Strange Times and Silver Linings

I had a entire blog post written last night, nearly finished and the screen flashed and poof it was gone, the whole pea picken thing, I was furious. So much so that I refused to redo it, I went to bed instead. Well it did not magically reappear so I guess I had best get over myself.

So I am not sure what I had written but it was lovely, I can tell you that. I will try and recreate it but its going to pale in comparisson

Video chatted with the family over the weekend. The Pilot set it up and it was awesome,. the Pilot, the Teacher, the Wee Girl and Sweet Pea, The Carpenter and Busy, Miss Mouse and Tater Tot along with me had a visit. It was so good to see everyone and catch up. Technology can be fantastic at times. I was tickled to be included.

My friends have been looking after me during these strange days. I have had small parcels and necesseties delivered to my veranda off and on, KitKat and I have had coffee together with her on one end of the veranda and me on the other. lots of texts and phone calls.  I am blessed blessed blessed with family that loves me and friends that are worth their weight in gold. Makes my life super easy.

I have been keeping busy but then I usually manage to keep myself entertained  on any given day. I fixed a table runner for a coworker, she could not figure out the binding. She gave it to me and it looked like this

I gave it back to her and it looked like this, I am glad I can use my years of quilting practice to help out someone else.

I got the bee put on the baby blanket that I made for a coworker although I have no idea when I will get it delivered

I think its cute.

The really big news around here is the roof is shingled. My neighbour took charge of the arrangements and it happened so fast I hardly knew what was going on but I am so pleased its done and paid for.

So so happy this is done. So happy my neighbour found someone willing to do the roof. Its a steep roof and a very cramped space, not the first choice of any roofer.

I had my first coffee on the veranda this weekend. It was cool but pleasant and I do love to sit out there in the morning and sip on a cup of coffee

I took in the pointsettias and put out the tulips and daisies. I am embracing this spring is coming thing with my whole heart

I have been knitting and I started a new quilt. I am playing with my new template. I am going to make Miss Mouse a quilt but I am doing a practice one first, So I am taking my inspiration from this
Orla Kiely print.

I am going to do something along that line and I got a good start on it yesterday

Nothing is pressed yet but I have a good start.

I have been knitting and poking away at the house work. The Banker and her Sweet Baboo are home at last and self isolating for 14 days but at least she is home again.

Thats it, trust me its not nearly as good as the first psot was but thats how things roll. Take care and stay safe.

Toodles
Linda

Social Distancing .... Nailed it

In this strange time where this virus has us all under its thumb, I think I have social distancing perfected. I usually go to the odd movie with a friend, KitKat and I go or supper once per week and of course the No Cooks observe our traditional weekly supper/coffee date on Friday. That is what I do and the rest of the time I mostly spend at home, I get groceries, I nip out to the odd secondhand store, a craft/fabric store now and then and to Shoppers Drug mart. In these days of being isolated, I have given up the going out, I still go shopping for necessities but not for fun. I stay home and do my thing and pray that people stay safe, that this strange situation passes and we can resume normal activities. I sort of live this life most of the time normally.

My work is considered an essential service so we will not close. Social assistance needs to be administered and we need to keep people looked after. We have made changes and taken steps for everyone's safety. We have limited public access. We have changed shifts and have moved to a call center format.

That is fun I can tell you. I have done two shifts on the phone and it is non stop. The minute the handset hits the cradle it rings again. Concerned questions, not necessary questions, demands, inquiries, questions about extra funding, inquiries over what we are doing and what is happening. People are scared and concerned and want to know there is someone there to listen, to help and to hear them no matter what they are asking about. We do three shifts, two of which are to man the phones and one to try to keep the assistance moving. Its wild because we are flying by the seat of our pants with solutions still being worked out. Its just taken our normal month end business and magnified it a great big bunch. We are now dealing with most of the province not just our little area. Fun times!!

