I lost it

I thought I had started the blog this morning but here I am and there is nothing on it, and now I need to recall the whole day :( Not an easy task.
Restaurants in Vancouver are closing, things are very hard for them, first the recession dealt them a nasty blow and then the government added an extra 7 % tax on top ot the 6% tax on all meals. The third thing is the new laws regarding the amount of alcohol people could have in their system so people just stopped eating out. 
And the Oscars as usual a glittering affair. I was so happy that Colin Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor. As I said in a previous blog  I loved the movie and the historical story it was built on.  I just wondered why Jeffrey Rush was not recognized or was he? I can't find that information. I thought he was also wonerful in the King's Speech.     Is this Colin as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice? So romantic looking isn't he?  He kind of reminds me of Chopin...why I am not sure , maybe the same time frame.
My musings for the day now to my actual life. Adam says he put more old family photos up on Photo Bucket so I plan to goo looking after This blog is done. That will be fun.
Jim left Edmonton this morning before 9:00 Alberta time. I haven't talked to him today but he did say he would be staying in Kamloops over night, he usually calls me when he stops for the night. I worry about him driving in the winter when the roads are so bad. So I spent my day praying for him or thinking about him and fretting.
However I did not spend the day sitting down and worrying, I can do that standing up LOL. We took some books back to the library, Marg lent me one and I finished it already. It was an Erica Spindler novel called Blood Vines and took place in the wine industry of the Sonoma Valley California. It was a great mystery and was full of information on wine making and the great caves that are used in that industry. So not only a wonderful story but very informative too. The best kind of novel!!!!
We had to go to Rona, the Canadian counterpart for Home Depot, for some parts for the toilet as it is running and while I was there I picked up a can of Scotch Guard so I can spray it on my next mug rug. That cute little one I made with the Santa Kitty has coffee stains on it and I don't want any more to have that problem.
We went up to the mall for our walk and I am getting better at it and can go longer each time.
When we got home I started to look for a redwork design for my label on Emilie's quilt, but there are so few designs on this laptop, they are all on the PC upstairs that I have not even touched since the beginning of January. I am getting frustrated  at not being able to access my designs. Actually I am just hoping they are on that new computer and that I can open them. But Jim will get it set up downstairs and show me how to get to the designs.
Jim called and he is in Hope, he said it was evil on the roads, the worst he had ever seen and he has been driving in winter weather for a long time. But Hope and a stopover at Rick's -he should be here in three hours. I will be relieved.
So have  a great evening all.

Good night!

no more snow

It came and it went, that's the way of snow in Vancouver. They didn't even send out the snow plows ,weekend and the city employees are off LOL.

Morning view from my window.

Afternoon view, no snow haha.
I made the second portion of my label this morning and have been trying to get a littel embroidery design for it. Unfortunately my laptop is not cooperating. I sure hope the new computer is more amenable but am frightened it may not be as it also has windows 7. installed. We'll see when Jim gets here and sets it up. Maybe he can install an earlier programme. Windows XP was great. Or maybe I had programmes on it that worked and are not on this one.
My nephew called  this after noon and we had a long talk. He said he wants to make dinner for us some day. He is a very good cook.
Then I lay down to read my book,so that took a couple of hours LOL.
Ray made meat loaf sandwiches for dinner, he makes the best sandwiches so it was a treat.
I just finished culling all my photos and some embroidery designs which had doubles of everything. I don't know if the designs will even work on this laptop but I am keeping one copy just in case.And the photos also had a lot of duplicates so I deleted those. It took quite a while to got hrough each folder and then to delete the empty folders.  It's bit like housekeeping and cleaning drawers :)) My next job is to do the system clean tonight. Buzz reminded me about that the other day. So if this reminds anyone who reads this blog, that's good.

Here I am to say good night, can you see I was a bit cheeky even at a very young age LOL.

I wish you all a lovely evening!!

Bon Soir!

snow is falling

However the snow is what I call thin, no substance to the flakes so it doesn't pile up anywhere and could turn to rain. We are sitting warm and cozy in our recliners. Haha.
But I had a very full day. First we went shopping at a different store in a different mall. It takes a bit more time in a new store to get around. W kept running into a very nice couple and passed jokes back and forth, it made shopping fun. 

Flowers.    These were so pretty.

And plants. Lots of variety.

Margaret , my sister, came over when we got home . She brought me a book to read and I gave her the one I just bought this morning. We often do that , share the book before we have even read it ourselves. It works for us. So we had a nice visit.
When Margaret went home, I decided to make the label for Emilie's quilt on my embroidery machine. First I had to hoop the stabilizer and fabric. But before I put that on the machine it was necessary to originate the message, not rocket science but boy do I take a long time. I seem to delete the message too many times for wome odd reason. Eventually I got it right and saved it ,then added the hoop and fabric. It takes a while to embroidery out the label and I alwasy sit there because if I don't the machine acts up as any machine embroiderer can tell you LOL.  Then I had to cut all the jump stitches and peel off the stabilizer. However it got done at least the first part, there is another part to do but it was nearly time to make dinner.

Not even trimmed :))

This picture came to me from my friend Jean in Delaware this morning, she found it on the net as Purdy's is only in Canada.

These Melties remind me of my mom who loved Mint Meltaways. She used to send me downtown to Eatons, it is no longer there, to buy them for her. Mom rarely shared the wonderful chocolates but occasionally she would give me one when I went to town for her. After I got older and had my own money I used to buy hers and then some for me. I like these old memories of the times long ago.

Dinner- I made a meat loaf for dinner and Ray said it was good. He likes meat loaf sandwiches so it won't last long. LOL.

Now we are watching the selection of the new Liberal party leader, who will be the next Premier of the province. Politics is always exciting and suspenseful.

Our new Premier is  Christie Clark. I am not happy !!

the machine is out

My embroidery machine is out , hurrah. So I hope that I can do some tomorrow. I have plans....
Ray and I committed a sin today- we bought a one layer box of light and dark chocolates. Bad but oh so good!! It was Purdys chocolates, they are made here in Vancouver and are the best. Whenever we go back east we always take boxes of Purdys .  They are a Vancouver special.
A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands haha. A bit of wisdom....
I paid for my sins tonight , made a salad for dinner LOL.
This morning after the chocolates we stopped off in a shop that sells baby and children's clothes. The prices are so high, one tiny dress $45 and the little sweater that goes with it $28 , Ray was horrified!! He is still talking about it :)))

This fabric queen is from a panel of sewing mavens by  Lorelei. There were a number of great ladies on the panel and I made a few postcards from them. Actually loved these girls they are so whimsical. Lorelei has great embroidery designs too, some of which I made.
We went to Winners to buy some of their lovely bottles of hand soap. I took a photo of them but didn't have my little card in the camera so it went to internal memory. The card was still in my  laptop, some days you can't get anything right  . And I'm not going to take another one tonight. So the photo for tonight is another of my postcards.
Whoops I got these paragraphs and pictures out of order. Oh well I know you will all figure this one out.
I had a good rest this afternoon but didn't sleep . Instead I read my book , what else is new eh!
Adam called this afternoon to see how things were going. I am grateful that he is still calling for my news. 
Apparently it is supposed to snow tomorrow, heard that before so we'll see.
All my news for today, wish it could be more exciting but that won't happen for a while when I can get out and run for it LOL.
Have a great evening.
Good night.

whew I'm wiped

What a busy day-Ray went to pick up the new computer desk and to meet up with Bob and Buzz , I stayed home to do some cutting and sewing. I got the top finished  for Community quilts and found some batting and backing for it. I'll put it in a plastic baggie and take it to them. They'll put it all together, I have no room here for sandwiching so it goes to Community Quilts. I always take my quilts out to get sandwiched at the church or to Lauren for quilting. Some I quilt myself and others she does for me.
I was just finishing off the borders when Ray , Bob and Buzz came in. Buzz was pushing the dolly and the two guys were following her haha. Ray says she wanted to do it, good girl Buzz LOL.
They stayed for a while and we talked about going across the border on Monday for lunch at our favourite casino in Washington  state. Well we'll gamble some haha.
They had to go around 12:45 because I had an appointment with the doctor to get a requisition for another test  to make sure that my infection is definitely gone and to check my kidneys to see if they are functioning properly.
We picked up the mail when we got back home and there was a parcel for me from Sue in MN. Inside the envelope was a lovely lap quilt to keep me nice and warm while I recuperate. I was so thrilled  at her kindness and thoughtfulness.

Sue told me that Deanna, both she and Sue are on my Flylady list, had made the top and sent it to Sue to quilt , many thanks to both of these fine ladies. When I opened the package the lovely colours immediately calmed me. Funny isn't it? It made my day.

Then I had to empty out the drawers of the desk in the bedroom where the comouter desk will go. Ray has decided to take the old desk upstairs and use if when he makes his model ships. Good idea.

That meant I needed to find a place for the fabrics in the top drawer. We cleaned out the long drawer and threw lots of stuff away. Oh doesn't it hurt to clean house :)) This has been the busyiest day since I came home. So that's why I am weary tonight.

You know how much I like mug rugs even though I have only made one but have plans for more . This site will give you tons of ideas if mug rugs interest you.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Vw16A-jCybs/TSjBUZM3DuI/AAAAAAAABBQ/dCD5TWKDi68/s1600-h/Redwork%20Snowman%20Mug%20Rug%5B4%5D.jpg

Happy perusing, I had fun going through these. Click on the picture and it will come up showing you the path to get more information on how to make the one you chose.

I like the red one of the snowman and red stripes.

There isn't he cute!
Time to sign off. Have a great evening under you lap quilt. I'm going to LOL.
Banji mashite.

we bought it

We bought my new computer table today and I forgot to take a photo, but I will do that when we get it together. It is very nice. Tomorrow our friend's Bob and Buzz will help Ray  and pick it up with their truck and the best part is Bob has a dolly to bring it to the door of the apartment. That is so good as Ray was worried about how to get it to the door knowing it would be heavy for him. Thank goodness  for good friends! We won't try and put it together until Jim gets here and we can bring the computer down. I am really looking forward to that. Not being able to get upstairs since early January has been nerve wracking worrying about all the e mail. I finally knew there was little to nothing I could do so I just stopped worrying. I'll fix it all when the computer comes downstairs.
The snow came down in bucket loads in Victoria and I was worried about Mary and Albert getting home, so I called her to see how that went. She said it was not bad last night but she could not get in to work today. We don't do snow well in British Columbia. haha!!

No snow in Vancouver but wait a day and we'll see how we do!

We had lunch today at IHOP and I had my favourite - waffles, Ray had a stack of pancakes. Very bad but then we seldom go there. I blame it all on Albert ,he said he wanted to go to IHOP last night and that put it in my head LOL.

When we got home I went throught all the receipts I need for our taxes. We always get a refund so we like to get them in early . The government has had our money long enough LOL. Now we are ready to take them to the accountant, we are far too lazy to do them ourselves and she does them cheaply. Plus she needs the work. So it is an honourable thing we do!

Another photo of my mountains, I cannot resist the snow on the mountains but only from down below. I don't go up there :))

And another hydro box, not as good a picture but it is hard to catch them from a moving car hahaha.

Odd shape but there was lots to delete and I like the shape of this photo.

So that's it for my day, hope yours was good!!

Have a great evening.

Guid forenicht.

Funny stuff on my blog

Last night my blog disappeared except for the most recent one. Thank goodness Mary was here . She discovered that the counter was causing the problem, why I have no idea. Mary moved the counter down to the bottom of the blog and that fixed the problem. It is an enigma!!
We had a lovely visit with Mary and Albert, they don't often get here from the Island and for some reason we don't go over there much. Hotel bills I guess and the cost of the ferry. We used to go over more often when Donna was at home, she   always had a room for us but now that she has dementia and is in the hospital full time and she knows no one we don't get there much. It is so sad to see her like that. We have been friends since we were in our twenties and had young children. I lived in Victoria at that time and after I moved back to Vancouver  I still went over there to visit and yes with all 5 kids. Donna had 4 kids so it ws a full house but the kids had lots of fun and so did Donna and I.
Ray and I went looking for a new computer table and we found one that would suit  but we didn't purchase it. Ray is trying to figure out how to get it up to this apartment. I think he should just pay for delivery, he is not a young man any more and can't lift the loads he used to. So I will insist that we get it delivered.
A surprise moment-we went to WalMart for coffee - didn't get the coffee but spent only $75 not over a hundred  LOL. We didn't buy anything interesting just groceries. I liked Wal Mart when there was no food and good things I wanted to buy. I used to buy my tops, socks and personal clothing there and now I can't find anything. As well the tops they are selling are so thin, cheaper  I guess. Everything is made in China for no amount of money. Too bad .
After all that shopping we went to MacDonald's for lunch and then home. At least the hamburgers are not made in China. 
My legs were shaky so I needed to get off my feet. Then I lay down for a nap that lasted until supper time.
I forgot to take my library books back and had read all but one of them. It is about Katherine Howard Henry the VIII's  fifth wife who was just a young girl when he married her and Henry was over 40 and beginning to deteriorate. She wanted to just have fun like any 17 year old. Henry decided she was cheating on him and decapitated her for perceived adultry. Another sad story of Henry's wives, but interesting reading.
It is a period of history that has always fascinated me. English history of Kings and Queens is one of my big interests. My parents were British and Royalists so I was brought up to value the monarchy and I still do.

As you can see my day was full so tonight I have to do some cutting :))
Big rise in the cost of gasoline around here as I am sure is the same elsewhere. Libya is in a huge crisis and the crisis is extending to many Arab countries. It is a very bad sign.
Today I had wanted to go and look at fabric but no luck and I am sure tomorrow it will be the same thing. It has been months since I have had that pleasure . Being sick is a waste of time LOL.

I need to get going!  One of my post cards I need a kick in the ....  haha.
My  thoughts for the day, thank you for reading, now off to cutting.
Have a wonderful evening!!
Boa Tarde.

Sewing and sewing

This is it, my day's work.

I actually sat down and sewed today. It was the centre of a small quilt for Community Quilts made from the left over fabrics from Ray's quilt.  Still have the borders to sew on but that involves cutting and I did not feel like cutting because I was too tired. Tomorrow hopefully I can get to the borders.
As for the rest of the day It was full as well. First I had to go for a haircut, I felt like a shaggy bear with my hair sticking out all over . Now I am neat and tidy a situation to be desired. Usually my regular hairdresser takes too much time as she talks a lot and can't seem to work and cut at the same time. She is away right now so I had a new snipper who did not talk so got the job done quickly. 
We had arranged to have lunch with Bob and Buzz and thought we'd need extra time because of the haircut but we were there quite early.
In the end we got together and had a great visit , talked about cruising and travelling as well as the current events of our lives. Buzz loves my Mardi Gras fabric, we tried to think of something I can make without having to cut it, any good ideas? It is so beautiful.
After we came home I was tired and lay down but I wasn't sleepy so I read my book. Its title is Sizzle but the story doesn't sizzle for me, maybe it will later, who knows.
I am way behind on my reading list and need to start again , no way I can get the list caught up.
Then I decided to sew a bit and I feel good about that even though it wasn't much but it's a start. It makes me feel like I am getting back to normal. Good news!
Our big baby in Quebec was having trouble eating and it was discovered she was tongue tied so that has to be snipped. Our little baby is eating up a storm and gaining weight LOL.
Mary and Albert are coming tonight and staying the night , it will be fun to see them.
So it seems I have run out of things to say so good evening folks. Mary's here !!
Have a good one!
Bon soir.

Dogs

No pictures of dogs just a comment about the TV show Dog Whisperer with Caesar something or other. He is an amazing dog trainer. He takes on dogs who are too difficult for their owners to train and he does his magic with them. We often watch his show and always enjoy it .
Larger print~ ~  This morning we just did whatever work was not done yesterday and I actually did some work too, dusting and laundry folding. Not much but progress.
Then we went out to Boston Pizza for guess what - a pizza :)), pepperoni at that. It was good.
After we ate we went over to Future Shop. We plan to bring my PC downstairs and set it up in the bedroom , so we were looking for a smaller computer table that will fit in the smaller space in the bedroom. We didn't really find one that was suitable. We need to get it before Jim comes this week as we hope he will bring it down and set it up . So we keep looking this week.  Or we can take him with us to help us choose the right one. He likes to spend out money LOL.
I was pretty tired when we got home so I lay down and read for a while. Katie phoned and said she was coming for a visit. She is always entertaining and enjoyable to visit. She talked about her experiences up north in Fort MacMurray. She goes skiing every weekend., along with dog sledding and any other winter sport you can imagine. She is also a hunter and bagged a moose in the fall. Not my choice of entertainment.
 Katie is a trainer for sexually transmitted diseases and gives seminars in the camps in that area where STDs are rampant due to the prevalence of the use of sex trade workers. She helps them to see the need for using prophylactics. It is a noble cause-keeping these disease such as AIDS from spreading and getting passed on to others both in Fort MacMurray and in their home towns when they come out.
We talked about Charlotte's open house, I am sorry that I missed it. Katie said they had all cakes and bars to serve with the tea. What no sandwiches I said. We don't want them to come for dinner she responded , so no savouries LOL.
She said she really liked my food quilt and I had every intention of giving it to her and of course did not remember until she was long gone. Sometimes I wonder...... So maybe I'll mail it to her. She has always wanted that quilt and I want her to have it.

Not such a great photo I hope it shows up better on the blog. All the pieces are either fruits or vegetables. The pattern is Turning Twenty , it uses twenty fat quarters to make it. Very easy to do.

Kate at the camp. See her blog

http://survivethewinter.blogspot.com/

All in all a very good day.

Have a lovey night folks.

Guten Abend.

goodies tonight

Good stuff tonight , the first one quilted button jars makes an adorable little quilt and looks pretty easy ,  sewing on the buttons is something you can do while you watch TV.
http://midnightcreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/quilted-buttonjars.html

And a new use for those outdated spice rack jars. Clever isn't it?
http://midnightcreations.blogspot.com/2011/02/spice-rack-storage.html

Looking for a use for your scraps, try this spool quilt and make use of those odd bits.
http://fredashive.blogspot.com/2010/01/string-spool-tutorial.html

I love this journal and wish I had thought of it or seen it early on when I began quilting.  I think you will enjoy looking at it.
http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com/


We did nothing of any interest today  so here are some interesting bits of information and pretty pictures. I felt a lot better though than on previous days so it looks like I may mend.

If you enjoy me passing on stuff like this just let me know and I'll make a file of good things and periodically put them on the blog.  I find them great fun to read and a place for new ides, new to me anyway. Not that I follow up on all the ideas LOL.
Another beautiful day in British Columbia at least in the Vancouver area, it was sunny with a bit of a chill, I call that fresh :)) The trees are not budding yet as it is too cold I guess. However the snowdrops should be out, I haven't seen any yet because I haven't been where they are.
I see that there are bad storms in the Toronto where my granddaughter Chelsea is attending University. I hope it does not hamper her activities too much. It must be a challenge for her after living her life here .

Looks great doesn't it. I love this city.

No quilting news today but hopefully soon to come.

I still have 4 more days of antibiotics to go but the three I have taken are definitely working for me. Good stuff!! 

This is it for me tonight,  hope you enjoy the goodies .

Have a lovely evening.

God Kveld.

eye stuff

Ray went to the eye doctor today and the doctor said his eyes are the best he has seen them. Taking his meds, eating right and Vitalux are the triggers. Good for him.
We did a bad thing after , we went to Cinnabon for coffee and a small cinnamon bun. Bad but good LOL.
A slow day today, nothing to show for it except a long nap and finishing my book. Believe it or not it was a novel by Sharon Osborne, yes of Ozzie Osborne fame. His wife as it were. She wrote a novel about two sisters , sibling rivalry at its best-two sisters competing to be the biggest film star in Hollywood. Both of them come under the spell of a Hollywood mogul, a nasty piece of work .
The story has a lot of twists and turns and keeps you , or at least me, reading on. It was a surprise to me how much I liked it , I guess I was  too busy sterotyping Mrs. Osborne . The only thing I did not like about the book was the cover material which was hard and covered with shiny bits. It was not pleasant to hold. If you have a Kindle maybe you could bring it up on your magic machine. Adam has one and he loves it, so does my friend Jean.  I am thinking of getting one myself.
I had a pleasant transaction today with a member of one of my groups, an embroidery list. Upstairs I had a programme that had files from A to Z where I could place my embroidery designs, but I had forgotten where I got it and as you know I am not going upstairs at the moment. I asked on my embroidery list if anyone knew where I could find this system. Two ladies responded with the same  information and I was able to download the system to my laptop. Good news!  I think some of the embroidery items I have on my desktop are actually embroidery designs and not just photos but I'll find that out later. In the meantime I am happy that I found the system. If anyone on this blog is an embroiderer you can find the system at Kenny's Kreations and there is a good file organizing system there.
There are some good examples of decorated Hydro boxes on some of our routes, mostly in Burnaby . This is one I really like. Periodically I'll put others up as I really enoy them.

 I have received many beautiful cards from my many quilting friends, family and freinds from other parts of my life. It has been such a joy to see them come in the mail and I thank you all for your thoughtfulness. This one came from my quilt guild , it is all embossed with quilting designs. I just love it and thought to share it with you.

So here we are at the end of my story . I wish you all a lovely evening.

Bon nuit.

all the weather you could want

On the way to the podiatrist this morning we encountered snow, hail, a bit of rain and sun. And the journey was very short, 15 minutes. LOL. We saw a smorgasborg of weather.
I go to see Dr. Lai to get my toenails cut so I don't damage my toes with bad cutting. He does a good job and checks them over for any problems.
We went to get our passsport photos done and believe me they were the best passport photos we have ever had. We were happy with them, now all we have to do is get the whole thing in the mail.Since there was a 40 minute wait to get them finished we went for lunch at the Food Court in Metrotown. Also we checked out the puppies at the pet store. Some cuties there, we get our puppy fix at the store . We saw a beautiful orange canary too, wow was he gorgeous. It was hard not to buy him.  But we don't like to have to leave a pet anywhere when we go out of town for a little vacation, so we just get a fix LOL .
When I got home I called my doctor about the  test I took last Friday. Sure enough  my suspicions were correct. That bladder infection is back so I 'm on antibiotics again. My legs were so shaky this morning they wouldn't hold me up , that is one of the clues of this infection. Weird eh! I hope the medication gets it this time. I want to be healthy.
http://www.dreamcastlequilts.com/?page_id=2405       If you like blue this quilt is for you, it is lovely.
  My dinner was healthy , vegetable soup and salad. Ray put those little baby potatoes in the soup and they were delicious. I made the salad plain lettuce and the regular ingredients, oil and vinegar, delicious too!! Love my veggies!


The hospital sent an OT over to check out the bathroom to see where to put another holding bar . I have one on the outside of the tub which she liked but one inside the tub  would be fine.

A postcard I made on the topic Hats. One is on the hat stand and the other is at the foot of the stand. I made three of them to send out on the swap.  It was fun making them but they do take quite a bit of time which is why I stopped making them. There were other things I wanted to do.

Aren't these cute, my hearts are yours LOL.

Have a lovely evening by the fire :))

Buona Notte !

flimsy?

Have you ever heard of a flimsy? Neither did I until today. A flimsy in quilting terms is a pieced top that is not made into a quilt. Can you see someone using a top for a cover? Perhaps that occurs in southern climes where there is no need for warmth but a lady liking to cover herself but not to feel too warm. It's kind of like us covering up with a sheet in the summer but no blankets or quilts. Anyway just a "bit" of trivia.
Nice afternoon, Kathy came to visit and had lots of news about the classes I missed and the news of the sewing world around town. She brought the project she made at the last class, it was a towel topper in a valentine mode. It was adorable and silly me I forgot to take a picture of it. I really had a nice time with her. I love listening to the news of the sewing world in town.
Speaking of pictures,  as I did earlier, I got a notice last night that I had overdrawn my picture account and would have to buy some more space. It was just $5.00 so I bought it. I may have to delete some of my older blogs, we'll see how that goes.Didn' t realize there was a limit.
It was one of those days for me so I didn't go out. Ray went to buy some vegetables as he was going to make some vegetable soup for dinner. The soup was delicious as is everything he makes and there is enough for three days so no cooking for the next two days,hahaha....

A little mother, Catherine feeding Emilie. See how big Emilie is. I think Emilie is getting it shoved down her throat LOL. Poor baby.

My pile of dish cloths is growing, soon I'll have enough to satisfy Ray's needs :))

Going, going, gone!! to watch the new Criminal Minds Suspect Behaviour.

Have a great evening folks.

friends

One of the the best parts of life is friendship . I want  to thank all of you who sent me e mails and made comments on my blog. It always makes me happy to hear from you and I appreciate you taking the time to make your comments.  Sometimes I am able to respond to them but often Google won't accept my password so I am thanking you all here in this space.
Now for the piece de resistance tada!!

Finally my quilt is finished, Ray is happy with it. It is actually a group effort. I pieced it , Lauren quilted it, Mary Alice donated the fabric for the binding, Lynn cut and sewed the binding and Ione sewed the binding down on the back. So I guess I can't actually claim it as my own can I. 

Back of the quilt whoops no backing, it seems my photo storage has exceeded its limit. I ordered more but it will take 24 hours for it to be useful.

Ray took me to my morning group for a short visit, it was wonderful to see everyone and to have a bit of a chat. I needed someone to sign my passport renewal form so Helen did that. I had to walk up a short flight of stairs , that was fun, talk about shaky legs, kind of scary. First time I have gone up stairs in quite a while.

Then Ray took me to Community Quilts to pick up my quilt and it was another great visit. I was so happy to see everyone there too. Again I sat and chatted with some of the ladies there.  Ione had my quilt all ready to go , it looks beautiful, Lauren always does a great job of quilting and the binding was beautiful Ione :))  I had some loose legs on Mary Alice's steps, Ray had to help me down. But we did it!!!

Then we went for a bit of lunch, I had a tuna sandwich at Murchies , tomato basil soup and coffee. I enjoyed it so much that I asked Ray to make more for supper as his tuna sndwiches are fabulous.So that was dinner too.  Now I have fulfilled my quota of 3 fish dishes a week.  So after lunch I was really tired and we came home.

Ray's cousin called and we talked for an hour or so, Well I listened LOL. She was full of her family news most of it bad. too many of her family have cancer.

Tomorrow I am having visitors so that will be a good day. I'll tell you all about it of course.

Have a great evening folks.

Buona sera !

company's coming

Sam is here to visit with his dad, Adam, who is going back to Louisiana tomorrow morning.  It has been a wonderful visit with him and I am so happy he came to see me and check me out LOL.
Tonight we went for dinner at Cockney Kings for wonderful fish and chips and oysters. I love to go there even though we don't go too often. So whenever  we go it is a big treat.
Adam and Ray went down to Albion Fisheries this morning as Adam wanted to take some smoked Alaska black cod  back  home as that is one type of seafood  they don't get there. He was happy that the cod was in right now.  Ray got some for us too as I love it.
Adam , Ray and I went for a walk in the mall this morning for a bit of exercise.
When they came home we went to Metrotown for some exercise a very slow walk in the mall.
I got a call from Kerri at Tom's to ask if I was coming to the embroidery class this week but unfortunately I had to decline. Once again I say next month.
Yesterday I gave a book review that included a section on the American Native. Strangely I started another book The Legacy,  by Danielle Steele,  an author I have rarely read but wanted something I considered light reading. I was very surprised by the story which centred around an American Native  Souix woman . I seem to fall into this topic these days but this book is also very interesting and worth a look at. 

Postcards I made when I was making them.

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine Day.

Time to go....

Have a good evening.

Offer

Ray offered to take me to my quilting groups for a visit on Tuesday.
I will definitely enjoy that and I can pick up Ray's quilt while there.
Are you familiar with J.A.Jance the writer. She is the author of the J.P. Beaumont series about a flawed  Seattle detective who solves murder mysteries in and around Seattle. He is one of my favourite detectives.
She also writes the series of an Arizona Sheriff Joanna Brady and sometimes the books cross over with Beaumont heading into Arizona territory to work with Brady . I have read many of these books and always find them exciting.
I just finished a J.A. Jance book with neither of them in it. It is called  Hour of The Hunter. In it a serial killer is released from prison early , he is a master manipulator and was abe to behave well and get on the right side of the Warden, also he had a bit of dirt on the Warden. That always helps.
He goes home to his mother who is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier and convinces her to trust him, something sheis leery of doing and so he moves in with mommy. He is by the way a cross dresser and wears his costumes while he is on the hunt. He has a plan to kill his mother but she outwits him, maybe she is brighter than I thought LOL.
The lady,Diana whom he he is after lives on Indian territory with an old Indian woman and Diana's boy of whom they share the parenting . There is a cast of fascinating characters and many Indian legends and customs. This book is a page turner and I have  not read too many of them lately.
Try it  I am sure you will enjoy it.
For today Adam spent the day scanning a huge number of photos into Photo Bucket. It has taken days  of work for him.
I made spareribs in the slowcooker today,started them in the morning, threw in 6 cloves of crushed garlic , some onions, a bit of Worcestershire sauce and set the timer to slow.
For dinner there was a lovely salad , cauliflower, rice cooked in the rice cooker  and spareribs It was delicious. Richard came by from the boat show and shared our dinner so there were 4 of us at table. It was lovely.  Adam went out with Adam for a beer tonight and Rick went home to get ready for Calgary tomorrow morning.
I am tired tonight and will go to bed pretty early.
Have a great evening.
Aloha ahiahi

no round about today

quilting.guide@about.com  I enjoy this site for its  for its quilting hints for its blocks and for the puzzles that stretch your knowledge or shows the lapses in your knowledge. 
I hope you find it as interesting and fun as I do. Lots of good things on the site.
Yesterday I mentioned that I thought I could got to sewing on Tuesday of Juliet could bring me back home. Today I backslid and now I don't think I am ready as it is a long day.
We went grocery shopping this morning, Ray , Adam and me. Part way through I went and sat at Tim's but when I got home I was really tired so had a nap. The nap did not make me full of energy. So it seems that it may be another week before I can go. However Juliet called to say she would be glad to help me out and since she lives not far from me I don't feel as if it would be an  imposition and Juliet is a good friend , she is very thoughful.
I just put some chicken in the oven for dinner, it was exhausting. No work, just open the package salt it, throw it into a dish and put in the ove, what's so tiring about that. But it was. I'll get Ray to make a salad and that should do us.  Good thing we aren't big eaters. LOL    Dinner is over and it was really good we had some brie and bleu cheese that we melted on the chicken mmmm -good!!
I wanted to go to a fabric shop today for that background fabric for Charlotte's quilt but it was not to be. I hate being like this but it seems to take a lot of time to recover from this illness. However I am grateful to be recovering and should not be so impatient.

Charlotte is not happy even though her auntie loves her according to her outfit.

Adam sent the past two days organizing all my old family photos and putting them onto Photobucket. Well not all of them but lots, it is a huge job and I appreciate him doing that. I thinkhe has wanted to do it for some time now. There are still more to come. LOL

Cute little sucker isn't he?

Juliet told me that my quilt is finished and she would bring it home on Tuesday. I hope Ray likes it. Juliet said it looks great. I wrote Lauren and asked her to bring the quilt and the bill LOL. Well actually I asked Ione to call Lauren for me.Same thing , right!!
I was going to write a book review but don't feel up to it. Tomorrow I get that done.
Have a great evening.
Bon Soir

Round about

A round about day from one place to the next.
First we and Adam went to lunch with Sam, he had a terrible time getting across the bridge , it took him over two hours to reach us, not that we were in the restaurant for that long LOL . We waited until he was getting close and had managed to get past the bridge. Last night the crews were working on the bridge and for some reason left a big hole in the deck and cars were catching their undersides in the hole so they had to close that lane to fix it. The traffic is so horrendous on that bridge anyway so the back up was also horrendous- one lane only. Poor Sam he was not a happy camper, a wasted morning for him and for all those people who thought they would get to work by 8:00. Just a day in the life!!  We did have a nice visit though so we were happy.
I had to go to the lab for another test, we went for gas and then to Safeway to pick up yesterday's prescriptions. Back home again and my sister came over for a visit.  She had some great tales to tell about the goings on at her church. Churches are a hotbed of  stories :))
Adam has been scanning some old photos from very old albums of my family, some of which go back to before WW1. There is a photo of my dad's grandma at 96. She passed away in 1915. It is amazing to see the photos of another era. Some were of my dad when he was in the British army during WW1. He went through all four years and had only one furlough of 2 weeks when his grandma in 1915. Thank God he got through all 4 years or I wouldn't be here to have enjoyed the life I have had. Haha.
 My dad even wrote a book about his experiences during the war. His book is now in the British War Museum as an account of an ordinary soldiers experiences in WW1. He was not particularly well educated, alwasy used to say he was self educated and he was quite well informed, but he managed to write an account of the 4 years of the war. My hat is off to him even though he has no longer been with us  since 1976.

My dad on the right in full uniform,uncle on left grandpa and grandma with two aunts.

I think I am never going to get back to sewing  the way things are going. I will definitley not be doing anything until after Adam leaves for home. Not a huge loss since it has been wonderful to have him with us . I am contemplating going to my groups next week , Pat said she would drive me and if I can get hold of Juliet to bring me back home I will be all set. Time will tell if this becomes a plan LOL.
Cute picture of two other great grandchildren Hailey Rose and Jolie Anne, both in Quebec.

See no evil Speak no evil haha!! or I can't stand listening to all this slurping LOL.

Hailey Rose it the eldest and Jolie Anne the baby.

That's it for tonight dear friends.

Bonne Nuit.

outside my window

Big bright lights in the park beyond my window. They must be making a movie. Tom Cruise, Katie and Suri are in town while Tom makes his movie. I am convince they are filming just outside LOL.
We had a very busy day today and I am very tired now and quite stiff too. Who knew! 
We went to the bank this morning to take care of some business, then went to Metrotwon for a bit of lunch, KFC,one piece each. You know they used to make really good chicken but it's not the same any more. Too bad another thing off the list.
By then I was tired and we came home while I lay down for a little while. We had to go to our own doctor to get renewals and then to Safeway for the prescriptions. I made dinner !!! Not really hard cooking but I did boil water and add some tortellini, opened a jar and heated up the sauce. How hard is that but it is something . By then I was stiff and sore.
There was no sewing or embroidery going on. When will normal come back to my life I wonder.
Adam and Sam went over to Sechelt on the ferry to have a look at a house they own there . I hope they had a good day.
Here is a photo of Emilie, I hope it isn't one you have already seen.

This photo epiomizes the phrase Cute as a bunny doesn't it.

My dear granddaughter Kate in the frozen north, She calls it a glamour shot and she does look glamorous.

I did look in my stash for background fabric for Charlotte's quilt and I don't think there is enough of anything to make a quilt so back to Fabricana, oh how dreadful.... You know the drawers are full bit so much of itis smaller pieces, I need to start the process of cleaning out those drawers.

That's my day, I hope you all have a lovely evening.

Buena Notte.

Good for me

Whew I finally had an almost normal day. We went out for a bowl of soup at Tim Horton's at lunch time and went for dinner at TOPS for dinner. Not a ton of walking as I am still on shaky pins but with a bit of help from Adam I managed.

And my DDIL sent up some beautiful Mardi Fabric something I wanted for a couple of years. Thanks you so much Lisa!! It is gorgeous!!
I am thinking of a project to make  that won't require too much cutting into the design which is all Mardi Gras masks , such an exciting piece  of fabric. It makes for dreams in my head. I know I'll dream about it tonight. What does that say about my life LOL.
I am thinking about cancelling my subscription to the newspaper, all the news is old by the time it gets to my door. Oh I think I have made this complaint before and I'm still taking it. I like the colomnists opinions of things and l like the routine of having my coffee and reading the paper so I guess I will continue to take it.
Hockey game tonight Canucks and the Ducks. And of course we are watching :))
I think I'll do some cutting tomorrow, blank background blocks for Charlotte's quilt and maybe a rug mug. Oh I forgot we have two appointments tomorrow, the lady from the hospital is coming to check out our apartment for places I might fall. Funny that . I have never fallen at home always somewhere else but it will do no harm to get suggestions.
We are contemplating  moving my PC downstairs, Ray does not want me to climb the stairs. I have my own doubts about that too with my spaghetti legs haha. We'll wait for Jim to come down from Edmonton, he'll do that job for me, he doesn't like me going up and down the stairs either. So changes coming up!!
Tonight is my guild night and I am not going once again because I am not sure that I can sit on those chairs for 2 hours. My back is feeling a lot better so I want it to stay that way. But next month for sure.
Do you know: the three most popular dogs in Canada are the  German Shepherd, the Golden Retriever and the Chihuahua. It's a good thing to know isn't it, another useless piece of information LOL.
My musings for tonight are done so good night all and have a great evening.
God Aften.....

Crossing the border

Our dinner arrived by plane across the international border LOL.
Adam brought Louisiana gumbo which Lisa had made for our dinner. It was delicious, thanks Lisa!! Adam also made rice and corn bread. We had never had corn bread before and it was delicious.  We'll have that again but won't be able to replicate Lisa's Gumbo though. It was so good to see him again , we haven't gotten together since October, so I am very happy he was able to come for a visit.
He was telling us that little Adam his grandson likes to help him make the corn bread, so we have another cook in training ,all men LOL. My dad was also a good cook and made all the major dinners, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and Sunday dinners. As you know Ray is also a great cook and all my sons like to cook. Good genes LOL .
Once again I did not get out of the house ,just sat around and rested if I wasn't in bed resting. I should be in good shape when I finally get better after all this resting.
I knitted a bit and found some shorter needles of the right size which made the process a lot easier. Most of my knitting needles are in a large case which constains all sizes but they are really long and awkward. I think I bought these smaller ones  when I was in Quebec and they are just the right length for knitting dishcloths.
Charlotte has gained a pound in 4 days so she is up to 6 pounds 9 ounces. Good girl Charlotte you are doing it right.  I am looking forward to seeing her on the 18th at her coming out party , our little debutante :))
Matthew joined us a bit later and shared some gumbo and corn bread. He stayed for a while and chatted. Nice seeing both of them.
I am going to close off for now, no pictures and not much news. Sorry about that folks.
Again tomorrow.
Have a good evening.

sleeping the day away

I am really in a bad way today, slept most of the day, we did not go out the door. Funny how recovery is, two days forward, one day back.Weird eh!
But I look forward to using up all the antibiotic pills hoping that will make me feel better. What a thing to look forward to. I should look forward togetting my life back, sewing Tuesday, Guild on Wednesday once a month, classes with Kathy, lunch with friends. What a wonderful life I had and will have again. LOL
We had a very quiet day, well I guess it's quiet when you spend most of the day sleeping :)))
I have changed my mind about the quilt for Charlotte and will do the background in cream and the sashings in that beautiful pink plaid I bought recently. It will look great!!

Charlotte c

ontemplating...

Okay dad what was that all about.

Charlotte is living the good life LOL

Tonight I think I'll look at my fabric, isn't that exciting folks?  I have four  drawers full so that may take up a bit of time and I can dream about all the things I plan to do. My mind is set on making more little mug rugs, easy and not too time consuming.

http://tinyurl.com/4kryoj9

Here is an example of a simple rug. There are a number of tutorials on making them on the internet. Fun little quilts to make.

I use the one I made every day.

So that's it for the day , have a lovely evening. Love you all.

watchin' the Super Bowl

And so Ray made sauerkraut and ribs in the oven for our sit in front of the TV dinner, it was delicious. We both wanted seconds but restrained ourselves, not hungry just greedy. the tast was so good / But we were good too and did not have seconds :((
I called Adam and he said he was making sauerkraut and sausage for SB dinner.
As for the rest of the day Ray did the housework and I did the bills and business, that's not too trying on a body.
Adam is coming Tuesday from Louisiana and Lisa his wife is sending up 2 containers of Gumbo. Adam says he will make rice and cornbread to go with the gumbo. I am surrounded by men who cook. How lucky can you get.
We did take a short trip to the bakery for bread but we were not out long. I had to come home for my antibiotics, they neeed to be taken 3 times a day ,8 hours apart. Need to be watchful on that score.
And I continued to read my book, almost done. Then it iwll be tome to move on.
It is hard to  write a blog when you don't do anything or go anywhere, so I am looking forward to the day when I can go out.
I told you I wanted to get some pretty background fabric for Charlotte's quilt, that will be my first trip and I have decided to go with pink.
Speaking of quilts here is a heart quilt that I made many years ago when I first started quilting.

The blocks were mostly sent to me by a small group I was on, the group has since disbanded but I keep in touch with a few of them.  There were not enough blocks to make a complete quilt , some blocks were small and some were large. I managed to make them all the same size ,some of the 6 inch blocks that came in had to have 3 more 6 inch blocks made to make a 12 inch block but it was a fun and challenging quilt to do and I like the offset inner border. I think this quilt is appropriate for the season. I have several more heart pieces so you'll  be seeing them this month.

Have a lovely evening folks.

Kalispera.