February Family Day Fun!

Happy Family Day to everyone!

We had a fun day today with a board game that Nick came home with yesterday.
World of Warcraft is not familiar to me but Monopoly is...

 I cannot remember the last time I played Monopoly, it was a weekend game as a child & it went on all weekend too!

 This was rather exciting to see into the Warcraft World.

 These were the figures to move, I was the organic looking stone. Nick & Bill both knew the names to them all! And they both were amazed that from the Treasure Chest cards, I had defeated Illidan & Lich King & was awarded with money...didn't know who they were but was happy to get the money! lol

 As you can see it was a laid back day, we stayed in our comfy clothes till after lunch.

 The money was very colourful too! Bill started off strong but Nicholas cleaned hour after our two hour game.

 Family style lunch too! Spaghetti & meatballs, mine with rice pasta, the guys with fresh pasta from the store.

 Bon Appetite! Whilst I made lunch the guys finished the laying of the hardwood floor in the guest room. They had worked up quite the appetite. lol

And Boris was nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of meatballs danced in his head! lol

He's really trying to hibernate till spring, this winter is really dragging on...snore on Boris, this too will pass. He's going to be nine this July & every winter he waits to be able to run free of snow & on green lawns again! Mustn't wish our life away but I can't wait till sunny warmer days are with us again. :-)

It was good to see spring flowers in the grocery store but I couldn't believe that Easter has already hit the stores! Easter Sunday is not till April 20th this year, a wee bit early to have all that chocolate out on display.
Anyway I hope you had a wonderful Family Day with your family!

Sew On!

Well I've gotten a few things done this week.

 Mitchell's short PJ bottoms...don't know if they fit him, he never tried them on.

 Nick's long bottoms, I finally got them off him to shorten the crotch depth & he asked where his pockets went? I told him it was a new pattern with no side seam & no pockets. I found this pattern whilst cleaning my studio & it's quick, within an hour you can have them made & that's with doing french seaming too! I'll have to find Nick's pattern again. lol

 When the kids were little & I made their clothes, I always sewed a button on the front of their pajama bottoms.  'Buttons to belly buttons' I would tell them as they learned to dress themselves. Now with that technique still in place, you can dress yourself in the dark! lol

 I loved this camo print when i first saw it sewing for Liz, she told me she had purchased it at Lens Mill in Woodstock. Yes that's where I found it on my outing with Bev & Lynn...for $2.99 yard! It's filled with wild woodland animals.

 Flannel is a perfect backing, so I purchased enough for our BOM Elizabeth. No I've not started yet but will post when I do.

 Garbage bags for my vehicle, it matches my floor mats. lol

 I lined the inside with quilted nylon. I remember the kids having snowsuits in this & nearly dropping them because it's so slippery but on the upside, it's very washable.

 Yes another past project that I found in my studio. On one of my Thrift Store finds, this beautiful canvas needlework caught my eye & I purchased it to make a pillow to go on the antique couch. Well, when I removed it from the frame I found the First Place ribbon that was won on this piece in Petrolia ON. How could such a wonderful piece be given away? This is an heirloom work of art, one that I'll cherish for years to come.

 This ribbon will be sewn into the pillow casing, as it belongs to the picture that's going to be remade into a pillow that will be displayed on the couch. I love finding treasures! & this one certainly was!

Oh the Black & White Merry Mayhem Mystery Top!

I still needed four 8 1/2" blocks to finish the quilt. Then I remembered my perpetual quilt block calendar! Yes indeed, this will work!

                                                      Block One

                                                                  Block Two

                                                                   Block Three

                                                                       Block Four

 All done now! Excuse the work in progress underneath. lol It was the only place that had enough space to place this down. It finished at 66" x 78", nice size lap quilt to cuddle under.

 This Serenity Prayer is one of my favourites for keeping my life balanced. I'm going to be looking for black & white flannel for the back. The sales for the flannel bedding should be happening soon & a double flat might do the job!

 A few years back when the CQA was hosted in London ON, Jill Buckley designed this leaf bowl for the guilds across Canada to make for the table center pieces. I made several & it's an easy make.
The boys have asked me to make them a key catcher in the Real Tree camouflage fabric.

