I have orders for 20 of them that I acquired before Christmas. To date I have managed 6 of them and the blue one on the needles is number 7. Two hours to get one done so I can do two in a night if I wish. I don't usually do that, it gives my hands too much of a work out.  Oh yes and I made a couple of dinosaur puppets since Christmas as well. I even managed a new pattern for a different dinosaur. I thinks she is super cute but I wish now I had made her pink

Needless to say not much has happened here this weekend but quilting. I picked up my grocery order, went and put gas in the car then I came home and have not been out since. My other great accomplishment besides the quilt is the fact that I did roast a turkey today

I bought it for Thanksgiving and it never got put in the oven so I did it today. Its a little thing and its missing a leg but it cooked up nicely. At least now I have sandwich meat for a bit. It made a nice supper for me tonight too but I admit I am really looking forward to turkey buns next week.

Toodles
Linda

Life's mysteries and miracles

So I came home the other day, flipped on the tv and plopped myself down on the couch. Afghan and a big orange cat on my hip. My almost daily nap time. Yes I nap now, since I have moved into a certain age I find at the end of the day, I need some down time. It be honest I am beat So to the sturm and drang of the Young and the Restless, I drift off quickly and peacefully to sleep. I will sleep for a half hour or an hour and I am sure if I could roll over, I may never get up until morning. This little event has given me pause for thought.

Why is it that I can drit off so easily on the couch and yet in bed its a battle royale to head to the land of Nod? Well I think I have figured it out. Its the TV. The artificial noise and confusion on the box drowns out the noise and confusion in my head. With the box on, I can;t hear the roof that needs shingles, the fridge that is on it last legs, the car that needs its brakes tended to and the eye glasses that need to be replaced before I end up with a permanent squint. The bills, the prescriptions, the legs, the weight, the never ending list of things that need attention. The incessant chatter and worry dances round  inside my head like a pack of drunken monkeys. The tv drowns it out, I focus on something else and I can sleep. I am sure my life is no different than any other adult who lives pay to pay. I just was puzzled as to why sleeping on the couch was easy and in bed, I love my bed so its not that, is still a fight after all these years. Turns out my brain does not like to shut off.

Yesterday I held the tiniest little peanut of a human in my hands. So small, so perfect, so precious. Her little bum just fit into the palm of my hand and my fingers went all the way up her wee back to the base of her neck. Her delicate little head fit neatly into the palm of my other hand. A co-worker's granddaughter making her first visit to the office to be shown off and admired. The grand prize at the end of a dangerous and harrowing pregnancy/delivery. Just one little cuddle and one is reminded that miracles do happen, good things come along, the bad passes, life trundles along full of ups and downs. You need to savour the ups and with the bad, let go and let God. So delicate, so perfect, so unspoiled and full of promise.I don;t know just what exactly made me feel so at peace and in awe but I feel so much better after my brief encounter with that little miracle.

Back to the mudane, the bread and butter details of my life. My weekend was filled with quilting. Just one quick trip to Michaels and the rest of the time was needle, thread, thimble and hoops. I made great progress on the quilt and it will be done by this weekend if not before.

I am also busy making a new dinosaur puppet. Its been a while since I created a new puppet so its a bit of an adventure. I will share pictures once I am finished. Dishcloths are also on the needles so I have plenty to keep me going. The purging project has slowed because I am wanting to get the quilt finished but I have a list of things that will get a full body tackle once this quilt is done and dusted.

Sad news this week, Birthday Twin's husband lost his battle with cancer. I feel so sad for her. I would like to be with her but that was not in the cards. I have no vacation time left and could not afford the trip even if I could get off. So we text and I try my best to make her feel less alone and supported. Its hard but she knows I am there for her. Right now its all funeral and family visiting, his not her's. Her brother has opted not to attend. We will continue to text as she finds her new normal. Thank goodness for technology, at least we can stay in touch.

I am not whining, at least I do not intend to. I just need at times to write things out. It helps me process, get new perspective and its cathartic for me. I am finding my new normal in a way. We all have to as we age and our circumstances shift and change. I need to focus on the good, keep improving the me that is and be thankful for the many many blessings in my life. I am after all a work in progress.

Toodles
Linda

Company Came and Went

Best friend was here for the weekend. I was so happy to see her. It was a short visit but a good one none the less. She got here on Friday night for No Cook. Then we had Saturday to chat and visit and gossip and talk. This morning we went out for breakfast, she went to church, packed up her car and headed out to the next stop on her list of places to be.

The house is very quiet and empty after company leaves. I did have a list of things to do after she was gone but..........

I did next to nothing after she left. I made porridge for next week breakfast, cooked a roast and made rice crispy cake. Had a nap and went out at some point in all that craziness and got cat food and paper towels. My to do list is pushed off until next week.

Can you stand the pace??
Me either

Toodles,
Linda

Snippets and Random Stuff

I am not sure what it is, cabin fever? depression? the cold or what but I am out of sorts and restless. Avoiding reality but cannot find the right thing to distract me from the craptastic stuff I don't want to deal with. End result is its just random stuff in my blog post today, because I am feeling very random.

* I am out of something to read AGAIN. I bought a book for myself as a Christmas gift, a fairly good sized book and I devoured it in 4 evenings. Then I bought Jan Arden's book "Feeding my Mother" and that went in a couple of days. Now I am out of something new to read. Curses!! I am rereading the Outlander series just to have a book to read. Yes I have heard of the library but I have issues with that.

* I finally have started to take down the Christmas stuff. FINALLY

* I am doing a purging challenge for January and I am still on track. I can actually see spots of space on the counters in my sewing room. I am determined to keep this up and not drop out before the month is over

* Over the weekend I turned this:

Into this:

 Now I just need to get the backing so I can get quilting it.

* The Banker and Sweet Baboo are back home after a month away. I went for coffee at her place yesterday along with KitKat. Its nice to have her back.

* Its freakin' cold outside and I want it to go away. It does not need to be colder than 25 below or hotter than +25. Anything more than that is showing off

* I am making some scarves from excess yarn that I will donate, Gives me something to do, uses up yarn that may otherwise be wasted  and may keep someone warm.

* I found the perfect basket to keep my kerig pods in and best of all I found it in the house so it didn't cost me a thing. Also justifies my basket collecting

* I thought my pinched nerve was getting better, so I didn't take my pain meds for a couple of days. I was very wrong. The meds were apparently working and I was a twit to stop them. I am back on them now. Sigh.

* getting my hair cut tomorrow, thank goodness.

* I'm all out of nothing to tell.

Toodles,
Linda