Remodelling

My house is a mess,  and unfortunately it has to be this way for a little while if I want this work done.  I hate being in a mess

Last week I finally decided to go for it, remodel my basement recreation room.  Nothing, other than a new carpet several years ago, has been done in this room since the late '70's and it was in desperate need of an upgrade.  One of my sons in law is laid off from his job at the present time so I hired him to do the work for me. 

Where does one put all the stuff that needs to be removed from a 35 ft x 16 ft room? All over my house, that's where, my house is in a mess.

All the old panelling was removed from the walls, did I tell I hate being in a mess.
At the present time new drywall is being installed.  I dread the thought of the taping, mudding, and sanding that needs to be done over the seams.  When this is all completed I can get the painting done, then a new carpet can be laid, and things can get back to normal.  Sigh!

This is a good time, however, for me to weed out all of the clutter, that sombrero from a Mexican vacation in the '80's and that "thing" from Venezuela?  A local charity shop is going to get a visit from me.

I have been in my sewing room, not sewing, but doing more de-cluttering and sorting out the fabric in my stash, at least one room will be organized.ica

Patricia

A little bit of this and that

Last night our guild exchanged secret Santa gifts at the restaurant where we had our dinner. I had a really nice time and received some great gifts.  I made this wallhanging for D, and also gave her a Sew Many Things reminder pad.

This is what I received from C, thanks so much, I needed all of these things. Two hot handle pads for my fingers. A thread catcher with a pin cushion attached and some pins.  Do you see all those animals, perfect choice C.

This female cardinal was at my bird feeder recently as was this Blue Jay.

Sorry to say there were also some sparrows, one of which ended up being the meal for this Hawk which is always flying around the neighbourhood.

Patricia

Monday Walk

Later this week, if the forecast is correct, we will be experiencing a January thaw, and hopefully most of   this snow will be gone.  So I wanted to share a few photo's of the park as it was during my walk this  morning. 

This snowman is all but forgotten as the children returned to school today.

Framing the bare branches of the Maple trees are the brown leaves on an Oak branch.

A perfect Oak leaf in the snow.

It was mild enough today for some of the snow to start melting making large puddles on the road in the park.  In this puddle of water a tree is reflected.  I sky was grey at the time, so it's not very clear.



This statue is seated near the Memory Garden in the park.

Enjoy.

Patricia


2013 The Year of Organization

During the past month or two I have been very lazy with preparing my dinner time meal, just pulling random things out of the freezer or fridge with really no plan as to what I was making, this has contributed, along with the lack of exercise, to those few extra pounds which have registered on the scales.

January 2013 the month ----- I plan on being more organized with my meal planning, so it's full steam ahead, literally in my kitchen today.  In the slow cooker there is a beef stew simmering away,  chicken breasts are roasting in the oven, these will be combined with salads or pasta in meals later.  Turkey bones are simmering away for a "stoup", a dish I make which is neither a soup nor a stew due to the consistency of the broth and the quantity of the vegetables I put in it.   The ground beef thawing on the counter top will end up being chili, by the end of the afternoon.  Meal size portions will be stored in the freezer and taken out when required.  These along with some ham and meatballs left over from the holidays plus some fresh fish that will be purchased the day I use it, I will have a variety of dishes to choose from, just adding a salad or veg. a proper meal will be ready in no time.  Next weekend I will take advantage of the cheaper electricity and do some additional quantity cooking.  Hopefully, by the end of the month I will be in a routine that will see me doing this at least one day per week throughout the year.  Knowing some of my fellow bloggers will want to keep abreast of my progress will help me stay on the straight and narrow.

There is also another reason for this cooking frenzy, more sewing time, I am getting my mojo back and ready to get into that sewing room.  Again, to be more organized, for every quilt I start, one of my UFO's will be completed.  

Them bones, them bones them dry bones, well they are not dry yet but soon will be as I am now off to take the meat off of them.

Patricia

Secret Santa gift completed

Last night the final stitch was made to the gift for the person whose name I received when the draw was held in October, photo's are in my camera, however, won't post them until after our dinner on Monday, don't want to spoil the secret before then.  It seems like forever, since we have all got together, it's going to be nice to see everyone again.  Our regular meetings start later in the month.  I always seem to have more sewing energy when I know that "show and tell" will be held at our meeting.  My partner  G and I have got to get busy so that we can complete our comfort quilt before the end of the month.  Family commitments and the holidays have taken priority over our sewing, once we get started it won't take long. 

Out walking again today,  even though the thermometer registered -3*C the wind made it feel so much colder. With a bright blue sky and sunshine I had a bounce in my step, not only because it was nice and bright  but I needed to keep moving to keep warm.  With my hooded coat and sun glasses, fleece pants, gloves and boots on, no one would have recognized me with just my forehead and cheeks showing, except for my fingers, I was nice and warm.

Now my camera battery is charged I will take some photo's of the park I have been walking in.
Patricia

Off to a good start...

and plan to do better by keeping the healthy eating and exercise routine going longer than in past years.

It was -8*C when I went for my walk this morning, no wind and a few flakes of snow drifting down.  I decided not to do my usual route around the block as some of the sidewalk was still covered in snow, so opted for a local park where all the roads were clear of snow and ice.  Did the circuit three times and it felt good to get some fresh air in my lungs.  Coming home cheeks all a glow and tingly from the cold, and a red nose from having to use tissues, (the cold weather cleans out the sinus), I began to feel some of the energy that I have been missing during the past little while, coming back.  By the time the weekend gets here maybe I will feel like conquering the world, well maybe not, just feeling better and happier in my world.

Taking down the tree and de-cluttering some of the decorations took longer than I thought yesterday, so did not get into the sewing room, however, when this post is finished that is where you will find me.

Patricia

Happy New Year

Eating potato chips and drinking left-over virgin punch I saw the new year come in by watching the ball drop in New York.  Then off to bed shortly after midnight,  just dropping off and I heard "bang" then another and another,  thinking the worse I got up to see what was causing these sounds, only to find that neighbours were letting off fireworks, which continued on 'til 1:00a.m. 

Slept in a bit, then jumped on those scales as I had made a resolution, AGAIN, to eat healthy and get more exercise, hoping to drop a few pounds in the process. OMG a few pounds!!!, where did all that extra baggage come from?   After re- reading my first sentence I believe I found out where some of it came from.

Taking all of my Christmas decorations and tree down today, everything looked so festive, but now all the magic has gone.  It will be so nice to get the house back in ship shape and get into a regular routine again.  Hoping the weather will be a bit milder on the weekend so that I can take down the outside lights.  The wiring is under quite a bit of snow so hope it has been insulated somewhat and is not frozen into the ground.

Also, plan on getting into the sewing room this afternoon and finish a secret Santa gift for our quilt guild dinner and gift exchange next week.  I have also been collecting fabric to make quilts for my three children and their spouses, as, shame on me, I have not made any for them yet. 

At the present time, it is cloudy, no wind and with very light snow flakes drifting down, just as snow is suppose to fall, as per the movies.  The temperature is just below the zero mark C, I wish every Winter day was like today, I could cope with this.

Well, this is not getting the job done, is it........

Patricia