Happy Fall, Knitting and Reading On

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It is now Fall! The first day of Fall in Canada was yesterday. It is nice and cool now and leaves are falling off the trees. I think Fall might be my favourite season because it is so cool outside and crisp. I am also anticipating the upcoming holiday season even though it might look different this year. My birthday is also in October, and this year so is our wedding. It is such a busy time right now planning for the wedding and taking some courses for work. Time is flying by.

I bought this cute little pumpkin below from Michael's last week. It was my first shopping trip to Michael's since quarantine. It was nice to browse yarn, planning stickers, and fall décor. I got the letter board below and the pumpkin in the photo and my scarf is coming along.

I am so happy it is Fall

 Michael's shopping trip

I did a bit of decorating for the Fall last night. I decorated the top of my bookshelf in the living room and the windowsill behind our couch. Just a few things to put out for this year, because I know we'll have to take them down pretty soon when we move. I really love how festive it feels in the apartment now with just a bit of décor.

Left: Pumpkin I knitted. Right: a crocheted one I bought

I have been knitting more of the scarf for Liam as a Christmas gift. It is coming along nicely. I used the  Rib Ridge Men's scarf pattern by Purl Avenue. I think he will like it and the texture is different from others I have made him. 

I am continuing to read Normal People by Sally Rooney. I am enjoying it and like the main characters' relationship. It kind of makes me think of book One Day in December because it follows the two main characters over the span of years and shows how their relationship changes. I lost my hold on Overdrive today, so I hope I get it back soon. In the meantime, I started reading Beach Read by Emily Henry. It seems good so far and I like the writing style. There has been a lot of hype over this one this Summer, so I hope that I enjoy it.

Photo source

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you are having a good week so far and keeping safe!

Another day in Quarantine

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend flew by and it was relaxing. I enjoyed Facetime with my family yesterday and walking to get dinner with Liam. We had a Zoom call Liam's mom today. I got some groceries this morning and I was glad it wasn't too busy at the grocery store. Before I left, I made a grocery list and sipped on some coffee. It always helps me to write a quick list before going so I feel more organized and get what I need. I also added a few extra things to my cart I wasn't planning on, mostly snacks. 

Eating blueberries, chia seeds, and cinnamon in yogurt

I wore the mask below, it was a change from the black masks I have been wearing. My parents gave me a couple of these and we have some others from Liam's mom. They have been so great to have during this time and I feel better when I am out and about wearing one. For so long, they said we didn't need one and now most people wear one when out shopping. I don't wear one when I go on walks, but always do when buying groceries.

I have gotten in the habit of buying some bright and beautiful flowers when I go to the grocery store to brighten up the kitchen area. It definitely helps to lift my spirits when I see the flowers during these uncertain times. 

I have started knitting the second sock of the Sunshine on My Feet pattern that I found on Ravelry by The Kitchen Sink Shop. 

I am continuing to read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and I am almost finished. It has been such a good book so far. I have learned more about creating more authentically, and being true to myself and what I want to create. I think this book transfers well to makers and bloggers because we all have our unique blogging style and we also often knit or crochet based on what inspires us. 

The puzzle is coming along and today I spent some time trying to put more pieces together. 

I am still doing fine with the quarantine and social distancing, but I have my moments when I feel like it has been a long time since we had normal life and I miss seeing my family and friends. I also really miss just going out shopping or to a restaurant. I am grateful that I can continue to work from home along with Liam and we can keep safe during these times. I am so grateful to the essential workers who keep working through this time to provide food and medical help to those in need.

How was your weekend in quarantine?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Weekend at Home

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It has been another weekend during quarantine at home. We were mostly at home, out for a walk, and to the grocery store yesterday early morning to avoid crowds. Today I Facetimed with my family and we caught up about life lately and shared some laughs. It is always so nice to see their faces during this time. It was another gorgeous Saturday yesterday, it was like Summer 23 degrees Celsius! Liam and I went for a walk down side streets and through the park. The trees and blue sky really lifted my spirits and we enjoyed getting some fresh air and exercise.

I bought some more flowers when I went to get groceries which is becoming a new habit of mine to brighten up the apartment during this uncertain time. I bought these bright yellow flowers for the kitchen to sit in the corner and these cute little pink flowers in a cute pot. They look nice in front of the felt board I just put up this week.

I have been knitting more of the sock and it is coming along.I am using the pattern Sunshine on My Feet by the Kitchen Sink Shop found on Ravelry.  They are going to be ankle socks, so I will be able to wear them in the Summer around the house while we are still in quarantine. I was reading more of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood this morning. It is always so intriguing and keeps me reading on to find out what happens next. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please tell me in the comments below how your weekend was. I feel like the weekend goes by way too fast. I enjoy weekends so much because I have so much more time to just daydream and make plans.

Have a good day!

