A start

Still hot here and still juggling fuses and lights but I must say we're grateful to have fans and even a small a/c unit so there's at least one cool-ish room in the house.  I wait until the sun gets around and then I can spend some time working on my landscape project.  I keep the curtains drawn early in the day so it's pretty dark in here to be working. Here's the progress so far....

Found this cute quote to share with you today..."Heat makes things expand.  So I don't have a weight problem.  I'm just hot"

And so it begins....ad nauseum.....

Yes, the post title says it all.  I don't have OCD but I'm obsessed with doing landscapes and I don't see it ending anytime soon.  Good thing I intersperse other things into the mix or I'd seriously run the risk of becoming boring.  Now, don't bother to make a comment on THAT statement because I already know I'm boring and you won't be telling me anything I'm not well aware of!  At least I am nothing if not predictable!

So...without further mumbling, here is the next photo that will be subjected to my play time....

Original photo once again

shared with the kind permission

of Dale Stewart

The pile of hexie flowers is growing too....

Sorry about the washed out bit on the right - a

patch of sun on my floor

And speaking of the sun - and heat.  We've been having several very hot days here and this year, here at Chez Magpie, it's proving to be quite the juggling act to keep cool.  Our apartment faces east so we get the morning sun and we keep the windows covered to keep it out as much as possible.  In the living room we have a portable a/c unit and also a tower fan which we aim down the hall towards the bedroom and my sewing room.  There's another tower fan in the doorway of my sewing room which helps to aim the cooler air into my workspace.  Then we have ceiling fans in both the bedroom and the sewing room.  Well this year, for reasons entirely unknown, we apparently don't dare run the a/c and the two tower fans alongside my ceiling fan OR the bathroom light without blowing a fuse.  I've never been able to plug in my iron with the a/c unit running since the day we moved here.  Why we suddenly have to either piddle in the dark OR remember to turn off the a/c before we use the bathroom is a complete mystery.  And of course the building management just says well don't run the a/c because it's drawing too much power.  But - it never was an issue before!!!?????  Resident Chef thinks I'm a conspiracy theorist because I suspect the entire issue has developed because they installed 'hydro usage meters' in all the units last year...supposedly to monitor our usage.  I wonder if it reaches a certain level of usage it triggers something that blows the fuse.  Just my theory which he thinks is ridiculous.  

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

Not much

There hasn't been much happening here at Chez Magpie that's worth sharing.  I finished the backing on the latest landscape and put the label on (boring);  I tidied up my sewing studio (yawn);  and I cut out and started making a bunch of elastic masks for my family (tedious).  The only highlight over the past couple of days was a flying trip to the  little local fabric shop this morning to pick up some 'kid' fabric to make some masks for our grandsons.  It's sounding like there's a distinct possibility that the kids will have to wear masks if they go back to school in September so a grandma needs to be prepared.  

It's a horrible dark picture but here's the fodder I got

for masks....

It's been quite hot here the past few days so I have the curtains drawn to attempt to keep the heat at bay as much as possible so that explains the darkness of the photo.

Today, instead of a quote, how about a little cartoon....

Birthdays and finishes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!

The birthday celebrations in Canada will certainly be a whole lot different this year than normal but no matter what we're proud of our country and we will celebrate it as much as we can.

And - there are TWO finishes to show you today!  I finished the landscape!

SOLD!

Here is the original photo I used for 

inspiration, shared with the kind 

permission of Dale Stewart...

Photo taken at Dunvegan, Alberta

And, Resident Chef finished the latest puzzle he's been working on. Now he will put away his puzzle table for the summer and take a break.  At least doing puzzles has kept him occupied the past while!

Today's quote is from Pierre Elliot Trudeau..."Our hopes are high.  Our faith in the people is great.  Our courage is strong.  And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die".“

Bloomin' hexies!

You can see that I  have finished two of the hexie flowers that I'm making from the jelly roll fabrics I got.  My 'idea' (subject to change of course, because after all I am woman and am allowed to change my mind!) is to finish as many of these flowers as I can get from the 2 jelly rolls and then scatter them onto a king-sized sheet rather willy nilly and then applique them in place.   Not sure how that might look, but will see what happens when I get to that point.  

I won't show you the landscape progress today because quite honestly it doesn't look a whole lot different despite the fact that I've spent another entire afternoon adding more embroidered flowers.  Yawn.  

Today's quote is from Martin Luther King Jr...."In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends"

Maybe too close for comfort

There's not much point in showing you the entire landscape because it really doesn't look all that much different despite the fact that I've spent two days embroidering the flowers.  They're fussy cut and then ironed on but they need an uplift after that so hence the embroidery.

And, because that was pretty boring, I thought I'd share a picture of the progress on my hexxie quilt.  I'm working on the purples right now and once they're all done I will be adding a row of greens around the outsides of these...

Summer salad, progression and door appearances

Resident Chef made this great salad and I thought some of you might like to try it ....

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Dressing:  1/4 c. olive oil; 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar;
1 Tbsp lemon juice;  1 tsp. dried oregano (or you
can use fresh if you have it);  1/2 tsp. salt;
pepper to taste

Salad:

1 cucumber, diced
4 Roma tomatoes, diced (or you can use any
type of tomatoes you have)

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, diced
fresh parsley, chopped roughly

approx. 2 oz. feta cheese

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set
aside while preparing the vegetables.  

Combine and refrigerate until serving.

Progress has been made on the landscape as you can see...

There has been some stitching on the trees and in the grass area.  Right now I'm working on over-stitching the flowers.  

And....just for fun....this is what appeared in my sewing room doorway earlier...

Sourdough popovers!  Yum!

A discussion of holes

Yet one more instance of one never knows just what will be the topic of mumbling here at Chez Magpie!  Today I will be telling you about holes.  Of the sort that appear in one's fingers, as they are wont to do.  You see, your writer doesn't like thimbles.  Well, that's not quite true - I like them.  I just don't USE them.  

So....there are two ongoing evening projects happening at the moment (the landscape is for the daytime hours).  I knit on the latest pair of socks - which involve the use of four (sometimes five) pointy objects which, for reasons known only to them, like to find a certain spot in my left pointer finger and look for an unguarded moment to poke a hole.  Which then keeps getting poked in the the same place just as a reminder that the hole is there.  To avoid the over-use of bad words I put those in a time out and let them contemplate their misdeeds.

Not one to be without anything to occupy herself, your writer then turned her attention to the making of hexies.  Which involves an entirely different sort of sharp pointy object.  Which involves the puncturing of yet another hole in the opposite hand.  So....time out for that needle too.

And so it continues.....

(see?  I told you you never know what you're going to

find when you come here!)

Okay - now how about a picture of the progress on the landscape?...

I've worked on the outside walls and the grass area, as well as on the bell tower.  

Today the quote is from Rachel Marie Martin..."Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living"

Ahhhhh.......

Ahhhhhhh.  

Some fabric therapy!

Yesterday I had the best day.  Not only one, but two, influxes of fabric for my stash!  

First of all, this arrived in the mailbox.....

I was a lucky winner in a fun blog hop that was organized to honor a lovely quilter named Paula Budinger.  I was fortunate to have my name drawn by Janice Holton  for a gift certificate to a fabric shop in Texas.  Of course I live in Canada and it was highly unlikely that the shop would ship here, or if they did the postage costs would be astronomical.  Janice, bless her, offered to purchase a gift certificate from a shop here in Ontario instead.  Of course I added to the gift certificate amount and ended up with the goodies you see above.  The green and white on the left will be added to my landscape fabric stash and the yellows will go along with the two jelly rolls to (I think!) make hexxies towards a sort of Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt.  Yes, I know....moi.....contemplating making a 'sane' quilt.  What's this world coming to?   THANK YOU JANICE - I'm going to have hours of fun!

AND....

I braved the elements and made a foray to a small quilt shop that's not too far from here.  What fun I had looking through all her fabrics and notions and I came home with a few things....

Most of these are earmarked for additions to landscapes but there are a couple of 'just because' in the pile.  

ahhhhhh.....fabric therapy.....

Yet another beginning

I got a start at the next landscape and we'll see where it goes from here...

Today the quote is from Ashley Hetherington.."In stressful times, it's okay to not be perfect.  It's okay to cut yourself some slack, because right now you might not be your best self.  But you are growing and you are trying your best and that is good enough"

I know - does it ever end?

Yes, one does wonder if it ever ends.  What, you might ask?  Well the seemingly never-ending landscapes I seem to be doing!  Resident Chef chose this one for me to play with next...

Another wonderful photo from

Dale Stewart

and used with his more than kind

permission

And yes, one wonders why this compulsion to make these doesn't come to a screeching halt.  I have no use for them.  I have no further wall space to hang them.  The storage area I have for them is overflowing.  My kids are not going to thank me when they end up having to deal with them when I'm gone.  Makes one wonder at the sanity of a person who knows they're spending all these hours creating something that is more than likely destined for a landfill.  Yeah, it's depressing to contemplate that, but you will notice it's not stopping me from making them!

I noticed several people on the Pincushion Parade were showing their pincushion collections so I thought I'd add a photo of mine for you to see...

The mug, the owl and the one made from the napkin ring on the lower right were all gifts.  The one in the middle back I made using a wooden salad bowl and metal napkin rings (the idea was that I would sort my needles according to size/use into each 'petal' of the flower.  Ummm - noble thought, that).  The one on the back right is a favourite and the one I use every day - knitted by moi.  And the square one features a crocheted piece that was made by my grandmother....I made several of those last year for Christmas gifts.

And...Resident Chef was busy in the kitchen over the weekend making amazing Sourdough English Muffins which are NOT good for the results showing up on the weigh scales!  But, don't they look good?....

Another finish

I usually spend my evenings with knitting needles in hand and this is what has just come off the needles...

The pattern is 'Wonder Years' by Elizabeth Smith and can be found HERE.  I used Lion Brand Heartland yarn for the main body and the stripes were mystery yarn from my stash.  Size 7-8, which I hope will be just a little large for our #1 grandson.

Today's quote...."Your current situation is giving you an opportunity to re-evaluate what you want"

Another project

As promised, here's the reveal of what I was doing with that little tidbit I showed you last time...

This is a pincushion I created for including in the  Perfectly Pleasing Pincushion Parade hosted by'My Sister Made Me Do It'

Be sure to click on the link above and check out all the other fun pincushions

included in the parade.  (Note:  new entries will be added until

June 19, so be sure to check back often!).

Mine measures approximately 15" high and uses a silver wine goblet as the base and also features a crazy quilted skirt.  The instructions to make one of your very own will appear in an upcoming issue of 'Crazy Quilt Quarterly' Magazine.  

Today's quote..."Silver is purified in fire and so are we.  It is in the most trying times that our real character is shaped and revealed"

From the kitchen of Resident Chef.....

Over the weekend Resident Chef had a hankering (altho' why I'm not quite sure) and decided that the one lonely packet of Liquid Certo in the pantry was crying out to be combined with frozen blueberries into freezer jam.  See?.....

The puzzlement to me is why he would want to do this because blueberries aren't his favourite.  Oh well, I expect we'll manage to eat it!!  

There was something creative happening in the sewing room too, but I can't show you until Wednesday.  I will however give you a teeny little glimpse....

***********

After a little over a week of using the new format Blog-grrr I have to say that it's working out quite well.  There were a few hiccups at the beginning - not because of the format being an issue but stemming from me needing to figure out some slight changes they've made.  Everything I've always used is still there, just perhaps not in the exact same location.  The only difference I've found to be a slight problem (and it's a simple matter of training my brain!) is that I can no longer click the 'Open This Link In A New Window' and have it stay clicked.  It must be done each time I do a link and I'm having a hard time remembering that little step.  So I do apologize if some of the links aren't quite acting the way you prefer them to.  I WILL get it into my brain eventually (or who knows, perhaps they'll realize and fix it on Blog-grrrr's end).  So....if you're contemplating making the leap (which is going to happen regardless) don't be afraid!

*****************

The quote of the day..."I see people around my age mountain climbing.  I feel good getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance"

Standing up - and a finish reveal

As promised, here is the finished landscape.....measuring 31" x 21".....

FOR SALE   SOLD!

With thanks to the photographer Jeff Fuhre,

image used with his very kind permission.

Here is the original photo I used as inspiration...

Today I am doing things a little differently on my blog.  I have been trying to come to grips with what I should or shouldn't say about the current situation unfolding primarily in the US but also throughout the world.  I don't normally make this blog political in any way because I feel there's enough of that happening on every news program and in every headline online and on the newstands.  This time I can't simply NOT say anything.  But what can I say that someone else hasn't already said - or what light can I shed on a subject that is being talked about everywhere.   I've tried to think of something appropriate to say and then I came across some very wise words from a man I admire and I realized that anything I could say would never begin to come close to his, so today, instead of your normal quote, I'm sharing this.... 

We must all be the change.

{ }   { }  { }  { }  { }

Another tad

The landscape is getting closer and closer to being done!  I'm already planning the next one (oh, I'm SO fickle!!).    Here's the latest progress...

Today's quote..."One thing no one ever talks about when it comes to being an adult is how much time we debate keeping a cardboard box because it's you know...a really good box"

Stay safe.  Stay well.

May cooler heads prevail.

A tad more

Today I'll show you a little of what I've been adding to the latest landscape...

The fence is now done - slightly over 9 hours of whip stitching was the final count.  Now I'm adding the weeds/grasses along the fence line.  

Today's quote...."One minute you're young and fun...and the next you're turning down the stereo in your car to see better"

Stay safe. Stay well.

May saner heads prevail.  

Whipping and cross eye-edness

And yes, before you tell me I do know that 'eye-edness' isn't in the dictionary but in this case it fits!  First of all, I'll show you a photo of what's been happening on the landscape....

Do you see the fence in the foreground?  Firstly, I stitched the wire part with the machine using a grey thread but it wasn't the colour or the texture I wanted....so.....a peruse of my embroidery flosses yielded one that rather looked (at least to me!) that it might represent a rusty fence.  One strand of floss - and I undertook to whip.  Every.  Single. Machine. Stitch. On. That. blankety blank. Fence.  Over 5 hours later and I'm about half done.  

Am I crazy?

Am I obsessed?

(don't answer that)

But is it worth it?

Oh yeah!

(and what's worse - trying to actually SEE

those little stitches while my eyes are percolating

cataracts - just another level of idiocy!)

Today's quote...."If you want to know how rich you are, find out how many things you have that money cannot buy"

Here we go again!

This morning I received a notification from Blog-grrrrrrr that they're changing things.  Again.  Why mess with something that's working....and telling us it's going to be 'improved' and oh so much 'better'.  Guess they don't subscribe to the old adage that if it ain't broke don't fix it!!  I'm testing it out right now so we'll see.  By the way it appears all of us will be over to the new format by sometime in June.    As of this moment it doesn't look TOO bad although I had a hard time figuring out how to continue working on this post (I add things to it as I come across them and then just finish it off prior to hitting 'publish').  I finally pushed the right button, but now darned if I can remember which one it was!!  I also prefer working with large print now (growing cataracts means I can't see as well as I used to) and it flatly refuses to give it to me.  Who knows what it will appear like when I do hit publish!

Okay - now THAT particular rant is over, how about an updated view of the landscape?  Here goes.....

Well, that was an interesting experiment in frustration!  Actually it didn't cause me too much angst to figure it out, but from what I can see at this moment I no longer have the option to embiggen the photo and I also can't caption it.  Hmmm.  Oh well, you can simply click on the picture to embiggen it.  I think.  I hope.  (will somebody let me know please??)

Today's quote (appropriate perhaps?)....."Don't be afraid of change.  You may end up losing something good, but you will probably end up gaining something better"

Stay safe. Stay well.

Okay - hitting publish.....fingers crossed.....

If you don't hear from me, you'll know the entire thing blew up.

A little more

There's been a little more progress on the landscape - hard to tell from the photo but there's pretty much two days of work gone into this since you last saw it.  

It's now ready to start quilting so hopefully that will happen today - or at least partially. 

A progress report

I finally got back to putting a few hours in to the latest landscape and this is the result...

It's pretty much at the stage when I'm not sure whether to scuttle it and start over.  I know from experience now that I need to just work through it and (hopefully!) it will come out okay in the end.  Time will tell!

Today's quote is from Nikita Gil...."Be the kind of person who is not afraid to ask someone if they are okay twice if they say they are, but look like they are not.  Be the kind of person who smiles at people even if they don't smile back.  Be the kind of person you wished for when no one was there for you.  Be the kind of person who is brave enough to stand alone in a crowd for what is right.  Be that person because we need more people like that in the world.  Be that person because people like that are rarer than the rarest diamonds and gold"

Be safe. Be well.

Another little finish

I had fun making this little fellow for our grandson and it's now in the mail heading out to live with him....

I used Paton's Canadiana yarn and the pattern came from HERE.  

I also finished making a little crocheted Harry Potter 'scarf' bookmark for our oldest grandson and of course put it in the mail before remembering to take a picture!  I had the appropriate coloured crochet cotton in my stash so it was a simple make.  That pattern can be found HERE.  I did the red and yellow version and worked it flat and then seamed it.  

A finish!

Yes, a finish, but not of my making!  Resident Chef has been working on this jigsaw puzzle for nearly two months and there was a resounding cheer when he completed it over the weekend.  It is THE hardest puzzle he has ever done, not because the picture itself is that difficult but the pieces themselves are all different shapes...every....single....one.....of.....them.  He would search and search for a certain-shaped piece and then discover it was actually two, or sometimes even three.  More than once he wanted to scuttle the entire thing but the end result was worth it....

He, being of diabolical mind, is now mailing it to my aunt for her to struggle  have fun with.  I wonder if she'll still be speaking to him afterwards?!!

Today's quote is from Bill Murray..."So, if we lie to the government it's a felony.  But if they lie to us, it's politics"

Stay safe.  Stay well.

For grandson #3

Used up some more of my scrap yarn to make a wee sweater for our #3 grandson....some of the colours are the same as the sweater I just made for his older brother....

The pattern is the same as the sweater I posted about a couple of days ago and the yarn is also Paton's Canadiana.  I know it's going to be too large for him to wear for a little while but perhaps by next winter it will be perfect.  

And....the mailman brought this.....

Enough for two pairs of socks (on the left);  upper middle is Scrubby yarn to make some dish scrubbers (perhaps for the Christmas box);  the green on the right is for a sweater for #1 grandson; and the orange....well, you're just going to have to wait and see what I'm making!.

Today the quote is from Desmond Tutu..."Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world"

Stay safe. Stay well.

A new beginning - finally

Never let it be said that I don't procrastinate!  Sort of.  Anyway....here's a start at the next landscape....

The past few days I've been at odds it seems - perhaps this enforced stay-at-home-ism is getting to me.  Who knows, but I don't seem to have been able to settle into doing any one thing and have spent FAR too much time engrossed in the computer.  It's still cool here, with snow flurries over the past weekend, so I'm more than ready for spring.  This afternoon the plan is to do some more on this landscape and see where it goes.  

Today's quote is from Christine Caine..."Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted"

VOTING RESULTS:

Well, the vote count is in and it 

seems that Option #2 is the 

clear winner.

So....ever a slave to my

readers, I will change my ways.

Please remind me if I happen to forget!

+++++++++++++++

As I mentioned the other day I finished knitting a sweater for our #2 grandson using some of my stash yarn and this is the result...

The pattern is a paid one  -   'Wonder Years' by Elizabeth Smith Knits and can be found HERE.    I used Paton's Canadiana yarn for most of it, but I think the textured/patterned one is Vanna's Choice.  I'm using the same pattern to make one for  #3 grandson (the pattern ranges from size 2T up to 8-10 years) and am currently playing yarn chicken.  Fingers crossed I have enough!

Today's quote..."Only when normal things are not normal anymore do we realize how special normal things are"

A fore...and an aft....

Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention (or maybe desperation?).  As most of you know we live in a four story apartment building and have a small balcony which has a solid metal 'railing'.  Several years ago the building management decided to paint the outside of the building which included the balconies.  Unfortunately the day they chose to paint our balcony it was snowing and raining (there was at least a couple of inches of snow on the upper part of the railing).  Compounding that, they didn't use proper metal paint.  So of course it all started peeling.  Dreadfully.  Last spring we put in a work order for a re-painting and just knowing that they would be along 'any day' to do the job we didn't put any plants out  nor did we set up our chairs so we could sit out there.  Summer came.  And went.  No paint.  So....before the virus hit another work order went in for THIS year.  Good luck with that happening now. 

This is the peeling paint mess we've been looking at.  The dark brown is the 'new' paint and beneath that there are at least two more layers of other paint...all in varying degrees of peel.

Not at all appealing!

So, Resident Chef and I put our thinking caps on and ordered (via curb-side pickup) a 4'x15' canvas painter's drop cloth and three expandable tension curtain rods.  I cut the drop cloth into three sections, did some hemming, and voila....

At least it's not quite so hurtful to the eyes.  The chairs are set up and now we wait for warmer weather.  There will be several planters with tomatoes and some herbs added later on.

++++++++++++++++

A further note regarding the discussion about ease-of-use for the links here at Magpie's Mumblings and it seems the general consensus is that the current system seems to be working for most.  All you need to do, in order to come back here after peeking at one of the links, is to simply click on your 'back' arrow button (which should appear on the upper left of your computer screen).  If you click on the 'x' when you're at the link itself, it won't end up taking you back here.  Clear as mud?!!

Instead of a quote today, I'm sending you (particularly if you're a mom) to listen to THIS .  Happy Mother's Day!

Just hangin' out in the sun

PLEASE NOTE............ 

 Please read Becki's comment below and let me know 

what you think of her suggestions re checking out my links.  Is anyone else having

problems 

going back and forth between the links 

and my blog? 

 Majority will rule because I can do it either way.  

I'm here to serve!

I made this little guy for our #3 grandson.  He's only about 3" high (the penguin, not our grandson!).  

All scrap yarn and the pattern is free from Lion Brand Yarn and can be found HERE.  

This quote is from Jesse Jackson..."Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up"

Not much

There hasn't been much of interest happening around Chez Magpie I'm afraid.  I did finish knitting a sweater for #2 grandson but I will wait until it's blocked and the buttons are on to share a photo.  So...instead of that....

Resident Chef served this yesterday afternoon and it was SOOO good, so thought I'd share a photo and the recipe in case you'd like to try it over the warmer months....

MOCHA FRAPPE

2 c. cold coffee

2 c. milk (we used unsweetened almond milk)

3 1/2 T. chocolate syrup (we make our own)

1 3/4 T. white sugar
whipped cream and chocolate shavings for garnish

Freeze coffee in ice cube trays.  Add frozen cubes, milk,

chocolate syrup and sugar to blender and blend until

it's the texture you like.  Top with whipped cream, a 

drizzle of choc. syrup and shaved chocolate.

I happened to be talking about my clock in my sewing room and took a picture to share with my friend, so thought I'd also share it with you.  This was a Christmas gift from a friend a number of years ago and was found in a thrift store.  She added the bits of lace and buttons before she gave it to me.  

Today's quote is from Harold Kushner..."Do things for people, not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of YOU are"

Just hangin' out......

Yep, I'm just hangin' out - with the likes of Neil Diamond, Kenny G, and Garth Brooks.  Bet you didn't know I moved in such exalted circles!!  They're all crooning in my ear as I stitch on this pile.....

All of this I hope will be turned into 40 face masks in short order, with the ironing prowess of Resident Chef who gallantly has volunteered to press the ties.....80 of them!  That man is a keeper.  

I laughed when I saw this so thought I'd share in hopes it would make you smile too...

Today's quote is from David Thomas...."Unselfish and noble acts are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls"