It's been awhile...but I've been busy

I have come to the conclusion that I have definitely gotten slower over the years. Not earth shattering news I know, considering I am not 21 anymore. lol that is funny...cause I am so NOT 21 anymore, I can hardly even remember 21! However I have had a pretty decent week. I have gotten to a few jobs around the house that have been dragging for awhile. Nothing very interesting...BUT; one of the jobs I did get to was putting my sewing area back together. Boy does that feel good!

I made a small purchase for myself just before Christmas and it has been sitting in a box just waiting for the right occasion to make it's appearance. Well today is the day. After I got things tidied up I "installed" new lighting in my sewing room. Want to have a peek?

If you click on the picture and enlarge it you may be able to tell that these lights are actually little spools of colored thread. They were just too cute and in the moment I really thought I "needed" them. Of course after I got them home and re-thought things I was not so sure...but I was so happy to be back in my little sewing studio that I figured it called for a celebration so there you have it!

Want to have a look around? There is still more in depth tidying to do, things to sort through, stuff to get rid of, but at least my space is usable again.

This little "gal" sits on my sewing table, and holds some of my tools and pins. She is looking a little "huffy" today for some reason. I am thinking she has still not forgiven me for keeping her down in a messing sewing room alone for so long. She'll get over it though.

This next photo is a shelf on the wall to my right and the baskets on all three shelves hold some of my UFO's. How many you ask? I am not telling, but I will say that I am working away at finishing them.

Part of my "quilty" reading material. Lot's of inspiration and info here.

The quilty letters were a gift from my very talented scrapbooking daughter. Cute eh?

A few quilty gifts from friends and family. The friends pic was taken at our Annual Spring Retreat at Paula's camp...BLISS; pure bliss!

Buttons, buttons and more buttons! so much easier to find when they are color coordinated.

I hope to get this baby off my design wall before long...so much for deadlines.If you enlarge and look real hard to the far left you can see a little peek of some of my fabric stash, but I'll show more tomorrow. Happy stitching my friends!

How do you eat an elephant?

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

Being home again after such a long time away it seems like there are so many things to be done. It just seemed a little overwhelming to me and so I was doing nothing basically... However this past week or so, I have started to reclaim my space. I am eating my elephant! One bite at a time.

I have been moving furniture and cleaning and sorting and purging.(where does all this junk come from?)...catalogues, junk mail, out dated coupons, clothes that don't fit or ones you are just tired of; and on and on it goes.

I am far from being finished upstairs, but I took a break from cleaning upstairs to do some tidying in my sewing room (read major overhaul!)

Mr. O was away on business for a few days this week and I decided that Monday was a good day to play hooky from all the jobs that needed doing and go do something fun. I joined the "girls" for a quilting day at Paula's. I almost changed my mind and stayed home, simply because it just seemed like too much work. Most of my quilting supplies were still packed from moving home from the cottage; my sewing machine had not been unpacked in months; I hardly knew where anything was. However I bit the bullet and decided to put a project together and off I went. Well it was just what the doctor ordered! I want to start sewing/quilting again; and the only way I can do that is to set my "studio" back in order. Yesterday I spent a couple hours at it, and today I hope to finish things up.

There are still a lot of other things waiting for me to attend to, like Monday's basket of ironing, painting the guest room, cleaning the linen closet...but I will get to. One bite at a time. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can post some pics of a tidy sewing room and maybe even a project in the works. Ta ta for now.

I am blessed

I have wonderful friends, and that makes me truly blessed. I have so sadly neglected my friends this past 6 months and yet they are there for me. I have gone to them in distress, and needing help with different things, and there has never been any hesitation. There have been messages of encouragement, phone calls, and deeds of kindness through this very emotional trying time. Thank you all. It means so much to know people care.


Wanna hear a snippet of conversation between Christopher Robin and Pooh?



"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart; I'll stay there forever."


My friends have made me feel just that. They have kept me in their hearts, and that is very comforting. Thank you.


Want to see what I mean?...My birthday is coming up..( and NO this is not a hint!!) It falls hot on the heels of Christmas and usually everyone is so busy with all the festivities, it always touches me when I get remembered with gifts and cards and good wishes. Wanna see what I have been given this week?...and it isn't even my birthday yet!




This photo does not even come close to doing these wonderful, crisp, white linen hand towels justice. They are embroidered with a ribbon of holly ( I love holly!) I have them hanging on the bar at the bottom of my medicine chest in the bathroom. Love them!

Again my photography skills are lacking. I over exposed this photo, but just look at this precious miniature porcelaine tea set and tiny book of friendship quotes.
Is this not just the cutest? My grandaughters will be thrilled with this on their next visit.






Oh dear! Pardon my dust, but just look at this wonderful pottery mug from a precious English friend of mine. It has a little infuser "thingy" dish inside the mug for loose tea. And if I prefer to use a tea bag, well then I have the little dish beside it for the tea bag. Doesn't it just make you want to go put the kettle on and have a cuppa tea? You know I think I just might do that, but before I go I am going to leave you with another photo of a jolly fellow. He is the night light in my bathroom; not sure if you can see it or not but he has springy little bells on his top hat and a wonderful happy smile. Ta ta.
EDIT: I just went to make tea and realized that the little dish is also a lid to keep my tea piping hot while steeping. DUH! Don't mind me I was having a senior moment; I really did know that; honest!

Not a Christmas post, but it will make you smile...

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0 wedding entrance 33 million hits

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs evian commercial 27 million hits

I was reading yesterday about some of the most popular hits on youtube...of course most of you have seen the one of Susan Boyle in Britains Got Talent, but have you seen these. Of the 5 most popular videos,these came in #3 and # 5. Guaranteed to make you smile. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

Stirring Up Memories In The Kitchen

Man! It's cold outside this morning...but warm in my kitchen. I am making meat pies...again. Tourtiere actually. I made a batch for Mom before I left Ontario, and while that is a good thing; there are no meat pies in MY freezer. Now Mr. O really doesn't mind if I have no present for him under the tree, but no meat pies for Christmas, is another thing altogether! I heard so much about his Mom's meat pies , when we were first married that I went on a search for "THE" perfect meat pie recipe. Well Canadian Living, Bless their hearts, published this recipe many years ago and after trying it and getting the Mr. O seal of approval it has been my old stand-by. ( I know it measures up because when I made them and served them to Mr. O's father, he said they were the best! ...just like his Mom made them!) What is it about mom's cooking?

Now just to show you how old this magazine is, you might notice the price up in the right hand corner... .39cents! If you click on the pic and enlarge it you may even be able to make out the date under the letters "V I" in Living. It would seem I am a creature of habit, because even though I have another copy elsewhere, this is what I pull out of my recipe collection each year. The pages are getting quite shabby and un-readable in some places, and I never try to make it from memory, but just having this old magazine on my counter seems to be the "secret ingredient".

It is not very "Christmas-sy" around here, because as some of you may know, Mr. O and I are leaving in just 5 more sleeps to drive back to Ont. to spend Christmas with Mom; so I have not done any decorating or preparing for the festivities. Honestly, what was the point?

That being said, smelling my meat pies cooking and listening to seasonal music has stirred up a few memories of Christmas Past.

After they are finished I will make my "traditional" peanut brittle and that will be the extent of my Christmas baking. ...well maybe just a small batch of scotch cookies; but just a small batch mind you! Do you feel the Merry yet?

Bonne Appetit and Happy Holidays.

Joie de Vivre

I have just recently become aware of a book that I would like to own. It is Joie de Vivre by Robert Arbor and Katherine Whiteside. Let me show you a little of what is written on the inside flap of the book.

"When it comes to making the most out of life, nobody does it better than the French. Now, with Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style For Every Day Living, and inspired fusion of art, style and easy-to-implement ideas, anyone can feel like they spent a weekend in the French countryside, no matter where they live.

Renowned restauranteur Robert Arbor puts a refreshing emphasis on simplicity and accessibility ..."

Now I don't know about you, but any book that can make me feel like I have spent a weekend in the French countryside is a definite candidate for my library.

I looked up the term "joie de vivre" and here is what the dictionary has to say;

joie de vivre (zhwa de vi-vre) n. hearty or carefree enjoyment of life.

[French: joie,joy+de,of+vivre,living.]

Sometimes we get so bogged down with things in life we fail to feel or express that "joie de vivre". I am afraid I have been guilty of that lately. Even though it has been a long hard road this last 5 months there have been many things to be joyful about. I have met so many wonderful and caring people. I have come to appreciate good health. I have been fortunate enough to be able to be in Ont. to help where needed. (If I had a young family at home this would not have been an option for me) My family and friends have been very supportive of and to me. I could go on, but you get the idea. Attitude is so important, and I am really going to work on mine. It seems I have been behind on so many things lately and playing "catch-up" for quite some time, so I am going to get a jumpstart on all you people who make a new resolution each January and beat you to the punch. I am going to make that my "mantra". I may need some help, or reminding from time to time, ...I am counting on you.

I am on the lookout for this book...however a thought just struck me, that this book claims to be able to "make you feel like you have spent a weekend in the French countryside." How do I know what it feels like to have actually spent a weekend in the French countryside? So here's my plan; gonna look for the book, and read it, gonna see how it makes me feel, then I am gonna have to book a trip to France and do a little research. I mean we can't have this guy making claims of his book that are just not true...

