Thursday, July 11, 2024

For a long time I’ve shown great restraint in making fabric purchases, or really any quilting-related purchases. On my last trip to Calgary and Saskatoon I admit there were a few dollars spent in various quilting shops. I purchased fabric to make some screens for Elizabeth, some fabric for a couple of projects that are yet to be started, and a pattern. Once I got home I realized I didn’t need the fabric I purchased for one of the projects, but I did need some fabric for the pattern I purchased. But overall I think I showed great restraint..

I belong to a number of sewing and crafting sites on Facebook. I often see something that I really like but, unless it is free, I pass it up. I saw a book today by a designer that I really like. I already have one of her patterns but I’ve yet to make it. So do I really need one of her books with all those cute projects? I said “no” but I admit that it has gone into my amazon wish list. So I’m giving myself a 50% rating for restraint.

We’ve had a Texada neighbour who has a few cleaning clients; she’s been cleaning the studio after each of our visits. She is very thorough so Pat decided to ask her if she’d do some cleaning at our home. I’ve always shied away from a cleaner in our living space but I know that I’m not keeping up with the cleaning. Bev is going to come this afternoon and start tackling the main floor.

There was so much cleaning I wanted to do before she comes but I restrained from doing my “house concert” clean. I thought I should do some tidying up so the surfaces were a bit clearer. That led to cleaning a shelf in the pantry, that led to cleaning three shelves in a cupboard, and then to cleaning under the sink.

There is a lot more I could/should do but I’m practicing restraint!

Monday, July 8, 2024

A few days ago I decided to update my daily task list with a number of things that I had removed from rotation after my diagnosis. I have barely been keeping up with the “regular” tasks that come up each day but I felt it was time to get back to some regular divesting. The first task from this old list was to “Clean a Drawer”.

I chose to clean out behind one of the doors in the cabinet I have in my sewing room. The cabinet holds mostly extra office stuff – pens, tape, notepads, and such. I hardly ever go into the cupboard; it contains mostly computer-related items. I weeded out a number of manuals for things I no longer have and then started looking to identify the various cords on the shelves. I kept most of them for the simple reason that I had no idea what they were (or are) for. There were a few software programs that I haven’t run since I switched to the Mac so why I kept them is a mystery.

I also found seven CD’s full of photos ranging back as far as 2005. I know that because there were baby photos of Will and Dylan. I don’t have a CD player on my computer but my laptop does. When I plugged one of the discs into it nothing came up. Thanks to a pair of needle-nosed tweezers I was able to get the CD out.

We have a portable CD-Rom player so I attached it to the Mac with the intention of moving the photos I wanted to keep into my Photos app. So far I have dealt with two of the CD’s so there is still lots to do. I’m enjoying looking through the old photos again; most of them are when the grandkids were small.

There were a few things that went to the garbage, a few things that will be sent to the thrift store and a few things that Pat is going to try his luck at selling. The cupboard is much cleaner now but my desk and work table still have a few things that need to be sorted.

If I load all the photos onto my computer, have I really reduced anything?

July 4, 2024

I came up to my sewing room this morning without a real plan on what I would do. There are so many choices; most of them don’t require a decision so I don’t know why I don’t pick something and just get it done.

I really thought I was finished with this project and washed it in order to remove all the stitching lines. As I was putting away my threads I found a black and white picture of the pattern and realized I had a few spots that needed to be brown that I’d done in green. There were also some spots that were done in brown and should have been green. I worried about how I would make the corrections without the stitching lines; Stacia came to the rescue – stitch beside the wrong colours and once the wrong colours were taken out no one would know. Both she and Deloise said I should leave it but …

My UFO for June was my Farmhouse quilt. It had been sandwiched for ages so quilting was the plan. I finished the large stars without too much difficulty and moved on to the aprons. Because I used Steam-a-Seam there was no way I could quilt over the top of them. I did a few lines of stitching on each of them; when I quilted the background I had to stop at the edge of each apron and start again on the other side. Now I have the formidable task of tying the ends and burying them. I’ve only shown three of the aprons here, but there are ten in all; each apron has approximately eleven ends (on each side) so I’ll be at this for quite some time. July’s UFO will definitely be delayed!

The pieces for my last two chicken blocks have been traced and cut out. I need to prep the background and then get busy whip stitching them down and adding the “fancy” stitches. My stitches aren’t particularly fancy but done is better than worrying about them. It makes a good project for the evenings when we’re watching TV.

I’m anxious to get these finished so I can start on my “real” yo yo project which will required 365 of them. These are my practice pieces and I’m getting better with each attempt. Eventually these will go on a summer wreath but as I make more and more of them I think the wreath might be quite small! I’m anxious to get going on my temperature quilt. Gail and I are making yo yo’s at our Thursday sewing sessions so I’ll get more done this afternoon. These too are good projects for the evening.

And if those weren’t enough choices I’ve been looking online for a dress for Madison’s engagement party.

June 22, 2024

While we were on Texada I had a phone appointment with my oncology doctor in Vancouver. He arranged for some blood work and a bone scan. The scan was originally scheduled in Vancouver but when we saw the cost for a one-night’s accommodation I called back to see if I could have it done in Comox. I was waiting all week for “the phone call” booking me in for an appointment. Late Thursday afternoon the hospital called. They had slotted me in for the scan in the middle of July but they had a cancellation for the next morning if I wanted it. I said yes, knowing that Pat had some commitments. Although I’ve not done it before, I knew I was capable of getting myself to the appointment. Pat responded immediately that he would do the driving and I hurried up to the clinic to get my TAP form (free ferry if you are travelling for medical appointments).

We left on the first ferry and went straight to the hospital when we got off. Although I was a bit early for my slated time I didn’t wait long before they called me in. The scan is a two-part process; first they inject you with radio active dye and then you come back in a couple of hours for the actual scan. I had a scan prior to my treatments so I knew it wasn’t scary. I failed, however, to take into consideration that finding a vein to inject the dye would be challenging. After an initial look and a poke the technician got warm blankets for both arms to see if she could find anything. A few minutes later she was back and after a couple more unsuccessful pokes she found a spot. She said she was pretty sure she got enough of the dye into the vein before she lost it again.

While we waited for the second part of the appointment we hurried over to Costco – just a block away. Before we took the ferry I printed out my list and checked the cupboards to see what we needed. For the first time ever we walked up and down every aisle on one side of the warehouse without adding anything to our cart. I remember the first time we went to Costco we hadn’t gone down more than a couple of aisles before we went back for a second cart. We got everything on the list, although there were a few things on the list that they don’t carry (I’ll have to update my list). We even found ginger beer which was something I added not really expecting to find it.

After we finished at the checkout we stopped for lunch – a Costco hot dog and drink. Since we still had a bit of time we stopped at Home Depot because it was on the same block between Costco and the hospital. The scan went well although it brought back some memories of my radiation treatments. I managed to pull myself together and they were very kind when they saw my tears. We weren’t even home before we got a call from the oncology doctor saying the radiologist had read the scan and everything was fine. When it works, our health care system is wonderful. We were home, unpacked and with the groceries put away before the puck dropped on the hockey game.

Now that I know there is nothing wrong with me it is time to “suck it up” and quit babying myself. That being my state of mind, this morning I did the vacuuming and then Pat and I moved a bit of furniture around (a chair from downstairs to upstairs and a chair from upstairs to downstairs). I’ve done a bit of sewing this morning and I’ll continue for a bit. I’m unlikely to finish anything but I’ll keep going.