A Little Sunday Stitchin'

Just a short post today to show you what I've been working on, stitching-wise. You've heard me say before how much I love the Mill Hill kits. They come with everything you need, except the scissors for snipping thread ends! Pattern, fabric or perforated paper, floss, beads, buttons and needle(s).

I picked this one up a while back, and started it a week or two ago. I haven't put a lot of hours into it yet, but here is my progress. Looks like I'm about half done. I do all the stitching first, and then go back and fill in the beading. There's a fair bit of beading on this one.

As my eyes get older (not that I am getting older, just my eyes!) I find it easier to make a "working copy" of my pattern. I enlarge it a bit and as I stitch, I shade in with pencil the sections I have completed. If it's a larger and more complex pattern I use coloured pencils. This really helps, when you have a number of floss colours which are very close, and only a few stitches with each colour in an area.
I'll make a little more progress tonight as I watch the Oscars. What are you stitching on these days?

Peace,
Linda

Stitching is the answer. I don't care what the question is.

On My Bookshelf

The Deep End of the Ocean, Jacquelyn Mitchard's debut novel, is the story of a child abduction - every parent's worst nightmare. It opens as Beth Cappadora heads off to her 15th high school reunion in Chicago with her three young children and a babysitter in tow. While she is registering in the busy hotel lobby, three year old Ben disappears, escaping the (not quite watchful enough) eye of older brother Vincent, aged seven. It seems he has vanished without a trace...
His disappearance leaves Beth wallowing in guilt and agony, and drives a wedge through  her marriage and the family as a whole. As the family dynamics deteriorate over the next nine years, it seems things will never be the same again. And then... Well, I can't tell you anymore - that would spoil the story, wouldn't it? You'll have to read it yourself to see what happens.
I'm sure every mother could identify with what Beth goes through, who knows how one would react? Indeed, it IS every parent's worst nightmare. I can remember so clearly being in a similar situation sixteen years ago.. We had taken our two, ages 10 and 12 at the time, to Florida; our first big family vacation ever, their first time flying. It was a fabulous holiday, spent mostly at Disneyworld. The kids had been SO good - no problems at all, and we all had had SO much fun! But on our very last full day there, Laura disappeared. We were still at the hotel, ready to have breakfast, after having a family portrait taken (you know, one of those promotional package deals offered by the hotel that you couldn't resist.) We split up before heading to the dining room and both of us thought Laura was with the other parent. It was all a misunderstanding, and she had gone back up to our room. But for a few agonizing minutes that seemed like hours, I was in a panic. I was sure someone had abducted her, on our very last day!! I think I almost squished her to death, hugging her so tight when she re-appeared. I'm sure I aged at least 20 years in those few minutes...
Have you ever had a similar experience with one of your children?

Peace,
Linda

"Children are happy because they don't have a file in their minds called "All the Things That Could Go Wrong." ~ Marianne Williamson

Another One Off the List

Another finish feels good! I can only take credit for doing the binding on this quilt, but it IS another "To Do" crossed off my list and that feels good! This is the quilt I told you about a week ago - a donation by our quilters' guild to our provincial youth drug addiction treatment centre. They have requested quilts for all their beds and this is the one we'll be giving. Guilds across the province are answering the call. Now that it has been shown at our guild meeting last night, I can share it with you here.

The pattern is called Disappearing Four Patch, as you start with a four patch, make a few cuts through the block, rearrange the pieces and re-sew it together. Quick and easy. Many thanks to Kathleen D for piecing the top and some extra blocks, to Jean K for adding one more row to bring it up to single bed size and for preparing the binding, to Sue R for donating the nice cozy flannel backing, to Gwenda M for doing the quilting and to the Nashwaaksis Lions Club for covering  the cost of the quilting, batting and thread. It was my pleasure to add the final stitches by doing the binding on this quilt. Such a great community project!

EDIT: You can see another of the beautiful quilts my guild has just completed and donated to a worthy cause by clicking here. 

Piece!
Linda

"It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." ~ Mother Theresa

Backyard Box Office

Who needs HBO or Netflix when you have live entertainment right in your own backyard? The kitties and I have been watching Red Squirrel Theatre.




























Yep, the battle continues. "Little Red" has figured out how to jump down onto the suet balls... watching his antics has been most entertaining. I think I will nominate him for an Emmy Award... wonder if there's an Emmy for best stunt man squirrel? I must say, he makes the day more interesting for Scamp, and he keeps me laughing, now that I've just given up on trying to keep him away from the suet...

























On a happy note, I have had a flock of robins in the backyard. Yes, a FLOCK. Not just one or two, but at least 10. They have been feasting on the old apples still clinging to one tree. This is not a great photo, taken two days ago, but it's the best I could get from a distance. Today a number of robins were on the ground, pecking at some fallen apple bits. It is so wonderful to see robins here in February, it gives me hope for an early spring!! A nice thought after last week's storms.

