Weekending | 9.12.22

Weekending | 9.12.22

Greetings everyone and Happy Monday!

It was a full weekend… a full indoor weekend thanks to the grey skies that brought some rain to Pittsburgh! Much needed rain, mind you…so I am not complaining. (Okay, I am not complaining about the rain but the mosquitoes on the other hand…)

I tried my hand at making pita bread from scratch – it needs a bit more work – but warm sort of pitas on Friday were a treat! I just need to work on the “getting the pita from the counter to the baking steel” bit… that was rough but no fingers were burned in the attempts however oval pitas were not quite the look I was going for! Ha!

I did lots of practice sewing on French Terry fabric scraps… trying to find the elusive sweet spot for all the tension knobs on my serger. It took some time, but I did get it “dialed in” for my fabric. And then some actual sewing began. I have one sweatshirt almost done, and one more all ready to go! It was a bit stressful as this sewing is well outside my comfort zone… but I rewarded myself with an extra “happy hour” on Saturday while we caught up on the new HBO series Game of Thrones House of the Dragon.

Outside of that there was a Steeler win (in overtime) which made Steve insanely happy.

I spent some time reflecting on 9/11.

I learned a new word.

I also spent some time working on this month’s suggestion for my word, which is to think about my word visually – with pictures – this month. I am finding this to be so much fun, capturing images of the things that fill my days!

AND… I even spent the tiniest bit of time knitting on my puzzle-y sweater start! The back is patiently waiting for the fronts to get caught up… and they are moving in that direction!

There you have my weekend highlights…I am more than ready to get this Monday off and running. I have my list ready for the week… how about you? Are you prepped and ready to tackle this week? I hope so!

See you all back here on Wednesday with The Big Sweatshirt Reveal!

 

Weekend Realities | 3.21.22

Weekend Realities | 3.21.22

I had such a lovely “list of things” I wanted to do this weekend.

Things that included tackling button holes with a fresh mind on Saturday morning, finish my handspun Hitchhiker, watch some of March Madness, and start reading The Books of Jacob.

But Real Life had a different plan because on Saturday morning we discovered that our refrigerator was not refrigerating… or freezing. And of course, we had gone grocery shopping on Friday so it was on the fuller side of the scale.

So we made some attempts to determine what might be wrong. (I say we, really I just stayed in the vicinity so Steve had someone to yell at, lol) And for some brief moments, there was a glimmer of hope…it started working again but it was not for long. Kaput refrigerator was not on my weekend plans… nor was scrambling on Sunday to try and find a refrigerator replacement. (Why do these things always, always happen on a weekend? lol) The Big Box stores near us were a mixed bag. One had nothing in stock (at least nothing in stock of a size that would fit or with a price that was reasonable… $7k for a refrigerator??? What??? Does it cook and clean too, because at that price it better!) and the other had some better luck… but no deliver until April 12th. Could I live without a refrigerator until mid-April? Could we live without a refrigerator that dispenses water and makes ice? Oh boy… those are the million dollar questions, are they not? The local appliance store was of course not open on Sunday… nor did they have any idea of available stock on their website (really, if you have a website – including useful information might be a good idea) But Best Buy to the rescue… (In a million years, I would never have guessed that that would happen!) They had the necessary size, with the desired bells and whistles… and they can deliver it on Thursday! Four days sans refrigerator almost seems something to be gleeful over, lol!

(And we really aren’t entirely refrigerator-less… we have the “Beer Fridge” in the basement and while it is not perfect, it is amazing how much you can pack into a refrigerator if needs must!)

Aside from all that drama… I did manage to see some of the Michigan game! Yay to them for advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.

I also finished the second sock!

And I started The Books of Jacob… but I have a very long way to go!

And this week… button holes… that is once I have the Monday chores done!

Oh… and that photo… that is a picture of my snowdrops. They managed to survive the 10″ of snow… only to be done in by Wednesday’s 70+° weather. (but I spied a tulip peeking out of the ground…yes, a single solitary tulip. Must be one the squirrels “transplanted” to my yard!)

I hope your weekend was much better than mine! I will see you all back here on Wednesday!

 

Monday Odds and Ends | 10.18.21

Monday Odds and Ends | 10.18.21

I usually write Monday’s post on Sunday afternoon… usually. Yesterday no inspiration struck at all so Monday morning arriving sans blog post is leaving me feeling a bit like the kid who did not do *any* of their homework over the weekend. Hoo boy…

Welcome to the Monday-est Monday! LOL

Sadly, I don’t have any cohesive thoughts but I do have some odds and ends that might be share-worthy! So here we go!

It has been a most un-fall-like fall in these parts. We were still running the air last week. And can I tell you about the volume of mosquitoes outside? As a result, I have begun paying closer attention to the Dark Sky app with hopes of a bug killing frost heading my way SOON because I am so over having a gajillion mosquito bites on my arms and legs! They are even making Sherman miserable so we tried a salve that someone recommended… and it works well! (Bonus in that it has really helped make my hands feel softer too! lol)

Speaking of hands… it has been eons since I went to get manicures at a salon. And for a time I was trying to paint my nails on the regular… but I really missed how nice my nails looked having them done professionally, not to mention that Salon Nails lasted way longer than Home Nails. I know I am late to the Olive and June crowd, but wow. Way back in September I got a start up kit…which I thought was kind of spendy but it had 5 bottles of polish and some other gadgets. I added in the nail primer and can I tell you all how blown away I am?!! Today I am on day 15 of a polish… and it is still going strong! I don’t get the whole Poppy thing and I am not doing “Manicure Bootcamp” but for a long lasting polish they are winners!

