this and that

Not much happening around here lately. Although I have been having the best days, well inspite of the blood on the front of the house on Saturday, its been a really good week so far. Things are falling into place, everything is just going along, no major bumps in the road. It has been a really good last few days. I rather like this.

I am making lists for my vacation I have have two weeks and two days where I will be here, there and everywhere so I am trying to get a plan made. What I am going to be doing, what I will need to take with me when I do someplace. What I am going to accomplish while I am home here and have the time. Its coming together. I like that. Tomorrow night I am going to start getting the house in order so I can devote myself to other things rather than house work. Maybe the shed will get painted after all.

Busy's table runner is almost sewn together. I am thinking it should be done some time next week. I am so happy with it. I love the look of it and it looks like I will have enough material. Phew!!. I will be posting pictures when I am finished.

I am most looking foreward to a few days at the lake in J's cabin. I am gathering DVD's, CD's, books, magazines and crafts to enjoy while I am up there. Its not going to be a long stay but I intend to make the very most of it while I am there. I would really love to have a cabin of  my own. A little place on the water would be perfect!!

Well I am going to go and watch some tv. and clean the litter box. How exciting is that!!!!

Toodles,
Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

I sense you are taking my picture therefore I shall glare at you with my most annoyed  glare.

Another Sunday Already

Oh it has been a lovely weekend, I spent yesterday at the Lake with the Banker and  S. We found some garage sales, on our way to the lake. Once we got there we had a lovely lunch, meandered through the shops, walked out on the pier and watched the waves slap onto the shore. Then we stopped at a lovely second hand book store/gift shop/ coffee shop and had some seriously good coffee and yummy homemade tarts. We ran into Teddy Bear while there and she joined us for some shopping and visiting. Oh yes and general silliness. We do get giggly when we get together.

I had planned to start to paint the garden shed this day but I wore the wrong shoes yesterday and my ankles are letting me know about it today. I am gibbled. SO I think I shall stay sedentary today, sewing, knitting and tv watching. In general off my sore ankles as much as I can. I will paint the shed another day.

I had something unnerving happen yesterday. I discovered blood all over the front door of my house. I called the police and they checked their records and said it was nothing related to anything they knew of so it was safe to clean it up. I was not home when it happened and frankly I am a little glad that I was not. I took pictures of it just in case. I felt better after I called the police but I still wonder what the heck was happening. An accident, a fight, someone fleeing something, battered woman, hurt child. A thousand things have floated through my fertile imagination. I have not cleaned it up yet, I don't want to until I get some rubber gloves. I just want to be careful. Probably not necessary but I do want to. I will go today and get the gloves, I do not want to leave blood smears on my door and front gate indefinitely. It looks a little grizzly once you figure out what it is.

This morning I went to run an errand and found my car tire flat as a pancake. Screw nail set up housekeeping in my tire, the bastard. I had visions of having to buy an new tire, organize a trip to the garage, which caused me much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair. Bless CAA and there wonderful drivers. A very nice young man arrived, found the screw nail, removed it, plugged it up and put air in the tire. I am good to go once again. That is the second time in four days those gallant young man in the blue and white trucks have made my world a better place. Not to mention it did not cost me a penny. A blessing of incredible proportions in my world. I am a little hyper-tense about car problems lately. I have had my fill of them for a while.

So I should get myself geared up to go get some rubber gloves. Then come home and start the laundry. After that it will be a craft-tastic afternoon for me. I may actually finish sewing the top of Busy's table runner. That would be fabulous!!

I hope your Sunday is all that you want it to be.

Toodles,
Linda

A Little Weekend DIY

I decided since there is not much doing in my world this weekend I had the time to do a little DIY project for me. I have a million to do, it is just a matter of picking which one. Think, think, think ..........and decision made. I have this awkward little space in my kitchen and until I win the lottery and can rearrange the cupboards I am stuck with it. Not big enough to get at easily, basically just some wasted real estate.

awkward little space

I store things in that cupboard that I rarely use because its just so darn handy to get into and out of. Not to mention I have a small house and lots of stuff so I am always in need of more storage space. I thought that some sort of cart that would fit in this space, have wheels to move easily would fit the bill. So I went looking.

