scraps and pieces of our lives

Thankful Sunday...

2009-11-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Another week has come and gone. It's been a lovely one weather wise, no snow and warm temps. It sure helps with the heating bill.

Today I'm thankful for:
-our wonderful Vineyard church family. I love we have a place to worship that cares not what we wear or who we are, just that we love Jesus.

-for the B1G2F of flannelette that I found at Fabricland yesterday. I plan on using it for backing for the baby quilts I send up north. I'm thankful I was also able to get thread at 50% off and C was able to purchase a Simplicity pattern for $1.99.

-for the odd jobs B has been doing to help our finances. Every little bit helps...I so appreciate that he is willing to do pretty much anything to bring in extra $$. We will be using the money to purchase the flooring for upstairs.

-that my mom is improving after hip surgery. The pneumonia is gone and she should be out of the hospital in a couple of days.

-for long distance calls from our son. It's always so good to hear from here, to know that he is safe while trucking and to know that he will be visiting us soon. I can't wait to see him again.

-I make my own binding for my quilts. I was almost finished sewing binding on a quilt and realized it was too short. I'm thankful I found a piece of material the exact color that I was using and was able to finish the quilt (I'll post a picture tomorrow). I'm so thankful I didn't have to use my seam ripper and take all the binding off. Whew!!

I hope each and everyone of you is having a wonderful Sunday.

Let me introduce you to Professor Hubert!!

2009-11-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

When you make your bears, you need to name the first one and any others you might want to name. C named this one Professor Hubert. The Professor is made out of an old rabbit fur coat. Now rabbit fur sheds, so we both had tons of hair on us when she was finished. I sewed the head by hand and she did the rest. She just couldn't resist the glasses.

The paws and pads on his feet are made from a recycled leather skirt!! This is classic recycling, let me tell you.

Isn't this just the cutest face. Does he not look like a professor or what?

Thursday in the Library

2009-11-05T06:00:00.001-06:00

Cathy Marie Hake has done it again. That Certain Spark I would have to say is her best book yet.

Written in the time period of 1892 and a time when woman struggled at getting acceptance being doctors. Taylor arrives in the town of Gooding, Texas with her brother who is a vet. When the town finds out that she isn't a man, everyone is up in arms about it. This is a story about proving that she can be a doctor, it's her life's calling even despite the town's opposition.

To find more books by this author, read here.

Odds and ends...

2009-11-04T08:07:00.003-06:00

What a blast...yesterday C and I went to learn how to make bears. Our class was from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. It was a long day, however we learnt many new tips, made 2 new friends and C completed a bear. Because we didn't have time to make 2 bears (all hand sewn and using fur coats) I decided to help C with hers so she could get it completed. I'll post pictures later this week. We learnt about different furs, we learnt how to tell a fur coat from a fake fur coat. We learn the stitch we needed to use, etc. We had a wonderful time during lunch, making new friends.

Over the weekend I got 2 quilt tops quilted and just have to finish the binding. Two large boxes are also heading to the north, all with single quilts. These 2 quilts will be heading to 2 special young ladies whose mom I met on a blog. Can't wait to finish them, which should be over the next couple of days.

I finished reading Knit Together (discover God's pattern for your life) by Debbie Macomber. This is one of the best books I've read on finding our purpose, fulfilling our dreams, taking risks, creating friendships and being created for worship. I've known for a long time what my purpose was and yet I've also had dreams that have been put aside for various reasons. One of my lifelong dreams and part of my 20 Wishes was to learn how to make porcelain dolls. C and I and our new friend S are now signed up to take classes beginning March 2010. It seems like a long way away, however S was too busy to take it before Christmas and D (the teacher) leaves to go south for the winter and won't be back until March 1st. I am so excited to finally be planning to fulfill a dream.

When I got home I had received a phone call from my brother. My mom was in surgery. She had fell and broke her hip. Along with that she has been fighting pneumonia for the past week and still has it. She needs our prayers.

Today we have a planning meeting at the workshop for J. Please remember us in your thoughts and prayers because I know the discussion is probably going to get HOT!! I totally agree that our adult children with special needs need to learn to make their own choices, I get that. However they definitely need guidance too!!

