Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work....

Well, I'm not the one going off to work, but it didn't stop me from creating these...

and while I was at it, I made

matching mittens...

The pattern for the socks is 'Get To Work!-Baby Socks' by Laura Sapergia and can be found HERE.  The mittens came from a generic plain baby mitten that I changed the colours around to make them match the socks.

 

Sometimes someone has a brain wave and wonders why they never thought of it before.  Such is the case with the brilliant solution my DH came up with on the weekend.  We went to the local market and came home with large 'bouquets' of kale and swiss chard.  It, of course, needed to be washed and dried before refrigerating.  DH had a lightbulb moment and you can see the results...

The veggies came with elastics around the stems to hold them together and simply hanging the clumps on the cupboard door handles directly above the sink makes for a perfect drainage system.  Please ignore the messy counter though!

The quote for today came about when I researched possible quotes to reflect brilliant ideas and is from Sue Grafton...."Ideas are easy.  It's the execution of ideas that really separates the sheep from the goats"   I don't think I'll tell DH about this one - he might not like the comparison!

Grandparenting joy!

One of the joys of being grandparents is that we get to do fun things like take our grandson (and his mommy and daddy!) to the zoo.  Yesterday we did just that, and a great time was had by all. 

Grandpa, Daddy & Logan
feeding the giraffe. 

Mommy and Logan
Very first pony ride!

and, just because of the cuteness factor...

Elmvale Zoo, just outside of Barrie (Ontario, Canada - for those not from the area) is a wonderful little zoo and well worth a visit if you live anywhere close.

Today's quote, very fittingly, is about grandparents and comes from Rudy Giuliani... "What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance.  They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life.  And, most importantly, cookies"   (and in case you're wondering, yes, we took cookies....some of the ones you saw in my post a couple days ago).  

M & M's

The first 'M' is for mail - and two special things have arrived in my mailbox.  First of all, Boud send me a wonderful postcard with an image of a painting by Alfred Sisley called 'Snow at Louveciennes, originally painted in 1878.  

Thank you Liz!!

And I received this lovely from Patty....

The card fits inside the pouch.  I forgot to take a picture of the mailing envelope she sent it in too - so cool!  Thank you Patty!

Today your quote is from an unknown source...."Our lives are like quilts - bits and pieces, joy and sorrow, stitched with love"

Second childhood - or - dotage? Take your pick!

Sorry about being somewhat absent over the past week.  There hasn't been much in the way of stitching being accomplished around here, plus there's been an issue with my camera talking to my computer with any degree of success.  Finally resorted to re-installing the program and eureka!!  Would have been helpful had I thought of that in the first place.

I've been busy though, although there are some that might suggest that I've taken leave of what's left of my mind.  I'm sure those of you with grown children have dealt with the dilemma of them moving away and leaving their 'stuff' in semi-permanent storage with you.  Our boys were pretty good (especially when faced with the threat of what they don't take before we moved to this apartment would get a one-way trip to the dump...funny how that gave them incentive!!).  Anyway, the point of all this (and I do have one, believe it or not) is that one of the few things we kept was a giant tote filled with their Lego.  Our upcoming road trip to visit our #2 son gives us a perfect opportunity to get rid of some of it.  So....good ol' mom (who is actually a closet Lego-lover) hauled the lot out and with DH's help sorted it out.  Then I started to build the kits - or at least as many as I could.  Of course a lot of the pieces were lost over the years (most likely gobbled up by the vacuum).  

See?...

This was only one (the biggest) of the kits
I managed to pretty much put together.

Now that tote, and its contents will be outta here!

While I was doing all that (it *only* took me four days!!), DH was pottering about in the kitchen creating these...

These are our trail mix cookies which will be taken on our trip and serve as breakfast food.  For those of you who might be interested in a healthy cookie, here's the recipe...

TRAIL MIX COOKIES
(this makes a LOT!!)

4 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. EACH baking powder & baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 c. large flake rolled oats

4 c. Trail Mix (see below)

2 c. margarine

1 c. EACH white & brown sugar

(Note: we only use 3/4 c. of each sugar)

4 eggs, beaten

4 T. water

4 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.  Cream together margarine & sugars.  Add liquids to dry ingredients.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet.  Flatten with spatula.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 mins.

