Once a month blogging seems to be my new benchmark. Times have changed. I remember when I was posting 3-5 times a week…oh, the good old days!

November has flown by with the exception of the past week when I was so very sick with a wicked virus (not COVID) that eventually turned into a sinus infection. I missed work last week…of course, we only had two days. I missed Turkey Bingo which is pretty much the most fun event we do as a staff. We postponed Thanksgiving until Saturday. GAH! What a lame week!!

Ok I’m done whining…on with the month in review.

I’ll start with a little lap crafting I’ve been doing. I saw a tutorial on YouTube making ephemera for junk journals using 6×6 scrapbook paper. I didn’t want to make ephemera but I knew this technique would lend itself very well to small size envelopes if I tweaked the process slightly. They are the perfect size for gift cards, small jewelry, stickers or anything else you’d want to gift inside. I got a little carried away when I was pulling out papers but now I have enough small envelopes to last for years!

I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and preserving this month as well.

My red cabbage sauerkraut is finally ready to consume. I’ve never tried making this before nor have I eaten red kraut. I like it and will definitely do it again.

My pressure canner is getting its use after a long time of me being too scared to use it. I canned up 13 pints of broth. Previously I’d just freeze the broth but that takes up valuable real estate in the freezer plus if you forget to take it out ahead of time, that’s a pain too.

The first batch of lefse is complete for the season.

I know I’ll make at least one more batch around Christmas. I’m going to have to try out my new griddle for the next round. I noticed that this one wasn’t heating evenly anymore. She’s 25 yrs old so I think I can forgive.

Since I was off today as well I had time to make personal turkey pot pies for us to have for dinner. They aren’t the prettiest but they are so yummy but so filling!!

Our school put on its annual Veterans Day celebration on Nov 10th. It’s always a fantastic event and I was actually able to sit in the bleachers this year to get a different view of the ceremony.

Marvin turned 9 on Nov. 11th. He had a couple extra treats and some special attention for his birthday.

My neighbor and I went on a little road trip to her son and daughter-in-law’s house who happen to live only about 35 minutes from where Mini-me goes to college. We met them for lunch in town then Mini-me headed back to college.

The rest of us went to a local winery. Its was super busy so we took a seat in the production room.

And what does this girl choose to have at a winery…a beer. It was a Minnesota craft beer. I don’t drink wine much anymore. It makes my joints hurt. Weird side effect that makes it not worth it to have any.

I went on a field trip the Monday before I got sick…I’m thinking either the bus ride or lunch facilities was the culprit of the germs. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods though.

The weather has definitely shifted so I am thankful the dome is back up from my morning walks. I’m thinking about signing up for a challenge that has you “walk the year”. Meaning, I’d have to walk 2024 miles next year. I think I can do it. I’d just have to push myself a little more on the weekends. So far this year without pushing myself, I’ve walked just shy of 1400 miles so far.

Back to work for me tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to being back in a routine. Although, I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy today. I crafted, cooked, cleaned up and still had energy to blog and still feel like I had a somewhat leisurely day.

Since it’s been a hot minute since I last posted, I thought it would be most efficient to do a month in review.

Work has been tiring of course but when I have had the energy or inspiration; I’ve been mostly obsessed with my sewing machine. Whether its fabric or paper or a combination of the two…I’m running it through my machine with reckless abandon.

I’ve started work on a few new journal covers. This one has me stepping outside my comfort zone with the bold floral print as well as bright colors. Definitely not my usual but perhaps the shake up will act as inspiration or a challenge. I created two more but evidently forgot to snap a picture.

Making cards is always a relaxing activity for me. I had punched a ton of circles one day sitting in front of the TV watching who knows what. I like to have my hands busy so I don’t find myself snacking. But I digress… I sat down at my sewing machine with a couple different piles of scraps. Fabric and paper as well as the afore mentioned circles. I have mentioned lately how much I love circles!! I do, trust me.

Now I have a large stack of cards ready to go when an occasion arises. Just add a sentiment or even just a note on the inside.

The kids came home from college for Thanksgiving break. It was great to see them in person again. Just a couple more weeks and they’ll be home for a month between semesters. Marvin was very excites when Mini-me came through the door. He thought it was me coming home from work but it was his girl. She said that he yelled excitedly. Of course that never lasts too long…the comfort of napping on the “grandma blanket” always wins out.

Mini-me sent me this one day. The thrill of seeing your own work (or your offspring’s) never gets old.

Mini-me helped me make our first batch of lefse of the season. We were definitely a bit out of practice…it had been almost two years since I made any. We made a small batch…just enough for Mini-me to bring some back to share with her friends at college and of course, for us to have a few.

Lastly I’ve been continuing to sew my random scraps together. I decided on 9.5 inch blocks. I just keep stitching and ironing and stitching and ironing…until I have a big enough piece to cut my square. I decided on 9.5 inches mostly because I have a square quilting ruler that size.

I don’t have a plan in particular for these blocks. I assume I’ll put sashing between the blocks to give the eye a place to rest. But for now I’m just creating a very colorful stack of blocks.

I’m certainly not promising that I will be posting more often but it does feel good to get my words on the page.

Happy T day everyone!