Friday, December 1, 2017

Yay, I can finally start putting out my Christmas decorations. Since I came back from Saskatoon I’ve been itching to get it all out; Deloise’s house was beautifully decorated for the Open House and Kathryn was busy getting her tree and decorations out. I admit that one of the table toppers I used last night for the House Concert was Christmas-themed but it was covered with glasses most of the night.

It has been a busy day today but I’ve actually accomplished something in the studio. We sat up late chatting but I was up at my regular (early) time this morning and I managed a bit of tidying in my space before anyone else was up. Because our performers came with a stand-up base it took two vehicles to pick them up from and deliver them to the ferry. As soon as I dropped off my passenger I headed out to do a bit of shopping.

When I got home I headed back upstairs and have three items ready for hand stitching – I’ll pack them in my Texada bag. Along with those projects I’ve added three knitting projects as well as the second step on half a dozen other projects. No, I’m not staying for a month but I want to tackle at least one of each of these new projects so I can get an indication of how long they all will take. I also pulled fabric for another Christmas gift as well as the necessities for a couple more pillow cases although they aren’t on the gift list and will get done “whenever”.

We have a Cranberry Hall concert tonight. I’ve paid for my ticket so, in theory, I shouldn’t have to do any work; I’ll make myself available to help out wherever it is needed though.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Yesterday was a long day. I was up at 4:30 AM Saskatoon time (translates to 2:30 AM my time) and didn’t get back home until the 4:30 PM ferry (my time). I had a long wait in the Edmonton airport but it gave me a chance to finish up the hand stitching I had taken on my trip.

Although I didn’t have a chance to see either Will or Alex on the ice, we had a few games of bowling and baseball before hitting the indoor zip line!

Deloise and Stacia hosted a wonderful Open House; I saw lots of McKnight cousins, nieces and nephews. I spent a couple of nights there so there was lots of “sister” time. We’ll be together at the end of May next year when they come out to Vancouver for Quilt Canada. I heard talk of them getting Houston projects finished so they could buy from the Canadian vendors – I’m glad I haven’t made any such commitments!

Kathryn was off the entire time I was there, but she works every weekend in December. While I was with them they set up their Christmas tree. She has some of the same ornaments as I have but it was fun to see the new ones she has collected.

Will’s big job was to find the fireplace channel on the TV. We were disappointed that we were too early for Christmas music.

It was a great trip and the weather was really nice. I never once had to wear either my toque or my mitts.

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

I still had a few things left to do before my trip so I decided not to go to the bee. I didn’t have anything urgent that needed to be stitched, although there was lots that I could have done. I did a bit of shopping this morning and got home just in time to do an online check-in for my flights tomorrow. I’ve got most of my suitcase packed and I’ve decided on what boots to wear and what coat to bring; it isn’t easy when you are going between heavy rain (here) and cold (in Saskatoon). There are still a few things on the bed that I need to see if I can squeeze in anywhere, and the size of my carry-on purse is yet to be determined.

I went out to QiGong tonight. I hate going out in the dark but I’m always happy I did it. Only one class left in this series. The last one is the night I return so I may or may not make it.

I’m looking forward to seeing family over the next week – the time will go too fast!

Monday, November 20, 2017

I started feeling the Christmas spirit today. I dropped off several bags of knitting to the Salvation Army for their Christmas boxes. It is quite surprising how much I was able to get done in a year; on the other hand you might say I’ve spent way too many evenings watching TV!

I got a bit of payback for my good deed later in the morning. I had to stop at the Credit Union with a Cranberry Hall deposit. I’ve learned that the best time to go is just before closing; early in the morning has everyone lined up and at almost every other time of day tellers are off for coffee or lunch. But today when I stopped in I walked right up to a teller, made my deposit and was out in less than five minutes!

I spent some time prepping for a hand stitching project for my travels. So far I’ve been tracing and cutting both fabric and paper; the sewing part will happen either on the plane, in airports, or once I get to Saskatoon. I think I’ve almost finished piling up “stuff” to take with me so tomorrow I’ll see how much of it will actually fit into my suitcase.

I got a few groceries when I was out; there was a special on some snack crackers so I stocked up. When I went to put them into the pantry cupboard there wasn’t room so I decided to make some Rice Krispie squares. Using up the cereal in the box gave me all the room I needed for the crackers. I melted the butter and measured out the cereal but when I put the marshmallows into the pan they didn’t melt the way they should have. They melted but just into a glutinous mass that would be impossible to add the Rice Krispie to. I checked online and marshmallows do go bad – who knew! I also learned that trying to make Rice Krispie squares with less-than-fresh marshmallows meant that if you were able to get the cereal mixed in they would harden into a cement-like form. So the marshmallow mixture went into the garbage, the rice krispies went back into the cupboard (yes, I found room) and next time marshmallows are on sale I’ll store them in the freezer!