 This is the pattern, I trace it onto freezer paper then cut it out. The freezer paper can be reused again & again if your careful & not tear it.

 This is my favourite fabric, Canadian Maple Leaf plaid, made for Canada's centennial year.

 The other side is Canadian Postcards by Thimbleberries.

 The doorbell rang a few days ago & Fed-Ex delivered this box to Nick. During Christmas Nick took a phone call to help trouble shoot an elevator in the US. After a while the elevator was running again & to thank him the client tried to ship a fruit basket over the border unsuccessfully. He then tried his favourite chocolate maker to make a shipment to Canada...look what arrived!!

 48 of the most beautiful chocolates I've ever seen! Christopher Elbow is the artisan from Kansas City. These are just soooooo delicious too! The green ones have the rosemary herb in them...or should I say did have! Thank you for sharing with your mom Nick, you made my day.

Concert & Concern

 Yes I was lucky enough to get four tickets to the Jason Aldean 2014 Night Train Concert. It was a sold out show at the Budweiser Gardens here in London & very full house with over 9,000 people in attendance.  

 Tyler Farr opened, he's known for his new hit 'Redneck Crazy' & WOW I couldn't get into my purse fast enough to retrieve a pair of ear plugs that Bill had given me from his China flights. I keep ear plugs to put in my ears on windy days or I get an ear ache...well with too much bass, treble & whatever else was off with his sound check, I think I would have had a headache too!
After one hour of his band, the next band was set up & playing in no time.

 That would be Florida Georgia Line, they're getting quite noticed in the Country & Western world. I kept my ear plugs in for them too, with all those young ones having such a good time screaming. It was there time to party & let lose, just watching them made my smile. Young cowgirls all dressed in there summer dresses & bare legs with cowboy boots. The mom in me was thinking it's below zero out there, they should have their leggings or tights on in this weather! lol

 Florida Georgia Line is two male singers, not hard on the eyes to watch but they didn't look very country, maybe it's the Florida or the Georgia in them. lol

                                                                                FGL

                                                                                 FGL
They sang & entertained the screaming crowd for an hour too.
The it was the headliners turn to take the stage.

That would be Jason Aldean & finally a good sound check & I could now take my ear plugs out & be entertained.

 He had the crowd light their phones up, quite impressive as I looked around.

 Everyone was singing & holding their phones, I was busy on my camera. lol

I was glad that there were two jumbo trons to view the concert. I had a very tall fellow next to me, we were located on the side of the stage, seating was in the higher middle.

Me & Vickey, I worn my Olympic apparel & Vickie had just come to the concert from skeet shooting.

I had gone with Mitchell, Vickie, & Nick. This was one of Mitchell's birthday presents, he's wearing the other.

I had seen what he wrote on his Facebook or the lack there of, he had published of going to the concert with Nick & Vickie...no mention of me, his mom, the one that organized, paid, & made it all possible for him. :-( It's not the money, it's the thought that he never thought to mention me or give me any credit, where credit was due) :_(

I'm going to back it up six months ago when Bill & I paid all the expenses to have all five of Donald's family come to the east coast for the first time...all through their Facebook pages nothing was mentioned about how his parents made it possible either. And in both incidence,  my heart sinks to feel I'm so invisible to my sons. Again it's not the money but the thought of giving credit where credit is due. :_(  To know you're appreciated.  When I expressed how hurt I felt to a friend, I was told that I was not mentioned because I'm not on Facebook. Well after ten years of not being on Facebook,  I'm not going to start it now ...Wisdom to know the difference. Is one invisible in Facebook life, if not register to Facebook?

It has just raised some concern to me after this concert, that in a period of six months, both my sons have done this to me on Facebook. It's NOT the money! It's being acknowledged, two words even, 'thanks mom/dad',  I hope that I have not spoiled them...spoiled means to go bad, by paying their way & being generous to a fault. It certainly has changed my way of thinking in the future.

Dad's Birthday...

