IT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGING DAY

UPDATE:     Arizona Earthquake

If you recall, my last blog post ended with me being a little rattled. I was sitting alone writing my post around 11 o'clock and things started shaking and rattling and there was a semi loud rumbling noise and I was pretty sure we had just experienced an earthquake. Mr. O roused slightly from his sleep and when I told him, he just passed it off as a possble rumbling from a train going through. HELLO! My Dad was a railroad man when I was a young girl and I have lived close to train tracks several times and I know what a train sounds like and that did not sound like a train! I have also experienced an earthquake before of a higher magnitude (5.6) and I was pretty sure I recognized it as such. There is nothing quite like it. A train indeed!!!  As it happens I reported it on line before CNN... maybe when I am finished all the quilts on my bucket list I will become a roving reporter for CNN; Lord knows I travel as much a reporter does! 

Back to my challenging day. 

CHALLENGE #1 

The day before yesterday, I was eating a little piece of a turkish taffy candy that my husband bought and over half of my tooth broke off! Not just any tooth but one that I recently had a root canal done on. It had not been capped yet because there seemed to be a bit of sensitivity yet and they wanted to be sure it would not have to be removed...well I have a Dentist appt. at 1:00 p.m. and I am thinking that will be the end of my tooth. I have a slight toothachey discomfort and actually have mentioned a few times in the last week that there seemed to be pressure in my sinus on that side so Trouble maybe have been brewing for a while and I am really hoping there is not an abcess to deal with too.

CHALLENGE #2

Getting settled in and set up getting acquainted to our new surroundings for the winter.

Cupboards are stocked and little bits of business seen too.

I even have my little quilting corner set up and ready for action!

As you can see in the above photos I am well set up. I have a counter in a wide hallway area that is strictly designated for my quilting/cutting area. I have a table and rolling chair( just need a cushion to raise my up a but higher). I have lots of cupboards for storage, drawers for tools, notions and patterns, and I even have A Tassimo coffee maker strictly for my work area!

To my left is an entertainment center...

And a built in ironing station.

It's not home but I'll adjust...

CHALLENGE #3

Last year before leaving here our little quilting group decided to do a fabric challenge. One of the ladies that organizes the group purchased some fabric. It was cut into fat quarters and if we chose to participate we purchased a fat quarter and could make what ever we wanted but of course we had to use as much of our challenge fabric as possible in our "masterpiece". Because I have had a pretty busy year I just did not get to it although it was always niggling away in the back of my mind whenever I saw a fabric that might go with it or a pattern that might work. Well this is D Day and I am going to start my challenge. 

This is my challenge fabric and I don't work a lot with batiks so this in itself is a challenge but I have picked out some fabrics I want to use with it and it may need a bit of tweeking but here they are

I think my biggest challenge today though will be dealing with this......

IT'S RAINING! What's up with that? This is my third time here and we have only ever 1 day of rain! I have been in Arizona less than a week and I have had to deal with earthquakes and now rain! I'm a strong person, I can handle this!

Where In The World Do I Start????

To say it has been hectic for the last two months would be a bit of an understatement! I realize I posted for Remembrance Day from Saskatchewan, but the month leading up to that post and the three weeks since have been very full.
I am on the road again and it has been the craziest month and a half you can imagine. My husband and I met other family members in Quebec City for a memorial for his parents and to spread their ashes together at a specific place as requested. 

It had been postponed too many times and we really felt it should be done before we left for Arizona again this winter. We were away from the 10th of October til the 13th. 

I had plans to attend our Fall retreat on the 17-19th inclusive and then leave for the west and eventually Arizona the day after. That however was not the way it happened, and I had to cancel retreat. As we were unlocking the door upon returning home From Quebec, the phone was ringing with very sad news and we ended up unpacking and repacking to drive to Newfoundland for the funeral of a pastor and dear friend who died suddenly of a brain aneurism.  Of course the hurricane delayed our return and because of cancelled ferry crossings and we arrived back home later than planned. We arrived home Wednesday at supper and again unpacked and repacked and left for Ontario by noon the next day. Since then it has been steady going. We drove to Shipshewana, Indiana to meet with friends for a getaway we had planned this past summer. From there we continued on to Wisconsin Dells for four very full days of sightseeing.while in Shipshewana we did a bit of shopping and the guys wandered about town while we gals shopped in two different local quilt shops. Yoder's and Lolly's. Yes 

I recommend both of them! Lolly's has a bargain basement with a large selection of discounted good quality quilting cottons. The staff is very friendly and helpful and I had no trouble filling a sizable shopping bag with fabrics I "needed".

Even the outside entry was welcoming to a quilter!...and the staff had a wonderful sense of humour!

Have you ever heard someone say, "I have a boatload of fabric." Well Lolly's really does!

I am told many friendships have been made sitting around this boat helping someone find "just one more fat quarter of that lime green swirl fabric".

While staying in Wisconsin Dells, we had several things planned. Mr O and I wanted to visit another Frank Lloyd House, so Taliesen was on our list of things to do in Spring Green, AND as luck would have it, there just happened to be an amazing quilt shop that was on my list of places to visit! 

Last Feb. when my sister and I met Carrie Nelson in an Arizona quilt shop she mentioned that The Country Sampler in Spring Green was a wonderful shop to visit, even if you didnt buy a thing, just walking around and seeing the displays and samples was an amazing treat. The second story of their building is a retreat center...how perfect is that? 

I have to agree with Carrie...this was a real treat to visit and even though I really didn't NEED anything, I still managed to walk away with a large bag of treats on BOTH days that I visited. My friend Denise was as overwhelmed as I was and dropped a penny or two there as well. I wandered around totally mesmerized and felt like I was walking on hallowed quilting ground! My loot is packed but maybe after we unpack in Mesa I will share some of my treasures with you.

Country Sampler   Here is the link, go check it out, but don't hate me cause I went and you didn't! 😝

While in the area we also visited a most unusual and bizarre place. Check the link to see what Roadside America has to say about HOUSE ON THE ROCK

After a thoroughly wonderful time spent with old friends we parted ways..they back to Southern Ontario and we to Sault Ste Marie, in Northern Ontario to spend time with my sister and brother. 

I have to tell you I did not map the route but you'll never guess what little town was between where we were and were we were going?

Menasha, Wisconsin. You know where I am going with this...Primitive Gatherings.  AHHH-maaazing! The samples throughout the shoup were so enjoyable to see and so many kits made up all ready for shoppers on the run...yes I bought a few...enough said...photos will follow.

CHECK IT OUT!

I had planned to catch you up on the rest of my wanderings but I am just a bit shaken at the moment...while I was typing out this last bit the hotel room started to rumble and shake....a lot! It lasted for what seemed like five minutes although I know it was probably only 5-10 seconds but my heart is still racing five minutes later. What a fright! I will be curious to hear tomorrows news to see if it was an earthquake. Apparently Arizona has had a few in the last week or so.

Stay tuned for further updates...

We want a story that starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax.

Samuel Goldwyn

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/samuelgold102217.html#jVUZRIqW7G33XpLd.99

Lest We Forget

I will be away from home this Remembrance Day and I'm not sure exactly where Remenbrance Day services will be here in Regina, but I may get to attend. I contemplated just not going because the weather is so bitterly cold and I am not sure if the ceremonies are indoors or out, and I really do not have warm clothing because after all I am on my way to Arizona ans was not expecting such harsh weather so early in the season.

This morning when Mr.O and I went for a walk, I peeked at the weather App on my phone before heading out. BAD MOVE! I almost changed my mind when I saw this...

MINUS 23 WITH THE WIND CHILL ! (Arizona is looking gooder and gooder to this chilled gal!)

This is just November, and it is not even officially winter yet, goodness me, the "warming" part of Global Warming seems to have bypassed this province!

Getting back to my original topic, so often the weather is cold or rainy and windy and miserable and I would like to just stay home where it is warm and dry instead of standing outside freezing at at Remembrance Day Ceremony, but I think of how many soldiers spent many cold, lonely, frightening hours in a muddy, stinking trench for my freedom, and all of a sudden an hour in the cold to pay my repects seems a very small way to say "thank you for your service."

