Elaine's Thankful Thanksgiving Give-A-Way!!!

Hi there!

Yep, my friend and her generosity - what can I say!??!?

Faithful Quilter: Elaine's Journey

*VBG*

Elaine's having a "Give-A-Way".... and I noticed that she didn't mention WHAT IT WAS!!!

Knowing Elaine, it's gonna be fantastic!!! *VBG*

Quickly CLICK on this site, follow her instructions and SIGN UP for her "blogtest"!

I just made up that name.... for blog contests - what cha think, eh? Any better suggestions for these wonderful contests? *grin*

Rosa

Giving Thanks - One last time...

Hi There!

Remember those wonderful tomatoes,
that we harvested, at the end of September?

I had blogged about it...
"I Need Tomato Recipes!"

Well, we put those 4 tomatoes on our windowsill
and I hated to tell you but we lost one -
Yep! It had turned "bad", on us, unfortunately.
:-(

Anyhow, yesterday evening,
Gilbert and I shared a bittersweet moment...
We cut up and ate the last of our crop...



Seriously, it makes for a nice picture though, eh?

And, I had forgotten to share with you,
this "Braggin' Buy", from this summer.

When Gilbert and I first got together,
I knew that he loves different shaped pastas.

So, I had special ordered this poster,
to put in our kitchen.

That was 10 years ago and...
*hangs her head in shame*...
the poster was getting dirty and dusty.

We have a store in our city called "Value Village".

They have a bunch of 2nd hand and
sometimes still new, but out-dated stuff...

Mostly clothes but they do have a big selection of "stuff".

Well, lookee here!
I picked up a smaller version of our poster,
but this one was mounted on a pressboard base,
with a thingy on the back - ready to hang!

For 2 bucks!!!

The previous poster, with shipping, had cost me 30!

Go figure, eh?

LOL

Have a great weekend!

Rosa

Blame it on Fahrenheit 350!!!

Hi There!

Well, I do believe that we're right
smack-dab-center of "Indian Summer"!

This is what our backyard neighbour's
tree looked like, last month.



And yet, another colourful picture....

Then, the weather turned cold....
In fact, these past few evenings,
it's been below the freezing mark
but yet, during this past week -
daytime -
it's been absolutely GORGEOUS out!

Especially, for this time of the year!

Wednesday was Remembrance Day,
for us Canucks.
I took Thursday and Friday off, also,
for a "mini vacation"!!!
*grin*

Thursday, Gilbert and I went to Canadian Tire -
that's one of our hardware stores -
and he picked up
one of those long thingies to prune branches.

Take a look at the same tree,
minus "leaves"!

She kinda looks "nekked", don't she, eh?

LOL

And believe it or not, this leads me into
my NEXT subject,
on WHY I'm blaming Fahrenheit 350!

Yesterday, I clicked on Fahrenheit's blog,
and entered her contest.
(She's listing her favorite web sites.)

As she cooks and bakes, of COURSE
she's got to list her favorite blogs,
mostly "food" blogs.
*rolling my eyes in exageration*

Yesterday's blog was quite delightful...
and I stumbled on an
"Apple Coffee Cake" recipe,
from LaDue and Crew!

GOOD LORD!!!!!!!!

While Gilbert was outside raking leaves,
I had to stay inside and "pretend" I was busy, eh?

This cake is now my NUMERO UNO
for Fall cakes!!!!

As a part time cook,
I've always said,
"Hey, you gotta taste it before you serve it!"

This is a close-up picture of my cake,
but it's a bit blurry.

My apologies -
My hands were shaking from DESIRE!!!!

LOL

Cake that's just spicy enough - but not too spicy.
EXTRA moist - due to pre-swollen raisins and apple pieces.

And, most importantly of all -
Not too, too complicated!

Tks for leading me to this website, Fahrenheit 350
and
thanks LaDue and Crew,
for sharing this recipe!!!

BTW, Fahrenheit 350 is in the midst
of her Blogiversary contest.

You might want to head over there
and see if you don't win something!

Warning:
Do NOT go there on an empty stomach!!!

LOL

Rosa

H1N1, Hockey and Aitch-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks

Hi There!

Okay, my friend K-J McLean FINALLY caught the "Hee-Nee" flu - better written as H1N1 flu. She called me up Wednesday to tell me.

K-J thought she had caught the Hee-Nee flu in October but it wasn't. This time it was a LOT worst and hit her much faster.

Should I be jumping in joy because she FINALLY caught it and would be immune to it, afterwards? Or should I commiserate with her? I chose the later. *s*

Although I may make her a T-Shirt that reads, "I Survived the Swine Flu, eh".

She said she had visited a Canadian health web site and that she had ALL the symptoms, or almost all of them.

My Mom was telling me that she watched something on T.V. and the person was saying that from the minute you start feeling flu-ish, the Hee-Nee will hit you BAAAAD within 2 hours!!!

Yep - Within TOW HOURS ONLY, you'll feel like a transport truck hit you.

Their advice? Climb into bed and take hostages - water and fruit juices, tylenol/aspirin and tissue paper. Lock the bedroom door behind you so no one else will try to invade your infectious "nest" and pull the blankets up to your neck and SLEEP or REST. *s*

Here's another one of my blogging followers that has great advice on the H1N1 flu:

Inklingo

Oh... you're probably wondering why the title, in my blog, eh?

Well, K-J McLean was feeling fine Saturday around 6 p.m., when I spoke with her... but she was heading off to go to one of our local Hockey games and then.... Sunday around midnight - I believe she told me, all Aitch-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks broke out... and 2 hours later, she was BAAAAD. IMHO, she caught that darn virus at the Hockey game!

Sooooo, that's why I chose the title for my blog. *grin*

Rosa

Canadian Translator:
Hee Nee - H1N1
Hockey - A game that a LOT of Canadians either play, watch on T.V. or watch in person.
Aitch-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks - Hell
eh? - Most Canadians HAVE to finish their sentences with an "eh?", but don't necessarily expect an answer to this question.

LOL

Jaw Dropping Contest Prize

Hi There!

Every now and then I visit a web page that is incredible!

You know the kind that you wished you had called a "Rent-a-Crane" company, to help lift your jaw off of the table?!?!?

Candied Fabrics

I mean.... don't take my word for it -
GO THERE and CLICK ON HER "GALLERY" BUTTON, at the top of her page!!!

Also, she has an incredible contest going on.

I told myself that I'd only enter contests with stuff that interest me and that I'd stop announcing them on my Blog.

Her scarves and fabrics are just TOO saturated with colour, to pass them by!

QUICK, I TELL YOU!!!

GO VISIT HER PAGE!!!!

*long sigh*

Her colours are to "dye" for...
Yep, played with the word spelling, again! LOL

Rosa

Can you say "Sore"?

Hi There!

Last Thursday and Friday,
I kept feeling a little "twinge"
whenever I'd get in or out or my car - you know,
in the top of my leg / groin area...
Not quite my hip, but below my hip.
Not bad enough to write home about,
but it was still there.

Saturday morning, Gilbert and I
set out to do some Geocaching.

Soooo, since it's deer season, around these parts,
Gilbert and I decide to head over to the
BIGGEST Canadian "municipal" park -
Rockwood Park.


A cool looking tree, on our way to our
first cache find. *grin*

(NOTE: My hat is BRIGHT "Hunter Orange"!)

A small "cave" and NO !!!!!!!!!!!

Neither Gilbert nor "I" ventured
into that hole-in-the-ground!
LOL

FOUND IT!!!

Actually, Gilbert found it.
(Do you see the camo'd ammo can???)

We did a few others and then,
we ventured (by car), deeper into
Rockwood Park, for yet another cache.

Gilbert took this picture -
see his shadow?!?? LOL

Anyhow, once Thunder, our dog,
jumped out of the car....
all the ducks
went-a-flapping-away-over-yonder.
*grin*

Thunder thought he was on
Duck Patrol, I guess!
LOL

My goodness, but they did a LOT
of improvement to Rockwood Park,
since the last time I was there!
They've now got these cool monuments,
here and there, throughout the park!

Here's another cache find.
See the hook?
It's attached to a film container.
Neat, eh?

Now, this was one of our coolest finds,
that day!

Nope, can't tell you where the cache was hidden,
but thanks to the cache owner who gave us a
"Heads Up".... otherwise, we'd STILL be there,
looking for the cache!
LOL

Sooooo, I'm sharing with you our
Caching Adventure day.

By Saturday evening, I felt like I was
COMPLETELY OUT OF SHAPE!!!

My thigh bone / groin was aching!!!!

Today is Tuesday and after consulting
with my friend - Doc Flo, on Sunday,
it was decided that Ibuprofen - 800 mg
would be the best medecin.

So far, so good.
I'm not yelping as much,
from the pain.

*grin*

Have a great week!

Rosa

And the winner is......

Hi there!

What's the best part about winning a blog contest?

The anticipation of the draw?
Seeing YOUR name on THEIR blog?
Waiting in the mail, for the prize to be delivered in YOUR mailbox?
Touching and feeling the prize itself?

http://www.ctpubblog.com/2009/11/09/winners-of-susan-schrempfs-giveaway/

HEY!!!!!!!

I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVELY, GORGEOUS RIBBONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you're all having a great week ...

Rosa

Le Petit Prince / The Little Prince

Hi there!

Ever read a book that stays in your head
and in your heart..... FOREVER?

I have - in fact, it's one of my favorites!

Le Petit Prince / The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

It has been translated in
over 180 languages!!!

It's the kind of book that can be read
at all ages... and could be understood
as a very simple children's story
or a very complex study of
"humans".

For example, the Little Prince has
a very special flower, on his planet.
He decides to travel to other places
and misses his "rose", terribly.

Here's what Wikipedia wrote:

Though ostensibly a children's book, The Little Prince makes several profound and idealistic observations about life and human nature. For example, Saint-Exupéry tells of a fox meeting the young prince as he exits the Sahara desert. The story's essence is contained in the lines uttered by the fox to the little prince: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." ("It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.") Other key thematic messages are articulated by the fox, such as: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" and "It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important."

Those famous lines,
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye."

And here is yet ANOTHER exerpt from this book:

"It was then that the fox appeared.

"Good morning," said the fox.

"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.

"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."

"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."

"I am a fox," said the fox.

"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."

"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."

"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.

But, after some thought, he added:

"What does that mean-- 'tame'?"

"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"

"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean-- 'tame'?"

"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"

"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean-- 'tame'?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."

"'To establish ties'?"

"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."

And then, this exerpt,

"My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the colour of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat..."

I think Elaine and her hubby have "tamed" me,
or I have "tamed" them.

*s*

I have to go to the bank, approx. once a week, for work.

Right across the street is a boutique called,
"Moosehead Country Store".

I had taken Elaine and her hubby there,
when they were in town.

I saw the store and IMMEDIATELY thought
of them, and the fun we had, that day....

:-(

I think we had our last cruise ship visit, today....

*long sigh and long pause, here....*

Okay, Okay, Okay!!!!!

I promise NOT to mention this, again.

*grin*

But I do miss them....

Thank goodness there's email and
that old fashioned thing called
"The Telephone".

Have a great week, everyone!

Rosa

P.S. Looks like I found the complete book, on this web site:
The Little Prince

Holy Flowers

Hi There!

Okay, here's a picture of my
in-progress Basket BOM
(Block Of the Month),
for November.

Okay.... promise not to LOL, pls?!?



I've never done yo-yo's before
and I couldn't figure out WHY
there were BIG "holes"
in the center of my flowers....

Till one of my friends,
from our "Basket Case" group
uploaded HER (perfect)
yo-yo's and said that you
have to make BIGGER stitches,
for TINIER holes.

Gee - that sounds weird,
when I write it that way.

LOL

Anyhow, right now, those flowers
are STITCHED onto my background
and I'm NOT removing them,
just to re-do them...

Any suggestions as to
HOW I can hide those "holes"?

Rosa

And they came from the "west", bearing gifts...

Hi There!

Well, as promised, I uploaded the picture of the bottle of wine and the bottle of beer that I gave to my 2 visitors - Elaine and her hubby. *grin*

You were probably thinking that their names would be on the bottle, but OH NO.... *grin*

Another good friend had sent me a package of Halloween wine bottle labels... some of you might remember reading that on my blog, a while back. Anyhow, Gilbert bottled a batch of wine and put these labels on a few of our "give-a-way-to-friends-and-family" bottles.

As for the beer, "Moosehead" is our local brewery and I knew that Elaine's better half loved to taste different beers. The one that I had selected was a "pale ale".

As for the "Anne of Green Gables" fabric, I had picked it up at Quilting B. and Moore, a quilt store in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

When I spoke with the very nice lady in the store, she said that they had been approached by a company in the USA who wanted to sell or carry the Anne of Green Gables fabric and she had refused.

Anne of Green Gables is Prince Edward Island's mascot or what I like to call, their "money maker". The island relies a lot on tourism and EVERYONE.... IMHO.... ADORES Anne!!!

Soooooo, it's just a heads up. If you're looking for this line of fabric, I doubt that you'd be able to find "Anne of Green Gables" anywhere else, than from a quilt store in Prince Edward Island. *s*

Now, I had mentioned in my previous blog that my California cruise ship traveler arrived with an unexpected and lovely tote bag full of goodies for me!

Elaine is in the same yahoo "Basket Case" group, as I. So she had picked up a LOVELY pattern, with baskets!!!! And when Elaine told the lady that she was going on a cruise and meeting up with me, the lady GENEROUSLY gave Elaine a pattern, for me!!!

Elaine - I absolutely ADORE these 2 patterns and I PROMISE I will make something with them, ASAP!!! *VBG*

In the tote bag, was a package of "Wine Mulling Spices".... Never tasted this before, but I'm looking forward to it. I figure I'll probably try it around Christmas time. What cha all think? That would be a good time, eh?

She also included a tourist brochure from her area. Apparently, there's a LOT of vineyards there! And also these adorable pewter fridge magnets, too! They're already on our fridge, Elaine!!!!

*grin*

Elaine had also included 2 fat quarters of "basket" fabric!!!!

Dark brown and light brown!!!! Elaine called me up, yesterday evening and I forgot to tell her that I had already cut into the light brown/caramel basket fabric, for November's BOM (Block Of the Month)!!!

Now, this I TRULY LOVED - not that I didn't love the other gifties but I was amazed at this tote kit!!! Why, even the QUILTING LINES were in included in the fabric!!! Imagine that, eh?!?!

*VBG*

Well, that's about it.

My two friends were supposed to arrive back to
THEIR home, late yesterday evening.

I imagine they'll be EXHAUSTED all day,
today - what with the time change and all.

Thanks, from the bottom of my heart,
Elaine!!!

Rosa

Tha Girls, again!

Hi there!

A good friend sent me this toon,
earlier this week and I instantly thought,

"OH MY GOD!!!! I've GOT to share this!!"

LOL



Hope you all have a great weekend!

Rosa

Minus 6 hours from now - unfortunately....

Hi there!

Well, I just had an INCREDIBLE DAY!!!

Got to the cruise ship terminal at 7h30 a.m. -
The cruise ship passengers were
permitted to come down at 8h00

Elaine and I hugged and hugged and hugged!!!

It was like being reunited with a long-lost sister!!!!



Elaine gave me a bag of goodies -
See the one with the silly, happy grin?!???
That's me and I'm wearing a blue coat,
with a pinkish bag of goodies?!??!

Unfortunately for her but fortunately for me,
when she had tried to go to the quilt shop,
in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on Sunday...
it was closed.

I had gone to Charlottetown,
the previous weekend on a business trip
and picked up a "book", to give to Elaine.

I was a bit concerned as I KNEW
she would be visiting this quilt shop
and I was worried that she
might pick up this same book.
*grin*

Anyhow, here's a few pictures
of this neat book. *grin*



This is made with just plain cardboard,
and the "book" is covered with a fat quarter of fabric.

There's 5 more fat quarters, within the "book".

This is the Anne of Green Gables fabric line!

Anyhow, we toured my fair city
and had a late dinner (noon lunch),
at my home, with lobster and potato salad.

We parted company around 4h00 p.m.

I'm already missing them....

:-(

I'll be taking pictures of Elaine's
wonderful gifties, in another blog.

Right now, I'm exhausted...

Hitting the sack, real soon.

Thanks for the visit, you two!!!!

*waving from Canada*

Rosa

Almost 12 hours from now!!!

Oh-My-God, Oh-My-God, Oh-My-God

I've been repeating this,
over and over and over
and OVER again....

Elaine's (and her hubby, let's not forget)
gonna be here in 12 hours or so!!!!



Am I driving you guys and gals crazy?!?!?

Probably not as much as I'm driving
MYSELF "crazy"!!!!!

LOL

I'm supposed to meet them at the
ship terminal at 8 a.m.
and I'll be given my visitor's pass,
to go on board.

What?!??

I didn't tell you that I was invited
"on board"
?!?!?!?!?!?!??

I am sooooooo lucky....

*counting my many blessings, as this point*

Okay... gotta go "do" somethin'...

Dunno what... but I got get busy!

LOL

Rosa

Tick Tock... Tick Tock... Tick Tock...

Hi There!

Okay, as some of you might remember,
my friend Elaine and her hubby
are arriving in my fair city,
via cruise ship ......

TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!

I've been keeping a close eye
on our clock....
(NOTE: this is the p.m., BTW)



Took the afternoon off, today
to tidy up the kitchen a bit.

See on the window ledge?

One lonely tomato is left -
I might share it with my friends,
tomorrow...

LOL

LOOK MAH - I CAN SEE THE BOTTOM OF THE SINK!!!!

LOL

I think even the Fly Lady would be proud of me!
*VBG*

I've got beverage for my 2 friends.

The wine bottle has a special label on it.

Nope, you can't see till THEY'VE seen it!

*grin*

And my friend's hubby loves to try out
different beers.

I bought some of our local "stuff",
and offer him a bottle!

And THIS is the "pièce de résistance"!!!!!

I picked up these little fellas,
late this afternoon....

SIX lovely red lobsters!!!

And even my neighbour's tree is playing nice
and taking her good old time.
She wanted to show off her colours
to my 2 friends!

Gosh... Still looking at my clock...

Time sure has a way of dragging
it's feet, when it wants to, eh?

Hopefully, I'll have plenty of pictures
to share with all of you tomorrow...

I'm so excited !!! I just hope that I can sleep tonight!!!

Rosa

Is there a name for this illness?!?!

Hi there!

Everytime I try and win something on a blog, and follow their instructions, I say to myself, "This is IT!!! no more submitting posts or entries to try and win!!!"

And then, I fall into the trap again - I see yet ANOTHER blog contest, that I can't resist!!! *VBG*

Well, I'd love to be able to complain and say that I NEVER win, I can't even do that! LOL

I won 4 yards of GORGEOUS fabric, from my friend Frummie's blog contest! (Thanks Frummie!!!)

:-)

Anyhow, I just read one of my friend's blogs and SHE advertised this INCREDIBLE give-a-way, on HER blog:

http://pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-happy-halloween-giveaway.html

I just couldn't resist - once more.... *groan*

I'm starting to think that I'm addicted to the blog contests!!!! Anyone have a name for this addiction? *grin*

Blog-oh-mania?
Contest-ah-hall-ic?

Anyhow, PLEASE go visit that web site... if I don't win this, then perhaps one of my blog followers will... and that's almost as good as ME winning it! *VBG*

Have a great day!

Rosa
*Approx. 17 hours till Elaine's ship sails in!!!!*