I'M DREAMING AGAIN

Ok, so because of this unbelievably cold winter, I put myself on this beach in the Virgin Islands. Doesn't it just look inviting today? It's 6 degrees above zero F. Now if that isn't cold, and bone chilling I don't know what is....

This beach is Smuggler's Cove and they made a couple of old movies there, one being the Old Man and the Sea and another that had Anthony Quinn in it and friends actually had bit parts in the film. when you see the movie, it doesn't look like Tortola at all. Oh well, that's show biz.

I'm trying to rectify a bunch of fabric that was cut up to supposedly be a quilt. I gag when I think of how awful it looks. I have discarded the plan of making another ugly quilt. Too many colours. I now realize, I must simplify my quilts, and I think I'll have more fun that way. I love white and notice on some of the blogs, and flickr that white makes colour stand out. I've been using toooooooo much of the colour and not enough of the white.

So, today or tomorrow, when I get my mojo working to quilt sew again, I'll post the corrections and the quilt as corrected.

When the pattern calls for 14 fat quarters, I think that's where I get lost. Too many for my liking and so many patterns. So, I am just not going to do that for a while.

THE BIG DAY FOR AMERICA!

Ok, it was a big day, I watched it most of the day. I switched between CBC and CNN then later added ABC. Honestly most of the CBC one was much better talk and I actually hated the CNN stuff about the graphics that John King kept going to to show us over and over again the people, the places etc. But the rest of it was pretty good. Sometimes just too much little bits of too much information.

On ABC, well I love Diane Sawyer anyway and her smooth delivery is always exceptional. George S. was also good, but sometimes they also delivered so much of "too much information" and it sounded a bit like announcers do at ball games....

I thought also that Obama delivered a sober speech after being sworn in and if his daughter thought it was "good job dad" then it was. What can he say....the world economy is in crisis and we must all do our share whether we are Canadian or American or whatever.

On a lighter note, I kept wondering how come Michelle wasn't cold in that lovely outfit. She probably is the type to say that she just doesn't do cold.....And she walked and stood on her feet for soooooo long. Honestly, in heels too. What a woman. All I kept thinking was that my feet would be killing me and she walked up that street like she was just going for a walk.

Oh and I loved Jill Biden in her red, red, coat and simple hair style too. She looks great in red and her ball gown, which I would have posted here had I been able to see one suitable for here, I would have.

Michelle's simple gown is perfect for her. She's a big woman and exudes the self confidence to wear what she wants and all those people that think she should be thinner....oh yeah, just watch and see it coming ......I say leave her alone. She is a woman with curves and she looks GREAT.

To see the faces in the million plus crowds, to hear the joy in their voices, and the hope in their eyes...lets hope that it continues.

Oh! I forgot to mention Linda Johnson the former President's daughter who spoke with Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson (good by the way) and told little stories of being in the whitehouse and tales of growing up there for those few years...very poignant. A lovely speaking voice she has too.. 61 years old now and very gracious.

Good for America.

Ok, back to the day after... today is Bridge day and the girls are off to lunch as one of the gals is leaving for 2 months in Florida. It's gotta be better than this, my god the snow...ok all I say now is that it's about 8 weeks till warm weather because it sounds better than 2 months.

SNOW STORM FOR JANUARY

It's not often that I post on Sundays, but today is an exception! Look at the snow! It's been snowing since last night, still coming down. It does look like a wonderland out there, but it's still only 12 F this morning, but supposed to warm up later on today. Still very cold though.

In fact the wonder dog won't be able to go out till we shovel a path for him in the backyard.

See this? That's where he is supposed to go out to. Well it's not going to happen as far as he is concerned. It's 9:15 and I must get dressed and shovel a path for him to do his business.

There is nothing moving in the area and it's so quiet out there. Now this snow isn't heavy! There's just so much of it again. This is the house where Quincey lives and they are usually up and moving early. No sign of them either.

