You Can't Say I don't try

I'm thinking up new ideas for our Fall Bazaar. This first one is a no-no unless peole want to pay 50 cents or something for a bookmark that looks like their 5 year old grandchild made it. They do work is all I can say. I'll give them to the group and they can take them or leave them as they wish. They looked cute in the book, but even using a ziper foot were impossible to sew the back to the front nicely, mostly because of the beads and then because I had no measure for keeping the sides sewn straight.

One woman also requested bath mitts that you can put your small scraps of soap in so you don't waste them. I found one pattern that was crochet but had the wrong side yarn. Then I bought Bernat Crafter's Yarn and there was a knitting pattern on the back of the label. So I knitted it even though knitting isn't really my forte.. or rather putting it together after it's knitted isn't my forte. Then I knit a small pouch to put on it. Looks okay but I'd like to resew the pouch some way. I'm hoping someone in the group knits and can do something with this idea. I have a ton of sewing projects to do for them and a lot of them don't seem to sew so that is my area rather than knitting. I've never seen one made so I'm not sure the soap pieces won't fall out. Hope not.

Other than that it's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. I'd really like to get out and plant a couple of things I bought but I'm too shy to be out there doing that on the weekend when the neighbours are home. I have weeds to clear in the yard but that would mean my eyes will be puffy and my nose will be stuffy tomorrow from my allergies. I want to go to church at 10am and then promised to go to the Ladner Market with my daughter. I don't want to miss that. I have so few chances to spend time with her cause she's always so busy working.

I've been thinking a lot about Lane's post the other day about "I'm happy because"... I've been thinking of starting a month long posting thing where we all post one thing a day that we are happy, grateful, positive about. It's a habit and it does work if you practise it daily. For years I did a gratitude list every night of 3 things I was grateful for. It really helped me to work on positive thinking. I actually have an old website that I haven't worked on for eons. If you go to http://inspiring-thoughts.tripod.com/attitude.html you can read a page I did on attitude with things I received from friends via email.

Have a nice weekend.

Life is moving too fast!

Every day I think I should blog and every day I think, no, I have too much to say and I'll bore everyone. So I'll do this and try not to be boring.

This is the latest Catalicious Stitchery from Red Brolly. I've lost count but believe this is block 5. She has also given us permission to copy the mice she has drawn on her site and use them in the quilt if we wish. I'm thinking I just might do that. They'd look so cute. She is such a very talented artist.

This past weekend I spent part of Saturday at our local Air Show. My husband had his plane on display. I took lots of video only to discover when I got home that I'd forgotten to put the camera chip in my camera - again! Darn. I had some really good stuff on there too. There was a group of 4 Harvard Aircraft that did a tribute to Support Our Troops (Canadian and American). It was amazing. It included a bagpiper playing - which was a little too loud. But it was lovely. It brought tears to my eyes. There must have been 8000-10,000 people there and everyone was absolutely silent during it.

Sunday I had church and then Sunday evening had volunteered to help make the filling for the sandwiches we were making Monday morning. Monday morning I helped making the sandwiches starting at 9am. I'm not a morning person. I also get very anxious when I have too much ahead of me, especially when two of the things were ones that I don't normally do, so I was completely exhausted by Monday afternoon. I did, however, finally get a photo of me with two friends who were selling muffins at the Spring Bazaar. The photo was terribly blurry and I tried to fix it but now it looks grainy.

Our weather is finally nice. DH went with his brother and father down to San Diego to try to get warm. Our weather turned nice as soon as they left. That's okay except now I'm the one who has to cut the lawns. Hmmm. Maybe I can sucker my son into doing one of them.

I spent so many years on my own, with him away, that this is a treat for me. I've gotten Jane Eyre and Northanger Abbey videos from the library and I have 5 Charles Dickens ones that my daughter gave me that I haven't watched. I get to read in bed before I go to sleep. I get to eat chicken stir fry. I miss him of course. He's been retired for 3 years now and is at home every night for a change. But I believe that having separate things in our lives as well as together things makes for a healthy relationship. Especially when I have possession of the remote *LOL*

Have a great Wednesday.

