Daybook: Monday, February 3/20

Outside my window.....I just saw an elderly  neighbour of mine walking towards her house with her dog Charlie. Charlie is a female and is very protective of her master and I have been trying to gain her trust slowly over the past few months. Yesterday she actually took a treat from me, but I had to stay back and let her come to me. I am one of a very few households who does not own a dog. I am in no hurry to get one just yet.
There are a lot of snowbanks here. A township plow is next door right now removing some of the snow from around our mailboxes.

I am thinking.....how the days are noticeably getting longer. It is after 5 o'clock in the afternoon and it is still daylight. Two months ago, it would have been pitch dark by 4:30.

I am thankful for.....a visit this morning from a dear friend since high school days. She arrived for a cup of tea with me, accompanied by her dog. We are hoping that her companion will get used to me so I may someday be a backup dog-sitter when she makes one of her frequent trips to Toronto.
We had a lovely visit where we were able to catch up in conversation, and I was able to bond a little with the dog. He sat in my lap and let me scratch his neck and back.

From the kitchen......there is nothing going on today. I had a delivery of almond flour from Amazon this afternoon, so I will be making a keto loaf tonight or tomorrow. For supper I am warming up some moussaka that I made for dinner last night.

I am wearing.....black jeans, royal blue fuzzy socks that my sister bought for me, and my favourite black, white and turquoise checked shirt  (I am such a fashion statement). My hair is in a ponytail, no makeup, no moisturiser. When did I get so lazy?

I am creating.....lots of greeting cards. My sister was over today in our craft room and we played some Simon and Garfunkel tunes while we worked. I am building up a stash of birthday cards for all the winter and spring birthdays coming up, as well as some note cards.

I am going.....to pick up the mail soon and I also need to mail out the kids' valentine cards I have already addressed. The compost pail and a bag of shredded papers are by the door so that when I put on my coat and boots, I can take those out to the backyard composter.

I am hoping.....to start my bedtime routine earlier tonight.

I am hearing.....my sister running the Cricut machine downstairs. I came up a little while ago and left her to finish up her project. I also hear the township plow clearing some of those tall snow piles near the mailboxes next door.

Around the house.....I have a pile of macrame cord on a side table in the living-room that is already been cut into lengths to make another plant hanger. On the dining table, I have some stamped images that need colouring when I have a few moments, and two friendship cards that I need to write some notes inside.

One of my favourite things.....since moving in here, is the fact that I have a stackable washer and dryer upstairs which I have been using far more often than the larger machines in the basement laundry area. They are just so handy.

A few plans for the rest of the week......include an appointment for my Dad with a surgeon on Wednesday (Dee has asked my sister and I to accompany), a grocery store trip, a prescription pickup, and I need to phone for appointments for myself.

Here's the picture I am sharing......

View from my front door after Saturday's snowfall.

My Goals for 2020

Despite all the changes that happened last year, I was actually very pleased with how 2019 was shaping up. I learned better accountability by listing the week's objectives in my Daybook Monday and followed up with a weekend recap. It was working up until all of my goals quickly changed. By that time, my priorities were such that I made daily lists, as well as weekly lists. I wasn't shy about asking for help. Looking over what I set out to accomplish last year, I think I will continue on that same path.

Environment:
House:

This house is over 20 years old, which is  very new to me. My last house was almost 200 years old and needed a lot of work. There are things I want to do to update of course, but nothing is really pressing. The roof is new, so the shingles will easily last 10-15 years. The basement is poured concrete, which I love. The furnace and central air is only four years old and I had an inspection done at the beginning of winter. Overall, the place is in good physical shape. The previous owner was a smoker, so I want to wash the walls and ceilings with TSP and prime with an oil-based blocker.  Both products I have already bought. There are lots of holes in the walls where "things" were removed but not patched up afterwards. Some of the holes were big enough that I needed to apply drywall tape and plaster. Those I still need to sand and reapply the mud for a second time at least. Last week "Dee" helped me replace the cartridges in my kitchen faucets so no more dripping. She also helped me remove and install a new bathroom exhaust fan. I had to replace the dishwasher already. I used a special government incentive grant to get a deal on a brand new washer and my BIL installed it for me. He is a retired plumber. So besides the few maintenance jobs I have mentioned, my main goal is to replace the flooring in the rec room. I also need to develop a weekly cleaning routine.

