Wooden House Wintry Wanderings

It seems to be all about the weather here in the winter months. Saturday,when I went out with the dogs, the temperature was this with a wind chill of -34C. 

But the sun was shining and I could feel its warmth on my face. That was so nice while on the pond throwing the ball for the dogs. Then it warmed up and here in winter, that means the snow comes. We have a few more centimeters on the ground and it's still snowing. The school buses are not running this morning so another snow day for most kids. Here is my backyard winter wonderland taken through the window just now.

Yesterday's weather was a good excuse to stay cosy all day in my fleece top and polar bear fleece bottoms. 

Enough about the weather, on to more important things like stitching. 

When I'm watching YouTube, sometimes a video suggestion will pop up and I'm so glad this one did. That was how I found out about Becky Goldsmith's tiny baskets. I remember when some folks were stitching these in a project called A Tisket A Tasket and that would have been many years ago. I decided to give them a try mainly because I need to use up more small scraps. The pattern is free. I just love stitching these tiny baskets. And Becky's video featuring the tutorial is just wonderful. 

I learned something brand new to me. And that is you can wet fabric to get it to turn/fold a little like at the top of the handles. That actually works. What a great scrappy project and I'll be matching up with the colour for the monthly RSC colour while I stitch more of them. They are 3 inches and while they stitch up quickly, they are a bit fiddly.

I have to be careful not to get obsessed with stitching them. 

I have the Blackbird Designs Christmas Tablecloth almost finished. The three pieces are joined but I have some minor stitching I want to do like add more embroidery to the leaves on the right side, for instance. Then I'm going to retire it for this year with the hope and plan of quilting it next fall in time for Christmas.

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt last week was about using planners/calendars. I always have a yearly calendar type book to write in and note appointments, etc. Here is last year's and my newest one that I bought at a thrift store. Yes, it was totally baffling to me why a 2026 book would be there. It was obviously brand new with the Winner's tag on it and one of those finds that makes me think they are there just waiting for only me to come along. 

We've added The Pitt to our nighttime viewing and are enjoying getting to know the characters. I can see why it won two Golden Globes. Any of you watching?

My week is filling up with appointments including another CT scan for Tony.  I am very thankful this can be done at a local hostpital so we don't have to drive into Ottawa especially with all this weather. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to write a comment on my posts. We both read them and take encouragement from them. 

Very happy to share this post with linky parties like the Inquiring Quilter who just celebrated the 9th anniversary of hosting. Congratulations, Jennifer! Also sharing with  Sum of Their Stories, Creations Quilts Art, Alycia Quilts, Kathy's Quilts and Melva Loves Scraps.

                                 

My Second Best Thrift Find, Summer Hand Stitching, Cold Water Swimming

The birds are sweetly singing and the earth is blossoming forth as the old saying goes. What a treat to be in June, even a June that is only slightly sunny with a cool edge to the breezes. And the beautiful flowers don't seem to mind at all. I love my Irises.

And this combination of colours...the purple, violet and deep down, that extreme yellow...

I finally got into another thrift store. And the sentence You need this like you need a hole in the head definitely applied. I have a small collection of dog figurines mostly found during my thrift store jaunts. When I spied this one of a German Shepherd so like Rex I just had to have it even though it had a very unthrifty price tag of $22. It is in mint condition and features the Alsatian German Shepherd with the sloping back just like Rex. 

I got excited when I recognized the mark of a V and an embedded number-CH 618, on the bottom- I knew this was a Goebel, the Hummel figurine folks. My dog turned out to be my second best thrift find next to my Petit Point Dish Set. Oh my. Here is what one seller on Etsy is charging. Approximately C $166.73!

Here is Rex under our tree back in 2012 and I still tear up just thinking about him. Beautiful and faithful, the best boy ever ( I can't let Ned hear me say that.)

My other real bargain was this long summer shirt by Olsen. I paid $13.98 for it and I know a shirt like this would be over a hundred dollars brand new.  

Finds like these...things I love and that are sure bargains is why I love thrift stores. You really never know what you will spy but for me, the genuine fun and enjoyment is always in the hunt.

I got a chance to do some veranda slow stitching last Sunday. With a light sweater, the temperature was lovely though the mosquitoes were awful and I had to use some bug spray- which I hate- to be comfortable. Here I'm stitching Floralies from Canevas Folies which is an online shop in Switzerland. I think they now have PDF options too which they didn't have when I bought this kit. I have my eye on their Christmas Robin design. 

 I also am stitching more handles for my Baskets Love project. I got myself organized and made a bit of an assembly line. 

I'm using blanket stitch around the edges. This is a project destined for the wall not a bed so it can afford to be somewhat flimsily hand stitched by me. 

I'm doing well with my summer sewing machine challenge to myself. I've now finished four stringed blocks. More about that next time. Happily sharing with Quilting is More Fun Than Housework where when I write that my brain always says yes it is.

