With The PUs

 Is that still a "hip" term...the PUs (parental units)? In any case, that's where I am....AND, I managed to sort out data to be able to keep up with my blogging while I'm here. However, out of a desire not to be rude by heading to my sleeping accommodations too early, my blogging will be late while I'm here. The internet is a little slow when loading pictures, so I hope this works.

This morning, I got up at "ridiculous o'clock" for me (definitely not for Elaine). I was up just as the sun was coming up. Beautiful!....

Just like this little sign says:

Jade was very excited that I was up early enough to walk with her and Steve before leaving for my road trip to Brantford. It's been so hot in the daytime that we've taken to taking her special water bottle with us....even early in the morning when it's cool. I think she's very grateful!

When we got home, I snapped a few pictures of the garden. It's amazing how quickly things are growing....especially the potatoes. In the fenced area (deer/bunny detergent), we have radishes, lettuce, beans, and peas. We gave up on carrots as we've not had ANY luck producing anything of worth with them. I'm thinking the growing season is just too short for them. Around the outside of that is the potatoes.

In the one small box garden, we have garlic, zucchini, and cucumbers. Yes...those are metal headboards for the cucumber and zucchini to climb.

In the other small box bed, we have all the herbs and the cherry tomatoes. We've given up on the larger varieties of tomato as they often don't ripen in time.

When I got to Brantford, I was not yet done my driving duties. I took Mom out to run a bunch of errands. Tomorrow morning, she is having the first of her cataract surgeries, and I wanted to be sure she had enough "stuff" in the house to last a while being as I'm not sure when she'll be allowed to drive again. I'm also trying to do as much of this sort of stuff as I can when I am here as I am a little nervous about her driving her and Dad around....unless it's really close. Her 86 years are starting to show and she's getting a little confused/forgetful at times. She even commented on it today...which is a first.

When we got back and had put away groceries, I spent a bit of time looking through this book.

I believe I had previously mentioned that my oldest daughter, Tasha, and I were interested in stretching our artistic talents (she has WAY more than me) by doing a monthly art project....something on a shoestring budget. I was looking for inspiration when I looked through this book. I think I might have discovered a few possible options :)

And since I'm set to be here until Thursday, I decided to bring along some quilting to work on. It's not as nice a workspace as my own little Hobbit Hole, but it will do nicely! I've got Mom's ironing board in front of the workbench, the cutting station set up on the freezer, and my sewing machine set up on one of my folding tables. All set!

My alarm is set for 7:00 tomorrow morning....so that I have a bit of time for a coffee before heading out with Mom. I'm thinking I should probably think about getting some sleep now.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

One Excited Girl!!!

We don't always walk Her Ladyship together...dependent on what else might be going on...but Jade is usually quite excited when she learns that we are all going together. I wish I had my phone out faster to capture all of it. She was just SO full of beans waiting for us to get ready.

Of course, I did not get ready fast enough for her liking. When she "snuffs" like that, it's generally because something is happening...or not happening...as she would like it to be. 😂 Sassy girl!!!

After coming back from our walk, I was rather warm so I changed into a sleeveless shirt whereupon Steve said, "Where did you get the bruise on your arm?" to which I replied, "I have NO idea but I'm sure when it happened I said 'Oh that'll be a bruise!'". I am the proverbial "bull in a china shop". When I get an idea in my head to do something, I just go! There was a time last summer when I had so many bruises from various projects that Steve said people might think he beat me. I can assure you, he does not! I am definitely my own worst enemy. Most of the time it comes from not making myself better aware of what's around me while working on projects. And I often do say "Oh that'll be a bruise!" Funny thing is, when the bruise comes up, I usually can't remember where I got it from 😜

I was quite excited after our walk. Today was my first day sitting in on the "Monday Maniacs" weekly quilting Zoom. I can't say enough about how wonderful it is to sew with a group of ladies and not have to haul anything anywhere....or use up gas and time travelling. Also, with how far spread some of us are, it would not be feasible for us to physically come together every week.

It was yet another productive sewing session for me. I managed to get 3 sections of Long Time Gone (affectionately called "Long Time Coming" considering this is my second go-round of the class) done.

So far, I am liking how it's coming together :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN
        

Myiwanna Day + Zoom Quilting Retreat = Amazing Day!!!

What a fabulous day!!! And so productive.

On the morning walk, I spotted this flower along the side of the road. I'm not sure what it is, but it's really sweet looking. The plant stands about 4-5 inches tall. There were several of them blooming along the way. I think maybe I should download a plant identifier app.

I was a little sad that I wasn't able to capture this apple tree in full bloom. The storm that happened while away blew pretty much all the blooms off of the tree, sadly :(

While she was here, Tasha took the time to "highlight" the work she did 2 years ago burning this sign. This time, she highlighted the lettering with some black outdoor paint. I think it looks great!!! It just needs another few coats of sealant....which I hope to get to later this week.

So...today was another Quilt-Retreat-By-Zoom Day. It is sooooo enjoyable being able to sew in the virtual company of these ladies. I can't believe how quickly 8 hours passed. You know what they say..."Time passes quickly when you're having fun." I managed to get SO much work done today!!! I began by finally getting the hemming done on a dress that the neighbour asked me to shorten by about 5"....so that the heels of her shoes would stop catching on it every time she stood up from playing her harp. Btw...if anybody needs a harpist for a wedding (or other event) look up Rachel Eason. Also btw...that's the first time I have tried to create a hyperlink in this blog. I hope it worked! Anyway...here's hem done :)

I also finished to flimsy for the next Holiday Table Runner class.

AND....I got the 60-degree-angle blocks done for Long Time Gone. Wahoo!!!

Now I just need to make some checkerboard sections and I can assemble the whole quilt. So excited to see what this quilt will look like once done :) But now it's time for some down time!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

 

My Girls :D

The other day, I posted a goofy-faced picture of my oldest daughter. I thought it might be nice to post a picture of ALL my girls (conceived and chosen). I took this on one of our Sunday Messenger calls. 

The goofy-faced girl, my oldest (biological) daughter, Tasha, is on the far right. The one next to her, one of my chosen daughters, Abbie, is fairly newly a mother....hence the big yawn, I think. Next to her is Brianne, my youngest (biological) daughter. She is also tired due to have a packed week doing animation for Mercury studios. In the bottom left corner is Ana, my other chosen daughter. When she was much younger, she came to live with us for some time. I really do love every one of these girls....for so many different reasons!

I am late blogging tonight because I had popped in to Elaine's Zoom Quilt Retreat. It happens once a month, and all are welcome. She posts the link on her blog site (crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com)....in case you're interested :)

Tonight, I decided to get busy making the flimsy for the next Holiday Table Runner class. Last time, even though I had 2 months to get the work done, I left it pretty much to the last minute. It was a bit of a nail-biter whether or not I would get the homework done in time. This time, I am playing it smarter. I decided in the first month to get the flimsy ready, and in the second month, get the quilting done. I got a fair bit of work done before calling it a night.

The retreat resumes again tomorrow at 10:00 (and runs until the last die hard signs off...with people popping in and out as they wish), so I'm hoping to get the flimsy done. Maybe I'll even have some time to work on Long Time Gone. It could happen!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

 

Girl's Got Grandpa's Green-Thumb

On Wednesday, I headed South to take my daughter and her other half back home. They'd been visiting with us for a few days. My plan was to stay with them for the night, and then head to Brantford for my mother's phone consult with the pancreatic oncologist (more on that later).

My daughter's ability with plants astounds me. It definitely skipped a generation from my father to her. She has all kinds of plants inside her apartment.

And the greenery doesn't end there. She has managed to create an incredible "garden" on her 5' x 12' balcony. She grows so many things out there...especially herbs.

She says she's a couple of weeks behind with her garden this year. I will have to get her to send me pictures once her garden has grown. I'm so impressed!!!

On Thursday, I headed to my parents' place so that I could be an extra set of ears for them as the pancreatic oncologist passed on information about options. The usual method of treating this cancer is to remove the pancreas (meaning the person needs insulin for the remainder of their life). We're not sure if this will be an option...for two reasons. One...Mom needed to head to the hospital (Thursday evening) for a CT scan to determine if the cancer had spread beyond the small place next to the duct. If it has spread, removing the pancreas will not be an option. Two...my mother's age. The surgeon that specializes in this complicated procedure may decide that my mother is too old (86) to undergo the procedure.