So that is the new norm for these days and I have two more weeks of it. Then I will slip quietly into retirement. Its seems surreal

So this weekend I did not go out and get breakfast, I made my own at home. I could use some fruit, some eggs and bread but I am not to the point where I have nothing. I would just normally replace this stuff if things were normal but they are not.  I decided not to bother going out. I am good and its was child tax credit day of Friday so I figured families that depend on that money for groceries would need to be shopping far more than I. I can go another day.

I worked on the never ending cleaning of the kitchen. That kitchen is my arch enemy. It wins the battle far more than I do. I bagged garbage, loaded up the recycle bin, collected the compost and did the dishes as much as I could. I now have to get all of this hauled to the dumpsters. At this time of the year my back sidewalk becomes a skating rink. I park at the front because I am petrified of slipping and hurting myself. SO I have been known to put the stuff in the car and driving it round to the back. Its all such a big deal. Walking that many times back and forth to the car because I cannot carry much at one time, its just frustrating. It takes so long to get anything done. By the time you have the old mess out a new one has blossomed. Deep sigh of frustration.

Enough about my first world problems. I did get the next row sewn for my Row by Row Quilt as You Go sewn up. I have three rows done now and I think once I can get some backing for the quilt I will start the "quilt as you go method". I YouTubed it and I think it will be fun.

Its much bluer in person, and what looks cram in the photo is more pale yellow. I have not been able to get a good picture. I am very pleased with this quilt so far.

I finally took pictures of the two other completed quilts,

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I made chili, a big pot of it. Well I tried to make chili, it turned into more of a soup but whatever you want to call it, it made a big pot full. I did not have all the ingredients on hand for chili but I had enough to improvise. This little project cleaned up the veggies that were in the fridge on the verge of turning on me. Wasting food is even more of a sin and shame during these times. I let that happen way too much in this house. 

It may have an identity crisis but the stuff in this bowl is pretty darn tasty. Plus it kicks that "what will I have for lunch? supper?" out of the ball park for a while anyway. 

Today I have been doing laundry, knitting for the donation bag and watching tv. I have lots of stuff taped and there is always Netflix and YouTube. That will keep me entertained.  Book Club is on hold, No Cook Friday is on hold and for the most part we are staying home and doing as we should to help end the spread of this virus. 

So far I have been feeling fine, which I am beyond grateful for. My immune system is still crap and I seem to catch anything that is going around but so far so good. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this keeps up. 

Wash your hands, take care and stay safe. This too shall pass.

Toodles

Linda

Time Keeps On Slipping into My Future

This has been an odd month, one full of big decisions,  impending life changes, a change of season in my life. A chapter is closing and I am moving into a new phase. AT MY AGE!!  I have been excited, thrilled, scared and numb all at the same time. BUT like most major things in my life, I have made my decision, its gonna happen and I am just hanging on with all my faith placed in the fact that it will all work out. I will be fine. In short, in 18 days I will be retired. EEK and HALLELUJAH. Mentally I will be fine, financially ................. remains to be seen but time will tell. Time will tell.

Yesterday I was determined I was going to get lots done, and in one way for me I did. I went and got groceries, thanks to this stupid  virus panic I did not get all that I ordered but I got enough. I went to the drug store and got a few more things, eggs, bread, Kleenex, a bag of chips but NO TOILET PAPER. Everyone is in a mad hoarding frenzy on the toilet paper. I am fine, (not that you need to know but what the heck?), I am just at the point where I would normally add it to the grocery list. I have faith that I will find some at some point and if I don't I have a back up plan.  I am not going to share that tidbit just yet so let's get back to my day. I did my errands and then got my breakfast as per usual and then I headed home. 

The first thing I did was I did manage to finally get the numerous bags out of my trunk. It may not look like lots but the picture does not show them all. They have been in my trunk for  2 weeks or more!!

Well I needed my trunk for groceries. On my way to pick them up I stopped here

At long last my trunk looked, once more, like this, littered with my grocery bags.

It feels so good to get that done and to have made myself do it for myself. Very freeing. I need to do so much more. Work in progress that's me.

