Hobbies & Entertainment ~ Part 1

Hello friends, 

Many of you have followed me for some time and though I describe my blog as living frugally, much of what I post about is implied frugality rather that statements about how I action frugality. 

I thought today it would be interesting to write about some of the ways I relax and enjoy myself without breaking the bank.

Like many of you, I have limited free time but I do have a few activities up my sleeve to keep me busy when I have some free moments here and there. 

Reading

One of the things I love to do and which costs me next to nothing is reading.  You may find it hard to believe, but when I started this blog back in 2007, I couldn't read an entire page. My concentration had taken a nose dive due to illness.  I also suffered a lot of fatigue and could hardly do anything which required more than a minute or so of sustained action or concentration. Though I have come a long way since then, chronic fatigue and a few other ailments still hamper what I can do and the consistency with which I can do it.  The good news is that I've been setting reading goals each year for about 15 years. In the beginning I had to force myself to read more than a page and whatever I read I didn't remember but I kept going. Today I regularly set reading goals which vary from year to year. I often say I'm going to read less and end up reading far more than I intended. It's actually a good strategy for me as it puts less pressure on me to 'perform'.

This year my reading goal was 50 books. I have reached that goal and have read 52 books to date.  My new goal is 20,000 pages which will likely be another 3 books (I'm currently at 19,120 pages) which I'll easily do before the end of the year. I got the idea of setting a page goal from my blogging friend, Jeanie at The Marmalade Gypsy.  I think it's a fantastic idea and I've used it as my target in previous years whenever I felt I could devote more time to reading. 

How I make it frugal

In times gone by I bought a lot of books and magazines to the point where the books completely filled 2 large bookcases, several drawers, covered a few flat surfaces and were stacked on the floor in parts of my home.  Obviously I had far too many books for my home and these have now been reduced during my ongoing decluttering and downsizing project.  I still have a lot more to declutter but the next bits will be harder because they are reference materials as opposed to reading novels. These days I borrow most of the novels I read through my local library.  From time to time, I purchase books from the thrift store if I really want it or it is a good price. Even the thrift store prices are getting far too high around here.  

In a bid to keep down the clutter, I also now donate the books through my local Freecycle website or donate them back to a local charity shop for resale. This works for me to ensure I don't add even more clutter as I work to downsize. I only like to read current issues of magazines I like so I don't borrow or reach them at the library. I browse the occasional magazine at the supermarket and pharmacy and buy one from time to time if I like what I see when I browse. Usually a spring or fall edition suits me.

Crochet

I taught myself to crochet from a little book that my mother owned. She didn't crochet herself but she had every intention so she had the right supplies for the day when she might make time to learn. I think The first thing I made from a pattern in the book was a doily.  I had no idea that it wasn't a beginner's project, lol.  I remember the day very well. I wasn't feeling that well and was staying home from school.  I was up by myself very early in the morning.  I sat under the dining table with the pattern book and supplies.  A blanket was draped over the dining table to make a sort of 'tent' that my younger siblings had been playing under.  We had seen this tent idea on the Mr. Dressup show, a Canadian children's show hosted by the late Ernie Coombs. My siblings and I used to love Mr. Dressup. Anyway, I was under that table trying to be as quiet as a mouse and concentrating on figuring out how to read the pattern whilst using tiny little thread, looping it with a tiny little hook. I was also being quiet so as not to wake anyone. It was painstaking work for unaccustomed fingers so my tension was tighter than it needed to be but after that project, I fell in love with crochet. I like making doilies best, but sadly most people don't really use doilies anymore. I love it when I travel to Kenya and I see that a lot of women (and men)  there that still love crocheted items. 

Here is the latest doily I've made.  I think I'll send it to a friend in England because she also loves crochet. 

I also love to crochet afghans and have made a lot of them over the past several years. All of them have been given away as gifts to family and friends.

This is a sample of one of my favourite afghans to crochet.

Here is another blanket called African Flower Hexagon

How I make it frugal

The cotton thread used for doilies has gotten quite expensive but you can often buy several rolls at a time in the thrift stores.  I use both new thread and thread I've purchased at the thrift store. For the afghans and blankets I've only used new yarns. Please read the frugal tips under the section on knitting below.

Knitting

I inherited a lot of knitting needles from my mom and I purchased a lot of my own from discount stores. Most of mom's knitting needs are metal or plastic and I prefer to work with bamboo needles now.  The metal ones are far too slippery and my work is always falling off the needles.  The plastic ones just don't have a good feeling when using them. I don't knit a lot except to make dishcloths. I can also knit slippers but I prefer not to since I find them very slippery on tiled floors. Eventually I will knit socks and sweaters. At least that is the plan and I've also stored up some yarn for sock making and for making more afghans and blankets.

Dishcloths all made with Walmart jumbo balls of cotton yarn

How I make it frugal

The cost of yarn has gotten quite expensive over the years so I wait for 40% off coupons from Michael's or for sales on yarn at Michael's.  The sales occur frequently enough for my needs. I also buy at Wal-mart from time to time. There aren't that many options where I live to purchase new yarns at affordable prices. If you are willing to spend more or want top quality yarns there are a few other retailers you can approach.

Other frugal options include buying yarns at the thrift store but you'll likely be limited in terms of quantity, colour, quality and thickness. Some knitters purchase knitted sweaters and unravel them to use the yarn for their own projects. I've never done this myself.  You can also get free yarns on Freecycle from time to time but again you may be limited in terms of quality, quantity and colour.  I've given away a lot of yarns through the local Freecycle website because I had a stash which was far too large for my needs. These days I buy only what I intend to use for a particular project and I do have a fair size stash for projects I know I will make as opposed to what I'd like to make. 

Sewing

I was never a good sewer in high school. I had fumble fingers and my machine stitching was never that neat. It didn't help that one of my best friends had near perfection in sewing class.  In fact, she had top grades in virtually every class but it was her sewing skills that amazed me most because she was just so naturally able to sew well.  Despite not measuring up to my friend, whatever I learned in sewing class  stayed with me throughout the years and helps me to this day. I am grateful to have had at least a bit of instruction since my late mom never had any instruction.  Mother was also a gifted seamstress through sheer determination and natural ability.  Somehow she just figured everything out on her own and I marvelled at her sewing ability. I would say she was as good as my classmate. My mom was my inspiration to keep at it though I can't say she really encouraged me with her words. She never said anything much about my sewing except to critique what wasn't quite right (she was a perfectionist after all). But I think she was quietly proud of me many years later because I had to begin making most of her clothing and she really liked whatever I made for her.   I took great care to try to make simple dresses, tops and skirts in colours and fabrics that I knew she would like.  She loved clothing, dressing up, looking good and getting compliments.  She got a ton of compliments on her outfits at the care home where she lived in her later years.

These days I don't sew that much but I'm planning to do more in future. I just don't quite know when I will begin.  I made a small start this year by making this summer top with a fabric called double gauze. It actually is a bit hard to work with due to it's fraying nature. Since I don't own a serger it means twice the sewing time to finished the seams. But I was pleased to discover that the top was really nice for wearing on a hot summer day so I went and purchased more of the fabric to make something else, possibly a dress.

A summer top for me

Pillowcases for my niece

How I make it frugal

There are many ways to make sewing more frugal.  Otherwise it can be an expensive hobby. Firstly, one needs a sewing machine which can be an expensive outlay. I have my own expensive machine and also 2 other machines, one which I purchased and one which I inherited. I do not own a serger and I'm not likely going to buy one.

I know people who want to learn to sew or they are beginners and don't own a machine. They put feelers out in the community for a donated sewing machine or they buy an inexpensive one at the second hand store or even at big box stores like Wal-Mart.

Fabric can also be expensive. I purchased a fair bit of fabric over the years and most of it on sale. I go to the main fabric store in town where they have a variety of price points.  I still have a lot of fabric on hand and most of it will be used for quilting projects.  You can also get fabric from time to time on sites like Freecycle (so the fabric is free but you have no choice of what kind or what colour). You can also buy clothing second hand and cut it up into fabric pieces. Unless you have a long skirt or a dress your fabric output will be on the smaller side. You can also buy second hand clothing and remake them into something you like better. This is called upcycling. If you are like me, you probably prefer to buy new fabric at reduced pricing, to make sure you get the colours and amounts you need.

V-neck top and skirt for mom

Round neck top and skirt for mom

I made mother's clothing by adapting various dresses and skirts I owned and making them larger for her comfort in a wheelchair and her size.

Simple dress made for mom

Quilting

Quilting is something I'd been wanting to do for some time. I finally took a one day class to make my first quilt. I wanted to make it in time for my mother's first days in the long-term care home. I really enjoyed the experience and made a few more quilts after that.

Crazy quilt (in center of photo) made for my mom (my first quilt).

Wizard of Oz quilt made for my niece

I thought working with a panel to make this Wizard of Oz quilt would be easy but it turned out to be trickier than I expected.

Quilt made from mom's fabric scraps. She used it for a lap quilt.

I wasn't free to make the patterns the way I really wanted due to lack of adequate fabrics.

A made up quilt pattern for my nephew using scraps of mom's fabric.

Another quilt made for mom. I love the sunflower fabric.

How I make it frugal

Honestly, quilting is an expensive hobby. I tried making it more frugal by attempting to use up a lot of mom's fabric stash. What I discovered is the fabrics weren't the right quality, the right weight, the right colour or the right amounts. In the bottom quilt, I really wanted the sunflower print fabric to be more prominent but the store ran out of the fabric and I couldn't get more elsewhere though I really tried. I ended up buying cheaper priced fabric and it ended up also being cheap quality so it wrinkled and warped a lot. Of course, it may have done so even if I spent a lot of on fabrics because the long-term care home uses scalding hot water to wash everything.

If you want to make crazy quilts where there really isn't a pattern you can use second hand clothing. I know people make quilts out of ties, denim, t-shirts and so on. Alternately you can keep your eyes open for discounts on fabrics though it is tricky if you want large quantities of the same fabric as in my case. You can also keep your eyes open for giveaways. There are often people on Freecycle websites trying to give away large bags of fabrics and if you don't mind picking it up and sorting through it, you may find some gems.

Well that's all I will share in this post. It got to be a rather long post so there will be a part 2 at some future point.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know about your hobbies and entertainment and how you keep it frugal.

Tuesday 4 - Art

Hi Friends and welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we are given 4 questions each week to ponder and answer.  It also gives you a chance to see how other Bloggers feel about things and an opportunity to make new friends.

This week we are talking about art.  

1. Are you artistic in any way and if so, how so? Knitting, crochet, drawing, painting, writing lovely word art, home décor, lovely meals?  There are many ways to be artistic.

I've never considered myself an artist as in painting or drawing.  I do however use my hands in other ways that I enjoy such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, a bit of home decor. Oh and don't let me forget photography. I also like to cook but only from time to time.  I took up many of these activities out of necessity or boredom rather than having a great affinity for them.

2. Does any art hang on your walls or grace your tables or shelves at home? How about your front door or windows. What about your yard?

I have a number of art works on my wall, some of which are unique: African women carrying baskets on their heads (done in cloth and framed), a detailed black and white print of a drawing of a Navajo couple in a wagon. It was done by an American artist who had lived amongst the Navajo peoples for many years.  I have another framed print of a North American Indian on horseback set in the old west days, a carved West Coast painting in wood (a gift) and a very special piece called "birch bark" biting done by a woman who is now passed.  Birch bark bitings usually depict insects or designs in nature and are made by folding the birch bark and biting into it until you have a design. This kind of work is extremely rare and I feel blessed to have such a piece.  I'm finding the natural light is already much reduced since the heat of the summer has ended and I've taken these photos very late at night so my apologies for the quality of them.  

