and then....

My body crashed yesterday.  I got up.  My morning walk went well.  Tea and food happened.  Bread was started.  Yarn was spun.  And then, intense pain and exhaustion.  I laid down and slept for two or three hours.  There was one point I came away enough to notice and remember a crunch noise/feeling when I stretched.  

I know I have been overdoing.  I know there has been change.  I know there has been stress.  I should not have been surprised at all and really was not.  I was more frustrated with the timing.  My body could not have waited until evening?

When I woke up from the nap, I really was not moving.  Hobbling across the house to make tea or go to the bathroom was about my limit.  But I could sit in my rocking chair next to my basket of yarn.  I got cuddles from Koda Bear when he needed a break from playing and he is healing as well.  He took a fall the day before which pulled a muscle in his groin.  There are times you can tell it is still grabbing him.

The blanket I am making for Ziggy Monster grew.  It is blues and greys.  All leftover bits, gifted bits, or homespun bits.  I like how it is turning out.  Koda Bear has a similar one that I made him before he was born.  It is blue.  It is based on a pattern I saw on Purl Soho.  Except it was a knitting pattern.  I, of course, changed it to crochet.  It becomes a very soft blanket.

It was about my speed yesterday.  Today, I am doing all the things I can before I crash again. We promised Koda Bear we would finish opening Christmas presents today so I have to be away enough for that tonight.  One step at a time!

I goofed!

Koda Bear came home Sunday!  He has gotten so tall in just a month.  Closer to six weeks.  He even got a haircut in that time.  So I was frantically sewing pajamas for him before he came.  

I goofed.  I found the wrong pattern and made two pairs of pajamas very much the wrong size.  I had lengthened the pattern I used because I thought it was last year so they were not quite as short as they could be.  But they were four or six inches too short.  And tight!  Goodness!  He could have been in a disco dancing they were so tight!

What is a grandma to do?  I still had enough fabric to cut out two more.  I was saving the fabric for Ziggy Monster's receiving blankets.  Instead of four, he will have two.  Two of Koda Bear's have already been found so I think it will be overall okay.  I am also crocheting a wool blanket of blues and greys.  What do I find in my basket.

I am starting to build Ziggy Monster's cradle this weekend.  I have started collecting supplies and I have ordered the mattress and linens.  He may not have as many things as Koda Bear but he will have lovely things.  I ordered a few things and I am thinking about making a few more.  There will be a quilt.  And maybe some sleep sacks that get dyed.  There are just not enough hours in the day.  Especially since I now have cuddles with a not so small bear to add in to my already busy day.  I would not miss them for the world!

still chipping away

I am still working on Christmas.  Pajama bottoms are still being made.  One step at a time.

I need to bake for my best friend.  She is a shortbread fan but I just told her about the bread I have been making recently.  I know that I talked about the toasted oat bread I have been making but it is now a toasted oat and rye bread.  I took the loaf the boyos like the best and amped it up for more flavor.  That loaf has recently had an egg added to it for the protein content.  I am sneaking nutrition in where I can because food is not on anyone's list of what they are currently interested in.  I think it is just too much rich food through the holidays.

I am still picking away at piles.  I hope to get another one under control today.  I crashed yesterday and I have a feeling it may have been due to the yuck I got cleaned out.  Sometimes the process is harder on my body then leaving it alone.  And that also means there is a lot of pain today.  There has been constant change for the last five weeks so I know that is part of it too.

Back to my sewing machine.  Maybe after I deal with a pile.  And possibly creating more storage.  That is life

all the small things

The last few days have been about all the small things that need to be done.  Small things that end up taking time and energy.  More then are expected in the major scheme of things.

I am loving the bed.  But, the sheets would not stay on it.  I would wake up every morning to having them untucked.  I had polyurethaned the top to protect the wood and the mattress but it meant the sheets and mattress pad just wanted to slide right off.  So this morning I used some spray adhesive to glue felt to it.  I am going to see if that does the trick.  

The plumbers were here on New Years Day.  Things that needed fixing were fixed wonderfully.  I filled the bread bowl with water to clean it and it is the first time in over twenty years that I did not have to tilt it because of the wonderful new faucet.  But I realized I need to clean out under the sink.  So I did.  Three trash bags later of stuff and used cleaning supplies and it is done. 

The cabinet under the sink looks wonderful!  But it does make me realize that I truly need to change the counter.  But I have known that for over fifteen years.  My first thought was "I can do that!" and I know I can.  It will just be will I chose too.

I have started in on the piles that are left from moving the Tall Short Person and Koda Bear into the house.  It really took this long just because of not being able to reach it.  But I have a complete pile gone.  I still work on storage and as I do, I am going through things.  The donation and sell piles are going to grow. I just have that feeling.

Now, my hands just need to feel rested and creating will start again.  And energy.  Energy for creating because right now it has been focused on organizing and cleaning.  Which are not bad things.  It does help the creating in the end.  I just have withdrawals!  And the pictures are pretty boring!

the season

It has been a very odd season this year.  Usually, I am very traditional when it comes Christmas.  Part of that is my Mom and my Grandmother.  Christmas had things we always did.  As I have gotten older and moved away, I made a lot of my own.  Cookies for everyone.  Lights.

This season has been about bringing family back home.  But it does mean that I have been doing lots of cleaning and organizing.  Not a lot of my normal traditions.  All the cookies got done and the boxes sent out. But the rest of everything, not really.  

I did find time for friends.  And more cookies!  Friends are very important.  There has not been a lot of time for creativity.  My hands have been pretty done so it has been time for simple things.  Bread is rising.  Pasta is resting.  Family is home.  Just one small step at a time.

I just need some sleep!  Still losing that competition.