I got home and the plan was I was going to eat breakfast, put away groceries, quilt for a bit and then get some housework done. Quilts suck me into a black hole, maybe that is not the right way to express the situation. I go someplace where time is suspended and I am  totally in my happy place. I did do some dishes and hauled the recycling out to the dumpster but other than that, the day was gone and I had the quilt almost finished. (It got finished today)

The flimsy was passed onto me by Busy. Her mom made it and never got it finished. I have finally gotten around to taking care of the quilting of it. Today, I can happily let you know,  its all finished and just needs a bath to get the chalk marks off of it. 

I love the old fashioned scrappy look of it. What about the 52 blocks quilt?? Glad you asked, its all done too. It needs a bath as well and then I will take some better pictures of the entire quilts, both of them..

I even got the label sewn on. I am hoping she does a label for the new quilt project. Row by Row Quilt as You Go.

These are the first two rows of that project. The next row comes out on this Tuesday. I so enjoy these quilt projects. Its fun to be part of a group and see what everyone else it doing.

I have discovered the Missouri Star Quilt Company on YouTube. I LOVE THEM!!!  They have marvelous tutorials and they have stuff to help you quilt better. I treated myself to these:

Templates to make marvelous quilt blocks. They have a couple of tutorials on how to use them. I have a few plans already, using these, so stay tuned, you never know what may show up here. I cannot wait to get going on them. Oh the possibilities!!!

I have been busy getting all the details organized for my retirement. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that I am not going to have to work. I have waited for this my entire adult life, (ok to be honest since the second day of grade one) and now its gonna happen in a few days. I already have been making plans and thinking of schedules and routines, and on the other hand I cannot totally let myself enjoy this because I am still not 100 % sure that I have gotten here, to this point in my life.  So much change but I am, as I said earlier, I am hanging on and moving foreward inspite of all my fears and second thoughts. I have a goal and I am going for it come hell or high water.

Tally HO!!!!

Toodles,
Linda

Laundry is Complete

I finally finished the 9 zillion loads of laundry that I tackled this last week. Its a good thing because I am back to work on Monday. (moment of silence please) I am trying not to get myself into a knot about it all. It is what it is. Enough about that

I have been quilting, watching British crime dramas on Netflix and that is my happy place. My idea of fun fun fun. I do the odd household chore when I need a break and the rest of the time I am needle pulling thread. I should have this one done shortly. I have four more quilt tops waiting to be quilted and I have two others planned up in my head. Guess what I am gong to be doing the first while I am retired|??

I am dong the next facebook quilt project, Its row by row quilt as you go and each row comes out once a month. The first one is out and I had such a hard time to figure out the material. I thought about buying lovely co-ordinated material but I dismissed that rather sharply. Honestly my first impulse it to always BUY SOMETHING. I have loads of material in this house I do not need to buy more. So then do I do totally scrappy or do I pick a colour and use scraps from that? After much back and forth, I decided on blue with a touch of pale yellow.

Out came the totes and this is what I rooted out. I think it will make a decent quilt in the end. I sat down today and got the first row sewn up. Not sure yet how the quilt as you go thing works but I will figure it out or I will just make the top and quilt it at the end.

Only a portion of the row, and the usual bad lighting but you get the idea. I will find a way to take a picture of the whole thing and with better lighting and I will post that another time.

I have not got the textile recycling taken to the bins yet but it is all bagged up and ready to go. I have all the ;laundry folded and am transporting it upstairs as I can. Once it is up there I am actually putting it away. This is a big deal in this house. I have some issues with follow through and completion. I could use another week off. (Soon this will not be a problem). I will have to find other things to complain about.

I never went out this morning like I usually do on a Saturday. I stayed home because I had nothing that I really HAD to get. Breakfast is much better at home and cheaper too. So I did that. I made the coffee, cooked the food and stayed in my house. I plan to repeat this performance tomorrow as well.

Really I have not been out and about very much this entire last week. I have hunkered down, strapped myself to the washing machine and quilted to my hearts content. Its been wonderful. I never even went to the secondhand stores. Nothing I desperately need and I am getting better at not just buying everything that I think I want.  I have been making plans for being retired. I know I need to get on a schedule. It will not be good if I don't. I also need to be a little tighter with the funds. BUDGET!! its a word I need to embrace.