African women with baskets

Birch bark biting with floral design

Print of a detailed pencil drawing

I also have a small, quilted star blanket that hangs on the wall behind my bed but I didn't make it (you can see a bit of it in the photo above).  I don't have any of the items I've made on display in my home as I usually give these away.  But I do use and make knitted dishcloths which are very useful.  I try to bring a little artistic bent to my patio garden but in 2023 I was not able to plant the garden. Perhaps I can do it in 2024.

3. Do you have a favorite artist or artists and do you have a favorite piece of art?

I have favourite artists who are well known and long gone such as Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.  I also like Gustav Klimpt for the use of gold leaf in some of his works (The Kiss,  Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer). I love the works of these famous artists and others but in my own home my favourite piece is the Birch Bark Biting I have.

Woman with a Parasol, Monet

The Kiss, Gustav Klimpt

Cafe Terrace at Night, Van Gogh

4.  Home décor can be art. When you  bought things for your home did you plan out the décor or did it all just fall together. Was there a theme?

I mostly just buy what I like but since I've never been heavily into decorating and didn't have the funds or time to spend on decor, I never really had a cohesive look.  Over the past 2 years or more I've been in a downsizing and decluttering mode and am using this time to figure out how to have a more cohesive decor look without spending a lot of money. What I've settled on is a boho look or a ethnic boho look so that I can use a lot of things I already have or have picked up on my travels to Kenya.

Summary of What's Keeping me Busy & Why I Haven't Been on Line Much

I started projects way back in August 2022 and kept a record then (see the link) for my own interest and review.  I don't actually enjoy doing many of these projects and I don't go about it very methodically.  It often takes me many weeks, even months to do a small project.  It's taking me forever to do all the little jobs I have on my list. I find that it takes much longer in a smaller home to do the work because there is no where to put anything when you are trying to do a project and you constantly have to move and remove things.  It can be quite a challenge at times and also physically tiring because a lot of the items are heavy.  There were also many weeks where I was very tired, or in pain, or both, due to several long term health issues.  

But at long last I'm starting to see and feel, the positive results of the changes I've been making and I'm happy with them.  I still have a ways to go before I'm finished.  There are projects in several rooms: living room (put up curtain rods), dining room (install the light fixture), main bathroom (do something about the toilet). I've decluttered a lot and I've got lots of items in bags which need to be dropped off at a charity.  I'm collecting as much as possible so it can be dropped off at one time rather than here and there.  I also still have a lot of paper to shred though it's mostly sorted and put in different piles. These are the main outstanding jobs. I have other job ideas in my August 2022 list but they could be considered 'nice to complete' rather than strictly necessary.

I plan to look into getting the master bathroom tub replaced with a walk in shower once I've completed the above items.  The tub replacement would have to be done by the professionals.  I also plan to undertake 2 reupholstery projects myself.  It will be my first time doing this type of work and I've studied one of the jobs on Youtube before deciding to tackle it.  The other job I can figure out myself and I've starting collecting what I need for it. 

Here is a list of projects I've completed so far in 2023.

DIYs & Household Improvements 

• Painted kitchen backsplash (May 2023)
• Installed 2 shelves in kitchen (May 2023)
• Cleaned and reorganized under kitchen sink, food cabinet & standing shelf unit where dried goods are stored (April, May & June 2023)
• Cleaned tile grout in kitchen and both bathrooms (June 2023)
• Repaired and painted walls and cabinets in 2 bathrooms (April/May/June 2023)
• New shower curtain in master bathroom (May 2023)
• Installed new cabinet knobs in master bathroom (June 2023)
• Replaced toilet fill valve and flapper in master bathroom (May 2023)
• Replaced towels in master bathroom (May 2023)
• Replaced shower curtain liners in both bathrooms (April & July 2023)
• Replaced laundry baskets in master bathroom (July 2023)
• Installed towel shelf in master bathroom (July 2023)
• Replaced door knob in master bedroom (June 2023) still need to replace 2nd bedroom knob
• Installed new wall sconces in living room (March 2023) and master bedroom (April 2023)
• New floor lamp for living room (July 2023)
• Decluttered hundreds of small items (Jan - ongoing)
• Decluttered hundreds of papers (Jan - ongoing)
• Decluttered most of the cracked pots and other items from patio
• Replaced wall clocks in dining room (February 2023) and master bedroom (January 2023)
• Decluttered dozens of items from patio and garden (May - ongoing)

Other

• Lots of paperwork relating to income taxes, property taxes, city government forms completion requirements, retirement requirements, banking etc.
• Lots of medical tests, management of blood glucose, sleep & body work (physio, massage, reflexology, exercise), dental crowns and cleanings
• Participated in several webinars relating to health and exercise

When I get tired of projects I read, watch a good movie, get together with a friend or make something.

Once my 'to do's are nearing completion I hope to spend more time on creative things. 

Some of the makes & alterations this year include:

• Crocheted a blanket (February 2023)
• Crocheted a Pineapple doily (June 2023)
• Sewed a summer top out of double gauze cotton (July 2023). I'm hoping to make another one in white soon along with pull on trousers or a dress.
• Sewed a navy light knit summer top (July 2023)
• Shortened a wide leg pair of trousers  I bought in 2022 (July 2023)
• Sewed pillowcases with Star Wars theme for my niece (July 2023)
• Hemmed various trousers (July 2023).  I've got lots more to do, mostly trousers requiring hemming and other items requiring small repairs.

Read 36 books or 13,158 pages (Jan - July 2023). The goal is 50 books or 20,000 pages, whichever comes first.

Planted small community plot (DH does the weekly watering) (April 2023)

This post summarizes my projects so I can look back later and see what I've done and when I did them. It also serves to show why I haven't been on line very much. 

I'm sorry I haven't had the time or energy to keep up with blogs but now and then I try to read your posts.  I don't seem to be able to do my work and blog at the same time.  The projects weigh me down and interfere with other plans. If I go ahead with other plans, the projects don't get done. 

I think once I've cleared away the 'stuff' and finished a few of the next projects, I'll feel a sense of 'freedom' and a weight lifted off my shoulders. There are lots of things I want to do besides decluttering, reorganizing and DIYs and I'm looking forward to the day....hopefully sooner rather than later if my energy holds.  

If you have time, I'd love to hear how you cope with DIYs and projects and whether you too find they interfere with your social media activities, and blogging in particular.

It Snowed, Again!

 Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are doing well.  It snowed again and has been quite cold since Thursday or so. We had a big dump of snow on Saturday night so I've kept indoors and worked away on decluttering.

I made excellent progress over the past few days and got to sort out a lot of smaller nooks and crannies.

All month long I've been participating in something called a daily declutter challenge.  The challenge is to let go of at least one item each day so the decluttering habit is formed and it doesn't take hours to accomplish.  I have a lot of small items to get rid of because I'm down to the fine-tuning of the major decluttering project I've been working on for awhile. In the fine-tuning stage, it takes me a lot longer to go through every area of clutter and make the decisions as to what to do with things. I tend to collect a lot of paper items and a lot of little things that don't seem to 'fit' into any category of items, a hodge podge, if you will.

I've been surprised to find so much junk in all the places that I decluttered. I suppose it's understandable since some of these small areas haven't seen the light of day for decades.  Literally.  Anyway the month will end in a few days and I'm trying to get as much done as possible. The below items are much of what I've offloaded since Friday.

I've been decluttering something every day this month but I've also been crocheting so I can have a break from the task.  Thursday night I ran out of yarn for the blanket I'm making and I'll need time to go to the craft store to buy at least one more ball to finish the project.

I haven't had time to delve into the books I picked up recently at the library or to finish listening to the audible Spare.

In March, I look forward to getting into these books and planning the community garden for this year.

What plans do you have for the coming month?

Another Month is Almost Over

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope all is well with you. I have been super busy and not able to blog much or visit your blogs very often. I continue to have issues leaving comments on many blogs but when I can leave one without difficulty, I do. I'm not sure if you too are having problems leaving a comment for me because I have noticed that there are very few comments left on the majority of my blogs in this new year. It's quite possible that it is simply because I haven't been able to leave comments for you. If you have been experiencing any difficulties leaving a comment for me, please do send me an email and let me know.  Follow the link at the Blogger Profile page (you may need to click on the 3 lines/dots at top left of the blog).

The weather here has been frightful. I've been anticipating an early Spring but instead we seem to be having winter over and over. The forecast was for snow on Saturday and quite a lot of it (up to 1 foot or 30 centimetres depending on where one lives in the city). I was very surprised to go for late afternoon walk on Wednesday and find myself under snowfall. It was also quite chilly. Fortunately I recently purchased a puffer coat to keep my legs warm in cold weather and I was able to use it. It's already paid for itself in the 2 weeks I had it after buying it on sale. I do have a faux fur coat which is very warm too but I cannot wear it when it's raining so I bought the puffer coat for those occasions.  I took these photos after it stopped snowing and on my way back from the library.

As I write this post I'm getting very annoyed at yet another blogger problem I've been experiencing lately. Whenever I go to edit and tonight, when I go to add photos, a new page comes up called "Post Edit" and it doesn't have any buttons and from that page I can do absolutely nothing except read what I've already written. Is anyone else having this experience or know what to do about it? In the last 6 months I've had so many problems with Blogger compared to all the previous years of blogging with absolutely no issues whatsoever. I didn't figure out the issue but I found a way to work around it. I have to use Google Chrome rather than Safari and that is helping the site to do what it is supposed to do. Sometimes I can leave comments too when I use Google Chrome. 

I'm beginning to think it may be time to move onto another platform. Alas, it won't be anytime soon because there are a lot of other things competing for attention: garden plans, family needs, household organizations and do it yourself projects, technology needs and health management. There is never a dull moment these days, is there? I know everyone else is dealing with most of the same things.

My cousin was visiting from Alberta and we had been planning for long to get together to celebrate her birthday. I haven't seen her since before Covid. Unfortunately she came down with a bad cold and the next day I did too. So she and her sister dropped by and we had a very quick visit and exchanged gifts. We're hoping to have a proper visit in the summer.

While I have been convalescing I started a new crochet afghan. This one is very large as it's meant to be a proper blanket for someone tall to snuggle up in. I found some of the ones I was making were simply not long enough even for me, a shortie. I like them to cover the feet and all the way up to the neck.

This is about 75% complete. The yarn colour is variegated 
and sold as you see it.

In the month of February I've been working away at getting rid of more things and have decluttered numerous items every day. Mostly these are small items because I have already gotten rid of the larger stuff during all my other decluttering projects. I was surprised to see how much 'trash' I've been storing. The items are small so you don't really notice them until you start collecting in a pile. 

An example of small bits I've been storing - 22 items now in trash.

I've been doing a bit of reading too. Here are my latest finds. I haven't gotten too far into any of these books yet. The book Spare by Prince Harry was being offered for free on Audible books. I'm not sure if the offer is still available. I put it on Hold at the local library but it will be awhile before I get it so I can listen to it on audible and then I won't need it from the library.

I picked up the book, little family by Ishmael Beah, because I'd read his debut book Child Soldier years ago. It was a superbly written and insightful book. The other book is fictional and deals with the current topic of internet dating and some of the scams that go on and have made the news around the world.

Last but not least, I'm sharing my 'free' ficus tree. I bought it off Amazon using reward points from my telephone and internet service provider. I also got the fairy lights off Amazon. The lights are strung together on very fine copper wire. There is a total of 66 feet of wire. what a nightmare. The wires get all tangled no matter how careful you are. I hesitate to remove the wire and redo the stringing because I didn't do a very good job but I'll have to be in the right frame of mind with nothing better to do before I try it again! Even so, I'm loving my tree. It will go in the corner near my sofa and replace all the live plants that have occupied the space but don't thrive given the cold and lack of light. If you are eagle-eyed you'll spot containers behind the tree waiting for paper to be shredded and trashed. Yet another project.

That's it for now. I hope to get on a better track with posting and commenting in March if all goes well.  Until then keep healthy, happy and reasonably busy.