Garden:

I want to plant both a vegetable garden and new flower beds at the side of the property. It looks as though the veggie garden has not been maintained in years, and there are NO flower plantings next to the foundation.

Finances:

Spending
I have spent a LOT of money since making the decision to move. Moving house does not come cheaply, nor is it for the feint of heart. But I am at the point where I have most of what I need. I have bought from both brand-new and from second-hand (yard sales and thrift shops). Anything I buy from now on will be a "want", not a need. I will make a wish list  to post on the fridge and try to beg or borrow from someone else, or wait until I see it at a yard sale this summer.

Saving
I just want to salt away as much as I can. I need to build up my savings again. My expenses here are not as much, so I should be able to put away more.

Family and Friends

I have close ties with my family, but need to make more of a concerted effort to maintain my friendships. I will be planning many more trips to visit during the good weather. I am still sending out many greeting cards and HAPPY mail.

Health

I have a doctor here, which is the good news. I have had two appointments already, but I have only met him once. The first time, I was seen by a resident. There is also a nurse practitioner that works out of his office. It takes more than a month to get an appointment, so I have to be aware of that when I need to have my blood work done. I am still on keto, and now I have my sister joining me. I thank my lucky stars that I am still in good health. I still have to work on my day-to-day self maintenance and beauty regime. That never took off.

Crafts and Leisure

I have already joined a card-making and scrap booking group here in town, and loving it. The women are a great bunch of like-minded individuals who are passionate about their craft. I have a much bigger crafting space downstairs that I am still trying to sort through and organise. Because it used to be a workshop, I have lots of shelving, a pegboard, working tables and benches, everything I could want. My sister has become addicted as well, so we can spend hours in silence down there busily creating. I have found my bliss. Although I did not have enough time to craft my Christmas gifts this past year, I was able to make a couple of macrame plant hangers, one embroidered towel,  and some boxed cards as gifts for some. I will certainly do better this coming year.
I also plan to join the Elliot Lake Horticultural Club this month. Gardeners are usually very keen to share their perennials when it is time to "split" then up. And,  I should be able to glean a lot of information about my new growing zone I have moved into, and what kind of plants will do well in this temperate climate.

That is a small novel. I didn't mean to talk so much, but I felt I needed to catch you up on my situation. Tomorrow, I will set up a list of tasks for the coming week in my Daybook.

Life Changes

I have been wanting to start blogging again for quite some time. Today, on February 1st, I have made up my mind that the best way to start is to dive right in, head first. I left the blogging world quite suddenly and unexpectedly in the Spring. I drove to Smiths Falls to see my brother and sister-in-law over the Easter weekend, both to enjoy the holiday weekend with family and to have my income tax prepared by my brother. That was the turning point.  I realised that weekend that I could no longer afford to maintain the old house. My kids had expressed some concern about my staying there alone, but I was sure  I could handle it, until my brother pointed out otherwise. I went home after that weekend and got busy. With the help of family and friends I threw out, sold, gave away, or left behind so many of my possessions. I called in three real estate agents and interviewed them. I decided on the one who seemed to love my house as much as I did, and by the time I was ready to fly out to Vancouver to visit my eldest son's family the first two weeks in July (the ticket was bought months before), the house went on the market. Fortunately, it sold immediately. When I returned, all that was left to do was to pack up what was left into a Rent-a-Truck and move up North to Elliot Lake.

