Snow, Sewing, Squirt, Straightening Up, and Susan Branch

Woke up to snow Saturday morning.....this is the spot on the deck where the dogs were soaking up the sun and heat the day before ( there was more snow then it looks in this pic)......it snowed on and off through out the day and the wind was whipping around too.

So I sewed.....I hauled my small machine up to the sunroom, turned the heater on and got to work on those blocks I had cut out last weekend.

Got them done!!!!  I love Kim Diehl and all of her fabric lines!

Two more sets of blocks to go and then the crazy border and finishing!  I'd like to keep plugging away on this project and "git 'er done!!!

Then this squirt came out for a sleepover!!!!   As per usual, she kept me busy!!

While she was playing, I cleared out my candle cupboard.  Got rid of most of my Scentsy wax things.....some were OLD and I've hauled them from High Prairie to High River to here.  I LOVE 1803 Candles....Erica got me hooked and now I have room for more!  (top two shelves)

Friday night I finished Susan Branch's "diary" of her trip to England via ship 🚢. Her books print is all her own handwriting and it's so easy to read!  Does it make me want to go to England?  Not sure....an awful lot of rain 🌧 and crazy roads 🚗 to drive on!  LOL!!  But a ton of history...and VERY old buildings.

She loved it....she visited the home of Beatrix Potter, among others.  If she couldn't take pictures inside of a home she would sketch and then paint the pictures for her book. (in watercolours of course.) A pleasure to read about her adventures.

After that little girl left for home, I cleaned and went and got a few groceries.  Supper was made and my lunch packed for tomorrow...oh, I'd better set my alarms again.  😞  

It's to get to -30C again tonight....the car is plugged in.  It would be lovely if it was a non-school day tomorrow...a water main break or maybe no heat!  I'm dreaming of course!!!!!! 

Onward and upward!  ☝️ 

Bye Bye Snowmen!!

I have been putzing around really not doing anything ALL week!!!  Today, the sun was shining, the realization that is was already FRIDAY hit and I felt motivated to do SOMETHING!! The snowmen I have are pretty primitive, nothing bright and colorful!!  Do you ever find yourself, at this time of the year, feeling blah??  I sure do!  We've had gloriously warm weather the past couple of days......but I know winter isn't over.  But I wanted it over IN my house!!!!!!!  Voila!

It honestly feels so much lighter and brighter in here!!!  I can BREATHE!!!!!  Ahhhhhh!  I have never hung multiple wallhangings in the same area.....thank goodness for Command Strips!  Because of the "clutter" on the wall, I wanted my shelf to be very simple.....I won't tell you how long it took and how many trials and errors it took to get it to where it ended up!  HAHAHA!  😄

The girls were enjoying the sunshine and warmth on the deck today.  It's been awhile!!!!

There is snow in the forecast for tonight....I hope it's wrong but oh well....I don't have to go anywhere and I WILL sew those blocks tomorrow!!!!!! Sunday will be groceries so I have stuff for my lunches next week.....ugh.  😞  Back to waking up to the alarm........

Comfort in Food and Drink

Today was a stay-at-home-day.  I did get dressed (eventually), brushed my teeth and washed my face but that was the extent of getting ready.  😄 I had plans to sew the blocks I had cut out the other day but I putzed around and did anything but.  Laundry got done and I baked a banana bread loaf....why??????  Oh because it was a snowy/sunny/snowy/sunny/snowy/sunny kind of day and I had over ripe bananas!  I had these two pieces of the loaf and I should put the rest in the freezer now because banana bread is NOT what I should be eating!  I even pulled out the percolator and made some coffee after grinding the beans!  I should have had company!  

I LOVE being at home!  I sat and read today...something I rarely do....and dreamed of staying home all the time.  I could get some painting done that needs doing and not feel as though any time off should not be wasted doing chores!  😝  That's how I feel when I work.  I am thankful for the school schedule where we do get time off...like this week....but I still don't feel as though I can jump into any big projects so nothing gets done. 😳  IF I was home full-time I would feel as those those chores were my job.  😁  But what else would I be contributing?  I keep the house clean and the laundry done already.  I would be home doing the things I love while Hubby is out working.   My fear is that if I stayed home, I wouldn't stop the buying of stuff (fabric, etc mostly!)  How could I contribute financially if I wasn't working??  (not that I make much right now.....I certainly don't do my job for the pay!!)  And would I go crazy being home all the time while Hubby is working?  I would get to know the neighbours better!  Oh well....I can dream and wish and maybe one day....

