Finally.........

We got outside into the garden on Saturday to cut the grass and I did some weeding.

This is part of our front garden.  We are on a corner lot so have quite a lot of grass to cut.  Although you can't see it on this photos there are so many dandelions in our grass.  So this year despite getting a company in to weed and feed our lawns, I am going to overseed each time I cut the grass, and/or at least once a week.  A guy who lives around the corner does that and his grass is lovely.

I don't have a veggie patch, so only grow a few veggies in tubs, so this year I am planning on putting a few tubs on my front patio area, as that is where we get a lot of sun.

Our house is well guarded by these two below, my Molly dog and  my flying pig!

I bought two footstools for the chairs out front.  I prefer to have my feet up when sitting down so these work a treat.

So I can say now that garden season has officially started.  Although it will be at least two more weeks before the risk of frost is over with.

Are you full into gardening mode now?  Or do you not have a garden or are interested in gardening?

New King

(photo credit Daily Mail UK)

Newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla are cheered by crowds as they leave Westminster Abbey | Daily Mail Online

I wish him luck, not sure how he'll manage everything; or how long he will be on the throne, but I am sure he'll do his best.

The British in the main love the royals; or at least some of them.  I didn't get up early to watch the whole ceremony, but did see a lot of it.

My favourite were the kids, Charlotte's outfit was stunning and she is such a calming influence to her younger brother.  Seeing that many people in London was inspiring.  Such a shame about the weather though.

Did you watch the coronation? 

Siki Jo-An

Such a talented lady and I love (most) of her outfits........

A Better Tent City | Alair

Makes you think, well worth watching.............

Weather for ducks..........

We have been having a spell of wet weather this past week or so.  You know the sort of weather that only ducks love?  Which made me remember something I saw in the UK last time round.  In the garden centres we visited they all have lovely gift shops and super cafes.  We were particularly fond of the Dobie's garden centres.

One of the many things I fell in love with there were these ducks from the DCUK Company UK.

Each one was so different and all had lovely names.  I should have picked up a couple, but the price put me off.  This one is a little one so is 21.99 GBP, the larger ones are closer to 40 GBP.  

I have suggested to our local garden centre to put a cafe in as it would make a great addition.  It never came to fruition which is a shame, something to do with the septic systems.  I love to wander around the garden centre, and having a cup of coffee after would make a great finish to a trip there.

Meanwhile I will be putting my wellies/rainboots on when I pop out today.  The good news is the weekend has a decent forecast.  Our grass desperately needs cutting and as yet I have not been in the garden this year.  So fingers crossed this weekend will be the start of gardening season for me!!

Do you have a good garden centre close to where you live?  If you have a blog write about it, as I would love to read about it?

Not in the mood......

I haven't been in the mood to do a blog post these last few days.  You know when you don't have much to say and what you could say wouldn't be of any interest to anyone but yourself?  It's been a bit like that.

However though we have been busy with bits and bobs.  Got all the bathroom put back together and it looks nice and clean.  We have had a lot of wet weather which is making the bathroom look dark and not ideal for taking photos.

The battery in our sump pump stopped working so its been a bit of a process trying to find another one.  Got that sorted now though.  As when the hydro goes off the sump pump has a battery back up, which is essential, as where our house is situated we could easily flood.  Now have a water leak at the water meter in the basement.  Luckily it's only a slow drip, so a bucket underneath the drip will suffice for now.  Talked to the water board and it's their problem and they will come by on the 9th to repair it.  I told them it wasn't a huge thing, so no rush.

Still using the Dyson, and still loving it.  My cross stitch should have been finished and back from the framers, but still waiting on a phone call from them🤨 I haven't started another cross stich project, but did finish off this one:

I finished off my puzzle.  Noah's Ark Under the Sea.

I am going to be busy with hubby these next couple of days, so will check back in by Wednesday or Thursday.  Have a super week.

Funny story about the Dyson.........

As I mentioned last week, we got a Dyson vacuum cleaner.  After I got it charged up, I decided to try it out.  I was very impressed with how it worked.  I just used the regular vacuum head.

However this vacuum comes with another head that is used on hardwood floor and tile floors.  It also has a laser light on it so you can see how much "dirt/dust" there is on the floor.  

I was aghast at how much dust showed up, I mean it looked like I was "knee deep" in dust!!!  I didn't realize how dirty our house was.

Since Friday I have emptied out the cannister twice!!  

If anyone is wondering what I am doing, at least once a day I have the Dyson out!!  I am trying not to use the laser light head much as it stresses me out too much....LOL

Who knew you could get stressed out vacuuming!!😉

Good Morning

I did a double take when I first looked out of the window this morning, I honestly thought we had, had snow.  It was only a hard frost but all the rooftops were white, but even the frost on the park was a lot.  The clouds in the sky were also interesting this morning as well.  It was -3 oC when I took this photo, and will get up to 8 oC as a high today.  A lot different from the 30 oC temperatures we were experiencing a week or two ago!!

I only have some touch ups to do in the bathroom.  However hubby has some more work to do on the shower.  The shower has to have all the silicone redone; which was a job we were not expecting to do.  As he is still working full time, this will take him the rest of the week to get done.

