Sylvia' Simple Shots

One of my sister's cooked turkey for supper and I was invited to join in. 

I brought buns from COBS which was a hit. 

I had the company of my sister, brother and a couple of cousins. We caught up on news and talked about our lives and current projects.

The weather was good and the roads excellent.  I came early in the afternoon so I could head home after supper.

It was dark but that was okay.

The next day holiday Monday - Family the snow came down and the wind blew!

The snow was drifted right up the the patio door.

And the temperatures were nearing -20C.

It snowed again all day Tuesday which meant I cancelled my trip into the city to visit the bank.

The snow banks from December had disappeared and now have reappeared.

While the snow fell, I started reading the trilogy of the Fionavar Tapestry.  I read it 30 years ago and enjoying it again.

The map in the book is quite small so I searched the web for a better one.

I found this one which is great.  

I like to find myself on the map as I read the book. What is far north?  How close is the Summer Tree to the the castle?

I can refer to it regularly as the chapters move along.

I have been eating my Chia Seed Bites with Krema yogurt.

I bought the yogurt for Christmas and it was sitting in the fridge unopened.

It needs to be eaten right away so why not!

It is delicious.

It's been cold all week!

I tend to hibernate when it's this cold.

No walking outside, not much sunshine.

It is really the end of Feb so spring is coming.

We spring forward to Daylight Saving Time in a couple of weeks. March 8th

I had an appointment for blood work this week.

I had a call from my Dr. the next day.  A phone appointment has been booked for the news.

My cholesterol was elevated last year and I expect the that it will be again. What does one do?

Wait and see.

Getting the drill out and using it is getting easier.  My Dad's cordless - Thanks.

I have a power bar in the bedroom which powers the clock and the sparkly light and timer.

I am not sure how this did not become obvious till this week but I am still processing the move.

The bar had holes for it to be mounted to a wall. So I found 2 drywall screws, the drill and a screw driver and in 10 minutes job DONE!

I now have an extra outlet behind the wooden shelving unit I can use for something else.

I enjoyed turkey left overs this week as well.

My sister sent take away containers of turkey, gravy, rice stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and Caesar salad home with all of us.

It was delicious the second time as well.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

 This week has been heavy with medical issues but perked up at the end of the week.

It's been on the books for several months to get the old shut off valves which hold back the water with pressure and a rubber washer replaced with Quarter Turn Shut offs which are better because of no rubber parts.

It meant clearing the laundry area and under the kitchen sink so the plumber would have room to work.

I also got the cartridges and the seats replaced on all the taps - kitchen sink, bathroom sink and bathtub.

I am super happy to have gotten this done.  It means easily turning off the water when I am away.  It is simple and much less of a worry about dripping.

The tooth cracked on Friday but had been sore a few days before that.  Was grinding the cause?  Not sure but I guess I should wear a guard regularly.

I had a early evening appointment on Monday to assess the problem. It had not been painful which was a blessing.  The crack was very deep below the gum line so it was not a candidate for a filling.

The tooth has to come out! A perfectly good tooth. 

Appointment scheduled for Wednesday.  I have not had an extraction since my wisdom teeth in the early 1980s

It was also determined that I have an abscess on one of my front lower teeth.

A prescription for an antibiotic for that.

It will be a candidate for a root canal but I am getting a referral to a root canal specialist since the x-ray showed some anomalies.

We really want to preserve the tooth so there's a much better chance with a specialist.

Taking pills four times a day.

On Wednesday morning I headed into the dentist office.  Some pain numbing needles and the hope is that the remainder of the tooth comes out cleanly.

It did.

I opted to have a bone graft put in the cavity left behind when the tooth was pulled.   This will allow me to have a dental implant in the future.

Painful, soft food, bleeding, sleeping and healing were on the agenda for the rest of the week.

The sheet I brought home from the dentist suggested a wet tea bag to stop bleeding after the extraction.

I did have to do this several times.

I was lucky to be able to use my Earl Grey Decaf tea bags which at least tasted good.

Soak it, put it in the space, press down hard to place pressure on the wound.

I bleed easily so this worked well.

Smoothies have been on the menu for breakfast for the last several days.  Bananas, blueberries, coconut milk, and I am still adding my ground flax seed and rolled oats.

I had to make a special grocery trip for cottage cheese, flavored yogurt, special yogurt, and fruit.  I do like cottage cheese and this allowed me to have a savory option for food.  In the yellow bowl is cottage cheese, steak spice, a bit of garlic powder with some finely shredded red onion.  Is really good.

The real treat was Krema yogurt by Olympic which I was introduced to at New Year's when my offered it with fruit and maple syrup for dessert.

Here's in the bowl is yogourt, a bit of cream and a dribble of pure maple syrup.

I have to eat something when I take the antibotics so this little bowl was perfect.

I will have to keep this in my arsenal for a quick dessert.

We have an upcoming show at the gallery called Tactile. The art piece needs to be dimensional and tactile.

I was going to ditch the project with all that is going on but I headed to the ReUse Ctr Saturday and found a 12 inch embroidery hoop for free.  That was the sign that I should feed my soul and create some art.

I had done quite a bit of research on the weaving and had gathered supplies. Yarn, beads, special sparkly bits so I have decided to continue.

Here's is the circle loom set up with the warp thread.

I think the yellow crochet cotton matches the bamboo hoop really well.   An update to come next week. 

Sewing - Car Litter Bag

I decided to make a new car litter bag holder.  The one I have been using was the very first one I made.

I used some really nice blue butterfly cotton fabric on the outside and some of the leftover black from the car blanket.

You can check the instructions in this post.  I originally designed them as thread catchers for the craft room.

This fabric bag has 2 ties to secure it and holds a used yogurt plastic container.  I store extra bags in the bottom.

It`s been a full week of sewing.

Tea and Breakfast

I made a pot of Masala Chai tea this morning with my breakfast.

It was brewed in my white porcelain 6 cup tea pot.  I tried some tea sacks which I received when I won a blog give away by Margie and Tea in the Valley in early part of the year.  The sacks have a flap that sits between the pot and the lid and holds 3 teaspoons of loose tea with plenty of room for expansion.  They make clean up a breeze. 

I drink my Masala Chai with a bit of honey and cream.  I used my Johnson Brothers Regency White set.  I just love that scallop fluted texture on the saucers and plates.

I picked a few lovely bachelor buttons from a friend`s flower bed.   They were placed in a small short glass vase filled with glass beads at the bottom. The vase is sitting on a Battenburg Lace doily on my pine table.  I know I was reading on a blog earlier how nice it is to have fresh flowers on the table. I agree but I need help as I don`t grow them myself. 

I was looking for a dessert bowl so I did not have to use soup bowls from my dishes set. I have the little yellow square ones but nothing more neutral in color.

I bought these small bowls clear glass bowls to ensure a smaller portion.  I placed about 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt in the bottom of the dish topped with a small banana and fresh raspberries.  I am enjoying these raspberries picked from a friend`s patch.

Here`s the whole picture.

I used a round aqua place mat.

The vase of fresh flowers on the left.  Teapot placed at the top of the setting placed on a larger Batternburg Lace doily.

I bought the small cream pitcher the other which works better when it`s only me for breakfast.

I added a Chocolate Bran Muffin to the fresh fruit.

The tomato plants on the balcony continue to grow and have quite a few flowers but no fruit yet. 

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Bernideens Tea Time