The second option that was presented was chemo, which my mother would be on for the remainder of her life. It would be what they call a gentle dose of chemo, once every week, but it would still come with many of the issues of receiving chemo (loss of hair, loss of appetite, fatigue, ague, etc.)

In both cases, the timeline is still finite....she will eventually succumb to the cancer. When asked what the timeline would be if she chose to do neither, we heard that she would have 6 months to a year.

We are now playing the "waiting game" to see if the cancer has spread before my mother can make an informed decision.

Following the call...and some discussion...I made the journey back home to Echo In The North. I spent time making phone calls to my daughters, and to my niece's (my sister's daughter) aunt (who adopted upon her brother's passing) to update them on today's information. Not only was I very tired, but I was more than a little heart-sick.

I was very grateful that today I would have a Zoom class for which I still needed to complete the homework. Working slow and steady, I managed to get all the log cabin blocks done.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN


 

Life Slowed Down

Today just felt like a slower day....which I am very grateful for when they happen. I lingered over coffee. Tasha took Lady Jade for her morning walk. I did the dishes that didn't get done last night and put a load of laundry in, and then I spent time on my iPad and with my book. Nothing felt rushed :)

When I finally made my way downstairs to my sewing room, I got to work on this month's block for With Glowing Hearts. This block was certainly a challenge for me....even with the teacher's video instruction (as well as the pattern instructions). The first thing I had to do was create a chain (in essence) of triangles.

And it wasn't just one row of them. There are two rows that are couched together to make the sides. Add to that the fact that the corners of the block are all metered. I've never done metered corners before.There is quite a process to attaching the sides and closing the seams.

I did manage to get the whole thing together. It's not the flatest....I did have to use Best Press to get it to lie a little flatter...., and it's not perfect it size either, but it is done. I may just decide to replicate one of the other blocks in a different colour way rather than use this one in the quilt. We'll see!

T&T (as I affectionately call them) are still here. I'll be taking them home to Guelph tomorrow, dropping them off before heading to my my parents' place again (Mom has a phone consult with the pancreatic oncologist that's been assigned her case and I'd like to be there to hear what options will be presented). This afternoon, I snapped a pic of Tasha "pinging". Both of the kids really enjoy being able to do target practice, whether is be with the pellet guns, bows and arrows, or throwing knives. They spend some time each day at this activity...sometimes more than once in a day.

This evening, I asked Tasha to snap a picture of what I was working on (so rare to have both my hands in a picture), and she decided she needed to take a goofy selfie first :P

LOL...Yep! That's my girl. Hard to believe she's almost 31!!!

Anyway, this evening I worked on hemming the dress for my neighbour. It has two flowing layers that need to be done. I managed to finish the outside layer (the more difficult fabric to work with). I'm thinking I will just machine stitch the hem for the inner layer.

As I mentioned earlier, I'll be hitting the road again...after my Quilted Postcards class (through Thimbles & Things). It will likely be quite late before I get back home on Thursday, but I will be back to blogging on Friday.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

A Good Day :)

 It was a really good day today :)

As usual, we started with coffee, followed by walking Jade around the loop. She was very happy to have time to play with Buddy, a border collie along the route, and to have treats from G & B, who were also walking around the loop this morning. When we got back to the house, since we were already sprayed up, Steve and I worked on making the side panels for the flower box that will go near the end of the driveway. Because all of the pieces are quite heavy, we are going to have to assemble the box in situ. We used the dolly to take the biggest pieces down the driveway, and just carried the sides. I had raked the area, and discovered that we are going to have to level the area with gravel before we can assemble the box.

Then, we pulled the boat out of what we affectionately call "The Boat House", and brought it up near the house.

Two winter's ago, the boat sustained damage to the windscreen when the previous "boat house" collapsed and we didn't fixed it last summer. We need to replace a pane of glass, and find a new supporting arm....for a boat that is over 25 years old.

After this task was done, we both showered and had some lunch. I followed that with a nap, while Steve went to visit some friends, one who's currently visiting from Scotland, that he worked with MANY years ago.

Later this afternoon, I continued work on catching up the blocks for With Glowing Hearts. I managed to get Block #2 done....And it was the right size 😃.

At this time, Tasha had decided to have a nap, and Steve and Thomas were outside "plinking"... a new word I just learned this week. It refers to the sound made by the pellets hitting their target...like cans.

We've had supper, and are now ready to watch a movie.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

The "Seasin Of Freezin' " Begins

When we left our friends' place yesterday, my friend, Carol, sent me home with a bunch of fresh rhubarb from her garden. My two rhubarb plants that I planted last year have come back and are doing very well, but are not likely to produce much if anything this year, so I gladly accepted the offering. Once I got home, I got them cleaned up, cut, and ready for the freezer. My mister will be very happy when I make him a strawberry-rhubarb pie to enjoy. He loves it when the neighbour makes him one on occasion, so I'm thinking it's time I learn how to make one myself.

This morning, I had my "Out Of The Box" class, and I did manage to get my homework done in time for the class. This month's parameters were to us neutrals and include triangles in whatever we produced. I like to make something that has some use, so I decided to make a journal cover. I was inspired to do that by Linda's journal cover last month. I'm pretty pleased with the finished product.

Next month's challenge is to make something with stripes....and I think I already have a plan. The nice thing.....it's also something useful that I had planned to make at some point. Bonus!!! I can't share yet as I haven't even begun the project.

This afternoon, I decided to tackle catching up on the Quilts Of Valour "With Glowing Hearts" (WGH) quilt. I first needed to fix Block #1 as it didn't come out to the proper size, for whatever reason. I opened up seams and restitched things. It's not perfect, but at least it's now the correct size.

I began work on Block #2, but did not finish it today. 

I am hoping to get it done tomorrow, as well as Block #3, which will put me back on track with the homework for this class. The one thing that I find less pleasurable with this class is that the lesson's are pre-recorded. It's not a "live" lesson like many of the lessons offered by Thimbles & Things and Elaine. I much prefer the live version of lessons. It certainly helps to keep me accountable to completing the homework on time....even though WGH wants you to post your completed block on Instagram before a certain date.

Tasha, my oldest daughter, who is visiting, really liked the idea of the "Out Of The Box" class...how parameters are set, but what you create within those parameters is totally up to you. She lamented that she wishes she had that in relation to art projects. She misses how her classmates at Fanshawe used to inspire her creativity. I suggested that we could start an Art "Out Of The Box" Challenge. She loved the idea. We already have a plan for our first project (but I did say that I would need until July before we could begin...that I still have a lot of classes, but that two of them will be done by then). What's the project, you ask? Well, we are going to each create a walking stick. We are allowed to burn etching into it, paint it, use ribbon/twine on it,....essentially we can do whatever we like BUT it has to be a walking stick. I have already found the piece of wood I will use for this project :)

Now to plan what I will do to "decorate" my walking stick....even if we're not beginning until July.

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

A Much Needed Recharge

Steve and I were heading South this weekend to pick up T&T (my oldest daughter and her other half, neither of whom drive) for a visit in the North. Since we were going to head down, we decided to get in a visit with a couple of our friends. It was soooo nice to have that down-time :)

On our way down, we were VERY grateful that we were not heading north. Traffic was backed up from just north of Barrie until just beyond Vaughan.

We went out to dinner and then went for a lovely walk around Cambridge....particularly along the river. As we were going to down some stairs to get to the walkway along the river, I noticed this stone set into the wall. I wonder what that's about??? My friend half jokingly said that someone's ashes were interned there. 😧😧

Such a lovely night for a stroll :)

There were both geese and ducks swimming with their babies along the river. So cute to see! 

And there was this lone goose just chilling at the base of the bridge's buttress.

And...I have always enjoyed the steeples of old stone churches.

This morning, before going to pick up our daughter from work, we went to the Farmer's Market. So nice that things are starting to approach what used to be. Really enjoyed visiting this market and getting a bunch of goodies to enjoy with the kids.

It was such a lovely visit that left me feeling much recharged 💜

And on that note, I wish you a very good night!

TTFN