After spending a month in Normandy France last year and walking the landing beaches and walking through the trenches and standing very humbly at the Canadian War Memorial, there are so many days through the year I thank a veteran. Seeing the rows of crosses and the photos and reading diaries and accounts of some of the hardships, has made Remembrance Day a regular occurance in my mind...not just on November 11.

So I will try to find a ceremony in the city tomorrow to pay my respects, and I hope where ever you are you will do the same.

"We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved..."  

Just a Test

Last night was a bit frustrating trying to type on a black screen, so I decided to bite the bullet and try something new. I previously had been using Blogger+ but since the new Apple updates things were a bit challenging to say the least. I check out a few free ones but 

I am sure you have heard the old saying, "you get what you pay for" and I think part of the reason I lost interest in posting was because it was just not easy using my old program. 

The new App was only $4.99 and so far seems quite easy to use, so wish me luck! Oh is case you are interested in what App I decided to go with, it is called Blog Touch Pro.

After church today there were 8 of us for dinner. The menu?

Swedish Meatballs

Riced Potatoes

Carrots and Broccoli

Hot Buttered Corn

Garlic Cheese Toast (a little over toasted) * just keepin' it real folks

and for dessert

Tea/Coffee

Grandma Iny's Prune Cake with fresh whipped cream

Now before you turn up your nose at the idea of a prune cake let me redeem myself. 

The recipe comes from Pioneer Woman's website and we all know how yummy her recipes are!

This is NOT my photo but shamelessly  stolen from Pioneer woman. I will however give you the link so you can make this cake too.

Prunes get a bad rap and they really are good. Don't you just love a big juicy plum? Well prunes are just big juicy plums that hung around long enough to get wrinkled. Just so you know wrinkles get a bad rap too but I think they add a lot of character. Okay okay I know I'm getting off track but this cake is very similar to a gingerbread cake in fact my company all guessed that I had made a fresh gingerbread cake for dessert. That's just what it smelled like coming out of the oven.

grandma Iny's Prune Cake

That is the link the link posted above. Now go check it out. The next time you need a really yummy dessert try this one.I promise you won't be disappointed.

About this new app, you know the one I changed to for today's post, I think I'm going to love it. It seems very easy to use and a really nice feature is that it uses Siri so that means I can talk to you and it types for me how sweet is that?

Yup there is a lot of truth to that old saying, you really do get what you pay for.

Now I am going to go play with my new app and you really should go check out Pioneer woman's recipes.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.

Warren Buffett

P.s. So far I am thinking I got good value for my $4.99

Fall and Falling Behind

My last post I mentioned that I was going to turn my mimi Whit into a cosmetic case. Welll I had a reader ask about it so I thought I would post a picture of it.

You may notice a lot of errors in this post because with the update on my IPad Blogger+ is misbehaving terribly. I am typing onto a black screen with black font, so I am literally working blind. I have a fellow blogging friend who lost her Appp altogether. Just when I was getting back to blogging!
The Autumn colours are so pretty this year. I have been seeing lots of photos on Instagram and Facebook and blogs of all the Fall decor, but I have been so busy with trip preparations, moving back from the cottage, sewing and quilting Christmas gifts and dealing with some health issues that decorating just has taken a back seat at my house. Thankfully God does a better job than I do, so just take a look at how He has beautified my yard.

No matter what window I look out of I seebeautiful colour!

Two Whits

I can hardly believe that September has come and gone. Of course October 1st is Parade Day and if there is a parade then I must be blogging. How sad...I keep saying I will post more and every month I have an excuse. I really have been busy tho, but nothing I can blog about. Christmas is something like 86 days away and I have a few gifts in the making so for now the only things I can show are our Two Whits.

Carrie's pattern this month gave three different pattern layouts and Sue and I chose to do differing projects.

Every time I thought about Sue and I making Whit, I tried to come up with a blog title.
It was only after I realized that we had both decided to whittle down the size of our projects and make minis for our studio wall that I came up with a name.

Sue made is lovely version in French General scraps

That centre square is perfect for a lovely hand quilted feathered wreath, and that was the plan. She has major surgery coming up and it seemed like the perfect little hand work project during recuperation. I am told that that plan may change, so for now all you get to see is a "flimsy" but quilted or not it sure is a cutie and it will look lovely on her newly revamped studio wall.

As you can see I did a much different arrangement and mine is quilted. It is also very wrinkled because it got packed up last week when we moved home from the cottage and did not surface until today. Mine was to be a mini for the wall, then it was going to be a cosmetic case, then a cushion cover, then I went back to the original plan. I made the binding and started and then decided that "No" it really wanted to be a cosmetic case, so I found a zipper and started to work on that....

By this time it was almost midnight and I was not going to trust my brain to figure out zipper installation and construction, so there it sits.

Either way though, it gives you and idea just how versatile a pattern can be. It can be constructed exactly as the pattern creator intended or it can merely be a jumping off point to something different.
Are you ready for what I decided to call our abbreviated versions of Carrie's lovely Little Bites pattern?

HALF WHITS !

Oh my I am so funny I can barely stand it...



“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Schnibbles, Schnibbles and more Schnibbles

For those of you who have followed the Schnibbles parades for the last couple years, you might be pleased to know that Sinta and Sherry will be starting them up again. I'm not exactly sure of all that will be in store for us and I do know that with all the travelling we have planned that I will not be able to make an appearance at all the parades but let's just wait and see what the future holds.
Sinta has asked us to post all of our Schnibbles entries from last year, so this will mostly be a phot blog post. Let's look back and see what Sue and I accomplished in the Schnibbles dept since last May.

Hat Trick The first one is by by Sue and the second by Moi.

June pattern was Dulcinea and again the first is Sue's and the second is mine. Because of the story of Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, I was inspired to take mine along on our trip to Spain to photograph it. After a gypsy band had entertained for us They were kind enough to pose with my quilt. You can read about it HERE

The next ones we did was Lincoln and I loved this one.

Sue made hers from 1930 repros and it became a baby quilt while mine was made from Avalon by Fig Tree and it turned into a table topper and went to live with a dear friend in their new home in Alberta.

I will definitely be making this one again!
The next was Mercerie and Sue used her favourite Christmas fabric collection, Countdown to Christmas while I used a French General charm pack called Petit Ecole. Mine did not get finished in time for parade because a bout of pneumonia kept me a bit under the weather. I have finished the piecing but have yet to quilt mine.

Next parade entry....

Time consuming but well worth it. I loved the finished result and it on my coffee table at the cottage as we speak.
Are you ready for a few more?

Morning Joe quickly became another favourite of mine and has found a home on my dining room table.
One month we had the option of doing a quilters choice so Sue made Open Season for her wall of her studio.

I chose to do Squared in civil war repro fabrics. Our Jersey Girl Schnibbles were very different. Sue made a pink girlie one and I used scraps from a quilt
I had been working earlier in the month.

Probably the most challenging one I have made so far was Hook.
Again Sue went Christmassy and I used more of the same scraps.

One month we did something a little different and chose a favourite mini from a guest designer Camille Roskelly. This is a perfect example of how a pattern can be so different with each quilter. Sue turned her mini into a tote bag and I embroidered the center block and made mine a wall hanging.

Our last offering was a quilt called XRated. This pattern produced 2 lovely baby quilts.

There were times when it was really difficult to squeeze in these projects but we managed. Sue and I both had decided we would bow out of this season of Schnibbles...too many projects waiting to be done, but as the time approaches I find myself wondering what is coming up and I think Sue sort of feels the same. The great thing about taking part in the Schnibbles parades is that you are not obligated. Do it when you can and bow out when you need or want to...no contract to be signed, just a fun year of learning and sharing finished projects. Sue and I have talked about this several times and both agree that it has been a great experience. It has kept us in quilting when sometimes we were in a bit of a funk and just didn't feel inspired and it has stretched us technically and gotten us away from quick and easy,(although quick and easy is great too)
I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for us this time around and hopefully I will see you at the parade! If I don't happen to make it to some of the parade take lots of pictures will you cause I will want to see what I missed.

No matter what you do in life, a part of you still sits at a curbside, still hearing the drumbeat of a distant parade, still waiting for it to turn the corner.
Robert Brault