What's Up in My World

It was a real treat to go to a restaurant on Monday night. I had so many errands to run and I didn't want to make a late dinner so I opted to go to a local Vietnamese restaurant. 

This dinner consists of pork brochette, roll dip, crepes and fried rice and though it was a tad over done it was still very delicious. (Click on each photo to enlarge).

I also made a library run. I picked up these three books which came up early on my hold request. I'm still working on 2 other books. I hope I can finish them all before someone else makes a request for them. That's always the challenge with popular books.

While at the library I took notice of their digital language services. Some day I've got to investigate further and use the service. 

Likewise with these free creative lessons also on digital offer. 

I haven't done anything crafty for awhile so I started this doily.  I love making doilies and have missed doing so. 

I've also been using the Instant Pot for cooking dinner these days. It keeps flavor in and makes cooking so much easier. 

Pot roast, cabbage, carrots, onion and potatoes with gravy.

Chicken (cooked in IP) served with roasted fries topped with chili, green salad.

I think I mentioned before that I try to follow the Fly Lady house cleaning routine system.  I've never been one who liked a lot of structure and routines but I found that with everything I want to get done, I needed more structure to my days.  The daily and weekly routines keep me fairly busy.  At the same time I'm also downsizing, decluttering, redecorating, bringing paperwork up to date, enjoying hobbies, working on Kenyan missions, following through with all the doctors appointments and doing all the things that arise with daily household and family life.

 

I've also started Christmas preparations slowly but surely. Last week I prepared most of my Christmas cards, printed recipes to include with some of the cards, made frequent trips to the post office to pick up parcels and send mail, purchased some artificial flowers for my yet to be made holiday bouquet.  I've also been scouring the on line shops for the last few gifts I want to send to loved ones and friends.  Hopefully I'll be done with all but three cards and gifts by the end of November.

With all these activities I can honestly say I'm never bored. I just wish I could accomplish things a lot more quickly than I seem to do.  But slow progress is better than no progress. 

How about you dear reader?  What is keeping you busy these days? Have you started Christmas preparations? Do you have a lot to do? 

I don't really have a lot to do to get ready for Christmas. I could get by with preparing a simple meal and putting up  minimal decorations. However, I like to reach out to others at Christmas and try to make a bit of an effort at the holiday.  After all they only happen once a year.  This means remembering people with cards and notes and often making hand made gifts if time permits, otherwise I look to buy something suitable.  Some years I give fewer gifts than other years.  A lot of that depends on what my loved ones need or what they may be going through.  Much of the time most of us in the family really don't need more things when we already have so much compared to those in the Kenyan villages where I've seen first hand the suffering and the hardships.  There is a great need for even the most basic of things (food, medicine, education, books, pens and so on).  One year I was fortunate enough to be in Kenya during Christmas month and I enjoyed visiting several villages and taking basic food supplies to many widows and orphans.

 

I would love to do a bit more baking at Christmas but I don't like to bake if I don't have more people to share it with so the past few years I've only made Christmas bark because we always eat chocolate and nuts. Since the pandemic began I have only visited with 5 people:  my nephew and his girlfriend (we visited outside in the park), my brother and his wife (we had dinner at a restaurant) and one friend (we've met for coffee a few times which we usually drink outside the coffee shop).  Of course I've mingled with others at the post office, the pharmacy and the grocery store but my world has become very small and I take all the precautions.  I have been fully vaccinated and all of my contacts have been fully vaccinated too. I'm due for a booster shot early in December.

Last but not least, I want to mention that I've put a new Pay Pal link on the blog for those that are able to donate to Kenyan missions. Perhaps some of you are thinking of a Christmas gift to the missions. It will be a huge blessing to those in Kenya who have no social safety net. You simply need to click the red flower on the side bar and it will take you to the right place. My friend Jo says to tell everyone that "it's dead easy!" Thank so much for your consideration.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers 🦃🦃🦃🙏🙏🙏

and 

Happy Season of Christmas preparations to all. 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