Spring On The Inside - Winter On The Outside

We have had 4 nor'east'rs so the snow is still here piled high!

 This is the backyards deck & the snow drifted higher than the railings. We may have to add more snow fences next year.

 The view looking outside is just as wintery, almost half the dining window is covered by the snow drift. I'm so happy to have the evergreens to look at or I would feel like I was living in the tundra!

Thinking of Spring on the Inside ~~~~~~~~

I was going through some spring things & found this old t-shirt of mine. Too small now but the cross stitch is why I purchased it years ago at a thrift shop.

 I did some 'waste away' cross stitch many years ago & know the technique & how much work it is.
This bunny just says 'Spring' to me! And flowers & green grass are hopes of what is to come once this snow is gone!!

 Years ago Paulette, my quilting buddy, gifted me these fat 8th's & have cut into them for applique but now I have an idea as they compliment the bunny & are so spring-like in colour as well!

I cut them into 1 1/2" strips & they're going to be a piano key style frame around the bunny & made into a decorative pillow. My feeling of spring. I love to feel colours & this warms me with a smile.

 So did this little chick, that holds my recipe cards. Don, the eldest son, made back in grade school.
Simple things that I have held onto & smile at Easter when I pull it out. XO

 This is block one from last years BOM Through the Seasons. Better late than never, I made the block on an Easter pillow.  Then after doing the piano keys, I had a few scraps left to pull these two pillows together & add the words Easter Time to the open top of the applique.

Now the two are similar but different & I'll remember I made them together! See bunny's tail?

 It is a family heirloom, Bill's Namama made her linens for her Trusso  & had these handmade buttons on the linens.

In 1990, I made Nicholas his Christening gown from her linens & the gown weighed more than the baby! The detailed raised embroidery with her initials was incorporated into the back of the bonnet.
This Easter she is remembered again on this wee white rabbit.

 Another block of the week is finished!

And another one is cut & waiting to be embroidered down. There are two more in the queue that hasn't been started. It all comes to an end at the end of April, when the finishing instructions are given out. I will remember this quilt as the one that I did during snow storms!

Boston Biscuits

There have been so many recalls on dog treats/food lately that I've taken up making dog biscuits for Bridget & Baxter. I picked up a tray of chicken gizzards & cooked them for hours in water then puree them, that was messy, added spelt flour & sunflower oil. Refrigerated for an hour.

 Rolled the dough out & cut out with the dog bone shaped cutter supplied with the cookbook called Baking for your Dog.  I think I purchased it at Costco many years ago.

 The shapes cut out easy & I used a potato flour stop the sticking.

 There were two full trays of these doggie cookies. The downside was they were not interested in them so I took the dehydrated liver & shaved it off on the bones in the container & the longer they stay there the more they like them! 2 weeks is the life spam if they last that long! I'm going to freeze some too for later when they are able to enjoy the outside porch again.

There were 34 bones from this recipe that I modified.

 Trying to get a photo of Bridget with her tongue in is so hard, the look of Baxter looking is priceless!

 And there we have it, just a bit of tooth!

A saying that reminds me of these two.

   "Dogs are not our whole life,
     but they make our lives whole."
                                ~Roger A. Caras

Thank you for stopping by on this windy snowy day of mine.
I hope your spring has sprung as I patiently wait for spring to arrive here.
Bill & Nicholas will be home for Easter & Bill has been in China & Australia & is now back in SW Ontario Canada. I can't wait to see his face when he sees the weather here! It is to snow again the day after they arrive!

Happy Spring, Happy Easter, wherever you are!

Spring Arrives On Tuesday!

Spring will officially arrive on Tuesday & New Brunswick sure did not get that memo!
We've so much snow now & can boast having the most snow with the last nor'easter with 25cm in one day. We will also be getting yet another nor'easter on Wednesday into Thursday.
I've been sick with a cold & I'm just getting over it now. Hopefully, with my health back, spring will arrive in full force, maybe next week?

 The snow is even higher than when these photos were taken!

 I watch them like a hawk when they are outside now. They do the 'I'm the king of the mountain' & I'm so afraid that they will just jump over the fence.

 Baxter smells the air to see what has been around our house. I'm always telling them, 'Enough, don't make me have to wear my snowshoes!'. That's the only way I could wade through snow that has snow drifts up to my shoulders!

 I'm so glad that nothing lasts & this too will pass.

Passing Time...

 This is a pillowcase to show you the colour pattern before I tore it apart & crochet it with a single crochet, into a rug. Tension must stay loose & the hook must be big to move the fabric that is cut 'two fingers width'. So easy to do & makes up very fast!

 I had some dated old poly/cotton bed sheets that I knew I would never use, so I repurposed them!

 I was really pleased with the outcome. YouTube had perfect instruction & the use of the 'hobo knot' was so easy to join the strips together.
You need a lot of sheet fabric to make a good size rug. I used 3 double flat sheets, one double fitted sheet, & two pillowcases. Baxter & Bridget just love lying on it as I move it around the rooms to capture the sun for them. It is fully washable & an old way of using up & repurposing.

Hard Winter!

 This was the mailbox before it took another pounding from the heavy wet snow.

 It is no longer worth saving after the last snow plough job, I'll take pics for the next blog. ;-(

Even the pull knob has been ripped off by the force of the moving snow!
Winter casualties of rural living.

 It is so nice when the blue skies open up & the white/grey days are brightened.

 It looks like spring will take a while to get here!

 I can't believe another storm mid week!

 Luck for me & the dogs, the snow drifts are left & right & it is like the snow waves parting in the centre!

There is so much snow that it is piled high to & above the great room window!

 I can't wait to see the Anniversary Garden this spring, it too is deep in snow with just the tops of the lilac bushes peeking through.

It has been a good winter for not having any power outages here, there, that's a positive spin! lol

 Rexton is a kitty of leisure & just loves the heat from the firebox.

 Mr Boots just can't find the comfort zone that Rexton has. lol

 It is so cosy & warm in the evenings with a fire going. The old maple tree that had to be cut down for the addition is coming in handy for us this winter.

 Remnants of Baxter & Bridget's toy & bone don't even concern the cats feeling the love of wood fire.

 Bridget & Baxter are wanting to run without freezing their wee legs off! This spring, we will be looking for boots that have slipped off on some of their runs. Dogs with skinny legs, the velcro just doesn't hold on to their boney legs.

 I tell them soon, this will all be behind us & nature will rise up from the ground once again!

 The nest that fell out of one of the evergreens last year, is the perfect spot for the organic blue egg that Bill blew out!

 I just love how the two look like they belong together and it is so spring like to view!

A Day Of Sewing

 Joan is zipping up her body pillow that we made yesterday.

 Joan had been to Scotland & purchased yardage of embroidered thistles. She was able to get six thistles cut out & used three on this pillow.
She is a world traveller & had been to Spain a few weeks ago & purchased a dark brown leather hide that was also incorporated into the pillow design all around the thistles.

The back of her pillow was a beautiful piece of wool that was purchased in Scotland too! Memories of Scotland & Spain are now the talks of her beautiful tryptic thistles in the body pillow!
It was a great day, Marva brought lasagne, homemade garlic butter for a french stick & Joan brought cheese, grapes, a pear, raspberries, cake, & chocolates for our afternoon snack.
It was a full fun productive day! Many laughs were had by all of us & Baxter & Bridget entertained the guests by being themselves! lol

 I've been working on this large flannel quilt this week. Liz (RIP) & I had purchased the fabric for the kit a few years back. She had hers made in no time. I'm just getting around to getting mine done.

It is six large - 12" x 23" panels with six matching pieced blocks that take the shape of mountains & all 12 blocks are put together with mitred corners. Six are done & I have six more to do today, then all the blocks can come together & a border around & another quilt top is finished. I just love the deep dark rich colours of this quilt top.

The block of the week is somewhat behind, I'll post those blocks at the end of the week.
It really has a spring look to it with the wheelbarrow block that I'm finishing up now, then the strawberry trellis, & this week's watering can with flowers inside it.

It is hard to stay positive with all this snow & more snow coming at us again.

I started decorating for Easter & will take some photos to share with you when I'm done.

Enjoy your week, stay happy & healthy as spring is arriving on Tuesday!!

The days are longer now with the clocks springing forward last weekend & the sun is nice & warm when it is shining.

Just this snow...

Thank you for taking the time to visit this snowing part of north east Canada & do come back to see the change as spring is soon to arrive!

Have a great week!
Cynthia

March Break Is Over In New Brunswick

I have not been very good at posting...
I came down with my first cold/flu in four years & it is knocking the stuffing out of me. I think I have turned the corner but the cough & congestion is an annoyance. Thank you Bill for sharing & I'm glad your feeling better, I dropped my gaurd with the 'arms length rule' with him last weekend.

