Monday 27 October 2014

Moody on a Monday

Best Friend was here for the weekend. We did a lot of talking, but then we always do. She and I can talk. We have known each other for years and we have yet to run out of stuff to chat about. We had a lazy weekend, stayed around the house mostly, watched tv and dvd's and talked. Its always good to see her. As usual the house is empty and quiet now she is gone. She left just before I headed out to work this morning.

So she left and I went to work and thereby another week started. I will be so happy when I am able to retire, and not have to face anther month end at my office. I am getting too old and tired to be playing this game anymore.

I spent most of today being cranky and out of sorts. I don't know if I need a vacation or a slap upside the head but I do need something. I cannot keep being this miserable and not doing anything about it. I think I need a miracle.

Right now I need to go and do some mending for some work friends. I sat down here to  blog and now I feel I have nothing to say. So I will go and sew, At least that will accomplish something.

I will be back when I am in a better mood.

Toodles
Linda

Tuesday 21 October 2014

A Whole Lot of Shoulding Going on Around Here

Best Friend is coming for the weekend. I should be tidying the house, I should be doing dishes and vacuuming, I should be doing a whole lot of things, and I should not be time wasting on the computer. Guess what I am doing??? Yep, getting way too up close and personal with a certain canine. I just do not feel like doing all the things I should be.

One big plus is the spare room she uses is pristine. Well, not pristine, but the sheets are fresh, the room is tidy and ready for company. The rest of the house, not so much, but her room is ready. I will scrub down the upstairs bathroom tonight before I go to bed, that is a promise to myself. I am also bagging up the garbage, so its not been a total waste of time. This blog post is going to be just random things though. because I am in that sort of a mood.

I have found someone who can make use of my flannelette scraps. I need to go through my stash and make up a bag of the bits to give to this lady. She makes sanitary pads for third world girls so they can attend school on the days they have their period. She is getting a bag of material from me. I have had so many hands up and help outs through my life time that I can never pay back, I now look for ways I can pay it forward. I need to give back for all I have been given in my life, things like this make me happy. I can help. Its a win win, I have found a good use for my scraps and those scrap can benefit someone. I like it when it works like that. I could be sorting material right now and yet I am blogging. Some days you just have to goof off.

I also have to face a sad sad fact in my life, I think I have to replace my ratty old black sweater. I love this old sweater. Its totally out of shape, its snagged, pilled, worn through in places, holey and ready to be retired. Sigh. I wear it an awful lot, as I keep the heat in my house rather low and it keeps me snuggly warm. I need to make a replacement. Its like having to part with a beloved friend. But my oh my its time. I think this sweater is over 20 years old. Its done its job, its time to say goodbye. I will get myself so yarn and make a new one. I wonder if I should make another black one or should I have a blue one, maybe red?? I will have to give it some thought. I only wear it around the house so it could be a rainbow for that matter. We will see what I come up with.

Well I  really should go do something.  Maybe I will sort that box of material as its sitting not three feet away from me and then I could free up some storage space for some of that Christmas material I just bought. God forbid I should have a bit of space in my house. Or maybe I will type up the book club email. Tomato Tomahto.

Toodles,
Linda



Sunday 19 October 2014

Dipping into the Craft Sale Circuit Again

The Banker, KitKat and I went to THE BIG ONE, today. Its a local craft sale that happens every fall and displays lots of lovely things made by local crafters. I managed to walk around without falling on my face which I was very grateful for. Thankfully they have chairs here and there that one can rest ones sore legs and knees. I picked up an application for a table for next year. I think the puppets and I will make another run at this craft sale thing. I was up most of last night thinking and rethinking the whole deal and I decided what the heck. I did well the one year I did do it and I know better what to make and how many this time.I have all this nice stuff to set up a booth with so I might as well make use of it. I think I will get my application in asap and give it a go for another year.

This is a picture from my first year doing the craft sale

We had a lovely time. We wandered about, bought a few things. I got something to give to the Teacher for Christmas (but I will need to add something to it), I got a stocking stuffer for the Tater Tot and I bought a fall door decoration for me. I SAW tons of things I would have loved to have, and tons of things I could make myself but I was happy with my purchases. KitKat stocked up on homemade soap and the Banker bought herself a really cool bracelet. I always come home from a craft sale full of inspiration and gung ho to get crafting!!