Luckily we have another full bathroom in our basement, so can shower down there.  Popping out to Home Depot this morning to pick up this:

The shower has to be clean of soap scum so the silicone will stick.  This one is a bit pricy at over $14 but we are hoping it will work.

Another busy day again for me, but at least the painting is all done.  I will share photos when I have everything put back together.

Have a super day and let me know what you are up to today, I love reading all your comments.

Thought I'd pop in to say hello!

 

I am in between coats of paint in the bathroom.  I am getting on like a house on fire.  

Bathrooms are fiddly rooms to paint aren't they?  It took me ages just to tape everything.  That step makes it a lot easier in the long run.  I will have two coats of paint put on the walls today.  May get two coats of paint on the trim tomorrow.  At the most I will be done by Wednesday afternoon.  Then it will be just a case of putting everything back together.  Not having to paint the ceiling is a huge bonus.  Plus we fixed all the nails pops etc. in the room when I decorated last time.  So this is basically just a refresh this time round.

This is turning out to be a perfect week also to do this as it is cool and dreary, so no gardening for me.

I am also plugging away at a puzzle.  Picked it up at Costco on sale last week, its 1000 pieces:

I put a piece in it every time I pass on by the dining room table.

Well, I had better get on, doing laundry in between everything and a bit of tidying up.  Got a funny story to share with you about my Dyson!!  Which I am loving by the way........will get that posted in the next day or two.

Wet and dreary.........

 Saturday was a wet and dreary day.  We had no hydro from around 5:45 am until 7:45 am which was unusual for us.  

I decided in the afternoon to sew the final cushions for the front porch.  It really adds a pop of colour to the front porch and I am in love with the fabric choice.

I added two elastic straps to the back of the cushion to secure them to the back of the chair.

I got one inch thick foam from Len's Mill and for the two pieces it was just over $10.  So all in all this project cost just under $70.  To purchase new cushions would be a lot more.

Not sure what's going on.......

I am writing this Friday afternoon, and am feeling everyone of my years and more again........

It seems as though it is a regular occurrence now to be shattered by mid afternoon.  Could be a sign I am getting old 😁or just doing too much?

In Canada the Bed, Bath and Beyond stores are all closing down, they close down this weekend.  I popped into HomeSense to look for a bed pillow for hubby and they didn't have one, so decided to pop into BBB.

Didn't realize it was their last couple of days of trading and they had between 70 to 90% off everything that was left in the store.  Long story short I picked up some things and saved over $300.  That included birthday gifts for the grands, a King Size sheet set, some towels and other bits and bobs.  Rang dd on the way home and told her about it.  Ended up going back again and picked up this lot for her:

There are 2 x double sheet sets, 1 x king sheet set and 2 x double mattress pads, all for under $75.

When I got up on Friday morning I looked out the back door and saw some robins flying around.  Looked down and saw this:

Those *loody robins are now trying to nest on top of the light fixture, which is right beside the patio door.  So I stuck that light thingy on top of the fixture to try and prevent that happening.  I swear those robins are going to be the death of me!!

Then I got a new "toy" on Friday and it cost us nothing, as hubby cashed in some of his points from his work's credit card (with his boss's permission.)

It's a Dyson V15 Detect, vacuum cleaner.  I have been wanting to get a cordless one for a while, but was put off having a Dyson as its a problem getting warranty work done here in Canada, or so I have been told.  I have a hard time lugging my vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs, and figured this one will fit in one of the closets upstairs.  Hubby will also put a plug/socket in the closet so I can plug it in to charge.  Will let you know how I get on with it in a few weeks time.

Just a heads up, blogging will be sporadic over the next week or so, as I am going to be decorating the bathroom for a few days.  

Been busy sewing........

so haven't had time to blog.  However I have got a good job, jobbed as we say!!

The weather has been all over the place, freezing cold one day and up in the high 20's the next.  I hunted out the chairs and cushions for the front porch and decided the cushions needed freshened up.

Here is the before, I redid them in this fabric back in April of 2019, you can read about it here.

I picked up 2 metres of the poppy fabric for $18 per metre, and I took what was left of the grey/black fabric which was around 1 1/2 metres at $7 per metre.  Now I use a contrast fabric for the sides as I am too lazy to try and match the pattern on the fabric for the sides!!  Hubby wants me to make cushions for the back of the chairs (full length).  I don't have any foam, so will have to purchase some.  I do have more than enough fabric though to make them though.

I chose this fabric as my favourite colour is red and my favourite flower is a poppy.

I messed up when cutting out the sides, so sewed together the extra pieces to make the backs of the smaller cushions.

Now I am a Guttermnn girl when it comes to thread for my sewing machine, BUT I was cursing this spindle up and down.  It kept knotting up and breaking.  I need to give my machine a good clean I think.  I changed the needle on the weekend, as a neighbour asked me to sew a couple of things for her; it was a quick simple project.

This is the first lot of sewing I have done in a while.  I really had to think what I was doing!!

Another good job done.  All we need now is the good weather to come back!  We had snow on Tuesday here; thankfully it was warm enough it melted as soon as it touched the ground.