Winter is back...

                                                   It looks rather scary with the ice claws!

 It is a good time for me to be sick but now I'm getting sick & tiered of shovelling the snow.

 This made me laugh out loud this week! See the squirrel inside the squirrel proof bird feeder that I brought from Ontario?

 The red squirrels here are the size of a chipmunk & can move very fast. There are three now that feast inside their new resturant but only one at a time go inside.

 I'm just glad no one is going hungry through these snowy times. I have a fondness for squirrels, from a distance!

 This is the view from the front porch this morning & next to the evergreen is where I feed the birds/squirrels. I just keep telling myself that this is winters last hurrah.

And now there is another storm front moving in for Wednesday into Thursday. Winter just will not let go to northern New Brunswick.

 It is really piling up by the wee potting shed. I've been told that snow is the poorman's manure, the lawns are going to look great this spring!

 The dogs pen is filling up too! Bill snowblowed it out last weekend when he was here..

The Gardian Gargoyle looks like I feel these days with the head cold & snow! lol

This was the view the other day with the snow/wind storm. Yes, that is th silhouette of Rexton fast asleep in her cat tower. The snow has fallen of the roof & is now up to the bottom of the window & has quickly moved higher each day to the point of viewing the snow where the billboard is covering & protecting the muffin bush. Oh my, the nice thing is that it is no longer bitter cold, just very damp & cold.

The view from my sewing room is really white & I'm so thankful to have the evergreens to view through the winter. The snow fence is lost now, it is buried with snow.

Inside The Sewing Room

I've kept busy with this insane BOW, yes a new block to make every week!!
It was the first block that pulled me in...

 This is the first block

 The 2nd block

 3rd block, I'm still working on it in the evenings infront of the TV.

 The 4th block, so many french knots!

The 5th block. I've yet to get to it but it is ready to get stitched & block 6 has been traced out onto the heat & bond & will soon be ready for wool colour selection.

This block is released every Friday till the end of April. It is free pattern & fun to do with friends, three of us are doing it right now.

Little Nancy

Upon unpacking some more boxes I found little nancy, she stands 12 inches tall & was purchased for me by my mother in 1957 from the Simpson's Department Store in London. It would be my companion in my crib, fingers & toes are chewed off but other than that she's lovely.
I made her a new pink dress, bloomers, & bonnet. Easter is in the air, it may not look like it though!

After finding her with nothing on, I felt bad that I had taken time to make a full outfit for another doll but not mine. We should value what we have & I set to make it right. Now she is a proper heirloom, complete with shoes & socks!

You're A Mean One Mr Boots!

 He really rules these dogs, with one look & growl, 'Did I tell you to leave the room?'

 They will stay away from him & look how he places himself in the hallway! They cannot even get to their toys!

 Once Mr Boots moves, then they move but not until! It is so funny to watch.

Foyer Decorating

 This table was what I had in mind for the foyer but it was used as a prop in a house that we were selling. I'm so glad that it is home now!

 The clock needs to find a mantel but for now I need to hear its chimes through the night. A ticking chiming clock is like a heart beat in the house for me.
How sweet is that rabbit that Bill picked out at Winners, he also found the vase & flowers! Great finds sweetheart!

 Bill hung my favourite watercoloured origional art piece up too! The trilliums are so pretty & this was the first piece of artwork that talked to me at an art show & I had to have it come home with me.

 The foyer has opened up & will have more light & reflection to it when Bill & Mitchell bring the final trailer load of things from London. In that trailer will be the floor to ceiling mirror that will go on that blank wall. Then the door & transom & side lights will reflect into the mirror creating a avery bright spot upon entry.

Fond Memories

Those of you at a certain age, will remember the Friendly Giant. It lasted only 15 minutes & it held our attention the whole time.
I fond this memory picture, perfect in black & white at the Open Door Antique Shop in Chatham, NB. I smile inside & out when I view it.

What an inviting show for children to watch in that era! Educational too, with such simple puppets & a kind soft spoken giant.

The clocks sprung forward last night & it is snowing again today. Maybe next week this time will be a better bright, snow melting day. Spring will arrive soon & Easter very shortly after that & this too will all be a winter memory.

Thank you for stopping by & having a safe visit with me & my cold. I hope your doing well with your health & the weather is more spring like for you!

A thought to ponder

Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them.
                                                                                          Josie Bisset

Have a wonderful week!
Cynthia