Thursday, November 25, 2021

Gratitude #58

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. As we know, or if you don't you're about to, practising gratitude daily makes you a better person. It grounds you. It heals you. It lifts your spirits. It makes you appreciative for the gifts and blessings you have. It leads to a more positivite attitude. Here are my likes for the month. If you'd like to read more of these kind of posts, and write your own and link up, head over to LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I love my YouTube playlists.
When I sew, I listen to music 99% of the time, so I love my playlists, along with CBC Music and the music on my iPhone. The majority of my music there is what I've heard on CBC, such a well-rounded music station: classical, new and classic rock, blues, R&B, Indigenous, World, and more.

2. I love battery operated candles.
A votive size looks so good in my beach glass holder! Great book beneath it too btw.

I have three kinds: those with a on/off switch, those that get turned on with a little remote, and those that have a built-in timer, 4 or 8 hours. I use them all daily.

3. I like articles in the news that give me hope for our planet
After hearing today on CBC News that Ontario is falling far short (on track for less than 20% of their  promised reductions) of their 2030 goal for reducing emissions, I need to hear good news, even if it's small.

4. As readers know, I love the moon, the night sky, star-gazing, though I know/remember little about constellations. So, a few days ago, when I looked up what appeared to be three bright stars/planets I could see not long after sunset, I found this great site, EarthSky. Yeah, it took me down a bit of a vortex! I also love sunrises. This was Wednesday this week, and this picture does not do the fiery sky justice.

5. Another frequent love I mention is Netflix and CBC Gem.
This past month I really enjoyed Maid, and I'm enjoying Victoria Season 2 on Gem. After seeing that Anja of Anja's Quilts, had several quilts on the CBC show Diggstown, I started watching it, and it's good! We also really enjoy This Hour Has 22 Minutes, though the season opener was rather lame, we thought. However, this clip from a recent episode is spot on, and I speak from personal experience:

6. I am loving my ever-improving sewing studio. This month I chose handles for my IKEA cabinets, (my nails were constantly bending and breaking, trying to open the doors or drawers) and MacGyver installed them all, 21 of them, in no time. Here is one of the two banks of drawers.


7. I am so grateful to be able to have animals. In case you missed her on Instagram earlier this month, here is Bella. I love her, and I love how she purposely poses for photos. 

Not to be outdone with the cuteness factor, Xena and Rufus posed for me on another day. It continues to be so good for Xena, the four of us walking together.


8. I like Kijiji, a site for selling used items. We got a new-to-us counter height solid wood table and chairs set for in the new dining area MacGyver created when he remodelled the living room and former front bedroom. The beige chair seats were filthy, and it needed one chair run repairing as well as the support for the pedestal tabletop.


I had the idea to recover the chairs, so off we went to Fabricland last week, and in the sale section (and WHAT a sale section omg I will be back, haven't been there in two years, you know why) I found this beautiful fabric. Some teamwork and a new staple gun later, and we now have this in our open-concept living/dining area with huge opening to the kitchen. The soft turquoise picks up the colour from the one wall in the kitchen, the lime green picks up the lime green cushions on our new grey sectional, and the grey/brown connects the grey walls, the colours in the living room accent chairs, and the brown of the set itself.


One chair still waiting for its new rung, but all four chairs complete and pedestal repaired. I'm standing with my back in the huge opening to the kitchen. That is our front entrance on the right, Xena's back on the lower right, ha, and the old TV/media cabinet on the left which is being given to a needy family. The living room area is on the right, and the stairs up to my sewing studio tucked in beside the crotons you see that we're overwintering. This will be their second winter inside. Where the dining set is used to be one of the two main floor bedrooms.

9. Speaking of plants, on a trip into Windsor to get my hair cut this month, we stopped and did a little Detroit River gazing before our next appointment (more on that in a moment). It never gets old by the river. Windsor has over 10 kilometres of parks and paths along the river, playgrounds, and amphitheatre as well. Behind us was the sculpture gardens and oh, the roses. Just so vibrant.




10. And, upstairs in my sewing room, it is a little Christmassy yesterday and today! One of my #wipsbegone2021 goals for Q3 is to make two makeup bags. Well, I've seen that, and I'm raising it two! However, that's another post, my DrEAMi post on Saturday. I like sewing/quilting small projects, even if some of them take almost as much time as a baby quilt! Incidentally if you like the mug cosy, it's for sale in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts, and if you'd like to make your own (they really help keep your drink hotter longer) the pattern is free here!


More on books in next month's post; I've got a whole bunch of sewing to do! Hope you have fun at the Black Friday sales around the globe tomorrow. One of my favourites is Connecting Threads. They have a very good article on batting choices on their blog, and a site wide sale, 25% off! Use the code SAVE25.

I love their free shipping on certain amounts, that they do this for Canada, UK and Australia and that they're very reasonable amounts to attain. Thank you for clicking through on my links.😄

14 comments:

  1. I am thankful for you, Sandra. I hope you have a peaceful day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with Yvonne above & I know I should appreciate way more than I do. Thanks for sharing you gratitudes. Take care & hugs. BTW...love the snaps of the pets.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your table & chairs looks fantastic!
    Hi Bella! You always make me smile.
    Happy Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I always enjoy your Gratitude posts, Sandra! That's a beautiful new table and chairs, and the new upholstry sounds perfect for your space. Bella is a beautiful cat! I hope Xena is doing better at walking - hopefully Rufus is a good model?!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that beautiful sunrise photo! The chairs look great with their new covers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome list of things to be thankful for. Bella is a gorgeous cat, but the dogs are very cute too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Listing my gratitudes always lifts my spirits. We have so much to be grateful for, yet many spend too much time complaining.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You pack so much into your posts, and I always enjoy them. It's fun to read your excitement as you share how your quilt room is shaping up, and then to see all the projects you are working on in that space is just delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I added in your link, so sorry I lost track of it being the last thursday!
    And what wonderful likes. I have to go check out the battery candles and never realized I could do a play list on youtube

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm trying especially hard to find things to be grateful for this year, so I don't fall into one of my periodic holiday slumps. Right now I'm very grateful for all the wonderful friends near and far who have given support and shown concern for my well-being.
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  11. Enjoyed your gratitude post! It really is the little things that make me thankful! I’m just learning about Hygge. I need to use my many candles more.
    The new dining room table and chairs are lovely! Fabric colors are perfectly “you”!

    ReplyDelete
  12. A beautiful post as always, Sandra. I love how "the team" got that table and chairs in beautiful working order. I am often disappointed in my sky photos...they seldom reflect the beauty I see. I need more of those candles. I've gifted them often but not to myself. Speaking of gifted, I think you are a gifted quilter and also writer!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such an adorable little kitty! Love the "new" table and chairs. Pretty, pretty roses. And enjoy your improved sewing room!

    ReplyDelete