Out with the Old, In With the New

Hi friends and newcomers, welcome!

This verse is a comfort to me today as I move forward in the New Year with all it's possibilities.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

I hope your new year is off to a great start. Mine has started out a bit slowly and in a bit of a funk. I was gentle with myself and didn't push myself to do things I didn't have to.  Since I am never able to do nothing much for very long, I also did a lot of reading and a bit of shopping.  The shopping was done at the end of last year and beginning of the New Year to help me get 2015 off to an organized start. I have some goals this year for my spiritual life, my physical being, my home and my relationships. I also have a theme word or a guiding word for the year "joy". This is to help me look for joy in the world each and every day. Sometimes I might share those moments with you here on the blog.

Those of you who have been reading me for years might recall that I go through frequent times of purging my possessions. When I need to replenish or renew them I try to do it in as frugal a way as possible. These actions relate to my personal goals of keeping things organized and tidy, financial goals to reduce spending and also spiritual goals to help on the mission field (read more at my Work in Africa page at the tab on the top of this page).

Purging at the end and beginning of the year happened again when after Christmas I realized that my pillows are well over 20 years old. I can't imagine all the dust mites in those pillows after all this time as they were not washable. I did keep them covered with washable pillow protectors and aired them out every now and then.

The pillows were still supportive but looking worse for wear. I'd been thinking of replacing them for some time.  This year I finally did it. I ordered them on line which is always a bit dicey but they were a good price.  Basically two for the price of one.  While they are not my best pillow (that is one I'm throwing out), I'm  happy to say they seem to be working out fine. If I think back over the past week or so I think perhaps I am also sleeping better too which is one of the claims made by the pillow's inventor. I will have to keep alert and see if the better sleep (not waking up so often through the night) is a long-term benefit.  I can now throw out my old and well worn pillows.

The new pillows are washable and that is a bonus. I want to buy another two good quality latex pillows.  Of the two pillows I'm throwing out, one was latex and one was buckwheat. I would say they were both worth the price I paid for them way back when. I'll take my time looking for a good pillow replacement.

I've also replaced some cheap towels and a floor mat I had purchased less than 10 years ago. These are white towels that cost me only $1.99 each at the time. They now look rather dingy and gray and are starting to fray. The towels I had before were good quality ones that lasted over 2 decades. I'm afraid I was still using those with a few holes and frayed edges when I bought the inexpensive white ones.

My new towels and bath mat finally match my shower curtain which I've had for a few years already.   I now have white towels (2 bath) with teal trim and several other teal coloured towels in various sizes (2 hand towels, 2 bath towels and 1 bath sheet). I couldn't get any facecloths as they were all sold out but I will probably just look for some packages of inexpensive white and teal facecloths somewhere else. I tend to go through face cloths much more quickly and there is no way I will spend $4 or more on one face cloth.

So what else is in or out in my life?

Well for years I've been saying I want to try meal planning. I think it would help me to know in advance about what I will eat so I can prepare several days ahead with the food buying.  This way I hope to get a better handle on my blood glucose levels which are still not fully under control.

I've never actually tried meal planning for a whole week at a time and for some reason I don't find it easy to do. Instead I go to the store and buy whatever is on sale meat wise.  Then I purchase a lot of things to go with it (rice, pasta, quinoa, all kinds of beans and legumes & all kinds of vegetables).  Each day I think about what is going to be for dinner and sometimes I think several days ahead especially if I am going to be fairly busy and want to eat healthy.  This method works fairly well but lately I feel I could do much better and maybe spend much less if I sat down and had a plan of meals.  Plans always include breakfast, lunch and dinner and it is really Breakfast and lunch that I seem to have the  most trouble with.  Also, I have this idea that meal planning is going to require me to also look up recipes and learn new dishes so I can keep things interesting and thus the time factor puts me off a bit.

