Mustard Glasses

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I like mustard. It’s good on sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and other meats. Something about mustard just adds a good flavor to food.

My father introduced me to “Hot Prepared” mustard when I was a child. It comes in these glass jars with a plastic lid. They look like little dimpled beer steins. As a child, when they were emptied, we would use them as glasses.

Over the years, those glasses became my glasses. We still save each jar after using the mustard and utilize them as drinking glasses.

The funny thing is, my father was getting those jars of mustard when he owned a deli over forty years ago. He owned the deli for a couple of years, until we moved away when he got a new job. A few years later, he would buy the mustard from a deli in Langley. That is the only place I know where to buy it as well.

I’m sure I could find the mustard elsewhere, but a part of me wants to remember where the origins of my love of this mustard came from.

Before and After With Pride

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Making rugs has been a fun adventure these past 8 weeks. I have learned a lot and improved tremendously in the art. One of the things I am working hardest towards is the finishing touches and final results.

It’s amazing how a bit of trimming, cleaning and shaving can make all the difference in how a rug looks in order to get crisp edges, it starts with how close you stitch the yarn to each colour and change. Leaving a small gap can make it easier to show the transition since yarn has a tendency to spread a bit when cut.

Noticing the difference in the quality of how my rugs turn out is huge for me. Not everyone sees it as I am making the rugs. They look pretty good without the extra work. But I take great pride in making sure they have crisp edges and lines in order to look amazing. Especially when the rugs are going to a new home. I want my friends to be happy with what I have made for them.

Taking pride in one’s work is a quality I admire in others. Which is why I work so hard in all my ventures.

Wrist Rugs

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Recently I wanted to make some of my own designs when it came to rugs. One of my favorite inspirations has come from other tufters. The idea of rugs going on your desk below the keyboard sounded interesting. So I made a few of my own “Wrist Rugs.”

I first created matching Wall-E and Eve rugs. I liked the idea of their eyes and the simplicity of the design. The rugs are recognizable and I love the fandom art behind it. Perfect for a His and Hers style!

I also made a wrist rig for me to use at work. I made the CN logo and the basic red and white stripe of the locomotives. The black background will also be good for hiding any dirt and grime that my office space has.

These rugs are soft and wonderful for underneath your wrists as you type. If you want one let me know! Perhaps I could even design a custom one for you!

Dad’s Roladin Recipe Modified

Posted on by Josef Havelka

When I was a child, my father would make fantastic dinners. He brought with him some recipes from his homeland back in Czechoslovakia. One recipe, which I didn’t like as a child, dawned on me today and I wanted to attempt it.

My father would make Roladin. Basically a thin steak, mustard, pickle, onion and bacon rolled up. My father’s version also involved a hard boiled egg. Again, when I was younger, I wasn’t a fan.

Today I was making a beef brisket but wasn’t sure what to have a side with it. So I decided to hard boil eggs, add pickle and mustard in a wrap. It was an almost perfect replica in taste as my memory came flooding back.

My wife liked it so much that we are going to make it again. I enjoyed it so much that I ate two helpings. A big thank you to my father for making a meal back in the day that I couldn’t stand, yet somehow I chose to mimic the tastes.

New Rug Designs

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This week I tufted more rugs. I have not made any of the same designs yet. I like that each rug I have made at this is a “One Off” and unique.

I enjoyed designing a couple of the rugs this time around. I did a sakura flower and a pot leaf. Both very different designs, and both fun to make.

I also made a couple of “wrist rugs” that can be placed on a desk in front of a keyboard. I designed matching Wall-E and Eve inspired rugs. The colour scheme and simplicity of just they eyes really works.

I also have a couple of other rugs that I made, but don’t want to show them off yet as they are gifts for a few friends. Once they are given away- I plan to share the images.

This hobby is a lot of fun. I am enjoying creating recognizable images in rug form. I hope that everyone else is enjoying seeing what I make. Remember to follow on my Instagram Tuftleupagus to see progress of what I make.

New Rug Designs

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This week I tufted more rugs. I have not made any of the same designs yet. I like that each rug I have made at this is a “One Off” and unique.

I enjoyed designing a couple of the rugs this time around. I did a sakura flower and a pot leaf. Both very different designs, and both fun to make.

I also made a couple of “wrist rugs” that can be placed on a desk in front of a keyboard. I designed matching Wall-E and Eve inspired rugs. The colour scheme and simplicity of just they eyes really works.

I also have a couple of other rugs that I made, but don’t want to show them off yet as they are gifts for a few friends. Once they are given away- I plan to share the images.