Peace,
Linda

"No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn." ~ Hal Borland

On My Bookshelf

I recently finished reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It took me a while to "get into".... in the beginning I found Ove to be annoying - a cranky  curmudgeon and I was thinking to myself "Seriously? A good friend LOVED this book?" But I continued reading, and just as Ove gradually "softens" so did I. Ove has recently been widowed and he is angry and lonely, bitter and truly lost without his wife Sonya. Ove is grumpy and to say he is set in his ways would be an understatement! He has little interest in forming relationships with his neighbours, particularly the new ones who have just moved in next door. He just wants to be left alone. But like it or not, they come into his life...  I won't reveal any more of the story, but it will make you both laugh and cry and touch you in a very human way. It is simply written with a good deal of humour and although not a page turner, I kept wanting to read "just one more chapter" to see what Ove would get up to next. Read it, I think you'll like it.







 
Peace,
Linda

"Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die." ~ Anne Lamott

Taggie Blankets

A simple little sewing project to show you today. Have you heard of a taggie blanket? I can remember my friend Gail making these a few years back for her grandchildren and also for gifts.. I didn't pay close enough attention at the time. But now that I have a little grandson... now I'm taking notice!
A taggie blanket is a tactile experience for baby. It's made with a super soft fabric like Minkie on one side, and something soft and slippery on the back like satin. Around the edges are "tags" for them to grab and feel. I used 4" lengths of various ribbons folded in half to make a "tag" loop of just under 2". I used satin, grosgrain, sheer and any other type of ribbon I could find - anything that little fingers would find interesting to feel/rub/caress.. The more textures the better. The blanket itself is about 10" x 12", it doesn't need to be any bigger than that.

Now that Noah has received this little Valentines gift, I can show you. (I know, I know, HE doesn't read my blog, but his Mommy does...) Noah loves tags right now.. any toy that has a tag on it - well, I'm told he plays more with the tag than the toy, so this gift was well timed. I followed someone's wise advice and made two. That way, if he does get real attached to it (as some children do to their blankie, or bedtime stuffy, or whatever) and it gets lost, then there is a "backup."
They are quick and easy to make. Do you have a small child in your life who would like a taggie blanket?







Peace,
Linda

"A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it." ~ Frank A. Clark

Stormageddon!

We survived the monster storm, the storm of the decade, aka snowpocalypse and stormageddon. Would you believe we got 79 cm. of snow- that's 31 inches!! Yep, it's lookin' quite white around here... This is what it looked like from above. This photo is a NASA image taken from the NB Storm and Weather Centre and shows Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, all "covered in storm."

And this shows the snowfall amounts in the Maritimes. We won! (Perhaps this was one contest we didn't need to win...). I have no idea how they accurately measure snowfall when the wind is blowing with gusts between 90-100km/h but 79 cm. is what we got apparently! I can believe it as our driveway was almost waist deep in places and we have drifts at the back of the house that are over 6 feet!

Here's the view from our livingroom window about mid afternoon....

At times we could hardly see the house across the street.

Can you tell you're looking down the third fairway of the golf course?

Yes, it was a nasty day. Virtually the entire city was shut down. Schools, universities, gov't offices, banks and businesses were all closed, city busses were not running, and later in the day sections of the Trans Canada Highway in the province were closed to all but emergency vehicles because the visibility was so poor, driving was very dangerous. And yes, even Tim's was closed. You KNOW it's bad when Tim's closes.
Today everyone was digging out. I will try to get some good photos around the city tomorrow, or in the  next few days.. as we have another storm on the way for Wednesday night/Thursday! Just what we need - more snow!! Pfffttttt!

Peace,
Linda

"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible." ~ Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to all my readers and followers! I truly do appreciate your visits and comments. I wish I could send each of you a bouquet of flowers or a heart shaped box of chocolates... I would if  I could.... So the best I can do today is offer you a visual treat - I went back through my photo archives and made up this "bouquet" for you... I'm more of a pink girl than a red one, so here are some lovely pink blooms for you to enjoy on this cold Feb. 14th.

Our city is still digging out after yesterday's blizzard... more about that next...

Peace,
Linda

"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." ~ Franklin P. Jones

Ice and Snow, Snow and Ice...

Blizzard warning in effect! Whaaaat? The sun is shining brightly this morning and the sky is blue, the current temperature is -21°C (-5°F) with a wind chill of -27°C (-16°F) but a nasty nor'easter is on its way to us with high winds and heavy snow in the forecast - 25-55 cm. That's 10-22 inches! We just got a foot of snow on Thursday night/Friday. Schools were closed two days last week for storms, and I expect they'll be closed again tomorrow. It seems like Mother Nature is making up for a relatively easy January by dumping extra snow on us this month! And let's not talk about another storm that's coming on Thursday...

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the snow. "Snowbaby" I'm not, I don't ski or snowmobile, but I really don't mind the snow. It's the cold and the ice I dislike. Several friends have fallen and broken or cracked bones this winter already; the walking has been treacherous. I enjoy photographing shadows on the snow and the ice formations on the garage windows, the birds at the birdfeeder - you might say I'm enjoying winter "from the inside looking out."
So I'm cooking a roast today, in case we lose power tonight, and hubby has the snowblower and shovels all lined up, ready to roll! Bring it on, Mother Nature! We're ready!