My first attempt at meal planning started last night. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it.  I may have to start smaller than planning for a whole week.  It will be good for me to start with planning more for breakfast and lunch since I seem to be pretty good with the dinner menu. Maybe I shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel and just focus on planning ahead for breakfast and lunch and continue to plan dinners after buying whatever is one sale. That might work better for me. I'll have to experiment a bit so it might be awhile before I'm in a groove so to speak.

I've never been a breakfast person except for when I travel.  So I really do need to plan ahead for this meal.  It will  largely consist of one of  the following:  hot cereals with fruit, yogurt and fruit, combinations of egg dishes or yummy muffins. I don't eat bacon anymore largely due to the cost and heart health.  Though I would probably do better on a higher protein breakfast I don't often have meat left over from dinner.

Here is a good heart healthy and healthy weight muffin recipe that came with lots of rave reviews. The recipe is actually for Lemon-Raspberry muffins but I substituted cranberries since that is what I had in my freezer. I've made these muffins to have for breakfast every other day or so this week.

 Lemon-Cranberry Muffins * Rated as heart healthy & Healthy Weight

 

 Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups cranberries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.
3. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in berries.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
4. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.

Books, Television Shows & Weather

Hi friends,

I finished the last book in the Century Trilogy. It was over 1000 pages so I'm glad it is done.  It was weighing heavily on my wrists which suffer from pain now and then when overusing the computer or other hand work. I still like to read paper books rather than books on my devices. It is more enjoyable and comforting for me somehow.

So I had to get to the library today as I discovered last night that I had an overdue fine for the Maeve Binchy Biography.

I finished reading this biography on December 28th, well before it was due on January 3rd.  I usually wait for a notice from my library about books coming due and I don't remember receiving one. So I was more surprised than anything when I logged on to my account and found I owed a fine. It wasn't so terribly much (90 cents Canadian). It is just that I try very hard not to have overdue books and overdue fines. Every bit helps the budget.

I took out a new book about an interesting man who developed a special relationship with elephants in Burma and how he subsequently used elephants to save people during WW2. It is called Elephant Company.

I put off starting on this new book for a bit.  When I got home I saw that tonight a television mini series (6 episodes) based on a book I very much enjoyed reading last year was starting.   The book and series is called  Book of Negroes. It is being live streamed on Canada's national television network, the CBC. You might be able to access it. Let me know if you are able to watch it at this link. I'd love to know if you are able to view it from somewhere else in the world and what you think of it. Filming was done in South Africa & Canada. Weather here is quite nice at the moment. It is not raining and not snowing. There is no white stuff on the ground so nothing to shovel or walk carefully through.

When I took my walk earlier there was mist in the air and it was a bit nippy so I took my pashmini shawl with me to cover my neck but I didn't really need my gloves. However this past week much of Canada is digging out from under heavy snowfalls and I suspect the United States is coping with the same weather since it is winter after all. Take care in the snow and for those on the other side of the world, enjoy your sun and warm weather. That too will arrive here in a few months along with the flowers.

Since before Christmas I've been working on a new wardrobe. It will have lots of maxi dresses, both sleeveless and flutter sleeves, light cardigans and light tops.  I'm preparing for my next travels to warmer climates.  I'll let you know when I've decided when and where I'm going.  Until then, happy dreaming *smiles.

Day One of Routine ~ Not!

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a great day today.

I decided to postpone my regular routine and just took it easy for another day.

I did very little. I talked to mom, had a shower, a cup of coffee and am reading a good book in between doing a little of this and that around the house.

The 3rd and last book in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy.

This book is extremely popular and has many holds on it at the library.   had better finish it quickly as it is due soon. I've haven't been reading as much over Christmas holiday as I had hoped so I still have hundreds of pages to go before I am done.

I love reading. It gives me a lot of joy.  How about you?

Two other books I've read this past week.

Each year I am steadily increasing my reading goal. At the same time I don't want to make the goal so high that I don't achieve it.

