Take Four

I've been getting a little bit excited these days. Halloween is over and now the rush is on for Christmas. What's so great about this? I'll tell ya...it's all the Christmas decorations, baking ingredients, new food products just for the Holiday Season. Do you get it now? My favorite thing to do is to go around to the different stores and check out what's new. I don't necessarily buy anything. I just like gawking at it. This past weekend, Neil and I made a quick trip to Ogdensburg, New York which is just a "hop and a skip" from Brockville. It's fun heading to the United States and snooping around the different stores cause everything is just a bit different than what we have here in Canada. Take a look at the "Oreo cookies". They're different. These ones are "Winter" with a red center. (They had the same ones for Halloween but the centers were orange. Neat eh!). I bought these for Chelsey & Tyler's lunches (oh, and Neil too!) but they came with specific instructions. They had to "take four". Two for themselves and two for someone else. The recipient has to be someone who just might need a "spring in their step", or is "having a bad day", or just to "surprise someone". Who can't resist an Oreo cookie, especially one with a red center. Also, it's fun to share and the kids get a kick out of doing so. (I wonder where they get it from??)

Conversing with Dakoda

If you were to ever have a conversation with Dakoda, it would go something like this...

"Wanna go outside? Let's go outside. Can we go outside? We should go outside. Have you been outside?"

Dakoda is our beloved, French-Canadian Golden Retriever whom we adopted two years ago after hearing of her blight of needing a new home. She is not your average Golden Retriever, personality wise. She is a.k.a. "The Princess/Drama Queen (as the kids refer to her as)/Head of the House"
Lord help you if you don't include her in every activity especially a car ride. She's always glad to see you when you get home but then will "chew you out" for leaving her behind...alone, again! Despite all her idiosyncrasies, she is a very affectionate, loving dog and has certainly won the hearts of her family especially her grandparents. I keep reminding Neil that we wouldn't trade her for a million dollars. This statement is usually followed by a long pause by Neil and then an even further pause when I look at him for a response. It then will be followed by "I'm still thinking". A house isn't the same without a dog.

A Labour of Love

October was an extremely busy month for all of us...traveling to visit both families for Thanksgiving and aging just a bit. We celebrated two birthdays this month, Chelsey who is now 19-years-old and Neil whom I won't mention his age no matter what you may bribe me with.

Okay, you got it out of me, here's a hint...take my age and add on five years = Neil's age. (He absolutely hates it when I mention this little equation!! But as my mother would say "it's just a number which really doesn't mean a whole lot!! Always listen to your mother!! Sometimes she may know more than you!!) What did Neil get for his birthday? He got a box of 24 fat quarters...batiks to be exact, his favorite! If you ask him, he'll tell you it's the "beginning of a stash waiting to happen"! The plans? I'm building a "Chocolate Bliss" quilt which is an original design by my friend Nellie Holmes http://www.uppercanadaquiltworks.com/ How many quilters have given a gift that will be "completed later"? Please raise your hand. Okay, you are forgiven! I am one of those quilters that enjoys and savors the process of building and creating. Did you know that your 1/4" seams are more accurate if you sew in your pajamas?? It's a well known fact and proven by many of my quilting friends. Come to my house on one of my days off and I will give you a demonstration. In the meantime, I will continue to build Neil's quilt. Stay tuned!

How to Make a Woman Happy...Very Happy!

Every man on the face of the earth should know the answer to this statement or at least have some sort of understanding when it comes to making any woman happy. It doesn't take much to make me happy (Neil will agree to this...I think). Any little thing pleases me. I live on the theory of "keeping it simple" and I don't like "complicated things or matters". Yesterday, here on King Street, I was one "happy woman"!! Do you see it!! No more "man eating holes". No more mounds of dirt and gravel. No more pipes, fittings and heavy machinery. It's grass baby!! I was deliriously happy and then came along this watering truck who hosed down all the sod and cleaned the sidewalk! Now that's how you make this woman happy!! I was so overcome with joy that I hosed down the front of the house and cleaned windows to remove the 1/4" dust that had been accumulating for months and months. King Street is coming back to life!

Hocuspocusville

Ever notice that pretty much every quilter has a "distinguishing feature" when it comes to their work. You know, there's the appliquers, the embellishers, the traditionalists etc. What I'm getting at is that everyone has their own "claim to fame" when it comes to quilting. For example, my friend Tammy Spencer. She is a master at several trades...long arm machine quilter (she does all of my quilting. I usually hand over a quilt top with instructions to "surprise me!!"), works extremely well under pressure (I know for a fact that she has pulled a few all nighters to get her quilts done for a show or two!!) But the one thing that always inspired me was her embroidery! She has done some amazing quilts with embroidered blocks. With this in mind, Tammy introduced me to Crapapple Hill Studio after seeing her "Winter Wonderland" quilt which took 1st Place at the recent Thousand Islands Quilters Guild "Quilt Fest" this past June. It was stunning!! It was beautiful!! It made me want to start doing some embroidery of my own!! First stop...Crapapple Hill Studio website. Since I'm a lover of Halloween, I immediately spotted "Hocuspocusville", a whimsical witch's village. It's 12 blackwork embroidered blocks of shops surrounding the town "nine patch" squares. How many blocks do I have done...almost 2! This is what I was working on in the car when Neil and I drove home for Thanksgiving last weekend. Will it be done in time for Halloween? Absolutely!! October 31st, 2011 to be exact! Man is there ever a lot of stitching! But it's something that I can pick up after working the night shift, or sit and watch a movie with no thought required. (Bridget Jones's Diary is a great movie to watch when stitching or binding a quilt). Isn't it amazing how your quilting friends have such an impact on one another!!

Cassidy Thanksgiving

This past weekend certainly went by quickly...too quickly to be exact. The majority of our time was spent traveling from one side of Ontario to visit my family and then heading back to the other side to visit Neil's family. To make the traveling time go faster, I downloaded a book and a couple of podcasts to listen to along the way. While Neil was busy driving and listening, I spent the time working on some stitching. One can accomplish a lot of stitches in 12 hours! Monday afternoon we arrived in Osgoode for the "Cassidy Family Thanksgiving". Pictured here is Neil's brothers, John & Bruce and his Mom & Dad, Pat & Alf. I give Pat a lot of credit in raising four boys!! It's been several years since everyone has been home at the same time, in the same city, in the same room to celebrate a holiday or event. The kids had a great time visiting with their aunts, uncles and cousins. The food was plentiful and delicious in both destinations (I made the mistake of jumping on the scales this morning. How many pieces of pumpkin pie did I actual inhale?? Oh my!!)

Look What I Spotted...

It's Friday afternoon and I have been up for 1 1/2 hrs (came off the night shift this morning). What have I done so far? Read the Ottawa Citizen (I'm addicted to this paper. It gives me a bit of everything that I need to know and since it's Friday...movie reviews!!), consumed a bowl of cereal and topped it off with a coffee. Now I'm waiting for the java to kick in!! Next on the agenda is to check my emails and snoop around the internet.
I also like to check into a few of my favorite blogs. I love to read what other quilters are working on or seeing a pic of their latest find. Then I spotted this pic on www.the-humming-cat.blogspot.com The jelly rolls caught my eye but then I noticed what was underneath the rolls!! It's the miniature quilt that I made for an exchange that took forever (three months to be exact) to travel from Canada to Australia last fall. I was almost certain that it was confiscated since the parcel contained Maple syrup. So there it is!! Put to good use!! This absolutely thrills me to pieces!! Now it's got me thinking...I have enough left over fabric to make a second one! Perhaps a giveaway on my blog?? I'll have to ponder over this one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This coming weekend is our Thanksgiving here in Canada. Our weekend plans are to head home to visit with my side of the family and staying in Elora with friends. We will commence our weekend early Saturday morning to beat the traffic driving through Toronto. Neil has already been "briefed" on the weekend agenda which consists of stopping at a couple of quilt shops along the way!
(Keep in mind, this usually costs me lunch in St. Jacobs at Vidalia's) Sunday we're travelling to the family farm and spending time with my family. Monday morning we are back on the road again early not only to get ahead of the traffic, but also on to another Thanksgiving dinner with Neil's family in Osgoode. Neil's oldest brother Bruce and his family are visiting from Alberta and the entire gang will be together, the first in many, many years. So needless to say, we have a busy weekend ahead of us plus lots of turkey, gravy, mashed pototes and I mustn't forget to mention pumpkin pie with whip cream! It's only once a year that I indulge but someone has to do it. Happy Thanksgiving from Our Home to Yours!

Pumpkin Time of Year

Have you noticed or did anyone realize that next Thursday is October 1st? (Insert groans, sighs, "please don't remind me" comments here).

I noticed and I absolutely love this time of year! Why? Take a look...

Who cannot resist pumpkins, gourds, squash, apples and anything that resembles Autumn at a road side stand? Soup anyone?

Can't you just picture a basket on the counter with these beauties? It makes my heart sing just thinking about it.

But then I came across these pumpkins!! What are on those pumpkins? Warts or polyps? Are they grown on "Misfit Island"? Does their mother's know? Looks like some growth they picked up from the gourds. One never knows what takes place in a field? But they would make a great conversation starter when your guests arrive cause you invited them over for a bowl of Roasted Butternut Squash soup.

Best $4.99 Ever Spent!

One thing that I know for sure is that if you are a quilter, then you are a great cook. It just seems to go hand in hand. All of my quilting friends are great
cooks since I have been to their houses for lunch one time or another. But do they own one of these? It's an oven thermometer (not for meat but for your oven). A little known fact about myself...I love to cook!! I read recipes like they were novels. I'm always clipping, saving, organizing and trying out recipes. Neil has no complaints and is more than willing to participate in the taste testing. However, I made the discovery that my oven was too hot!! How hot? It was too hot to handle! I purchased an oven thermometer and put it to the test and lo and behold, my oven is 75 degrees too hot! So, I tested out my new found gadget and made a "Spicy Banana Loaf" for Neil and it turned out perfect!! Just passing on "words of wisdom" from my kitchen to yours.

Summer 2009

Summer finally arrived here in Ontario but only two months too late. So needless to say, the last couple of weeks has been enjoyed at the cottage with family and friends.

(Now you know where I have been these last few weeks...not at my computer blogging). These are the views from the cottage overlooking Bobs Lake. They were taken at the same time, just in different lighting since the sun was setting and I had to move quickly. The fall season is my absolutely favorite time of year to be at the cottage. We have several oak trees which means lots of raking of leaves. There is nothing like spending the weekend working outside or taking walks with Dakoda and spending the evening by the fire with a bowl of steaming soup and crusty bread (and of course a glass of wine).

Local Observations

I was driving home the other day and happened to notice something in my peripheral vision. I did a quick "double take", made a big "u-turn" and headed back to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Have you noticed the trees? Please don't hate me for mentioning it since we have had a disappointing summer. Where did I spot these trees changing colors so soon? That's right...Brockville Cemetery. It just so happened that I had my camera with me and decided to take a stroll around the grounds. Have you ever done this? No, it's not creepy, spooky or even eerie. As you know, everyone is "dying to get in there". It's very interesting, if you love history.
My mother grew up in the country outside of a town called Palmerston. Mom had a cousin by the name of Ken Henderson who happened to be the mayor of this town and was also the funeral director. As kids growing up, Mom and Dad dragged us to everything, especially funerals.
A memory that I have is, one summer afternoon we attended the funeral service of one of Mom's relatives at the Palmerston Cemetery. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon walking along with Ken and basically had a "tour" of the grave sites of where my Mom's family is buried. Now keep in mind, Ken was quite the story teller or did he "weave webs". I'm not really sure but when you are just a kid, it doesn't matter and he was really good at the story telling. One thing about Ken is that he always stood with his hands clasped behind his back and he was never in a hurray about anything. Oh wait, yes there was one thing that he always made sure was right on time...funerals. Why? He had one thing on his mind at every funeral...the luncheon afterwards at the Palmerston United Church. Could these ladies put on a spread of food! And of course, the dessert trays!! The best assortment of squares you have ever seen especially date squares! Ken always remarked that a funeral wasn't the same without date squares. Perhaps attending all these post-funeral luncheons is where my sweet tooth got underway.

Another Quilt in the Works!

A perfect way to get away from the construction noise is to barricade one self to the studio for some serious sewing time! But also I have a deadline to make since this quilt is an upcoming class that I'm teaching at Taylor's here in Brockville. It's called "How Does your Garden Grow". To make a lap sized quilt, it uses a "jelly roll", but cut into strips and then sewn in a "braided" formation.
I'm almost done adding the sashing and then the outside borders need to go on next. Then the best part, off to be quilted by my friend Tammy Spencer. Perhaps I will get this sample done and delivered to the store a week before their Open House and not delivered the day before or the morning of. I'll post the final outcome or if you are local, drop into Taylor's. If you have a moment, check out their website www.taylorsewing.com and have a look at their fall classes and dates of their Open House. You just might see my completed quilt there.

At My Front Door Cont'd...

As a kid growing up on a farm there were always things to do to keep us busy for long periods of time. This would consist of chores in the barn, working in the fields, or helping out in the garden. Not very often were we left alone. Usually Mom or Dad were close by to supervise. However, once in a while Mom and Dad would venture into town to do a quick errand and would leave us alone with one of my older siblings left in charge. Now keep in mind, it's not that we were destructive children. No, we had other things on our minds. It usually consisted of my two brothers coming up with an idea to build/repair/take apart something or my older sisters would bake something in the kitchen that was perhaps a bit more complicated than the previous recipe that they tried. There were times that Mom and Dad would almost "cringe" with the thoughts of what they might find when they got home. Well, this certainly came to mind when I came home from work the other day. I was on the day shift and left the house at 5:30 a.m. and returned at 8:00 p.m. This is what I came home to!! The day before, the hole that was dug in front of my house was about "man size". Now it has grown to a size that would "ingest a dump truck" You can also tell from the other pic that my neighbours up the street received one as well. The good thing that absolutely no one would be able to drive down the street. Therefore no "summer traffic" which has been nice! It's Saturday morning and we have gotten a break from the construction noise which I give "thanks" to!

At My Front Door

My plans were to avoid blogging any further about what was taking place on the street where I live. However, due to popular demands, questioning and curiosity by my regular readers, the sega will continue. This is what happened outside my front door today. Yep, the workers removed the front cement slab to locate the water line that runs into the house. Here is another "man eating hole" that they dug to gain access to the lines. Don't you just dig it??!!
This is the view from my front door. Notice how my plants are on the edge of destruction? I begged the construction workers to take pity on my innocent plants and avoid the brutality. They did!


But I have another story to tell. See the picture of the two cute little girls? While I was negotiating with the foreman over my flower bed and wanting to know precisely how far back they planned on digging, these two little girls came down the street amongst the construction. I noticed right away the workers getting their wallets out or rummaging through their pockets. These little girls started their own lemonade/ice tea delivery business. The workers placed their orders... 50 cents for a cold beverage or for $1 you got a beverage and a home baked chocolate chip cookie. (Of course, I had to get the scoop!!) They returned to their house or "head office" which was just around the corner, filled the order and returned to deliver their orders. They informed me that yesterday they made $23.00. Not bad for their first day in business and the weather was perfect for sales... hot and humid! Now that's impressive!! You go girls!!