OOPS!

I am breaking my cycle of blogging neglect because I have mud on my face and I have been duly chastised by my eldest daughter about mixing up Earth Day and Earth Hour. Yesterday evening was the Earth Hour from 8:30-9:30pm and on April 22nd it is Earth Day. It was Earth Hour that I was honouring. With a laugh at myself, I apologize for the rather blatant error I made yesterday.

On a happy note, I have been tagged by Laurita at Brain Droppings with a Happy 101 Award. The rules of the award are to list ten things that make me happy and then pass it along to five others. I haven't done a tagging before and I am generally very private about my feelings - so here goes me walking the plank:

1. Life makes me happy. Life has given me the gift of many challenges and between them I really appreciate how good my life actually is. There is just so much to love about it, especially just being here to appreciate it.

2. My husband, and two daughters all drive me crazy in their respective ways and I love them all because without them I just wouldn't be happy. My wonderful, caring friends who put up with me, for whatever reason, also make my world a wonderful place to be.

3. My pets: Mandy (because she is obnoxiously lovable- even when I am in a dead sleep or when I am trying to type on the computer - like now), Emma (because she is so gentle), Kiwi (how could I not love the little tyrant?), Tucker ( because he is a huge gallumph of a cat and truly gives the best hugs) and beautiful Bella (for her occasional lovely trilling in-between the raucous squawking she excels in).

4. I am a happy foodie - I love making and sharing food - I could cook until I drop.

5. Quilting relaxes my soul and I can share it when I am done. I love the colours, the feel of a hand-quilted quilt, the sound of my scissors cutting through the fabric and knowing that something good will happen when all this comes to together.

6. Planting seeds and seeing them sprout helps me to remember that life constantly renews itself and that there is always the joy of new life to sustain us.

7. Sunny winter days are divine - I love the crunch of snow under my boots, how the cold goes up my nose and pinches me, how crystal clear a winter day is, snow diamonds and the giggles of red-cheeked kids playing in the snow.

8. Reading - I am a true addict. Like Laurita, I love words; how they come together, how they sound and how many new and obscure ones I can discover. I, rather sheepishly, admit that I own many different types of dictionaries because I love to read them. Sad but true.

9. Learning is like winning a lottery for me - I love learning new things - it makes me smile inside.

10. My newest love is kayaking - the quiet, the smell of the water, the birds, the wonderful sunny yellow of my kayak and how it reaches down into my soul. (However, I have to figure out a way to grow a few more inches to make it easier to load it on top my van, only then it will be the perfect sport!)

11. I love to share. I just feel that we are all in this world together and we need to give to one another more - not necessarily material things - it just makes a happier place for everyone and it leaves me happy in a content sort of way.

I know I was only supposed to do ten but sharing is such a wonderful thing to do how could I leave it out?

I would like to pass this wonderful, happy reward on to:

Sarah at Cottage Garden Studio
Sinta at Pink Pincushion
Peggy Wojnarski
Barb at Bad-Tempered Zombie
Lauree Skinner

Have a good time with this...enjoy the reflection and the smile it will give you when you contemplate all your wonderful happy moments - I did it and survived! ;)

Enjoy!

Saving the earth - one act at a time

Happy Earth Day!

What are you doing for earth day? I always have some sort of grandiose plans but then real life takes over and squashes them. There is always so much we can all do, whether it is shutting off the lights, turning off the television, or recycling something or repurposing an object. I don't know if it really saves much individually but collectively it certainly does and it also raises awareness. Today I decided that I would do a number of things. I went through a pile of magazines and am donating them to the art room for projects/assignments for the students at the local high school. I will be turning off the lights and lighting my room with candles and having a nice cup of tea while I am at it. The bonus is a very relaxing hour or so that I could just sit.

My best earth day project was to re-upholster a small storage hassock I purchased off of ebrandon.ca. It was originally covered in a 1960/70's style of fabric that was totally dated. It just wanted to be recovered with something current and contemporary, preferably a little bit daring. Well,I went to the fabric store with my good friend and we found some wonderful black and white upholstery fabric that was just the ticket! Now my main goal was to get it done today because I could totally destroy the living room doing it without my poor hubby (who is thankfully away) stressing over the mess. I accomplished my goal and my youngest is the proud owner of a very nice hassock that she has decided to use to store her quilts in. I am very pleased how well it turned out.