This hobby is a lot of fun. I am enjoying creating recognizable images in rug form. I hope that everyone else is enjoying seeing what I make. Remember to follow on my Instagram Tuftleupagus to see progress of what I make.

Dandruff

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Since I became a teenager I always had a touch of dandruff. As a teen- it sucked. Getting older I kind of dealt with it by using Head and Shoulders shampoo periodically m. Which was fine as I also used other regular shampoos when not needing it.

In June 2021, we moved to our new home-away from well water into using city water. Suddenly I found my scalp itchy and flaky far more often. I originally associated it with the pool and thought maybe the chemicals were causing it. But in these winter months, it seems like my dandruff is worse and the itch of my scalp is far more frequent.

I figured it was time to start using something stronger and almost medicated in order to alleviate the itch and flakes. So I am trying out Nizoral for the next while. From reviews of the product, I think this will be a good choice in trying to clean up my condition. I will follow the directions and see what happens over the next couple of months. I don’t like having dandruff.

If any of you have had issues with dandruff or similar skin issues, let me know if you have tried this product or possibly have a different remedy. I will post a follow up in a couple of months with my opinion on how well this works. Stay tuned.

Keep on Spending

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I am really enjoying my hobby. So much so that I am spending more money than I am bringing in. But that’s okay, right? I mean it is just a hobby after all.

I keep buying monks cloth and yarn. Loads of yarn!!! I am stock piling a variety of colours just in case someone wants something different than what I have made this mid far. I have also purchased some new trimming scissors and am waiting for a second razor as I want one for the edging and one for making the rugs smooth.

I am even at a point where I want a second tufting gun. Mostly as a backup, but also to be able to teach others how to make rugs. Like family and friends. I think it would be a neat activity to do in a group environment.

So if I do get a second gun, my door and knowledge will be open for those who want to learn this fun hobby! Maybe I’ll teach classes at the local Maker Space.

Training A Future Coworker

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Over the last couple of days, and continuing for the next few weeks, I am training a new supervisor. He has already had a few weeks with another coworker of mine. Now it’s time for him to learn more of what I know.

Tooting my own horn- I have always been a good trainer. In fact- at most jobs I have worked in my lifetime I had numerous people request to be trained by me. I am very calm and do my best to teach by allowing others to search the answers for themselves. I’ll provide the tools and advice, and then they are on their own.

One day soon my trainee will be set free into our workplace. He will be on his own to make decisions, create plans, even make mistakes that he can learn from. I will be letting him grow over the next while and shall be proud when that time comes.

Welcome to the team.

Grade 12 Course Selection

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This weekend our youngest will be making his course selection for the final year of high school. For being only a fifteen to twenty minute activity to choose, it has turned into a weekend of hounding him to get it done. Frustrating for my wife and I, but I can understand why he is procrastinating.

This is going to be his final year of attending a public school. A flood of emotions are probably taking over compared to logic of just selecting courses. It will be his last year to be in classes with friends and spending time with them in the halls. The difficulty of the work in the classes will increase adding more stress as well. The time to play is coming to a conclusion.

In the end, he will get into grade twelve with a plan in motion. My wife and I will do our best to guide and help him along the way. He will graduate in 17 months time.

Series of Dates

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My wife and I had a series of dates this week. It was nice to hang out and talk. We really needed some time together that wasn’t doing some regular monotonous routine. We even decided to have another date today just so the good times wouldn’t end.

We went for a quick brunch date at “The Henry” in our neighborhood. Granted it was a cheap breakfast, but still- it got us out of the house again. Right got after our meal, we headed to the car and got caught in a fierce rain storm. It’s been a while since we laughed and ran in the rain.

I’ve really enjoyed the time spent with my wife this week. Our lives seem so busy otherwise. Like most folks, our free time ends up being exhausted on the couch with the television on and our cellphones in our hands- zoning out. Reconnecting with each other has been a great feeling. Hopefully we can keep on dating. I kind of like this lady.

Making More?

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I have enjoyed tufting- obviously since I can’t stop talking about it… But I was only able to make one rug at a time with my set up. So on Thursday I decided to make a larger frame.

This one is six feet wide and four and a half feet tall. This allows for my entire monks cloth sheet to fit without much waste.

On my previous frame, I made removable and adjustable legs. I moved them to my new frame. I also added a hook to hold my tufting gun when not in use. I also added a couple of dowels on the side for my yarn in hopes to make it easier to work with.

I was able to draw five large rugs and a couple of small pieces. Over the past few weeks I was able to complete one to two rugs every week. I hadn’t realized that working on a layout for the images was going to be so time consuming. I spent most of my day just getting this ready that the only colour of yarn I was able to finish with was the black yarn.

Tomorrow I will be spending more time rug making. Hopefully by Monday night, my rugs will be ready for the finishing touches and by next weekend they will be completed. I can’t wait to show off these designs.

Couple Of Date Nights

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Last night my wife and I went out for a quiet dinner date. The pub was in the neighborhood where we first owned a home. So naturally we drove past our first house. That was neat to look back at where we started.

We ate some tasty pub food and talked about life. It was a nice break. Afterwards we drove to Michael’s and checked out crafts and yarn before heading home.

Tonight we dropped our son off at his speed skating practice and headed out to a place called “Industry Arcade”. There we paid for an hour of free play and got our fill of pinball games! We also did a bit of competitive game play on a few classic arcade games. I’m still pretty good at Frogger while my wife was better at Donkey Kong.

To finish our evening off, we grabbed a couple of lattes and watched the end of our son’s practice. I have enjoyed our rekindled fun times over the last couple of days. I think we may go to play more arcade games again in the future as it made us feel youthful again. Perhaps we were longing for the years past when arcades were a thing. Both of us have different memories of arcades, but similar in many aspects.

It doesn’t matter how old we get- my wife and I enjoy being juvenile.

Date Nights

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Since I had to work last night for Valentine’s Day- my wife and I are headed out for a date tonight instead. Then tomorrow we are going on another date. Followed by Friday evening building a Lego set together. I’m looking forward to each one.

Tonight we are going to hit up some pub style burgers and have an evening together. We are rekindling our youthful follies over the next few dates. It will be nice to just spend time together just the two of us.

We have been on different wavelengths and schedules lately. It feels as though we are just ships passing in the night. A few moments here and there, nothing meaningful. These next few nights will be fun.

I’m glad my wife said she will still be mine. Even after all of these years.

Flowers For Lee-Anne

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Every so often, specifically on Valentine’s Day, I have brought home flowers for my wife. From lilies to roses and the occasional tropical flower- my wife has appreciated the sentiments behind the flowers.

I have always loved a pop of color in our home as well as the fresh scent the flowers give off. As beautiful as the flowers can be, they don’t last long.

Periodically my wife would dry them out. Then we would have a lovely arrangement that can last for years.

This year I decided to pick up an Orchid Lego set as a Valentine’s Day gift. We really enjoyed the Bonsai Tree from a couple of years ago and still have it on display (read about it here: Lego Bonsai). My wife has always wanted orchids, but we both know that real ones would not last. With the Lego set, the flowers will look pretty all the time.

Building this set will also be a fun activity for us to do laster this week. We really enjoyed doing some of the Christmas sets as a family and have built other sets as well together over the years. I love that Lego is creating these sets for people of all ages.

So have a Happy Valentine’s Day! And I hope that if you gave or receive flowers that the last a long time!

Cheering On

Posted on by Josef Havelka

This past weekend our sixteen year old son was in Calgary for The Western Elite Circuit competition. Normally my wife travels with him to the out of town speed skating meets. But this time she “unfortunately” had to go to Disneyland for work and was unable to head to Calgary. I was also working, so we opted to send our son by himself.

He did go with a couple of families from our club- they were kind enough to offer to make sure he got to the meet each day and kept him fed. His coach also attended to support the club- which was excellent as well.

I was able to watch the races remotely via YouTube. As I have done in the past, I watched the races on our television but also screen captured them on my iPhone. Once I trimmed the length of the races, I sent it off to our group chat consisting of Theory, my wife and his coach. That way they could review each race afterwards and discuss them. I think this helps…

Because he came in first for every race this past weekend!

What was really fantastic was the outpouring of support given from his fellow club members and their parents! The congratulation messages kept coming in as the competition ended.

Needless to say, we are very proud of his success. But now I am wondering if my wife is bad luck when she travels with him… Time will tell. For now, our son is beaming from his hard work efforts paying off.

Great job Theory!

Hobby For Work

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I’ve been doing tufting now for a little over a month. During this time I have gotten visibly better at it. My coworkers are genuinely surprised at my skills. Which is totally understandable- I usually keep work at work and my life outside of there is where the fun is.

But after seeing my work, two of my coworkers asked me to make rugs for them. Both very different designs. Both are something I wouldn’t have done on my own either. I looked up ideas online and got feedback prior to creating the rugs.

The first “commission rug” was requested to be a mushroom. The colours just POP in my opinion. This is going to be a gift for his wife since she loves mushrooms. Before doing the rug, we discussed what style to do and went with a cartoonish style- reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. This one was fun to make because I was able to create it in a more whimsical style. When I finished it, I wasn’t sure what rug to make next. So I contacted another coworker who asked about a rug the other day.

This next rug was from Naruto. It was a Mangekyō Sharingan symbol. He asked for this specific design with black and red. As simple as this image looks, it was far more difficult to make than anticipated. I decided to draw a circle on the fabric and lined up the image to fit perfectly. The hardest part was sewing the curves. The monks cloth is set up horizontal and vertical. Making the turns takes longer and is slow going.

In the end, these two rugs are the most perfect ones I have made to date. I’m really happy that they are going to new homes. My house is getting full…

Traveling Family Members

Posted on by Josef Havelka

As my wife Lee-Anne enjoyed DisneyLand yesterday, our youngest had flown into Calgary on Thursday for a speed skating competition this weekend.

Theory is taking part in the Western Elite Circuit at the Calgary Olympic Oval. He had four individual races today and dominated every single one in his division. He came in first and also beat his previous times garnering personal bests.

Theory is staying with other members of our club since he is only sixteen years old. The club’s coach also flew out and is offering advice and tips all weekend. I’m glad that she is there to coach them. It’s good to have someone there who knows the strengths and weaknesses of the skaters.

I’m really proud of his results and determination to constantly improve. His drive is creating individualized success. after his Sunday competition, he will be immediately flying back home. He has a few more competitions before the end of the season in March and I hope that he continues to improve. Cheering from another province is always difficult. But I do it anyways.

Go Theory! You’re killing it this weekend!

Disneyland Visits

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My wife is currently in Disneyland for a work retreat. She has officially caught up with me on visits to the park! I told her that from now on we must be together in Disneyland- no exceptions!

Lee-Anne is staying in a hotel that overlooks her favorite part of the parks. She gets to see California Adventure and is able to view her favorite rides on the Pixar Pier. This is making her visit a bit more special considering she is technically at work.

The craziest part about her visit to Disneyland?

We took our family there for their first visit 14 years ago today! We had so much fun. We have seen numerous changes over the years. We have traveled to Disneyland for a variety of celebrations. My wife is enjoying the current celebration: 100 years of Disney. I can’t believe Walt started his animation a century ago.

There’s something fantastic and truly magical about Disneyland. From exciting new adventures and rides to reliving memories from previous trips. I know that my wife and I will be doing trips there again- just the two of us. Adults in Disneyland acting youthful. I asked my wife to do some recon for a future trip of just us two.

I am jealous of her. If I could have taken the weekend off and didn’t have other obligations- I would have joined her. But since this is a work retreat, she did have some work stuff to do prior to enjoying the parks. I hope she brings us back some great gifts!

More Yarn!

Posted on by Josef Havelka

I was running low on black yarn, so I did a quick drive across the border to the USA to buy some more. Of course, I couldn’t just buy a few black skeins- I needed to get some other colours as well.

50 more skeins came home with me. I got home and organized all my yarn once more. I also did a quick tidy up of my work station and tools. It’s amazing how much dust and debris comes off the yarn when it’s worked. I need to keep my equipment in good working order.

So messy.

My days off from work have been filled with this new hobby. I have also spent a small fortune on it as well. But I am enjoying the process and the therapeutic nature of making rugs. I can’t stop coming up with designs and rugs. There are so many I want to make.

Of course, I’ve already completed another rug. This time it was for a coworker. He wants to give it to his wife for Valentine’s Day. Before I share the pictures of the progress, I don’t want to spoil the surprise in case his wife follows my instagram account as well. But tomorrow I will start a different set of rugs and share those.

I can’t believe how much I am enjoying this hobby. Sorry for inundating my blog with it. But it’s only a couple of days a week.

100!

Posted on by Josef Havelka

It excites me that my new Instagram account reach 100 followers in three weeks! No boys either. Real accounts, real people interacting with me there. Many of them fellow tufters. I have given them a follow back in order to learn from them and keep getting inspired.

Instagram is my go-to social media platform, so I enjoy the interactions I have there. From pictures to videos- that social media meets my requirements exactly. Quick stories, amazing artwork, and a kind community of support.

I have even received my first commission request that will be completed this weekend. However, I won’t be able to share the images or process until after Valentine’s Day, for obvious reasons. But I will be working on another piece to share this weekend.

So please, follow along to see my process and my advancement in my skills as an artist. Tuftleupagus

Social Media and Me

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My social media usage has changed over the years. The main one I post on is Instagram. The only reason it seems like I am on Facebook is because the two are connected. I have ignored Twitter for so long that my app has gone back into the cloud. This doesn’t mean I don’t use the social media services. It means I am not as active as I once was when posting.

My social media postings were once creative and silly. My friends and I would have banter back and forth- posting jabs and jokes at one another. For an entire year I shared Star Wars memes. Facebook was a place for me to have fun and share my fun times.

It all changed a few years ago. I believe it was a culmination of a few factors. I began to write a daily blog. This allowed me to share more in-depth stories about my life and adventures (when I have them). I also changed my career path. That meant folks I was “friends with” left because they feared I would change. Surprise- that didn’t happen. And lastly, Facebook constantly makes changes to how you view their platform. I began to miss “recent stories” from my friends who I followed and they missed mine.

About three years ago, I “unfriended” nearly everyone on Facebook. A year and a half ago I was at a funeral service and people convinced me to get back on Facebook to be able to connect again. So I did. But hardly anyone shares anything anymore. I get videos and webpage “suggestions” now. I don’t post unless it’s a “memory” from when Facebook was fun.

Because of the changes in how social media is used by nearly everyone, I really don’t know why I open Facebook. It’s just kind of there now as a thing I can’t get rid of because of nostalgia reasons. I’m also getting older and feel that when I want to interact with friends, I’ll call or message them. Hey we may even meet up in person from time to time.

Anyways, don’t forget to FOLLOW AND LIKE. Share with your friends.

Namaste.

Pit Stick

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Growing up as a teenager, I would use deodorant everyday. I kind of liked the smell of that better then the teen boy musk I would exhume. Pretty sure my classmates also appreciated it.

Once I met my wife, she suggested I change to antiperspirants, so I did. I have been using those for over twenty years now. I bought the same product every time I needed more. I had a certain fragrance about me that just seemed to be me.

However, in the last year or so I think my body has fought back against antiperspirants. Maybe I’m going through a “second puberty” entering my next section of the aging process. Or the perhaps the product I use may have changed. I’m not feeling as clean smelling as I once did. So I’m going to go back to using a deodorant instead.

I shower daily, sometimes just a quick rinse, other times a scrub clean with various products. Those days I use a face wash, a body wash, one of a variety of shampoos (depending what smell I want my hair to have). But after every shower- I apply pit stick.

To be honest, I am enjoying the smell of my deodorant more than my antidepressant ever had. Perhaps in a few days/weeks this smell will become my new normal. A fresh scented Joe.

Which do you use and why? Deodorant or Antiperspirant? Perhaps a bit of both depending on how active you are? Let me know in the comments.

Early Sunday Morning Meal All To Myself

Posted on by Josef Havelka

My wife and two youngest went off to skating this morning bright and early. I was left to sleep in because I work night shifts this week. I woke up a couple of hours after they left because our doggo wandered into the bedroom. She stood at the side of the bed facing me and whimpering loudly. The sound and her breath, got me out of bed. She just needed to go outside it seemed.

So I got out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. I decided that since I was up, I’d make myself some breakfast and finish tidying up the counters. (It’s amazing how much stuff just starts to pile up even if you put things away on a regular basis.) I also decided to pack my work lunch since I was there. Then it was on to making my breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of a couple poached eggs on bacon and avocado toast. The avocado was perfectly ripe and I cooked the bacon to perfection. Even the eggs were poached flawlessly soft with a golden, runny yolk while the whites were solid and not watery. Not having to rush to make breakfast for other people meant I count make a beautiful meal for myself.

I don’t mind making food for my family. In fact it’s one of my greatest pleasures. Once in a while having a flawless meal just for me is a delicacy. No distractions, no wondering if someone else is enjoying what I made. Just my meal and me.

A Sunday morning meal all to myself. I deserved it. Now back to bed with a happy and fully belly.

Crafting A Leaf

Posted on by Josef Havelka

Today I made another rug. Or rather-just like you do in Animal Crossing- I crafted a leaf (from the video game Animal Crossing).

The design is pretty simple. So drawing it out wasn’t too difficult. This is now the largest one I have made. It almost filled my 3’ frame. I enjoyed the simplicity of the design, but really worked hard to make it perfect.

Since I was low on black yarn, this design was a great option since it uses four different shades of green. Video game images are fun to tuft. Plus the recognizability of icons and characters makes for an enjoyable crafting experience.

Creating rugs has become a fantastic pastime for me over the past few weeks. I have found tufting to be therapeutic and calming. I listen to music that relates to the rug I tuft. It gets me in the zone. Making two rugs a week seems to be my average. I may slow it down a bit though. I can only have so many rugs in our house.

The next rug to be made will be created by our youngest teen. He has an idea and wants to get it out in the world. I can’t wait to see what he crafts. His first one was pretty good- read about it Here: Son of Tuftleupagus.