Another Quilt Started

 We had a beautiful sunny, snowy day today.  My favourite winter day.  I finished up removing the snow from the deck and cleared the path to the driveway.  It was a pleasure being outside.  Hubby had gone to Huntsville to pick up a few much needed supplies and, when he got back, he got the van stuck.  It took a bit of effort but, between the two of us, we got it moving again and parked.  He said the store was very busy and it took longer getting through the check out that it did the shopping.

I hope those that received their pre Christmas gift are enjoying it.  I have a couple more to send but, other than those, their won't be any more.

I have started another customer quilt today.  It is going to be a challenge to quilt as the customer wants straight lines.  They are more difficult to do than anything else-for me anyway.

Stay well,

Blessings,

Two More Quilts Finished

 I hope everyone had a good Christmas.  Ours wasn't quite as we hoped as our stove didn't get hooked up.  We did enjoy a turkey dinner however, , complete with pumpkin pie and a small gift courtesy of our local Legion and their take out meal.  I am really glad that I thought ahead to to reserve a couple for us.

We had a very quiet day reading, watching television and relaxing.  We got to watch our grandchildren open their gifts and that was the best gift we received.  We are so proud of them (as I am sure you are of yours) and are  glad we can be part of their lives even if it is only through the internet.

We have had quite a bit of snow since Christmas so I am wearing off the extra goodies while shovelling snow. It was very heavy today so I only cleared the path and some of the deck.  I can get the rest tomorrow.  I think I mentioned that all of the Province of Ontario is in lockdown.  We are still allowed to have our church open but are restricted to 10 people.  We have divided the congregation and are having 2 services.  We took the 10 a.m. one and it was odd to be home so early.  I am not sure Heidi was happy about that.  She didn't have time to look for tissues or napkins to chew.

I finished these two quilts and marked them off my UFO list.  The top one has been put on the guest bed and the other is for sale.

The large quilt is my pattern.  Here is another photo of the same pattern done in different colours.

Surprise Gift Sent

 I have replied to all the requests for the Christmas surprise and I hope you enjoy your gift.  If it did not arrive or you have not yet requested yours, please let me know at annajb08@gmail.com  (zero eight)

Yesterday was exhausting.  Church in the morning with our Christmas celebration, my son came for a quick visit in the afternoon, dropped gifts off at a friends then home for supper, Facetime with the Grandkids before collapsing on the couch to watch TV.  I certainly slept well.  I am now completely finished the Christmas prep other than wrapping Hubby's gifts and the Christmas day meal.

Ontario is going into province wide restrictions on Boxing Day in an effort to control the spread of the virus.  It won't be difficult for us as we are retired and living in the country but I do feel bad for those who are small business people.  

I pray the world will start resuming some resemblance of normal next year.  Please look after your self: wash your hands, keep your distance and stay home as much as possible.  I would hate anything to happen to any of you,

Blessings,

Christmas Surprise.

 I was just looking for the Christmas gift I would like to send you all and haven't located it yet.  (Hubby just brought me in a nice snack.)  However, I am going to tell you what you need to do to receive it so I can send it out on Christmas eve.

If you would like to have my surprise in your In Box, send me an email to: annajb08@gmail.com.  Please note that that it is 'zero eight'.  You can then access your gift, download and print or keep  on your device. I want to do something special this year to acknowledge your encouraging comments and your faithfulness in reading.

Hubby and I had a nice surprise when a picture of our Christmas decorations was printed along with others from Ontario.  Here is the link:https://www.northbaynipissing.com/whatson-story/10286688-these-21-holiday-light-displays-are-spreading-festive-cheer-in-ontario-scroll-through-them-here/

You have to scroll down a bit to see ours in Burk's Falls.  It is the second one.  All the other lights are worth seeing as well.

I am not sure if I will be posting between now and the 24th so am wishing you a safe shopping and Christmas prep. time.  Please remember to observe all the covid restrictions so we can all be together in 2021.

blessings, 

Hard Boiled Eggs

 Here are two photos showing the quilting I did on my latest  customer quilt.  It is freehand (which is all I do).

I didn't seem to have a lot of energy today so didn't get much done.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.  I did manage to do one really dumb thing.  I put some eggs in a pot to hard boil this morning and put the pot on the wood stove. Sometime around lunch, I kept noticing an odd smell.  It was a while before I remembered the eggs.  Thankfully, there was still lots of water in the pot but those eggs were really cooked.

Blessings,

Batting Woes

 I have taken a couple of photos of the stitching on my customer quilt but haven't loaded them onto the computer yet.  I will do that tomorrow.

In the meantime, I have a question about something that I have never seen addressed.  When you are doing the hand stitching on your binding, how far apart are the stitches?  Do you think 1/4 of an inch is too far?  I was wondering this as I have been doing this queen sized quilt border stitch by stitch.

Another thought:  I used unbleached cotton batting for this project.  I will never, ever use it again.  It is dreadful to work with.  The batting shreds, sticks to everything and pokes through with the stitches.  A friend said she had the same problem.  She also said that she had told me but, of course, I don't remember.  I had bought a good quality batt-Hobbs Tuscany so I would hate to see what a cheaper brand would be like.

It sounds as though we might get a nasty snow storm this weekend.  Hubby got our smaller generator working so if we have an outage, we will still have some lights and a radio.

Blessings,

Quilt Finished

 Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my quilt.  I finished the top today and will start the binding this evening as I watch TV.  I had a bit of a set back when I discovered a couple of folds in the backing.  It is unusual for that to happen when quilting on a frame but, obviously not impossible.  I took most of yesterday to get it unpicked, straightened and reloaded.  Everything went well today and I was finished fairly quickly.  You have requested a photo of the quilting and I will do that.  Thank you for asking.

I also sent off another package for the grandchildren and a quilt that a friend did for another friends, friend.  Clear as mud?! LOL.  I prepare my parcels for shipping at home so they just have to be dropped in the mail box.  Quicker and no standing in line ups.  If you haven't tried ship in a click through Canada Post, I would recommend it.

I am doing self binding (bringing the backing to the front, fold and stitch in place) as is quicker and, I think, gives a retro look.  I also think it wears better.

I am thinking of having giving you all a little downloadable gift for Christmas so don't forget to keep reading.

Blessings,

Top Done

 I am tired.  I had a hard time staying asleep last night.  Every time, I woke up for any reason, I stayed awake for a while.  

I did get my quilt top finished and it is now loaded on the frame ready to quilt.  Here is a sneak peak.  Our weather is still warmish but the snow isn't melting.  We brought the totes inside today that contain all our decorations and I am planning on getting that done this weekend.

Going to bed early tonight,

blessings,

Decorating Started.

 Our  deck certainly looks a lot better in reality than it does in the photo but this is as far as I have got for decorating.  I plan on doing the indoors and finish this structure this weekend.  I have been sewing steadily all week and only have the last border to add to 2 sides of a top, about a foot to finish on the binding of another quilt.  I should be finished those and the quilting of another top before the 23rd.  Barring anything unforeseen.

One of the unforeseen events maybe a health bump.  Our community has remained covid free until yesterday when an employee at Tim Horton's acquired the virus and went to work.  Unfortunately, that is also the day a friend of mine went there, picked up a couple of tea orders and met me.  We did stay apart while visiting so hopefully we are okay.  It is frustrating when you try so hard to observe every regulations while someone else is lax.

We have about a foot of snow now so everything looks nice and wintery.  I didn't get out for a walk today but have been able to enjoy the fresh air most of this week.

Blessings,

A Welcome Cup of Tea

 Thank you, Karen, for sharing your experience with car failure.  I am restricting my travel to 10 km. each way which will take me to the village.  I miss driving little red but don't want to put my or any one else's lives in danger.

I spent most of the day shopping.  I had an appointment late this morning with my thyroid specialist and got great news.  No more scans or biopsy for two years.  I don't mind the scans but the freezing for the biopsy isn't fun.

I got my grocery and Christmas shopping done after that so am feeling that I accomplished something for the day.  I was also able to find some fabric at Walmart that I needed for the customer quilt.  I had been having a hard time finding a third colour to use for the borders and a friend suggested Walmart.  they have 5 fat quarter squares in exactly the shade of mauve I needed.  We don't have any fabric stores closer than an hour's drive in either direction so I have gotten used to buying on line.  However, there are times where you need something right away.  Walmart used to carry a nice selection of fabric once and I am hoping that our store will start doing that again.

It was well after three when I got home so the cup of tea my husband prepared was really welcome.

If you are looking for some quick and easy Christmas projects, check our Free Motion by the River.  She has great patterns, many of them free.  I have a number of her designs and am just trying to find time to make them,

Blessings,

Shopping Almost Done

 I have almost finished the majority of my Christmas shopping.  Of course, everything is for the grandchildren.  Everyone else gets taken care of next.  Our snow has been replaced by rain once again but we are forging ahead with preparations for the big day. We are fortunate that our area is not covered by any of the major covid shutdowns.  However, I am still doing a lot of my shopping on line except for what I do locally.

Got bad news about my car yesterday.  I picked it up from getting the snows installed and oil changed and the mechanic told me it is on its last legs-or wheels.  The undercarriage is badly rusted and there is a crack in something serious.  We have decided to hang on to it for emergencies and only use for driving into the village.  It will probably last for another year before I have to shoot it.  I should have had it undercoated every year but didn't.

Blessings,

Another Power Outage.

I was just getting ready to go into the studio to do some sewing after supper and the hydro went out again.  No storms, just light snow.  I had just turned on the clothes dryer and thought I had blown something but all was well.  Called a neighbour and theirs was out as well.  Bummer.

It came back on in less than half an hour so I can still get a bit done. Apparently the outage covered quite a large area.  The 2020 bugs are still at it.

My Self Watering Flowerpot

,

Blessings,
 

Mini Challenge

  This week didn't start out the way I would have hoped.  In the middle of Sunday afternoon, our hydro went out.  We were in the midst of a bad windstorm and the trees around us were swaying so wildly that I e4xpected at least one to come crashing down.  the hydro company said our power would be back on at 6 p.m.  It wasn't nor did we have electricity on Monday or Tuesday until  3 p.m..  I found afterwards that the effects of the wind covered a large area all around us.  It took longer to get our power restored than in most areas but we were just thankful when it did.

