Preparing Christmas - On The North East Coast

The decorating has begun, oh how I love Christmas!

 The shore is starting to ice up with the cold weather & there's no snow yet...it will come but for now it comes as rain & freezing rain. Neighbours along the 117 route highway have started decorating with lights. I've not yet seen that till now & it is a wow factor for me to see such Christmas night beauty shining brightly in the evening. And evening comes so early now, last night the sun set at 4:33pm!
The daylight hours are so short now & I make a point not to miss taking my vitamin D daily.

Bill & Nicholas were here last week & helped me do a lot of the Christmas decorating. :-)

 Rexton takes in the afternoon sun, sitting on top of the wood stove. The fires in the wood stove are done mostly at night so the stove is not hot during the day. Notice her collar? She's the only pet I have that enjoys were a collar...wait till you see her in her Christmas collar!

 Nicholas happily claimed his spot in the greatroom. Wingback chair, slate table, & his laptop!

 Bill & Nick enjoying a quite time after bring more than 1 1/2 cords of wood home & stacking it outside, in the potting shed, & the sun porch, for warm, cozy fires from the fire box. Thank you!

 Boris snoozes in his fleece blanket, thinking 'Baby it's cold outside', he doesn't do winters well.

 I painted Aunt Foda's manger in white, to compliment the nativity figures that I purchased at a yard sale last summer.

 Bill helped me bring my idea to life, having it on top of the entertainment unit! The Restoration Hardware birch lights really add to the nativity scene.

 It's just perfect! Thank you Ann for giving me your mom's manger, it's now an heirloom that will come to life every Christmas!

 I wanted a themed Christmas of red & white, the tree & the nativity scene to be the focal points.
This tree has so many lights, it illuminates  the great room beautifully! And with the nativity scene lights, the focal points are just that!

 I found some of my nutcracker collection & they've been placed on the windowsill. As I unpack over the next couple of years the others will be found too!

 The Christmas Bargello from my Heather Stewart workshop, hangs well here on the stairs landing.

 The beige in the bargello is a perfect compliment to the buffalo check drapes in the greatroom.
I just love how things are coming together here!

 The leather bench has been accented with some Christmas too! Santa's trip around the world, a pillow covering of the old Canadian quarter design, done in Christmas colours, & a rug hooked pillow I purchased a few years back in Florida.

 In back of the wingback hangs a hand appliqued quilt of  red Christmas cardinals, those branches were a lot of work & oh so worth it as Beth Michalitis did her magic with here longarm quilting it.

 I love snowmen at Christmas & Frosty is one of my favourites! He had lost his pipe in the move & I had purchased one for a Santa I wanted to make & haven't yet. So I sewed & glued this one in!

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 It had to be stable as you push the red button in the center of the snow, his mouth moves as he sings 'Frosty the Snowman'! I love watching the old classic with the all the kids over the years, I never of the Christmas animated classics.



 The button wreath has been placed out on the monkey chair.

 What do you do with white buttons? Sew them in a circle, many circles & you have a wreath!

 I sewed in many different buttons for the kids to play an I spy, inside the wreath, stars, anchors, roller skates, & elephants, can be found inside this button wreath.


Sewing These Days....

 I've moved into the kitchen for now as the studio aka mudroom has turned very cold. It was a porch & the bottom is open to the north winds that blow under it. Sew for now it's the invasion of the kitchen! lol

The island counter is the right height for my cutting & the ironing board is placed at the other end of the island where the outlets are.
Christmas sewing continues with the making of the Christmas socks this week. It's time to get he stocking hung! Six are to be made & each one differently so there's no assembly sewing with this project...I just need to start! With my sewing stations in place it will be an enjoyable process.

I keep getting side tracked with other ideas though. I came across this UFO of a shading class that I did with the Miramichi Rug Hookers in Bouchtocuhe a few years back.

The rug hooking fabric is wonderful to work with & the center rose was the shading class. There was so much fabric left over that I used the quilting technique of a square in a square, then formed a circle to make a chair pad for one of the wooden chairs in the kitchen. I randomly used the leftover wood to outline the design & will fill it in with? not sure yet. It will have to wait till the Christmas sewing is over, I'm pleased with the idea so far & it will remain a UFO till next year!

Sew much to do...Sew little time!

It's rather exciting staying here now & I'm going to experience my first Christmas in New Brunswick on the north shore. It has a wind that comes off the water that goes straight through you. The new windows, insulation, & siding have helped cut down the drafts that use to move through this place.
It's cozy with the fire from the wood stove at night & yes, 'Baby it's cold outside'!

Thank you for stopping by for a visit & I hope your warm wherever you are!

Time To Get Caught Up...Grab A Cuppa

I know that I've been out of the blog for a while.  My leg is healing nicely & I'm so grateful that it was not broken but it will still take another month to lose the large bump on the shin...which my very well have chips in it... an x-ray my tell me more but for now I'm mobile & trying to get caught up.

 I've heard people say that strange & eventful things happen on a full moon & the Hunter Moon from October will stay with me for a long time! It's nearly time for 'Beaver Moon' that's what November's moon is called. I like beavers & it was very clever of ROOTS to use it in their logo.

 We all did a lot of snoozing & the fur kids liked it that I was part of their collective & not out 'running the roads' as the expression here goes. lol

 I was pleased to see old Tom, he's going into his 17th year now, was so accepting of wee Rexton,who's now one. She is such a handful, while I was talking to my girlfriend Lynn, Rexton got into the china cabinet & when she jumped out the shelf acted like a diving board...vibrating & moving the two large platters out of their groove & sending them straight out like a pair of frizbie's..cleaning all the china infront of them. What a noise of smashing dishes, poor Lynn heard it all! lol I've been saving for years, broken dishes for some  mosaic tiled projects. Rexton just added a whole box of broken dishes to my collection, shattered memories is a good name for 'the project'. lol

                                      How could something so cute be so much trouble!! lol

                            I don't ever remember Tom Cat being so inquisitive in his early years.

                                         These days he eats & sleeps & wow can that cat snore!

                         Rexton truly has Manx in her & as she matures it's coming out more & more.

 Boris is doing well & snuggles & in his blankets as the days have turned cold & windy.

 I had Jay bring my herb garden in so I could keep enjoying the fresh herbs.

 They're in the sunporch, it's cool but not freezing...yet. lol

 To have fresh sage, parsley, thyme & rosemary is a real treat to the taste buds & all will be used in our Christmas feast this holiday season.

 My time in the 'foot up, ice pack/heat pad, mode was knitting my Swedish Christmas Gnomes.

                                           The flowers at the front foyer as still flowering!

Huge Surprise !!!

I went to the mailbox yesterday & pulled out another large envelope from Daytripping. I thought it odd that I was sent another. I opened it & to my surprise it was filled with loose envelopes & a paper stating that my photo at the Three Sisters Mountain was chosen as '2015 Photo of the Year'!!!

 My life is so blessed & so filled with so many surprises that I smile all the time these days.
Thank you Bill for taking this photo of me! XO




Rexton The Rascal!

 The Manx in her makes her want to be in high places...

 I've started decorating the house for Christmas & put up the Restoration Hardware birch lights.

                       She loves to be a night stalker & will  perch herself up there at night,

 See the two brown leather tub chairs below, well one now is covered with a quilt as that's where she bounces & down from the top of the oak unit.

 She has many moods & many looks to her these days. maybe because the weather is entering another new season.

 Boris just loves resting in front of the firebox, if he was a cat I'm sure he'd purr! lol

 Rexton, yes I'm talking to you...your not going to like it up there when Aunt Foda's large manger is repaired & painted then filled with the nativity figures.

 Oh my, I hope she will be content with the height of the mezzanine & will stay out of the manger!
I really don't want them in my Shattered Memories Mosaic!!lol

Christmas Dishes

All the Portmeirion dishes that were packed last spring for the trek out east made it! All but one square plate that was broken into two pieces...maybe some glue & a reinvention to it will save it , for now.

 I spent the day moving out all the blue & white dishes & took them to the basement, where they're being stored on a four tiered shelf. What a careful workout that was going up & down the stairs. lol

 I found these red sparkled plastic chargers at Walmart for $1.97 ea. I usually have my green glass Pyrex chargers but they never made the trip out last May. Love these red ones though. And it's going to be the colour theme this Christmas -  Red & White, oh so Canadian, so festive!

 This is the china cabinet that Rexton went into & helped me clear the top shelf! lol

 This was my $2 find at the Salvation Army last week with Elizabeth. It really reminded me of a Fritz & Floyd design & I love the wildlife with Santa.

 Lynn hand stitched for me, thisangel of beauty & she's oh so ready to add to the favour of the Christmas theme, I just love her, she usually is with me in my sewing studio. Thank you Lynn!

 Look Sandy! There's Boris! He made the trip east too! The red berries I found on our property & have been sharing with others for their decorating too! My friend Ross brought a bunch to me to decorate & I pointed to my woods, 'Are those the same berries?' Yes!!! Lucky me. ;-)

                                  My mom's vintage elf looks so cute with the Christmas dishes.

 This will be the first year I won't be getting  any new pieces for they Portmeirion Holly & Ivy dishes. So sad that they are no longer made in England but are manufactured off shore. I'll be watching in antique stores for some pieces or ebay if Bill lets me go back on. lol

                              The salt & pepper mills were the newest addition last year.

                    Mitchell surprised me one year with the lovely cake server & salad spoons!

 Everything is finding its place out here & the rustic stone chimney wall enhances the design in the dishes.

 I want to enjoy viewing & using the dishes so they're all out & the King thumbprint cranberry dishes will be used with them.


Christmas Stockings~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 These are the fabrics I'm going to make the Christmas stocking in. I have six to make sew I must get focused to start, I want no two the same. This will be fun!

 The Fons & Porter Christmas magazine with Jim Shore was my inspiration. I've copied the pattern for the sock & it's a good size for Santa to fill! lol

 I do like the Christmas Gnomes the best!

 The sunporch has gone through some changes.

 I moved all the leather furniture out there as it was too cold to sit on in the great room! Bill brought me Harry's antique settee & it fits me fine. :-)

And just around the corner in the sunroom, the lemon wingback awaits summer again.

 Bill & Nicholas arrive tomorrow, just in time to fill the firewood ring, just a few pieces left for tonight. Boris loves his nightly fire & I do too as the heat rises to the upstairs bedroom. ;-)

 This was my find at the craft show I did last weekend. I had my quilted & knitted items, this vendor worked with wood. What a find & it opens to hold hats & mittens too!

I finshed the buttonhole stitching on the reindeer & added a red nose to Rudolph. This is a Karen Neary pattern that I wanted to do for years, it's called Santa's Trip Around The World'.

I've been busy with Service New Brunswick too! I now have voted this year as a resident, I've got my New Brunswick health card, license, & the other day I put on my own new New Brunswick vehicle plates!

Everything is falling into place here & it sure feels like home.

This will be our first Christmas here & some of the kids are coming home!

Have a wonderful week. I've a very busy one & I'm getting use to this new laptop, thank you Nicholas my techie one!

Thank you for visiting & sorry was not home when you looked in.
All is well, wishing you the very best!