Not much else going on as usual. Its quiet and that's not a bad thing. I like it.

Toodles
Linda

Rockin' the Staycation

Last week went by in an exhausted blur. Last week before a week off, super busy at work, I was too pooped to pop by the time I got home.  Blogging was not high on the list. This week is much better. I am using up some of my last vacation days and am having a staycation. I would love to go somewhere but money is an object.  PLEASE do not get me wrong, staying home is one of my most favourite things to do. So I am not having a pity party, I am a happy bunny. I like being at home and I like being on my own schedule. I think I have mentioned that several thousand times.

Honestly its lovely to get up, do the things you choose to do. When the wind chill is -41 you can stay onside. Its fabulous. If you want to go out you can, during the day and not after work when everything is so busy.

Believe me I have been rockin' the staycation. It seems that I have done nothing but laundry. I started it on Monday and I am still working on it today. I am washing all the bedding on two beds from mattress covers to bed spreads, I am doing towels, cleaning rags and every item of clothing I think I own. I am sorting clothes to go to recycle and being the daughter of my dear Mom, I am washing it all first. My little dryer takes forever to dry big things so that is slowing down the process but its getting done and that is the best thing.

I made a list of things to do while I was off this week but I seriously over estimated my energy level so needless to say I have not even accomplished half of it. Some has been done, some will be done and some will keep til a later date.

On this last weekend I was so stiff and sore. I felt like someone had been using my legs and back for batting practice. I did not do a lot of moving around but I did knit I worked on my donation project.

I now have five hats and five scarves knit up. I have not even dented my yarn stash but its fun to do and keeps me busy. The Safe and Warm shelter will  be glad of them as well.

I managed to get to Fabric land and got the material for the back of my quilt. I got that washed and yesterday I settled in to  begin to quilt it.

The next Facebook quilt project came out on Tuesday and since I think I will do it as well, I need to get this one finished. Quilting is a most beloved pass time. Find a Netflix series to binge watch and I am as content as can be.

Other than this not much is happening around here. Crafty things, lots of laundry and the odd bit of housework. Same old same old.

Toodles,
Linda

Scraptastic Weekend

I was getting my scrap on this Saturday with KitKat and The Sailor. The Banker was to be with us but sadly her father-in law passed away and she had to go with her Sweet Baboo to tend to family things. Its what you do for the ones you love. We missed her. We had a fun weekend.

Road trips with friends mostly always a good time. When you are spending the day doing something you all enjoy its a win win situation. Thankfully I have friends that will help me haul my stuff. Scrapbbooking is not a very easily transported hobby. I got my stuff pared down as much as I possibly could and it was still a ton of stuff. Last weekend I picked out all my paper, tried to take a little as possible but it was still two Ikea bags, and three other smaller containers. Its just so much fun though. We went from 10:00 am to 9:30 pm. Its $35.00 for the day and you get snacks and lunch with coffee provided.We buy are own supper but really is a pretty reasonable price for an entire day of entertainment.

But as I said I am blessed and the other two helped haul my stuff and I could be part of the fun. I would not trade this circle for anything. In no time at all they had us all in and we were set up and ready to scrap. I usually bring some snacks of my own and I was very proud on myself that I finally got smart and went the healthy route. Grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and cheese. I usually ingest far too much sugar at these events. I have decided to knock that off. I feel so much better today for not having eaten my body weight in sweet things.

I almost got my 2019 album finished. I have to print out a few pictures and get some embellishments and I will be done. I have already started to gather stuff for my 2020 album. I will get it the last of 2019 all done when I am off on vacation this month. I have a number of crafty projects to tend to on the week away from work.

BIG BIG NEWS for me!!! I gave my official retirement date this last week. Its terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I cannot wrap my head around not having to go to work each day. I have worked steady since I was 18 and I am so looking forward to being in charge of my own time. I just hope I can afford to continue to stay at home. Time will tell.