Last year I started my reading goal quite modest. I think it was 25 books and I kept gradually increasing it because I kept surpassing the goal. I ended the year with 56 books read and that didn't seem too onerous.

This year I've set my goal at 45 books. If I find myself getting behind I will simply reduce it so it doesn't become a chore.

Over Christmas I posted on my blog that the highways through the mountains to go and visit my mom were mostly bare and clear. Then we were expecting a snow storm over the weekend but it didn't affect where I live. However it did affect most of the rest of the province and there are a number of road accidents. Unfortunately, I also had some sad news.  One of my brother's friends passed while he was shovelling snow the other day. This is very sad because he is under the age of 50 years. It really drives home how dangerous it is for people to shovel snow. Especially if they have any unknown heart issues.

Please be careful if you are shovelling snow. It might be better to hire someone if you aren't feeling up to it. This is not activity in which one should push themselves to do more. If you are tackling the job yourself, read these tips on how to take care of yourself. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/Shoveling-Snow-Health-Hazards_UCM_426562_Article.jsp

Keep safe and enjoy the snowfall if you are affected by winter snows. It can make everything look so clean and pretty.

Post Christmas Doldrums

Hi friends,

We are now well into the New Year and I'm a little in the doldrums.

I was bracing for cold weather and snows this weekend but it didn't happen.  We did have coolish tempertures last night as I went out to a friend's house for dinner. Maybe the snow is just a bit late. I'm ready for it if it arrives.

I am still feeling a bit tired as I have been in a long cycle of not going to bed at a good hour. I hope to change that tonight.

My cousin who was supposed to visit with my family this Christmas never made it. As an alternative, we agreed that she would visit between Christmas and New Year's but she never made it due to her brother-in-law getting sick. Now she is far away visiting her daughter before she goes home.  I'm glad she is with her daughter who had a heart attack a few months ago.  But I really did want to see my cousin again briefly so am sorry it didn't work out.

I am a bit behind schedule with getting my Christmas decorations put away because instead I've been trying to buy a few things that I need and while they are on sale.  I finally got a chance to take down the decorations this afternoon.  My things don't look so colourful anymore, lol.

It is a bit funny because I have an artificial tree and it sheds needles like a real tree. I still need to vacuum.

See the pine needles all over the carpet.

Joy is my theme word for the year and today I wasn't feeling much of it.

So how can I find joy today?

I think that joy is a choice.  Not just something to be felt only when outside circumstances affect us.

Today I choose to feel joy even if I feel a bit sad too.  Although my cousin did not visit and I am feeling a bit tired and behind schedule in some ways, I can still choose joy and to look at the bright side of things.

Things to be joy-ful about are quite plentiful.

I had a terrific visit with my mom, my niece, nephew and brother. We had an out of town journey that went off without a hitch. When I returned home I was able to unpack, do laundry without delay and put clothing away. This is something I seldom do and it often takes me weeks to fully unpack and put things in their proper places.  I had so many bags of things to put away this year that I made a point of doing it right away.

I also managed to think ahead and take advantage of some sales on household items (bedding, linen, pillows) and some crafting items (rotary cutters and replacement blades, yarn and fabric pieces) so that I'm all set for the New Year. I did purchase some things on credit though so I have to pay those down as soon as possible.

Other ways I am on top of things include keeping in touch with friends. I had a nice dinner invitation yesterday and have another one next Saturday with a friend I haven't seen in awhile. I have so many people to try and keep in touch with so when I get a chance to meet with some of them I feel a bit more breathing room to be able to get in touch with others I haven't had a chance to see yet.

I like to be ready for the year so that I can be as organized as possible. Each year I seem to be getting a little more organized for the coming year.  Maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit tired.   After a month of my routines getting out of whack I'm hoping I can start getting back into a schedule this week.

I hope you are all set for your year. If you are also feeling a bit down after the Christmas whirlwind, I hope you too will choose "joy".  Let's make 2015 a great year!

It's a New Year

These first two photos were taken with my phone camera about 1 hour before the last two photos.

The light changes fast at this time of year.

Last year I chose two words to guide me for the year rather than setting out a long list of goals like I have in year's gone by. The list of goals really helped me and for the most part I achieved them but I now feel like trying something a bit different so will choose one word this year to guide me.


The word is

{You can see my review of  2014 in pictures here}.

The Year in Pictures

Hello friends,

The year 2014 was the first year I did not post my annual goals on line. I wanted to try something different.

I did have goals for the year but only posted theme or guiding words for the year.  My words were "simplify" and "streamline".  I tried to apply these words to all aspects of my life. I think I was fairly successful in most but not all areas.

I focussed in on getting rid of stuff in my home (papers, clothes, excess craft & kitchen items), taking stock of the budget (which I do every year) and organizing myself a little better financially and clothing-wise, nurturing a few key relationships, working on my health and my spiritual life. I managed to find a new and wonderful church family. My health is one area where I had a lot more downs than I wanted but all in all there were a few baby steps forward. I'm grateful for that. This year I did a lot more reading than I intended to. Reading took up the space that crafting might ordinarily take but I managed to make one baby quilt and finish two other quilts this year as well as almost finish my crocheted afghan. Most of my travel plans for the year did not come to fruition. At the end of the day I just didn't feel up to travelling this year and though I did make a few travel plans I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't come to pass.

Kenyan Missions continues to be important to me though I focussed on a few key areas (helping Elvis finish university, medical needs for one family, funeral costs to help a family hard hit by the terrorism at Mpeketoni, Kenya and Christmas outreach). I hope to continue with the missions in 2015.

All in all, I am grateful for the year 2014 and what it did allow me to do. I want to thank each of you who took time out of your lives and schedules to visit my blog and write to me. It is much appreciated!

I'm looking forward to 2015 and want to wish each of my readers a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

Now here are some pictures of the year gone by.

Theme words for 2014

 

and

 

 JANUARY

 

FEBRUARY

Beautiful Ghanian basket filled with yarn and ready for crafting

Frugal hair (home henna treatments)

MARCH

APRIL

 

 MAY

Work-in-progress, the African Hexagon Blanket

JUNE

Missions to the Pokot, Kenya

Wonderful addition to the family

Tragedy in Mpeketoni, Kenya




JULY

AUGUST

Elvis in Kenya finishes his medical studies (graduation in December).

SEPTEMBER

Woven tea towels, gift from a blogging friend

>

Missions to the Pokot Tribe, Kenya

OCTOBER 

 


NOVEMBER

Christmas Missions in Kenya

{Above photo is from Christmas 2013. 

Still hoping to have Kenyan photos for 2014 and will post them when received}


DECEMBER

 

 

Read 56 books in 2014.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
All the best in 2015.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday for the last time in 2014!

Another Christmas Gone By

Hello friends,

Another year has come and gone and another Christmas Day celebrated.

I was out of town for a few days to visit with my mom and some family members and we had a great time. My brother and I spent the first night together relaxing over food and drink and talking about former career experiences and life's lessons with my nephew. My nephew was blown away by everything he was hearing. He kept saying "how come I never knew about this?"

It was too funny.

It just goes to show that while you are living your life and working, there are many things even your closest family members don't know about you for one reason or another. Now that my nephew is soon to graduate and move on to do his master's degree, he is old enough and far more interested in hearing (and learning) about the experiences of his older relatives.

All of us had a few nights to relax, eat, visit with my mom, visit with my niece and do a few tasks and things to tidy my mom's room and get her things organized.

Nothing was too stressful, I almost got enough sleep, and I was able to make a wonderful Christmas dinner that all (even I) enjoyed. I put myself in brackets because it is often the case that the cook doesn't enjoy the meal as much as his/her guests, though am not quite sure why. My mother always used to say that to me and I never understood it until I started doing a lot more cooking for others.

This year the turkey was purchased pre-cooked and it was delicious!  I purchased a pre-cooked Christmas dinner at Safeway.  I did this once before for mom about 5 years ago and the price has considerably increased since then. Roasted potatoes, instead of mashed comes with the store bought meal.  Neither is turkey stuffing provided so I made both. I really wanted to make a Christmas dinner this year so I could take my mom some home cooking.  That is why I rented a motel room with a kitchenette. Though the dinner is pre-cooked you still need to put it in the oven for about 90 minutes and warm up the gravy. I  like to make sure my bird is cooked so I kept it in the oven for 2 hours and it was perfect; so moist and delicious.

My nephew pointed out that it was good to have an apartment style place to hang out and relax.  That part was true enough though I found the decor and building itself is somewhat old and dated.  It could use a few updates to make it much more comfortable but overall it met our needs quite well, not least of which was having a working oven to be able to make the Christmas dinner that we could all enjoy together. My mom absolutely enjoyed her Christmas turkey too and it pleased me to give her some home cooking that she could at and enjoy.

We arrived in good time on Christmas Eve day whereupon after checking in to my motel, I was able to spend several hours visiting with my mom. I also gave her her quilt early after showing it to her. I wanted to put it on her bed right away so that I could see how it was working out for her over the time we would be visiting her.  Staff immediately noticed it and told her how beautiful it was so that was gratifying.

On Christmas Day after preparing and eating an early meal we visited mom for awhile before taking my niece to the last installment of The Hobbit movie. I sure enjoyed it and found it very sad to see the end of the age of the dwarves and the elves.  I was also sad that the Hobbit movie series that my family members and I go to every year is now at an end. I hope next year there will be something equally good for us all to watch.  As the movie was playing it's last scenes, my niece pronounced "good movie" which is high praise coming from her.  She does absolutely look forward to this annual movie togetherness that we have been undertaking now for several years and I enjoy it too.

I started the tradition of taking in a movie on Christmas Day many, many years ago. At first it was my mom and I. I took her to a movie as a way to get her out at Christmas and because she always said she didn't like movies and couldn't watch them. I guess I wanted to test that theory, lol. She did enjoy some of the  movies and to this day we still laugh over one comedic movie we saw called "Johnny Dangerously".  In those days, the movie theatre was almost empty and only a few hardy souls ventured out. As the years went by, I started taking my niece to movies, then my nephew (sometimes nephews) joined in and now one brother also joins us for his 1 movie a year, lol.  Fast forward to Christmas Day in 2014.  The lobby of the multi-theatre complex was jam-packed with people in several different line-ups for tickets and for snacks. I didn't think we were going to get in but fortunately most the people were going to different theatres.  We were able to get into our movie with no problem.

After the movie ended, we had a long drive to take my niece home and so off we went so she could have another bite of Christmas dinner before sleep beckoned.  Then we headed to see mom for another visit before she went to sleep too. Afterwards we picked up a friend of my nephew's who came to spend the evening with him at the room.  They talked, ate and drank, played games and watched movies while I watched television in my room, cleaned and began to do all the packing. With so much that we had to take on the journey besides clothing and gifts, there was a LOT to pack and get organized. I also had to label some of the new Christmas clothing items mom received before we departed. I was kept busy the whole night long but nothing too stressful.

We were ready for check out right on time and packed the car before one last journey to see my mom and say our goodbyes. While my brother and nephew visited with her, I was tidying her closest and drawers and trying to rearrange things for easier access to her clothing and socks.  I then spent some time with her letting her know where she could find her new items of clothing that she got for Christmas before we took our leave. It is always hard to say goodbye. I asked her if she enjoyed her Christmas this year. She nodded and said "yes".  I know she was in a lot of pain while we were visiting with her but I also know it gave her a lot of pleasure to see her family members over a period of several days. It doesn't happen so often that we are able to get together all at once.  We  mostly try to stagger our visits so that she doesn't have to have such long periods where she doesn't see a close family member.  Before leaving town we dropped off a gift for one of her friends, refueled the car and headed out to the highway.

