Christmas is coming!

The days just seem to be blurring into each other. Where is the time going? I guess as long as you're having fun, that's all that counts!

I had to zip out to check on something at Fabricland and ended up hitting Micheal's to buy some yarn and bought a few things on sale at Fabricland! Of course, I did!! I hardly buy anything anymore, so I was OK with my few purchases. 

But look what I spotted at Micheal's. 

The Wine Tasting and Chocolate shop!

So, while it was sweltering outside and has been for 2 days, and we have one more day, the Christmas stuff is out in full force! While I love these Christmas villages, some of these ones were pretty annoying as they not only moved but played music as well. OK -- that's cute, but after the second time, I'd be shutting that thing off! 

One of the things I've learned from my life is that I CANNOT stand even the slightest little background hum. If I want silence, I want complete silence -- no white noise for me - that would drive me mad. 

I had to laugh as I was on my way to the cash at Micheal's and had to wait for the lady in front of me. I spotted some blank tote bags that one could use for decorating - like using your embroidery machine to dress it up. I spotted three colors in front of me - No orange, so I picked red from whatever the three colors were - I wasn't paying attention, so I have NO idea what they were. 

Then, as I continued to wait, I glanced at the next till, and there were three different colors - one of them being black. AHA - I prefer black to red, so I put the red one back and grabbed the black one. Why black? You can use any color with it, and it looks great. Since I LOVE black and bright, this color works better. 

Tote bag blanks to decorate

WAIT a minute. There's something different about this one! 

Yep --- the black one was polyester, and the others were cotton. I didn't need to look at the label to know the difference. I felt the difference immediately. 

That goes for cotton and polyester quilting fabric. I guess if you've felt different fabrics enough, you can feel the difference. I was tempted to switch back to the red, but I kept the black! I also bought some yarn to experiment with - it's still in the bag, but I hope to play a bit tomorrow. 

I made significant progress on my writing; three of five articles are gone! The project is done, the pictures are taken, and all I have to do is write two more articles. That puts me in good shape, and I hope to complete them today so I can move on to some other things. 

And then I spent the entire evening watching another episode of Race Across the World and some work-related stuff. Watching this travel series just emphasizes how vast our country is and how different it is. Canada is about 8,000 KM coast to coast, while Spain is 800 KM from the French border to the ocean! And while Spain does have different areas - flattish farmland and mountains -- Canada has it all!

Speaking of Spain, so many people develop blisters on their feet. The biggest culprit is usually shoes that are too small. So, it is too small in length and too small in width. Here's what one person did to give themselves a wider toe box!!! I guess it works! 

A wide toebox!

I'm still wearing my larger shoes and not finding them too big. Yes -- they are a wee bit large, but they are not slopping around on my feet. They have a few more KMs on them before they need to be retired, but I have to say that I'm happy with my HOKAs. It's a relatively new brand (at least new to me), and I'd buy them again in a heartbeat! 

The other day, I also fixed my hiking shorts. OK -- so ONLY I would call them hiking shorts, as they are a very loose and short pair of shorts. I cannot imagine hiking (especially in the heat) in knee-length or tight shorts made from Spandex. I would die from the heat. 

The waistband is very wide on them with a wide elastic, and you know what that means. If that elastic is not anchored, it's going to twist. This elastic is anchored at the top in a way I've never seen before, but it still has to be adjusted when I put them on. So I added another row of stitching (zigzag) through the middle of the waistband, so that should make them easier to get on and not have to fuss with the waistband! If I were smart, I'd find or make another pair. They are SUPER comfortable and have two pockets, which my phone (at least my old one) fits in perfectly. ACK --- I bet my new phone won't fit in that pocket. I must test that because it was the best. 

Stitched the waistband of my hiking shorts

I'm also not sure I like this new phone. It's ONLY slightly larger than the other one, but I find it awkward in my hand because of the increased size. And the case I bought is rather slippery - it was in a plastic bag, so I  couldn't feel it. I may buy a new case, as I never thought of testing it for the feel. The old one is also smooth but is made from a different material (OK -- so both are plastic), but it has a different feel and doesn't feel like it's slipping out of my hands when I hold it. Hmm -- next time, it would make sense to test the CASE before the phone because the phone itself feels OK -- but add the case, and those extra millimeters make a difference!!!

Yep --- I HATE change most of the time. I can only say thank goodness I didn't go for the even larger phone because I would have been very unhappy. So this is a good lesson -- keep the phone profile the smallest it can be because you'll love it more! It fits better in a pocket or a pouch, and that's very important to me!

So I'm off to spin class this morning, and I better finish up here. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!