My To-Do List today includes filling out my ballot for the November election and get it mailed in pronto. I have been an avid poll worker since moving to PA but I am taking a hard pass this time around. The vitriol at the past two elections has been unsettling and that vitriol… well it has ramped up significantly in my neighborhood. It was not an easy decision, but once I made it I knew it was the right one… at least for the time being. If you go to vote in person in November… please take a moment to thank the people working there. They don’t hear it often enough!

As I mentioned on Friday, I got my flu shot last week and I also got my third COVID booster as well. That Double Whammy did me in… I did not move far from the sofa on Saturday. But by Sunday I was feeling much better and had a bit of a weekend! But that sofa time on Saturday? Well, I watched and re-watched (and maybe made Steve watch it with me for a third time!) the Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct! If you have not played for a bit… some FUN things are coming in November!

What about you? What odds and ends are part of your Monday?

Oh… and that sunset? That was the ending of my day last Thursday. It was too gorgeous not to share!

TGIF | 5.21.21

TGIF | 5.21.21

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers…but honestly, I can’t quite believe it’s Friday! This week just raced by at a speed that is a bit frightening. 

Summer arrived rather abruptly… it went from frosty mornings and the need for the furnace last week to some very warm weather, which looks like it is here for the duration now! (They are talking about 90+ degree temps for today.) With this warm weather my allergies also arrived rather abruptly as well, sigh.

This week was full of lots of busyness, but there were some fun things as well!

Triumphant (unlearning) —

If anything, I am a creature of habit…especially with something I have done many times before. Like making bias tape, for example. I have made yards and yards and yards of bias tape which includes getting out my bias tape maker. It is a bit fussy and I alway, always burn my fingers in the course of the making. I had been putting off making the bias tape for just those reasons…but stopping in the making of the project to get bias tape made is no fun. But this YouTube video changed all of that! The first few seconds of the video contained nothing new (at least for me) but at the 1 minute point the magic begins! The Two pins and about 20 minutes of burn-free ironing and I have some really gorgeous, perfectly folded bias tape. You can teach an old dog new tricks! Now I want to make all sorts of fun bias tapes! lol

Good (fun) —

A couple of weeks ago Kym posted about languishing… and that word. It is just not a feel good word for me. To me languishing almost seems purposeful… as if I am languishing rather than it making the impact on me. Apparently, I was not the only one who had an issue with languishing! Enter this article! Yes! This is it! I am indeed feeling very dormant! If you too struggled with languishing, perhaps dormant is more what you are feeling!

Intentional (making) —

Is there a point in a makers life when you reach completion? Perhaps you know it… that point in a makers life when you have eleventy-billion sweaters, scarves, shawls, wraps, tunics, tops, socks… I think you get the point. You have enough…or at least you know you have enough, but there is still the urge to make driving you. I am at that point… or very close to it! So what I did was sit down and write out a list of my “love to wear” items and then looked realistically at that list and contemplated holes, things that need to be replaced, things that need an update…a refresh. And I wrote those things down. I have a list of 6 things for the summer/early fall season… Some things are holes that I need to fill. Some things are things that need to be updated…they are worn out and need to be replaced. Some things need to be updated… maybe new pockets, maybe a band of fabric at the hem, maybe new bias tape! Haha. Anyways… I have my list and I am sticking to it!

Finally (let the weekend begin) —

Yes, it is Friday and that means weekending! I have a bit of a list of things to get done outdoors for today. Sadly, they won’t complete themselves… so I better get going! LOL

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday with an update on my word!

 

 

Sometimes Monday… | 5.17.21

Sometimes Monday… | 5.17.21

…is a respite from The Very, Very, Incredibly Busy Weekend.

It was full. So full.

My weekend started with some al Fresco-soak in the sunshine-sip a couple of beers dining. Yes, sunshine!! Temperatures that were well above freezing! Gosh, it felt so good and was the perfect way to welcome the weekend!

Saturday we headed out to find some asparagus (we didn’t) and get plants for both the flower containers and the vegetable garden (we got a few…sigh). Our local vegetable/garden center was a huge disappointment. A huge, gigantic disappointment. They had plants… lots of the same kind of plants. Perfect if you want pink petunias in every container. Less than perfect if that was not the look you were going for. Oh… and there was not one single impatien. So… on my list this week is to get out to another greenhouse for some variety for our shaded patio!

The remainder of the weekend we spent working on some major changes to the current garden beds. We lost a couple of shrubs over the winter, which has given us the opportunity to rework a couple of garden beds. Plus I have a few things that needed dividing… and once we started, we just kept on going… until we were about ready to fall over on Sunday afternoon! (and no, we did not finish, but the remaining little garden beds just need a wee bit of weeding. Oh, and we need so.much.mulch…ugh)

So that brings me to Monday… my take a big breath and ease into a busy week day. On the top of my list is to give myself a little rescue manicure this morning. (a desperately needed manicure thanks to the weekend!)

And the only other thing on my list today is to put together a bag for tomorrow when I am helping at the polls for our election. It is an entirely local election for us this time and so it won’t be busy… (how sad is that!) I need to have some things to knit and some things to read so I need to get that sorted today.

I hope your Monday will be amazing no matter how many things you have on your list. I will see you back here on Wednesday (albeit a little later than usual) for some Unraveling!

 

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