Two of a Kind

My computer seems to be at war with me.  For a few days, I couldn't access Messenger directly from Facebook.  That is now working but I have another problem.  When I reply to someone on the Hearts to Hands on line group, I get a Yahoo message saying my post has been blocked.  Even if I initiate one, the same thing happens.  Gremlins abound.

These are the two quilts I am working on right now.  The one on the left is my own pattern and the one on the right is for a customer.  As you can see, I am partial to two colour quilts.  It isn't evident in the black and white quilt photo but it is made with two different 2 toned fabrics.  One has  black print and the other gray.  Both are the same pattern but different shades.  This is my favourite pattern design and I have a number of them in my stash.    When I see a fabric I like, I always check to see if the designer did another with the same pattern but opposite colours.  If so, I buy it.  

We had a fairly warm day today so I did some weeding and a bit more transplanting.  Grass needs cutting but I can't start the lawnmower so that will have to wait for hubby.

Blessings,

The Blessing of Friends

I finished my customer's quilt this evening and it will be delivered tomorrow.  Have a label to put on another one so it can be sent off.  I  have two more orders to be finished but one isn't needed until Christmas so I have some breathing room.
In the meantime, I will get another UFO finished.  I bought a book on lap quilts recently and there are so many in there that I would like to make.  There always seems to be more projects than hours, doesn't there.
It was cool enough to need the wood stove lit this morning.  It has been a slow getting temperatures up to where they should be for spring which is hard on the farmers.
Are you having any problems with your Facebook account?  Mine has been slow loading and now I can't access my messages.  I have to go to yahoo mail and click onto Messenger from there.  Not sure what is happening with it.  If I am the only one, I will have to get my tech guy to have a look at it.

We have now been on our little bit of country glory for 11 years.  We arrived in May of 08 on the 24th.  It is hard to believe that much time has passed already but it also seems we have been here much longer.  There have been a lot of changes on our road.  Most of the properties have been sold and a number of the houses have changed hands.  Four neighbours have died-two of them were close friends and not of an age where it was to be expected.  I expect we will see a lot more changes as time goes on.
We left behind a lot of good friends when we moved here but have gained many more.  For that we are grateful.  I hope you, too, have many friends to share your life even if they are a different species.
Blessings,

Quilting Fun

The photo below was taken on Mother's Day.  I decided to have some fun with a photo editing program and made a few changes.  I added streaks to my son's hair, darkened his beard and did some 'beautifying' on my image.  It is amazing what a difference some airbrushing and blemish removal can do.  I can see why some well known people aren't recognized in public.

We had an interesting day at quilting.  I got there a bit late and was shown the little bunny that had decided to join in the fun.  He/she was quite content in its little corner nibbling on some greenery that the quilters found for it. It eventually hopped out the open door and went back to its family where it had , no doubt, and interesting story to tell.

A bit later one of the husband's arrived with the tiny cockapoo that he and his wife had bought a couple of weeks previously.  Toby brought everything to a halt as everyone had a turn telling him how precious and soft he was.
We did eventually get some quilting done as well as a sharing of finished projects.  It was a fun, if somewhat unusual, day,
Blessings,

Rain Check

After two days of lovely weather, it was followed by another of rain.  This was my cue to bake.  I made some cookies for hubby and muffins for me.  I haven't baked either for such a long time I had to carefully watch the recipes.  I must have concentrated enough as they turned out alright.
I got a few other odds and ends done as well.  I wanted to move my computer stand a couple of inches to the right so I could sit more centred with the keyboard.  With the help of my burly hubby, I got that done.  The new position works so much better.  I was always either hitting the wrong keys or having my mouse drop off the tray.  I can also see out the window better so if company arrives I will know before the dog starts barking-theoretically,
I was supposed to be away helping a friend today but as some of the day would have been spent going back and forth to her vehicle we decided it wouldn't be much fun in the rain.  We took a rain check (Ha!) and will try again tomorrow.
The trees are really starting to green up as are my berry plants.  I am really anxious to see how they do this year.  They were planted in the fall so this will by my first season for the fruit.  We won't get a lot for a couple of years but I am hoping for a few.  the proper name is haskaps if you would like to look them up.


We are also planning for some new arrivals as our little banty chicken is sitting on some eggs.  It is amazing how many she can get under herself especially as they are regular sized eggs.  If all goes well, we should have some little chicks near the middle of June.
Blessings,

A Day of Accomplishments

Isn't it nice when you have a day where you feel you have accomplished something.  I transplanted some of my day lilies (still a lot more to go), got a quilt half finished (lots of appliques so lots of rolling back and forth), made half a dozen mug mats and did some work on a web page.  I also went for a nice long walk with our wee dog.
I was surprised and pleased that I was able to both go for the walk and then the gardening right after.  Last year, I could barely make it to the driveway before I had to stop and try to breathe.  I am not back to normal but so much better that I am not complaining.
I have been watching the news report about the fire in northern Alberta.  We have so many friends in that Province that anything that affects it is a concern.
Our trees have a nice crown of green now.  The leaves aren't very big but they are there.  We seem to get a different bird each day.  Today, a little yellow finch joined the hummingbirds, jay, grosbeak and  sparrows.  The blackflies have also made an appearance but, although they are a nuisance, they aren't biting yet.  Tomorrow, I hope to get the garden planted and my favourite lounge chair plus the umbrella put up on the deck.
Blessings,

Victoria Day Happenings

It is rare that I meet a quilter and don't feel an immediate kinship.  Such was the case on Saturday when I was at our art centre's grand reopening.  I dropped in for (what was to be) a few moments to see how things were going and ended up being there for nearly an hour.  As I was leaving, I heard one of the visitors mention 'quilting' and popped right back in.  She was a new quilter but was already addicted.  I mentioned there was a group that met in the village and gave her the information about it and my card.

I have often done this without seeing the person again but this lady showed up today and immediately fit right in.  Even bought us some Timbits.  Now that is a lady with the right attitude!  

She is not a full time resident yet but we are hoping that changes.  

I am making little mug and snack mats.  They are fun to make and a nice quick project.

I also tried doing something a bit different and made a little slide show with some of my quilt pictures.  If you would like to see it, just click on the arrow on the block.

Hope you had a safe and happy Victoria Day weekend,
Blessings,

First Holiday Weekend.

The first long weekend of the spring/summer.  Normally, this is the time of year when gardens are planted, cottages cleaned and people sit around bonfires and roast marshmallows.  This year it is still now warm enough to plant but the village was busy with visitors.  Many will be going to their cottage and they will be spending their time cleaning up from the flooding.  Of course, those that live here year round have already gone through that so perhaps they will be able to relax for the next couple of days.
I completed my customer's web site although I do have a few additions to make when I get some more information.  It has been quite a week with my back letting me know that it objected to so much sitting.
I have also started putting together some cute little mug mats to sell at our art centre.  Tomorrow is our grand opening and I am hoping it will be a good year for sales.  I need quite a bit of work on my car to keep it going for a while longer so I need the money.  I only have 136,000 km on it but the salt and pot holes on the road take their toll.
If you had signed up for the QAL , you should have received an email from me today.  If you didn't , please let me know.
Enjoy your weekend and please stay safe.
Blessings,

The More Things Change....

Do any of these comments sound familiar to you?

THE YEAR WAS 1955...

 Did you hear the post office is thinking

about charging 7 cents just to mail a letter?              

If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody

will be able to hire outside help at the store.                        

  When I first started driving, who  would have

thought gas would someday cost 25 cents a gallon? 

Guess we'd be better off leaving  the car in the garage.                       

 Did you see where some baseball player just signed

a contract for  $50,000 a year just to play ball?

It wouldn't surprise me if someday  they'll be making

more than the President.                       

  I never thought I'd see the day  all our kitchen

appliances would be electric. They're even making

electric typewriters now.        

  It's too bad things are so tough  nowadays. I see

where a few married women are having to  work to

make ends meet.        

  It won't be long before young   couples are going to

have to hire  someone to watch their kids so they

can both work.                                                                                                     

 I'm afraid the Volkswagen car  is going to open the

door to a  whole lot of foreign business.        

Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when

the government takes half our income in taxes.

I sometimes wonder if we are  electing the best

people to  government.         

The fast food restaurant is  convenient for a quick

meal, but I seriously doubt they  will ever catch on.         

  There is no sense going on short trips any more

for a weekend. It  costs nearly $2.00 a night to

stay  in a hotel.        

No one can afford to be sick anymore.  At $15.00

a day in the hospital, it's too rich for  my blood.                       

If they think I'll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it.         

Flowers

Just a quickie tonight.  I have been working on a customer's web site all day.  Had it almost finished and I hit an incorrect button and all my work disappeared.  Oh, joy.
Didn't get anything else done today.  Hubby even had to get supper although it was my turn.  He also made me another flower garden where I can plant my hollyhocks, delphiniums and other old fashioned flowers.

My garden won't look at nice as this but it will still give me pleasure to see the colour as I come up the drive way.

Blessings

UFO Done

I hope all you ladies had a wonderful Mother's Day.  A mother can be many things.  We can have steps, grandchildren we raise, be a foster mom, a Big Sister, have fur children, a mentor.  You could be a Scout, 4-H or other leader.  Whatever you do in life, if it involves children you are a mother or mother substitute.  You have a massive and eternal impact on the children in your life.
We went to Orillia to have brunch with my dear mother-in -law.  She has some health issues but, thanks to the wonderful care she receives, is doing much better than would normally be the case.  I took some photos while there and here is one of Mum and her 3 surviving children.  Her oldest daughter died a number of years ago and is, of course, still great missed.  It was completely coincidental that the 3 siblings wore the same colour tops.

Love This Photo

I finished the binding on my quilt and added it to the pile. 

 I haven't decided if I am going to keep it for the guest bed or offer it for sale yet. It is double bed sized so would fit the bed nicely if I do decided to keep it. This is another project off my UnFinished Objects (UFO) list.

Blessings,

The Soap Opera is Over

I do think my months long cell phone saga might be over.  A short recap.  I bought a fitbit and then discovered I couldn't connect it to my current cell phone.  I bought another phone and gave the old one to my husband.  The new one didn't work in our area-no service, so took it back and got another.  It also didn't work so I sold that one to our Art Centre and bought yet another phone.  It got better reception but still couldn't link up the watch.  To make things more complicated, the watch did work with the phone I sold the Art Centre.
I finally came up with a solution.  Traded the Art Centre for my latest phone, switched SIM cards and now everything is working fine.  I still don't have great reception but I have ordered a booster and will probably be changing to another carrier which works better in this area.
So, done with all that.  It has been like a funny, bad soap opera.

I didn't get much done today other than that.  Tomorrow, I am back to quilting and hope to have a photo to show.  My best wishes to all the mother's who are reading this.  You have the most valued and underrated job in the world.  I will see my very dear Mother-in-law on Sunday as well as my son which will make my day very special.
Blessings,

A Young Techie

There isn't anything like a rainy day to get you working in the house.  When the warmer, sunnier weather arrives, I like being outside which means housework and, more importantly, quilting doesn't get done.  I always hope for at least one icky day to catch up.
I finished getting out the last of my summer clothes although they aren't ready to be put in the closet yet.  The amount of winter clothing I have seems to have increased since the fall and I had trouble getting them all stored away.  I did set aside quite a lot to be given away but it doesn't seem to have made much difference.
I almost have half the quilt on the frame done.  I was having a bit of trouble with skipped stitches even though I had done all the usual check list of steps.  I then remembered a member of the Grace on line forum mentioning that we shouldn't have our quilts pulled too tightly.  This is a bad habit of mine.  So I loosened the side clamps a bit and Gracie is now humming along without a stutter.
I have made an appointment to talk to a techie at our local library to see if she can get my phone and watch synced.  She is a young girl-just the right age to know all these things so am hopping she will be able to figure out the problem.  I am just stymied with this thing.
Got to Skype with my sisters this afternoon which is always special.  So, all in all a nice day.  Tomorrow, we are off to Huntsville to get the results of a medical test and do some shopping.  It is supposed to be another wet day so I am hoping to get the customer quilt all but finished.
Blessings,

Yellow finch and Bluejays add Colour to the Garden.

We got quite a bit of work done today. I was thinking while my hubby was outside cutting trees into workable lengths that as soon as one winter is over, you start getting ready for another.  A neighbour came over later in the day and cut down about 20 more trees that were either leaning toward the house, dead or in the way of where we want to put a shed.  They will also become firewood.
I got some of my winter clothes put away and summer ones put in the closet.  Still have more to hang but I have got started anyway.  I put quite a few articles in a pile to be given away but still have far more than I need.
I transplanted a few perennials bit still have more of them to do.  I am moving some from what started out to be a rock garden and ended up as a home for wild raspberries.  They seem to be almost impossible to control so I will give them that area and perhaps they will crowd themselves out.
I did a bit more work on the customer quilt and finished the binding on another so I can mark that one off.
I am finding it hard to stay inside on these lovely sunny days.  The bugs will be arriving soon so I want to enjoy the outdoors as much as I can now.  I have my hummingbird feeder out although it is a bit early.  A friend has already had a visitor to hers so I am ready just in case.  We had a beautiful yellow finch at the regular feeder today and I could here the bluejays although they didn't make an appearance.  I usually get a couple of pairs hanging around so perhaps they are busy building their nests right now.
Blessings,

Anyone for a Snack?

 I have  completed one set of a new idea.  I am making a few sets of these snack mats (12X12) which will be sold individually or as a set.  I got the idea one evening as hubby and I were having some potato chips as we watched television.  The crumbs were getting on the furniture and our clothing (yes, we are messy eaters) and I thought that having a small mat that I could drape over my lap to catch the bits would be a good idea.  Also, we sometimes do the veggie and dip thing with a cup of green tea and the mats would add a nice touch.  I think some in for different seasons and holidays would also be fun. So here we are.  What do you think?  The mats will be for sale at the northernartsmarket.ca and the Burk's Falls Art and Crafts Centre.

This is hubby's latest Maude Lewis inspired painting.  That is us in the cutter.  I have always wanted to do a sleigh ride with just the two of us  under the moon and stars.  This painting may be the closest I get.
I got to use my solar clothes dryer on the weekend.  Lovely to have that outdoor smell on the laundry again.
Blessings,

I am Back

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post. I have been busy with a number of things. I have been working on a customer's web page as mentioned before as well as trying to get my new phone and watch synched. It shouldn't be that difficult but I am beginning to think I am a real ditz because it isn't working on this phone. Did on the other one but not this. I am sure it will get sorted out in time.
I haven't been getting much quilting done except for binding on a quilt.  Another is loaded on the frame but is as far as it have got.  I haven't even been working on my QAL. I did something to my back so it has been difficult to stand or sit for long.
I did get two magazine articles written, made a large pot of chili and went to a number of meetings.    Our snow has finally left completely, the flooded areas in the village are subsiding and there are buds on the lilacs and trees.  My little great nephew who had such a difficult start to his life is thriving which is a great joy and blessing to all of his family.
So, that is where I am.  Hope to get back to normal now.  I may even have some photos to share.   In the meantime, I hope you are all  able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warming temperatures.

If you are like me and are always looking for alternatives to using chemicals, you will find the following information useful.


1. Take one capful of hydrogen peroxide (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.



2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.



3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.



4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.



5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.



6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to 10 minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.



7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.



8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold or plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.



9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for 10 minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.



10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change.



11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help get rid of boils, fungus, or other skin infections.



12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.



13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

14. Another place it's great is in the bathroom, if someone has been careless, has peed on the floor around the toilet, and it's begun to smell of urine. Just put some peroxide in a spray bottle spray. In the blink of an eye all the smell will be gone and the bacteria eliminated!

Blessings,