I do a lot of on-line shopping especially at this time of the year. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time keeping track of things I order online. And with Christmas just around the corner, I’m going to need to make sure I order the gifts in time for delivery.
I decided to make an Online Shopping List for keeping track of my orders.
It has the important information at my fingertips. I made a printable if you are interested in one for yourself. depending on your shopping list, you might need to print off more than one sheet.
I spent last weekend cleaning for our book club meeting on Monday at my house. As it turned out the meeting was postponed until this coming Monday. With only four of us in the club and two members not able to attend, it just seemed like a good idea to reschedule. So the house is clean except for the usual touch-ups and I can do other things.
Like get a post ready.
what I’m reading
I just finished rereading The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan. When I say I reread it, I read it three weeks ago and had to reread it to refresh my memory. I usually take notes when reading for book club and I did until I got towards the end and was too interested in the story that I just read the book. Notes be damned!
The book is written as letters or journal entries by the various characters. Not every character but enough to know most of the people in the town of Chilbury. The story takes place from March to September 1940 in Chilbury England during WWII. The Vicar decides to disband the church choir as most of the men are away for the war and you can’t have a choir without men. The women decide to ignore this and continue singing with a new director who teaches music at a local college.
I remember hearing stories of how people had to sacrifice during that time and it amazes me how we have gotten so far from the “make do and mend” lifestyle to the throw-away society we have become.
what I’m watching
Mr. Aitch and I watched Soylent Green this week. The movie was made in 1973 and showed how the United States evolved by 2022. Most of the technology was the same as in the 70s, no cell phones, dinky showerheads, no new clothing fashions.
Of course, how could you go wrong with actors Charlton Heston, Edgar G. Robinson, and Chuck Connors?
what I’m loving
Last month we visited my brother, his wife, and my sister at his lake cottage. I took some rocks, paints, and brushes. The three of us women spent one evening painting rocks. My sister is so talented!
She continued her rock painting adventures at home and left this one in the parking lot this week while she was meeting a friend for lunch. When she returned to her car, the rock was gone. She was very excited to have brightened someone’s day.
what I’m doing
Now that Fall is here and the temperatures have gone down, I needed to build up my mini pumpkin bread stash in the freezer. I baked six mini loaves, wrapped then individually and froze five of the. I had to sample one! I can grab one and quickly thaw it to have with breakfast or a snack during the winter.
Next week is Thanksgiving in the USA. Enjoy you week!
I’m still adjusting to the time change. Here in the United States, we turn our clocks back an hour in early November and then turn them forward again on hour in the spring. I know lots of other countries do this, too.
“Gaining” an hour of sleep the first night is wonderful. But It’s dark outside by 5:00 in the evening. I’m so ready to abandon this policy. How about you?
what I’m reading
I’m not exactly “reading” books this week but rather listening to some. Our local library participates with Blackstone Unlimited and has free audio books available. I started a new-to-me series “The Needlecraft Mystery” by Monica Ferris. The first book is Crewel World which is the name of a store where knitting supplies as well as crewel, needlepoint, cross-stitch, and other fiber arts are offered. It’s great to hear about the projects the staff and customers are working on. I would consider this a cozy mystery which is an easy read.
what I’m watching
Nothing different than our usual shows.
what I’m loving
Well, Mr. Aitch is loving his new 1898 hat. And just as predicted, I found the one that was misplaced. It was in plain sight…as usual. This new hat is a better fit and super warm.
I held DK and fingering weight yarns together to get a worsted weight. I like the marled look of the two blues. I thought a stripe would make it more interesting. Since I was playing yarn chicken with the darker blue, the stripe allowed me to stretch that color.
There is a front and back to the hat and it’s difficult to see that before putting it on. I wove some of the white yarn inside the back to make it easier to get it on right the first time.
what I’m working on
I started knitting this Oat Couture Village Vest for me with yarn I frogged from another project. This pattern was released in 1996 and I knit it way back in 2002. I like it because it buttons rather than pulls over my head.
After knitting about 5-6 inches of the back, I realized I was knitting the wrong size. Mr. Aitch helped me rip it out and I’ve started over. The Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Papaya Heather color isn’t quite that intense.
Pepper decided to help herself with a ball of Red Heart Sparkle yarn she found. I got it away from her but untangling it will be a project for daylight hours.
It’s been a few weeks… Mr. Aitch and I were on two mini vacations. The first weekend was with his brother and wife, and the next week was with my brother, his wife, and our sister.
I had every intension of posting about those times as well as about the week my BFF and I spent at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.
I’ve been busy. Our patio project is finally finished and I’m waiting to take some new pictures of that as soon as some grass grows back from the construction. Quality work takes time and we are so pleased with the outcome.
Last week was a week from, well, it wasn’t good. Mr. Aitch was outside with Pepper doing some yard work. I was ready to leave for a church meeting when we c realized she had wandered off. Forty-five minutes late we found her down the street at our neighbor’s house. i missed my meeting.
The next day our email wasn’t working. “Your credentials do not match our system records.” Ummmm. Several friends were also without their email access as well so it wasn’t just us. So many services we use are tied to our email address. Mr. Aitch has his pretty much back to normal with a new email address but I’m still working on some of mine.
Thursday, I got some expected but still distressing news about my hearing. On Saturday the printer decided it didn’t like the paper I was using and kept jamming. Sunday morning I was teaching a craft with our Women’s Ministry group which was more suited for a one-on-one session rather than a group session. Everyone still had a good time and at least 3/4 of the women were successful with their project. I texted each one individually on Monday to let them know I was available for a refresher course at their convenience.
So I was stressed last week that spilled over into this week. That was all in the past so lets see what I’m reading, watching, loving, and working on this week.
what I’m reading
Our Book Club met this past Monday. The book was The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck. The events took place in 1975-76 and Ora, the narrator, is recounting the tale 25-years later. After reading the brief summary of the book, I didn’t think I’d like it. I was wrong. It was very moving and and about doing the right thing when it’s the most difficult to do so.
what I’m watching
Mr. Aitch and I just started watching The Last Detective on Brit Box. The main character, Dangerous Davies, get handed the detective cases no one else wants. He’s good at solving them with little or no recognition.
what I’m loving
One of the shops at Bemus Point on Lake Chautauqua has the BEST cards. When I saw this quilling card, I knew it would be the perfect thank you note card to send to my brother and his wife for their hospitality during our stay at their cottage.
what I’m working on
Mr. Aitch has misplaced his hand-dyed, hand-knit 1898 hat I knit for him several years ago. I wanted this to be in the blue range as that’s his favorite color. I didn’t have the right worsted-weight yarn so I’m holding a DK weight together with a fingering weight yarn to get the right thickness. I’m also using a US# 8 needle instead of the #7 called for in the pattern as it should be a better fit for him.
I’m really liking the marled look of the yarns held together. And the knit-in ear coverings really keep the chill out.
Knitting In Flashes 