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  Our snow has been replaced by rain once again but we are forging ahead with preparations for the big day.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

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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,