This morning's visitors: L-R white-breasted nuthatch, red-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker

Peace,
Linda

"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder." ~  Susan Orlean

My Winter Garden

I have enjoyed (and yes, even envied) photos posted by blogging friends who are in the southern USA  or southern hemisphere where the the weather is much warmer and flowers are blooming. Here in snowy cold eastern Canada we are in the depths of winter and the only blooms are on houseplants. I am tiring of  the cold, the snow and the ice. I'm ready for spring and colour! (I think I need a visit to the local nursery to enjoy some warmth and colour!)

Short of delving into my photo archives, the only blooms I can share with you today are those of my orchids. I have three which sit on my kitchen windowsill, I think of them as my "winter garden." I knew nothing about growing orchids when I got  the first one more than three years ago, and to be honest, still know very little. The only thing I claim to know for sure is that they seem to like where they are, a south facing window. The first one has bloomed almost continually since I got it, there was only one period of just over a month when it had no

blooms. My second orchid  purchase was a "miniature" orchid; it too has bloomed continuously. The third I've only had for six months, but so far, continuous blooms. So I guess I must be doing something right! I water them once a week, and give them fertilizer occasionally.
These blooms you see here are of my miniature orchid. The blooms are about 2" across.
Have you ever had an orchid? Do you have any orchid-growing secrets to share?

Peace,
Linda

"I must have flowers, always and always."  ~ Claude Monet

Sunday Visitor

It hasn't been a good week. Too many good friends battling serious health  issues. Cancers, stroke, broken bones.... Ugh. As they say, "Gettin' old ain't for sissies!" So I don't have much to share with you today. Have done some sewing this week, but I've been unfocused and all over the place... Today I'm hand stitching the binding on a bed quilt. It's a charity quilt my guild will be donating to Portage Atlantic, a youth drug rehab centre. Once it's done I'll share it with you.

It's been a fairly quiet winter at the bird feeder. Just the usual species are visiting, nothing exciting...... until today when Mr. Red Squirrel showed up to tantalize Ginger and Scamp. I always know something's going on outside when the cats start going wild, running from the family room windows to the deck door, back and forth, tails swishing rapidly. Grey squirrels are an everyday sighting, but this sassy little red squirrel... Well! He got more attention! And he got MY attention when he jumped onto the suet balls and started chewing... Little varmint! The suet has now been moved to a longer hanger, further out from the tree trunk... So now we'll watch to see if he can get to it. Take that, Mr. Red!!











Peace,
Linda

"All you need in life to lift your spirit is to take a moment and gaze at nature's beauty."  ~ Unknown

On My Bookshelf

"January 2, 1761.  Lyddie Berry heard the clatter of the geese and knew something was coming - Cousin Betsey, Grandson Nate, another wolf, or, knowing those fool birds, a good gust of wind - but when she heard the door snap hard against the clapboards she discounted all four of them; she whirled with the wind already in her skirts to see the Indian, Sam Cowett, just ducking beneath the lintel. He had the height and width to crowd a room, and the black eyes - what was it about a pair of eyes you couldn't see through? She took a step back and was sorry she'd done it, but he'd not have noticed; already he'd looked past her, calling into the empty doorway behind, "Blackfish in the bay!" The words had been known to clear every man out of a town meeting, so Lyddie wasn't surprised to hear the instant echo of Edward's boots or see the great sweep of arm that took up his coat and cap along with his breakfast. The bread went to pocket and the beer to mouth; he set back the mug and smiled at her; never mind it was a smile full of whales, not wife - she answered it, or would have if he'd stayed to see it - he was gone before her skirts had settled." ~ Sally Gunning, The Widow's War.
I knew by the end of this paragraph that I was going to love this book!
I love reading books recommended by other bloggers. I read The Widow's War by Sally Gunning because my friend Kathy at Four Miles North of Nowhere said it was her favourite book of 2016. That's good enough for me! I did thoroughly enjoy it, and now I'm recommending it to you! Set in 1761 in a small whaling village on Cape Cod, it's the story of Lydia Berry whose husband drowns while out on a whaling expedition in the very first chapter. Her difficulties over the next year, as a young widow, are quite a history lesson! Let's just say I'm grateful I live in this era and not back then!
Women of the eighteenth century had no rights and this doesn't sit well with Lyddie. As a widow Lyddie has no rights to her home or possessions therein, and is expected to live under the thumb of her difficult son-in-law, her closest male relative. She is determined to challenge both the legal and social system, and risk the scorn of family, neighbours and church to make her own way.  The trials of her day to day life serve only to make her stronger and more determined to be independent and fight for her freedom.
Gunning, a history buff who specializes in the eighteenth century, writes beautifully and provides a fascinating look at pre-Revolutionary life in New England, not such a pretty picture for women. If you enjoy historical fiction, you will want to read this book. There aren't many books I read a second time, but this may be one. Five stars from this bookworm. Thanks Kath, for the recommendation.

Peace,
Linda

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." ~ Edmund Burke