Snowy Goings-On at the Wooden House

 My eyes are drawn to the tops of trees these days. No leaves so I've been rewarded with a glimpse of something or other-birds, nests, etc. Lately I've twice seen a turkey way up in the branches. Especially up so high there, they look completely out of place. How do they rest that long neck I wonder. Surely it can't be comfortable. Once a week, a flock still wanders through the front yard area. And lately a small flock of Dark-Eyed Juncos has been around the feeders. They are on their southern holiday from the Arctic. What hardy birds! I liked how the shadows on the snow looked interesting in this photo. 

Then it warmed up so much that the snow began to melt. That meant all these hanging snow covers on the eaves slid down and dropped. It sounded like gunfire at times; Ned would bark but then he got used to it.

Staying calm with hand stitching...I've been stitching EPP Stars in the evenings while watching tv. We just finished The Bridge which made me hate drugs all the more. What a scourge on society that illegal trade is! On a lighter note, we are enjoying this Netflix series, Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro.

I've prepped several stars in yellow which is the RSC So Scrappy colour for March. I finished one last night. Yellow will work well for the side triangles with the blues too. I don't have much yellow fabric but I am excited about using different colours now for these edge triangles.

I received my Quakers in England pattern from 123Stitch.com, who provides such wonderful service.  It's a rare treat to get stitchy mail as my determination to not order any/much stitchy stuff is holding strong.

And the pretty DMC colours to use too.

You too can eat your marmalade toast off a Royal Worcester Mansfield gold trimmed dinner plate ( $30 US) if you pick them up at the thrift store for $3.99, :). 

 I can understand how folks are tempted to become resellers.  A part of me is tempted myself if it weren't for the bit of having to deal with money. Is that something you would like to try? YouTube is full of channels of folks sharing their thrift shopping ventures and how much they later make on different items.  

Though not a reseller, the most well known person in giving you an idea of what items are worth is Dr. Lori who has a PHD in Antique Appraisal. She is so knowledgeable in just about everything including purses which is covered in this video. I was very impressed that she can not only date dishes but electrical cords used on lamps. She can tell what is original to the age of the lamp, etc. Perhaps you might like to know what some item you have is worth. Pretty sure she has covered it in one of her videos. 

On that happy note I'll stop blabbing on. The dryer is getting put back together as the needed part arrived and I've been giving Tony a hand-I'm a good holder-upper. Which reminds me...LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color had a prompt for this week which was what compliments you and your spouse might give each other. Tony has given me praise for how hard (he thinks) I work at everything...the house, our healthcare, my fitness, my hobbies, etc. I compliment him lots on how smart he is like being about to fix the dryer, any of our computer glitches, financial dealings, etc. He's so fortunate his brain is still sharp as a tack even though having the feeling his body is physically weakening by the day. 

 Robbie's hockey team is in the playoffs and we have a game tonight which we really look forward to. Hope there is something in your day to look forward to too.

Take care all of you!

So grateful for linky parties at Quilting Patchwork Applique, Melva Loves Scraps, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Kathy's Quilts, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Creations Art Quilts.

 

Stars To Hexagons, Barbara's Free Bird Patterns, Companions on the Journey

I've just made myself a nice decaf coffee with frothed milk made from sweetened almond milk. I think of this as a tiny treat- this time after picking up a load of sticks to use as fire starters while walking Ned. Toting the bag and with Ned on the leash made the going a little rougher especially as our trails are still not flattened. A good little workout though. The cute appliqued bear placemats were found at the thrift store, still in their original ( I thought) box, which was quite crushed, but they were completely unharmed. Finding such makes me wonder how some things wind up there. Who wouldn't like checkered bear placemats?

I've been adding to the EPP stars and realizing I need to work out the background for them. I mentioned I might applique them to a neutral shade of fabric. On Saturday, I tried out adding the border triangles which changes stars into hexagons which can then be hand stitched together. Here is the first one.

I think these coloured triangles are more interesting than the plain backgrounds would be so I'm going to proceed with these. More hand stitching overall which I don't mind. And I get to dip into more of the scraps so it's all good. Here are some of the pinks and blues huddled together for a group shot.

It took me a while to realize the talented Barbara Brackman writes two blogs, both of which I've been reading for years. The history of quilting is interesting and I love to know the background of blocks we use today. ( One of the reasons I enjoy reading Michele's Pennsylvania Piecemaker blog where she often includes history, etc. about quilting). Barbara's blogs are  Civil War Quilts and the other is Material Culture. Barbara is offering a free applique 9 block SAL featuring birds at the Civil War Quilts site. 

Well, you know that caught my eye and I always like having an applique project on the go. These are simple shapes to work with too. Anyway I downloaded the patterns. One of these days I'll get a colour printer. 

I'm trying to decide which colours/fabrics to use. I'll check out similar quilts to see what inspires me. What a wonderful conundrum to have. 

The hospital visit went as well as such could be. We are fortunate to have 3 A+ accredited hospitals surrounding us and just short, easy drives from us. No longer having the long drives on busy highways to the big Ottawa hospitals is such a boon for us...just the parking alone was always a nightmare. I hate huge parking garages especially when at busy times we would have to wait for someone to leave and try to take their spot. We both would feel stressed just getting into the hospital, never mind what medical issue of Tony's that brought us there.  

In comparison, going to these country hospitals is a breeze. The CT scan of his midsection went like clockwork with no wait time for Tony. This had been ordered by his cardiologist who is attempting to rule out cancer. We are really not thinking this is his problem so we will wait now for the results. We thank you all sincerely for the good wishes. 

While I waited a woman arrived carrying a well worn quilted bag and, of course, I had to ask did you make that and she did. She was happy to let me take a picture to share with you. We didn't get to chat at all which was disappointing as she got her call almost immediately too. 

I have lots of hand work to keep me busy which is good. I'm pleased with how I'm keeping the home fires burning -literally- and the house mostly under control. But especially keeping the big bad thoughts at bay. 

Ned is such a wonderful companion too and I'm so grateful to have this little soul who watches my every move with me on my journey (as I am on his).

And I'm so grateful for all of you too! You put a smile on my face with your thoughtful and kind remarks. Thank you!

I'll be linking this post with Days Filled With Joy, My Quilt Infatuation, Alycia Quilts and The Inquiring Quilter.

Flower Embroidery, EPP Stars, Sometime is Now

 I watched Brenda and Laura yesterday while I was stitching. 

Besides the beautiful stitching, an important point talked about in the episode was how Some day needs to be Now. You know how we all have things we'd like to do, learn or try but put off for some day. But without being morbid, none of us know how much time we have so the point was some day needs to be now. For me as an amateur quilter, I have nice fabric in my stash and the plan was always to keep it till I got better at quilting. I'm more comfortable using scraps. Brenda is learning to crochet, something she had always wanted to do but put off. What do you think? Is the time right now for something you've always been wanting to do, buy, learn, etc.?

In slow stitching this week, I was inspired by LeeAnna's post HERE where she learned to make pretty tassel flowers in wool. I remembered I had a kit I'd been hanging onto for a long time that featured embroidered flowers, but mine are embroidered in floss. So I dug out Floralies from the Swiss Canevas Folies and I decided the time is now. The design is stamped on beautiful linen. Embroidery is really my first love in the stitchy world. You can check out their beautiful designs at that link. 

There are 12 different stitches used in this project, most to be worked with one thread so rather delicate. I enjoy stitching satin stitch the most. Sharing my love of hand stitching with Kathy's Quilts.

And I finished stitching more EPP stars in blues. Here's a few together. I've got more somewhere. And I still have a tendency to keep my stitches too tight...I have this thing that hand stitches won't hold up like machine stitching if I don't pull them tight. Last week for February Blues at the So Scrappy party.

LeeAnna asked us to think about this interesting point this week...do we give ourselves the same compassion we extend to others? I had to stop and think about it as for me it is complicated. I like to think I'm compassionate with others, of course, like we all do. But towards myself...the voice inside my head is generally a stern one, full of concern and worry. It doesn't put me down but it does raise lots of questions about what I'm doing, my decisions, etc. But when needed it can also be encouraging and reminding me to be strong and of the good things in my life too. It has gotten me through some really tough times without me relying on anything or anybody. So I guess I could say that's compassionate with myself in that regard. What about you?

Side View of the House

Lots of snow clearing has gone on this week and we plan to run the snowmobile over the trails soon. We will be spending this afternoon in a local hospital with Tony getting more tests. I have to get my kit together that I take with me when I have no idea how long he will be. On the up side, in hospitals, I can always find a place I can tuck myself away to read and write a bit. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sharing this post with parties at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Life in Pieces and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

Snowy Days, State and Provincial Flowers Chat, Appliqued Mini Placemats

The dig out from the back to back snow storms that dumped almost 18 inches of snow here was fierce. Here is Ned's path out the back...he needed encouragement to give it a go.

I photographed two Blue Jays in between complete whiteouts who hung around the feeders a lot which kept getting covered in snow.  It was good they were there with their larger beaks at the height of the storm to uncover the seeds. I noticed the chickadees would then appear to quickly grab a seed or two. 

We kept warm by our fire. 

And very importantly, we did not lose the power which happens often here with high winds. One stormy night, I made a broccoli and potato soup with open faced cheese and bacon sandwiches heated a little under the broiler. Tony is not a broccoli fan but he liked the soup. I am using this product to make chicken broth and it works well to add flavour to otherwise kind of bland homemade vegetable soups.   

I have deliberately not looked at the ingredients...I'm using it sparingly- whatever it is you just need a little to get flavour.  

I completely finished the two mini placemats. I realized I'm not one for much fiddle faddle about choosing borders. So these found polka dots for the blues and stripes for the pinks in my scraps were a quick and easy choice. And easy blanket stitch around the edges of the valentines too.

Using old leftover scrappy blocks for the backs was a win also. I had the thought that perhaps Dresden blocks are my all time favourite blocks. I sure enjoyed stitching these and more of them, about 80, are shown in my featured post in the sidebar.

  I think I've shared this before but it bears repeating...6 Alphabet Patterns for Hand Embroidery, a free collection found at the Needlework/Craftgossip site. These are neat if you want to stitch a little monogram on something like a Christmas ornament.

 I've always wanted to stitch a quilt featuring the flowers of the Canadian provinces and American states. I found the patterns for the American states at Vickie's lovely site Pattern Bee and downloaded a copy. I used to follow her blog, Turkey Feathers, which seems to have stopped in 2022, sadly. 

I also found free patterns for the 50 State Flowers at one of Debra's Slow Flowers Journal post. Now I have to find patterns for the Canadian provinces (several are the same as the American as it happens). More about this quest later.

My dryer broke down and Tony has been trying to fix it. So far it is in this state but he cleverly found the defective part deep inside and has ordered a replacement.

He explained to me how these inner workings operated.😴 And I did get to give it a good cleanout which I don't think had ever been done; actually that's a silly thing to say -I'm  sure it had never been done as who gets inside a machine like this!

I'm pleased and thankful with how much shoveling I've done with no ill effects, as such. We'll get out the snowmobile this afternoon to run over the trails and make them accessible for walking again. I've just made a pot of tea so it should be ready. 

Hope there is something to comfort you, interest you and please you this February day. ✨ 

Enjoying sharing this post with linky parties at Alycia Quilts, Creations, Art, Quilts, Whatever, A Stitch in Time and My Quilt Infatuation.

Beautiful Free Patterns, Valentine's Gifts, Slow Stitching Projects

 I'll speak of weather and get it out of the way as it were. We got advance warning of a winter storm so I was able to fill the feeders, get in my bit of firewood to start the fire and have an extra long walk in the evening thinking I wouldn't get out the next morning.

 When I got up at 7, everything was calm, snow gently falling. Quite a bit of accumulation, around 30 cm by then, so the snowplows had their work cut out for them...So Ned and I tried out the trails. It wasn't a walk, more of a slog. At the point where I was furthest from the house, I had to take a spell before trudging on. Ned was disappointed as the snow had covered up all the scents and not one track was seen to be followed. 

School buses were off the roads but schools were open and teachers expected to be there. Everything here goes on as normal, even city buses on the roads which seems so dangerous to me. And it is...there are numerous accidents being reported. 

Inside I had cooked us a roast beef dinner with lots of veggies including turnip and cabbage the night before so we could have leftovers if the power was lost. And a bit of a treat for Valentines' Day.

Tony surprised me with a Valentine's gift- two pretty posies, Dianthus and Campanula, both of which can be put in the garden later on if they survive. I really liked the card.

And I contented myself with lots of slow stitching like more embroidery on this very large Snow Days motif...how appropriate!

And quilting lines on the Red, White and Blue table runner too.

I also cut out two mug rugs for little gifts as my small scrappy stitching this month. 

I'm not spending time on the internet like I used to by having days I don't open the browser at all. But like every rule, there is an exception and mine is listening to an audio book or music, both of which I do a lot and are found on my computer.  During my now more precious browsing time recently, I noted these results for beautiful and free quilt patterns....

Art Gallery Quilts has their free patterns for gorgeous more modern style quilts HERE.

I had a lot of fun looking through Riley Blakes' free patterns...so many I loved. HERE.

I like how at American Patchwork and Quilting, they include smaller projects too in their free pattern inventory. So many patterns! HERE

We are under another snow storm watch for overnight so I'm also ending this post talking about snow. On the plus side, this snow will be good for maintaining ground water levels in the spring so the forests won't get too dry. I always worry about a fire here in our 10+ acre woods. 

Hope you are staying warm and toasty or cool and calm wherever you are in this wild world of ours!

Sharing this post with Cynthia's Quilting is More Fun Than Housework party. 

 

Jumbo Cookies, Owl Watching, Cross Stitch Finish, EPP Stars

When we drove home from Robbie's hockey game last Saturday evening, we couldn't get over how light it still was for 5:30. The season is moving along we happily agreed. 

I had the pleasure of spotting and watching a young Barred Owl recently. There is one wooded area here where I've photographed Barred Owls a couple of times. I always look at the tree tops when I walk through there. This time I was lucky to spy him because this owl was quite tucked away, snuggled against a tree trunk and with its colouring, blending in quite well. Can you spy him?

He turned his head and watched as we walked past him. I had to hurry home, put Ned inside, grab my camera, race back with the hope he'd still be there. He was and watched me as I set up the camera. He then became unconcerned, closed his eyes for a little nap even. This is the smallest Barred Owl I've seen.

Always a thrill to watch these large birds- a bird that can actually watch you back...that fact is a little bit eerie actually.  

I've finished the cross stitched Cozy Into Winter piece which I will share with Kathy's Quilts Sunday party. It would make a cute little cushion.

                     

I've made an order to 123Stitch for the floss for Summer Quakers. At that time I took advantage of a sale and purchased a pattern called British Quakers; I found out later it is not available which was disappointing. But it really is fun to have a look online...so many beautiful patterns. It's hard to choose just one.

I've been enjoying my other form of slow stitching- EPP Stars in blues including navy. I will link my stars to the So Scrappy Blues Parade.

I've been asked how I keep my plants alive during our harsh winter. Besides keeping them in a large window with lots of light and feeding them the Plant Booster Juice, I also spritz them with a water mist every couple of days. I do this even though using the wood stove is probably not as drying as using the furnace all the time would be. I bought that water bottle at the Dollar store and I like how big it is and it spritzes great too. I never over water ever. I also don't add any plant food as such but these are all sitting in my own composted soil which I know is also good for them. 

With Valentines in mind...Cassandra at this post at The Not So Dramatic Life gives a tutorial including free heart templates on how to recycle fabric scraps to make greeting cards. Hers are lovely. I'm not sure if I have the creativity but I know many of you do. 

I read Barbara's post at her chatty lovely Cat Patches blog where she made Breakfast Cookies. The ingredients intrigued me so I looked up the recipe and made a batch myself. Tony, who loves a bikkie with his afternoon cup of tea (but not breakfast), has eaten several and gave them two thumbs up. Breakfast Cookies sounds like an oxymoron, is that what you would call it? Anyway, the recipe for Jumbo Breakfast Cookies is at that link. Great if you need to use up cereal for whatever reason. And I switched and cut back the white sugar amount for a combination of brown sugar and honey. I think next time I would rather use Rice Krispies than Multigrain Cheerios and cut back the sugar a little more. The recipe makes a lot of large cookies which delights Tony. 

On that sweet note, I'll end today's post. My week has filled up so will be busy...well, busy for us. Hopefully I'll get back at the end of the week to tell you more of what is happening here at the wooden house. 

Check out LeeAnna's party at Not Afraid of Color, Frederique's at Quilting Patchwork Applique and Alycia's at Alycia Quilts. Also sharing with Judy's Small Quilts and Doll Quilts party, as well as the lovely Home Matters party at Days Filled With Joy.

Quick Pizza, Hearts and Roses, Slow Stitching Redwork

I woke up to a temperature of -28C windchill outside yesterday but the good news is it quickly warmed up to -12 but that means one thing here...snow. Yes, we got a mini snowstorm with a freezing drizzle warning for the afternoon. I'd had plans to go out for a grocery shop but that had been postponed till later. The forecast is for more of the same today. Meanwhile, we are hunkering down by the fire, well Tony is. For me, as soon as I post this, put away the darks laundry, tote another load of wood up from the back basement door, enroute grab a pack of ground beef from the downstairs freezer to thaw for meatloaf tonight, then Ned and I are going to get out in the fresh air. Our trails will be a little bit snowier to get through but oh, what good exercise that will be. You all know how it is- I'm not complaining but there is always a ton of tiny chores each and every day to be done before any fun.

In my latest sewing room move, I found these three heart blocks I'd stitched some time ago. I'd appliqued them with a blanket stitch and I remember choosing the red, white and blue look from scraps for the borders. I'm now finishing these into a runner for one of the side tables in the t.v. room. 

My tastes seem to be changing as this is no longer appealing to me though I do like the bright red, white and blue combination. But I will finish them and have layered them with the batting and used that thrifted Blue Rose material from Cranston Designs I showed in the last post for the backing. The blue in the roses and red background perfectly match the blues and reds here. And hearts and roses go together right?

I'll add quilting lines in front of the t.v. at night. Happy to link with the So Scrappy Blues Party.

I'm feeling happy with how I'm moving along each of my slow stitching projects so 2025 is off to a good start. I'm linking this post with Kate's Life in Pieces party that celebrates how even 15 minutes of stitching moves a project along. Mom's Redwork Newfoundland patterns is one of those projects...these very simple lines are stitching an ice berg. 

The right side of Newfoundland is washed by the North Atlantic Ocean and ice bergs are a common sight as they drift down from Greenland. It's been dubbed Iceberg Alley. I now have almost all these patterns stitched. I'd like to add more, perhaps animals or birds which is something to think about. I like these striped mesh storage bags- I have three of them, and wish I could find more. They stack well and are see through so you can tell what is in them. I'm thinking they came in threes at a dollar store but I don't remember where. Anyone know?

Tony loves pizza and I do bake those frozen ones for him occasionally. In an effort to make them more nutritional, I do add/ sprinkle more things on them, which he doesn't need to know :). Recently I saw where pitas were used to make pizzas and gave it a try. I used this pizza sauce which tasted delicious, chopped onion, red peppers, tomatoes, and lots of shredded cheese. He's a big cheese lover.

 I just warmed/grilled it under the oven broiler.

He really enjoyed it and the size was perfect for a meal for him so I will be making this again when something quick is needed for a supper. Must remember to buy mushrooms tomorrow. 

This guy is always anxious for me to close the computer and get walking! I read that a walk to a dog is their social media which is a neat idea. I say to Ned all the time let's go for a sniff as his nose rarely leaves the ground. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Check out what my friends are also liking at LeeAnna's I Like party at Not Afraid of Color and the wonderful parties at Melva Loves Scraps, My Quilt Infatuation, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Kathy's Quilts too.

Slow Stitching the Winter Away

It still amazes me when I read your blogs where in your corner of the world, summer is now in full swing with the flowers and leafy trees and blue skies. I look out on blue skies too like today... 

But it is still very cold staying well below freezing. This turkey gang appeared late one day. I counted 17 scattered about, the largest number ever to grace our garden. One male and I guess you could say his harem. 

Deep into winter now and I couldn't have a better excuse to stay inside and slow stitch. So I've been moving along a couple of hand stitched projects. Embroidery was one of my first loves in the stitching world...I had one of those Dimensions kits of flowers in a field with me when I moved into university residence back in 1968. That one used crewel wool which I used a lot in those days. Back to the present and here is my progress on one of the Snow Days motifs.

Someone asked- I use those needles pictured mostly - I can buy them at Walmart. I'm not particular about needles but prefer a shorter one overall for embroidery.
  And my cross stitched Cozy Into Winter is moving along too. There is space beneath the basket to stitch a message. The pattern has three rows/bands of motifs there but maybe it would add interest to have words instead. 

I just have to highlight the talents of one of our blogging friends, Gwyned Trefethen. Check out her beautiful little framed attic scenes featuring vases of flowers and blue skies. Link to her post is Here. Actually I'm in awe of all the talented stitching I see when I visit your blogs.

*About my last post- Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. Yes, as some guessed, all the stars shown were made from men's thrifted shirts. Thank you for sharing your favourite/prettiest quilt pattern too. It made for very interesting reading. 

From The Tiny Buddha

Having a bit of a wobble lately, mostly mind wise. I've been practising stilling my thoughts, blocking the negative ones especially. One of these days I'll get good at that. Yes I know I will feel better again soon which is a comfort in itself.

You all take care of yourselves.  

Sharing this post with parties at  Good and Random Fun, Alycia Quilts and It's A Small Town Life.