Friday, August 15, 2014

Pleasant Surprises!

This has been another one of those busy weeks but it also had some pleasant surprises! Rexton is still a joy to have around & I'm glad she lets me cut her nails or this place would've been shredded with her adventures. She's really into bird watching.
 The birds are not even bothered with her, so long as she doesn't move & only watching them dine on their seed.

 She wants to 'dine' in them! lol
 She's so interested in them & I'm happy that she's being a quiet observer.

 Rexton is going to be an inside cat & so far she's content being inside.

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 Julia, you were right about how fragile an old burlap rug is! As I tried to whipstitch around it, it was falling apart in my hands!
Sew...this is what I came up with...

 I whip-stitch a nylon rope to the edge & sewed a binding on it! The sewing machine just barely made it through all the thickness but it was the little engine that could!

 I zigzagged the fabric on & covered the disintegrating edges, from the underside/wrong side....
 Then pulled it around to the right side...
 Pinned it down, I covered all the grey coloured edging as it was worn in an uneven way.
 And voila! this is the right side all finished...
 This is the wrong side a wee bit brighter.
I then soaked it in the bathtub with Purex detergent & Borax for an hour & wow!!! was it ever dirty. Then rinsed it with the hand held shower head, till the water ran clear. It took 2 days to dry it, but I'm so pleased with  the outcome. It's now on my bathroom floor in front of the sink. I'm going to was it again when the weather turns hot & sunny again because as it dried the edging now has a real grunge look to it from the grungy water left in the rug as it dried. But it now has years more use, thank you again Cynthia for thinking of me!

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 I was shopping on line a few weeks ago & my purchases came to me through the post office.
I went to pick up boxes & what a surprise from the Hundson's Bay Company!!


 Everything had been beautifully wrapped like it was all presents for me!!

 This was quite a surprise...I though I was back in England, where some of the stores still wrap your purchases like real treasures! It was my 'sale' items that never totaled over $50.00!!


Towels & my $17 cotton jersey, tunic dress, by Style & Co.!
Thank You Hudson's Bay Company!!
That surprise really made my day!

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The siding & installation is done..
The 18 windows installed with 3 new basements to add, making the total of 21 new windows!
And the new front door is so much brighter!

 The trim is all on now & I've started painting it...
 And now have tennis elbow again! So I'm pacing myself...not an easy task.
 Love the new light, look at how airy it looks! And oh so bright in the evenings with light overhead!

 I'm going to sew drapes for the guestroom. My Alberta son Mitchell, will be here for a week, the week before Thanksgiving & I need to have that wall repaired & painted too. That room will be so nice now that the windows all open! But being a southeast setting, blackout lining is a must to keep the bright morning light out & summer sun from warming the room & fading the colours within that room.

  The new window at the top of the stairs brings in the light & air, when opened.
                                              It's view is a look into the woods. :-)

It's been a busy productive time here & I'm really enjoying my time but I'm looking forward to a little down time to enjoy what's left of summer before mother nature starts to paint her beautiful fall palette...my favourite season!

Thank you for stopping by & I hope you too are enjoying your summertime!
Health & Happiness!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Heard The Staccato...

When I was a little girl, I remember my grandpa from Liverpool England, telling me that when you heard the staccato bug sing or as I knew them 'treetoads', sing for the first time on a summer day, that would mean in about 6 weeks we'd get out 1st frost. I hear one last week & they've been singing every time the day is hot & sunny. It is the sound of hot summer days but sadly they're going to come to an end. So with that knowledge I'm savoring the rest of summer!

 And I'm enjoying Rexton the new kitten! She's so lively & how soon I forget what energy kittens have, well it has been 15 years since I've had a kitten! lol


 I'm also enjoying the new cupboard that Bill & Nick picked up for me in Moncton on a truckload sale at Home Depot. The other cupboard was much smaller & didn't have any drawers. It's now in my sewing studio as a cutting table & storage! Excellent height for cutting too!

 The silverware is now located in a top drawer.
 And so are my cooking utensils! OK ice cream scoops aren't for cooking, they're for summer treats of ice cream. I'm savoring summer with ice cream! lol
 And a garbage with a recycle bin too! Thank you  I just love a working kitchen!

 The cast iron horse head's ring, now holds my tea towels...
 And the original tea towel holder was located to the pantry door.

 Rexton is growing daily & still sleeps a lot during the day...


 She moves around to find a comfortable position...
 And loves to 'stretch out' in her space.
 She's really just recharging those kitten batteries!! lol
Boris hides under his blanket whilst she sleeps...
With shut eyes & snoring, he too is exhausted from her daily activities. He's use to the other two, 15 & 16 yrs old cats, that sleep all day! Just like him. :-)
                                                             Sweet dreams Boris.


Last night was so funny...
I was working on this vintage hooked rug that my girlfriend Cynthia gave me for the cottage.
 I'm trying to restore the edges, this is the under belly of the rug. Notice how bright the colours are?!
 So with the removal of all the worn out burlap & floating stitches...
 I noticed that the brown & creme were old silk stockings. What a treasure this is!
 The pile grew as time went on. I'm going to machine sew a binding on it as it's too hard to hand sew, the burlap is so weak. I'll post the new edging...fingers crossed that my idea works.