Fun Weekend

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I sure appreciate the thoughts. When I was a kid I always wanted my birthday to be on a Saturday so I didn't have to go to school. As an adult I've never thought of it much but having my birthday on a Saturday this year makes me want to do it every year. I will get a Sunday next year as long as it isn't a Leap Year I suppose.

It's been so horrible here weather wise and it just happened to do a quick switch on Saturday and was a gorgeous day to get out in the yard. Yesterday I took cake to church to share. I never thought of it but my son-in-law asked if it's my birthday why am I the one who has to bring the cake. *LOL* Never thought of that. The minister loves goodies so he tells us (jokingly) that we have to bring a cake on our birthday. The congregation was small yesterday for a number of reasons but they sure went through that cake at coffee time.

After church we went to our street market that's here every summer. Yesterday was the first day of the season. It's very crowded - a lot of out of towners come which is good for business. Even a lot of the stores are staying open now and the Thrift Shop to take advantage of the shoppers. We park in my daughter's driveway and they were sitting ouside on the porch when we got back to the truck so we had a visit. Rilo has a new harness and leash so she can go outside with them. She's never been outside and panicked when she got "too far from home", which means off the bottom step *LOL*

A latest picture of her

She went to stay with my son-in-laws parents. It was only supposed to be a couple of days but ended up being two weeks. Their other cat was very ill. His kidney's failed. After two weeks of treatment they finally had to make the decision to have him put down. Meanwhile Rilo was having fun with the Golden Retriever and son -in-laws sister loved Rilo so much she decided to get herself a kitten. Rilo isn't even one year old yet and she's spayed but she decided that this was her kitten. She lays in wait for it and when it passes by she attacks it and holds it in a headlock while she cleans it. She's back home now but goes over for a play date at least once a week cause she's very lonely with the other cat gone and after having so much fun for that two weeks.

After saying goodbye to the kids we stopped off at the local Memorial park because there was a bandfest all weekend. I loved it! I haven't seen a real band sitting up on a band stand for years and years. They were all wearing vests and bow ties and they had old fashioned straw hats with the matching hat band. There were different bands from all over the lower mainland of British Columbia playing for two solid days.

I'm working on hand quilting my daughter's quilt still. That's going to take another year, I can just tell. But I also made a couple of samples for the Quilt Shop last week while the weather sucked. I wasn't crazy about the quilt and it didn't turn out well in the picture anyway. It's called a folded star which I'd never tried before. It wasn't difficult at all. Then she also has some Homespun Magazines she wants to get sold and one of them is the Red issue so I offered to do one of the redworks for her. It's kind of cute

I haven't even started my Catalicious for this month or my Gifts of Grace. The Cat one looks like a simple one again which is great. I really don't want to fall behind cause then I'll keep putting it off.

Have a great Monday everyone.

I Got Mail!

I have been on the blog for awhile. I just seem to run out of time these days and I don't know why. Of course our weather has been very depressing and I have a habit of not wanting to get out of bed in the morning so that shortens my day. Anyway yesterday I got majorly cheered up and I'm still feeling good because of it. Look what came in the mail from Angela!

I took off the fabric and look what was inside!

The picture doesn't do it justice. I was just in awe of that pincushion. I've never seen anything like it. And I sure can use it. Now that I'm hand quilting my spool of thread keeps rolling off the end table. This gives me a place to hold it. And there are little pin holes.. don't know if you can see them... so I can put the proper needles that I'm using in there. A regular pincushion is okay but I have a habit of keeping all sorts of needles in it and then I have to check each one til I get the right one. This way they'll just be there. And If I'm doing something like hemming pants I can put my pins the holes as I take them out. I just LOVE it. Thanks so much Angela.

She also sent me Crazy Eight Jelly Roll and the fabric she used to wrap it all in is perfect for my collection of fabrics for my grandmother's fan or grandmother's flower garden or whatever I decide to make from that era.

I'm so excited.