As well, I found this great cake saver at Winners in the fall and it is perfect to store muffins, cookies, etc on the counter or table. It works great - I use less plastic and the cats cannot nibble at our treats. It keeps things from drying out and we don't forget about them - in our house it is always a case of out-of-sight out-of-mind.

I just had to add this really cute picture of of our Kiwi. She just had a bath and we put a nice ribbon on her. The ribbon didn't last long but it did make for a great photo-op.

Have a great day!

Winning at life

I am back - still trying to post as much as possible - which appears to be not as frequently as I would like.

We have been having such lovely weather here in Manitoba - the temperatures have been plus 2 and 3 and today it was even plus 6 celsius! So pleasant, especially since all the snow has melted from most of our streets and I am no longer driving through slush. I love the winter and spring except the melting part - I cannot abide the slush and dirty part of spring - pity we can't just skip over that time period. I am beginning to sound like one of my buddies who absolutely does not like winter. I am not going to hold my breath though - the odds of a snowstorm happening is still pretty high. There is the old saying for March "In like a lamb and out like a lion" and I think we are going to get a good one big lion coming our way. We do need the moisture though and everything would be a wonderful bright fresh white again...

Two weeks ago, my supervisor came to me and asked me if I would mind taking a student for her work experience every afternoon. The catch was that it is at a local greenhouse and I would be getting down and dirty along with the student. I haven't quit grinning since - I thought I had won a lottery and still think so. I had worked part-time at this particular greenhouse as a planter/salesperson/etc. for many years when my kids were small and it is something that I absolutely love doing! Imagine - going in from the cold and dull days into a bright, open space full of plants,fountains and ponds with koi fish, beautiful garden furnishings with accessories, and tropical birds chirping (they have an entire collection of lovebirds, budgies, finches and many other types as well) - hard to have a bad day there. The best part is that I still have another 3 weeks to go! STill grinning...


My vinegars - now plural are all doing well. I have now officially shared my mother from the red wine vinegar and bottled two bottles of it. It smells divine! I can hardly wait to try it on something!! I have started two types of white wine vinegars and still am waiting patiently for the apple cider vinegar to develop a mother - patience is definitely being learned in the process! It will be interesting to see how the mother I shared develops for the other potential vinegar makers. I wish you could just smell it! (But not too close - as my youngest's friend found that sticking your nose all the way in the jar is just a bit overwhelming.) lol

I have been trying to upload pictures but I am not able to for some reason - worked before but definitely an issue for this post and not sure why. I guess we will have to forgo the lovely pictures of flowers, birds and greenhouses today. I will try again the next post.

Take care - Have a great ST. Patrick's Day!!!

Birth of a mother!

I have now got a Mother!! Not a human mother - I already have one of those wonderful persons in my life. It is a red-wine vinegar mother!

I decided last weekend that I would try to make some of my own specialty vinegars as we tend to go through quite a bit around here. I went to one of our local health supplement/food stores, Hedley's Health Hut, and purchased a liter of Bragg's cider vinegar with the hopes that there would be enough of a residual mother in it to act as a starter for some of our own. Wonders to beat all wonders - I actually have the start of a full-bodied red-wine vinegar mother. I have yet to actually sample it - perhaps I will on the weekend. It sure smells great - tart with a bit of a fruity bite to it. The neat thing is that the hubby made the Bordeaux wine in 1989, so it is a joint effort. I am surprised that it happened so quickly as most of the instructions I read said that it would take 2 or more weeks for a mother to start and it has only been 6 days. I guess that cupboard above the refrigerator (a good 77F or 25C) is the perfect temperature for vinegar. Never really had a use for that cupboard anyway other than collecting junk...it can finally earn its keep.

Well, that's all for now - take care and maybe try your hand at a little vinegar as well.

February Frolics

It is finally February! I love February - the days are getting longer but it is still wonderfully cold and crisp outside. The air is always so fresh in the winter and the sky is so clear you feel like you can just see forever. We had a bit of a snow in the past couple weeks (the snow piles on the side of the driveway and roads are about 4 ft high now) and everything is white and sparkling and I can't get enough of it.

When I was a kid, I loved being out in the snow for hours. I hated coming inside because the thawing out started and the pain began! Ouch! My fingertips and ears always suffered the worst. I can't remember it ever stopping me though and I've lived to to tell the tale. Whenever I drive down our street I see a "little buddy" of mine digging a fort out of the snow piles on the side of the road - the child in me wishes she could jump out and join her. My little buddy always gives me the biggest, frost kissed smile and wave when she is out there.

I have been quilting like crazy - I have so many quilts to finish I am not sure when I will be done, if ever. This is when I have to pause, give my head a shake, and ask myself - why would I want to be done anyway? I always have a wonderful project to look forward to and the knowledge that I will be totally relaxed as a result. I can only see a win/win situation here...lol. I have completed two and a half quilts since the beginning of January. Two were belated Christmas presents/cabin warming gifts and I extended my hubby's quilt so he could tuck it around his feet a bit more. They were all rag quilts (not REAL quilts but I can live with that) and I was very pleased with how they turned out. They were all made of three layers of cozy flannel and all were from the same fabrics but with different backings and a few different blocks thrown in. As two of them went to my hubby's siblings, I wanted to connect them to him by having some of the same fabrics. Whenever I make a quilt for someone I like to think that I am sending those persons receiving the quilt a nice warm hug that just keeps hugging.


Well, anyone who knows me knows that I am somewhat of a foodie. I love making food and trying all sorts of different types. I am also kind of a purist - if I can make it from scratch all the better. So, I got thinking about this and have decided to start posting food thoughts, food recipes and some my food adventures, including the misadventures. I think it will be a blast - feeding folks is something I absolutely love doing (my family and friends will be nodding their heads here - lol) and writing about it can only be all good.

The picture at the right looks like someone threw a bunch of stuff into a roaster and expected it to look good. It is actually the start of wonderful homemade chicken stock that is the basis of many wonderful soups we eat during the winter season. Watch for an upcoming post, with instructions, about how you can make this great broth with a limited amount of work!

Starting this weekend, I am going to be making wine and cider vinegars and will keep you posted on how they turn out. I sure hope they turn out better than my wine - but that is another story...


I almost forgot! I have my first follower - Sarah - welcome to my blog!

Take care!
Find you inner child and play in the snow!
Kathy

Well, I would say that today was one of my hardest, though not the hardest , days of my life. I was really dreading taking my mother to the local personal care home - it breaks my heart not to have her living a wonderful, independent life. She worked so hard all her life and truly deserved a good, healthy, happy retirement.

How many of you understand how overwhelming it can be to take the person you love and has raised you to be cared for by others? This is the third time I've had this role and it is one that gets harder with each time because I think I understand the implications of the destination so much more than I did the first time...It is not to say that a personal care home is a bad thing, just that it is so hard for everyone involved.

I wonder how I will be when I get to that age or infirmity? Will I go willingly or try to resist? I have already told my girls that when the time comes, I will go willingly because I understand how much it can affect a family in a negative way and burn-out the caregivers. I do hope I am of sound enough mind to follow through...I love my freedom and independence to the extreme but I love my family more...

What would you do if you had to go to a personal care home? Would you go willingly? Or not?

Alberta Clippers

I swear I take the prize for being the absolute worst blogger in history - I give my sincere apologies to all for being so remiss.

I went to bed last night and closed my eyes to the dreary brown of late fall and woke up to a magical white wonderland. Hurray for Alberta Clippers! We had about 3 or 4 inches fall overnight and everything - trees, streets, driveways, everything was coated in a fluffy jacket. God, I just love when it snows - there is nothing more refreshing or beautiful in the whole world.

I have been home with the flu for a couple days and had the privilege of enjoying the view of my backyard - and it was definitely something to enjoy. My husband is away to Grey Cup and was lucky enough to enjoy the snow before it headed our way. He is back tomorrow and I am truly looking forward to it. Sort of. Lol

My youngest is taking an Auto cad course at the local college in the afternoons and goes to the college in the evenings to complete her course assignments. I have been accompanying her and taking small UFOs with me to complete. I have finished two table runners and almost finished a Poinsettia Star table topper. I will post pictures asap as we are hopefully headed out to the college this evening, which means I will complete the topper. Yesss! Only two more toppers, and three more quilts to finish before Christmas! Can I do it? The race is on...

Take care - I will post pictures in a couple days.

Tomatoes!!!

Finally, we have had a ripe tomato from the garden. I cannot recall a summer where our first ripe tomato was picked on the 4th of September - sad but true. We usually start eating tomatoes in July and continue until November. This starting in September is just not right - why, it hardly felt like summer at all with all the truly miserable weather we had this year.

We actually thought we had a nice big ripe one last week but when I turned it over - it was rotten!! I am not sure who was more disappointed, Bruno or I.

Happy Anniversary Hubby!!

I realized that it was our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday when I signed into the medical unit to visit my mother. I was a little embarrassed when I realized that I had not even wished my Hubby a Happy Anniversary before sending him off to work in the morning. Then, I realized that he had not done the same and all was good. lol

We did our usual anniversary celebration: Ate supper, had a glass of wine and toasted each other...doesn't get better than that. We are definitely surprised at how quickly 26 years passes - it still feels like we are just getting to know each other. So much to learn yet! How lucky we are to have each other and be on the same wavelength most of the time. (You didn't think we were on the same wavelength all the time, did you? Close though...)

Would I marry him again if I had to do my life again? You bet, in a heartbeat! Guys like him are one in a lifetime, literally. I have been so blessed in my lifetime that I can hardly believe it sometimes.

For all of you out there with an anniversary coming up - enjoy each other - life is truly too short not too - otherwise - why did you marry the guy in the first place?

So - Happy Anniversary Hubby - I hope we have at least another 26...or more.

Wonderful Wedding Happenings

We have survived the onslaught of relatives of near and far - it was truly wonderful to have everyone stop in or stay here. I just wish I had more one-on-one time with everyone to catch up on what is going on in their lives.

Hubby's niece, Beth, got married to Tim at the Western Manitoba Centennial Hall and it was a beautiful wedding. When they made all the arrangements for the wedding they included a lot family to help do things - it made it so nice and so very personal. My sister-in-law, Barb, officiated and did a wonderful job; Beth's mother, Berni, did beautiful lily flower arrangements for the tables, Beth's two sisters and (now) sister-in-law stood up for her and I had the honour of making and displaying 200 cupcakes! (I have to add a huge thank you to my very generous friends for allowing me the use of their freezers- without them I am not sure what I would have done with the 200 cupcakes - they take up a huge amount of room!) Lots of fun was had by all and everything (thankfully) turned out!

I had a bit of an incident at the wedding. As the ceremony was taking place, a camera was handed down to me to take pictures. I thought it was my brother-in-law Gerry's camera and that he wanted me to take pictures of his wife, Barb, while she officiated the ceremony. I also thought the camera was a digital one -it certainly looked like one anyway - but it was not and to my horror it suddenly shut down and began to rewind! I handed it back to Gerry and apologized only to see him hand it further down the line to a lady I have no idea who she was. So, this unknown woman has many (about 10) wonderful pictures of my sister-in-law officiating, and lovely (half a dozen) headshots of my other sister-in-law Berni. I had a hard time not bursting out in embarrassed laughter when the camera made it into the rightful owners hands. OOps!

The next day there was a very nice brunch put on the by the groom's parents and later a barbeque at our house for family. Always fun and nice to just visit and enjoy everyone in a relaxed setting.

That was my weekend - what did you do on yours?

Purging the Past

Purging has taken on a whole new meaning in my house. Bruno is gone and I am literally burning, selling, and giving away a ton of stuff. I am a few years behind in doing this. When sorting gets overwhelming I come downstairs and check my emails or check what is in the fridge to recharge my flagging spirits and energy. It absolutely astounds me how much paper a household can generate and accumulate despite our efforts to keep it at bay. We are all pack rats in this house and it has finally come back to bite us (me, specifically) in the proverbial ass.

My goal this summer is to clean out, clean up and restore order to my house. Paper, as well as, clothes, trinkets and other items have taken over our lives -many of these objects whose use and origin is a complete mystery. I plan to have it complete by the end of August, including washing walls and cupboards, painting some and recovering some furniture. The square footage of my house is increasing with each trip to the recycle bin and secondhand shop. Yay!

I am enjoying how freeing it is - I had forgotten over the past few years. (literally!) It feels good already and I have barely started. Good thing Bruno is away though - he would freak out at the total disarray on the main level. I also don't have to worry about feeding him - that in itself is quite a change.

I have a wonderful kindergarten teacher that is the happy recipient of all the beads, and children's craft stuff that my daughters have outgrown eons ago. She is as pleased about getting all of it as I am about giving it to her.

Life is so good.