I may have to go and get a new printer tomorrow.  Mine is acting silly and not printing a picture if it is included on a page.  Other colour will print on the page, but it won't print the picture, just everything else.  It had done it to me a couple of weeks ago and again today so I spent a long time this morning trying to figure it out....which never happened.  All I did was waste ink!  After I get the printer all set up I could sew! Tomorrow is Thursday already......ugh! 😒

We are to get more snow Friday and Saturday....nice stay-at-home-and-sew days! Yippee!  I have a sign that says "Do one thing every day that makes you happy!"  I plan on it!

Couldn't Be More Different!

I've been spending some time in my sewing 'room' this weekend!!  Hubby has been busy working on the stairs to the basement....they need some trim and then the stairs covered with flooring (he won't start that yet) so I thought I may as well sew down there!  I got my Vintage Christmas blocks made!  Whew.....6.5" unfinished and a few seams!!  I know people make even smaller blocks.......I admire them!  NOT perfect but maybe I will get better as the BOM continues!!!

Then yesterday I thought "hey you are on a roll Jane!" and cut out the next set of blocks from an old Kim Diehl BOM I had started doing while still in High River! (I'm sure there is a blog post about it somewhere a couple of years ago!)  There are 5 sets of blocks....these are #3....and then a finishing kit.  I used some of the leftover fabrics from the previous two sets and only had to touch a small piece of one background fabric!!!  The fabrics will be added to my Kim Diehl collection once this quilt is done!!  👍

They are ready to stitch together which I will do later on this week because today Daughter1 and Lyla are coming for a visit!  💕 I've prepped the stuff I need for supper so it will be easy to throw together.  

I LOVE all things Lori Holt and I LOVE all things Kim Diehl and they really couldn't be more different....their colorways for sure!!!!  But that is what makes quilting so fun....ALL the different designers, fabrics, patterns, books, tools, notions, techniques....and there are new ones, in all those areas, coming out all the time!  It is what feeds our addiction!!!!!!!  

Also this weekend I finished watching Season 5 (I think) of Grace and Frankie (or is it Frankie and Grace???) on Netflix!  Those two old gals crack me up!!  Now to wait until 2020 for the next season!  

I've been a BAD eater this week....with Valentines Day and everything.....I've been craving and caving into candy and chocolates!  Only .6 lb lost this week.....I will celebrate a loss as it could have been the other way!  Just over 26 lbs gone!  Hubby goes back to work in the morning and then I will keep busy with sewing and such. Groceries first....lots of salad fixings!!  I think the snowmen will be put away this week even though it is still most definitely snowman weather out there!  I could wait until the end of February.  We will see....depends on whether or not I find something more exciting to do on this week off!!!!!  😄

A Whirlwind Week

Oh gosh this week was a busy one, yet it was wonderful too!  Work Monday, mammogram Tuesday (no changes) so I like to treat myself with a visit to a quilt store afterwards....well, I came home with a stack of Lori Holt Farm Girl Vintage fat quarters and a fat quarter stack of Kim Diehl's new fabric line, a charm pack and a pattern I have been eyeing up for quite awhile.  

I follow a lot of buy and sell pages on FB and I found this cart on one....picked it up on Monday after work.  I thinned out the kids toys as they really don't play with many of them....now I will have to sell the toy organizer I used previously.  

Okay let's go back to Tuesday.......I had already had both hair and nail appointments booked for after school Tuesday so once I popped home and let the dogs out, I headed in to town and had my hair cut and my nails done.....gotta LOVE sparkles!!

Worked Wednesday and Hubby came home Wednesday night.  Yesterday we were off to Calgary to my Dr appointment there.  After my appointment Hubby drove me to a quilt shop and waited in the car for me while I shopped.....I finally bought myself one of these spray bottles for my Best Press.  Can't wait to use it!  (I also signed up for a Lori Holt block of the month for Vintage Christmas and received the first package and can't wait to make the first four blocks while I am off next week!!!!...or maybe sooner!)  Since I seem to be addicted to Lori Holt I also purchased a Bake Sale fat quarter pack and a jar of her buttons! 

We stopped for groceries on the way home and while I shouldn't have, we bought a cupcake for each of us since it was Valentine's Day!!  (more icing than cake!!!!)

To add to my already GREAT day, in the mail were two books I had ordered from Amazon!!!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE them....especially the Simple Friendships II!!!!!

I must work on my sewing area purge really soon...............I need to be ruthless and really really keep only my favorite kits, books, patterns, notions, etc, etc!  I would hate the thoughts of packing it up if we were ever to decide to move again!  HAHAHA!

Snowing today and I have to drive Hubby to pick up his truck this afternoon.  Then maybe, after laundry is done, I could cut out my new blocks.  I ordered some fabric that I will need to finish this project (pro active eh?????  I've only just got the first of the BOM packages!) because this fabric line is really hard to find. Looks like it will be a good stitching weekend..........

Small Stuff

Hello!  I was doing so well posting on a fairly regular basis!  Oops!

Let's see......first, my stitching projects.  This first project was a February Challenge in a Facebook group I belong to.  Kathleen Tracy's Small Quilt Lovers.  It was fun to do....the hardest is picking fabric...all stash. Very small 14.5" x 14.5"

Then I wanted some hand work to do while watching the Super Bowl game last weekend so I quilted and bound this one (colors waaaaaaay off!):

The top I've posted a long time ago....it was made for my friend Erica.  She was battling cancer and we had had a conversation where I was motivating her to get off her couch and live each day (which she did!!).......I didn't get it finished on time....the top hung on my design wall for a long time as the thought of finishing it made me sad......but here it is, a reminder of my dear friend.💕

Yesterday Daughter2 brought out my Lyla for a sleepover!  I can't remember the last time I had her here all by myself!  It was GREAT to have her here and we crafted and played and had a great time!  This was to be a Valentine tree....her hand/arm are the tree and then thumb prints for the leaves.....well, this is how it turned out!  I like it just the way it is!

Then she continued on, painting several other pictures.

After bath time....a picture we sent off to Hubby/Poppa who was away at work!

Okay......I might have trimmed her bangs a bit too short.  😬  Thank goodness hair grows!!!!  This morning she insisted on playing with play doh.....so I whipped up a small batch.  This was after Ana and Elsa's birthday party....with Olaf of course!  

After her Mommy picked her up and I got the house cleaned, I went to put garbage out.  Well, I could hear this sound in the trees.....and there were a ton of birds eating the pinecones (or the seeds in the pinecones) and the sound was the pinecones falling.  I didn't get a great picture of the birds doing that (I think they are white winged crossbills....beautiful red birds!) but I got a (bad) pic of a chickadee enjoying the fresh seeds I put out in this feeder!

And this non feathered friend enjoying the seeds out of the other feeder!  Hey, squirrels have to eat too!  Usually there are blue jays at this one!

I've caught a cold...of course....and will take medicine tonight and get my diffuser going with Thieves.  A busy week ahead....work Monday, mammogram Tuesday (then hair and nails in the afternoon), work Wednesday and then Calgary Dr appointment Thursday.  Hubby will drive me to that one so I hope parking will be easy!!  I hope we can go out for lunch afterwards and celebrate Valentines Day.  No school the following week and I am excited about that!!!!!!!!!!!  I hope the weather smartens up and it warms up a bit but not snow!  (😂 wishful thinking!)  We are most definitely in a cold snap....or "polar vortex" (the new phrase!)  I sure hope it passes soon!!

Unicorn Party and My Loves

A great weekend just passed......all of our kids were together at our granddaughters 3rd birthday party!  Both grand babies too....and no picture of all of us altogether!  Argh!  

Daughter1 decided on a unicorn theme for Lyla's birthday party and Daughter2 bought this fancy cake!  I had to cut it and it wasn't an easy task!  I started at the back incase I really messed up but I think it went okay.  😋

Here is the birthday girl....all wired up after gymnastics and ready to party!

We did manage to get a picture of Hubby and I with our grand babies.  💕

This guy...what a bundle of energy!  LOVED having him with us all weekend....and his parents of course...and uncle!  His mommy wasn't feeling the greatest so I tried to help out as much as I could.  

Sunday morning I made a big breakfast and everyone loves a german pancake....this one really poofed up over the edge!  Yummmmmy!

After they all left around 12:30 (Hubby had left for back to work at 4:30 am) I got to work cleaning the house and doing laundry and bedding and towels.  Whew!  It was done and I was ready for another work week.  I am beat today...it was a busy day at work as usual.....so it most definitely is time for bed!  😴  The roads were awful driving to work....yesterday it had rained early and then snowed most of the day! Sanding trucks were out in places but I will have to watch again tomorrow morning as the roads weren't that much better on my way home.  I really really dislike winter driving!!!!!!!!

Okay.........nighty night!