I found this little guy on a local shop and shop site. On sale for $5.00 it was the right size, had wheels and shelves for storage. Perfect! Home it came with me. I was not so happy with the fake wood look but I knew a little bit of paint would take care of that. One trip to a local recycling store that specializes in building materials provided  me with some tiles to cover the top. As it is sitting beside my stove the tiles will be easy clean and good for anything hot that I need to set someplace. Let the DIY begin.

I had to get a little creative with the top as I could not find tiles that would fit it exactly but luckily I had the little white tiles a friend gave me a long time ago and they filled in the blanks. 

before grout

                                                                                                 after grout

White paint made a big change to the base of the cart. I primed it first then used the left over from the livingroom trim paint to freshen it up. I was told this primer would stick to any surface no sanding needed but I have my doubts. Oh well time will tell and for now it looks so much better white than the wood look.

All done, painted, grouted and ready to work. Well not quite the paint has to cure and I will probably have to wipe of grout film a few more times but other than that its ready to go. My cheap little cart  looks much better in the kitchen now that is has had a face lift but then don't we all look better with a slap of paint?

I added a handle so I can pull it out easily and I added a hook to  have a place to hang my garbage bowl. (its a bowl I use to put food scraps in when I am cooking).  My kitchen aid mixer now has a proper home that allows me easy access. The shelves will hold other little appliances that I use almost daily but have no counter space for. All in all I think the whole thing cost me less than $20.00 to do. I can now cross this little project off of my list.

Awkward space no more

Toodles

Linda

Back to Work

So yesterday I ran some errands and then I hit the second hand stores because that is something I really really like to do and I had my car back and I just could. I did pick up a few things, not too many and nothing that I do not have a place to put it. I then spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the Funky Monkey Baby quilt. I delivered it to day and the new owner was seriously pleased with it. I mean who could not be happy with this little cutie???

So it was back to work this morning. Mornings of veranda sitting, coffee drinking, sewing afternoons are on hold once again. Its back to get me, gimme, I want, you have to, where's my cheque.....blah blah blah. I sometimes wonder if these people ever realize of how much we do for them? I doubt they will ever know because for some of them nothing you do is ever enough. But enough about that.

Its a short week this week, I am going to focus on that. Tomorrow then the weekend again. I really should have just taken the other two days off but I will save them for another time.

I can be back working on Busy's table runner and praying I have enough material to finish it. ARRGH, I am usually the one who buys too much material. What was I thinking??

Toodles,

Linda

Minutiae

Well the world has righted itself and all is well once again, I have my car back and its paid for and I can relax. I have always said there are two things I really cannot function without, one is the tv and the other is the car. Both of them are important to my  being a lot less than a complete basket case.

So far I have a day and a bit left of my vacation days. I have managed to busy myself whilst my wings were  clipped. I put aside the table runner for Busy for the moment and am currently working on one of the cutest baby quilts I have ever made. I cannot wait to share pictures which will be in a day or two. I just love it and I am thinking B will love it too. I may not have it ready to go to work on Thursday but I will get it done this week.

Last night all but two of the No Cook group went to see the latest Meryl Streep movie, Hope Springs. It was so good. I recommend going to see it. I loved the fact that they look like the people they are portraying. Wrinkles, flab and all. Nice to see normal looking people on screen playing their age. We went for coffee afterwards and then the Banker took me to Stupidstore for cat litter. An item that was getting to be of frantically desperate need in my house. I will have to be sure I have extra on hand in future, I can always feed her tuna if I run out of cat food but litter is another thing. She is so good to use her litter box I do not want her getting any other ideas.

This morning I sat on the veranda after breakfast and drank my coffee. Its such a lovely day today and veranda sitting is a perfect way to easy into the day. I have spent most of the rest of the day sewing on the quilt with a walk over to the local fabric store to pick up a bit more material and some fusible web. Fusible web seems to go missing in this house, I never seem to have any on hand. Then I went for may car, came home and struggled to order prints from the Birthday Bash on the Wallyworld photo site. We always have problems, that site and I. It never wants to upload all the pictures that I want it to. But after a struggle, I managed to get the photos I wanted uploaded and ordered. I will have prints to share on Friday. We are most of an age where we still like an actual picture.

Right how I am listening to the Best of Ed Sullivan on PBS and tripping down memory lane. Lots of really good music from my childhood on the tv. Makes me sing!!

Well I should get back to my quilt. I may have to post a picture of it before I quilt it just because it is so darn cute.

Toodles

Linda

PS

I got the top of the baby quilt sewn together today and I could not wait until it was quilted before I showed it off its so cute so here is the Funky Monkey Quilt

Close up of one monkey face, please ignore the thread hanging on his mouth, I missed trimming it off.

Cup cake center block. the pink and white cup cake top is made with polar fleece so its lovely and soft.

I cannot wait to get this little quilt quilted and ready to deliver.

Toodles!!

Monday Moment with Minou

Looks like somebody had too much tuna fish again!!

Paper Piecing Fun

I talked myself out of walking to the fabric store today but I have made a serious promise to myself that I will go tomorrow. I have a crib quilt to make and I cannot lollygag around about it anymore. I want to take it to work with me on Thursday so I need to make a supply run to the fabric store.

The reason I did not got today was because it gave me an excuse chance to keep working on Busy's runner. I am getting the hang of this paper piecing stuff and I am enjoying the learning of something new. In case you are remotely wondering what the heck I am talking about I will show you. I'll show you even if you aren't interested because I am enchanted with this simple process with the big results.

You start with a paper pattern, and you make photocopies of how every many you need to make all the blocks you need. This pattern needs 16, so I made 20 because I knew I would have some mistakes.








Then you cut a piece of material slightly larger that the corresponding area on the paper patter and pin it over the spot on the back of the pattern. Then you pin on another piece of material, flip the paper and sew down the black line on the front of the pattern.
Keep going until you have covered all the spots. It may be hard to understand and if you are really interested YouTube paper piecing. They have great tutorials.

Eventually you cover all the spots. Then you trim the edges and remove any pins. Flip your block over. One is supposed to press down each piece as you sew it but I am finding I am going along ok with finger pressing and pins. You need to trim seams as you go along or you get material bulk, like no bodies business.

Now rip the paper off the back. Because you have your stitch length so small this is easy. Like I said if you are really interested YouTube is sooo much better at the details than I am.

In the end you get a block that looks like this. Its time consuming but I have half the blocks made and I am getting much better. Less ripping back as I go along. I cannot wait to show off the finished item. I am seriously crossing my toes and fingers and any other appendages that I can think of that I have enough of the background material. There is more waste than I anticipated and I bought this material last year, in another province so it may be hard to find extra. Crap on a cracker. Think good thoughts.
Did I mention I bought the material before I got the pattern?? I am terribly clever like that. Anything to make my life easier I say!!

Toodles,
Linda

Friday Fun, Saturday Crap on a Cracker!!

On Friday night, the No Cook group celebrated all of our birthdays for the year on one night. One big bash for all for all of us instead of  seven different parties. We had a ball!! We are all at that wonderful age where we are supposed to be all mature and sensible but we are still young enough at heart to be silly and have plenty of fun anyway.

We have been No Cooking for almost three years now, Teddy Bear and I decided to start the group and it has been one of our most excellent ideas.  We go for supper at a restaurant we decided on the week before,  then after supper we go to Tim Hortons for coffee and laughing, then we go home.

We have even been scrapbooked! 

One of our number is missing from this picture but she was there for the party. 

The Banker played hostess and made the cake. She would not let us do anything, she planned it all. The candles represent approximately our collective ages.

We had streamers. balloons and fabulous paper flowers.

We dined on boiled  hot dogs, potato salad,and fruit punch with party hats and noise makers !! The cake had money in it like the birthday parties of our youth. It sounds so juvenile but it was so much fun. The Banker had little bags that we each got to pick and you had to wear with was inside. Most pertained to inside jokes that you had to be there to get but we all dissolved into fits of giggles over each and every one.We played games, like pin the tail on the donkey and  we had a scavenger hunt with a grab  bag at the end for everyone.  Licorice babies, blue whales, and jelly candies with a toy and a kinder egg.  Just so you do not think we have slid completely into our second childhood, we had some lovely wine too.