Oh and he got a hair cut. Remember him? He's the puppy that I posted earlier this year at 10 weeks old. Well, we still puppy sit him and he's had his first hair cut. Mary brought him over for us to take a shot of him while he was still neat!

So of course this is a day for doing not much except snow removal. I must get the guy who does this up and at the task. Maybe we'll call the neighbours with the BIG snowblower, bribe them with a great brunch and have a snow fest!

Doesn't that sound like a good idea?

Speaking of fests! I have been on Facebook and posted a whole batch of black and whites that I found in one of my mom's photo boxes. It's quite a collection and all the younger (?) cousins have surfaced and we are all connecting up again. It's quite the thing to see my cousins who are really all younger than me. I am number one! Anyway, some of them have kids that are grown, off to university etc and still some of the second generation of these have kids, just a wonderful lovein that we have had for the past week. I actually talked to a cousin that I hadn't talked to in 30 years...so it's a good thing as my friend Martha would say.

QUARTER OF NINE QUILT PROBLEM

So see the completed quilt? Well when I looked

at the pattern it said cut 2-6 1/2" squares from

the fat quarter, however.....when I looked at the

completed quilt, it had 4 squares -6 1/2" for each

block.

No wonder I am bad when it comes to cutting out quilts. If one reads the instructions for the 2 X 6 1/2 rectangles I count 4

And when I looked at the 2 1/2" squares I counted 14 squares not 9 and 2- 2" squares.

Now am I wrong?

This is extremely frustrating for me when I am reading these patterns.


I hope I'm not goofing here. But when I read the
directions, and then look at the pattern, it just doesn't jive.

On another note, I finished the top of my rocket quilt, basted the whole thing and undid it again as I just didn't like the dark blue back.

That's why this morning I started cutting out
the quilt above.
It's from Fons and Porter Easy Quilts, summer of 08.
I'm going to do it my way and see what happens.

Our puppy that we puppy sit had his first hair cut today.. he looks so cute and is getting so big now than the first time I posted his photo here. At that time he was 4 lbs, now he's 13 lbs and going. He's taller than our westie Wilson but not as strong for sure.
Just a note to my daughter who reads my posts....this isn't about Wilson, it's just a comment.

I hope to do quilting stuff this weekend as it's still very very cold out only a few degrees above zero, too cold to walk more than a few minutes even with dog coats on.

Next week, Tuesday to be exact there is a certain American who needless to say will be out of work. I am so looking forward to watching the American inauguration and seeing hope in the eyes of America. We are all of us in for a hard time economically and maybe we will learn to live more simply.

JANUARY FREEZE

I loved this photo that was sent to me. The caption said


"I'ts cold!" Really, all of us in most of Canada and the USA are freezing today. It's -5F this morning. And it's dark, no sign of sumshine as I sit here having coffee and blogging.





It's hard to get motivated when going outside is an effort to keep warm.





Yesterday, after a great afternoon of bridge....I was "sharp" I went to visit my mother at the nursing home, only to find it still closed with a flu outbreak still in effect.


I didn't go in because I haven't had the flu and don't want to get it either. I did get a shot, but apparently the strain that is going around is not one that I am protected from.


So, no chances for me in that area





Here is a photo posted on our cottage marina
site and it shows a lone wolf going across the lake which is very unusual to see a wolf in the day time on the lake.

Poor thing looks so lonely and cold. We hear them sometimes on still nights on the lake as we are so close to Algonquin Park and their echos are so haunting.

I started to stitch in the ditch of the most recent quilt and I had to undo the seam as it looks awful on the quilt. I don't know why but I basted and measured and ended up with a pucker at the edge. Oh well it's not large and I am good at picking seams.
I finished a pair of pyjamas bottoms and am so happy with them that I am making more for the summer season at the cottage. I bought some black print a while back and since I have some old black tees, I am now co ordinated when I go to bed. Jerry remembers the days when I wore silk nighties....ah those were the days he says.
Now I wear socks to keep my feet warm too!

THE ROCKET QUILT

I loved this magazine with the baby quilt patterns. Last summer when I was really learning to sew straight seams..Yeah really...I made a few patterns for strippie quilts from some ideas of this fons and porter edition.

Anyway, here is the quilt that I made my rocket quilt from the pattern on the left. I didn't do it identical, and my measurements were done at 8 1/2" squares because I was using the left over dog bones that I had. Of course I had 11 and I needed 12, but added another left over square of green at the bottom. It still looks good.

I also didn't make them on the diagonal because of the rocket guy in the fabric that I had. As you can see it's very colourful. Now my problem is what colour do I do the binding. What with the blue on the sides and blue backing (because I have lots of it) I am out of the yellow which actually has a little pattern on it and that would be great, but none of that left.

Soooooooo, I'm thinking, can I do it orange? I also have some green fabric, but I just don't think that would do it.

I am so pleased with the results of this one. All my squares lined up, all the corners match. Yeah, I know that they're supposed to but...it's me sewing and sometimes I gotta rip out and rip out. I am really really good at ripping out.

I am squirming with happiness here people! Can you feel it?

I haven't had the ambition to work on quilting for the past few days. I am facebook addicted these days and what with connecting to family, and seeing all the photos of friends past and present with their kids, now almost teenagers or worst yet, grown, I am feeling the love of reconnection to family and lost friends. So that's what I've been doing. I also scanned some old family photos of my mom and her sisters etc and you know the most comments are that the fashions were just fabulous and how beautiful all the people were.

Anyway, I am back to quilting and will consult with my sweetie and ask his opinion on the colour of the binding.

Oh and for those that aren't looking out the window today, it's a blizzard out there...again. what a winter.

NEW YEAR QUILT

This is the quilt with the nine block that I started during the Christmas holidays. I haven't been doing much lately and I think it had to do with too much on my little mind....I wanted to sew...but not quilt...so I made two pairs of pajamas bottoms and am happy with those. I used the serger on one and sewing machine on the other. Needless to say, serger one was done in no time. I am thinking of doing some embroidery on tee shirts to make them go together. Oh too much thinking there too.

I used a striped blue sheet for the back and cut the back fabric on the bias (first time) for the binding. I just love the way it turned out. It really is very spring like. I think I know who it's going to got to also.

We still have people with Christmas lights up and I think that by the 10th of January, they should turn them off! I mean it, even some of those awful snowmen are still up in the area. Time to move on people!

I am going to start another nine patch type of quilt, not so many colours I think. I find it hard to put them all together and the last one (January q.) Jerry helped me with the placement of colours, so that's why it looks so good.

I also have a build up of stash...who knew it would happen? I don't want to have so much that I can't decide what goes with what, it's hard enough buying fabric. There is a recession on and I am commited to being frugal.

It's the weekend and I am going to cut out a quilt or two. I think that I am doing about 52 X 52 quilts most of the time.. They do look great as lap quilts. I wonder what size most people make......

THE BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Banana Bread...350 - 55 minutes (approx)

3-4 bananas (3 large -4 medium)

2 cups apps flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinammon

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

Method.

I used a food processor.

Mash bananas in food processor, put aside

In food processor add

Eggs, sugar, butter till mixed well.

In cups measure flour, add

salt, baking powder, soda, cinammon and mix well together

add bananas to egg mixture just to mix.

Then add flour mixture to this, Pulse till mixed.

Add chocolate chips.

Spray 2 loaf pans.

Add mixture evenly.

Then......

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp cinammon

1 tbsp butter.

Mix above well and sprinkle over the two

loaves evenly.

Bake for approx 50 minutes.

Watch for last few minutes till you determine

they are done.

PS> if you don't like so much choc chips reduce

as required.

You could also add walnuts instead. whatever

you want.

