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.

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.

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. 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

A Few Good Days

Hello friends,

I hope you are all enjoying the first week of the new year. If you are back at work I'm sure you will be happy it is a short week this week. I know it is always difficult to get back into the swing of things after a bit of a break. In my last few working years I preferred working over the holiday when it was quiet and I didn't have the difficulty of transitioning back after Christmas and New Year's break.

I've had a bit of a cold over the holiday period. Just enough to make me less interested in being on line but not enough to keep me from other interests. It has been bright and cold over the past few days but today it warmed up several degrees and that always brings the rain. I'll take that to the heavy snowstorms they are dealing with across much of  North America.

In  my last post I showed you my crochet project. I finished my afghan the night before last but haven't yet put all the fringes on it. I just wanted to make sure I finished something sooner rather than later so I can move on to other projects. I've been enjoying hot cups of decaf tea late into the night while I work on the crochet project. I am happy with how the afghan turned out but I apologize for the exposure in the photo as I took this and the next photo late at night.

I enjoyed making this and may make another one in a different colour scheme.

I decided to get started right away on another project. 

This time it will be a doily.

I haven't made this pattern for many years. I've already had to unravel and re-do 2 times and will do so again.

The pattern requires a lot of counting and one error made means (for me) starting again.  Sometimes you can cover up mistakes. I don't like to do that where doilies are concerned. Once I make this I will immediately make one more while the pattern is still "fresh" in my mind.

I've got some minor alterations to do this week too before I can start on bigger projects of any kind.

My new reading material is called Arabic for Beginners.  It's about an American Canadian woman who accompanies her husband and small children to live in Jerusalem for a year. There she joins a group of  ex-pat women at her son's daycare and becomes friends with a young Palestinian woman. I'm in the early stages of the book. It is quite good in that it gives you insight into the Israeli-Palestinian life, politics and tensions. I've read several books of this nature and always find them helpful to understanding life in Israel.

The other book I'm reading is described as a cosy mystery. I can vouch for the cosiness of the book. Though not along the caliber of writers like Ken Follet, a few pages into it I can see it will be a satisfying read. It is a book by another Canadian author who is the author of two traditional mystery series. I only read mystery books quite sparingly. So far, I've enjoyed them.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment if you can. 

I hope you visit again when you can.

Happy New Year!

May you all have a fantastic 2018.

Taking Stock of 2012

The end of another year is here and just as I've done for the last few years, I'm taking a few moments to look back at my progress on the goals I set for 2012. These goals are really mostly guidelines for me to keep moving forward through the year rather than hard and fast rules about what I need to do. They probably aren't that much interest to my readers but I do it because I find that setting out broad goals each year helps me to keep things on track and gives much needed structure to my year.  Blogging about it makes me more motivated to work on the goals and holds me more accountable for my time.

Last year, I structured my goals into several categories: Spiritual, Health & Lifestyle, Family, Financial, Hobbies and Home.

SPIRITUAL

• Implement an appointment time for prayer and study

• Use a good study guide for bible study
• Support one person in reaching their goals
• Make one loan to a female entrepreneur in a Kenyan village
• Cultivate and nurture Christian friendships
• Implement an appointment time for writing & gifts to my sponsored children in Kenya
• Continue to keep in touch with childhood spiritual leaders

I made good headway in all of these goals though there is some room for improvement. I managed to meet all of my spiritual goals but need to improve on consistency of appointment time for prayer and study. One thing I added to these goals over the year was reading my Bible chronologically and I will continue with that goal in 2013. One thing I found helpful was reading at night rather than in the morning.

I supported 2 people in moving forward with their post-secondary goals this year and helped two women with their business goals. I had been saving pennies as a way of raising funds for Kenyan women. I will no longer be saving pennies because the Canadian Government has abolished the one cent coin and it will no longer exist as of  February 2013.  I will miss the penny coin for many reasons.

I've made a decision not to continue providing post secondary or business assistance to Kenyans in the foreseeable future.  My hope is that the assistance I was able to provide will be enough to encourage the receivers on their respective journeys.  I will continue to provide help to Kenyan villagers in various ways as the Lord leads and enables.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

• Continue to learn about diet for diabetics & incorporate pulses, grains, dark green veggies into cooking.
• Learn to make artisan bread
• Make more multigrain bread
• Get more Omega 3 EFAs, vitamins, fiber & antioxidants
• Implement an appointment for stretching
• Ride my stationary bike for 30 minutes 3x per week, increasing to every day
• Resume weight training
• Continue with my swimming lessons
• Take a water aerobics class
• Laugh more
• Learn new computer skills
• Upgrade my skills on smart phone/tablets, etc.
• Clear up computer files and photo files
• Continue to broaden my base of friendships & participate in my various group meetings & get togethers

I was not successful with several of my health and lifestyle goals; mainly those goals which required physical activity. I did continue to learn more about incorporating healthy eating habits, and getting more Omega 3 EFAs, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants in the diet but this did not help me achieve weight loss or better blood sugar levels.

Looking back over 2012, I see that I was hampered more often than not by long periods of constant pain and inability or limited ability to walk or exercise.  This again made weight issues very challenging,

In 2013, I hope I can make more progress in a fitness regime and find some way around my pain issues.  I am not on pain killers or anti-inflammatories.  Over the year I tried several different approaches to naturally combat inflammation but it didn't seem to make much difference to my pain levels.  I simply have to keep trying in 2013.  I did undertake some steps to radically reduce some stress in my life and that can only help my overall health (and blood sugar levels). 
 
I was also able to upgrade my skills on my smart phone and my computer tablet, though I didn't make much progress in learning new computer skills like Photoshop.  I did make a new website/blog for Missions of Hope, Kenya. However this is no longer published as the volunteer heading the missions is in a life transition right now. Perhaps it will be revived in future and so the work is not for nothing.  

Sometime during the year, I killed my computer hard drive, about the 4th time in 5 years that I've completely lost my hard drive. It is always a headache when that happens as it means lost money, lost time and lost files. I spent a fair bit of time trying to recover as much as I could. There wasn't much time or interest left in the year to learn new computer skills.

Locally, I made several new friends and participated in a number of group gatherings as well as organized a few of my own gatherings, outside of my home and inside my home.

New things added to my list of things to accomplish in 2012 included: undergo eye examinations, find a new dentist (and get a treatment plan in place), do all the paperwork to get a new CPAP machine, schedule a course of massage and foot reflexology.



FAMILY

• Continue regular schedule of communications & attend to needs
• Implement a regular schedule to write spiritual memoirs
• Conduct necessary research for spiritual memoirs
• Plan a vacation for my niece
• Continue to make contact with relatives who are shut-ins
• Plan a trip to visit extended family, for missions or personal trip

Saving pennies for Kenyan women~May 22/12 - $89.55

It was important to really focus on my family this year due to ageing relatives and their various health needs. In May, I was able to visit my last living uncle before he passed due to complications of surgery related to colon cancer. The trip to see him with my brother pleased him greatly. (At the same time, we were able to meet several other relatives and see how they are doing). Our comfort is in knowing we will see my uncle again some day but understandably his daughter who saw and spoke to him every day, misses him a lot. She paid a visit to my own mother in October and that was a wonderful surprise for my mom. 

 

I made a good start on writing my spiritual memoirs but have a lot of work yet to do to research some of it with my mother. Due to mom's health this cannot be done at my own convenience and I pray that I will be able to get what I need soon. Also the progress on actual writing was hindered by mobility issues since I was unable to get to my writing group in the latter part of the year. 

 

One of my goals was to keep contact with elderly relatives and childhood spiritual leaders. I tried with limited success to keep in touch with two older lady relatives. Mostly when I called them they were not at home but I did try. More recently I made contact with one and let her know that I would like to visit her when the weather warms. She is very excited. I'm excited too as I will see some new to me countryside.

 

I also wrote several times in recent years to my former Sunday School teacher. I hadn't heard from her in a long while and recently her daughter wrote to let me know that she found my address when packing her mother's belongings. She is moving her mother in with her own family due to the memory loss. It was touching to hear.

 

Finally, I planned a vacation for my niece to come and visit me over the summer and to spend her birthday with me. She was thrilled when we went to see the theatre production, "Mary Poppins" and also enjoyed our picnic and our travels on the small ferry boats around Granville Island. I had initially planned for a one week visit with my niece but she ended up staying for two weeks.  We had a nice time together despite my mobility issues.



FINANCIAL


• Continue to pay down debt
• Budget "to zero"
• Live below income
• Save more
• Continue saving in the snowflake jar fund for miscellaneous projects
• Think two or three times before spending
• Continue to implement strategic charitable giving
• Review insurance coverage & investment matters
• Investigate & buy silver

I managed at long last to purchase some silver coins for my long term needs. I also implemented budgetting to zero on a monthly basis. This made it difficult to meet the on-going missions needs in Kenya.  Consequently, this type of budgeting didn't work if I wanted to help the Kenyans with some immediate and pressing needs. These needs also made it impossible to pay down debt despite living well below my income.


I managed to continue to save some modest retirement funds but couldn't manage to save anything in a bank account for other needs.  Fortunately I received some tax refunds to help me with some household needs.  In 2013, I will be implementing a more stringent regime of charitable giving so that I am able to meet my own obligations as well as continue giving to the mission field.

HOBBIES

• • Read one or two books per month
  • Create an edible garden
  • Crochet a doily or a baby outfit
  • Knit slippers (1-2 pair), possibly learn to knit sweaters or socks
  • Finish the knitted baby blanket
  • Make dishcloths for gifts
  • Learn to machine quilt
  • Consider sales to raise funds for charitable giving
  • Use up stash of materials before buying more
  
  
  I was able to complete a number of creative works though I did not stick to my list of intended projects. Instead, I made many dishcloths, hats, scarves and blankets; all of which went into my Etsy shop. I had hoped to raise funds for charitable giving but haven't sold anything.
  