I'm enjoying seeing how so many of you are embracing June's RSC colour, orange. Wow, so many lovely blocks and projects in that colour. I like how some are making Halloween blocks which is clever to get so ahead in the quilting game, LOL. So Scrappy hosts the weekly party.

Our pool is open and I've been swimming which feels wonderful. I've decided not to heat it this year as I enjoy how the cold makes me feel. I have no idea if it helps the immune system or has any other health benefits as such. We are all different and what works for one might not for another. But I believe this is good for me. In fact, something I do all the time is turn my shower to cold before I finish...it seems to liven me up which improves my mood. Tony is totally aghast at the very thought of doing this! Are you with Tony? 

LeeAnna's, Not Afraid of Color, prompt this week has to do with learning to swim. I learned when I was 9 or 10 at the Margaret Bowater Park, Corner Brook, Newfoundland where the beautiful Humber River flowing through formed a mostly natural swimming area. I wasn't a strong swimmer, still not, so very cautiously always stayed in the cordoned off section. 

Come to think of it, maybe those early cold water swimming experiences set me up to enjoy it all my life. Who knows!

Anyway, hope there is lots of the good stuff happening in your life to liven you up!

Meanwhile linking up with Life in Pieces and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Two Stitchy Projects Updates, Birding News, And My Purchase

A piece of my plant broke and I stuck it in this little single sprig bird vase.

I enjoyed seeing the tiny bud open and then when I took it out, a root was growing! It is now planted in soil.

Growth is amazing!

Here is the blouse I purchased at Simon's on my Mother's Day trip to Ottawa. It is roomy, light and airy. The tag says it's made of 100% cotton but definitely not the kind of cotton we quilt with as this is so light. 

Thank you for all your comments on my POST about looking for summer dresses! With how cool it's been, I've not been in a hurry to actually order anything. I enjoyed reading your responses about how you dress these days. A lot of us are choosing comfort over fashion it appears. When I think back to the decades of wearing panty hose...ugh. It's now hard for me to believe but at one of the school boards I first worked with, women wearing trousers was frowned upon, so we all wore skirts/dresses. Sounds like the dark ages, doesn't it. 

A First! We had a pair of Canada Geese choose our little pond for nest building. I didn't know what was going on as in why one of them was sitting on the bank so much.  And why the two of them were always there. I thought the one on land all the time might be injured and we discussed whether we should call the Wild Bird Centre. This is the male always nearby. I think this just might be the pair I've photographed earlier and shared with you.

And here is the female taken from a great distance. You can see why I thought she might be sick/injured.

It turns out they had built a nest and had a tiny family! A first for this property.

 Through binoculars, I was so surprised to see two active looking goslings with the mother still on the nest one morning. I kept staring hardly believing what I was looking at. Two days after that sighting, they had all disappeared. I panicked thinking the young had been subject to a predator. But then I read Canada Geese leave the nesting area within 24 to 72 hours of hatching and move to whatever water is nearest. Goslings are born pretty much able to walk and swim. There are many rivers and ponds around so they would have lots of choices. 

With them gone I was able to visit the nest. There are the remains of one egg and it looks like one egg didn't hatch. I definitely watched two active goslings; in fact, my second day, very early morning spying, they were trying to get down the bank to the water which I thought was amazingly soon after hatching. The mother plucked goose down from her breast to insulate the eggs just like I'd read about online.

I think this was a new mother to have chosen our tiny bit of wetland/pond. But it was so peaceful down there when I would visit, staying far away of course. All the birds singing, frogs croaking and deer stopping by for a drink. No one to bother them but that lone old woman creeping around. I do hope the little ones got a good start at least.

 The RSC hosted over at Super Scrappy Starry Hexagons project is going well...my goal is to stitch two a week and I've done that no problem. I have over 50 stitched so far. I'll have to find a larger container. That's a sprig off the very old English Ivy- they are so hardy you just can't kill it. 

And I'm stitching Block 2 of Liberty's Birds. This is meant to be the center block so is a little more elaborate than the others. More doodads and I'm doubting the size of the yellow flowers (?). Why do I always worry about details like this. But they are too big so will probably redo them.

I'm also having doubts about the shape of the eagle that is meant to go across the center. You have to use your imagination to see the bird. I'm going to search online to see if I can find a simpler shape that would portray it better.

But first I have to shorten a pair of Tony's summer trousers. He has lost some weight since last summer for sure. Speaking of which, we had a good meeting with the local cardiologist. Tony did fine with the stress test so nothing showed up there. Dr. Wei mentioned Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so we had a chat about that. Anyway, Tony is going to be booked for a Nuclear Heart test to further explore his extreme fatigue issue. 

I hope you are having a good weather and stitching day wherever you are!

Sharing this post with Melva Loves Scraps, The Quiltery and The Inquiring Quilter.

 

Liberty's Birds, Teeny Stitches, Spring Signs, and A Getaway

 A few photos of a reluctant spring here..

The largest turtle I've seen at our little pond.

Then I realized he wasn't alone. There must be others about too.

I've pulled a few fabrics to work on Block 2 of Liberty's Birds. 

This is perhaps my favorite block. Do you think that is the glorious eagle?  And one of my favourite motifs, a wreath is on this Block 2 which is called Justice's Wreath. 

To do with cross stitching, I did a test using one strand of thread over two as suggested by readers.  I like the look and it provides enough coverage but, my, using one strand of embroidery thread is so fine and tiny.

 I can flip this piece of fabric and begin again...it's quite long. I always go bigger with the size because I have a fear of running out of fabric. Can you make out my new teeny tiny stitches here?

Taken outside in early morning dappled light.

My Big News!

I went on a little Mother's Day getaway...two nights in a hotel downtown Ottawa, Chateau Laurier. I'd dug out my old suitcase and even older spring coat, which, considering the rather cool temperatures, I needed. I had to put them out on the back deck to air out...goodness knows what our basement would smell like to others!

That coat which is more grey/beige than the photo is showing, is so old- at least 12 years. Though the sales lady at the time told me it was classic, I wonder if it is still so. But then women over 40 are supposed to be invisible, so it wouldn't  matter what I've got on. I wouldn't have given this a thought but the downtowns of cities are where the really cool people are. You know the ones who dress in black. The last time I was in downtown Toronto I couldn't get over the number of young people dressed in fancy sports like gear. I noticed that's where the thin people are too. Anyway, such it was. 

Two things I took with me for down time in the room...

This book, the Booker Prize winning The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright. I think I got to read three pages.

And for stitching- something with few bits and bobs to keep track of...the Floralies embroidery project. Never got to take this out of the suitcase but comforting to know it was there.😊

In my absence, Tony was well looked after by SIL Brad and Robbie, so no worries there. And he is quite trustworthy in regard to not endangering himself by trying to do something heroic like climb on the roof or even a ladder, for that matter. 

I will share some photos of my little getaway next time. Thank you for all the comments on the dresses I shared in the last post.  And a Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers and grandmothers too. 

Sharing this post with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework and Kathy's Quilts.

Simple Comforts...Stitching, Fashion and Food

 I have the bird feeders filled and the wood brought in for the day long fire.

And I'm in my cosy clothes. Found these fleece pants at Walmart and just love them for around the house. I noticed how warm they were when I picked up the wood from the veranda.

Just the right blend of weight and softness and not too bulky. There was a time I would not wear these except for exercising, not dressy enough, but now I'm the dress police here and, apparently, I no longer give a hoot. Comfort is trumping fashion. Same at yours?

We have a fresh five inch blanket of snow on the ground this morning, definitely comfort food season. I cooked a ham and scalloped potatoes to go with it last night. 

Leftovers for tonight which is always a good thing and then I'll make a pea soup from any ham left over. It is definitely hot soup season too. Delish published this article 75 Most Comforting Foods Ever so I just had to take a look. Yes, so many favourites, including Grits. The only time I've eaten grits was once in a Cracker Barrel Restaurant on the drive to Florida; I just had to try them because I'd read about them in novels. And I liked them. Then I came across this site, The Food Republic, and an article on how to fancy up tinned soups which I can't believe I've never thought of doing. So many simple ways to hike both the nutrition and flavours. Like using those frozen wontons and vegetables in canned beef broth to make a kind of sweet and sour soup, something I love. Now if only I can remember this.

Down at the pond one day last week, I watched a number of tadpoles swimming under a thin skim of ice. Definitely did not seem comfortable this late in the season. I wondered if they will survive. *Just had to look that up and sure enough, yes, they can hibernate as tadpoles and continue their growth next spring. Amazing!

I don't need to say a word about the comfort and enjoyment our stitching and hobbies give us. You folks know all about that. I especially enjoyed slow stitching this little quaker wreath this week.

 It might be my favourite motif of this project. You are meant to choose an initial to work in the center of it. 

I did a test block for a little Christmas quilt I want to machine stitch. It was very simple and went together quickly. 

 I'll use the Rifle Paper Co leftover fabrics and a few coordinating fancy fabrics I have. There are many tutorials and instructions for the Christmas Present block. Here is the one I followed... Center Street Quilts

I had no excuse not to sew more blocks while I was at it. So busy looking though and gold accents and glitter are definitely not my thing. So like me to immediately doubt my fabric decisions. But I guess glitter and Christmas can go together. 

I'm off to do some shopping...right here in my easy chair. Don't have to change my cosy pants for something less comfortable and face the snowy roads, traffic and people. Yes, so many Christmas presents are bought on Amazon/online these days and who can resist the next day service. I wonder what my grandparents would think of the concept of shopping on your phone. Really something, isn't it!  Hope you are all off to a great week!