Glorious Summer Gardens

Today I decided that I am the luckiest person in the world. I was standing in the middle of the garden, barefoot (the only way to navigate in a garden), in shorts and t-shirt, with my new Tilley hat on and realized that life is pretty good when I looked at it from the middle of garden. I was surrounded by my favourite plants - eggplants,tomatoes and basil, and couldn't think of any place that I would rather have been on the day before the summer solstice. It was 31 degrees out at the peak of the day, it smelled of fresh earth, tomato plants and basil, and Friday was my last day of work for the summer - life doesn't get any better than that.

We have an absolutely beautiful back yard. It is this way mainly because my husband, Bruno, is a wonderful landscaper/maintainer. He waters, cuts the grass, moves flowerbeds and picks weeds constantly - the result is how gorgeous it is. I am the planter and alternate water girl/weeder. He has threatened many times to put my flower beds on casters so he doesn't have to redo them or enlarge the garden every year. lol

My eggplants are flowering! The bleeding hearts(not shown), chives and Iris' are in full bloom and being sassy about it. I'll post more pictures later as the plants fill out and add more colour. My garden is way behind where it should be because I planted so late this year - too much frost.

I had to laugh when I looked at the picture (above) of my garden because it looks like I am growing red beer cups this year. I normally use cut off 2 litre milk cartons but had none this year for the first time in 25 years. It offends my resolve to reuse things when I have to use something new with the intent of throwing it away at the end of season. However, if it is choice between the cutworms getting my plants and having to use new beer cups, the beer cups win hands down.

Happy Solstice!

Off to Clear Lake for May Long Weekend

Well, the mattress fit - hallelujah! And we had three wonderful sleeps on it. Almost hated to leave it behind...lol

I had heard that it had snowed at the lake (Clear Lake aka Wasagaming - pictures right - gorgeous isn't it?) but had not expected more than a skiff of snow around the bushes and stuff. It was everywhere! And deep! And...Bruno made it up there before we did - thankfully - and had to use the rake to "shovel" off the patio to get into the cabin. He is such a trooper! I was sure glad I brought my rubber boots... there was almost a foot of snow up there! What a beautiful sight - it was almost like stepping into a magical fairy postcard. There were icicles dripping in the sun, snowmen with solar light arms and sandals, trees laden with snow, a decorated Christmas tree with led lights - it was truly the most remarkable May long weekend I have ever seen.

Talking to various other brave souls and some of the older cabin owners who have been coming up since they were kids (at least 30 plus years) said they had never, ever seen this much snow on a May long before. The temperatures were great - I was out with just a turtleneck and quilted vest and was more than comfortable, until Monday that is - then we had a nasty, brutal wind that made being out quite unpleasant.

Got a lot of hand-quilting done this weekend. We even burned out (literally) one of our heaters. The smoke in the corner wasn't something that was supposed to happen - what a smell! Yuk. Glad it happened when we were in the cabin not down the street taking a shower - I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for a fire up there.

Bruno even took the kayak for a quick trip along the shore and checked out the ice floes on the lake. He asked if I wanted to join him but I am not that brave or (my usual excuse) experienced enough to brave the frigid waters yet - he said it was pretty exciting. lol

The cookhouse stoves were all stoked to the max this weekend. We have communal cookhouses (below right) in the "Old Campground" at Clear Lake. Although we have cabins and stoves or hotplates in them, the old camping cookhouses are still available for our use. It is such a unique setup here at the lake - our cookhouses, showers and bathrooms are all communal. Although it can be quite an adventure to head up the street to the washroom at the wee hours of the morning - it sure makes for more neighbourly type of co-existence - most of the time. I think there are a couple bonuses to having the communal facilities - among them - I never have to clean a bathroom up there, heat up the cabin when it gets brutally hot and you can't beat watching the northern lights and all those wonderful stars on your way down the street and back when you need to take that midnight call. Besides - how often have you had to run to the washroom at midnight, through the snow? Definitely a first for me this year! lol

Well, not much else new. Take care - hopefully the rest of May will be wonderful for all of us.

I woke up this morning and just felt happy -nothing else just happy. With all the changes in my life, the happy part of me has been more than subdued lately. I tell you, it felt wonderful! I even caught myself laughing a lot today - what a great feeling it was to have that back! I somehow think it is connected to the May long weekend and the fact that we are going to the cabin at Clear Lake for a couple days. This has always been my happy spot and when times get rotten I think about how wonderful it is up there and all the bad stuff just disappears. We even splurged and bought a new mattress for the lake! It is going to be pure bliss pretty soon if we make any more improvements. I don't know how I will ever get Bruno out of bed though - the only place he ever sleeps in is at the lake - the new mattress will never let him go. Now, all we have to do is figure out how to get it up there... If it doesn't fit in the back of the van, well, I guess it is definitely going to be a lo-o-ong weekend especially since Bruno already threw out our old mattress and the floor is going to be hard and more than a little cold.

I have been trying to figure out how to blend the remnants of two quilts and the large star block I made from my Dad's shirts into a special memory quilt for one of my uncles. I had an aha! moment when my daughter, Heather, came along and said "Why not just applique this cabin picture on top of the middle of the star? That'll tie it in." and voila it worked! I have all the pieces cut and ready to go - it is just a matter of sewing it together now. This quilt is for my Uncle Jim because he helped my parents so much while they were in The Pas and I really wanted to thank him and this is going to be a big cozy hug for him. I had taken some of my Dad's shirts and made a really nice Poinsettia Star from them - in blues, white and greens - not Christmas colours at all - it turned out really nice but I was finding it hard to incorporate the remnants from my Dad's quilt and his twin brother Frank's quilt into it as they had off-white/brown backgrounds and the shirt block was in the white/blue spectrum. I'll post pictures as I work on it.

Quilting buddies

I have been busy as usual trying to get too many things done in too little time. I swear that the days are getting shorter as I get older - somehow it just isn't fair - I have far too may quilts and stuff to do in this lifetime - I can't afford my days to get any shorter. lol

For the past about 20 years a group of us have gotten together to craft, quilt and just visit. It started with my friend Peggy and I going to an interior design class at Brandon University. We enjoyed our weekly night out so much we hated to quit after the class was finished so we decided to do something else - she wanted to learn calligraphy and I could teach her. Then our friend Louise joined us, and then Pam and then Joan and then Sharon and finally Judy - oh and sometimes Kinseley. It is a night out that I enjoy immensely and resent the same amount when anything interferes with it. We have made an abundance of wonderful, beautiful objects and some less than inspired ones as well. We all love to quilt and this passion has enveloped us all, even the one who shall remain unnamed and is our wonderfully reluctant but determined quilter. I think we especially enjoy our recent need to travel to the quilt shops nearby (within and hour and a half anyway) - close! We no longer have a quilt shop in Brandon so getting quality fabrics is a bit harder - so a road trip takes almost no persuasion....lol

The following pictures show Sharon's, Pam's, and Peggy's cuddly cobblestones rag quilts - they all turned out wonderful! It always amazes me how we can all start out with the same pattern and each looks so different when completed!

Judy is working on a raggedy jean quilt (above) that she is lining with red and white flannel - it is going to be wonderful when it is done - it will be worth all the time she put into it.

I think I have to work on picture placement - they just don't want to co-operate with where I want to put them. - the nerve!

I have put on two batches of wine for coolers this summer. They are a pink lemonade/rhubarb and a pink lemonade/lemon wine - should be interesting - they both were stuck initially but have finally taken off - I will move them to secondaries this weekend after I bottle some of the other wines in the other 4 secondaries. lol I think I will be bottling for a few hours. The rhubarb is great and ready to go. I swear that the stuff evaporates in the summer! Well - enjoy!

Well, it has been a while since I last posted - sorry about that. Much has happened since. My mother remains in the hospital despite the assessment being complete and for reasons beyond both our control.

My oldest daughter came home for a visit 3 weeks ago and is still here - much to my joy - she is a pretty wonderful, caring young woman. My husband has been out of town for several days but returned tonight - exhausted, and sick - poor guy - miserable not to be at home when you don't feel well.

On the bright side - I completed the top for my good friend's daughter and her future husband. Their wedding is next weekend - it should be a blast - I sure am looking forward to something positive in our life - it has been a tough winter... The top is wonderful - it is just a simple split rail fence but it is one of the nicer ones I've pieced. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric for the borders and binding and just had to take a trip to Moosamin, Saskatchewan, which is just over the western border of Manitoba, to check out the quilt shop there. It is called Shirley's Sewing Room. My good friend and fellow quilting addict, Peggy, joined me in immersing ourselves wholeheartedly in purchasing much more than we needed - of course!! What a wonderful shop - they have numerous quilts lining all the walls and free-hanging as well. Samples of numerous projects abounded. The women helping us with the borders I so desperately needed were good and we will definitely go back - besides,it is only and hour and a half away - can't get better than that!! Although... they are offering a class in a quilt I was hoping to find the pattern for - a garden twist - it is like a lattice with the background fabric being flowers - wonders of wonders when we walked in the door of the shop what was the first quilt hanging there but this one and they are offering a workshop for it in April - how lucky for me!!!! :) As for Jen's wedding quilt - hopefully I hope to have it complete by next weekend - good thing I'm quick and have the entire weekend to quilt! lol

As you can tell - I figured out how to upload pictures - not that it was difficult. lol Enjoy the photo - I think the colours of Jen's quilt went together very nicely - don't you?

Take care - until next time...

Happy Louis Riel Day! (In Manitoba, anyway lol)

Well, I have been going through all my books and the internet for patterns - my best friend's daughter is getting married in the end of March - I am going to have to hustle to get a quilt done before then. Her colours are taupe and dark brown - I am sure that I will find something that will be wonderful for her. I've known her since she was just a couple years old. With all that has happened in the past month or so I got derailed pretty badly on my quilts and am totally behind. I might just take and make her a spit-rail fence quilt - they are quick but always turn out nice without being too busy and browns always look so nice done in that pattern. I was hoping for something a bit nicer but life has a way of giving you a reality check on details that aren't necessary.

Well, Bruno wasn't sure at first about his quilt pieces but I think he warmed up to it after I began explaining what I was going to do. (good thing I bought a belt as well - lol) I asked him if he wanted flannel back or cotton and her wants the flannel for the cozy factor - so flannel it is!

My Mom is doing so well in the assessment center - she is not so stressed out and is beginning to look less emancipated. We will know soon what is happening...

I found the nicest flying geese pattern on the internet! I would love to make it for myself but will probably make it for someone, sometime. Now all I have to do is track down the pattern...if any of you know who puts it out I would appreciate it.

The link is:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_X4eJ_Z6hwJQ/SHlWT4Zi7PI/AAAAAAAAC50/6TbeZ3FVC4Q/s640/IMG_2512.jpg

I'm not sure how to set up links yet but will figure that out in time - but if you copy and paste it you will get there no problem.

Well, enjoy!

I would like to dedicate this posting to my father, Courtney (Corky) Keith Parker, who passed away on Jan.12th at the age of 72.

Looks like 2009 has come in like a lion for us. We had a good Christmas and New Year's was quiet but nice. My mother was admitted to the hospital. Then my father became quite ill the same day and was admitted as well. Unfortunately, he was unable to fight the pneumonia that he had because of all the numerous other conditions that he also had and passed away with my immediate family and my mother at his side. He had a hard go of it the last year and was just tired out. I miss him terribly but am relieved he is no longer suffering - it was just so hard on him- he truly didn't deserve how tough it was this past year. I hope he is finding some great fishing holes up there and having many games of crib with my grandmother and grandfather as well.

My father was always good to me. We had our moments but as we both aged we learned to respect each other and enjoy just being. As his abilities diminished, so did his joy in life. He was always so pleased when my mother or I went to visit and was especially thrilled when one of his brothers would come. Right until the end, he would blow me a kiss and tell me how much he loved me. I miss our "breakfast dates", as we called them, and watching monster truck shows (eventhough I still don't like them). I still continue to watch fishing shows early in the morning as I kind of got hooked (bad pun) on them. I am so glad I had all the time I did with my dad and will never regret any of it. I hope he forgives me for singing to him in my wonderfully tuneless voice and all the inane stories I told him that he would patiently listen to.

I have to admit I was pretty overwhelmed by it all but am now understanding and accepting all the changes that have taken place in my life. I know it is more difficult for my siblings who are not in close proximity because they don't see the everyday little things that happen so changes such as these are probably even more overwhelming for them. For them these things happen in chunks of time rather as a continuum of life.

So life continues...

I haven't had any time to quilt, so Hubby's birthday quilt looks like it is not going to be a birthday quilt. I might just give him the pieces and see what he would like on it. Sometimes input is nice and it would become a collaborative piece instead - not such a bad idea the more I think about it.

So on to another day...take care and stitch well.

Happy New Year!!

I wasn't going to post anything for a week but in retrospect I decided that because I have the house to myself and everyone is busy elsewhere that I would steal a wee bit of time to do this.

