I always think resolutions are difficult to keep, so I'm not making any, but I am promising myself that I will do certain things.
So here goes...
I promise to be kinder to myself and not torture myself about what I shouldn't eat and drink. I will try to eat more of what is good for me, and less of what is bad for me.
I'm going to continue denting my yarn stash, and try my best to dent my fabric stash.
I'll read, but then again, seeing as my idea of hell is no books, that is easy to keep.
I'll try not to spend money on frivolous things. (I don't do this much anyway.)
I'm going to try not to leave Yule gift buying/making to the last minute.
Try to stop myself getting stressed at times, as this just triggers problems with my asthma.
And lastly, I will try my best to finish decorating the stairs and landings, and possibly give the kitchen a coat of paint, and maybe the bathroom.
If I can manage to do these things, perhaps I won't feel so lonely.
I'm going to continue trying out a new recipe per week. I've already tried two this week, minestrone soup and apple strudel.
As a last mention, I did knit a swatch of entrelac knitting before 2013 left us, so that one is another first. I can now confidently knit the cardigan I want to make in it as I now know what I'm doing, and it's a lot easier than I thought it would be.
Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts
Friday, 10 January 2014
Sunday, 29 December 2013
Review of "resolutions"
I've just had a look back at my post where I put my aims for 2013.
I haven't managed to cover all of them, but I have done some of them, and done things that weren't on the list yet needed doing
So.....What did I manage to do?
I've managed to lose around a stone in weight, but it has gone off gradually, more needs to be lost but I am happy with having lost some weight.
I read some classics. I even read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which was originally banned as it was a scandalous book, but by today's standards it is quite tame and almost boring. You have to be good at reading between the lines to get what could have been construed as "racy" back in the 1850s.
My fabric stash is undented, although I did have plans for the next couple of days, but it will just scrape the surface slightly.
Denting my yarn stash has been slow and steady. As part of my plan to dent it, I decided to make a crocheted bedspread, for extra warmth in winter and to be use in place of my duvet on the warmer nights in summer. I needed 400 squares, and have currently got 375. I also made some of my Yule gifts with yarn from my stash.
And I am going to at least swatch an entrelac square before the year ends
The patchwork has remained untouched.
I have made bread, including a couple of focaccia breads, malt loaves and pain au chocolat, although I think pain au chocolat is technically a pastry,
The pot garden did get weeded, but as weeds are living things, it needs doing some more, and I am considering knocking the soil out of some of my pots and starting again. The reason I am reluctant to do this is because there are quite a few bulbs and primulas in my pots, which are not visible. If I do knock the soil out I might do it in the alleyway against the wall, so the primulas can then grow to their hearts content.
The kitchen was not decorated, however I have , with the help of Edwin got all the gloss painting and ceilings and landings done in the stairs. The walls need stripping and painting.
So all in all, although 2013 has been a struggle in some ways, I have managed to complete some of the tasks I set myself.
Perhaps for 2014, I should set myself tasks/goals again, rather than making any resolutions? After all, I have completed some goals.
I can't say that 2013 has been a happy year for me, but the festive period has been spent in the company of my three and their partners, and I'm happy to have them around.
Perhaps I'll make myself a list of aims for 2014?
I haven't managed to cover all of them, but I have done some of them, and done things that weren't on the list yet needed doing
So.....What did I manage to do?
I've managed to lose around a stone in weight, but it has gone off gradually, more needs to be lost but I am happy with having lost some weight.
I read some classics. I even read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which was originally banned as it was a scandalous book, but by today's standards it is quite tame and almost boring. You have to be good at reading between the lines to get what could have been construed as "racy" back in the 1850s.
My fabric stash is undented, although I did have plans for the next couple of days, but it will just scrape the surface slightly.
Denting my yarn stash has been slow and steady. As part of my plan to dent it, I decided to make a crocheted bedspread, for extra warmth in winter and to be use in place of my duvet on the warmer nights in summer. I needed 400 squares, and have currently got 375. I also made some of my Yule gifts with yarn from my stash.
And I am going to at least swatch an entrelac square before the year ends
The patchwork has remained untouched.
I have made bread, including a couple of focaccia breads, malt loaves and pain au chocolat, although I think pain au chocolat is technically a pastry,
The pot garden did get weeded, but as weeds are living things, it needs doing some more, and I am considering knocking the soil out of some of my pots and starting again. The reason I am reluctant to do this is because there are quite a few bulbs and primulas in my pots, which are not visible. If I do knock the soil out I might do it in the alleyway against the wall, so the primulas can then grow to their hearts content.
The kitchen was not decorated, however I have , with the help of Edwin got all the gloss painting and ceilings and landings done in the stairs. The walls need stripping and painting.
So all in all, although 2013 has been a struggle in some ways, I have managed to complete some of the tasks I set myself.
Perhaps for 2014, I should set myself tasks/goals again, rather than making any resolutions? After all, I have completed some goals.
I can't say that 2013 has been a happy year for me, but the festive period has been spent in the company of my three and their partners, and I'm happy to have them around.
Perhaps I'll make myself a list of aims for 2014?
Monday, 2 September 2013
Decorating update
Last week, I managed to emulsion the ceilings, and a high part of the wall at the top of the house. Adding the white ceilings , some were bare plaster, has brought the light level up even more. When the decorating is completed there will be some mirrors going up to help make the stairs a lighter place. This week's task is to strip off the remaining original paper from the last few walls. Then I'll fill any holes in the wall. Oh, there are pictures to go up in the stairs as well. Three Faye Whitaker prints that I bought years ago when the kids were only young. I do have some unframed cross stitch as well.
I've started brewing wine again this holiday, and currently have a gallon of banana, one of nectarine, one of blueberry, and have just started one of fig off. The banana is probably almost ready, as I have made it before and it never takes long to be ready. I also plan to make a gallon of sweet potato wine.
I'm still trying out new recipes and last week made sesame snaps.
I've started brewing wine again this holiday, and currently have a gallon of banana, one of nectarine, one of blueberry, and have just started one of fig off. The banana is probably almost ready, as I have made it before and it never takes long to be ready. I also plan to make a gallon of sweet potato wine.
I'm still trying out new recipes and last week made sesame snaps.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Making a start
I've made a start on the decorating that I have been threatening to do for a long time now.
I've sanded down some of the paint work, only to find on close inspection some of the gloss painting has been done. It was a cream colour, you know the one that was everywhere in the 70s and 80s, and I am painting it brilliant white, and in other places undercoating has been done, so all need to do in those places is the top coat. (I remember the name of the paint colour now. It was called magnolia, but I've never seen any magnolias that colour.)
I really hate painting woodwork, which is why the stairs have remained unfinished for so long, also, there's an awful lot of gloss paint in the stairs as my house is a three storey Victorian terrace, and the stair case rails were boarded in, but I have ripped the ugly boarding off. Eventually the rails, the spindles, and the newel posts will have to be replaced. Reason one, the person who boxed them in flattened some of the spindles to make the hardboard lie flatter, and reason two, the banister at the top landing is below the specified height of modern day banisters. (Although it was the correct height when originally put in. It could also do with a newel post where the banister takes a right angled turn and a half newel against the wall for the banister to be fastened to.
But as you can probably guess all that will cost money to buy, and then it all has to be fitted.
Originally I was leaving the stairs until all the rooms were done, which they are now, and I would have liked to put a Velux window in place of the small pane of glass that serves as a skylight onto the stairs. Again, the cost is prompting me to try to finish the decorating and do the other jobs as I scrape together the money for them.
In a perfect world I would take out the large cupboard at the top of the stairs and replace it with a tidier one, or maybe utilise the space for something else. This again is a bigger job than I feel can approach by myself at the moment.
I've sanded down some of the paint work, only to find on close inspection some of the gloss painting has been done. It was a cream colour, you know the one that was everywhere in the 70s and 80s, and I am painting it brilliant white, and in other places undercoating has been done, so all need to do in those places is the top coat. (I remember the name of the paint colour now. It was called magnolia, but I've never seen any magnolias that colour.)
I really hate painting woodwork, which is why the stairs have remained unfinished for so long, also, there's an awful lot of gloss paint in the stairs as my house is a three storey Victorian terrace, and the stair case rails were boarded in, but I have ripped the ugly boarding off. Eventually the rails, the spindles, and the newel posts will have to be replaced. Reason one, the person who boxed them in flattened some of the spindles to make the hardboard lie flatter, and reason two, the banister at the top landing is below the specified height of modern day banisters. (Although it was the correct height when originally put in. It could also do with a newel post where the banister takes a right angled turn and a half newel against the wall for the banister to be fastened to.
But as you can probably guess all that will cost money to buy, and then it all has to be fitted.
Originally I was leaving the stairs until all the rooms were done, which they are now, and I would have liked to put a Velux window in place of the small pane of glass that serves as a skylight onto the stairs. Again, the cost is prompting me to try to finish the decorating and do the other jobs as I scrape together the money for them.
In a perfect world I would take out the large cupboard at the top of the stairs and replace it with a tidier one, or maybe utilise the space for something else. This again is a bigger job than I feel can approach by myself at the moment.
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