Driving back was uneventful as the road conditions were excellent. We stopped a few times for coffee and snacks and about an hour or so from home we all stopped to do a bit of shopping.

It is always good to get home. It is wonderful to journey to see mom but it is also nice to get home.  There were lot of bags to bring in and things to be put away. Today I ran a few errands and am doing laundry. Tomorrow I hope to go to church and there are still a few friends to see over the remaining holidays.  I am also hoping to see my cousin who didn't join me at Christmas after all.  She hopes to visit before the New Year and flying home.  I'm looking forward to seeing her if it works for her schedule.

I know some people don't like to be around others at Christmas and prefer to spend a quiet day by themselves. I understand that because I do prefer quiet get togethers rather than a social whirlwind and loud and large gatherings.  I made it a point this year to have a Christmas as stress free as possible and with as few expectations of myself as possible; while at the same time enjoying giving to others and spending quality time with them. Except for the last few nights before my trip where I was busy sewing into the late nights, I think I succeeded in having a perfect Christmas with loved ones this year.

 I hope each of you had a lovely time at Christmas in the ways that you like to spend it. I also wish you the very best of the coming New Year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Wherever you are, may you find a joyous happy time alone or with friends and family. I want to thank you for stopping by and tell you your visits mean a lot to me. I hope to read from you more in days, weeks and months to come. Now here is a card I got from a young artist named Sammy who lives in Nakuru, Kenya. I found the Pygmy prayer on line.

In the beginning was God,
Today is God,
Tomorrow will be God.
Who can make an image of God?
He has no body.
He is the word which comes out of your mouth.
That word!
It is no more,
It is past, and still it lives!
So is God.

African - Pygmy

Projects (Near) Completed

Two posts ago I wrote that I was busily working away on several sewing projects and that I would attempt to finish two quilts that I started making in Fall 2013.

Hard to see the sparkles in the light

Good size for one to snuggle up.

This week I managed to make two half slips, one sparkly burgundy vest and have almost finished the two quilts.

Finishing the two quilts is taking much longer than I would have liked. One quilt (in the photos) is complete.  The last step to finishing the sunflower quilt is to make and sew on the binding.

I  remember now why I set the quilt aside in the first place. I had run out of sunflower fabric and tried to find more.  My search wasn't successful and I set the quilt aside.  Since then I haven't felt like working on it.


Finishing up the quilts would have been much easier if I had used a walking foot.

Walking foot

When I finally remembered to use it, it made the job a lot quicker but I still had to keep un-doing and re-doing seams. Another issue is that I didn't have quite enough of the various fabrics needed to make either of the quilts and thus a lot of improvising needed to be done.  Like most things I do, I don't really follow a pattern.  That means I have a general idea when I get started and along the way I make changes depending on the amount of fabric I have.

Some decorative stitching around the edges.

My projects would probably work much better if I simply followed a pattern and purchased enough fabric to make it.  However, I do not like to pay the cost of patterns and quilt kits. It is all terribly expensive and I keep trying to do things on the less expensive side.

Anyway all of this is by way of explaining why it has taken so long to finish one lap blanket and one twin size quilt.  Trust me, I am so glad they are done so they can actually be ready for gifting this year.  LOL. Both were meant to be given as Christmas gifts last year.  Next up on my unfinished projects list is the African hexagon quilt that I enlarged from a foot of the bed cover to a double size bed cover. I won't be able to gift that for Christmas but will see what to do about it in the New Year.

I was especially pleased with the vest. I purchased some remnant material last summer for $3.99 and that is what I used to make the vest. It will come in handy during this festive season.

By the way, have any of you read the last book, Edge of Eternity in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy? I put it on hold at the library and I've been called to pick it up. I very much enjoyed the first two books in the trilogy and am wondering what my blog readers think about it. It's a good thing it is Christmas. It will give me time to make good progress on the book.

Have a good Sunday everyone!