So I have a countdown app activated on my phone and I take great joy in checking it out everyday. So many things I think "oh I have to book that day off work" or I have to figure out when I want vacation and I don't have to do that anymore. I can go to visit my family in the middle of the week if I wish. Its all a learning curve. The habits of a lifetime are being changed.

Not much else is happening around here. The usual, work, out for suppers twice a week, once with KitKat and once with the No Cooks. Errands, housework, crafty stuff, you know the usual. One thing that is a positive, I am at long last purging the closet and bagging up the clothes that are no longer fit for public usage to be sent to the textile recycling program. I have two bags so far and more to come. Its long past being needed to be done and it feels good to be getting this stuff out of the house.

I have five quilt tops that need to be turned into quilts. I thought it was only three but there are more. I have lots of yarn that needs to be turned into warm things for donation to the safe and warm program. I have an entire house that needs a serious cleaning so I expect I will manage to keep myself busy.

I am looking forward to my upcoming week of staycation but then when am I not looking foreward to not be working? Soon soon soon that is all gonna change. Squeee

Well I hear the couch calling my name for my regular Sunday afternoon nap. Oh I love a good nap.

Toodles
Linda

Anybody Out There??

Feels like I have not posted in ages!! Time has gotten away from me but what else is new. I have the best of intentions and all I am doing is paving hell's highway. So now that I have decided to post I have to make myself remember what the heck has happened around here since I was last in contact.

This may be very random because that's how my mind works these days. First of all I got the top of my 52blocks52weeks quilt. I am not sure when its gonna get quilted but I have it done. Its bigger than I thought it was going to be but I am very pleased with the results.

Its not the best picture and I will get a better one at some point. When I took it I realized there are two blocks in the middle that are lacking some black in them. Well that sort of thing bothers me so I had to correct it. I am much happier with this now

I have so enjoyed this project. The next one is a quilt as you go row by row and I think I am going to take part in that one too.

What else? I spent some time on a Saturday purging out the pantry. I had things in there that were so old they had turned solid so out it went. It also went if I could not identify it, I was not gonna eat it if I had no idea what it was. Its a good rule I think.

. 

Here we go with the before:

and the lovely after

Much better and I have a lot of empty container that I can use for food stuff that I may actually make use of. I am not going to be buying things that I think I will use but actually don't. Reduce, reuse, recycle is becoming more and more important in this house.  I have learned how to use my own grocery bags when I use PC Express. I am getting better at using my own bags when I do other shopping. I am breaking my habit of using plastic bags for lots of things and if I do, I will use them for more than just one job.

Best Friend came for a visit this last weekend. It was a super short visit but we packed a lot into the brief time she was here. Good woman that she is she shoveled my sidewalk for me and hauled a ton of recycling out to the bin. 

I have mentioned it many times but I have very good friends who are super kind to me. The weekend was spent talking, laughing, talking, giggling and then she had to go home. I am hoping that the next time she comes to visit she can stay a little longer. 

The No Cook group had a games night at the Sailor's house. It was such fun. We ordered in pizza and played board games until it was very late. We are more like 12 year olds that grown women. Its the best thing in the world, to still be able to be silly. Life goes better with a sense of humor.

The Christmas things are put away, the trees are into the basement once again, thanks to the Banker. I am impressed with myself. Putting away is not my strong suit.

 I have three quilt tops that I need to get quilted. One of them is a remake for The Nurse. Her aunty made the quilt for her and the back wore out so I am going to redo it for her. It means a lot to her so I am more than happy to make it up for her. 

I have continued to work on scarves for donation and I am going to start to add toques to the donation mix as well. I have a fair amount of yarn that needs to be used up and this is a good way to do it. I am also making some baby blankets to be given as gifts. I have one done and another started. I will post pictures when they are finished. I doubt the recipients read this.

I want to start my applique quilt and there is a list a mile long of all the want to do's.

That is all I can think of for now. Hopefully its not so long before I post again 

Toodles

Linda