Day 47 of Social Distancing

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well and are safe. I count it day 47 social distancing for me because it has been since March 16th that I started working from home full-time and practicing social distancing when going out. It is the weekend of my would-have-been wedding if not for the virus. We had to postpone the wedding to the Fall. I am hopeful that the pandemic will have died down a bit by then and my wedding venue will be reopened. Yesterday was raining in the afternoon, so that made me feel better about not having it that day. It would have affected taking photos outside. It has been a journey of acceptance and moving forward in our new plans. Yesterday my mom and dad stopped by for a visit and we were standing 6 feet apart and just catching up. I gave them some chocolates and also some for my sister and brother- in-law. They gave me flowers and wine. My fiancé's mom also had flowers delivered to us on Friday, so we have a lot of pretty flowers to look at to lift our spirits. The tall flowers are from my family in the vase and the shorter basket was from my fiancé's mom.

 I recently cleared the island/table in our kitchen and added the tulips the other day. Now I have added the flowers my family got us to the corner. I just love this corner now that there are fresh flowers and the sign that makes it an inviting space. The bon appétit sign was given to us from my sister and I love how it looks in the space and ties it all together nicely. The menu board also is fun addition I have had for some time, but really stands out now with the new arrangement. I think that working on this corner in the kitchen we have has made a big impact on me when walking into the kitchen, I enjoy it so much more with the added sign and flowers and fruit in baskets.

Today it was so beautiful outside, I went for a 20 minute walk this morning. I love the sun shining and blue skies. It makes me feel so much better and less holed up at home when I can still get out for a walk. I have been doing this so much more as the weather gets nicer and warmer outside. I have been keeping up with exercise while in quarantine and do workouts almost every morning during the week. It has been great to keep working out to feel good even while in quarantine.

I have been working on the Merry Fair Isle Knit ornament from Patons and very close to being done. I knitted more this past week and should be finishing it up soon. Maybe tomorrow because I have a day off work to just do things around here.

I am still reading Good Morning, Good Life by Ana Schmittauer Landino. It is such a good book, I like her tips on calendar blocking which is blocking out time for getting things done and scheduling time to work on your goals. I am still reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is an amazing book I love it!

I still don't know when I will be returning to the office, but so far working from home has been going well for me and I am enjoying it. I would be happy working from home full-time if that was an option or maybe go in once and awhile to see people. So I will continue on with social distancing until we hear when we should return to normal life. So far, I have been enjoying the extra time to work on my hobbies and catch up on some Spring cleaning.

Hope that you are doing well and thank you for visiting today! How was your weekend?

Weekend in Quarantine

Hello Friends,

I hope that you are doing well. It feels like it's been a really long time since we started this new reality of not being able to go anywhere and live our lives normally. I miss seeing my family and friends and just going shopping or to a movie.Yesterday morning, I got up early and made a short grocery list to run to Metro to grab some things we have run out of or want this week. Of course while at the grocery store I ended up picking up some extra items that were not on the list. I got a lot of snacks, Girl Guide cookies, and some more toilet paper so we well stocked up now. The thing they are sold out of now are Lysol wipes and most of the cleaning products. Luckily I still have cleaning products, but am unfortunately almost out of Lysol wipes. I picked up some beautiful yellow tulips because it lifts my spirits to see the flowers during this scary and uncertain time. I feel so happy looking at the cheerful yellow flowers. This whole weekend I have enjoyed seeing them sitting happily on our table in the kitchen. It's the little things that make a difference at a time like this.

I knitted more of the merry fair isle ornament this afternoon. It is getting closer to being done! I am using the free Merry Fair Isle Ornament pattern from Patons. There are three other ornament patterns to knit up after I am done this one. I would like to knit them all in time for Christmas. I can also knit them in the reverse colors when I am done.These ornaments are fun projects to knit up and look great on the Christmas tree.

I have been working more on the puzzle, but it is coming along a lot slower than I thought. Lately I have been trying to do at least one piece a day during the week or if I can a few more while passing by. This morning I worked on it for about half an hour while sipping coffee and made more progress. This Ravensburger puzzle is of a photo from Positano,Italy. Are you working on puzzles in quarantine?

I have still been reading Good Morning, Good Life by Amy Schmittauer Landino and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I took a break from reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, just while I finished these other two books. I am loving The Testaments, it is so intriguing and I am always wondering what will happen next. I love books like this that are so mysterious and keep you guessing. I am enjoying reading a fiction novel because I have mostly been reading non-fiction books in self help/improvement, so I enjoy the break from reality and reading a story that takes me away from my reality for awhile.

The books I am reading and my sloth notebook I use to journal daily

I have been trying to keep busy while in quarantine with these hobbies. I am also taking courses for work for professional development and the Yale course on happiness for fun and to learn more about well-being.  What were you up to this weekend while in quarantine?

Thank you so much for dropping by to read my blog today. I will catch up with you soon during the week. Stay safe!

Have a great day!