Attitudes are contagious; is yours worth catching?

How do you spell relief?

H-O-M-E !!! ...and the stories I could tell you...

tunnel lights

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I am hoping it is not an on-coming train. I hate to be such a pessimist, but ... we had to take mom back to the hospital at 4:00 a.m. Friday with vomiting and nose bleeds and dehydration. She is doing much better though and will possibly be coming home to morrow. I am sure I don't need to tell you that she was not too happy with us for calling the ambulance, but under the circumstances we thought it best. A kink in the bowel caused the nausea and vomiting and of course the nose bleeds from the 2 blood thinners she is on. Dehydration because she could not keep anything down. I just spoke to her though and had a good chin wag with the consulting physician and hopefully that is all behind us. So mom is coming home and the really big news...Mr. O. has booked me a ticket home and because he is away next week on business, we will meet up at the Toronto airport and drive home together from Moncton. I am coming home! Home...sigh...just the sound of it is encouraging. I will only be home for 21 days before we return for Christmas, but that's ok. Next trip Mr. O comes with me, as well as our middle grand daughter; and our son and family will meet us here. We will all spend Christmas with Mom and now here's the really good news; I am only staying a week and I will be going home with Mr. O. and Alexa. Mom does not know I will be here for Christmas...sh-h-h it's a surprise. In a perfect world our #1 child and her family could be with us, but hey! ...in a pefect world I wouldn't have been here anyway; at least not under these circumstances. I am coming home!

There is a place

a place where I long to be;

a place where I am not.

a place that I love;

a place where someone who is very special to me is living alone right now.

a place where I keep my stuff;

a place I want to return to.

a place called home;

my home.

Marathon Tales...his goal was to finish.

Well it's over; after many gruelling hours of training during which we experienced a "less than desirable summer", from a rainy June, to an extremely hot,humid August; through days on end of rain! I guess it was only fitting that this marathon be run in, shall we say "trying" weather conditions. We were up at 5 a.m. to get ready, and when Georges laced on his sneakers in the motel room, that was to be the last time they were dry for the day. What a day!



It rained, so hard Saturday and Sunday morning, we thought the organizers just might postpone things til later in the day, but no such luck, so we headed out to the University to stand about waiting for the starting gun with another approximately 1500 runners; (about 150 of them running the marathon). There was so much water; water was coming up out of the storm drains, and there were small (and large) lakes of water everywhere. ...and the wind! The weather network said 25km winds gusting to more at times. ( I had some short videos to show conditions, but seem to have trouble loading them)

This next picture was about 32 km into the race at the bottom of a long hill heading directly into the wind coming off the marsh...brutal!

This was one of the exits at Connaught(I think) heading toward the University. Closed obviously...I was looking at what I thought were rivers that turned out to be streets...very messy driving and running!

However he did it...5 hours and 2 min. A little longer than expected because of the weather, but he finished; and that was the goal. I was in tears at the finish line and one of the organizers said to me is that your husband, and when I nodded yes, she gave me his medal and said,"maybe you would like to put this on his neck". Very emotional moment...for both of us.

Then we went over to the CEPs building for a bit of nourishment, and a massage before showering and heading home.

Georges was not among the first to finish, actually closer to the last, but he did reach the goal he strived for, and to me that was worthy of recognition. I had this gift waiting for him; engraved with a few sentiments among which said, " My goal was to finish."

Inside the card: Congratulations! First you dreamed it, then believed it, then achieved it! I am so proud of you.

Phew! I am glad that is over...running marathons is hard on a person(s)

89 hours ... Sunday to Wednesday

Do you know what I did in the last 89 hours? Drove to Dundalk Ont. (1508 km) and back to Bathurst (1508 km) for a total of 3016 km. In between we also made 3 return trips to Hanover 63.7 km each way for a total of 382.2 km; ( one for the viewing/wake; one for a trip to the church to practice a song with the musicians; and one for the funeral of a very dear friend) That makes a total of 3398.2 km. In between the wake, the practicing and attending one of the most touching tributes to a dearly loved husband, father, preacher and friend, we did all the other little things you do in a day...read stories to your grandchildren, taking them to McDonalds; packing and unpacking; eating, showering etc, going for a walk, visiting with family and friends; oh yeah and grabbing a bit of shut eye. It has been a full few days. Good to be home.
Want to see what I did in the daylight hours in the car when I wasn't driving? I finished these

and I started this

Hm-mmm warm wool socks and a cozy mohair shawl...do you see a trend here...do you suppose cold weather is approaching?