  
  I learned that buying all the supplies (some second hand but most of it new) even on discount, and careful shopping,  is rather expensive. I bought a lot more fabric than I intended as it seemed I never had exactly what I needed. I learned a lot by trial and error about how to go about future projects and purchasing what I need.
  
  
  It is probably not the best use of my time to make things unless I want to take them with me to Kenya on a missions trip since I was not very successful in sales. Either that or I need to figure out how to market my products or simply let my product development and sales develop more organically.   I am not the kind of person that will set up shop in a temporary stall to sell things. However, I am happy to have learned how to make new things and have already given some of my crafted items away.
  
  
  I surpassed my modest reading goal of one or two books per month and started reading the Bible from front to back after I completed 25 books for the year. 
  
  I was able to put in an edible garden and a lot of container flowers.  My edible garden had tomatoes, corn and peppers.  The peppers and the tomatoes did very well but the corn wasn't edible. For some reason the corn did not mature this summer unlike other summers.  I will reconsider what to plant next summer.

HOME

• Complete major decluttering project
  
  
  Yeah, I completed the HUGE decluttering project that seems to have gone on forever. I managed to get rid of all my excess clothes left over from my working days. Rather than continue to try to sell them on line, I bagged them all up and gave them away. Kitchen items, craft it and knick knacks were all bagged up and given away through my local chapter of Freecycle. I am still working on offloading some paperwork and excess photos.
  
  
  Additions to my list of the activities for 2012 included: renew patio space and replace some pieces of old furniture and  several small and large appliances.  Patio furniture was repainted, and new purchases included an umbrella for the patio table and a bird bath for the little birds to enjoy. A much needed sofa and chair were also purchased in the summer and kitchen appliances were purchased in the winter. I was very blessed to purchase all these items at good prices. I make it a point to carefully look for sales and the best quality within my budget I can so that whatever I have will last me for years to come. The last time I had a new sofa or appliances was several decades ago.
  
  
  At first blush, it seemed my year was filled with health challenges and little accomplishment.  But I tried to stay positive and keep on forging ahead as best I could.  I can hardly complain with all the terrible things that have been in the news all around the world.  As I age, I am mindful of the Bible teaching to be "content".  I try to keep a balance about what I'm feeling and doing and am learning to "go with the flow", though this is easier said, then done.
  
  
  After I've reflected over the year, I realize that my progress was or better than satisfactory.  I was able to accomplish a lot of the household tasks and creative tasks that I've been wanting to accomplish for a very long time. I was hampered in my progress by health challenges but am grateful to God.  He has helped me not only survive the year but get through some challenging projects and assignments.
  As I move into 2013, I pray for better health, not just for me but for loved ones and the many people I've met through blogging who also suffer from ill health.
  
  
  May 2013 be a blessed year for each of you and may our Heavenly Father grant you peace, good friends and good health.
  Happy New Year!

A Busy Day or Two

I woke up a bit earlyish for me on a Saturday. It was likely because I had a long nap late yesterday and went to sleep at a reasonable hour. This after two nights of little sleep.

I've been fighting a cold and when I went to sleep last night there was a great wind flapping up and expected rain in the forecast. I awoke this morning to rain and cloudy skies.  I stocked up on some cooking items earlier this week so I could do some baking this weekend.  This morning I got started.

For lunch I made some pot barley and beef soup.  It was quite good. and I calculated the rough cost of each serving at about $1.40 Canadian but these are huge servings.  The soup bones were not cheap.  A package of 4 small bones was almost $3.50.  Even so it was a much better deal than buying a bowl of soup in the family restaurant across the street. You can see the fat at the top from the marrow in the bones. I love marrow with a bit of salt on it.  For some people though this is probably WAY too fattening.  If you don't eat it often, this isn't a problem unless your doctor says so.

I also have some bread dough on the rise for making the two loaf bread I made earlier this week.  See here for my earlier attempt.

I also made some pie crust from a recipe I found on a blog.  I have never been good at making pie crust even with a no fail recipe so I hope this attempt will work better.  In fact, I prefer making and eating cakes or cookies to making pies.  But this weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving and I plan to make a pumpkin pie to go along with the turkey dinner.  If I have some extra time after laundry and cleaning I am going to make some freezer pizza dough and some Hershey's chocolate chip cookies, also for the freezer for snacks later in the week.

I also managed to make two more kitchen dishcloths to add to the one I made earlier in the week. These ones are rather a loose weave compared to the ones I used to make. I enjoyed whipping these out and will use one of them shortly to "test" the weave and tension.

I also managed to make one round of my doily. I didn't get as far as I'd like and I still have six rounds to go but will likely finish it soon.

 

Finally, I got started on a book I've been meaning to read for awhile, The Pillars of the Earth. I get all my books at the thrift store these days so this is always a great bargain.  It is 973 pages long so that should keep me busy for awhile.

I always feel content when I am able to keep my hands busy, soothe my soul, save money and improve my mind.

When do you feel content?  

Update: I did some of washing up after mixing and baking. I used the  new dishcloth and it works perfectly. The bigger open weave seems to be better suited for washing up than the tighter, smaller weave.  This is a pleasant surprise. 

I hope you are enjoying your week and weekend.