I stayed with my sister and her husband while I looked for a place to live. I had no idea whether to rent an apartment, buy a condo, or what I wanted. Eventually, I decided and gave my new real estate agent some guidelines to look for me. It might sound impossible, but he was able to deliver. In the end I decided to buy again. I wanted a bungalow. This month I will be turning 70, so I figure that perhaps in 10 years time, I may not be able to climb stairs anymore. I wanted 3 bedrooms because I expect to have company come to stay with me. I wanted a basement to act as my crafting space. It didn't have to be finished. And I wanted everything for less than $100,000. I absolutely LOVE my new space. I have gas heating and central air. I did take the unfinished part of the full basement (the laundry and workshop area) for my crafting area, but I have a very large finished rec room with a gas fireplace for entertaining. I have a second bathroom down there as well, and TONS of storage cupboards. My back and side yards are completely fenced in with a two layer deck out back, large shed, and a veggie garden. There is no flower garden, but hey.....I have a blank slate with which to design my landscaping.  My space is a side-by-side duplex, which I share with a lovely quiet couple. I have already had company stay with me this past Fall, and I am looking forward to entertaining more this coming summer. Did I mention how much I love my new house?

I NEED to get back to blogging as it was my means of sticking to a budget and staying accountable. Since moving into this house mid-September, I have spent a boatload of money. Because today is the first of the month, I sat down this morning to finally figure out my new budget. I am only now getting the monthly figures for my utilities. In the beginning, there were a lot of one-time extra decommission costs associated with my old address in Odessa and new installations costs for setting up at the new place. I only got my first water bill for this address yesterday. I am paying my mortgage costs and property taxes every two weeks. So with this information, I am finally able to make a spending plan. Tomorrow I will share my goals for the next month. It is good to be back.

Lovely Spring Weather

I started my day indoors by.....

• unloading the dishwasher
• watering my indoor plants downstairs
• making a batch of homemade yoghurt
• placing the remainder of a turkey carcass into the crock pot to make broth
• applying the second coat of drywall mud to areas on my kitchen walls
• washing my living room window, inside and out, including all the vinyl casings
• renewing my CAA membership
• warming up a couple of bowls of homemade pea soup from the freezer

After lunch I ventured outside to clean up the front and back yards of garbage and recyclables left behind by the winter winds and snow. I filled a huge green garbage bag with trash and a rubber bin with pieces of shingles and wood and plastic that cannot go into the trash. I wanted to do more cleaning up with a bow rake, but my left hip began to bother me, so I came inside for a hot shower and decided to take it easier for the rest of the day. I will hope for another day tomorrow like this one we had today. I will start by hanging up a load of laundry that I plan on washing tonight after 7 PM.

Daybook :Monday, April 15/19

Outside my window.....the wet rainy weather is continuing from yesterday, though much colder. At least it isn't snow or freezing rain, right? We had lightening and thunder accompany some of the storms last night.

I am thinking.....of how my blood sugar has risen from 5.9 to 6.1 in the last several months and wondering how it is possible having been on this diet faithfully every day. I don't see my GP until May 2nd, so I may as well not fret about it right now; but,  I am very disappointed.

I am thankful for.....being able to sleep very well every night. Some others suffer from sleep issues.

From the kitchen.....I was able to bake a keto loaf on the weekend, as well as shred and saute a head of cabbage yesterday. I meant to make another batch of yoghurt the last two mornings, but time ran out on me. I made a pan of chili last night which will also do for dinner tonight.

I am wearing.....black jeans, black socks and a loose  purple and white polka dot top.

I am creating.....a Welcome Baby card and lots more spring time cards which I attached sentiments and notes to this morning before addressing the envelopes and walking to the post office.

I am going.....nowhere else today.

I am hoping..... to get outdoors in the yard and gardens tomorrow. It is supposed to clear up under sunny skies and reach 13 C (55*F)

I am hearing.....the blower on my furnace. I don't usually turn off the furnace until the first of May, if it is warm enough.

Around the house.....I have some more started projects that I would like to clean up quickly.