Let cool for about 5 minutes in pans

Then remove from pans and let cool on rack.

This is a really easy recipe to do and Kelly did a great job with this one. Jerry liked it, but wanted a little less chips and maybe nuts next time. So it's your choice. As I say, I don't do recipes too much.

I've finished stippling the top of my latest quilt and should have it posted tomorrow. I just can't figure the edging yet, but will get Jerry to help me decide. He's good with colours.

ONE FINE QUILT

This quilt is by Deb at http://quiltgal.blogspot.com/

She lives in Canada and when I saw this quilt, I just thought that the colours were amazing, the quilt itself set with the setting just made "one fine quilt" so I am posting it here for you to see.

I visit her blog just to look at this quilt which is so bright...you know I love bright colours don't you?

We, that is my main man and I were planning to have coffee and the Toronto Star in bed this morning just to relax and be like the old days of staying in bed and reading the paper on Saturday mornings then have a brunch and the day would go from there. Well no such luck, it's now 9:45 and still no paper. Ah well next week...

It's a sunny sunny day in Whitby, yipee, and another walk is in store for me to enjoy. You know if you face the sun, close your eyes, even on the coldest day, you can feel the warmth on your lids. It's wonderful to feel!

I am making a list of the projects that I want to make for next year. I do have one for the boys that will blow their socks off and since they might, I say might loosely read this blog, I can't tell you but if you write here, I'll tell you on your blog. I think it would be a fabulous idea for any boy 6-60 for sure.

Lisa posted on my blog, saying she loved the Missouri weather...I first thought she wrote misery weather, but she loves winter. I am going to try and think like she does. Looking out the patio door this morning and seeing a bit of fresh snow does make it look like a winter wonderland. So I am going to try and look for the silver lining on this day.

Kelly's banana bread turned out amazing. It did make two loaves though and I 'll post it next time. Yummy yummy and she says it's calorie free......yeah right.

WINTER IN CANADA

I didn't write this poem, it comes from another site.

I'ts winter in Canada

And the gentle breezes flow

seventy miles an hour

And it's 40 below.

Oh how I love Canada

when the snow's up to your butt

You take a breath of winter

and your nose closes shut.

Yes the weather her is wonderful

So I guess I'll hang around

I could never leave Canada

I'm frozen to the friggin ground!

I loved this.

Now I think this is a funny poem and certainly pertains to our usual weather here in the frozen north. However today is a balmy day and it was fun walking in the sunshine.

I don't know what it is, but I'm not in a quilting mode. I have the bright quilt on the machine, needle in the down position and ready to stipple some more, but just don't feel up to it. Maybe tomorrow I will. I saw where crazymomquilts aka Amandajean has done 34 quilts this year. 34!

I thought I was going blazes with 10 done and another couple to finish, but I hold nothing on her.

She says her quilts aren't that large so can make a lot of them, but she's sore from all that quilting!

Well hurrah for those of us that are just humans doing a little bit at a time. I am more concerned with getting a pattern to work than sometimes in the end product. Oh yeah and not cutting out enough squares etc to make 5 quilts! My new year resolution is to try and do the math with some semblance of normalcy. Really, I must read where it says "total".

I am going to make Kelly's amazing banana bread recipe today. She usually "doesn't follow the recipes Nana" says Courtney, but Kel wrote this one down, so here's hoping it works as well for me. If it does, I will post it even though I don't do the recipe thing.

I do have a recipe given to us by Monica because we threatened her for years for this particular recipe. Now Monica is not a cook persay, she just looks beautiful and is always helpful, but she does have this secret recipe that she brought for years to gatherings. Well after about 10 years she finally gave it to us. Dawn and I couldn't believe how simple it was.

So if you ask me for it, I shall send it privately. It's that good and that easy...

The banana bread is a different matter. If it works out, I'll definitely post it here.

I smell the rotten bananas waiting to be cooked!

A NEW YEAR GIFT TO ME!

I gifted myself this morning. I bought a new issue of Better Homes as it has become my new best favorite magazine. I still love Fons and Porter but gosh these last couple of issues of BHG just are the best.



I have so many ideas for the new year and this just helped me plan!



Courtney has the flu, and an ear infection to boot. This morning we went to the doctor's to get the diagnosis. We were treated by what is called a

Practical Nurse who has vast experience in

diagnosing patients and even issuing prescriptions.



It was a very good experience and Courtney will have to forgo her training schedule for the next few days to a week. She was more concerned about her training program being put on hold than her illness. In any event the girl is in bed, with amoxicillon and moaning and groaning as teens will do. Her mother is practicing being patient. Not a small feat for mother and daughter both. I love them both so much and can't wait till they become fast friends again instead of mother and daughter, just like Kel and I are now. They are so funny together...

Oh my it's cold today, so cold that my walk with the dog was short. It's only 14 above zero F. That's cold in any country, but here in Canada, well we talk of the weather. It's in our psychy.

I wonder what they talk about in, say, Australia. Surely it's not the weather. Must be how may bodies were roasted on the beach on Sunday would be a better topic. You know I hear it's the only country that the roasters turn over by themselves... sick joke.

See you next year

HAPPY NEW YEAR HATS.

Did I ever tell you of these hats? Aren't they something?
Wouldn't they make wonderful New Years Party Hats?

Well Andrea who is Helen's daughter at the cottage bought these at a charity auction.

There's actually four of them, but these two came out the best. They are handmade, really quite functional and so absolutely individual creations that we couldn't resist posing with them on one afternoon!

There are lavish feathers, silks and veils interspersed on the caps. So comfy too.

Imagine wearing something like this to an opera or some fancy outing. But who wears hats today? Hardly anyone except to an evening wedding I suppose.

Anyway, Andrea just couldn't resist these and they are now carefully stored in lovely hat boxes. So very elegant.

Well almost the New Year eh? What's the plan for the next 12 months till we do this again, for me it's just trying to do appliques in quilting. I know it's just a matter of doing the first one and then moving on. I saw some tea cups that looked interesting or maybe umbrellas put on a blue and white background. Lots of ideas. Finishing the red quilt will be a priority for sure.

Courtney my granddaughter who went to the Laurentiens to ski has been sick since getting there, she says she has an awful cold, possibly and ear infection too. So the whole gang is coming home today as I hear that there are a couple of others not feeling well too.

Kelly is awaiting the teenage patient as I write this and has drops for her ear and cold tablets for the stuffy nose.

We keep a pretty low profile for New Years Eve, usually spent with a few friends. This year we are just going across the street, to have chinese food, play cards and try to stay awake till midnight. I am such an early riser that by the time 9 pm comes around, I'm almost ready for bed...as a matter of fact hardly anyone ever calls after 9 pm as they know we go to bed early.
But I'll try this year to be up till midnight.
Happy New Year to all my family and fellow bloggers who have made me so happy visiting this past year.

ALMOST NEW YEAR

I've bought fabric and have picked the pattern and have cut the 9 patch that is 3 1/2" squares. I love the fabrics I've chosen for the quilt that I'm making. It's from Better Homes and Gardens, most recent issue.

This is the quilt.

I'm loving this pattern which is easy and fun to do.

I finished all the 9 patch squares yesterday and today the 9" squares will be cut and the quilt placed together. It's for a nephew.

Picking out the colours for this has been easy and

putting the blues and orange together just makes it a really fun and bright piece of work.

I also bought some sudued fabric because it was

so pretty and I don't know what I'll do with it,

maybe a lap quilt or just a throw. I loved the

Victorian feel of the colours. Yeah I know I

like more modern stuff, but this just caught

my eye at the shop.

I'm having a hard time placing all these photos, but at least

they're here.

Yesterday the winds were so high that it made walking quite

treacherous. When I walked Wilson he was almost blown away from me. He felt it and actually looked around to see who had moved him....so funny. The weather was warm in the morning which is when I walked.

The trees from the Cullen ravine sounded like a roar and I could see the trees moving in all directions. By afternoon it was about 10 degrees colder and still windy. The chill factor must have been high.

I remember the "Christmas" winds in the Virgin Islands at this time of year, always called this by the locals as it seemed as if this was the time of year that it became quite blowing on the seas and sure enough when I went on the web cam in the islands yesterday I could see the masts of the sailboats going in all directions.

Of course the weather was about 40 degrees warmer, and there had been a few boat reporting trouble because of the winds. The seas on the atlantic side of Tortola were moving well.

Jerry went to the lake to see the waves. They were huge! He didn't walk out to the pier because it would have been dangerous and no one else was walking there either.

AFTER CHRISTMAS STUFF

Well it's after the feast and we are all recovering from a really good day. First we went to Kelly's for an awesome breakfast of sausage strata, blueberry french toast which were even better than mine and made by her two little cooks that she imported from the neighbourhood. I called over on Christmas Eve day and one of the girls answered and said they were busy cooking. So good and easy for Kel as they were made the day before.
There was fruits, buns, cookies, coffee and drinks. It was a feast.
Then we stopped in to visit my mother just after her lunch which is the best time to visit her as she seems to be most alert then. Jerry and she played a game of 500 and she was in her glory. For having dementia and not able to concentrate, being almost 90, she did amazingly well. She "wins" all the time of course and said to Jerry, that it wasn't so bad being beat by an old lady, who can't walk, can't talk much, and can't see either for that matter. Her macular degeneration seems to be a good one day and bad the next. A good couple of hours spent with her.
We then went to our neighbour's for dinner of the turkey and fixens as they say and had a wonderful time. Kelly came too, as her kids had gone to their dad's for the week. They packed as if they weren't coming back though, so much to take for a week in Quebec with Karen's family whom they love to visit. Hate the drive, love the visit because it does include skiing in the Laurentiens.
So here it is Saturday morning after a day of resting up, in a bit of pain from my fall on the ice yesterday. It's good that I have lots of "padding" as they say and I slipped carefully to the sidewalk so didn't do much damage except a sore shoulder today. Lucky is all I call myself now as I could have broken my wrist, which doesn't hurt even though that was sorest yesterday.
I am off to the Ultimate Quilting Shoppe in Oshawa today for their big sale. Jerry bought me a whole bunch of sewing stuff such as needles, squares, threads, markers, grids a bag from the shop which I hope to fill today as it's their annual boxing day sale of items.
My red quilt top is finished but I'm sick of sewing red and white for a while and even though I have been making a top and finishing the quilt before moving on to another, this time I think I shall lay it aside and make something else as I am bored with this very large quilt.
Today, there is so much fog that I can hardly see the school across the park. Wow and 50 degrees F, wahoo, maybe the snow will melt enough to see over the pile so I can back out of the driveway safely. Seriously, where are we going to put the stuff for the rest of the winter?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It's Sunday afternoon and our family brunch was a huge success. We had great cheesy appetizers, fruit salad, caesar salad, sausage strata, chicken pot pie, lots of coffee, egg nog plus whatever you wanted to add to it, juices, and lots of cookies, lemon blossoms, triffle with real whipped cream.

We are all full and Jerry and I are recovering quietly. Jerry and Martin went to the nursing home and brought my mother out for the afternoon. They did a great job. She needed strong men to get her here what with the wheel chair and all.

We had a snow storm as everyone was arriving and that made getting here exciting. The storm has left us and we again had to shovel out our driveway. Kevin our step grandson is doing a great job with that.

I logged on to Mountain Trout House and found the above logos and thought they were great. Their lights twinkle, but still they look great here.

Merry Christmas.