I am now caught up on housework and emails, have half finished the binding on one quilt and have another that only needs another pass or two before it comes off the frame.  I have also told hubby that we have to get our generator fixed.  I am getting too old for pouring water down the toilet to flush it.

I have a small challenge for anyone who would like a quick project. You have probably see scarves tied around trees and railings that are there for anyone that wants them. This is a similar idea. We all have long pieces of fabric left over from trimming etc. Braid 3 of these strips together and knot at either end. Drape them over a tree in your yard. Repeat until have covered as much as you can reach. Try to use bright fabrics. I think this touch of colour in your yard will be a great mood booster for passersby. You can also do this with ribbon or wool.

I would love to see your photos.

Blessings,

Poop

 The quilt on my frame is finished and tomorrow I load the customer top.  I likely won't get any more done than that as, after the Remembrance Day service, I have a meeting.  After supper, we Skype with the grandkids and then out to our mid week service.  Wednesday is always quite busy.  Thursday afternoon I have a doctor's appointment and Friday morning our church is packing the shoeboxes that will be sent to children in need.  That is this week.  Next week, the quilt group will be gathering on Monday for a cup of socially distanced tea and visit.  The Legion is big enough for us to get together safely.

I would love to have a whole week without appointments but that isn't likely to happen.  

This morning we took a neighbour over to another neighbour's where they were picking up some two month old chickens.  The woman brought her three year old who had us in stitches.  He petted the horses and ran a little puppy's legs off.  His biggest interest, however, was the 'poop'.  Every time he saw a bit (which is frequently on a farm)  he would announce it to everyone.  Such a lovely young man.  I am going to make a little quilt for him for Christmas. There is something about young children that brighten up your day.

Hope everyone is continuing to stay safe.  It doesn't look as though we are going to be rid of this virus for a while.

Blessings,

Coffee Filter Plates

 I am making progress.  I have the top of one customer quilt finished and only 4 more rows to complete the one on the long arm.  Of course, I have had two more quilts added to the pile by a friend and one needs to be done by Christmas.

My friend and her husband came over to watch the funeral service of our friends husband on Sunday.  It was live cast on Zoom which was an excellent idea in these times of restricted gathering.  We were able to support each other and then my hubby made a snack for us to share afterwards.

Our lovely weather continues and we are spending a lot of time sitting outside.

We learnt that our young granddaughter is quarantined because of a covid outbreak at her school in Alberta.  She is having to stay in her room until she gets the results of her test.  She is only 12; old enough to understand, young enough to be bored.

I copied this from a post on Facebook.  It was credited to Dottie Cate.  There are some really useful tips here.

DID YOU KNOW THIS?

Coffee filters .... Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11.. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

23. Use them to sprout seeds.. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..

25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

Blessings,

Preserving Finished

 Thank you Karen and Judy for your comments.  Glad you liked the quilt photo I shared, Karen.   The jelly roll quilt is so easy to do.  I prefer scraps rather than a purchased jelly roll.  Bet you do too.  Judy, I still haven't got all my winter clothes out but it is like spring right now so I can procrastinate a bit longer.

It has been an especially busy week with shopping and medical appointments.  I got notice that the husband of a dear friend died on Tuesday night so that has put me in a bit of a slump.  He had been ill for quite some time but you still hope that there will be more time.  He was a wonderful man; always joking and ready to help others.  He will be greatly missed.

I am (I know I keep saying this) all but finished my smaller customer quilt.  I am doing the last border.  It is pieced so it takes a bit longer.  As soon as I have it quilted, I will take a photo.

I think I have finished all my preserving.  I made a second double batch of pumpkin butter as well as some pepper jelly on Monday and I don't have any more room on my shelves.

Blessings,

Who Me?

 I had to go to our lab yesterday for some blood work and as I was waiting to go through the covid test, a lady said to me "Aren't you the newspaper lad"?  I thought it was rather odd that she recognized me as I had on my mask and my column photo is quite a bit out of date.  Year's ago when I drove a city transit bus, I would sometimes have people recognize me even though I was out of uniform. My favourite instance was when I was in a quilt store some distance from where I live and I was asked if I was the Backwoods Quilter. I have also had the same question when at a quilt show as I was writing a quilt magazine column by that name at the time.

It is rather an odd feeling to be a very minor celebrity and it always catches me by surprise.  I can imagine if you were very well known and you were unable to shop, eat in a restaurant or do anything ordinary without being recognized it would be annoying.  Fortunately, it is highly unlikely I will ever get to that point.

I managed to keep my hands on my sewing machine today and got another border on my quilt plus two more passes on the frame quilt. I took some time off for Hubby, Heidi and I to go for a walk in the bush.  We didn't stay out very long as I didn't realize it had got so cold and I wasn't dressed properly.  Guess I really do need to get those winter clothes out of storage.  We are supposed to get snow on Saturday and the weatherman said it will probably stay on the ground.  It seems to always snow for Halloween.

Blessings,

Walking in the Bush.

 Sometimes it pays to not get things done in a hurry.  I was almost finished my first customer quilt when I got a call asking if I could change it from a twin to double.  Fortunately, I was still adding the last border so it will be easy to enlarge.

We had a good pumpkin crop this year so we will be able to have lots of yummy desserts and soup.  Hubby cut them up yesterday, took out the innards and placed all the pieces in an our huge electric roast pan.  We let them cook until soft and then I removed the rind.  Today, I got it all pureed, made a double batch of pumpkin butter and froze the rest.  I was also going to make banana bread but didn't have enough flour.

I have been getting outside for a short walk every day (hip is preventing me from going to far) and little Heidi and I are really enjoying the fall smells.  She is very good on a leash and, although she would love to go dashing around, she slows down so I don't hurt myself.  Once in a while I let her run free and she just tears through the leaves with her ears flying in the wind.  Now that she is older, I can trust her to come back when I call.

Today as we were returning home, it started to snow.  It was very light so you could just feel a cold drop occasionally but it felt invigorating.  I must make an appointment to get my snow tires on.

Blessings,

Chubby Birds

 Thank you, Angie, for your kind words.  I appreciate so much the feed back from my readers.

I am back to what passes for normal today.  I slept in well past a decent hour but I was coughing a lot

through the night and then we had a scare around 2 a.m.  I was awoken from the middle of a dream by persistent ringing noise.  At first I thought it was the phone or the alarm on the clock before finally realizing it was the smoke alarm.  Hubby was up as well and was trying to get it to stop while I searched to find the fire or smoke.  There wasn't anything anywhere and the alarm was turned off so, after a final check to make sure stove etc. was off, we went back to bed.  I was still concerned that I might have missed something so I left the bedroom light on and dozed on and off for a bit before turning it off and getting back to sleep.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be woken by that sound and finding a room full of smoke!

I brought my Brussel sprouts in today.  They still aren't very big but we will get a feed or two from them.  Next year, we will start them indoors.  It is so nice out today that hubby and I ate our lunch outside.  There is a warm breeze which feels like Spring. The sky, however, is telling us that either rain or snow is on the way.  We had birds flying all around our head taking turns at the feeders.  They have been particularly voracious this year and some are getting so chubby I am not sure how they fly.

This little guy has claimed the window feeder.

Blessings,

Down the Rabbit Hole

This has been one weird day.  I really do feel as thought I have slipped down Alice's rabbit hole.  I can't even begin to explain clearly everything that happened but it started when I was going to meet a friend in village.  Somehow there was miscommunication by both of us so it didn't happen.  As I still had to go into the village, I contacted a couple of other friends to see if they would like to meet as we had some items to exchange.  We did get to do that but not before confusion as to where we were meeting.  At one point, I was exiting a driving and pulled out right in front of another vehicle.  That is the shortened version of my day.  There was a few more incidences of idiocy before I got myself back home and even one more after that.

Thank goodness, it wasn't my evening to cook because I hate to think what the food would have tasted like.  I am now going to watch some mindless television and hope that my brain catches up with me tomorrow.

Blessings,

 

Top Almost Finished.

 I hope everyone had a great Canadian Thanksgiving.  We went to our neighbour's as they are our social bubble and had a great meal.  I ate more than I should, of course, and was uncomfortable for the rest of the evening.  I love turnip and had a big second helping of that.

Are children planning on going around for Halloween in your area?  They are being advised not to in Ontario but I think it is such a shame.  Children have been deprived of so much this year that it seems to bad that something couldn't be arranged that would be safe.

Another casualty here is the Remembrance Day service.  Ours is going to be limited to Legion members only and just at the Cenotaph.  I have never missed a service since being an adult so this is really bothering me as well.

On a happier note, I have almost finished making the one customer quilt top.  I just have a couple more borders.  Working with panels always seems a little odd to me as, basically, you just keep adding borders.  I do make some pieced ones in addition to the plain strips.  Hope to be able to take a photo and show it to you this week.

I do hope everyone is staying well and adhering to all the suggested safety steps.  If everyone does that, we might be able to celebrate Christmas with family,

blessings,

Rooster Still Missing

 I got my pickled beets made today and another loaf of my sourdough bread.  I think that may be the end of my preserving although I had planned on doing chili sauce.  I supposed I shouldn't say I am finished because hubby just brought all the pumpkins up to the house and they will have to be done.  I usually make some pumpkin butter and then cook and freeze the rest for cooking.  I have a great recipe for pumpkin soup that is my favourite for the winter.

If you have ever had a long break from quilting, you will know what I mean when I say that getting back to it just feels right.  This afternoon I ironed all the fabrics that I recently washed and then set aside the ones that are for my customer quilts.  I have been cutting 4.5 inch squares of two colours for half square triangles.  These are going to be the second border around the panel.  I changed my mind about the colour of the first border and one half of the HST so am not as far along as I might have been.

The sun was still shining today so Heidi and I went for a walk down to our pond and then through the bush.  I have been keeping an eye out of one of our missing chickens in case he is hiding out somewhere rather than having been caught by the fox.  One of the banties came back this morning so that was encouraging.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all,

blessings,

Red Marauder

 Tomorrow I am making my third loaf of sourdough bread.  The last batch turned out well and it is so nice to have a decent slice of bread for sandwiches and toast.  After tomorrows batch, I am going to try some adaptation and see how it works: adding cheese, or raisins, doubling the recipe are some of the things I want to try.

We had another fox incident.  A couple of nights ago we lost 2 chickens to  the red marauder.  Our young rooster has also disappeared but we hope that he is merely hiding somewhere.  This has happened before when the flock gets frightened.  One or more will hunker down somewhere and return a couple of days later.  The banty's usually take to the trees.

We are really hoping the rooster is okay as he is a beautiful bird and we were hoping he would be the start of some new pretty hens.

I was looking through some of my fall photos the other day and came across this one I took in 2012.  Love the contrast between my big burly hubby and tiny dog.

Blessings,

Groundhog Day

 

Sometimes I feel that all I do is repeat what I have already done numerous times. I am not talking about dishes, laundry etc. but those self imposed jobs that life would trundle along just as well if we hadn't done them.  I don't know how many times I have reorganized my quilt room but I am at it once again.  Everything has been piled onto the floor as well as any empty surface.  The beginning of all this was getting another shelving until.  It isn't very big but will hold my fabric overflow, batting pieces and has a drawer for thread.  I always seem to have items that don't go anywhere.  What do with an ancestors unfinished quilt.  I want to finish it and give to my granddaughter but where does it go in the meantime?

This redo is going much fast that other ones so either I am getting better at this or I am more organized.  I hope the latter although I doubt that is the case.  While adding some more finished quilts to the cupboard where I keep them, I notice that I have very little room left.  What do you do with all your quilts?  I do give away some but I have too much money in the bigger ones to do that with all.  I am thinking of making more quilts that take longer to complete.; more complicated patterns, more intricate top stitching.  What is your solution?

Blessings,

Another Reorganization of the Studio

 My quilt studio seems to be in a constant state of reorganization.  I think I mentioned that hubby made me a nice pine stand for my Tupperware and other infrequently used bowls and appliances.  I moved the shelving unit that I had been using into the studio and now am emptying bins and putting fabric on the shelves and thread in the drawer.  The plastic until that was where the shelves now are will be moved to another location where it will continue to hold scraps.  All this will be done tomorrow.

I had planned on doing the garden tomorrow but as it is supposed to rain, I will do indoor work instead.  We are supposed to get another week of really nice weather but I think it is time to get tools, chairs and so on into storage.  I will leave some of the chairs on the deck but the rest need to be put away.

Hubby has been really busy getting the storage shed organized so he has an area to do woodworking.  I am hoping for a birdhouse for Christmas or another feeder.  I know it is early to be thinking about Christmas but it does sneak up on one and I certainly wouldn't want hubby to feel bad about not starting in time.

Speaking of not starting in time: one of the side effects of the covid virus was our local agricultural fair being cancelled.  Every year I am hustling to get my entries submitted before the deadline so last year I set up a schedule so everything would be finished well in advance.  At least the fair was cancelled before I started making everything.  I wonder what next year will bring,

Blessings,

Shopping Stress

 Follower Judy asked if I make my own sourdough starter.  I do, Judy.  I use the same one I had years ago but am doing it with gluten free flour.  I like the recipe that uses potato water as it is easier and doesn't involve as much waste.  My first loaf didn't turn out very well but it may have been because I cooked it in a toaster over instead of the regular one.  I will try again tomorrow.  There is a bit of trial and error when you are gluten free because you never know for sure how the ingredients are going to react or whether the cooking time needs adjusting.

I have started working on my 2 quilts commissioned by a customer.  I had a lot of trouble finding the fabric I needed but I think I have everything now.  Because they both use panels, I am going to be adding different types of borders around them.

I was beat yesterday.  We went grocery shopping late morning and it turned out to not be a good day.  One store was busy and didn't have enough check outs and the other already had a line up when I got there.  I decided to go to a store where I rarely shop.  I got most of the rest of the items there.  I will still have to go to our local store to finish up.  With the renewed covid scare, tourists are coming earlier in the week and staying later again.   This means line ups and empty shelves again.  I wish they would shop before travelling here.

We didn't get home until after one and it took half an hour to get everything put away.  Hubby made us a quick lunch and then we relaxed for the rest of the day.  We were both beat.  Probably from the stress.  In any case, I kept dozing off.  I felt a lot better today and got caught up on my work.  Tomorrow, I am going to stain the shelving unit hubby made and get it put where I want in.  And so ends another week.

Blessings,

The Best is Past.

 Our leaves are falling quickly and I am afraid that the best is over.  Of course, there are still many lovely spots south of us who will just be coming into peak time.

Hubby went to see his mother today and they had a nice visit.  It is hard to see your parent getting older but I feel that anyone who is able to see them during their waning years is very fortunate.  Because my mother lived in England, I never saw her before she died.  The last time I had been there was five years prior and, although we talked on the phone, it wasn't the same as being face to face and being able to hug her.  Whatever the situation, though, it is hard.

I did the first step toward making my sourdough bread today.  The ingredients are mixed and are now left to sit overnight and then can cook tomorrow.  One of the really great things about sourdough-besides the taste, is that you don't have to knead it.

I am slowly making progress on the quilt that is on the frame.  I have 12 more passes to do.  Each one is on a section approximately 4 inches square and is made up of 4 inch blocks.  I am quilting each one separately so it is taking a bit of time.

Blessings, 

Fall 2020

 Yay, Judy'[s husband is fine.  I am getting frustrated with the new outbreak of the virus after so many of us have done everything required of us, we are facing record numbers of people being diagnosed.  I am angry because businesses may have to once again close,  those in long term care homes being isolated and the vulnerable dying.  And why, because a group of people think their right to do what they want overrules the safety of everyone else.  It is time the government takes serious steps against those who social gather inside and outside.  Fine all of them not just the organizers.  If you are there and not where a mask, you get fined.

Now that I have that off my chest: we had a lovely weekend.  On Sat. hubby and I went to a friends cottage (members of our bubble) and enjoyed a lovely visit and boat ride on their pontoon boat.  The colours were beautiful as was the weather.  I took a bunch of photos and will add some at the end of this post.  Yesterday, after church, we sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the day.  Today, was a bit more somber and members of the Burk's Falls Village Quilters gathered at our late members home and chose some items from her fabric and notions.  We all felt sad at the reason for our being there but plan to each make a quilted item in her memory.

Tomorrow, hubby gets to visit his mother in hospital.  A special exception is being made for him as he is the only child who doesn't live in the area and wasn't on the list to see her.  The fact that we were just tested for covid was a factor in this happening.

Our leaves are dropping quickly now so I am glad I got photos when I did.  Hope you enjoy them.

Blessings, 

O yjpihjy O sae fph/

 Judy, hoping to hear your husband's covid test is also negative.  Be sure to let me know.

I am finally starting to feel inspired to quilt.  It just kicked in today after spending all summer making masks.  I have added my personal touch to a friends pattern-this is the one I was testing, as I wanted it to be bigger.  I also have the quilt on my frame about 1/3 done.  I need to get started on my customer quilts as well as I promised them for Christmas.  

It was another lovely day although we did have shower spurts.  Hubby was working on adding an addition to our deck so it will be about 14 by 10.  The extra length will give more room on the door side of where we have the bug tent.

I was just giggling over a article about how our fingers can sometimes come up with the oddest conglomeration of letters when our brains go on the fritz.  What I found the funniest was the comment of people who received these garbled messages.  Some knew exactly what the person was saying and others asked if the sender had just had a stroke.  For some reason, I found that really funny when, of course, if it had happened, it was anything but humorous.

I lately have had a problem with putting my fingers on the wrong place on the keyboard so it looks as though I am writing in code-language not computer.  My biggest problem is pressing the caps lock when I just want the shift.  I never used to have this problems so not sure if it is age, dexterity or carelessness.  I now have to make sure I proof read before I send.

Blessings,

Mini Bombers

We are continuing to get lovely, fall like weather.  Hubby and I spend a good bit of the day outside.  He more than I as he is doing wood etc.  We do take time to sit on the deck with a cup of tea and chat.  I have a problem doing nothing so today I trimmed the dog's nails.  We have three feeders near the deck and the birds have been going crazy.  None of them are particularly concerned about us so we have little feathered creatures flying around our heads like mini bombers.

Last Wednesday our doctor sent hubby and I for a Covid-19 test as we had symptoms-just one really.  We drove an hour and a half north, had ours noses poked, drove back home again and then waited.  I just got the results and we are both negative.  I figured we would be as if I had it, I would probably be in the hospital.  I have problems breathing under normal circumstances so am sure if I had the virus, I would be in bad shape. Also, we have been stringent in following the guidelines so, if we did have it, I don't know where the source would have been.

We are supposed to self monitor for another week which we do anyway but don't have to isolate so now we can go and get the groceries we need.

Hope you and yours are staying healthy.

Blessings,

Apple Butter

 I finished the test pattern I was working on and now will add a bit more to turn it in to a small table runner.  My next project is to finish the quilt on my frame.  Tomorrow, I will be doing more apple butter and fruit jam.  I thought you might like to try making the apple butter so here is the recipe.

Blessings,

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Yield 12 cups.

 

You will need a very large slow cook or cut apples into small pieces so they take less room

 

Ingredients:  12 pounds of apples-baking ones are best but any kind of firm apple will do.

Peeled, cored and sliced (I didn’t peel mine).

 

½ apple cider vinegar

3 cups white sugar  (I only used 2.  It depends on your preference and the sweetness of the apples.)

1 cup brown sugar.

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup raisins (optional)

 

Place apples and vinegar into slow cooker, cover with lid.  Set on High and cook for 8 hours, turn to Low and continue cooking 10 hours more

 

After 18 hours, add all the other ingredients and cook 4 more hours on low.

Mixture should be thick and a dark brown.

 

(It is hard to get the timing of making this correct as it could finish while you are in bed.  I turned the cooker down to lowest setting before the last 4 hours and then turned it back to low when I got up.  It seemed to work well.)

 

Place mixture in hot, sterilized jars.  Run knife around inside to ensure there aren’t any bubbles.  Cover with lid and screw top. 

Place in canner and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours before storing.

 

Original recipe is from allrecipes.com and then I added my own touches.

The Wisdom of Reusing

 I got a really great buy at a Salvation Army thrift shop today.  I have been looking for a good leather handbag in a brown shade and hadn't been able to find exactly what I wanted.  The shop in Huntsville reopened recently after moving to a new location and we dropped in today after grocery shopping.  I found a lovely bag made by Roots which, when new was around $300.00.  I paid $3.00.  It has both a shoulder strap and handles and a outside zipped pocket.  Just perfect.

Now I will get rid of all the other bags I have except my summer one which is also perfect-it is Suttles and Seawinds, yellow, quilted and was given to me by a friend.  This is a Canadian company from Nova Scotia and I love their clothing.

I rarely buy anything new preferring to go to thrift and other second hand shops.  I once got a beautiful suede skirt and long vest made by Dior for $30.00  I have also found sandals that are worth over a $100.00 for next to nothing.  Why would anyone want to pay full price for something that is mass produced and shoddily made when for less money you can buy classic?  You also have the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting an organization that helps others.

Of course, I was raised on second hand.  Our clothing was either given to us, made over or bought at rummage sales (does anyone remember those?).  Most of our furniture is also preowned and again we have found vintage and antique dressers, free good quality flooring and many other items that we treasure.

There is so much waste in our country that I think it is important that we reuse as much as possible.  Of the 3R's, I think reusing and restoring are the most important.

Have you found anything recently that was a great buy?

Blessings,

Getting Ready for Winter

I remembered to ask our granddaughter to pose for a photo with her bread on Sunday so I was able to take a screen shop.  Didn't she do a great job?

 I have got a lot of canning done the past few days.  I finished my apple butter, did grapefruit marmalade which, along with the peach marmalade I did on Saturday should keep me in stock.  I have jam yet to do, chili and probably another lot of apple butter.

We may get frost tonight so I brought in my geraniums and got the rest of the flower gardens ready for winter.  We still have zucchini and pumpkin in the garden but they should be okay.

Tomorrow grocery shopping and then Wednesday should be free although I am sure something will come up before then.

Blessings,
 

Another Professional Baker in the Family

 We have got our first frost warning for tonight.  Hubby brought in all our tomatoes.  We could have covered them but there aren't a lot left and most are on the road to being ripe.  We can finish them indoors.  Tomorrow I will be picking up my apples and peaches from a friend who has a friend that brings a load every fall.  Saturday will be peach marmalade making day as well as freezing the apples.

I have half finished the test pattern that I am doing this week.  It is coming together quite well and I like the look.  It has been the perfect project to get me back at quilting.

If you had children going back to school today, I hope all went well for them.  Our grandson started on Wednesday but his sister doesn't go until Friday.  When we Skyped with them yesterday, Hope showed us the bread she had made.  She did it from scratch and I haven't seen a better loaf.  I think we will have another professional baker in the family.  She has 3 adult cousins in that trade.  I should have taken a screen photo to share with you,

Blessings,

A Pop of Colour.

 Our trees are just starting to show their colour.  I think the red against the green backdrop looks more dramatic than a field of red.  It is rather like when you have a quilt of muted colours and add one bright.  Everything takes on a different look.

Don't have time to write any more this evening as I am running behind and still have a couple of masks to do.  Have a great evening.

blessings,

Stay Safe

 Happy Labour Day.  If you were away for the weekend, I hope you have arrived back home safely.  It seems some people go a bit crazy on this last long weekend of the summer and in an attempt to cram in as much fun as possible, they forget to observe safety.  There have been a number of drownings, collision and other avoidable deaths already and most people are still travelling home.

I spent the day labouring.  I did the usual Monday laundry, dusting and other beginning of the week chores plus starting a batch of yoghurt.  I began some sourdough starter yesterday so gave it, its first feeding today.  Making the grandchildren's back to school face masks was the other item on the list and they are almost done.

It will soon be time to start taking fall photos as our trees are donning a nice shade of red.  It will be a while before they are in full colour though.

Blessings, 

Studio Reorganized.

 Sounds like I am not the only one who is in the mood for preserving.  Judy mentioned canning some peaches.  I am not sure if I will be able to do any this year as they seem to have sold out quickly.  Anyone else started freezing, preserving their crops?

I got a good start on redoing my studio today.  I previously had my cutting and ironing tables (desks) back to back but now moved them so they are at right angles.  I took the serger from the old treadle cabinet and replaced it with the singer hand crank.  The serger will go on the sewing table.  All my batting is now in one place and the totes that hold Christmas fabric, doll dresses as well as leather and other non fabric materials are easier to access.  Still quite a bit to do  but I should have it done tomorrow.

Hubby was having back problems today so I got him sorting all the Christmas, birthday and other cards that we have accumulated.  Many don't have envelopes and some envelopes don't have cards.  Now they are sorted, I will put them in labeled freezer bags so we will be able to find what we need without going through everything in a drawer.

It is gradually getting cooler so we may have to think about starting up the wood stove soon.

Blessings,

Harvest Time

 Judy, I am glad we aren't the only ones to get our days confused.  I find that it isn't only the retired folk that have problems.  Sometimes a day just  feels like it should be something else.

We had a nasty rain storm just after supper so I had to turn off the computer.  It seems to have passed now so I can get things finished up.

I made half a dozen jars of zucchini relish today.  The recipe called for 12 cups of zucchini and I got it all from the green one shown here.

The yellow may look like an under ripe zuke but it is, in fact a different veggie.  It is a cross between a zucchini and a blue pumpkin.  I am going to cup it up and steam it before freezing and am anxious to see what it is going to taste like.  I am not sure what I am going to do with it.  Probably just keep it as a vegetable and serve with meals.

Yesterday, I really got into  baking.  After processing all the ingredients for the relish, I  made chick pea muffins and a double batch of hummus.  The relish had to sit overnight and then it was cooked and jarred today.  It isn't cool enough to do much preserving yet so will just freeze the tomatoes for the chili.  I think I will do more relish and it makes a nice gift but am going to substitute green tomatoes for some of the zucchini. Pickled beets, peach marmalade and mixed berry jam will be added to the shelves eventually.

Tomorrow I am back to quilting.

Blessings,

A Special Day

 Happy anniversary to us.  Twenty-nine years and counting.  We have been laughing because we thought yesterday was our anniversary.  We never can remember if it was the 30 or 31st and then hubby bought me a card that had a calendar for 1991  Apparently, we celebrated a day early because  the 31st was the big day.

Yesterday, we went for a drive through a provincial park near us. (to celebrate).  I have been wanting to explore Arrowhead Park ever since we moved here but we never seemed to get around to it.  It isn't huge in comparison to Algonquin but it has its own beauty with lots of camping areas, walking trails and water.  In the winter you can snowshoe or ski. We found it very peaceful and, as there was an area for dogs, we were able to walk along one of the beaches.

Today, I got my new machine stitching properly (had to turn the bobbin around) and am looking forward to sewing with her.  I do want to replace the bobbin holder and get some more bobbins but no rush on that.

We had a bit of excitement after supper when hubby went to put the chickens in for the night.  A young bear was hanging around the coop.  He chased it away and, hopefully, it will wander somewhere else

Blessings,

Pillow Covers.

 I didn't get done what I had hoped today as I didn't pry myself out of bed early enough but I did make a number of pillow covers.  I recovered a couple for the couch in rooster fabric.  Because we raise chickens, everyone gives us related items including fabric.  I hadn't thought of using the later for pillows until I found a small rooster panel.  They look quite cheery against brown couch.  

The others I have done for the bed sit.  They are a bit more decorative and feminine.  I am going to be making one of old lace doilies and handkerchiefs.  Another of those items that I have saved without having a purpose for them.

I gave my new machine a good cleaning and oiling today and then realized I didn't know how to thread it.  There appeared to be only one way but it isn't the way I did it.  Guess I am going to have to ask someone. The needle comes unthreaded when I try to sew with it right now despite having a good long tail.  It sounds a lot better now so am anxious to use it.  Maybe tomorrow.

Blessings,

To Rain or Not

 The weather hasn't been able to decide what it wanted to do the past two days.  For a while, the sun would shine and looked as though it was going to be a lovely day.  Then the sky turned black and we were sure we were going to get a nasty storm only to have it change again.

I did my laundry yesterday and was going to hang it out but changed my mind when the dark clouds rolled in. I left the sheets and some other clothes until today to wash and went through the same indecision.  I finally hung out some things and ignored the light and dark cycle until it stayed cloudy for a longer period.  Out I went and got everything in.  Of course, the sun came out again and laughed as I put the clothes in the dryer to finish.

In between that I made lasagna for supper and wrote my article for The Quilt Pattern Magazine.  I had taken a couple of months off so it was nice to get back to the story line again.  I have been writing for this magazine for a number of years now and am pleased that they still want me to keep submitting.  This is an on line magazine if you would like to check it out.  They have great patterns as well as articles.  

Tomorrow, I will be getting together with a couple of quilting ladies to sort through some fabric and decide what can be put into kits for charity quilts.  If this isn't done frequently, everything piles up.

I think it is definitely supposed to rain tomorrow.

Blessings,

Times have Changed.

 Still learning about my Sarah.  I haven't got any further on finding when she was made or her model number but I did discover a neat little door that opens to access the mechanics for oiling.  I made couple of masks today for hubby, finished a chapter of my book and did laundry today.  It has been quite humid so not one that makes you feel energetic.

I saw the following on line and thought you might like it.  I remember when I was in my early teens when the price of bread went from 18 cents to 21.  There was almost rioting in the streets.  If I remember correctly, wages were less than a dollar an hour them.  That meant you could probably buy 4 loaves for an hours work.  Minimum wage in Ontario is now, if I remember correctly, 14.00 and bread  $4.00 or more which means you can get 3 loaves for an hour work. (Not taking into consideration that you don't get to take home all of the 14.00 dollars.) My first husband was a letter carrier.  He made 5,000.00 a year.  That was in the the mid 60's.

 The Year is 1920! One hundred years ago !!!

 Very interesting for all ages. This will boggle your mind!

What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1920:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average US wage in 1919 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year.

A dentist earned $2,500 per year.

A veterinarian between $1,500 and 4,000 per year.

And, a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, And, used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

 

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4 Heart disease

5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars ...

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada was only 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write (most politicians and media today).

And, only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach, bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!" (Shocking?)

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help...

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.

I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself.

From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD all in a matter of seconds!

It is impossible to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.