Day Two Part Deux

I had a burst of energy later on in the evening and I finally got the DVD cabinet put together. It is not what I truly want but right at the moment paying someone to build me the cabinet I want is not do-able. So this is my substitute that I got at Canadian Tire for $30.00. So here is the before and after shots.

This little blue and white cabinet has been all over the house. It was purchased ant Eaton's and I love it, it is great for storage but it totally does not match anything in the living room. It is mearly there to hold things while I looked for something to take its place. That would be this

I will be making a curtain to hid the bottom three shelves.

In time I will get a cabinet made with doors and such, deeper shelves and a little taller but until I can afford to pay someone to make it, this will do. It was my thrifty purchase at Canadian Tire for $30.00 and it holds all the things I need it to hold. I will spend some time rearranging things on it until I get it to feel right. I am just glad to have it up and filled. 

The blue and white cabinet will be moved upstairs. To be honest I have not really got the space for it but I cannot part with it. So it will go somewhere upstairs. I wish I could fit it into the kitchen but I just can't. It holds a  ton of stuff for being such a little cabinet.

I also managed to finish a poncho I was knitting for a co-worker.

It looks a little wild in the picture but in person it is not that wild. Once again my mad photography skilz are making themselves known. It has cables

You can sort of see them in this picture. I am so happy to have this finished to give to her. She is going to be in town on Saturday so the pressure was on. It took me longer to knit than I anticipated. No pattern, just another poncho to go by. I hope she likes it.

Well I need to go to bed, correction, I need to go make my bed so I can go to bed. I washed all the bedding, mattress cover included today. So I will be crawling into a lovely clean bed. One of my favorite things to do is be fresh out of the shower, clean as can be and then slip into a fresh clean bed. Its an incredible feeling. 

Well there we go, two blog posts in one day. Yikes!! 

Toodles,

Linda

Day Two

So far I have done little to nothing on my "To Do" list. I have at least got my house cleaned and the laundry done, towels, linens and clothes. I have finished another scrap afghan that will go into the donation pile. This bright, happy blanket was made from leftovers and yarn that has been give to me. I still have a ton more and I am going to start on another donation afghan, now that I have finished this one. They will go to the local Women's Shelter.

I was going to spend the day making felt animals but that did not happen. I decided I was so close to finishing this blanket that I just stayed at it and now its done. The felt animals will happen another day. I also managed to sort out the household filing that should have been done in January. It feels good to have it taken care of. I can see the tops of the work counters in my sewing room again. They are no longer littered with paperwork.

I also purged a small chest of drawers in my green bedroom. I discarded and donated my way from four stuffed to the brim drawers down to three empty and one full. I am pleased with that. Now I just need to keep up the momentum and tackle another corner of the house. So many stuffed corners to be dealt with.
Tonight before I go to bed I am going through my books and getting rid of the ones I know I will not read again. I refuse to add more bookcases to my bedroom. I need to keep the stash down to the four that are in there. I love books, so I keep bringing more home. New ones come in and some old need to go out.

I still have not put together the new pantry and the dvd stand I bought two weeks ago. I start out the morning with such ambition and then by the afternoon, I get so lazy, I don't do half of what I want to do. I don't know what is up with me.

I had a surprise the other day, I am going to be having company this weekend. The Nurse and her daughter the Entertainer are coming for the weekend. I am looking foreward to it, they have not stayed here before even though I have known the Nurse since she was a wee little girl. So they will be here this weekend, supposed to be arriving on Friday and leaving on Monday. The Nurse has an uncle here in town but he has remarried, and while they are very nice, its not the same as it was before. The new Aunty is a wonderful lady, very nice but she is not the old fun loving Aunty who doted on the Nurse and whom the Nurse thought hung the moon. So last time we talked I told her she was welcome to stay here anytime. She is taking me up on my offer this weekend. I am glad she has stayed in touch after all the changes that have taken place over the last few years.

Well I need to go change the laundry, then maybe do something on my List before the day is done.

Toodles,

Linda

First Day of Vacay

Oh it is wonderful to wake in the morning without the alarm clock blaring in your ear, just the sound of the neighbour's dog barking its head off. At least it was 9:00 am before that happened. So I am up, showered, minty fresh and ready for the day. I have had my breakfast, eggs, english muffins and fresh strawberries and a nice hot cup if tea. Now I am ready to start my day. I am going to linger to watch a bit of the View just to remind myself that I find them talking over each other annoying then I am off to run some errands.

There is not much exciting on the agenda today. I am going to do my errands then I am coming back here to clean the house. It needs a right good tidying up and its gonna get it today. Vacuum, floors washed, dishes, dust and all the garbage, recycle and compost hauled out. Long past time that all this needs to be done.

The View is on, I am going to watch a little and then finish my tea. Have a nice day everyone.

Toodles,
Linda

Sunday Spin Class

Oh don't faint, I am not talking about that sort of spin class although I probably  should look into something like that too . No I am talking spinning wheels, wool, fiber, weaving. looms and like minded women spending a fun day together in fibery mayhem. I love these sort of days. There is a fantastic energy that you get when you spend time with creative people. I love that feeling. Creating is such an important part of my life, and I get so much from spending time with other people who share my interests.

 I am also so pleased I could pee my pants that my trouble with catching onto spinning was not all me. My wheel needed some work AND it is not the best to work with. I thought it might be but I am such a novice at this craft that I could not say for sure, I was thinking it was me and I was not going to get the hang of it. I have it on authority some of it was the wheel because two of the ladies there this afternoon are spinning magicians and they both agreed about my wheel. Whew..... I am not a dud at this spinning malarkey. SQEEEEEE.

Anyhoo, P's wonderfully handy husband gave my wheel an overhaul and it works 95% better than it was. I now just have to practise spinning like you do with any craft, to refine and finesse my product. Its so much fun. I love the magic of taking raw wool and it flows into yarn that can be knit into all manner of wonderful stuff.

These crafty days always see me coming home with a head full of ideas and totally pumped up with the energy to do a million things. There is not time in the day to do all I want to do, oh heck I am not going to live long enough to do all I want to do. I am itching to spin yards and miles of wool, dye it or not and knit it into fabulous things. I want to crochet all sorts of lovely stuff, I want to weave shawls and blankets, table runners and rugs not to mention the quilts that are dancing through my head. Don't get me started on the quilts. Sigh, oh for a 48 hour day and the energy to do everything I need to do and craft on top of it all.

Speaking of craft,  have been making puppets like mad again. Seven for the winter festival and six for a co=worker. Then I need to get a zillion more made for the local university. Most have been repeat patterns but I do have two new puppets to add to the family. A monkey and a beluga whale. They do not have names yet but here are the newest babies to be added to the family. I would like to make mention that my puppets are much cuter in person than they are in photos. Most likely its my mad photography skilz that are responsible for this but hey I am all I have to work with so I just have to deal.

 Beluga

 Monkey

Beluga whale, monkey, turtle, porcupine. pig and tiger

This little group of six is going to work with me tomorrow and off to be baby gifts for the co-worker as her family is having a baby boom this year, (including her). She just announced her pregnancy this week. I think there may be more puppets required but I am good with that, if she wants some for herself.  I am hoping to turn these little dudes into a new microwave for me. I think that is a great idea. These little critters have been a pot of gold for me. When I finish the orders I currently have I will have made 693 of these little puppets. This makes my head swim, don't know how I did all that  but I have loved every minute of it and the extra cash is a great help.

Well its nearly time for supper and I think I should go hunt up something to eat. Oh I have has such a good day!! I am going to crochet the evening away, making a scrap afghan for the local women's shelter.

Toodles,

Linda

Mid Week Musings

I hate that expression Hump Day, my nasty little minds sees all sorts of unspeakable images whenever I hear it so I prefer midweek. Much more refined!!

Best Friend was here for the weekend and then she headed back to hearth and home on Monday morning after we had breakfast. We had a wonderful weekend as we always do when we get together. The time was too short and the house felt so lonely after she left. I have had people say "what are you talking about? you only have company for such a short time, how can it be lonely?" Well it is, its like when someone suddenly calls attention to  something you have been tolerating for ever and then suddenly it comes to your attention and you don't know how you have put up with it all this time. The older I get the more I feel it.

Next week I have some days off, and I intend to craft my little heart out. I have finished knitting a poncho for a co-worker, it just needs fringe, washing and blocking. I am up to my pits in puppet orders. I have quilts calling to me, felt animals to sew and I want to get at some DIY around the old homestead. I am thinking that 6 days off is not gonna cut it. HOWEVER I will do what I can. I want to get some of this commissioned work done as that means money and money means a new stove. :-)

I have been thrifty shopping lately, Best Friend and I always do  when we are together. I got a desk lamp for my sewing room for $4.98. Its big and throws a great light so I am happy with that. I found the cutest little cow creamer, as well as some other odds and ends all for under $20.00 which I try to stick to when I know I am going to be thrift shopping for a day. I also got a bookcase that is the right size to replace my pantry cupboards in the kitchen that are falling apart even as we speak. The bookcase was new and only $29.99 at Canadian Tire. I am so happy. I also bought for another $29.99 a dvd shelf that can sit beside my new corner entertainment center. I was going to have a custom thing made but that would have been more than $29.99 and this one will do for now. So the money I got for the winter festival puppets as been used for my thrifty shopping this weekend. I need to assemble these two pieces but I will do that this weekend. I have not taken pictures of any of this but you know I will do that and you will get a pictorial blog post of the before and afters.

This Sunday I am going to be heading out of town to spend a day of spinning and assorted fibery fun. Four of us are getting together to spin and knit and who knows what all for the day. I am really hoping I can get my spinning wheel figured out. I think the tension is whacked but it could just be me over spinning everything. Thankfully one of the ladies at least knows her stuff when it comes to spinning. If I can get the over spinning taken care of, oh the things that I will do. I have two fleeces in my basement yearning to be spun into woolly wonderfulness. Fleece to finish, baby, that is my goal.

Right now I should go and hunt up my crochet hook and work on the puppet orders. I have 18 of them left to do, 5 felt animals to make and 4 quilts to make, not to mention dish cloths to knit, socks to knit and 3 runners to be woven.  Pictures to be shared later.

Toodles,

Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Why can't this be my quilt???

Why does it have to be for your grandbaby??

Don't your love me anymore???

Sometimes I shake my head at myself

It is said that to repeat the same action over and over, expecting  a different outcome is the definition of insanity. Well some days  I think I am the walking, talking poster child for insanity. The details of my little repetitive actions are not important, they are not illegal, dangerous or nasty, just annoying to the nth degree and costly.  The important thing is I keep doing it. I know better, I try to make a change but for some reason occasionally a part of my mind shuts off, turns to mush, leaks out my ears leaving me brainless and prone to repetitive idiocy. I land myself back in the same spot over and over. Blarrgh!!! I am so done with this.

As much as I would love to let little Miss Crankypants field these shenanigans I am a big girl, I acknowledge this is a monster of my own making and as such, I need to get control and STOP THE INSANITY!!! ( does anyone but me remember that little catch phrase??), Sigh, I really don't like being the grown up at times but needs must and once again I will tidy up the carnage, all the while promising to endeavour to stop repeating the process. Wish me luck, I need all the help I can get. I am my own worst enemy. So Miss Get Over It and Get On With It will do clean up and we will start again. (For those of you that don't know who I am talking about, the two Misses are my split personalities, I am a true Gemini)

Moving on, last night was a lot of fun. I had my book club here for the evening and then J stayed on so she did not have to drive the half hour home to her family. It was late, foggy and she did not have to do her car pool the next day so staying was perfect. We had a wonderful evening as we always do. Lots of talking, laughing and eating. They are a fun group of women, smart, entertaining and interesting. I always feel the night has been a success when the evening lingers on towards 10pm before someone makes a move to go home. Last night was a good evening. I really enjoy entertaining, I just wish I was better at it.

Tomorrow night, Best Friend will be here for the weekend. Yahoo!! Its always good when she gets to come for a visit. I am hoping to get some knitting time done on the poncho I am working on but that may not happen. We shall have to see how busy the weekend gets.  I really want to get it finished and sent away.

 I have three vacation days coming up this month which will stretch out to 6 days with weekend and stat holiday so I am hoping to go create guns at the crafting on those days. I would also like to paint my third bedroom, the red room. I will share pictures of what I get up to, crafting or redecorating.

I am off to knit and do laundry and contemplate how I can change my foolish ways !!

Toodles