Saturday Morning Errands

Hi There!

This morning, I got up early and started working on my BOM (Block Of the Month), from our local Quilt Shop.

"When was it due?", you ask.

"Hmmmm... aaaaah.... today."

LOL

Anyhow, I only managed to do the center and will DEFINITELY work on it, this afternoon. (It needs one more border, around it.)



Soooo, since this is Saturday, we do our Saturday Morning Errands.

Guess where we went, first thing?!?!?!?

I went and bought my bus ticket, to Bangor!!!!

Would you believe that I'm coming BACK to my city on the 24th, by bus, and the guy at the bus terminal tells me that they will no longer be going to the USA, after the 27th. That's IT! No more. NADA!

He says that they had no passengers and sometimes, they were lucky if they had ONE person on the bus.

And, who knows, eh???
Going back and forth, I might have the whole bus to myself!!!!

Anyhow, I think I was REAL lucky that my trip wasn't planned for March, let's say...

Since I need to catch the airplane in Bangor, early the next morning, I honestly don't know what I would have done, had my trip been planned for later.

I'll be going on one of these buses....

From there, we went uptown, to our Provincial Building and I got my picture taken, for my license. It was expiring on the 12th of February and I didn't want to wait till next weekend.

Who knows? With our run of weather, it could be a stormy day, once again!

Then, we headed out to Quispamsis - just outside of our city. I picked up the very last BOM. I'm hoping to finish off the remaining border on January's BOM and do this one.... this afternoon.

This is our last BOM....
un-assembled, obviously.

While at our fabric store, Gilbert picked up a bottle of 505. For my own personal quilts, he sometimes joins our leftover pieces of batting, and by the time he's finished with long arm quilting it.... they ain't goin' anywhere! He was previously hand-basting them together, till I told him about this product. I have never tried it before, but some people swear by it.

Also, last week, he complained about how one quilt backing's creased just COULD NOT be ironed out! I told him that I had heard about a (magic) product that worked.

So, we inquired and apparently this spray is EXCELLENT.

Once again, it remains to be seen, but he will certainly be putting it to the test!

From there, we went to a bakery store, in Quispamsis and picked up a French Baquette, to make French onion soup and a few other items. (Sorry, forgot to take a picture.)

From there, Kent Building Supplies. They had windshield washer fluid on sale. We picked up 4 jugs. (Once again, no picture.)

Then, groceries.... still in Quispamsis. After groceries, we headed back to the West Side and decided to have dinner - that's our noon meal - at Bobbie's Corner Restaurant.
(picture taken in the summer.)

And after our meal, we picked up a couple of "Timmies" and went home.

So, as boring as it might sound, we had a pretty good time. NO line-ups for my license - THAT was almost a miracle! And, HEY! it's a beautiful, sunny, winter day here!

But, apparently, it's the calm before the storm. Storm #10 is supposed to hit tomorrow, unfortunately.

And HEY! What d'ya know!

I'm already out of the "teens" and into the single digits!!!

(picture taken from our micro-wave)

Hope you're all having a SMASHING Saturday!!!

Rosa

Whether it's the weather....

Hi There!

Ever since I've gotten my iTouch,
I've uploaded my friend's
weather reports.

I've taken the Fahrenheit and the Celsius.

This was taken last night.

My friend in Scotland
has rain, in her very near future,
unfortunately.

And my OTHER friend,
in California,
is getting
beautiful, beautiful
sunshine.

Not a cloud in sight!

Now, I ask you....

Will our scientists ever be able to harness our planet's warmth and cold, humidity and drought... intermix it and re-distribute it, evenly?!?!?

Wouldn't THAT be a perfect world?!??!

*grin*

This is our home office clock.

I patiently waited till 10 p.m. rolled by, last week, in anticipation of my "10 days before I head off, on my trip"

Have a Frivolous Friday!!!!

Rosa

Tonight's Baby Steps...

Hi There!

This evening, Gilbert and I started this quilt. I selected and ironed the fabric and Gilbert cut the blocks for me.

*grin*

I only need to sew the 3 sections together and then, Gilbert and I will follow the pattern instructions, do a bit of magic and ... Well.... Wait until you see what a GORGEOUS quilt this will become!

Right now, it's just ho-hum.

(NOTE: these are the American Jane fabrics that Elaine sent to me, last year... I just LOVE these fabrics!!!!)



Baby steps?

Well, I went and got my hair cut, this evening. It was part of my "Baby Steps", for my trip to Florida....

Didn't wanna go visiting, looking like a ragga-muffin!

I've packed the rest of my hexagons, for my hexagon / star quilt / tumbling blocks, selected a couple of books to read and found my favorite ear phones - they're pink marshmellow ones... in case I wanna listen to music.

Here's the countdown blog pic of the day:

In case you can't see this very well,
it's minus ELEVEN.....

The countdown continues...

ELEVEN more days till
I take OFF from
this (brrrrrrrr) country!



Have a Thunderin' Thursday!

Rosa

9 Weeks of Storms!!!

Hi There!

We'd had yet ANOTHER storm, today!

The media people say its our weekly storm - 9 weeks in a row, now!

Once again, I got a couple hours off, from work, to get home and YES, the roads were slippery and treacherous!!!


Anyhow, let me explain these next 3 pictures....

While I was on the phone with a good friend, this evening, P'Tit Noir (our male tom cat) wanted to go out.

NOTHING STOPS HIM - He wants OUT, you'd best not try and argue with him!

So, while I'm on the phone, I open up the door and he slips out!

Here's what our upstairs door entrance looked like.

P'Tit Noir hesitated briefly and took off, in the night!



So, I closed the door and looked what came in!

A dust pan isn't just for "dust", don't you know!

LOL

During my "snow afternoon", I managed to finish the machine sewn binding, on our "Magic Tiles Sampler".

This quilt will obviously always remain in our Studio.... it shows 5 of Gilbert's long arm stitches.

Since Gilbert wanted to display what he and Bertha could do, he made up a few of these, as well... to hung up in the studio.

I managed to do their bindings, by sewing machine, this afternoon.

This one is called "Fantasia".



Not sure about the name of this one, but as you can see, it would be GORGEOUS on a Christmas or Nature quilt, eh?!?

And this one is my all-time favorite -
"Stars 'n Loops".

He's done this one so many times now, that he's even able to do it free-hand!

Some of you asked about my thread cutter.

A good friend sent me this "kit" and no, I will NOT take it with me to Florida.... just in case the mean person at the airport decides to keep them. *s*

And in amongst our cold, snowy, windy, day, I got another crappy (junk) email about a cruise ship vacation.

So, before deleting this crappy (junk) email, I cropped a portion of it....

LOOK @ the PALM TREES!!!!





Gilbert had this poster,
that he pinned up, in our stair well.
(Look at the date at the bottom of the poster.)

12 more days!!!!

With an afternoon like today, with approx. 14 inches of snow fall, I am DEFINITELY READY for Florida!!!

Hope you're all having a
WARM Wednesday!!!

Rosa

Today's Blog Brought to You by the Number 13!!!

Hi There!

We got a bit of snow, late this afternoon...

Tomorrow, they're calling the
upcoming snow storm
to be as wicked as
LAST week's snow storm....

And THAT one was pretty nasty.

Soooo, I worked on some bindings, did some dishes and watched some TV. Didn't think you'd want pictures of me doing bindings or washing dishes or worst yet... watching TV.

*grin*

And, last week, I took this picture, myself.

Sooooooooo,
without further ado,
let me do a blog imitation of Sesame Street.

"Today's blog was brought to you by the Number 13!"

Yep - 13 more days till I head off to Florida and,
HEY!!! We're already FEBRUARY!!!!



Hope you're having a
TREMENDOUS Tuesday!!!

Rosa

One Hamilton and Four Washingtons

Hi There!

Yesterday, Gilbert hung up our outdoor Valentine's sign.

For blog privacy purposes, he blacked out our eyes.

LOL



This evening, I sent this picture to Frummie....



And this one, as well....

I wanted to know if she thought it would be okay to bring these, with me, on the plane to Florida. She said there shouldn't be a problem.

Anyone else try to bring these on a plane, before? Did you have any problems?

In case you don't know what they are, they're used for cutting thread or wool.

This is my "craft bag" that I might take along with me. This evening, I started packing quilty projects.

I packed this cute little star kit, that I had won through Prairie Moon Quilt Blog contest.

And remember those hexagon stars that I was hand piecing? I haven't given up on them. In fact, I plan on concentrating most of my time on these....
amongst the laughter and friendship, of course!

*VBG*

Now, I might find other projects to bring along but they'll probably stay behind. I'm trying not to overload myself with projects.

And, believe it or not, we're now at Day 14....

One Hamilton and Four Washingtons, eh?

*grin*




Hope you're having a Mag-NIFF-AH-CENT Monday!!!

Rosa

Bring It On!!!

Hi There!

Would you believe that we're ALREADY Sunday evening?!?!?

I got up real early and headed downstairs to my sewing studio.

Finished machine sewing the binding on my 4 and 9 patch runners.
(pictures will be shared, when completely finished)
I just need to do the hand sewing part, now.

Gilbert, got up and headed downstairs, too.

He finished quilting our "Magic Tiles" mini quilt.

We're calling it his "sampler".

In the center, he did some medium stippling or meandering.

And, he divided the quilt border in quarters.

Here's what we call the "Le-Le" pattern.



Here's his "Feathered Hearts",
which I DO adore!!!

And, we call this one "Lasso".

And this is a fairly new one...

"Pebbles".

It's good for a filler, but OH MY GOODNESS, it takes a long time to do!

Then, after machine sewing (one side) of my 2 table runners, I managed to start and finish a Dora purse for my 2 year old niece's birthday. Turns out, at 2 years old, she ADORES Dora and HEY !!! I had, believe it or not, JUST ENOUGH Dora fabric to make her a tote!

She LOVED it and wore it, after it got opened!



And... I made a
"Big Girl Belt", for my niece,
"Princess Sophia".

If I can perfect this one, I'll put up a tutorial... but don't hold your breath. I've got a few things on my plate, right now. *s*

And guess what?

Would you believe we're at 15 days
BEFORE I leave for Florida?!?!?



When did I become a "Wuss"!?!??!?

It musta been at the same time that I became an "adult", and then, a "Mature Person" and then, all of a sudden, people are saying to me, "Yes, Mam" and "No, Mam"

I still feel too young to be called "Mam"!!!

Let me explain....

A good friend sent me an email yesterday. She has been following my blog and was writing to wish me a good time in Florida. I told her that I was "scared stiff"... you know? flying alone, to a place where I had never been, etc, etc, etc.

This is what she wrote ....
(Barb, I hope you don't mind me copying this...)

"... Don't think of being "scared stiff" -- think of it as an adventure. Look at all the new experiences you are going to have."

Where DID my sense of adventure go to?!?!?!?

When did I start thinking like a little old (scared) lady?!?!?

Barb ... thanks for bringing me back to life!

YES! This IS an adventure!!!

I'll have TONS of stories and good stuff to share with others!!!!

*SUPER HUGE GRIN*

Bring It On!!!!

Have a Supreme Sunday!

Rosa

Addendum to Today's Post...

Sorry... forgot to add this to today's post...

Callie, our calico cat, has her own video, on You Tube.
She's gotten quite clever, for her "treats".

We tried and tried to teach her Mom, "Minou", but she refuses to try, even!
LOL

Callie's video.

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

Minou, even though she can't do the "treat" trick, has her own talents.

Gilbert uploaded her video to You Tube, as well.

She "bitches" at the birds outside... s'rather comical, even!

Minou's video.

This is best viewed (and listened to) with your speakers on "loud".... you'll be able to hear her swearing or threatening the birds - who knows, eh?!?!? LOL

Hope you enjoy these!

Rosa

P.S. And in memory of our wonderful, Thunder, here's his You Tube video as well:

Thunder's video.

Our Cats' Window of Entertainment!!!

Hi There!

Today, at dinner time - that's our 12 o'clock meal - I FINALLY saw a bird at our "Bird Bell" and, I had my camera on hand!

Didn't dare get too, too close but I've cropped the picture and this is what our visitor looks like.

Since I'm new to this, I have NO IDEA what kind of bird this is.

Anyone out there know?



I was standing quite a distance from the door, when I took it's picture.

And it was approximately 2 minutes later that I came to the conclusion that the cats now have their own TV.... or perhaps I should be calling it an "Entertainment Unit"... or their "Window of Entertainment"?!?!

Unfortunately, they scare off the birdies. So far, only the few brave ones have nervously stopped, for a bite to eat.
(see Minou and Callie in bottom part of picture)

You can't see it, but their tails are swishing back and forth.

LOL

And yet another "FINALLY" moment!!!

I continued working on our "Magic Tiles" mini quilt, today.

Blocks are all done...

Added the black "grout" around the blocks...

Added a 1 inch (finished) mini border of "tiles" and then, added the black border.

Gilbert should be quilting this one, tomorrow.

He plans on using medium to large stippling or meandering in the center, with black thread. Then, change the thread to orange or light blue and do fancier work on the black border.

I'll definitely post pictures of when it's finished.

The finished size is approx. 34" X 34".

Brain Worm of the Day?

Actually, it's been in my head
for the past 2 or 3 days!

Fool On The Hill

As for my countdown to Florida.....

Aawwwwwww Come On!!!!

You MUST have realized that
I'd be doing a
Sweet Sixteen theme,
for my 16th day...

*VBG*



Hope you're having a
SUPER Saturday!!!!

Rosa

C.R.S. (WARNING - Adult Content)

Hi There!

Well, it's Friday evening and Gilbert and I went and did our Saturday morning errands on a Friday evening - YEAH!!!!!

I's don't gotta go out tamarra!!!!

And since I really don't have any pictures to share with you, this evening, I thought I'd share a bumper sticker that I received via email.

WARNING... if you're easily offended, best back out and not read down below. *s*










And, since I really CAN'T remember you-know-what, that's one of the reasons why I've been listing the countdown, to my trip to Florida!!!

SEVENTEEN DAYS till I leave!!!!

Kinda reflects my attitude with going to Florida...

I've never gone "South" for the winter.
I've never seen a palm tree, in real life.
and
I can't possibly IMAGINE swimming outside in FEBRUARY!!!

So, who says I'm only semi-old once?

Have a FA-BUE-LOUS FRIDAY!!!

Rosa

I Drop-Kicked the "Beast"!

Hi There!

WOW! We just got ANOTHER
Nor'easter!!!

(taken from Wikipedia:
"Nor'easters also can cause coastal flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane force winds, and heavy snow. Nor'easters can occur at any time of the year but are mostly known for their presence in the winter season."

So, our office closed shop
a couple hours early.

This afternoon,
I grabbed a picture of Gilbert
working on a client's quilt.



Later this evening,
I took a picture of our
new "Bird Bell".

I've never really been interested
in feeding birds,
but yesterday afternoon,
I saw a few of them
in our neighbour's yard
and, just like the Grinch,
my heart started growing
and I went out and bought this bell.

I imagine I'll be sharing
bird pics, as soon as
they, the "birds",
realize that there's food here.
*grin*

And in amongst this
Nor'easter,
Mr. or Mrs. Mailperson,
brought me my latest
"American Patchwork & Quilting"

(Thanks Frummie!!!)

Wow!!! Once again,
a cram-packed, info-full
quilt magazine with
plenty of eye candy, too!

Remember this pattern that
Gilbert and I picked up, this past fall?

"Magic Tiles" pattern?



Well, Gilbert wanted to
put up a small wall hanging...
30 or 36 inch square (approx.),
where he could showcase
his medium or big stippling,
for our clients.

He says, "How about we practice this pattern and make a small wall hanging, for my stippling, before we make a big quilt, with our designated fabric?"

I said, "SURE!"
And he helped me out,
by cutting the fabric and such!

By 7 p.m., we decided to call it an evening....

Almost there....
*grin*

But before Gilbert and I played with the Magic Tiles, I attacked the "Beast" with a "Drop Kick"!!!

When I was a kid, Dad always used to watch wrestling matches, on TV.

I kinda grew to enjoy it, as well as boxing!

(click on the cartoons to get the full effect)

Anyhow, as I was talking to Frummie on the phone, this afternoon and describing my tote pattern to her, it hit me like a frying pan over my head!
(gosh... I am rather physical tonight, aren't I?!?!? LOL)

I was SUPPOSED to quilt the OUTSIDE of this tote with the batting, only!

And THEN, work on the lining.

I TOLD YOU that I had never done this before!

I've been spoiled with Gilbert and Bertha!

I was hemming and hawing but I had to MACHINE QUILT the bottom and side sections!

Sooooo.... as I mentioned,
I grabbed the "Beast", drop kicked it and
JUST DID IT!!!

And then, Gilbert came up with the "Hey, let's do the Magic Tile blocks!" and who was I to say, "No, I'm still wrestling with the Beast!"

LOL

Tomorrow's another day!

And, for those of you following me,
we're now down to 18 days!

Yep, this is was my empty Tic-Tac container, that I've been putting my old needles and such.

Hope you have a Thundering Great Thursday!!!

Rosa