June First and Some BIG NEWS

 So, a dream has been realized….my own little stitching shop!!!!!  A home decor store in town wanted to expand…but only if she could get a bigger space on Main Street.  A 2600 +square foot building came available….well, she didn’t need THAT much space!! So her idea was to sublet to other businesses….and I was the first to sign on!! Simply Stitches & Curiosities was born!!  Hubby built the walls…I found antique doors on kijiji, and old window on FB marketplace.  The antiques are my Dads (of course!!) and they are housed in the vault!!! This old building has had many lives and one was a bank.  The inside has been changed around a few times and more things have been added….always evolving! I love coming to this Happy Place Wednesday - Sunday!!  There are FIVE businesses in here and all of the women business owners are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Now to get everyone hooked on wool applique!!  That’s the focus of this shop….lots of handwork…mixed with piecing.  But I’m not a quilt shop per se.  

My friend Kim has sent some beautiful quilts for me to sell.  My friend Sue has made some things too and has been a huge support!!  She even made the sign above my door!!!  I LOVE IT!

A panoramic view of the vault.🔝

There’s so much more to write…..I have a new granddaughter who will arrive soon.  Daughters1&2 both have new jobs, Son1 has got a promotion and they will be moving the family to Jasper….(the ones expecting the new granddaughter!). 

Anyway…..I hope to be back soon with more news and pictures.  It’s almost a full time job keeping up with social media!!!!  (Follow me on both Facebook “Simply Stitches & Curiosities”and Instagram “simplystitches_curiosities”)

Living the dream!!!!!🪡🧵💕

Quilters Gonna Quilt

Hello again....wow, twice (so far) in one month!!!!  I'm not sure who reads my blog anymore because they have changed how you get notified so the ones who used to find out when I posted something new likely don't anymore.....I should find out how to change that......

One of my most dedicated/loyal followers/readers is my BFF Kim....who is also my longarm quilter!  She has these two quilts in her possession and is starting on the big star one first.  She does such a beautiful job that I cannot wait to get them back....but there's no rush Kim!! (incase you are reading this!) LOL 

These next two quilts should be arriving soon.....the first one was a kit I had had in my sale last summer.....the centre is a panel....and when it didn't sell right away I brought it in and made it!

This one is for my grandson Jude.  He is really into super heros (I hope he still is!) and this will go on his bed.  

I've started a free mystery BOM from Buttermilk Basin that has a foundation and then you change out the oval every month.  I have to quilt the foundation and make the oval....coming along!  (WHY I started something knew is beyond me.....as long as it gets finished!)

The weather has been beautiful...the snow was melting away and the dogs have been getting out for a walk or two a day.  The temps are to drop for a couple of days and we might get some snow but hey, it's still January!!  I did a big grocery shop yesterday so we will be good for awhile.  Hoping our stupid govt with their rules for truckers doesn't result in a supply shortage.  We have the biggest idiot running our country!  Grrrrrrr.

Anywhoooooooooo.....find your happy today!

 

A New Year Is Here Again

Just a short post to let you know I am still alive!!!!!  Gosh, I tried to write one at the end of November but it didn't get finished....that seems so long ago now so I'll just start fresh.

Things have happened since the last post....the big one being we moved!!!!  To a tiny, quaint town of Nanton, Alberta.  Lots of antique shops here and once again the desire to open a small stitching 🧵 shop is niggling in my brain.  But there's nothing to rent!  And notice I said stitching shop....I'd like to specialize in more embroidery, wool appliqué, etc and not a quilt shop as there are a few around.....one in Okotoks, two now in High River and one in Claresholm let alone all the shops in Lethbridge.  So I would just focus on what I love doing......but there's no place to rent who knows......

Back to the move....we talked one day and realized we were both kind of in a funk.  The house and one garage needed siding so we decided vinyl (least expensive option) and Hubby did that in three (HOT) days!  In the meantime we called our realtor and said we wanted to list. 🏡  By the time they came to do pictures the siding was done and I had painted the trim around the windows.  We knew the market was hot BUT nine showings in five days and then three full price offers!  We accepted the one with no conditions besides a home inspection and then began our search for someplace to live.  Because the market was insane, we wanted to rent until it calmed down but that wasn't as easy an option as we thought!!  And we knew we wanted to go back to the 'south'.  NOTHING available in High River!  I was in a panic and called our realtor in Nanton (do you remember we wanted to move there before?) and she showed us some houses to buy.  It wasn't ideal but I didn't want to be homeless!  We looked on a Friday and that night my friend Sue, who lives in Nanton but was away camping, saw a post on a FB page of a house for rent in town.  Long story short, we got the house!  (it's tough when you have no rental references as we have owned our own homes since 1989.  Nor do we have pay stubs as Hubby is self employed!)  Thank goodness it was a private rental.  The house is alot bigger than our Sundre home so this past Christmas we enjoyed the extra space with all the kids and grandkids home!  

So far we love it here.  We are facing the ball diamonds so I'm sure there will be some action in the summer.  It will be fun to sit on the front patio and watch the games!  There is also a walking trail around the diamonds which the dogs enjoy...even Pixie, who has lost weight since our arrival...a good thing!  Now it's time for me to use that walking trail as I have NOT lost weight!  😝 Sue lives a couple of blocks away so we visit often enjoying coffee and even stitching days.  There is a playground at the end of the block that the grandkids have enjoyed when they visit and of course Nanton's famous candy store!!  

The grandkids are growing and we have a new one set to arrive in June!!!!!  Son1 and Jenna will be busy as little Joey just had his first birthday December 29th.  Jude and Lyla have started kindergarten and both love it.  Time just flies doesn't it??  

I have a big sewing area in the basement here.....I am very fortunate about that.  The house isn't perfect (needs alot of updating) and it might not be our house but it's our home.  I read that somewhere.....it fits perfectly.  I had quite a few garage sales before moving and we got rid of a ton of stuff but I still have too much and will spend this year purging.  Not sure what the future holds but I do know I don't want to move this stuff again if need be!  😂

Sorry about all the pics!  It was quite a chore to get them on here so they are big and not in order!  LOL 

Hope your new year has started off with you doing something you love!  Here's to a sane, normal, hopeful and kind 2022.  💖  I can't take another one like 2021!  

Christmas 2021

(love this one...how Joey is looking up and Brody taking off...he's right into "ready, set, go! and the timer was on the camera!  LOLOLOL)

Someone turned 60 this year!

Some quilty/stitchy/gifty things accomplished this fall:

                                                                              Before:

 (Blair had already ripped a piece of "trim" off above the grey siding)

After:

(but before the trim was painted) 

After:

 

(trim is painted.  I'm going to miss that lilac bush)

Rental

New Sewing Area

Let's Just Skip May and Most of June!

TWO MONTHS??????  Wow!  Not that I haven't thought about writing a blog post.....but if Hubby is around I don't feel like doing it and he's been around alot. 😳 So he's been up north working and is coming home today and it's actually bearable in the sunroom right now (yesterday it got to 40 C in here!!!!!😵) so I will "scribble" something down!  😃

Of course being it's been so long, I have a ton of pics I could post.....I'll narrow it down to these!  😂

Some quilty finishes:

This project is from Kim Diehl's new book Simple Whatnots 2.  Think tiny (well for me!)  It's about 15" square and those stars in the middle are 3"!!

I had a quilt purge sale and this kit did not sell.....so I sewed it together!  I wasn't a fan and asked my friend Diane, who has chickens, if she wanted it!  She took it and was going to make it into a curtain for her porch.  Cool idea!!

This is another Cheri stitchery I had done long ago and decided to make it into a pillow:

This table runner was made for a friend who was moving away from the area.....kind of a house warming gift for their new place.  I will make this one again........

These two turned 2 on May 12th!

These four babes are my world......LOVE them with all my heart!!!!

June 4th was my Dad's 80th birthday.  His only wish was for all of us to be together....so we did!  (missing are Hubby and Daughter2s BF)

The kids bought Hubby this for Fathers Day!  LOLOL  He's always complaining his back is sore so I guess they think this will remedy that!  HAHAHA!

Today is to be another scorcher.....I am truly thankful for our basement as I spent most of the day there (and have been sleeping down there) if I'm not out and about.  I have grocery pick-ups this morning so I will have to go out into the bowels of hell!!!!  LOL  Tomorrow is to be our hottest day.......one day I will be complaining about the cold, I know!  

MASKS are done for as of Thursday in Alberta (if you can trust our gov't)!  Flu season is over so our numbers are waaaaay down (duh) oh and over 70% of Albertans are vaccinated 🙄........I'm sure the gov't will try something come next flu season, or even sooner....but I think I am going to burn my masks on Thursday!  DONE LIKE DINNER!!!! Go away "Covid 19" and all the BS associated with it!!!!!🖕 

Well, best go and start closing everything up in this house......***sigh***.......stay cool everyone!!!  😎

 

Catching Up On April

Let's start with Easter.  We had a great Easter with all the kids and my Dad here.  The weather was great and the littles had a great time hunting and finding Easter eggs.

  

Dad with all his great grandkids

The hunt!

Little bunny foo foo

Then this little girl went in to have her tonsils and adenoids out....finally!  She has had problems for so long and she handled everything like a trouper!!!  No crying!  When they were discharged, the nurse told her she had been her best patient of the day....when Lyla told me that she was upset that she didn't even get a sticker!  😂

My Dad made a frame for my A is for Alphabet stitchery.  I think I am going to darken the outside border a bit.  He had complete freedom to design whatever and came up with the red border which I was leery about until I saw it and loved it. 

This is Block one of a stitch along with Julie Porter.  Can't wait for number two which should be out the end of the week.

A gift for some special people.  My friend Kim and her husband want to gift it to some very special patients of his and I pieced the top as my contribution to two people who are amazing and a great friends of my Dad.

This was a kit from my purging sale (many came back in!!)  I had two people interested but declined once I gave them the price for shipping.  So I whipped it up!  Easy peasy....the centre is a panel.

Look what I bought off of a Buy and Sell.....

I need more books so I can play more songs.....I'm not good and I play simply but I enjoy it.😃

I have started walking this week and tracking using MyFitnessPal app.  So far so good.  I know I have to keep busy during the day and it's working so far.  Now the weather has been nice so I hope I will still walk in the rain!  🤞

More restrictions announced today....I'm not sure the extent of it all as I "tuned in late" and then couldn't stand to watch anymore.....

 

Music!!

(again, not me!  LOLOL)

The best part of walking for me is the music!  Hubby got me a set of AirPods for Christmas...one of the best gifts yet!  Music helps take my mind off of my aching body (somewhat) and mostly revokes so many memories.

** there will be NO judging my choice of music!  😂😂😂

Sweet Caroline came on and I was reminded of when we lived in High River and our girls were in my vehicle...we were coming back from uptown and that song came on.  At the time I guess it was a "thing" for the young people....hahaha...so the girls were belting it out and doing the dum dum daaaa during that part of the song (after "sweet Caroline...dum dum daaaaa good times never seemed so good....etc)  Made me smile.....because they were happy.  Both girls are very stressed and distraught over this damn Covid and the restrictions.......

Then the song Houdini came on by Foster the People....I remember having Erica play that at the store while I was working....and then Jennifer came dancing over from the flower shop.  That memory made me smile.....fun times....and Erica was still with us.  💔

Well who can't do the arm motions when YMCA comes on??????  LOLOL  Memories of dances at school and even when it was played at hockey games!  Got my arm movements in too....yep I walk in the bush without an audience! 

 

Another Erica memory was when Brokenhearted by Karmin came on....she was the one that introduced me to that song. It reminded me of her, her store, working at the store and even when I was supposed to be packing up the house when we moved to High River and wasn't motivated, I would put that song on and I'd be on my way to getting stuff done!!!!!!

I only walked for 30 minutes...gotta start somewhere right?...there were other songs but these were the memory ones for me.

This weekend I had the joy of watching our grand daughter and her little brother......Lyla asked me to play the Chicken Dance on my phone.....she was dancing and her brother was dancing.  Made us smile for sure.  Isn't music a wonderful thing?????????  

Well I am having to move this aching body and will pop out to get the mail.  Next post will be filled with quilting projects and grandkids.....I promise!!  

 

My Walk....and Thinking.

(totally NOT me!  LOLOLOLOL)

 I'm going to do two posts today....hey why not?  I have almost missed April!  😆  First let me tell you about my walk........

After cleaning the house today, with the sunshine pouring in the windows (we haven't seen the sun in a couple of days) I felt motivated to start walking again....I know, you've all heard this before and who knows how long it will last.  But I have alot of motivation to get in better shape (any shape really, other than round!😳)

When I was REALLY good at walking every single day (almost a decade ago) I could work things out in my head while getting my heart rate up and listening to upbeat tunes.  It kind of happened today.  After reading and watching videos from doctors who are not paid for (and off) by the government, who have nothing to lose but want to pass on information the powers-that-be don't seem to want us to know, who aren't held back by any gag orders (what country do we live in???) I have made some decisions about life right now and possibly in the future.  

