True to my word, I whipped up a few more bowl cozies.
Three to be exact. They came together in about an hour, and I’ve got a good system going for making them, so there will definitely be more. I have two bags of Wrap And Zap batting and I’m not even through the first, so I have lots of supplies. I do need to get some black 100% cotton thread so I can make some darker ones.
But in the meantime…
… these three will be wrapped up with the fingerless mitts I made for my sister in law for Christmas. I think she’s going to love these!
The first of Dave’s Christmas sock is now complete.
And as you can see, I’ve got a good start on the second one. I’m challenging myself to finish this pair off by sometime next week. As nice as these are to work on (the Stroll is a VERY nice yarn for the price), I’m itching to start something for myself!
I’ve had the material (wrap and zap batting, and 100% cotton thread) to make them for AGES. But I just never got around to it.
They are very easy to make and I had one turned out in no time.
Of course, my first one was made with cat fabric! You need two 10 inch squares to make one, so they are a great way to use up leftover layer cake pieces.
And they are an absolute purr-fect fit for my bowls! Don’t worry… there are more to come!
First… I spoiled myself (Ever since I’ve had money to do so, I always buy myself a birthday present.
And… it’s usually shoes…
I’ve needed a pair of simple, but decent, black slip-ons for ages, so I decided to splurge a little and get myself some loafer mocs from my favourite moccasin place. I used to wear this style all the time as a kid.
And… since I could save an additional $10 if I bundled with a pair of slipper mocs…
Can you say toasty toes???? That’s real rabbit fur around the ankle too. SOOO soft!
Mom gave me a fat quarter bundle called Mod Cats
I’d actually bought a yard of the black cat fabric from the same collection so it was kind of serendipity! I can’t wait to play with these ones!
She also sent me a gift card for Home Depot which she really shouldn’t have – the fabric was more than enough! (Though you can bet it will be put to good use!)
And Dave really outdid himself this year. I don’t think I ever showed it, but last year he bought me a beautiful silver and ruby earring and necklace set. Its in a gorgeous vintage style, and I just love it. Well this year, he bought the ring that matches..
The pictures really don’t do it justice. It’s just stunning.
Sadly, I didn’t get my cake or Chinese food. I tried to get a cake on grocery day, but the girls working the bakery counter were too busy socializing to serve me, so I gave up and left without one.
And since I’d done such a big shop last week, the house was loaded with food. It seemed silly to go out and buy more. I made a nice roast beef, and told Dave we’ll save the Chinese for when the fridge is almost empty.
I did get lots of time to sew though. More on that will come this week!
(Ifyou don’t get that reference, watch or read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
This is the face of 42-year-old me. Still in braided pigtails and probably will be until I’m 102. Normally, this is the part where I say I don’t feel 42… but this past year… that all depends on the day.
Working on this house has certainly reminded me of my age. I can still do all the things… I just know I’ve done them for at least a day or two afterwards. Especially after laying a floor!
And endless video conferences for work are reminding me that my face isn’t quite as youthful as it once was, even though it totally doesn’t look that bad in the mirror. (Seriously, all the technology we have an no one can put a decent camera in a computer????)
But still, I’ve had a pretty darn good 42 years so far. I haven’t done all the things that I thought I’d do, but if I died tomorrow, I’d have no real regrets. And I wouldn’t trade that for a stronger body or a prettier face.
Today I am in search of a decent birthday cake (our go-to grocery bakery doesn’t exist out here, so I have to put the local store to the test…wish me luck). We might try out a Chinese food place one town over (all the others we’ve tried since moving have been disappointing… I might kill for some decent egg rolls). I plan to do some sewing, as I haven’t touched the machine since finishing the tops on the three gift quilts. And I’m going to hang with my four favourite guys… Dave, Burton, Rupert and Relic. Sounds like the perfect birthday to me!
You all know how I love my free road scores… cool things found on the side of the road.