 I had Boris beside me sound asleep as I worked away at this vintage rug. He had curled up under my greatroom curtains that were on the back of the couch. They're down right now as the sills & trim are installed around the windows, then the painting of the trim & the reinstall of the curtains in the window...photos to follow on the next post, the house is upside down right now with chaos & construction.

Rexton got up on the couch too and  fell asleep between myself  & Boris, Boris didn't know or didn't mind Rexton's closeness. Then Boris stretched & pushed into Rexton, she embraced the moment & hugged his leg!! Boris still oblivious to her & they slept away whilst I worked away at the rug, among my chaos & construction.

It's hard to see because both pets are black & so is the couch!

It was one of those Kodak moments! lol Lucky me the camera was on the coffee table.

Rexton will sit at the door looking... at what?
Boris wants to say something...but stays silently looking at me.

 She's watching the humming birds! This one is so small, Rexton has great eye sight!

 I've two nectar feeders & the humming birds just love them!




Then it's back into the sun porch for another snooze!



 She looks like she has lace going up her leg with her wavy white fur.
 And her stripes on her belly & legs,  are really starting to come out too!
She can stretch & jump like no other kitten I've ever had and I've had many!

 Oops! She looks like her kitten batteries are charged again! lol





Now to choose a roof colour! Who knew that there were so many roof colours to choose from!

But that's another post! Thanks for visiting, I do hope your a cat person! LOL


Sunday, August 3, 2014

Busy Week!

This is going to be one of my longest posts...and this was one of my fastest weeks this year!

I was at Moncton International Airport to pick up Bill & Nicholas for their one week stay at the cottage & on the way home we picked up the tailless kitten in Rexton. I was so hoping that she was still there & someone else had not gotten attached to her before I could pick her up, she was there! It was meant to be! She's mine!!


 Bill & Nick both thought she was cute & Nick carried her to the car.
 I called her Rexton, after the town she came from & Nick calls her Rexxy! How cute is that for a nickname?!!
 Boris did his dog introduction thing & notice she was different. 16 year old Bose just watched,  & those two get along or should I say, she is tolerant of the young one! Bose has already set the boundaries that her tail is not a play toy.
 Come down & play kitty! Rexton has unusually long back legs & can jump up on just about anything!

 She watches Boris...
 Boris just wants to play a good game of 'chase'. lol  15 year old Tommy just watches from a distance, Rexton backed away from Tommy & respects him...those two have some kind of understanding? But they tolerant each other, I was so pleased that everyone harmonized together!
 I made a toy for her & she played away.
Tommy just watched this wee one & all her energy!
 Rexton jumped into...
 And onto, everything!
 She is so curious & alert!
 On her first evening she settled in with all of us, Boris was now OK with her as part of our pack.
 She purrs a lot, so I know she's happy.
 Nick settled in too with his Reeses pieces & ice cream.

She eats only from the dish I set out for her. It's like she knows what's hers & what's the other cats. They all share the water dish with their food & the one with Boris' food.
We all had a busy night with her & now will not let her sleep after 6pm! For such a sweet wee kitten, she sure makes the loudest noises through the night!!

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  The Restoration Hardware Foucault's Orb chandelier was delivered & put in the shed last week. Now with the guys here it was time to install it. The box was huge!! Will it fit into the cottage?!!

 Bill carrying it to the door. Doesn't he look like the Atlas Man?!! LOL


 Oops...it's not going to fit - Unless the door is removed! Yes it 'just' made its way in with a lot of wiggling to make room!!
The delivery man said that the woman in Moncton had to send hers back because it wouldn't fit through any of her doors!
If there's a will...there's a way!
Installing it was going to be a challenge! No light had ever been installed overhead! Bill did a fantastic job hiding the wires & it looks great hanging off the beam!

It's so open & airy looking.


It's a very large light but is in scale with the great-room. It now gives light to a room that use to be very dark in the evenings. It looks as good as I thought...even better.
Great job Bill! Thank you my handsome, handy husband! XO

That was a big inside job...now for the outside.

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Tree Removal

This evergreen looked like it dead & the winds that have gone through here lately, it had to be removed or it was going to fall.
Dellie, our neighbour wanted this dead tree down too & was there to help Bill & Nick get this job done.

 With Dellie & Karen's garden to the east, a hydro line to the south, the cottage to the west...that tree had to fall 'north'. Notice how it's leaning to the south?! Bill & Nick start to remove the lower limbs. It was a large tree. I took pictures from the house as the mosquitoes were really biting & I use the spray only when I have to.

 Limb removal, Bill bought a new chainsaw, knowing how many trees have to be cleaned up on our property.
 Our neighbour Dellie has been cutting wood for weeks, you can see it in the background. Bill begins the cutting for the direction of the fall. He would spend his summer months with his grandpa, at his place in northern Ontario & would be cutting trees with him for the winter firewood.