One of my favourite things.....is an afternoon nap, which I am tempted to take today. I don't understand WHY I feel so dragged out. (I slept until after 8 this morning). Maybe it is the rain.

A few goals for this week.....

• make masculine birthday cards and mail out two this week 
• take my tax information to my brother's this Easter weekend
• put 2nd and 3rd coats of mud on sections in the kitchen, sand and prime
• wash living room window, inside and out.
• call and make appointment to have my winter tires changed at the end of this month.
• cut two sections of 1"x4" pine board and fit into missing section of spare room baseboard
• do some yard work on the first nice day with picking up trash, picking up tree branches, and removing dead perennial vegetation from the flower beds
• daytime moisturiser with SPF
• long wearing lipstick
• moisturiser at night

Here's the photo I am sharing.....

Against the foundation is Glory-of-the-snow, which is another spring flowering bulb like the crocus. In front of that, just coming up through the mulch, is a clump of blue flax. 

Week End Goals

On Monday I published this list of goals for the week....

• a trip to the lab to have blood work done     Done
• call my GP to make a follow-up appointment     for May 2nd
• call the Breast Screening clinic for my mammogram appointment     For May 29th
• a shopping trip for tinned tomato sauce, cheddar cheese and Stevia sweetener     I have spent $109.80 on food so far this month. 
• order a baking element for my oven at the appliance repair shop     Bought and installed
• make at least 10 cards this week     Most were additional Easter cards and one Baby card
• mail out the long distance Easter cards immediately     Done. More will be mailed tomorrow
• set a timer and do at least two  15 minute declutter jobs this week in the Craft room     No
• wash big kitchen window, inside and out.     Done
• if outdoors, pick up branches from the yard and put on the compost pile. Gather garbage from the yard in a green garbage bag for pickup     Didn't get outside
• start every morning with SPF moisturiser and long wearing lipstick     3 out of 7 mornings
• moisturise every night     No

I think I did very well this week. I did not finish my weekly list, but I did far more than I planned to do on my general monthly goals list, by attacking some home repair/maintenance jobs. On Friday I applied the first coat of mud on the walls, and because I need to buy replacement blades for my roto zip, I am unable at this time to trim out my kitchen window. I instead added a length of 4" pine board to the bottom of a living room wall that is missing its base board. My work may not be pretty, but it is functional. I also used up the other tube of caulking I bought on Thursday. 

Tomorrow I will sand any uneven edges and apply  a second coat of mud.

My niece finally delivered a baby boy (8 lbs. 8 oz.) yesterday morning (Saturday), after going into labour on Thursday morning. It was a long labour but mother and baby are doing fine.  

Shopping on Saturday

I hate going for groceries on the weekend, mainly because everyone else is out shopping on their days off work. I am retired so I can go any other time of the week, and I wished I had. But I was out of eggs and milk, and almost out of butter, so that is where I found myself this morning. I stopped first at the Bulk Barn to buy some almond flour and some dried minced onion flakes. Then I hit NoFrills for the bulk of my supplies.

Meat and dairy cost me $37.83  The smoked ham was $1.47/lb and butter was on sale for $2.77/lb.

Fresh and frozen produce cost $34.17  (cabbage, tomatoes, English cucumber, mixed berries, 2 brussel sprouts, 1 green beans, and 6 winter veggies.)

I forgot about the 2 doz. eggs I also bought, the granulated Stevia, the almond flour and died onion
flakes which cost another $21.46 for a total expenditure today of $93.45 I have only $ 48 remaining in my household budget for the rest of the month.

When I returned home, I baked a loaf of keto bread and sliced up the whole smoked ham to fill 4 quart sized freezer bags with sliced ham. I made myself a ham sandwich for my lunch. Mmmm. It was so good. Today is sunny and fairly mild, but very gusty. I was tempted to go outside with a garbage bag and pick up trash, but it is too windy for that. Besides, a lot more will probably blow in today and fill the yard up again. I hope all of you are enjoying the rays of sunshine at least. Have a great weekend.