I don't know if you are into New Year's resolutions but I say I'm not but...it is a good time to just stop for a minute and reevaluate all the past year's happenings and ponder the future. I don't believe that one should have to make resolutions that are unreachable or goals that are unrealistic. Maybe just choosing to try to be a better person/mother/wife/daughter is more than enough. Sometimes, I just need a little nudge to remember that the world is full of connections and that we really do effect others around us and that we should try to make it a better , more positive place.

Sorry to get so heavy but I am at a stage in my life where the roles between my parents and myself have switched. It is a difficult transition for me, one I do reluctantly because I know that both my parents are not going to get better and I want to make it better. This desire to make things better is part of the nurturer in me and the conflict for me occurs when I can't make it better no matter what I do or how much I care or take care. Like I said, it is difficult when I care so much... I think I can assume it is much the same for others of you who are in the same position?

To go to a more positive note... I just got my little Janome Jem back from the shop - I purchased it in the beginning of December and it had a flaw by the needle whereby my fabric would slide into the crack and literally turn the block when it would get caught as I was sewing. I am going to try to it out this afternoon and make a small table pad in a split rail pattern from some leftover fabric I had from the Camp Koinonia quilt retreat I went to. I am thrilled with this little machine otherwise. I've had a Janome for about 18 years and really love my old machine. This little one will be perfect for piecing when I go to the lake - it is only about 12 lbs. and takes up almost no room.

I was just talking to my husband and (guess where he is? lol) he got a strike on this line and pulled up a nice little pike on the first drop down - he was pretty excited! Fishing is great again today at Rivers!

Well, have a wonderful New Year's and I will talk to you in 2009!

Happy New Year!!!

Seams Just Right to set up a blog!

Welcome to my new blog!

Hopefully this post finds everyone full of Christmas - food, cheer, family and goodwill in general. This is my absolute first post and I am both terrified and elated at the same time. As I sit here and ponder my new endeavour, I wonder if I am completely mad or just doing what I do - starting into something just because I find it interesting. The little kid in me is truly shaking in my socks but like all kids, giggling at the audacity and the gall of me putting it all out there. If you knew me in person, you would realize just how out of character it is for me to "put it all out there."

I am a person who loves people, works with teenagers, and a huge believer in treating the elderly with respect and kindness and just loves life and all it offers - even the warts of life. I get overwhelmed with responsibility often but always try to see the silver lining - even if it is a little on the tarnished side.

I have a tendency, much to my husband's chagrin, to try all kinds of new things and have no hesitation jumping in wholeheartedly to whatever I am trying at that moment. As a result, our life is somewhat cluttered with the remnants of these past projects. I use cooking as my stress reliever, gardening for my soul and quilting for my creative outlet. Quilting is my one enduring passion. I realized the other day, when I had found a small hand-sewn block I made as a teenager, that I have been sewing and quilting since I was in about Grade 7. It has been my interest, through school, university, and twenty-five years of marriage. I have done other `crafts` and stuff but I always go back to quilting. I have never taken pictures of my quilts because that is not what it is about for me. I guess I will take pictures now in order to share with you... I have made numerous quilts, but I am not an exceptional quilter - there are just so many incredible ones out there that I must step back and give them their due.

I am currently working on a large double quilt for my husband for his birthday - I have a suspicion that it will be complete by his birthday in 2010 instead of this coming year. I have pieced all the of the star blocks from a block-of-the-month project through the local quilt shop. (He saw them as I did them and really loved them.) (They are pictured behind my heading.) I recently found some photo panels (not a panel person but these really were quite nice and a perfect match for colour) of some fresh-water fish that I want to incorporate into the middle. I also want to add some flying geese between the stars. My husband is a fisheries biologist so it is an undeniable fit. Speaking of him -he just called and said he caught four pike at the Rivers Reservoir and was quite elated as it is his first time out this year. Woo-hoo!!

I am also currently working on a table runner that will match the tree skirt I made at an absolutely wonderful quilt retreat at Camp Koinonia (not sure on the spelling), near Boissevain, this fall. I have two other lap quilts in rich fall colours that I am hoping to have ready to quilt by the end of January. These I will be giving away to two older friends who are not well.

Take care - enjoy every moment of this year as there is not much left of it. Have a super New Year's and remember that there is a great year waiting for all of us.