First I am going to avoid as much mask wearing as I can.  Not only do these Dr's say NOTHING will help in putting a stop to Covid 19 (it has to run it's course and will always be hanging around....which I have said from day one and I am not a medical person at all) they also say that masks do more harm than good (our body is made to expel bacteria and viruses and masks only make us suck them back in!).  So, to prevent having to wear a mask, I am going to start ordering my groceries for pick up (and anything else I might need).  Unfortunately for the stores I shop at, they will lose out on my impulse buys (which I am sure add up significantly over the course of a year!)  😄

Second, which involves my walking and eating properly, I am going to focus on my own health.......losing weight so I am comfortable and can play, lift, interact with my grandchildren without hitting bottom by the end of the day.  I am going to start taking vitamin D which I should have been doing all along but which ones to take?  So many brands out there are supposedly garbage so I will have to do some research there.  In the meantime, I will soak up the natural stuff when the sun is out instead of spending all day down in my sewing room, because these experts say it helps in the fight against Covid 19 and many other seasonal illnesses.

Thirdly, I will not change who I see and when I see them.  I meet with a friend every week and we do hand stitching, one week at my house the next at hers.  I will continue to see my family whenever they come for visits because these experts say other than protecting the vulnerable (long term care residents and people with lots of comorbities) there is NO reason to stay away from each other.  The chances of anyone in our age groups catching anything is slim to none and even if we do, IMMUNITY IS THE BEST DEFENCE!!!!  Our bodies are made to deal with this shit!  It was explained that this isn't a new virus per se but a different strain.  It's similar to the flu and cold viruses....just new.  So if we "get it" our bodies will produce anti bodies to fight it and they will always be with us.  Flu has variants because that's what viruses do and so will this one.  Nothing new! 

Fourth I WILL NOT LIVE IN FEAR of this.  The only thing I fear is what is being allowed to happen to our beautiful province and country.  I had read that Doug Fords networth went from something like 3 million to 50 million over the course of this "pandemic"....true?  Not sure.  But I was curious and went to see what Jason Kenney's was....well, I can usually use Google whatever I want and not necessarily have to be on wifi....but not so to obtain this info.......I didn't go on wifi so I don't know what his networth was and what it currently is.  I found that interesting and disturbing.......not sure why.  

Fifth I will not be getting an experimental vaccine any time soon.........maybe after the trial period is over in 2023...maybe.  I have never had the flu shot (and was really sick, but not to the point of being hospitalized because I was young and healthy, years ago...guess what?  I've NEVER been that sick again!) Does it worry me that I will be prohibited to travel? Shop? Go out without wearing a special symbol on my jacket or not having a "passport"?  Maybe...but I am hoping there are enough lawsuits won in front of judges that have a conscience and will not be swayed by government bullying that proves this is a complete and utter violation of our human rights. It is NOT selfish to want to protect oneself against something that has not been proven to work or that you don't know long and short term effects of...they say it can prevent you from catching Covid by XX% but how the hell do they know that????????? The vaccines are so freaking new!!!  AND if you are in the age group, are healthy and are not diabetic, have heart and lung issues then what is the point?????  By all means, get the vaccine if you are worried about or have any of those comorbitites....hopefully they will help you out.  🤷

I am not sure what the politicians and propaganda spreading news stations will do when it comes to the point where the residents in this country can no longer afford internet or cell phones or power or gasoline.....how will they spread their garbage then?  Maybe we will see the headlines while laying in a cardboard box using old newspapers as cushioning from the hard ground?  Okay, that's a bit dramatic but there is no prosperity in the future for the common folk.  Politicians and government paid people, all of which have never missed a pay cheque, can continue on as normal.  They can just get raises so they can afford the fuel to get to work.  😠

So I will continue to live my life feeling confident that there IS something going on within our governments and that I hope and pray the truth will come out one day and those people will be tarred and feathered.  Jason Kenney is to have an announcement tomorrow.  With over 20,000 active cases (supposedly) in Alberta (a whopping 0.45% of our population) and only 3% of those in hospital (0.013% of our provincial population), I'm sure he will be doing more lockdowns....which have proven time and time and time again NOT to work for anything but breaking small business.  I'm frustrated......because there is evidence against all of this....but the gov't keeps saying they are following the science.  Just because that shit comes out of their mouths does NOT mean it's true!  

Stepping off my soap box........

PS:  This is MY blog and the opinions are MINE and MINE alone.  I do not write this to make you think my way of thinking is the right way and yours is wrong.  Believe what you want to believe.  All I ask is that you do some research.....because there are alot of very reputable educated people in the medical field who have experience in these situation and are speaking out but get NO airtime on mainstream media.  Just question things you hear and read via mainstream media....and remember who finances them.