Facebook Marketplace has changed the game a little… because now I don’t have to just chance upon things. People put them on the side of the road and the advertise that they are there! So I can find road scores from the comfort of my living room.
Last weekend, I was scrolling through the marketplace, and came across a post advertising free end tables on their front lawn. I’ve been looking for some decent end tables since we finished the living room, so you bet I hopped in Dory right away in the hopes of getting there before anyone else!
I gotta say, I do miss my old convertible, but nothing beats Dory for cargo space!!! Not only did I get the two end tables…
But also two nightstands!
As you can see, they are all in need of refinishing, but Dave and I love bringing old things back to life!
I said we were taking the winter off from house projects, but Dave has other ideas.
On the weekend, my kitchen and dining room looked like this:
While Dave was at his Grandma’s, I was painting a small fortune in plywood, so that when he returned he could transform my garden shed from this:
To this:
We don’t know what happened to the shed door, and part of the wall, but they were missing when we bought the house. Dave wanted to get it closed up before the weather got too bad and the shed ended up full of snow.
Come spring, we’ll paint the whole shed up, so it will look all bright and shiny and new.
I’m happy to report that everyone’s favourite fluffbutt…
… has been very good with the Christmas tree. In fact, after his first day, he hasn’t bothered with it at all!
However, we have had a couple other recent “adventures”…
The other week, I was coming down the stairs, taking a wee break from work, when I passed Burton who was headed up in a very determined manner. As he ran by me, I noticed he was carrying something. At first, I though it was one of his toys (he likes to bring toys to play fetch while I work), but then my brain registered that I saw dark feathers hanging out of his mouth. None of his toys have dark feathers!!!!
I ran back up the stairs after him…. and yeah… you guessed it.
Burton caught his very first bird!!!! We built the catio partly to keep the cats safe, but also to keep the birds safe from the cats, as well. But that doesn’t work when the birds fly right into the CAGE OF DOOM!!!!
I am very torn between being proud of my babyfluff’s first successful hunt, and sad for the bird. Hopefully word gets around and the rest of the birds have learned a lesson.
“Adventure” number 2 took place on the day I was hanging the Christmas decorations out front. The day was relatively warm (9C/48F). The cats were out back in the catio enjoying the sun, and I was going in and out the front door.
I came in to grab a pair of pliers, and when I came back, the door was swinging open. It didn’t latch when I came and the wind pulled it open. I didn’t think too much of it, because as I said, the cats were out back in the catio… or so I thought.
I finished my decorating and went out back to check on them as I do periodically. But only Rupert was there!
I came in and checked the house… no sign of Burton or Relic. I tried not to panic. I grabbed the treat container and shook it. Relic quickly emerged from whatever dark corner he’d been napping in.. but still no Burton.
So I took the container outside and began shaking it and calling his name. As I got to the one side of the house, I saw movement behind the overgrown holly bush. I looked closer… there was the fluffy jerk! But he wasn’t alone. One of the neighborhood cats (a fluffy tuxie) was there too. Burton, the big bully, had the poor tuxie backed up against the house. As soon as tuxie saw me, he went running (I’ve tried to make friends before, he’s very skittish). And Burton went running after him!!!!!
I went running after the pair of them, shaking the treat container hoping to distract Burton before they got too far.
Happily, it worked, and Burton stopped a couple houses down and waited for me to catch up and carry him home. (Tuxie just kept running!).
Hopefully that’s the LAST of his adventures for a while!
I was hoping to be further along with these socks, but work has been pretty darn busy lately.
Usually, I have time to do little things around the house while I wait for colleagues to send me what I need to do my job. But work has kept me hopping from log-on to log-off. That means I’ve been doing all those little things in the evenings, and on the weekend when I’d normally have time to sit and knit.
Still… I’m closing in on the toe, and it’s the only Christmas present I have left to knit. I’ve got time.
Wandering Cat Studio 