Great mail day

 Thursday was a good mail day for me.

First of all I got this in the mail:

So on Saturday I went to pick up a sample pot of paint for our bathroom.

I also got this in the mail:

Look at all the Wrendale Designs.  There are a lot more than these two pages.

Such pretty landscapes and buildings.

I think I will get a couple of the shoe kits next time I order from Bothy.  

Now the only problem with these goodies are the price and the time it takes to make them.  There are so many that I love, and not enough time in the day to stitch them all!!

Something a little different....

 This is so neat and different.......

Quite the name............

When I was grocery shopping last week I was checked out by a guy with a very unusual name.  All cashiers wear name tags and this guy's name was: ARCADE.

So of course I gave him the third degree on his name😁  Turns out he had legally changed it to Arcade as his parents had named him Michael, which he said was a very plain and common name, and he wanted something more distinctive.  I did ask him if he was a "gamer," he said no but he did say a lot of people ask him about his name.

There were probably a hundred more questions running through my head, but by this time he had finished with my order.  Very nice kid (probably 19/20 years of age), but a very odd choice of name in my opinion.

Have you run across a very odd name in your travels?

All finished...

I got my vines and ladders cross stitch finished this week.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  I have decided to have it framed in a certain way and then hang it low on the wall, so the kids can reach it and play with it when they visit.

All in all it has taken me around 6 weeks to sew this.  I did a little every day.  Only missing a couple of days.

I am now doing a mini project that should be finished in a couple of days.  

I then have another small birthday card to sew; then I will start another larger project.

Felt every one of my years and a few more

As I am writing this on Wednesday night I am feeling every one of my years, plus a few more.

I hadn't planned on having a busy day, but that's exactly how it turned out.

I managed to accomplish a lot so that was good BUT my body is not happy with me.

• I washed the rugs on the main floor
• Wrote two books reviews, here and here.
• Applied two coats of paint to the outside frame of the front door.  The weather we have been having is making it a perfect time to paint.
• Went to the north of the city to pick up my monthly produce bag:

In this months were the usual carrots, onions and potatoes.  Along with cherry tomatoes, 2 regular tomatoes, a bunch of spring onions, a bunch of celery, which I donated to the food bank as we hate celery.  A bunch of bananas, Fuji apples and 5 oranges.  The oranges are past their best and will no doubt have to throw most of them out.

• Called in at Homesense to pick up a couple of things.  The store in the north of the city is so much better than the one in the south.
• Called in at Fabricland to pick up some fabric, as I want to recover the seat cushions from the chairs on the front porch.  That's a job for next week.
• Made potato salad, as the bunch of spring onions looked iffy.  I add hard boiled eggs, spring onions, potatoes, mayonnaise and seasoning to my salad, very straight forward.

• Put the living room back together.
• Finished off my cross stitch; it looks great and will share photos on Friday.
• Made supper, salad, potato salad and deli meat, with fruit, jello and yogurt for pudding.
• Sat myself down for the night!!

Here's hoping Thursday isn't as busy!!

They're back.........

Those *loody Robin's are back and are wanting to nest on the window ledge above my front door.  So had to do something about it before they built a nest.

Hunted out my plastic and attached that.

It will be there until probably June, which really is annoying.  However being attacked every time I walk out the front door isn't a good option either.

There was bird muck all over the front porch, so had to swill (wash) that down as well, which drove hubby potty as his phone kept going off because of the alarm on the door bell while he was at work!!!

First time in 2023

 I hunted out my whirly-gig from the shed, washed it down and hung out my laundry on Monday, as the weather was so nice:

Monday's I wash towels, nightwear and light coloured items.

Do you like my tea towel?  Was given it by a dear friend who was in New Zealand; it's a Kiwi.  She also gifted me my new pegs/clothes pins.

Do you hang out your laundry?  We are in for a gorgeous week, weather wise.

Easter 2023

We had a lovely lunch down at DD on Easter Saturday.  She made The World's Best Lasagna  and it was really good.  The triangular boxes held mini chocolate eggs; and those carrot napkins were so cute.

I made the treats for after's.  DD requested chocolate Rice Krispie nests with chocolate eggs.  Vanilla cupcakes with butter icing and Rice Krispie squares.

The cupcakes are supposed to be rabbits.  Got the kit for the eyes, ears etc., from the dollar store.

Good Friday was a good day.........

Did some cleaning, did the laundry, changed the sheets and have now gone from the winter flannel sheets to the lighter cotton weight sheets, hubby is not going to be happy, but I will be 😉

Dd is hosting Easter this year on Easter Saturday, so my contribution to the meal are some baked goods, which I prepared on Friday.  Will share photos with you at a later date.

We had snow flakes on Good Friday morning.  Now even though the sun was shining and the skies were blue, it was nippy cold out there.  We went for a quick walk around the block later in the afternoon with our hoods up and wooly hats on.  That wind was biting.

I managed to finish all the background's in the numbered squares on my cross stitch and am now doing all the back stitch before I start on the borders.  I want all the numbered squares finished off first.

Looking forward to Easter Saturday, hope to have lots of photos.