Much cheering, and a new toy too!

Well, there's much celebration happening at Chez Magpie at the moment.  Dare I say that the computer is home and finally working (shhhh.....don't want to jinx it by saying that too loudly!).  Nearly two and a half months of being forced to use the tablet exclusively is finally over.  Don't get me wrong - I like my tablet, but it does have a lot of limitations.  By the time the dust settled I also had to invest in a new monitor, which wasn't a big surprise because I knew mine was old and getting crotchety.  

For the new toy part of this post, I thought I'd share with you what we hauled home across Canada.  See?.....

She's a beautiful treadle sewing machine, made in 1904, and gifted to me by our #2 son and daughter-in-love.  She's absolutely beautiful (both our daughter-in-love AND the sewing machine!!!).  She needs a new belt but otherwise is in perfect working order.  She even came with her original instruction manual and all the attachments, along with a number of wooden spools of thread.  The table needs a little TLC but that's not difficult to deal with.

Our son remembers hearing my stories about how I would be allowed to push the treadle on my grandma's sewing machine when I was a little girl and how special I felt.  I was certain I was being such a big help to my grandma (in reality, it was likely I was more of a hindrance).  The kids thought I would like to have this to re-live the memories and to enjoy using it.

Today the quote is from Bibhu Mohapatra.... "I remember an old Singer sewing machine at home that belonged to my grandmother.  It had a pedal.  My mom taught me how to use it when I was 12 years old.  I used to find it so intriguing, how a flat piece of material could be made into an object that had so many uses"

I still find it intriguing!  

You asked

Several people have asked that    I  share the recipe for the vanilla. Ask, and ye shall receive!

The basic ingredients  are pretty simple.  Vodka , vanilla beans and a bottle.  we decided to experiment  a little and we made some with bourbon  and spiced run too (so three different variations).

A trip to the dollar    store yielded perfect bottles.It's best to do a little looking around for the vanilla beans....we found a wide variety in  prices.... $11.99 in one place and the exact same thing elsewhere for $3.99.  You can also find them on the internet.  Cut 2 -3 vanilla  beans lengthwise and place in your chosen bottle.  Fill   with chosen  alcohol, and  cap.   Store   in a cool dark place and gently shake once a day.  Leave to mature for at least a month   (longer is better  !).

The bottles we used hold about a cup and a half of liquid  and two beans should be fine.  Obviously  if you are using larger bottles you will  need  to  add more beans.

As for the poo spray.....experiments are underway and I'll share that one after I get it the way I want it.

What do poo and vanilla have in common?

Yep not having a computer has driven me over the edge.  Maybe I'm even certifiable.  Withdrawal  has driven me to drastic measures.  All  that, and waking up to the realization  that a particular date in December  is rapidly  approaching  has just been too much for my fragile psyche.

So...I made three different kinds of vanilla  today, just because I could.  Two or three different people will receive a set of bourbon, rum and vodka vanillas.  Provided I don't drink 'em all if my computer soon doesn't come home.

And...because into every life a little poo must fall....why not go entirely off the deep end and  make some poo-pourri  spray too.  Only select people will be receiving those under the Christmas  tree!  In case you are wondering (and I know you were!)..the potion gets spritzed into the throne before  nature takes its course and eliminates the need for those highly priced and hugely scented after-the-fact commercial sprays.

Hurry  up computer...I'm losin' it.....

Oh my aching.....

.....feel free to insert whatever  bone or muscle of your choosing.

The floors  are pretty much done other than a bit of trim and some caulking  in  the  bathroom.  And I'm pretty much  done in!  Jack and I had a decent system...I parked myself on the floor and stayed there doing the laying of the tiles and grouting  and Jack did the cutting and acted as a good go-fer.  My knees aren't good so it was much easier to just stay put...altho  I did end up with a bruised butt cheek   (I know...,too much information!).

I took a couple of pictures  so you can see (and  no....NOT of my aforementioned  bruise...this is not an X rated blog!).

The picture quality  isn't great  but still don't have my main computer  back from repairs.

I haven't  forgotten  your quotes of the day  but it's  a tad difficult  to do with the tablet.  I promise they will return!

Living in a construction zone

...or is it more aptly described as a DE-struction zone?  While we were away we had asked our building  super to replace our bathroom, kitchen  and entryway  flooring.  We arrived home to find nothing done and are now having to tackle the project ourselves.  I had planned to repaint the bathroom too.

As of now the bathroom  painting  is well underway and this morning Jack removed the carpet in the hallway.  Imagine our disgust when we saw what lay beneath!  How can workers think that it's right to just lay carpeting over top of that much dirt, cement dust  and chunks of cement!  We know that the carpet in this building has been replaced a number of times since it was built so why has no one bothered to sweep up the construction  mess?  Sure does explain why our allergies  are so bad!

Tomorrow  I'll put the final coat of paint on the bathroom and we can start laying the tiles in the hallway.  Next will come the kitchen and then the floor in the bathroom.  We will not be  removing the old tiles because we're pretty certain they are asbestos and we aren't willing to open that kettle of fish.  The building  people fall all over themselves  trying to assure  us that they're  not asbestos but considering when the buildings were built the odds are they're  the bad ones.  One more reason to cover them up!

I don't have any pictures  to share....still waiting for my computer to be repaired.

I'm b-a-c-k!

The travelers  have returned!  Road weary and happy to be home and sleeping in our own bed.  The trip  was  amazing  and we are so glad we did it.  It was a very  long time to spend in the car (4508 k out and 4281 back).  It was so worth it though  to be able to spend time with our family and to be able to snuggle with our wee baby grandson.  His name, btw, is Theo Hao-Hsuan   Richardson .  He was 7 lbs  15  oz   and 22" long....taller than his currently  6'8" daddy was at birth.

I'm posting this using my tablet which is very annoying .   So...don't expect me to post much until my main computer is repaired.  I can't figure out how to post pictures here (for that matter I can't download them off my camera either).

Bear with me and I'll  return to my normal mumblings in a few more days.