We left the sale and had lunch at the Banker's house, scarfing down leftovers from her family scrapbooking day on Saturday. Instead of heading home as we should have, we drank coffee and chatted until it was almost 6 o'clock. We decided that if we had any hope of doing anything today, we had better each had best scatter. The Banker needed to get up to her Sweet Baboo's place as they had a supper date. KitKat wanted to clean her house and I was noncommittal as to what I was going to be doing. I have many many things I could be doing but what I actually start doing is something else

So I am home, with no ambition to do much of anything. I need to make a pot of soup for next weeks lunch before the day is over. I have the quilt I was sewing last week ready to get started on the actual quilting. The backing is all washed and sewn up, ready to go. I would imagine that I will get that started tonight at some point. I don't have to make supper as we nibbled all afternoon. I really want to just have a nice little nap on the couch. I slept like crap last night. Too busy setting up the craft sale table next year. Between my overactive imagination and Mother Nature chucking hot flashes at me every hour on the hour, I got no sleep for any decent length of time. More like a series of cat naps. BLAH!!!!

Back to work tomorrow, crappity crap crap. I want to stay home and make stuff. I want to quilt and paint and create. Aw well some day. Right now I need to go get a pot of soup simmering.......... maybe just a little nap first.

Toodles,
Linda



Saturday 18 October 2014

Love a Good Garage Sale Bargain

So I was puttering around my house the other night, minding my business and not doing much of anything when Princess Diva called me. All I heard was "you have to get over here, lots of stuff, dirt cheap". Well somebody knows the way to my heart!! I booted it out the door and head out to where she was.

Apparently Princess Diva's sister is partners in a new business where if you are moving, they will pack up your stuff and organize a garage sale for what you don't want. This business gets them in on the ground floor of the good stuff. Princess Divas thought of me when she saw the material, stuffing and quilting magazines.

This is my haul:

This PILE of material, mostly Christmasy but some plain, and that entire rubbermaid container of seam binding and rickrack. The container came with the purchase and looks like new, most of the binding is still in the wrapper.


This entire bolt of polished cotton or some sort of light weight linen. Its good quality material and I see lots of future projects with it.


Three bags of stuffing (perfect for Puppets) two pillow forms and a crib sized quilt batt.


Ten like new quilt magazines, a pattern book for knitted children's sweaters, a punch bowl ladle ( I have lost mine and yes I do use the punch bowl, I loaned it out just this week in fact) a vintage picture frame, 6 balls of crochet cotton, 2 egg cups and some vintage baby cards. All this loot for $25.00. I am a happy happy bunny!! There was lots more there but I restrained myself. Oh id I had my cabin at the lake I would have snapped up a couple of lamps, some chairs and some cool melamine dishes. I would have taken the dishes regardless but someone got them before me. Pretty bright orange things they were.

Today I started to move the garden ornaments into the shed, for the first time in two years. I really have hope for myself, after yapping about doing it for so long I have finally got at it. I also managed to take two bags of knitted/crocheted squares to the local craft store. They take the squares, sew them together and donated them to a project called Blankets for Canada. I love this. I can use up my left over yarn and it goes to a really good cause. I have had these bags hanging around for a long time and finally they got donated. I also took a bag of clothes to the  donation bins. I have two new purge boxes in my kitchen to start to fill for donation to a charity shop. I need to keep working on the clear out. I have so much stuff in this house, some of it can go.

The rest of today will be laundry. I have quilt material to wash not to mention tea towels, cleaning rags, bath and hand towels that need to be done. I have a tea cozy to finish knitting and some Christmas projects to start on. I have three donation quilts to get working on. one other quilt ready to go into the quilting frames.  I want to make a fall table runner for myself and a couple more to make as Christmas gifts. Lots of fun things to do.

Tomorrow, The Banker, KitKat and I are going to the big local Craft sale. I am going to give it some serious thought if I will book a table for next years sale for the puppets. I have tonight to think about it. They book most of next years tables at the current sale. Busy has offered to help me and so has the Banker. Its not something you can really do on your own. I will give it some thought. The Banker and I did it one year and while it did not go so well for her, I did very well. Those little puppets of mine are a good seller. Lots of work but good little earners


"We aim to please Mama!"

Mostly I just hope I can walk around at the sale. I thought the magnesium was helping with the pain in my legs and it is but I am just so crippled up these days. I do not like this. I like to be able to get around and its really not at all easy to do lately. I don't know if its the weather, my arthritis or the fact that I am so out of shape. More than likely its a combo of it all added to it far to much of me to haul about. Wish me luck tomorrow, the Big Craft sale covers a lot of ground. I would hate to become a speed bump in the middle of the hall way.

Well I need to change out the laundry and get finishing that tea cozy so I can start something else. Hope you are having a good weekend!!

Toodles,
Linda






Monday 13 October 2014

Thankful for So Many Things

A person really does not need a special day to be thankful for all the wonderful things in their lives. We should be conscience of it each and every day. I try to be. It is nice to have a reminder once in a while that we should be thankful,

While I may moan and groan and carry on sometimes, I am very aware of how blessed I am. I am blessed with good friends, a good life and well too many things to list here. This weekend is a prime example of the blessing in my life. I have the No Cook Friday Group, whose company. laughter and support mean the world to me. They always start me out for the weekend on a good note. I spent Saturday working on a quilt top for someone else. This makes me feel good because it means I can help someone else.Helping out boosts how you feel about yourself.  Mommybug brought me a coat she found for me and its lovely. It tickles me that she thought of me. The coat is like new!! I had breakfast out with Teddy Bear this morning. When I came home after breakfast I found  the garden fairies had came back. They raked, mowed and tidied my yard for me. I appreciate that more than those three young girls and their Mama can ever know!!  Its just been a really good weekend. Blessings all round.

I got through 75% of my to do list this weekend, Some weekends I don't even hit the 50% mark on that list. Oh yes,  I finished my hot water bottle cozy. I had no pattern for this so I winged it and while I would make changes to another one but I am pleased with the results.


Made with yarn that was given to me it cost me nothing but a little bit of time. Now if I need to use the hot water bottle there will be no more wrapping it in a towel and then having the towel slip off, leaving that icky hot rubber stuck on you. BLECK!! Rubber may make some people happy but I don't like it!! 

I did not make it to the fabric store to get the last of the quilt supplies I need but I can do that sometime this week. I finished sorting, deleting and fussing with the pictures on my computer. Tomorrow I will pick up the first of the reprints that  I will be scrapbooking for my Maritime trip. I am making headway on the magazine,/paper purge that I started this weekend. I have a pile of magazines to donate, a pile to take to the office and some have hit the recycle bin. You can see the top of the dining table now and same goes for the kitchen table. Laundry is done, which is what was all over the kitchen table. I have a bag of clothes to donate and the dishes are done. Naps have been had and television has been watched.  I still have to make a pot of soup before the day is done but I will get at that later.

I am going to endeavor to cut down on my eating at the cafeteria at work. Time to stop talking about it and actually do it. Its crap food that is not at all good for you. Fats, fillers, processed, deep fried etc. Its a lazy habit to be eating there, time to stop it and make my self a decent lunch each day. I also need to stop picking up breakfast,. It getting out of control and I have to stop it. Financially and health wise its not a good plan. Maybe I'll make a pot of porridge along with that soup tonight.

I am so glad I got some jobs done this weekend, Its nice to see things improving around here. I have lots more to do but for now I am happy with what has taken place. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Toodles,
Linda


Sunday 12 October 2014

Thanksgiving Sunday

Who does not love a long weekend? An extra day of blissful freedom,  where you can putter and do and be as you please. Things did not work out this weekend so the family thing is not happening. Its ok. I am ok with staying home and fending for myself. Since I have managed to partake of turkey and all the fixin's twice this week, I have a lovely little pork roast roasting in the oven, veg and potatoes soon to get cooking and a nice piece of caramel pecan cheesecake for dessert. I am not being hard done by. I had invitations but I am fine this way. Not to mention that by staying home,  I can be in my comfy weekend clothes this way. I manage to look after my self, never fear, I take good care of me.

Its been a good weekend so far. I went for a few groceries yesterday morning, then came home, snarfed down breakfast and got working on this


Busy's sister has asked me to make a quilt for her daughter for Christmas. The favourite colour being pink, this is the result. I just need to add the black sashing to the edges and it will be ready to quilt. I love the way it looks. Pink and black are a dramatic colour combination. This pinterest pattern is a nice one. Its very easy to put together and give a lot of bang for the buck. I had the patches cut out and sewed the top in one sitting.

I have been sorting magazines, which I swear to God breed in the dark when I am not looking. I seem to have perpetual piles of them all over the house. I am sorting paper work AND magazines and trying to find the tops of the table in the dining room, the sewing room and part of the kitchen table. There is so much paper in this house. If I keep going at it I will conquer it in time. In between bouts of paper purging, I have done a spot of knitting


Not finished yet but its going to be a cozy for my hot water bottle if all goes well. Its being made from gifted yarn. I think I have mentioned before that I have tons of yarn in this house that has been given to me and I an determined to make use of it. I will post a finished picture. I have no pattern so I am making it up as I go along. And no I am not doing more crafts than purging......well yes I am but shut up!!

On my way to work the other day I found this little spot of colour in my garden and saw this little shot of pink. Its one determined little hollyhock bloom that is hanging  in in-spite of the frosts and cold and general death of all things green and colourful. GO little hollyhock, hang in there and have your moment to bloom!!!


She stands out like a little pink beacon of determination in a sea of dying green. I love it.

Laundry is chugging away. I have been working on moving the Pilot's wedding pictures from my phone to the computer. I am getting faster at all the clicking. Will this stop me from taking so many pictures? No. I will just be more prudent. I also ordered the first bundle of my vacation pictures in prep of the scrapbooking weekend.

So while  have not worked my self senseless this weekend, I am getting some things done. I am also relaxing and going some fun things too. I see a nap in my future on this day as well.

Mommybug brought me a coat last night. Its a lovely suede coat she found for $5.00 and she gave it to me. Do I not have the very best friends. It a nice jacket, just like new, I am rather excited about it.
I do have the most lovely, caring generous friends.

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, however you choose to spend it.

Toodles Linda



Tuesday 7 October 2014

Surprize I Am Posting Mid Week

Who knew I could actually post mid week. Actually its been a rather busy day and I can't seem to settle myself to do anything, so I thought what the heck.......... try a blog post.

I am still plowing my way through sorting the pictures on my computer. I have a plan, I have accomplished the majority of my sorting, I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I am grateful. I have the cutest little storage container to keep the USB sticks in. A little suitcase looking box, inside are the spare USB sticks and the ones that are starting to contain pictures. Soon it will have a label!!

USB Sticks that are being used are each in their own little brown bag and labeled accordingly. You can't see the labels because its none of your business but trust me they are labeled!!
One stick is labeled "a complete mess"  and needs to be worked on at a later date. I need to sort the pictures on it and put them into individual files. I will do this so  I have a hope of finding what I want in the future without pulling my hair out. This picture debacle  has been quite the adventure. Debacle it may have been but it has been a valuable lesson in keeping up with the picture organization.

Enough about pictures, I have started to work on the quilt top for Busy's niece. Its a Christmas gift and I will post a picture later when I have more of it put together. Right now I have all the blocks cut out and about a dozen of them sewn together. Its all kinds of pink with black trim. Its going to be nice.

I finally finally FINALLY finished my Ireland scrap books.



 I am going to put them away for a while because right now every time I look in them, I want to add and change things. Enough is enough. I canna do no more!!! Besides I need to get ordering pictures for the Maritime Malarkey. I had such a good time in the Maritimes. Going back is definitely on my bucket list. Preferably in the Autumn. I cannot imagine how beautiful it would be, with all those trees in their best and brightest party dresses.

On the home front I finally caved tonight and turned on the heat. I bought new slippers on Monday night as my toes were starting to turn blue in this house. I have been putting off turning on the heat for as long as I could and I may not have done so tonight but I had company for a while so I did not want him to freeze. ( disclaimer: this is the son of a friends so everyone close your mouths and move on. If the other thing is to be announce it will happen with much more fan fare than a blog post). I was helping him with some stuff on the computer.

So it was pot luck Thanksgiving lunch at work, I contributed a cheesecake, Then tonight it was supper out with Teddy Bear and Kit Kat.  Home to do computer tutor and now I have the rest of the evening to try and make myself do something. I think I should go and sew on the quilt for a bit.

Toodles!!
Linda

Sunday 5 October 2014

Snap Happy Once Again

So I charged up the camera battery with the long lost charger and the camera is working a treat. I think I may have been putting the battery in backwards before but WHATEVER, the camera turns on and works!! Little drunken monkey dance of joy done and then I downloaded the pictures on my camera to the computer. Complete joy for me, I can tell you. Now I can focus on getting the pictures sorted from the Maritime trip and get them printed off in anticipation of my scrap-booking weekend in November.

I am getting near the end of the incredible picture recovery. What a lot of work but the silver lining is I have a better system now. Things are sorted and being saved properly. I will stay on top of this from now on and hopefully never get myself into this mess again . My pictures are important to me and I hate the fact that I have lost some. Ah well live and learn the hard lessons.

The red cliffs and grey ocean of PEI


I can add pictures to my blog once again. Its all good.

Today is Sunday. I have a pot of beef stew simmering on the stove. I finally actually cooked something. I have been craving a beef stew for sometime. My Mama made the best. I found this recipe on the internet and am hoping it will turn out tasty. It smells yummy. I have been in such a slump lately, in my mind I want to do so much and in reality I do so little. Today, actually making a simple stew was a big step foreward, a step into getting me back into the land of the living, and doing.

Yesterday I did the usual Saturday stuff but I did more and walked further than I have been, My legs are much improved. I think now I need to get back to the walking track and build up some stamina. Been a bit of a lump since coming back from Ireland and its time to do something about it. Magnesium is my new wonder drug!!

Fall has taken a good hold on the world outside. The trees are nearly completely stripped of their leaves. The air is cold and damp and the world is getting grayer. Gone is that warm lovely light from the beginning of fall, winter is nipping at its heels. So I am inside and I am making stew and about to start an new quilt.

Not much else going on today or in my life. Its calm, normal and everyday. I am busy thinking of Busy's mom who is sick in hospital at the moment. Sending prayers her way that she gets better soon.

Toodles,

Linda