 We had presents of course. We set a price limit  of $10.00. We did that open/steal from someone else thing that you do at the office parties. Teddy Bear started us off because she won the Pin the Tail on the Donkey game.

We had lovely gifts and only one person stole. Mostly we were completely happy with what we opened.







T received not only a cake mix but some neat little kitchen gadgets. A got some coffee mixes and a lovely ceramic coffee mug, Teddy Bear got a coupon keeper, a note pad, journal, 2 knitted dishcloths and funky pen, J got a watch and a sparkly giraffe pin, S got fancy new lunch bag that looks like a cute purse. The Banker got an assortment of cocktail mixes and a pitcher to serve them in. I got a lovely picture of a girl in a meadow with some geese. I just need to figure out where to hang it.

Mostly we laughed and laughed and laughed

This was nearly an incident of pin the tail on the Banker.
The Banker was laughing so hard, nearly lost her hat!!

We laughed, we danced, we sang old songs, we watched Gnomeo and Juliet. We behaved like school girls and it was so much fun. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy this group of friends. I swear I do not know what I did without them!!

So much fun on Friday and then along came Saturday and reality leapt up and smacked me in the head. My car is overheating for some unknown reason. Something that came to light while I was stuck in the Tim's drive thru trying to get a breakfast sandwich. CRAP ON A CRACKER!!! Could be a problem with the fan as I was told by the nice young man at the gas station but I am going to have to get it onto the garage to find out for sure. NICE since I am currently on a mini vacation and have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off this week. I had plans, I had places I wanted to go and now I am grounded. I just hope I don't have to wait forever to get it in someplace. I am seriously wishing I had picked up cat food before the car went futz. I hate not having a working car, its such a lose of independence for me. Oh well, this too shall pass, but not before it takes a nice bite out of my finances and throws a wrench into my plans. I just pray to God this car is not turning into the biggest mistake purchase of my life.

So since I was trapped at home today, I spent most of it trying to settle myself into actually doing something and not pacing around the house like a caged animal, feeling sorry for myself and generally having a pout. I did manage to make laundry soap and finish off an order for 4 dishcloths. Then I finally got out the material for Busy's table runner. It is my first attempt at paper piecing and its slow going but here are my first two completed blocks.

I love the results, you get such nice crisp points and sharp lines. It takes awhile to get your mind wrapped around which line to sew down on the paper pattern but its worth it to get these lovely results

.
I cannot wait to see the finished runner and I will be sure to post pictures for everyone to see. I have to go to the fabric store tomorrow and get the material for a couple of crib quilts that need to be done. Thankfully it is only a couple of blocks from me so I can walk there. I do have to say that now that I have started this I will be working on it every chance I get just so I can see the end result. I see more of this way paper piecing malarkey in my future.

Toodles
Linda

This and That

Best Friend was here on Tuesday night, a stop over on her return trip from a family reunion with her husband's family. He got called to work so he could not attend, it was just Best Friend and her youngest daughter. They got here late, we talked until late/early into the morning. Then after a short sleep, we went out for breakfast and they headed off home and I hiked myself off to work. I loved to have them here and I was jealous when they left. I wanted to go to, I want to hit the road, I want to go here and there and everywhere. I want to be on the road, going somewhere, seeing loved ones and friends, doing anything but work.

Well since a road trip is not likely to be happening I did the next best thing. I took three days off next week and I am going to putter around the house, do as I please and see if I can't shake this restless mood. I plan to  take a 2 week break next month but for now I need a mini vaycay. I am sooooo looking foreward to these days off.

It will be interesting to see what will happen. Endless possibilities!!


Toodles
Linda

The To Do List

I have two bathrooms to clean which will really take no time at all and I will have accomplished all that I had on my "to do" list for this weekend. I rarely EVER get everything done on the list!! I am rather pleased with myself. There were 32 things on that list and all but two are done at the moment.

I finished the last of the dishcloths that I was knitting for myself. I had made a couple of place-mats a long time ago but I never used them. So I ripped them out and used the blue to make myself some new dishcloths. I have enough cotton to make another solid one but I decided 8 was enough for me. ( I did not knit all of these this weekend, I am good but not that good)

Today I was going to power wash the veranda but I was just too darn lazy to go get the power washer so I hosed it down instead. It still needs to be power washed but I will save it for another day. It looks tons better out there.  I finally put away the ladder that has been on my veranda since before Halloween last year when the neighbours borrowed it to decorate their house. I even weeded the flowerbeds and deadheaded the marigolds, at long last.

The kitchen is still clean and I am so happy about that. Well I need to go clean the main floor bathroom, and then watch some tv before I move upstairs to tackle that bathroom.

Toodles, Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Why are you still home? You are supposed to be at work on Mondays.

You are ruining my routine!!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

It was a lovely day today. I love my Sundays. I used to hate Sunday, I always found it depressing and sad and I always dreaded them. Its been so long since I felt that way I could not really tell you the exact reasons but I dreaded them. So a long long long time ago I decided to stop wasting my time hating them because it really was exhausting and change my feelings. Slowly I changed my point of view and now I love my Sundays. Day of rest, I embrace that. Sunday is my day to sleep in, my day to have a full on breakfast and my day to easy into the day with coffee, Coronation Street and no schedule. Well at least no schedule until after 12:00 pm unless I want to have a schedule.

I got up this morning around 10:00 am and had my bacon, eggs, toast and hash browns. Having devoured that,  I took my coffee and sat on the veranda for a spell. It was a perfect morning for veranda sitting. Gentle breezes rustled the leaves, the front yard dappled in shade. A pleasant drone of the occasional insect and birdsong float on the air. The traffic is next to nonexistent, so not even the sound of the odd car passing disturbs the peace of the morning. Warm, not hot, the breeze cool but not too cool. I could have stayed there all day but I didn't. I stayed to the end of the coffee pot and then I reluctantly got back at the to do list. It was a wonderful start to the day.  The kind of morning that unknots the shoulders, eases the mind and relaxes the soul. I relax all over again just remembering it.

Having drained the coffee pot, I moved on to actually doing some things. I made the trek to the basement. Its an adventure in my house, going to the basement. I do it as little as possible. Now I have the downspout hose attached to the corner of the house, (at last), a sure sign it may never rain again. I have the outside water tap turned on and all the things that needed to be hauled down to the basement have been hauled. Once that was done I made sure the kitchen was cleaned up and I was free to do whatever my heart desired.

I was going to start the table runner for Busy but as it is paper piecing I was not thinking ahead. I need to make copies of my pattern. I don't have a scanner any more and I have no money to pay for copies at a stationary store so I need to "borrow" the photocopier at work. No paper piecing for me today. Never lacking for a project I just moved down the list.  I cut out and drew up the blocks for a baby quilt I have been commissioned to make. I got right to work embroidering the characters onto the blocks. Remember how nice and tidy my sewing table was yesterday, well today it looks like this............normal.

Tomorrow is yard work day, laundry day and then I can get back at embroidering this baby quilt. Three day weekends are the best.

Toodles,
Linda

Strange Sightings

Not the sort you may be thinking of but certainly strange and highly elusive in this house. Do you remember this lovely sight?

Well today it looks like this:

Its is a rare and unusual sight in this house to actually see the the majority of the surface of my sewing table. Its more normal to see it looking like the first photo. Here is an even rarer sighting, something that happens so rarely that it warranted a photo op. 

This gentle reader is my kitchen table. What is remarkable about this you may ask, well let me enlighten you. There is absolutely NOTHING on it that should not be. You can sit at it and eat at it and not have to shove, push, and fight your way to the surface. It is that catch all surface in my house that usually ends up three feet deep totally covered with CRAP  very important stuff. Now if I can just keep it looking like this, well at least as reasonable as I can.

Yes, today I actually stayed home. I was out and about this morning for a very short time, popped in on Princess Diva  to peruse her collection of tiles. We are planning a day of mosaic tiling and we need to bulk up our supplies. Well I do, she has lots. She is going to the big city soon and she is going to check out their Re-Store for salvage tiles. She is going to buy me some. (She is a sweetie). I will be checking out our local Re-Store next weekend for tile possibilities. After her place, I got groceries and came home. 

Then it was a fun filled round of cleaning, tidying, scrubbing the litter box, washing towels, washing floors, washing garbage cans and knitting. I put my new red chairs into the sewing room and removed the old ones. One to the garbage and one to the shed. Do I know how to live it up around here or what?? I have to admit I would rather have been out and about again this Saturday but on must tend to things on the home front once in a while.

Tomorrow I hope to get to the flower beds and start a quilted table runner for Busy. She has waited patiently for it for ages and I really am eager to get at it. Its paper pieced and I have never done paper piecing. Nice to learn something new every now and then.

I am going to spend the rest of the evening knitting on my dishcloths. These are actually for me this time.

Toodles

Linda

Quiet Night In

It has been a quiet night here at the homestead. Did my usual, came home from work, had a nap/watched Young and the Restless. (Yes I started watching this soap again, shut up)  chatted on the phone with a couple of dear friends and made supper. Then I went crazy and cleaned up the kitchen, ran the dishwasher and bagged the garbage to take out in the morning. (Second week of the Quest and things are still looking pretty good.) I did a mending job for Teddy Bear and made up my "to do" list for the weekend. I usually do my list at work, during a quiet time but today there was no such thing.

The full moon and month end have combined this particular month and its more than a person can take. If only the general public that we deal with day after day knew what we really want to say to them, if only. But you can't, you have to be understanding, patient, polite and treat everyone with respect. Usually this is not hard but some days its nigh on impossible. You want to say "grow the hell up, and look after yourself", "the government is not your baby daddy", "I am not your Mother" or " You made those children, YOU need to step up, get a job, and care for them, financially if nothing else" but you can't. You chew your tongue and do your job and are so tired at the end of the day you just want to sit and stare at the wall. Oh well, this too shall pass. We will get through month end and things will settle down again for a moment until next month end and it will all go loopy again.

I am looking forward to the weekend, three days off will be lovely. No Cook Friday is what will get me through tomorrow and then the weekend will be the icing on the cake.

Toodles,
Linda

More Baby Blankets

I have managed to finish off two more baby blankets. Now that they are done I can move onto some quilt stuff this weekend. I just finished the edging on the green, white and yellow one tonight while I watched "The Way We Were". Its one of those movies that I have never seen the whole thing, I have seen bits and pieces but never the entire movie at one time. Even tonight I missed the beginning but I did see the majority of it. My how times have changed, there is the character played by Barbara Striesand, drinking and smoking her way through her pregnancy. I could hardly stand to watch it. I know it still happens but we are more enlightened now, thankfully.

I digress, back to the craft front. I took pictures of the finished blankets........wanna see???

The wavy one is sold and the other will be a gift. They are wonderfully soft and squishy, just right for brand new babies.  I like the wavy pattern, easy to knit, I will be making it again for sure.

Rapid subject change here. Over last weekend the Banker and I were discussing decorating and renovating as we often do and  we, well mostly she had a brilliant idea about what I could do in my kitchen. My counter top is done, but I do not have the cash to replace it. So I am now thinking seriously about painting it and THEN either putting bead board on the back splash or using tongue and groove pine, painted of course. I am really liking this idea. Painting is cheaper than a new counter top. When I replace the counter top I will be remodeling the cupboards as well so that is not gonna happen tomorrow. Ir I do this I will paint it a light colour so the scratches don't show up so badly and it will freshen the place. The current work surface is no longer able to come clean no matter how much it is scrubbed. Its done, served its purpose, we need to move on.

I like the idea she had for the back splash. I love bead board or tongue and groove. I like that look and I think it is in keeping with the character of the house. I am going to go on Saturday and price out the cost of the materials and see what colours the melamine paint comes in. It would not be a big job, I don't have that much counter top.

I may also see if I can find the right colour blue to paint my bedroom. I need to take my material and go to the paint place to find the right shade. Its harder than one would think. I have not stumbled on the one that says "Yes" to me. Who knew there could be so many shades of the same freakin colour???

Toodles,

Linda