 The air was filled with the sound of the chainsaw.
 The tree was full of sap!!! The chainsaw was getting clogged, there's a time of the month that it's best to cut down a sap tree? Who knew?!

 Now the strategy begins as Dellie, Nick, & Bill make their plans.
 OK the plan is made. Rope the tree, Nick that's your job! Bill get the JD tractor, Nellie will be on the large digger.
 The yard is buzzing with the plans!  So were the mosquitoes! lol
 Nick climbs into the tree...
 High enough, tie the rope around it! ...

 Now to get down...
 Nick will later find out that he's allergic to pine trees, something he forgot about!!
 Nick is done...
Now with that rope attached...


 Dellie takes his position...
 Not allowing the tree to fall towards the powerline...
 He's ready!



 Bill continues cutting the wedge out of the tree...
 That sap was a problem...
 Done!
 Then he starts cutting it from the back?!!
 I'm getting nervous as I've never seen a tree cut down!
 OK - Places everyone...
 Dellie pushes...

Nick pulls with the JD tractor...the rope breaks were it was tied!
 With the rope tied again, Bill continues to cut, nick pulls, Dellie pushes...
 It's going down!!! I moved the camera to get the whole picture in! How exciting to watch & pray that all goes as planned!
 Yes!!!It's down, right where they wanted it!
 Dead tree, but Dellie said it will make good firewood.
 It's a large tree, Bill looks so small next to it!

 Dellie & Bill having a look...
 Nick & Boris join in.
 Now the job of removing the tree...
 Dellie's pile look good in the background. He & his wife Margie heat with wood through the winter.

 Nick starts limb removal
 Bill joins in, those two worked till dusk!


 Meanwhile back with momma....

 Boris watched Rexton play in the crate that she arrived in.
 He too was crate trained as a puppy.

 Then I couldn't find her, she was fast asleep on the table!!
 How sweet but back in your crate/crib!!


The buzz of the chainsaw went on all evening. The trailer was used to get all the branches collected for a beach bonfire when everyone is together for Thanksgiving.

 Look at all the vechiles & equipment! The lawn will never be the same!
 See the hummingbird feeder in the foreground? Well the hummingbirds were not afraid of the noise nor the activity, they just would fly & sip through it!

 The last of the branches!
 The trunk was too full of sap to cut down. It was pushed into the woods to dry up naturally.

 Look at the length of those legs!!
I was making plarn for a shopping bag I'm still making, she just played with the plastic then was too tiered & snoozed.


 
 Now for the trunk removal!! Wow this rural living has been a huge learning curve for me!

 Dellie braced the digger & started to claw away at the grass...

 The roots started popping out of the ground!
 Nick & Bill now equipped with their netting on, to keep the mosquitoes off!
 The roots were chopped off & put in the bucket of the JD tractor.





 The digging & root cutting went on for hours!








 Dellie gets down to assess the progress...


 Yess it is time for the trunk!

 With the trunk now gone, there's a crater hole  in the lawn...
 Where a tree use to be!





 More root removal...


 What a huge job, two days & many hours with this trio working together!





 All that work & noise & Rexton just snoozed through it. She seems to enjoy my hooked rug even if it's not finished yet! lol
 I was at the thrift store & purchased a blanket for her crate/crib & the dollar store for some toys, the collar was way too big!

 She's so precious!

 I've got tell you the story that aged me!!

Bill & I were going into town & on the way out we took the garbage out to the bin. As Bill was putting the garbage in the bin I saw a hawk fly over with a small black thing with legs hanging...like my kitten!!! OMG is it Rexton, the screen door was coming loose & had detached from the bottom. NO please no. I told Bill what I had just saw & he asked if I wanted to go back to the cottage to check. Yes!! I wanted to & as Nick & I called for her & looked for her, we could not find her. My throat was growing thick & I wanted to cry, how could this be. We checked every floor & all her sleeping spots, she was not to be found!! Then Nick called me, Rexton was sound asleep on a chair pushed under the table. Oh thank goodness!!! Bill fixed the screen that evening. The hawk must have taken one of the feral kittens, oh the food chain can be cruel but sadly it's nature & survival.

 
 This little kitten has only been here a week...
 And...
 I've grown so fond of her!

 I've been keeping her crib in my studio...
 She goes into the open crate...
 Snoozes for hours!


 She too loves the sound of the sewing machine! lol

 But anytime after 6pm...she's not allowed to sleep!!

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Well Deb, I got my Crazy Star quilt done!!!
Not without some challenges!
 Nick has such a great eye! He noticed that two of my blocks - corner blocks were horizontal, instead of vertical.
 Well I could make it right, right after I unsewed & placed them correctly!
I'm glad he noticed it before I had it all machine quilted - then noticed!

 It's together & I'm really pleased with it. Now it's ready for the longarm quilter Bev, who is now a rug hooker too!


 Close up of the stars...Star Crazy for sure!
Flying free in the breezy shore air. And now I'm free to start another project!

Thank you for stopping by, it was a long post but it was a full week! A new kitten, tree removal, chandelier installed, and a wonderful visit with Bill & Nicholas!