Making plans, some finishes, and sunshine too!

I keep a calendar on the my kitchen counter and make notes of things to be done, check off those that are done, and to keep track of appointments and the like. I've realized that if I didn't, I couldn't write my blog. Or rather, I'd have to write about different things unrelated to my daily life because I'd never remember what I did most days.

Of course some events are more memorable than others. For one, I still want to sell this house and am hoping to have it listed by fall. I had the contractor that I used last year for the basement renos at the house on Monday to give me a quote on doing flooring and baseboards, as well as couple of minor changes/repairs. The quote came in on Thursday and is slightly more than I hoped but still very reasonable. I picked up samples of the flooring yesterday and will be making a choice in the next day or so.

My friend C picked me up in her new-to-her truck on Tuesday morning and we headed to the thrift stores. The duck from the photo on Wednesday was one of my purchases. When I was hesitant about the price, C reminded me it was senior's Tuesday, with a 30% discount; sold! It will find its way out into the front flower bed among the hostas in a couple of weeks. I also found a jacket for Eli that he won't be able to wear for a couple of years, but it was in such good condition, and at only $3.69 (after discount), I couldn't resist. 

Speaking of articles of clothing for Eli, I picked up the sweater at the tailors on the weekend. She did a nice job (though pricey) of inserting the zipper. Meanwhile I finished the oversized sweater for my daughter. Here's a tale of two sweaters:

Eli's sweater was made with yarn purchased on sale at Michaels. I paid about $6/skein and used 5 skeins for the sweater and toque, the zipper was $8, and the tailor cost me $27. Grand total $65. The ladies at stitch and chat on Wednesday informed me they would teach me how to put in a zipper on my own next time. That is, of course, should there be a next time.

D's sweater was made with thrift store yarn which cost me about $15 in total. Since I didn't have enough of one color, I did a sort of color block pattern. The blue and wine are on the front panels as well as the sleeves, while the teal is the back and fills in the rest of front and sleeves. 

I modified the pattern somewhat, adding to the length, adding pockets and a belt at my daughter's request. I also did the trim in double crochet rows, as I knew I didn't have sufficient yarn to create the ribbing effect (see bottom of the sweater and the cuffs).  This was the first time I used crochet stitches rather than knitting for ribbing, and while I liked the effect on the bottom, I wasn't happy with the sleeves. They were made top-down. If I were to use this pattern again, I'd make the cuffs separately and stitch them to the sleeves instead. (The photo to the right is what yarn was leftover when I finished. That's pretty good use of stash yarn!)

I'm continuing to work...slowly...on the African flowers afghan. Twenty of the flowers have been blocked (of thirty), I've added green single crochet to the outside of some of the blocked pieces, and started the process of stitching five flowers in a row. Besides blocking this is the slowest and most tedious part of the process. When I'm not in the mood, I've been working on the knitted toddler sweater. One more sleeve to complete and then I'll put it together.

Our weather has been great this week with temperatures in the mid-20's Celsius (72-77F). I'm itching to get out in the yard but will leave the raking for another week for the pollinators. The trees in the back yard are just beginning to leaf out. I've been avoiding the garden centers, so far, but I'm not sure how much longer I can resist. I do remind myself, that I'll be dragging plants in and out of the garage if I start buying now.

I did manage to finish a project that should have been completed months ago. On Thursday morning I headed down to the basement, finished sanding the door frames and got them painted. The closet paint was touched up as well. I did not, and will not, paint the baseboards. Unless one gets down on the floor and looks at them closely, no one will know. How would I know, you ask? Well, I lived in this house for nearly 10 years before I realized the baseboards on the main floor had never been painted. I did paint them before I listed the house in 2019 and the thought of crawling around on the floor to paint just doesn't appeal to me. Hence, I'll have the contractor do the painting when he installs the new ones on the main floor.

Yesterday, I did a few errands, a bit of housework, and met with a landscaper. I've been having issues with drainage in the back yard for some time, and this year, have noticed some significant heaving of the lower deck and the shed. I had already planned to replace the sod, including where the other shed once stood. If you want to read the story of the potting shed removal, you can read it here). My goal is to make the back yard look as big as it can possibly be, since the sun room and decks take up a good portion of it. It was a sticking point for potential buyers the last time I had the house listed. As I said to the landscaper, they forget they have the use of the sun room for 7 months of the year, while the back yard is only available for about 4 months. Enough of my ranting....

I've not much planned for today, though there are several sports programs to watch so I know I'll be parked on the couch for a good part of the day. The final curling event of the season is finishing up this weekend. There is baseball and hockey too. I guess I'd best get moving now, and get a walk in before I laze about for the rest of the day. The sun is shining, it's a lovely 9C (48F) and I need the exercise.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone.