Random Saturday Ponderings

Winter is here, We got a dump of snow last night and the world looks like it has be sprinkled liberally with layers and layers of powdered sugar. My new neighours,whom I had my doubts about but now think wonderful,  shoveled my sidewalks for me, both front and back. I was totally shocked and grateful;. They are the quiet, keep to themselves sort, not even really saying hello when we pass. So the fact that he did all that shoveling for me was totally not expected. I think I see a Tim's gift card in someone's future. I have to say thank you somehow. He built a rink in their back yard and the two kids are having the best fun on it.

I have more to be grateful for. The Banker popped in this afternoon and helped me haul the Christmas things up from the basement. She saved me and my poor sore knee a multitude of trips. Now I can get the front of the house decked out for Christmas and I can take this week and get the rest of the house decorated.( I should be able to buy the last of the Nativity set this year, squeeee!!!) I am looking forward to getting the stuff out. I love Christmas. I may have mentioned that once or twice

Not sure what I will do now, if I finish the Nativity this year and I got the last of the Santas for the stairway last year, what the heck am I going to collect now?? I have looked high and low for a pig ornament but cannot find one anywhere. I may have to resort to making something. I thought Pier One would have some but no joy. My Pig tree still needs decorations!!

I will get a snow globe this year, Started that a few Christmas' ago and can carry on for a few yet. I  like to add to them. I also need to short through things and weed out some of the Christmas stuff I am really ready to get rid of. I have a lot of Christmas things. It is my favourite season after all. I did a purge last year and need to keep doing it.

Tonight I am supposed to be going to the show with Teddy Bear and a couple of ladies from my book club. I will go, but my heart wants to just stay home where its warm and I don't have to worry about slippery streets. My knee has been giving me the business this last week. I thought my knee cap was out of place. A trip to the local walk in, the doctor yanked, bent and twisted it for me and generally made it very sore, ex-rays taken and they decided I have osteoarthritis in it. Well my regular doctor told me that several years ago and gave me pills for the pain. The up side is the yanking and bending must have moved whatever was out of place back to where it belongs so I can walk about without feeling like I am being stabbed in the knee cap with every step. Legs are feeling rather stiff, which I blame on the weather and the knee is still tender but its well on it way top getting back to its normal pain level.

Groceries were purchased this morning and I made a quick tour around two charity shops. I found some buttons to make into flowers because I think I am going to make some to sell. I found an egg cup and two lovely Christmas plates. I also found a Partylite candle ring that will work to go with the bisque church and singers I found last year. The candle ring is a group of angels flying in a circle. I love finding things in charity shops, I am thinking now I have the right plates for my Christmas tree plate stand. A yard sale find a few years ago.

I need to go have a nap before the show, otherwise I will be snoring through the better part of it. Tomorrow I am going to sew quilt tops and knit away all the hours God sends. Maybe I will be back and I will have some pictures to share!!.

Toodles.
Linda

Scraptastic Weekend

It amazes me that for three days this last weekend I vaulted out of bed before 8:30 and worked until midnight, with no complaint, no resentment and no heaving of heavy heartfelt I'm so hard done by sighs. This is the difference between doing something you have to do and doing something you find really fun. The weekend was fun fun fun and I accomplished so much.

The Banker, Kitkat and I went to a scrapbooking weekend crop. I guess you could call it a convention but that is not really what it was. It was a group of us, scrapbook enthusiasts, getting together is a room and spending the weekend working on projects. No company sponsored event, just time and space to do your thing. I was making my Maritime vacation scrap books, The Banker was scrapbooking 2013 as she does all her pictures for the year in one album, and KitKat was working on an album of her Dad's 80th birthday. KitKat is a newbie but she is hooked now.

"follow me Grasshopper, I will teach you"

I have no idea how much money was in this room in the form of equipment, embellishments, paper, computer related printers, cutters. it was amazing. 

Twenty Six women, crafting their little hearts out for an entire weekend. We had a lovely time.

We can do whatever we please, the organizer of our little event does mosaic tile work for the weekend. She happily bashes tiles all weekend while we cut and paste. Last year I brought crocheting for a change of pace but not this year. There were a couple of crocheters in the group. I showed of my flower buttons and have a couple of potential customers. 

This was one hobby I was not going to get into, Oh no not me. I was happy to make greeting cards here and there but I was not buying any supplies and I was certainly not going to scrapbook. Its too expensive!! I am not going to fall victim, oh no not me!!! FAMOUS LAST WORDS. While I do attend these things with my two IKEA bags of stuff and make do without all the fancy schmancy equipment and storage items. I do not own enough stuff to stock a small craft store but I am in it hook line and sinker. I have a health stash of  materials to work with. I also love my scrapbooks. I love working on them and so its worth it.

When you go to something like this you learn new things, get new ideas and share with others. You borrow, you lend and you help. I have always loved the energy that is is a room when women gather to create. 

We started at noon on Friday and went until 3:00 pm on Sunday. KitKat and I went over to the Bankers for coffee. We all went out for supper then we headed home. 

I got two and a half albums made.New Brunswick and PEI have been scrapped and Nova Scotia is almost done. Go me. The only thing is I need some seagull stickers or as seagull stamp or something. Seagulls are freakin' hard to find. I am slow looking for lighthouses, and anchors. I have seashells a plenty. 

Fun weekend over and we are back to the normal grind. Winter has finally descended, with frigid temperatures and thankfully not too much snow so far. The light has sifted from the warm rich glow of autumn to the brittle chilly grey of winter. Scrape the car windows, shiver as the frozen fingers of wind sneak down your collar and up your sleeves. Curse the elements as your dress pants slap against your legs like sheets of ice. Burrrrrrrrr. All I want to do is curl up in my little house, stay warm and make stuff. Now is the time for making quilts, knitting wooly things and weaving. (Oh I am going to weave this winter, I have been too long from the loom) and spinning. (Another thing I am going to get at this winter) 

Not happening at the moment so I just need to get on with it. I have started to create the puppet stock that I will need for next years craft sale. I am zooming along on the flower buttons, and I am getting the quilt tops made. I am hoping my most current customer will like a top I have made but have never quilted. I made it for myself but now I am rethinking it. If she would be happy with it I would be miles ahead of the game. One quick picture and an email and I will have my answer. 

Tonight I need to get at the puppets again. I have some things to take care of and then I can make turtles, turtle puppets that is. 

I am off to create turtles!!

Toodles,

Linda

Day Late

I swear to goodness I have no idea where Sunday went. I got up, had breakfast, ran a couple of errands, did some sewing and the day was GONE!! I still had a ton of things on my "To Do" list to be done. WTF!!! I was not happy. I treasure my days off and when one of them slips through my fingers like water through a sieve I am not amused. Amazingly enough I pouted to no end and time did not reverse itself. The bastard!!

I do not usually go out on Sunday but I needed to get some things so I made myself go. I braved the frigid wind and hit Michael's. I am now totally prepared for scrapbooking next weekend. Not only that I have all the stuff in one place, ready to go. No scurrying around the house at the last minute like a demented squirrel. I have all my pictures printed and picked up. This is a first for me. Its great to be organized for once. I pre-bought some embellishments but not too many. I will have a better idea of what I need when I get working on the albums. I have enough to work with.

I stopped at Fabricland on my way home and had to deal with a clerk who simply did not listen to what I was asking for. I wanted cord that is plain, the type you cover with your own material The  woman kept asking me what colour I needed.  After the third go round of her asking me about the colour and me explaining that I did not need a certain colour, I was covering it with my own material,  I crumbled and said the red would do. She then wanted to know if I was sure because she thought it did not match my material. OMG!!!!

I made these yesterday,

I had some scraps from making Tater Tot's crib set and I found some material that was a close enough match to make the backs and the cord covers  at Fabricland, 40% off sale!!!! These are a surprise for KitKat. I want to have them on hand when we go to her place to check out what to do with the curtains. I want her to see what some hits of teal will do for the overall look. She can't quite visualize it finished so I thought these would help. I had the pillow forms on hand from my last garage sale coup. I hope she likes them. If not I can redo them.

I started to work on a new quilt yesterday too.

I found the pattern on Pinerest and I think its a good way to use scraps. It will be one of the two that I have orders for. The lady wants them by the end of January so I need to hustle since I have two others to make which if you are adding means 4 queen sized quilts need to be made before March.

10 more flower buttons made and that was my day. Short, sweet and done before I was ready for it to be over.

Off to work on the quilt.........well maybe a little nap first

Toodles
Linda

And So it Begins and a Halloween Party

I actually got started on the promises I made to myself, to start to get things done. I have numerous projects to be working on and I need to get the house spit spot and, well the "to do" list just goes on and on and on. So I got at it today!! I want to have the Banker, KitKat, and Teddy Bear over to binge watch The Outlander on of these days, I need the house fit for prime time.

Today I worked on the kitchen. The kitchen seems to be a recurring theme on this blog but that is because its a recurring mess. I got it beat back into submission, filled some boxes with donation stuff, reorganized a cupboard, all while doing some laundry. Not bad. The fridge still needs a good going over but I will save that for another day. I made up my Christmas list and hope to get some ordered tomorrow on the internet. I am going to take a crack at this on line shopping malarkey. I want some things that you just cannot get at the stores.

I hemmed two pairs of jeans and started on another quilt. I have an order for two queen sized ones and the lady would like them by the end of January. Needless to say they will be simple and as pretty as I can make them. She has no colour preference so they will be scrap happy little numbers. I made twenty more flower buttons and found a knitting pattern I need for a Christmas gift.

I have some errands to run tomorrow. Pick up the last of the Maritime picture reprints because next weekend is the scrapbooking retreat. I have to make a Michael's run for some last minute supplies and a quick stop at the fabric store for some crafty supplies of another nature. I will share pictures later. The Dining room with get the next on the cleaning hit list.

Tonight E and I went a saw "Oh What A Night". A tribute band performing Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hits. It was amazing. I loved it from the start to finish and as always I had a horrible time to not be singing. I did sing but I tried to keep it quiet enough that only I know I am doing it. No one paid good money to hear me sing. I will have these songs stuck in my head for some time now. I really need to get a Four Season's Greatest Hits CD.

Friday night the No Cook Friday Group had a belated Halloween party at The Banker's house. Talking of Oh What a Night!! We had the best time. She had written up menu's in RUSSIAN no less and we had to pick certain things off the menu for our supper. Without knowing what you were picking until it arrived in front of you I got this

Meatballs and carrots in a big old casserole dish, salad, and a cupcake. I got a knife to eat with. I was lucky poor KitKat got a toothpick. Hard to eat mashed potatoes with a toothpick but she did her best.  Oh yes some got pot lids and one actually got a plate. It was so much fun. We were allowed forks after awhile but I manages very nicely with my butter knife.

We snarfed down more cupcakes and then ended the evening by playing Dutch Blitz. A fast paced card game that got us giggling so hard we were exhausted at the end of the evening. Oh and did I mention that instead of wearing costumes, we wore mustaches? The Banker made us up each a treat bags with her left over Halloween candy. It was all so much fun. For being supposedly grown mature women we can dissolve into 10 year old giggly squealy tweens in short order.

Our treat bags also had those silly little plastic maze games that got our full attention for some time.  I swear mine is defective. Those stupid little metal balls did nothing but race around the edge of the plastic case and stubbornly refused to go into the maze.

This is Halloween town. Its a collection of little Halloween houses from dollar stores that is her version of a Dickon's village for Halloween. The big black house is one made by one of her grandchildren, out of Popsicle sticks.  There are haunted trees and all manner of goulish little people out and about in the town.  Its so cute and I had visions of doing this myself but I have not been able to find any little houses cheap. I refuse to pay an arm and a leg for them. So I have given up on that idea.

That is my weekend in a nutshell so far. I hope tomorrow is a productive as today. Now I am off to bed, Well actually to make the bed so I can go to bed. I washed sheets today.

Toodles
Linda

Remembering

Watched the Remembrance Day Ceremonies from Ottawa today, like I usually do. I could go to the services here but I prefer to stay home, watch and remember. So many people turned out today which is wonderful. We should not take for granted all the freedoms we have and the sacrifices of others that have been made so we can enjoy them.

The rest of the day was spend puttering about doing a little of this and a little of that. I did manage to get two pots of soup made.

One chicken vegetable and the other a hamburger soup. I will freeze some for lunches. It felt good to actually get it made since I have been thinking about it for some time. I am the master of thinking on things but never quiet doing them. I am going to try to be better about having lunch stuff on hand. Its so much better all the way around, financially and healthy wise.

I also worked on laundry. My goal is to have all the piles of laundry that have been on the dining room floor for longer than I care to admit, finished today. I made 20 more button flowers and I got the dishes done at last. A nice long nap rounded out the day. Back to work tomorrow.

Woke to a skiff of snow today. The wind was cold but thankfully it did not continue to snow. Time to move up to the warmer coat and get the gloves out. I did not go out today, I stayed, snug in my house, thinking thoughts of the past, missing my Dad and trying not to think about work tomorrow.

Best go ladle the soup into containers and get it into the freezer.

Toodles,
Linda

A Little Cardboard and Material

I took today off as tomorrow is a stat holiday and I did not feel like going to work for a day then having a day off. I have been slowly puttering around at projects and things that need to be done. I have finally started to touch up the paint on the stairs. Its needed doing for some time now. I am working on cleaning the kitchen and the dining room. I finally got to Walmart and Dollarama today. I have been just doing a little of this and a little of that. Nothing earth shattering but getting things done. Got some stocking stuffers today which was not on the list but the opportunity presented itself. I purged some stuff off the top of the hutch in the kitchen. This that and the other. All needs to be done but nothing that someone would walk in here and say WOW, look at what you did.

One thing I did do today that may be WOW worthy, at least it is to me, was give my DVD cabinet an update. I had originally wanted to get something built that would blend in with the wall unit that holds the tv and I bought this cheap little shelf as a stop gap. Well not sure when or if the custom made job will appear so this may be the way we go for a long time. I never liked the fact that you could see the folds in the back. It just shrieked, cheap, flat pack, fake fake fake. With a little Pinerest inspiration, some cardboard and a material, the whole thing has a new look now. It only took minutes. Pictures are a little blurry but you get the idea.

(Before) I have a black curtain on the front of it to hide the DVD's. 

(After). I like it. It hides all the folds and gives the whole thing a little interest.

I got the quilt finished and ready to go to Busy's niece for Christmas. I have had it done for a week now but I had not taken its picture until today. I just love the pink and black colour combo. Its girly without being too precious. The flannelette on the back is a pretty pink and white floral. All in all I am pleased with the result, I hope its what they wanted. Now I can start on the next quilt on the list. I never get tired of having quilts to make.

Next project on the horizon, Crocheted button flowers. 

Ok I have to admit, I am a little OCD and these little flower buttons have brought it out in me full force, they are so fun to make. I am making them for a work friend. She wants them for a scrapbooking event as embellishments to add to gift bags. She needs a big bunch but I can tell you its going to be no problem to make them. I am aiming for 450 and they don't have to be done until April next year.

Can we say obsessed??

There are 100 here in this pile and I am not sick of them yet. I plan to make some for myself to use for scrap booking. Its a fantastic way to use a bit of the crochet cotton I have stashed in the house. They make up so quick and they are so cute. They could be used in a lot more ways than scrapbooking. Endless possibilities.

No soup made yet, no laundry done but other things have been accomplished. This having days off is awesome. I could get used to having my days to myself. Right now I need to make some supper, and then churn out some more button flowers!! Its a good way to spend a cold gloomy evening.

Toodles
Linda

Retail Therapy

Yesterday was a lovely day. The Banker, Teddy Bear, KitKat and I headed to the big City of a spot of shopping, fabulous lunch and some girl time. We hit a fabulous fabric store where I got some quilt fixin's , the Banker got new material for drapes for her living room and KitKat (Choir of Angels SING) got some drapery material for her house. More on that later. We lunched at Olive Garden and cracked a bottle of wine. A rare treat for a special occasion. We then hit Pier One Imports and ended the day at Costco. Costco on a Saturday is a madhouse, a night mare but we braved the crowds and snagged some deals. I have pecans enough for Christmas baking and a good start on the Christmas gift list. We headed back home and had supper here before we headed back to home and hearth. It was a lovely, lovely day. So many laughs and good times.

Today has been upside down. I have neither crust nor crumb in the house so I had to get up, get out of bed and go get breakfast this morning. I did not even have coffee in the house. The need for coffee will do amazing things to a person. So much for my usual lazy Sunday morning. I am up, been out and now I am just waiting for the time to pass so I can deliver some stuff to the Banker, go for groceries then come home to start to clean house. Not the ordinary crafty Sunday on the old homestead. Ah well, Its been a grand weekend so far.

Today I also hope to make a couple of pots of soup. I will freeze it up and have it on hand for lunches. I promised myself that after this weekend, I will need to start on a strict budget. I had a look at the old finances the other day and I need to start putting back, paying up for the trip to the Maritimes if I plan to get to Scotland next year. The lottery people are not cooperating with my financial planning. I will have to take matters into my own hands until they kick in their bit.

I was going to go on a bit about KitKat's drapes. She owns a lovely trailer but the decor is well and truly 1980's. She wants to update but has little to no money. The carpet in the living room is blue, a dark blue and a major expense to replace. KitKat has us, the No Cook Ladies, who love to decorate and have a million opinions. We consulted and we think she should paint the walls a neutral colour, add orange drapes, and work with the blue carpet. accent with hits of teal and other colours we can pull from the drapes material.  KitKat does not make decisions quickly, she can dither better than the best of them. Yesterday we found material that she loves, a textured  orange and an orange print  for drape panels. I am so excited. Its a step foreward. With the Banker and I to sew for her, Teddy Bear and the others help with painting and other bits, the cost is being kept down to a dull roar. I have a plan. I have some pillow forms and some straps from Miss Mouse's crib quilt set. If I can find enough material, I want to cover the forms in teal and surprise her with them when we go to plan out how we will do the drapes. KitKat needs to see the results, she has a hard time to imagine the finished results. I am so looking forward to  getting her place fixed up. Its going to look amazing.

If I get done a few projects that I have planned for today, I will be back on here with some pictures.

Have a lovely day!!

Toodles,
Linda

Busy Week

Well I like to tell myself it was a busy week but I am really not too sure where the time went. Somehow or other the week slipped by. Month end at the office, which usually sucks the life out of me. Teddy Bear and I were out to supper one night. Cheep pasta Tuesday at a local pizza place, Huge servings which means leftover for lunch the next day. Since Friday was Halloween, the No Cook Friday group did not meet for supper. We waited until all the little hob goblins had been and gone, then we gathered at Teddy Bear's house for nachos and coffee. We did not call  it a night until well after midnight.

I got ambitious late Thursday night and whipped up a double batch of these: Its my one chance each year to give my co-workers the finger, and they like it!!

These witch finger cookies are rather easy to make and they are really tasty. I have never brought any home after they make a trip to the office. So quick and easy to mix up in my wonderful Kitchenaid mixer. Not to mention a dream to bake in my new oven. No guessing the temperature, heaven!!

I had 26 little/big ones come to my door. I give them credit for braving the cold wind to gather treats. The cold weather and the fact that so few people on my street put on their lights and hand out candy does not make for loads of trick or treaters. I used to have doubts about the bigger kids but now I feel they have so short a time to be kids anymore, and those older ones could be doing worse things.

I did not bring out all the decorations but I got a few out to let them know this house had treats to give

I was so excited when the new people to the south of me put ghosts and bats in their tree. I thought I had like minded folk. The pot smokers to the north would participate but they have moved. My elation was for naught. While the new people decorated , they chose to keep their house dark.  Aw well. I had fun and 26 brave little souls made out like bandits at my house.

I did not dig out the tombstones, the big black cat and the huge jack o'lantern but I will next year. Now I have the skeletons to hang up I think I have my Halloween decorations complete. I put a knitted pumpkin in the window. I have a fake one but the light is burned out so I made do

After I made sure there was no chocolate left in the house, that I had given it all away,  I zipped off to pick up the Banker and head to Teddy Bear's. The Banker was back from a trip to the States, KitKat was just back from a trip to Ottawa, the Sailor went with her but she was not feeling well so only KitKat was there to tell trip tails. The Collector did not join us but Cupcake,and I rounded out the group. We had wine, (not coffee) and shared our weeks news, punctuated with  a lot of laughs. Its a wonderful way to end the week, puts me back on track again.

Today I took the car to get some gas for it and then some breakfast for me. I was going to go get groceries but I just did not feel like it. I came home and sorted out the monster pile of laundry, and then got started on this

Its a commission job for Busy's niece. Pink is a favourite colour and so this number is perfectly perfectly pink. I am at the half way mark on the quilting. Once I sit down I get lost in the job and time flies by.  So no grocery shopping, no soup making, not much of anything but quilting. My kind of day!!

I wanted to get working on it as  I have some, no lets correct that, lots of craft project coming up. I got my official confirmation that I have a table at the big craft sale next year. Since I have no puppets on hand I need to create an inventory for the sale. Yes I have a year but I will need all that time.  I have a commission job for two queen sized quilts and I have two queen sized donation quilts to make. I have some organizers and crocheted flower buttons to make for a fund raiser scrap booking weekend. Then I have my usual Christmas crafty stuff to do. I am tingly with the prospect of all this fun stuff to do.

This week I made this for a co-workers son. He wanted to go as a really big baby complete with bonnet. I was really pleased with how it turned out, considering I did not have a pattern and this sort of sewing is not my strong suit.

I also knit a toque and mitts for another co-workers son who was going as Cartman from Southpark. I forgot to take pictures of them but they turned out fine. Both boys were pleased with the results and that is all that really matters.

So that's the highlights of my week. I am still doing laundry and I really need to find something for supper. I am in no mood to cook and sadly SOMEBODY did not get groceries to day so pickin's are thin in the fridge. Hmmm can we all say scrambled eggs on toast??

Toodles
Linda