It would've been my dad's 87th birthday today, he passed away September 17th 2000. I was very close to my dad & saw him nearly everyday, even if it was for morning coffee & toast on my way to work.
He was my sounding board for the issues that would come up both in business & family & now there's just the void in my heart. He was my foundation as a child & I loved him dearly as an adult.

 Here's a 'Family Photo' circa 1966 of my brother, sister with her cat, & myself sitting on dad's knee.

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Dad could look miserable at times but I know that he lived with much pain in his body. On June 29th 1969 he would crash his plane & would live to tell about it, however he would from that day on be a paraplegic. My childhood would change too. The gout in his hands & arthritis in his shoulder would settle in too. He lead a bachelor lifestyle since mom left in 1965 then this accident in 1969. He was, in one word, a survivor & very independent.
This picture was taken in Florida at his trailer that he would retreat to for the winter. I told him that I could not spend Christmas with him but I would be there for his birthday. So Bill & I would load the van with the kids & head to Florida, it was a 22 hour journey...no stop. We did that for years & he looked forward to seeing us & we looked forward to having the sun on us & shedding our winter clothing. On one trip, we took in Disneyland & Epcot, what a fun time.

This was our last time together in Florida, he would become ill with terminal cancer & die a short time after.
I remember how horrified he was to see my hair colour change, 'Tell me that you can wash that out!' he said sternly from his wheelchair. 'Nope daddy, this is the new me!' He'll be smiling down on me now, after 16 years as a blonde, I went back to the original colour of brunette. What's old is new again!

It's been 14 years since his passing but he would be so proud of his family doing the elevator business that their doing today. You see he started this industry with his patent back in 1972, making a vertical platform lift for the handicap! His grandson's & son-in-law work in the industry now.

Happy 87th birthday daddy! I miss you & your stories of 'I've seen me...' He is gone but not forgotten.

Keeping Tidy :-)

I'm calling this post 'Keeping Tidy'...have you ever been a passenger in someones car that is just,  well, not tidy. I know with long commutes & having to live in your car for hours it can create just that.
I had saved a blog that had a really 'neat' idea in it & this weekend I made it.
Here's the solution to having a 'neater car'.

 This is a trash bag that hangs over the gearshift, with a handle that's shown at the top.

 The fabric is leftovers from the black/white quilt I mad a few weeks back.

 The bottom, on the inside, was lined with an empty, mint chocolate chip, ice cream container. How appropriate as this one was made with Nick in mind, for his daily Durham College commutes.

 As you can see the strap is as long as the bag...

 Once the strap is placed over the gearshift, the bag hangs on the passenger side but is still easy to reach.

 Bill took these shots for me whilst the car was warming up.

 I thanked him for taking the pics of 'Nicholas' bag...'Who's bag?' he replied

 Yes I know I'll be making another black/white bag for his car too! lol The family will be neat & tidy for sure!
If you too would like to make a Trash Bag for your car, here's the link below. Enjoy! :-)

www.a-ditchin-time-quilts.blogspot.ca/2012/01/tutorial-for-my-car-trash-bags.html

Last week whilst out with Bev & Lynn, I saw this pattern/kit & boy did it ever talk to me!
It's a vest sewn with a thick stable flannel & is oh so warm. It has been a cold winter & the spring both here & at Canada's water edge out east  ( I watched a program this weekend called  'Canada: Over the Edge' it was a documentary on Eastern Shore, New Brunswick Series, I'm enjoying, knowing more about my cottage area) So I know I'll get mileage out of this sewing project!

 Here'e my vest & oh so cozy! There's just something warm & cozy about wearing flannel, during the day, that just isn't your pajamas. lol

This will look familiar to some of you Miramichi Rug Hookers, remember the black sweater I wore, that's a circle with armholes? Well, yes this pattern is very much like that!

I'm off to sew flannel pajama bottoms for Mitchell, he's flying in this Tuesday to write his elevator bi-yearly elevator exam & will needing new PJ's. I bought him some Real Tree fabric (camouflage pattern)  too, I'll post all I make with that fabric too...sew many ideas! lol

Have a great week!