another rainy day

http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/cutting-corners/2012/03/30/dainty-blossoms-couch-pincushion/

This is a very useful piece. I made several of these and sold them when I was first quilting. Mine were not exactly like this but the idea was the same. I did not take pictures in those days.

http://thequiltrat.blogspot.com/search/label/sew%20slip 
This blog describes how to make your own sew slip rectangle for your sewing machine. I bought one at the Houston 3 years ago , I know there are two different clmpanies who make these pieces but I can't recall which one I bought . It never worked for me , kept getting caught up in the quilt and not sticking to the machine. I was very disappointed. It would be cheaper to try one that you make yourself to see if it works. So here is the blog that tells you how to do that.

Weather Report. It rained like crazy all day, a very heavy rain.
Kind of chilly .

Having a good chin wag over the back fence. My first Mother in Law used that expression and it suits this picture to a T .  I wonder what they are saying and who they are talking about . Anyway it looks like a good gossip doesn't it?  Just boys having fun! :))

My Iraqi vet, 3 tours of duty over there now out of the army. In my webshots there is an album of his adventures in Iraq or somewhere close by.

Check out here http://www.webshots.com/user/nanboudreau/myboyiniraq  You can see some of the photos he sent me.

Do you like devilled eggs? Then fancy them up like these ones. All it takes is an egg, a carrot, a black olive, some mayonnaise and if you like salt. Then with these ingredients you can make the cute little guys.

I've been trying to get one of my photos off my webshots albums. It takes a ton of fooling around with no success. I wish there was a formula for doing this. If anyone knows how to do it will you please e mail me the details . My address is nanb@shaw.ca

I learn everything for my friends on the internet.

We took Margaret to the casino today, it was fun and we enjoyed ourselves. She was the lucky one so she came home happy.

Early in the day we went to shop for groceries. Ray shopped and I sam on my walker seat and thumbed through the quilt magazines. I had fun and he was happy because the bill was under a hundred dollars. When I shop with him it is never under a hundred, LOL.

The line up at Tim's was so long that it stretched along the store so we decided to forgo coffee today. It was a crazy day out there with lots of cars and lots of people. I wondered what was going on.

I am the very fortunate mother who has five sons. Whne one tires another takes over . I am gilled with love for them.

I'm tired and my brain is out to lunch haha. So I'll be signing off for this evening. I hope you all had a good evening.

Good night.

quilts

http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/quilting_projects

Lots of free quilt patterns .

My day was very productive. I went to the doctor because the skin where my pic line used to be is a mess and very itchy so she gave me a cortisone cream which she said it would help. We will see LOL.
 I came home and sewed the last piece on to my quilt so now all three rwos are put together. Next is the borders and the one inch strip that goes on first. It will be the same dark purple as the stars.
Now I need to go and buy a piece for backing and for the outer border. What about this one!

So after I sewed I made dinner. I didn't say cooked dinner but made it. It was Mrs. Callander's chicken pot pie which is warmed up in the microwave and a cole slaw from a bag LOL. I just hd to add the mayonnaise and a bit of mustard. So it was easy but at least I had the strength and energy to do the job. I am trying to give Ray a break from everything he has done for me. So I do as many jobs as I am able. But I am feeling very strong right now and after nearly a year and a quarter of being in trouble this is fabulous!!

I saw some nice dogs and the owners made them pose for a photo. Nice people around here I'd say. A woman  in a stopped car asks if she can take a picture of your dog. They never ask why, just say yes, amazing But I guess I don't look dangerous. Haha how little they know.

Here'sthe big guy, doesn't he look gentle and kind. I wouldn't mind being his mommy.

Here's the little guy , he looks rather pugnacious don't you think.

Hush hush sweet Charlotte, spilled something did you. That's why the guilty look eh! Now what should a girl do when she makes a mess LOL.

Got to give the kitties some time. I love this picture of the kitten in the corner. Stay away!!

The things I like as you probably know are dogs, cats, babies, kids, quilts, flowers and sunshine LOL. These are my favourite things and thus make me smile and be happy.

Weather Report:  We had rain all day , now as night is approaching the sun comes out. The weather is frivolous and unpredictable.

  From the Vancouver Umbrella Shop. Wouldn't you know Vancouver would have an umbrella store LOL

Edouard Manet, Lady with a parasol, isn't she beautiful. I am constantly amazed at how these artists can paint lace. We had a fabulous show at the art gallery a couple of years ago of Dutch artists. The protraits were incredible and the lace was unbelievable.

Check the lace, can't remember who the artist is. Actually it didn't say, I went back and checked.

Time is up folks. Have a great evening.

Bon soir.

 

clamshell

http://crazyoldladiesquilts.blogspot.com/2011/08/clambake-tutorial.html  A long tutorial on how to do a clamshell quilt, it needs a template so all the pieces will be  alike.

I will be late tonight on writing my blog tonight. It is because our AGM for the complex is this evening. We have to vote on a huge  assessment for a new roof. It should be an interesting event.

A rare sighting of a Bluebird down in  Washington state.

He is so cute, we rarely see this little guy and I haven't seen him yet. But he made the front page of the paper this morning.

We headed out this morning after Ray's visit to the dentist for cleaning. He is 75 and has most of his original teeth except the couple in the front where he knocked them out riding his bike down the mountain side in Thunder Bay . BOYS!!  We sent up to Metrotown and had a Quizno's small sandwich and broccoli and cheese soup. It was very tasty. Lots of places make soup nowadays and it is good all the time. I am a soup lover anyway so try them all. It helps keep my weight down whereas ice crean and chocolate are BAD.

We were looking for a copper pot that was advertised on Home Sense.  The clerk said they didn't have any and that one other person asked for it too. I wonder why they advertise on TV and don't have the product.  Wasteful isn't it. Maybe we'll try it again.

Adam in his baseball uniform. Cute picture. A little athlete is our Adam.

And getting the most out of  life. All the colours of the universe in one box of crayons. Neat isn't it?

We had an event last night and didn't get enough sleep so when We came home form the mall I had to go for a nap. When I get really tired I get all shaky, legs and hands just shake like I have  the palsy or Parkinson's. I asked the doctor about that but she said I don't have it. It is just a sign of weakness and it ony occurs when I am really tired.

I love this one , it makes me laugh!! We've also had twice as long to spend it LOL.

No news from Tom yet about my embroidery machine. I just wish he would let me know what is going on if anything. I think I may begin to look around for another one if this can't be repaired.

I am missing it a lot.

I did a bit of sewing today,  the sashing strips are on needing to be sewn to the secong row of blocks. Then the  borders need to be done and it goes to the quilter. However I have to buy the border fabric so I'll get Ray to take me to Fabricana as they have the kind if fabric I like. Also the ladies there are very helpful , helping with the choices that look the best.

Big boys !

Time for me to leave you.

Have a good evening.

home

Sitting at home for the day as the comuter man came , the water man came, and the cleaning lady came. We try to keep out of her way. But after she is finished we are going to Safeway to pick up a prescription. And Jean we don't like to  stay at home all day. We are as you say Road runners. But at our advanced age it is good to be on the go, keeps the joints oiled or cripples us , one or the other. haha.
We did go to Safeway and had a coffee and lemon poppy seed cake for an afternoon snack. The we went to the garage for gas which is a heart rending situation :((

I got a lot of photos of little Adam who is not that little any more. Aaron had them on his facebook and I saved them.

He won something LOL. He is quite athletic , loves baseball and other games. Plus as I told you he is musical too. And a top student. We are proud of his accomplishments.

Adam and his grandma Gloria, the banana in the middle is Aaron , his dad.  haha. Funny guy.

This is Louisiana, now this guy looks really mad, good thing they were in the car. There are lots of alligators in this park. I always like to go there whenever I go to Louisiana. Adam what is this park called? You can tell us in the comment section of the blog. We'll be happy to hear from you my dear.  I got a lot of alligator photos of Aaron's blog.

Big guy, one to stay away from .  I love to look but don't want to get too close haha. He is looking for dinner don't you think?

Rose taking over her grandpa's, Dad's dad, chair and his TV channel changer. Clever girl !!! LOL. She looks so proud doesn't she. I'll get to see Rose and Charlotte on my birthday next week. All my boys will be here too, oh happy day.

I wonder why I can't write in the blank space beside the  photos. Hey I seem to have found a way Hurrah!

Ray is talking to his sister Gerry on the phone right now and it doesn't sound very good for Marion, not that anything can be good for my dear Sister in Law at this stage of her cancer. We don't know how she is hanging on at all. People are absolutely amazing with their strength of will!!  My prayers are with her.

I am going to my sewing machine to sew a couple if seams to get my blocks ready for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful evening my friends.

Bon Soir.

Cathedral windows

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/03/cathedral-window-pincushion.html
Oh such a beautiful pincushion, cathedral windows. Won't this make a lovely gift for a sewing friend and also for yourself of course. Have fun with this one.
http://www.lecienusa.com/blockofmonth
Some beautiful applique flowers here. A challenge but gorgeous.

We went to the clinic to have my pic line removed but the clinic did not have an order from the doctor so the nurse said she would call the doctor and get the order then come over to our place to remove it.
Later on in the day she came over with the order and took the line out. It wasn't dreadful but it was a bit of a pain. It bled for quite a while after the removal. Now it is very itchy but by tomorrow it will be a lot better I hope. The nurse is going to call tomorrow to see how the night went.

After that we trekked out to Surrey to Shaw , our cable provider, our internet provider and our telephone provider. All the same company :))  Our bill was so high this month and going higher next month. We had a great young woman helping us. She removed a lot of channels that we never used, got my internet down from the high download type we had . She save quite a bit of money. We'll see how this goes. So far so good.

After we went to the I HOP next to Tom's for a bit of lunch and then over to Tom's but he wasn't there so I could not ask him  about my machine. I did look around but the store he is in now is very small and didn't accomodate my walker very well. That made it hard to look around so I didn't buy anything. His stock is low because of the fire. When his new store opens I'll go over, maybe with Kathy if she is availale. Then I won't have to listen to Ray fret LOL. He does not like going into quilt shops even though he does try and be patient. However I am always aware of him so leave before I want to do so .
This is a cute quilt that Tom is giving a class on Saturday. It uses 2 1/2 squares throughout.

Except for the ears and the tails, half square triangles.

The Scotty dogs are all in light beige prints.

Another of Tom's classes , this is a very attractive design.

Finally we came home and waited for the nurse to come. I began to work on my sashing. Unfortunately I didn't get a lot done since I made some errors and had to rip the stitching out. But I did get the last row of sashing made and pinned to the two rows already done ,then realized I had to make some more of the posts for the last row. By then I was tired and ready to call it a day. So I rested LOL but did not sleep.

Weather report, Rain today and this little doggie has on his bright yellow raincoat. This way the cars can see him.

Some kids have a strange idea of good LOL. Rose sucking on daddy's thumb.

Time's up folks.

Have a good evening.

Selamat malam

sewing machine cover

http://www.free-quilting.com     
A free download of a pattern for a sewing machine cover. It is rather pretty.

http://www.mccallsquilting.com/articles/Vintage_View___FREE_Spinning_Spools_Quilt_Pattern?bc=c
If you are a pink lover this is for you. Of course you can use any colour you do  love.

Weather Report:  The sun went away today and the rain arrived. It was a bit cooler, yes quite a bit LOL.

I had to go to the eye specialist this morning. I haven't seen him for 18 months due to missing appointments because I was in the hospital. My eyes have been sore. However he declared them fine and then prescribed an antibiotic. I sure didn' t get that but Ray said it was to stop the pain. Since there is nothing wrong my assessment is that it is this laptop that is causing eye strain and as such eye pain.  I think I will call him tomorrow to see what is going on.
We went to Safeway to pick up something for Ray and bought a few groceries.
Then I had an appointment with the infectious disease specialist. He declared himself happy with my progress. Good news!!

Then we had to go back to Safeway for my prescription. While Ray was picking that up I bought some ice cream and one other item. Got the same cashier, She said"Are you planning on coming back again today ?" No was my response and we both had a laugh over that.

Picture of Jean's flowers in Delaware. It looks like spring arrived there early.

In response to your comment on yesterday's blog Jean, I guess we are a pair of roadrunners LOL.

Another Delaware  beauty. And no more bragging Jean . LOL No not really , keep sending them on.  Your photos are great!

I love hot chocolate or as these guys call it cocoa. LOL.

And today is Monday soooooo . Dreadful isn't it. I have always enjoyed Mondays even when I was working. I always felt it was a clean start so I had a clean start every week. As I was a teacher that was a good thing :))   Now that I am retired it is not quite the same as every day is a Monday and a clean start. That makes me a happy camper.

Margaret, my sister called to see if there was a non stop flight  from Vancouver to New Orleans. I've been to NO several times and always love going there but I have gone to Adam's in Lake Charles and he has driven me there. Sometimes he had business and I went along for the ride. I called him to see if he knew about Marg's question and he was at his band practice but said he would look that up when he got home.

A budding musician, Charlotte and Mom, Meaghan. I love when kids like the piano.  Our little Adam takes piano lessons from Grandma Lisa.  Great news!!

I did not take a nap this afternoon. Isn't that good!! After we got home I spent the time checking my e mail until it was time for dinner. We  bought chicken at Safeway so I had a piece for dinner . Of course as that was why we bought it. LOL.

It is time to go. Have a lovely evening and do something you like. Read a book, watch TV,applique haha,  play Solitaire or do something on your laptop.

Bon soir.

freebies

http://www.syverkstan.net/index-e.htm
Nice site, some freebies and some purchase patterns. I enjoyed the photos on the blog.That's all the newest sites for today.

Thanks to Mary and Jean for being smart enough to know that the round light was a basketball hoop. I looked today and it was Haha.


I helped Ray with the washing today, what a Good Wife !!!   LOL.

 

After it was all over we went out, of course we did, what else. Some days I would like to stay home so I could sew but he Wonderful Husband that he is likes to go out every day. It is probably good for us to walk around like that.  And I want to make him happy.

We went to The Crossings and had a bit of lunch at McDonald's. I had a chicken salad and Ray had nothing as there were all out of salads. I can tell you he was not happy and walked away . He could have helped me with my salad as it was big but he didn't.  It was a very good salad and the chicken was delicious.

Looks good doesn't it. I do like salads.

Then we went over to London Drugs for some iron pills. I went to the cosmetics to buy some cheek colour or rouge as we used to call it. I put it in the basket and when it came up on the  bill at $15.99 I told the clerk it was not my intention to pay such a price and would she take it off the bill. She is a very nice girl and so she did. I deal with her often and like her.

Then we went to the computer department and Clayton was on today. We dealt with him a lot when I was buying my laptop and computer , another guy we like a lot. Of course he wanted to know where I had been. So we had a conversation. I bought 2 two gigabite memory sticks. I like to have a couple of extras for my embroidery machine which is not here at the moment.

 I hope now that Tom is getting back from the show he will have time to do something about my machine.

Lynn called tonight , that's Ray's daughter. Her son had an infection of the lining of his heart. It was terrible painful. He had to go to the hospital where they are treating him. I imagine he is getting antibiotics. He is still young  in his late twenties I think.

Poor Lynn  she has had a rough time lately and is quite distressed.

Once again after we got home I had to have a rest. I read my book for a while and then fell asleep.

Not that it is a boring book LOL. It is actually quite engrossing and written well. I tleads you on to want to keep on reading. The story is quite a novel , sorry , not a pun, story line.

Weather report. Another beautiful spring day , one of those days that I love. It is a very energizing type of day. Here is an example of Spring , the Forsythia. I was almost inside the bush LOL.

     

Time's up folks.

Have a wonderful evening.

                                                              

SPRING

It was a gorgeous morning all day LOL. Spring has definitley arrived in Vancouver. I finally saw a cherry tree in bloom.

We went out for breakfast to IHOP. ordered from the senior's menu but I wan't all that hungry so even the senior's breakfast was a bit too much. Across the street is a building that has had a series of uses and owners. Right now it is a Sushi restaurant , but previously it was originally a private home, then it was a funeral home and it was a restaurant and finally a Sushi house. It is a beautiful house , well constructed and has an unusual facade. 

After our meal we went grocery shopping. Ray did all the shopping and I sat on my walker seat and perused the quilt magazines. He actually prefers to shop for groceries as it costs him less when he does the jog. I buy to many luxuries such as make up, books, magazines, candies etc. You know how it goes. :))
Some things we saw on our visit to the bakery for bread and on the way home.

An old Cadillac lovingly restored and painted such a great colour.

I was not feeling up to par so we came home and I had a nap, so did Ray but he was just tired. He rarely sleeps well at night so he often has a nap.

I have some good pictures of things that are going on around our neighbourhood. New fences being  going up or old ones being fixed, mostly new ones though.  Spring is the time for renos.

New fence cement blocks and wood. Many of the local fences are wood, are quite old and are falling apart.

Another section of the fence in the process of being dismantled. Don't ask me what the thing that looks like the moon is, I don't know.

Especially on the road LOL, Everyone but me and thee is an idiot. HA!

That's all for now , my eye is just plain sore.

Have a lovely evening. Keep your oars in the water!!

Bon Soir.