Thankful Sunday...

2009-11-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here we are ending one month and starting another. It's seems almost impossible that we have only 2 months left in the year. I often ponder about where the time has gone, how precious that time was and if I've wasted any of it.

Today I'm thankful for:
-that this past week is now over. It was a very hectic week, one where I was on the road everyday except Sat. A number of those days we had to make 2 trips, one day 3. This coming week is looking the same, however not quite has bad which I'm thankful for.

-that we've had no icy roads. I always start praying about the roads early in Sept., asking God for clear roads throughout the fall and winter months. Most everywhere we have to go is at least 30 minutes on the highway, often an hour. I'm so very thankful when we've returned home from each trip and the roads have been bare.

-for the fur coats we were able to find. C and myself are taking a bear making course on Tues. and we needed some fur coats. Friends sold us 2 for $20 for both. Another friend gave us a long fur coat for free. We are both looking forward to taking this course which should be a great mother/daughter time. I'm thankful that hubby doesn't mind staying home alone while we are gone for the day.

-that our school meeting with M's principal went well. He is doing well in some areas, although still pulling lots of the same stunts he did at home. He is being typical M. I'm so thankful for this wonderful lady who is so committed to bringing out the best in her students, for not sugar coating anything and for her open honesty. She is such a delight to work with. I'm thankful that she is very picky when it comes to the hiring of EA's. I'm so thankful that there are those who are willing to work with those who have disabilities. It's not easy and yet everyday they are there, helping them to achieve all they are meant to achieve. They are God's angels on earth!!

-for the fruit I had in my freezer to make the 3 pies I did yesterday. The strawberries and rhubarb came from our garden, the apples off our apple trees. The blueberries bought on sale a number of months ago. Our finances are tight this month due to some heavy expenses in the past couple of days, so it was wonderful to be able to go to our freezer instead of to the store. I'm so thankful my freezer is filled with fruits and veggies and we have 240 lbs. of potatoes from our garden. It definitely will keep our expenses down for Nov.

-and for each of you. I'm thankful for your friendship and encouragement. I'm thankful for the wonderful comments that so many of you leave. I'm thankful for the wonderful blogs I get to visit everyday....YOURS. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and that your week is filled with love, laughter and family. Hugs to all of you!!

Thursday in the Library...

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

A Bride in the Bargain is another fun read by Deeanne Gist. This is Deeanne's 5th book and once again she has outdone herself. One of the things I so enjoy about Deeanne's book is the simple humor you find every now and then.

Taking place in 1860, Seattle's women were scarce. Yet if a man had a wife, he could secure 640 acres for free. Joe Denton loves his land and now that a local judge is threatening to take away his claim, he decided to buy a Mercer bride. Anna journey's west with Merceer to escape the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on as a cook, definitely not as a bride.

You'll enjoy all of Deeanne's book and to find out more you can find her here

In the mail and odds and ends...

2009-10-26T11:12:00.005-05:00

Don't you just love it when you get parcels in the mail? I love going for a walk just to pick up the mail. We don't have mail delivery to our homes in our small town, we pick it up at the local post office. I always smile when I see how many people are there first thing in the morning, often before it's even sorted. They must be like me, wondering what's in the mail.

On Friday I received this lovely bag from Anne. It was a Christmas gift, however she wanted to beat the postal strike in her country. It is so pretty. I can't wait to use it. Thank you Anne.

This picture shows the delicate work on the bag. Isn't it stunning. Anne even put the letter "C" in the middle. I love this bag!!

Another quilter Tonya, sent me a package of scraps of material to use in the quilts I make for the northern reserves in my province. Thank you Tonya!! Every piece will be used and as I use them I'll be thinking of you. Why not stop by both blogs today.

This week is going to be crazy. I'm on the road everyday this week, sometimes twice in one day. Not sure what I'll get done this week, however I do want to try and get quilt #12 quilted.

Thankful Sunday..

2009-10-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here we are at the end of another month. It seems almost impossible to believe we only have 2 months left in the year. It seems like only yesterday we were starting 2009. Now we are close to ending it. Where has the time gone?

Today I'm thankful for:
-the wonderful movie Welcome to Paradise we watched on Friday, eating pizza and enjoying family time. It's a great movie for anyone who likes good family movies. I love family times when we don't answer the phone, when we turn down the lights and just enjoy each other and the time we get to spend together.

-that the snow melted. B was able to get the garden tilled, the compost container emptied and tilled under and all the outside work done that needed doing before winter sets in.

-for the sweet Christmas gift I received in the mail on Friday. (I'll post a picture this week and who it was from. Although early, this wonderful blogger wanted to make sure I got it before the postal strike started in her country.)

-for the wonderful dentist we have.

-that so far the H1N1 has not touched our family. It's a scarey time right now knowing that anyone can be hit with this horrible flu. And yet I know God is in control. That gives me peace.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday. May you be blessed!!

Thursday in the Library...

2009-10-22T07:01:00.000-05:00

The more I read Julie's books, the more I love her writing. A Passion Denied is the third in her series titled The Daughter's of Boston.

This book takes place in 1922. Elizabeth has been the little sister John Brady always wanted. However, she is in love with him and has been since for a very long time. When this shy little bookwarm blossoms, she discovers John's past won't let him love her in return. Will she be able to overcome the hurt and learn to trust again. Will John be able to get over his past.

A great read. To find out more about Julie, you can find her here.

Card making...

2009-10-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

A couple years ago, a friend and myself went to a scrapbooking convention. We were in seventh heaven when we seen all the scrapbooking shops that were there. Who knew there was so much to buy to scrapbook and to do card making. We had a blast. One of the best things to come out of this convention was meeting the consultant of Close to my He*rt who we found lived about 25 minutes from us. So began the discovery of card making and scrapbooking a whole different way than we were both use to.

Close to my He*rt has come out with kits this year. C and I each bought a kit which we picked up today because we aren't able to attend the workshop tonight. We both sat down yesterday, C to do 2 pages of scrapbooking, me to make these 3 cards. I love how the kits explain how to cut the different shapes and how to design the cards. Not only do you get all the supplies you also get a stamp kit that only comes with a kit. You can't purchase it seperately. It was fun just spending the afternoon with C doing what we so love doing. (It comes right behind quilting!!)

Another nugget of gold...

2009-10-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our former pastor use to tell us that the blessings we receive are little nuggets of gold given to us from God. A couple weeks ago I was given a nugget of gold....rest. On Sunday our family were given another nugget of gold.

When our children leave home we worry about them, hope they don't make the same mistakes we made and love them unconditionally when they do. Our doors are opened for them to return, to ask for help or to visit at any time.

When our children with disabilities leave home there is just something different. It's so hard to explain. We go through all the same emotions and yet more. When they can't speak and let you know what they are feeling or how their day is going....there is just something different. It's a hard walk to walk!!

M is now attending school full time. When we were at church on Sun. one of the sweetest ladies came to us and said "I'm working with M at school, I've just been hired as an ea (educational assistant)". We were blown away. How sweet is that!! Another nugget of gold handed to us....something that is truly amazing and awe inspiring. As M gave her a high 5 when she said hi, I was in tears. God is so good and takes care of even the smallest details along with comforting this mommy's heart.

Thankful Sunday...

2009-10-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

The snow is all gone, the temps have warmed up and we are enjoying it all. The leaves are still on some of the trees, off of others. Soon they will on be gone and instead will once again be
covered in snow or ice. A huge change from brilliant colors to white and yet the white will remind me of diamonds which I absolutely love.

Today I'm thankful for:
-the winter parka hubby got yesterday for $10.00. It's like new and was seldom worn. New the price would be close to $200.00. He needed one badly.

-that I've finished 10 quilts from the UFO challenge (see sidebar). I'm working on the 11th one. I can't wait to get these all finished. Then I can start all over again. I'm thankful that I learnt a good lesson - never leave that many quilt tops to finish. From here on in, there won't ever be more than 5. I'm thankful that a wonderful pastor distributes them in the north to those in need. Along with that, he sends me pictures.

-for bread baking in the oven yesterday. I love the smell of freshly baked bread.

-for the pile of inspiration books I picked up at the library on Thursday. I'm so thankful for the librarian who brings these books in. She also brings in quilting books along with books on archeaology which C is interested in.

-for the family planning/goal setting meeting we had on Friday. I love setting goals and although at times we don't reach them, they are something to work towards. It was great to see where C wants to go in her schooling, to see where we want to be by next Sept. and to work at how we are going to achieve it.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and a great week.

Thursday in the Library...

2009-10-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

On Thursdays I've always posted a fiction book that I've enjoyed reading. This week I've decided to post a non-fiction book, one I thoroughly enjoyed and got a number of great ideas for decorating our home.

We all enjoy decorating our homes and often run out of ideas to make a room just a bit different, to make an area more appealing or more fun. I got this book at the public library and although I wouldn't purchase it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will probably take it out a number of times while we decorate our home.
Country Living 500 Quick & Easy Decorating Projects & Ideas has 500 quick projects to help make decorating your home more of an adventure. You'll love how quick and simple the ideas are. Some are playful, others inspiring. There are some neat tricks about color, textures and patterns. There are projects for each room in your home. I'm sure you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.

And the van is where....

2009-10-14T15:04:00.004-05:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. Yes that is snow covering our van and it's still coming down. I thought Gill would love seeing this for sure.

This the side of our house and my apple tree. Everything is covered in snow!! And I'm loving it!!

Rest sweet rest...

2009-10-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

Over the past several months I've been on a whirlwind of driving to meetings, moving boys, taking J to workshop and back each week, grocery shopping, driving friends to appointments, etc. There have been fun times too, scrapbooking, yard sales, visiting friends and church which is an hour away. Through all of this my I was getting more and more tired and stressed out. The stress alone of moving M had about done me in. When J phoned us last Wed. and asked his dad where we planned on going this long weekend I heard B say "nowhere". I softly whispered "thank you" for having such a sweet man that he could see the tole this was having on me. So began my long weekend of rest.

Sat. morning I slept in, snuggled under warm quilts. Nowhere to go, no time lines, just time doing what I wanted to do. Once up I proceeded to make tomato sauce. Some might say that's not rest. To me it was because I love the process of canning, from the time B chops up the onions to hearing the jar lids "pop" to seeing the shelves filled up for the long winter months. Instead of having to rush to get it done so we could get back on the road, I enjoyed the whole process. After I was finished I spent time in my sewing room quilting. I've found since I've painted my room a soft, light blue it is so much more relaxing. I prayed and quilted tops. In the evening I shut the computer off early and while the family watched movies I quilted, pondered and prayed.

Sun. again found me sleeping in. After breakfast C and me made pies. What fun we had through the whole process. The pies are now gone, however I enjoy baking for my family. I haven't had much time over these past months to do any of it. Again I shut the computer down early and we all watched one movie together and then B and me watched a movie together. It was so restful and relaxing...no running around in the van, just staying home and enjoying it.

Early Monday morning I woke up with a song on my heart "I Surrender All". Oh sweet rest!! To know I can surrender it all to Him. Later in the day Monday we ate turkey and all the trimmings. (It's our Thanksgiving here). While I quilted on and off during the day as well, I found peace and rest.

The weekend is now over and it's back to doing all the travelling I have to do. (Hubby doesn't drive because of his eyes.) However I'm so thankful I found peace in Him my sweet Savior, in my family who loves me unconditionally and with all my mistakes, in homemaking once again and in quilting. All I'm passionate about, all bringing me sweet rest and quiet peace these past three days. I'm so thankful my dear hubby gave me this as a gift. Our former pastor use to say God gave us little nuggets of gold....this weekend I was given a nugget of gold...REST!!

Thankful Sunday...

2009-10-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

It's our Thanksgiving weekend so Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends. It's a time to celebrate with family and friends, a time to be thankful. I absolutely love this holiday.

Today I'm thankful for:
-finding the time to finish 6 quilt tops for the UFO challenge (see sidebar). Six quilts will be winding their way to the reserves in Northern Manitoba on Tues. We definitely need quilts right now because it's gotten cold and further north is even colder. I'm thankful I found 2 like new flat sheets at the thrift store on Friday to use for backing. I'm thankful I only paid $1.00 each.

-for this beautiful country I live in. We have so much to be thankful for, our freedoms, the beauty that surrounds us from coast to coast, the seasons that are forever changing....I could go on and on...I'm just so thankful to live where I do.

-that M has settled into the school program without too many problems. He is only going half time with the hopes of full time by the end of Oct. He gave them quite a run for their money the first day of school, however by Thurs. he had settled down somewhat. Things are looking really positive for him.

-that we are finally going to have a meeting for J at the workshop. I finally said enough and called the worker to set up a meeting to plan and set some goals. Hopefully we will get some good results. On the whole he is doing well though and we are pleased at some of the things he has learnt and is now doing. There has to be a goal plan though...I'm thankful we are finally going to work on one so that he can achieve all he is meant to achieve.

-for the first snowfall we had on Friday. It was so pretty falling down and sparkling like diamonds in the rough everywhere you looked. It's gone now only to come back in the next few weeks I'm sure. Oh how I love winter....everything is so pristine.

To all my Canadian friends, hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and week. To everyone else I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great week.

Thursday in the Library

2009-10-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Oh how I enjoy books. Once again, this is a new author for me. Amanda Cabot has written under various pen names. I'm glad I found this book and can't wait now until the next one is out in this series Texas Dreams.

Paper Roses is written in the time period of 1856. Sarah is a mail-order bride...only to find once she has left her home and travelled to Texas that her groom has been murdered. She can't go back to Phiadelphia and feels she needs to stay in Texas, however does not want to be a burden to anyone. Her letters that she calls paper roses captured her heart and now will Texas heal her soul?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Amanada's website can be found here. Her next book in the series is Scattered Petals which will be released in 2010. Enjoy!!

Decorating on a frugal budget...and UFO challenge...

2009-10-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

If you look on my sidebar you can see the New Year's Eve UFO challenge. I've challenged myself to get 19 quilts done. So far I've finished 2 and they are now on their way to the Northern Reserves in my province. The third quilt is pinned and ready to quilt which I'm working on. Over this coming week I want to pin another 3 and then start quilting them hopefully next week. I'm determined to get the 19 done by New Year's Eve (if not sooner).

Living on a fixed income, we've had to decorate our home frugally. We've watched for sales, we've gone for a number of years without painting the gyproc we've put up and with a possible move coming next year, we've started to now paint and change some things in our home. Adding little touches can be costly so we've been hunting for sales, yard sales, etc. Here are a few things we've gotten or made to add those little touches, all for very little cost.

J needed a chair in his bedroom. Although he is only home on weekends and holidays now, he loves to read and spends quite a bit of time in his own space. When we were at the townwide yard sale on Sat. we were looking for a chair. It looked like it was going to be a lost cause until just about the end of the sales, we spotted this chair. New the chair costs $700 (Cdn.). It was in perfect shape, the right color and the right price. J paid $35.00 for it. We talked them down from $40.00. He is so pleased with his chair.

I spotted this little picture. It's only 7 x 9 inches and was $1.00. It has a 3-D affect and is porcelain, just perfect for a spot in the living room once it's painted. I couldn't resist it.

Now this picture has quite a story to it. Years ago after reading the TWG we decided we'd try dumpster diving. We lived in the city so we thought it would be easy to find a dumpster that hubby could dive in and see what he would come up with. It wasn't easy. We were just about finished trying when we spotted a dumpster that was full and behind an apartment block. Hubby spotted this picture and C fell in love with it. It's an oil painting and not particularly one I would have in my room however she wanted to keep it. The frame was an ugly, dirty, dark brown. After I painted her room the light purple I asked her if I could paint the frame white. I took the picture out of the frame and primed and painted the frame, then put the picture back in. The cost $0. The picture cost us nothing and the paint and primer was a bit leftover from painting my sewing room and her room. She is thrilled with the outcome.

This is something I tried and I'm pleased with how it turned out. A few weeks back I picked up Country Living 500 Quick & Easy Decorating Projects & Ideas from our library. As I was glancing through it I seen a picture using seashells. C had some in her closest and I bought the rest at Michael's using a 40% coupon. Hubby made the frame and I used leftover primer and paint to paint it. It now hangs on the bathroom wall. The remainder of the seashells will be placed in a pretty bowl in the bathroom once we have the new tub surround and flooring done. The only cost was the seashells.

For very little costs, we are adding simple touches to our home. It really is fun to be on the hunt for sale items or gently used ones. It's also fun to create your own. You can find wonderful decorating books at the library to give you ideas and then use your creative imagination to do the rest.

Thankful Sunday...

2009-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's rainy here and cool. They are even predicting some snow this coming week. Although I'm not quite ready for winter, it is my favorite time of the year. I love freshly fall snow....it reminds me of diamonds dancing everywhere.

Today I'm thankful for:
-the townwide yard sale in a small town close to us. C got a fur coat (for her bear making), J got a reclining chair for his room, I got a food processor, a box of towels and a mirror for our bathroom. We hit all 48 yard sales and had a blast.

-for answered prayer and divine intervention from our Lord over a very stressful situation in regards to M. I'm so thankful I had 2 prayer warriors praying when I could barely make it through those couple of days. Thank you to H & N., you ladies are the best!!

-that our garden has been put to rest for the season. We were blessed with a whole lot of produce for the coming winter months.

-for my roses that produced all summer long and are still in bloom. We still haven't had a frost so there are still a few roses on the branches. It's so neat to look our my window and see roses blooming at this time of the year.

-for the new window B put in this week. Another project completed...slowly but surely it's getting done.

I hope you are all enjoying the first days of Autumn and that you have a wonderful week.

Nineteen is the number....

2009-10-02T06:00:00.006-05:00

Finn is having a UFO challenge here. The challenge is to see how many UFO's we can get done before January 1. When I first joined I had put down that I would get 7 finished. The really neat thing about this challenge is there are no rules....there won't be any police peeking around the corner seeing if we are keeping our end of the bargain. It's going to be fun. Oh and anyone can join the challenge. Just drop by Finn's blog and let her know. You'll not only meet another quilter but also a very sweet lady.

Michele joined the challenge and put down she planned on getting 19 done. Now that gave me incentive to up my number to 19 and we are challenging each other to complete that amount.

So here are the 19 I plan on getting done. Now whether I do or not is another matter. All but three will be donated to my Quilts for the North project. I better get busy and start the first one....actually I have the backing all ready to go.

At the time of this post I pinned 3 quilt tops pinned and have 2 quilted and finished. This is just the incentive I needed.

Thursday in the Library...

2009-10-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bonnie Leon is one of my favorite authors. Enduring Love is the third and final book in her Sydney Cove series.It's 1807 and Australia settlers John & Hannah find themselves in a difficult situation when someone shows up from John's past. Can Hannah and their son handle the shocking news? This is a gripping story laced with tender romance.

The first in this series is titled To Love Anew and the second Longings of the Heart. To find more books by this author you can visit her here. I'm sure you will enjoy her as much as I do.

Quilts for two special girls...

2009-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

A few days back I said I would show you the quilt tops that I made for a blogger friend's two daughters. It's to be a surprise. They aren't quilted yet however in the next couple of weeks I'll get them done. Don't mind the rope in the pictures, it's for C's light switch in her bedroom.

The first quilt are blocks that I had started with a BOM back a couple of years ago. Circumstances beyond our control placed a stop from both C and I completing the project. The blocks were in my UFO stash. When I decided to make these 2 quilts I picked these blocks out for the first quilt. Because I only had 8 blocks and did not have anymore of the blue material I decided to make a wide border. The middle block is one of the 100 blocks I made a couple years back and hadn't used yet.
The second quilt are blocks from the 100 I made a couple years ago. I hope the girls are going to like their quilts. I can't wait to get them in the mail. I told their mom probably in Nov., however I'm hoping to get them out in late Oct.

This little dress is a doll dress C sewed up in a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon. The material is some of the material she had gotten from the MCC sale.

My goodies from the MCC sale...

2009-09-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

We set about going to the MCC sale on Sat. It took place in the city which is an hour away from where we live. I was determined to get there early, so we set our alarms for 7 am. We were out of the house and on our way by 7:30. Everyone did a really great job getting ready so quickly.

Because we had spent a good sum of money on fixing the van, we didn't have a lot of money to spend. I had a specific amount and J & C each had $10.00 to spend.

As we arrived we went up and down the rows of tables and didn't see anything that we really wanted. Most of the inspirational books I had already read and we don't really want to add a lot of things into our home. However, C can see material from a mile away. That girl is just amazing. We headed over to that table and boy was I glad she had spotted it. Here is what we found.

This wall hanging is not quilted, however the batting and backing came with it. Isn't is stunning! The picture doesn't do it justice. All batiks....price $6.00. I almost missed it however when I was paying for the other things I happened to glance up and seen it hanging on the wall. I had to have it.
This is a single quilt, again not quilted. It's not in colors that I would use, however it's a single size quilt and once quilted will head up north for my Quilts for the North. Cost $8.00.

I collect lace and have for years. Each package was 25 cents.

Again another quilt that isn't finished. Everything was there to finish the quilt, even the backing. Cost for this complete kit $10.00.

This material all came to $14.75. The pieces are all larger than a metre, in fact a couple pieces are close to 2 metres. This is a huge savings especially when most of our material from quilting stores starts at $12.95 a metre. The darker blue has cute little dolphins on it which will go perfectly with the dolphin material I have already in my stash. The red material is Christmas material which I'll use to continue working on my Christmas quilt.

This material C picked out for herself. Again all large pieces and $10.00. She also got a pkg. of lace for 25 cents.

The other items that were bought:

-B found a bathtub spout which we need. Regular price $19.99. He got it for $1.00 still new and in the package. The sticker price was still on it.

-J bought a football book for $2.00 and 2 inspirational CD's for $2.00 ea.

-C also bought herself a book on digital photography for $2.00 and 2 inspirational CD's for $2.00 each

-I bought 10 inspirational music tapes (for our van) for 25 cents each.

Overall not a bad haul for about 2 hours spent walking around. We will definitely attend next year again.

Thankful Sunday..

2009-09-27T05:00:00.001-05:00

Although over the past several days we had the following happen:
-had to spend money on our van to be fixed yet again
-my food processor conked out
-my large soup pot is burnt beyond repair (I did it)
-we spent $47 for a meal out which wasn't worth $7 in our opinion, I am still thankful for the following:

-J did not bring any dirty laundry home. He did laundry BEFORE he came home, a huge plus for him and a bonus for me. He also baked chocolate chip cookies for the bake sale and then proceeded to go to the bake sale and buy his own cookies and brought them home for a treat for all of us. I told him he was growing into a fine young man, exactly as God intended him to be. (We thought it was pretty funny though that he bought his own cookies...too cute!!)

-for the exciting things I got yesterday at the MCC sale. I'll post about that tomorrow. It's pretty neat!! We had a blast at the sale. This sale all the proceeds go to help those in Sudan.

-for our beautiful fall weather we are having. It's the warmest Sept. on record and although the next couple of days it's suppose to cool down, it's been incredible weather.

-that our window for over the front door is ready for us to pick up. Along with that the price was right.

-for the quilt show C and I went to yesterday after the MCC sale. Along with that we also went to the doll museum and we've decided to take a course learning how to make bears together. It will be an all day course with just the instructor, C and myself. It should be a fun day.

-I'm also so very thankful that fiesty Kaelyn was able to finally go home this week. She has an incredible story which you can read about here. She is one spunky little one who was so tiny at birth. She is definitely a little miracle right from the hand of God.

Show and tell...

2009-09-26T13:59:00.003-05:00

We just got back from the MCC sale and wow did I get a haul. I'll post pictures on Monday. I'm so excited.

Someone asked to see all my canning I did over the past couple of days. Here are the beet pickles. They are still in my kitchen as I don't move them downstairs until after 48 hours. There are 8 quarts here....total for the year 14 quarts.

These are the Bread & Butter Pickles. We only have a partial basement in our old Victorian home. This is one wall....you can see both Bread & Butter along with beets from a few weeks back.

This is the other wall with Bread & Butter pickles. Those are huge stones behind the pickles which are the walls to our basement. It always amazes me how they got those stones here back in 1894. My total Bread & Butter count....48 quarts. I couldn't get the relish into the pictures because it was just too dark....total count 8 quarts.