Halloween .............all done

I like Halloween, I like giving out the candy, I like to see the kids all dressed up in costume and I like to decorate my yard.

Each year I add a little more. I need to work on some lighting for the grave yard. I have a big illuminated pumpkin that stands by the steps but I forgot to take a picture of it.  I need some bats or skeletons to hang from the veranda, and maybe another pumpkin in front of the window. I have a tiny yard so I am limited as to the amount of stuff I can have but I do like to decorate. I love my big black cat that perches on the veranda railing. A friend made her for me and I thinks she is perfect.

Unfortunately most of the neighbours leave their lights off so we don't get a lot of kids. Tonight I had 31, that's the most I ever had. I had treat bags for 28, good thing I did not snarf down all the back up chocolate. Everyone was in costume and all had a parent to escort them. They all said "thank you" too which I was really impressed with.

What I need to do is hit Winners and Michaels tomorrow and see if they have anything on sale that I can use next year.

Toodles,

Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Happy Halloween Humans.

Sewing Saturday

Lept out of bed this morning bright and early. Now I could leave you thinking that I started my day eager and happy but that would be a lie. I lept out of bed, seriously cranky because the neighbours damn dog was barking its fool head off at 8:30 on a Saturday morning. I had no reason to be up early and was looking foreward to sleeping in. Not happening, Barky Barkington two doors down took care of that for me. So since I was up I stayed up and got started on my day.

Off to the shops bright and early, got my halloween treats, butter on sale for the Christmas baking and a new mat for the back door. Now I can come into the kitchen and get the door shut without having to step off my mat. Walmart had them on sale so I snagged one. I then came home, cleaned the kitchen, did dishes and got to work on the bumper pads. I just have the ties left to add onto them. For that I need a trip to the fabric store. I wish I could share pictures, but I have been sworn to silence until babe is born so pictures will be provided later.

I got my treat bags made for monday night. I am less likely to gobble them up if they are safely incased in plastic with black spider webs printed all over it. Tomorrow I am going to decorate for Halloween. I should have done it last weekend but it didn't get done. Story of my life, I had other fun things to do last weekend. Also on the agenda is laundry, a trip to the fabric store, tea with the Hostess and maybe working on some Christmas gifts.

So now I am going to sit and knit and watch the eleventy million shows I have stored up on my dvr.

Toodles,

Linda

Random This and That with a Tad of Smugness

Should I get the smugness over with first? OK, I will. I have a new system at work, its the way that I do my daily work. For the third month in a row, (at month end no less), I have left my office with NO loose filing to be put away, NO files to be filed. The only work left on my desk is three files that have paperwork pending. This is unheard of. Just a simple little change and my desk is tidy each and every day. Makes me want to do the drunken monkey dance of joy. I feel all efficient and organized. My Mom is in heaven muttering, "I told her that years ago, if only she would listen."  SO I'm a late bloomer in some things, lets move on, 'kay Mama?????

This and that bullets

• I have once again proved the definition of insanity by confirming that I cannot have Halloween candy in this house this far ahead of Halloween. All I am saying is mini chocolate bars are evil and I have the spine of a jelly fish when it comes to same.
• I have finally started on the puppets again. All that yapping about it has turned into action and I have an almost Panda to prove it. Her name is Persimmon and she is adorable.
• I have started to work on my Christmas gifts and I have started the usual lists needed to accomplish my  gifting goals.
• I have finished the quilt top for the office Christmas raffle. Quilting will begin this weekend.
• I really really really want to drop everything and re do my third spare bedroom, even though I have absolutely no time to do this, too much other stuff that needs to be done but I really really really just want to work on only that.
• I "heart" Almond Milk.

I am done. Not much to say for myself.  I need to get to bed and read my latest Nora Roberts novel., Tomorrow is Thursday, its Friday Eve. Almost No Cook Friday and then the wonder that is the weekend.

Toodles

Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Dancing with the Stars, Smancing with the Stars!

I know how to shake a tail feather, Baby.

One two cha cha cha

Sew Perfect Reno

This is my old sewing table in my favorite room of my house, the craft room  First of all I must say that I constantly use my craft room so it is in a perpetual mess. UFO's all over the dang place.Once in awhile I turn up the music and dive in head first, clean and organize it to within an inch of its life but this does not last long. One or two projects later and its back to messy. I do need to purge the fabric and yarn stashes. They are verging on the hoarders level but that I will do another day. So back to the table reno. This table used to be my kitchen table before I bought this house. It was perfect for the tiny kitchen in my rental house but in the big kitchen here on the homestead it was lost. I did a barter with some puppets and acquired another table that will seat more than two people comfortably and does not look to tiny for the kitchen. I then moved this one into the craft room because I love it and I am not willing to part with it right now (or ever for that matter). My old old sewing table is out in the shed right now. It has folding legs. legs that fold up at the most inopportune times. Gives one a bit of a start when you are working away and suddenly the table drops out from under you.

See the top of my lovely table? My oldest brother, the Historian, put this top on for me. Its a recycled dream, the base and legs were in the basement of a house my family used to live in. They used to butcher meat on it so needless to say the old top needed to be replaced. I jumped up and down and begged my Mom to let me keep the base and legs. I had a plan and the Historian was my partner in crime. The new top is made of old reclaimed hockey sticks. How cool is that??

The Historian scrapped and stained and glued and varnished hockey stick handles until he had a lovely table top. The base and legs got a fresh coat of white paint and I had a perfect table.  Its not totally level but I loved the look of it. It was perfect for my little kitchen and now I am trying to protect it from getting ruined by my mad crafting skills.

This is the fun part of this table, he left the underside untouched, so you can still see the hockey sticks. It makes me smile.

The Banker, who loves to redecorate her house turned her third bedroom into a scrap booking/sewing room and she made herself two work tables from book cases and a pre-finished melamine board bought at a big box home reno store. When I saw her newly finished room I announced that I was totally going to steal  the idea from her. Its a cost friendly, quick fix for my problem. I sold knitted dishcloths to get the cash to get the components for my new table.

The work surface is bigger, the pre-finished board will stand up to my working on it, cutting material, and pinning stuff. The book cases are great storage. I have yet another place to show off my vintage tins and baskets. So here is what the new work surface looks like. I am so happy with the outcome.

Right now I am having a bit of a coffee break and feeling all smug and satisfied with myself. Of course all this self satisfaction is just a blissful cloud of denial because I do not have a pea-picking clue where I am going to store the table that I cannot part with. (Sigh) . I will figure it out, I always do. Right now its in the dining room with a pile of crap on it, cardboard from the bookcase boxes, tools, odds and ends that need to go back where they belong in other rooms of the house not the craft room. Once my coffee is finished I will deliver them to their proper places.

Laundry still needs to be dealt with and those bumper pads will be sewn this weekend. I have a "to do" list that is 27 items long and I have only gone through 14 of them so far. Must get back at it. Some time soon I will have to go and get a desk lamp for my new work table. So much to so, so little time. Yep, happier than a pig in a puddle, that's me!!

Toodles!!

Linda

Another week is nearly over.

Wow not much blogging going on at the homestead this week. Its been a reasonably good week. Tuesday night was spent viewing Footloose, the old school version. Appies, good wine and good friends along with a trip down memory lane made for a very decent evening. The music in that movie just makes me want to dance, that is until I get up and discover that I am no longer as boogie ready as I once was. Crap.

Then on Wednesday night it was Footloose, the new version. Still a good movie and I am not one to look kindly on remakes of my old favorites. I liked the music in the first one better, the new version butchers Holding on for a Hero. IMO its brutal to have to listen to this slow moving, drawn out, painful, pitiful version,  asidefrom that the rest of the movie was good. I could not say which I liked the best but if pushed I would go all old time Kevin Bacon on you.

Tonight I cleaned the kitchen, noodled on the computer, chatted with Best Friend, worried about why my hair is falling out faster and faster each day, did some mending and tried to tidy the craft room. I have high hopes that I will get the new sewing table installed in here on Saturday, after groceries, laundry and household drudgery (that in truth I enjoy doing). I may go see The First Grader on Saturday night. Sunday is booked with the Banker. We are going to breakfast, the really really big craft show, then lunch and then who know where our whims will take us. Friday night will be spent with the No Cook Friday Group. So the week has rolled by. Bread and butter details fill in the hours and next thing you know the time is gone and its another weekend.




I did make a major score this week, well in my little world it was a score. I got a lovely little vintage fishing creel for 2/3 the original price. I didn't even have to bargain, the man gave me a deal without my even asking.

Isn't it cute?? You can't tell in the photo but the little catch is a tiny fish. The handles on the top are intact and its in really good shape. I will not be using it to keep fish in, I see its future as a little work basket.

I was rather pleased with my self at my find. I have seen them in magazines and now I have one. Have I ever mentions how much of a weakness I have for baskets??

This weekend will also see the making of the bumper pads to match the crib quilt. I have 80% of the top made for the raffle quilt for the office. Its all good. I need to get at the puppets and I am going to get at them one of these days because I am getting sick of hearing myself talk about it. The people that have ordered them will be wanting them sooner than later.

I have a new quilt all planned out in my head for one of the bedrooms upstairs. It will have to wait until after Christmas though. I can't wait to get at it, its going to make a big change in the look of the room.  Well I have wittered on long enough. I am for my bed and my book.

Toodles,

Linda