TRAIL MIX

(note: you can buy trail mix if you prefer)

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. chopped or slivered almonds

1 c. dried cranberries or raisins (or combination)

1/2 c. coconut (small flake)

1 c. chopped peanuts

Your quote for today, and one I plan to adopt, is from C.S. Lewis..."It's never too late to have a second childhood" 

Blessings - some good, some not so

Today has been an 'interesting' day on several different fronts - and none of them involved stitching done by my hands.  The first order of business today was for DH to trundle our car out to the mechanic for a good once-over prior to us leaving on our 'big road trip'.  Alas, the once-over culminated in the necessity to replace ALL four tires!!  Not an expense we were anticipating right now, thank you very much.  However, the thought of attempting to drive through the Canadian Rocky Mountains with tires that were iffy made the replacement of same a no-brainer.  

This morning a friend was here for coffee and came bearing gifts for our soon-to-be-born grandson and this afternoon I had lunch with another friend who has made the most amazing quilt for him.  Alas I don't have a picture of any of the above to share, but they are all beautiful and so very thoughtful of my friends to share in the birth of our wee one.  I am blessed to have such good friends in my life.

Sometimes, in these days of  doom and gloom on the news every day, it's nice to read a heartwarming story and THIS one certainly is just that.  What a wonderful man!

 Today your quote is from an anonymous source....

 Twelve things to always remember:

The past cannot be changed

Opinions don't define your reality

Everyone's journey is different

Things always get better with time

Judgements are a confession of character

Overthinking will lead to sadness

Happiness is found within

Positive thoughts creative positive things

Smiles are contagious

Kindness is free

You only fail if you quit

What goes around comes around

A play date

Yesterday we were happy to have a play date with our grandson and his new puppy, along with a lovely visit with our son and daughter-in-love.  

Meet our new grand-dog...

Her name is Riley and she's a 

black lab/boxer/border collie mix.

And, here's the reason they got her...

What's better than a little boy and a dog?

Today your quote, fittingly, is from Erma Bombeck...."Every puppy should have a boy"

Alas...

It seems the promised rain has gone all around us and there will be none here, unless there happens to be a major miracle.  The heat and humidity continues.....

Not much being accomplished on the stitching front although I am managing to get a little bit done on the next 'secret' project for the magazine (which also happens to be for a Christmas present).  

Today your quote is from Walter Winchell - "It's a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do"

No salsa 'round here!

No rumba, no salsa, not even any sedate waltzing.  Too hot for anything beyond languidly reclining, iced tea to hand, and the consumption of the occasional bon bon to keep the strength up.  

And if you believe that I even know how to dance?  Hah! Nope, never learned.  Even the bon bons are few and far between.

Today your quote is from Carl Bard...."Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending"

No picture from moi - BUT.....

I'm sorry to say that I have nothing to show you today, at least that has been made by my nimble, but arthritic, little fingers.  However, I'm pretty sure I will be forgiven if you go and feast your eyes on something spectacular HERE.  Be sure you click on the pictures to embiggen so you can see the details!

Boy, I wish my dentist had a dog like that!

Because of the picture, how about a quote about dogs? This one is from Caroline Knapp.   "The dog's agenda is simple, fathomable, overt:  I want.  "I want to go out, come in, eat something lie here, play with that, kiss you."  There are no ulterior motives with a dog, no mind games, no second-guessing, no complicated negotiations or bargains, and no guilt trips or grudges if a request is denied"

Last one (at least for now)

Because I don't have anything in the way of photos to show you today, how about I share the last page of the snowflake/flower/seam treatment designs?

I hope some of you will be able to use these in your work (I would love to see if you do!).

Your quote for today is from Winston Churchill..."We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give"

Bear vs Bare

I must say that the title of this blog post is very apropos today.  It's exceedingly hot here once again and the humidity level is climbing rapidly.  No rain in sight either, so there's not much hope of a cooling down for at least a few days.  So 'bare' would be a wonderful thing!!!

However, since this isn't an x-rated blog, I will have to simply share with you this fellow...

He stands about 15" tall and was created using Vogue pattern # 7534.  It's an older pattern and might not still be available.


Today your quote is from Orison Swett Marden...."All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers"

mumblings

  I do have a finished project but no photos as yet so I will save that for a later date.

In the meantime...

Today your quote is from Kent Nerburn.... "Remember to be gentle with yourself and others.  We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun"