Aprons

My friend Bridget sent this.  Brought back a few memories.

Remember making an apron in Home Ec.? I don’t think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the menfolks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Sarah

Sarah was operated on late last night and is doing fine.    She will be hospitalized for a few days yet.

Proud and worried Mam

• The past 24 hours have been a roller coaster of emotions.   Yesterday I was one proud Mam.  My very talented daughter Andrea was interviewed by Costas Halavrezos on the CBC radio program Maritime Noon.   If you would like to hear the interview go here, and click on Why did you decide to live in the Maritimes ?.   You will need to listen to the first half of the program, the segment including Andrea is about 12 minutes into the pod cast.

Today I am a very worried Mam.   My grand-daughter Sarah was admitted to the hospital with a ruptured appendicitis.   This is her first hospitalization ever.   Please keep her in your prayers.   Luckily, my DH is in Fredericton so he was able to visit and get the details first hand from Andrea.

Meaghan, Andrea, Addison and Kaytlyn are all keeping watch over her at the hospital.    Sarah  is in good hands.

This one is for Sarah

My very talented and creative oldest grandchild, Sarah, gave me the best Christmas present ever.

This book is perfect as it tells me `Everything I wanted to know about quilting, that my daughter wouldn`t tell me.

For years my long suffering daughter has been taking my frantic phone call wanting help with yet another quilting foul up. Thanks to Sarah, Andrea will no longer roll her eyes and mutter she must be  adopted.   Andrea inherited the sewing gene from both her grandmothers.  That gene just flew past me without a second thought.  What is simple for Andrea completely baffles me.

This incredible little book has great illustrations, and a no nonsense question and answer format!  It is just like calling Andrea without the eye rolling.

Luckily Sarah was blessed with the sewing gene and a creative natural talent.   So when I came across this dress on Toxel.com I  immediately thought of Sarah and her graphic design course.   Now all I need is to find enough telephone books to make the dress.   Guess I will have to call Andrea.

Pretty in pink

Inspired by this quilt,  I have been sewing a pretty little quilt for the newest expected member of our family.  My grandson Addison and his wife Kaytlyn are expecting their first child, a girl, in April.

I figure if I start it now I should have it completed by the time she graduates!

We have been sitting on the news since August, waiting until all signs were good.   Mommy and baby- to- be are fine, and Daddy is taking it in stride considering he has always lived in a house of girls, with his 3 sisters.

Here`s a sneak peek of  the pretty in pink blocks and the additional fabric I intend to use. I have been paying strict attention to the scale of the fabrics and the colours.  I want the quilt to be perfect for our expected princess.

And if it turns out,  she is not a girly girl, I have that covered too! I have a stash of  Bob the Builder and Finding Nemo fabric.

Pyjama Day

I am on holidays until next Wednesday.  Yesterday my DH and I drove to Fredericton in a snow storm to take my oldest granddaughter shopping.  That is what good grand parents do! Besides she deserved a shopping day.   Sarah received her marks and has a 3.0 grade point average, not too shabby considering she has always been home schooled, this is her first year at college and is holding down a part time job.  She has not received the marks from her best class so the average may go up.

The snow storm hampered our shopping a bit, but we still had a good visit.  Of course we had to top it off with a visit to our favourite bookstore-coffee shop Reads. Sarah drops into Reads each morning for a cup of coffee on the way to school.  That girl has good taste.

I traded my books for a new stash.  Last evening I started  The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and read until after midnight.

Today is all about me.  I plan to stay in my pyjamas until it is time to take a shower and put on fresh jammies.   As the temperature is minus 14 with a wind chill factor of  20, I slept in rather than going to the gym.   The rest of the day will be dedicated to puttering, quilting, reading and cooking.   Sounds busy but to me it is a perfect holiday.  What is your idea of a perfect stay at home day?

Weekend highlights

Celebrating Emma`s 9th birthday

Spending time with Julia

Stopping to let a moose cross the road

Stopping to let a deer cross the road

Perfect driving weather to and from Woodstock

Julia wearing her lovely tea cozy hat

The three of us snuggled in the front seat, as the back seat of the truck was too stuff with presents

Dinner with the family

A snap picture of my granddaughter Meaghan with a smile on her face

A picnic lunch at Kilkarny Lake on the way home

Being blessed with children and grandchildren

Happy birthday Emma

Her Royal Highness Princess Emma is 9 years old today! Although some days speaking with her on the telephone,  she speaks as if she was 40.

Tomorrow we will travel for 3 and a half hours to join in the celebration of Emma.  There will be cake, dinner at a restaurant, presents, and movies. But best of all there will be Emma.  Emma is a member of the free hug society. She spreads peace and good will where ever she goes by handing out hugs. She has a special talent for finding people who really need a hug at that very moment.

She is truly the best Christmas gift ever.

The idea that no one is perfect is a view most commonly held by people with no grandchildren. ~Doug Larson

Carl and I both slept in this morning after a wonderful, hectic, fun filled extra long weekend with the grand-daughters. Usually when we visit we stay at the hotel, as we are early risers and they are night owls.  But as Ron and Andrea were off cavorting in NYC, we nestled down in Sarah’s room. With so many DVDs to watch, and so much to do, we all adjusted our sleeping schedules.

My youngest grand-daughter Emma kept the activities coming one after another. Emma will be a politician when she grows up. If she works a crowd the way she works her grandparents, she will be the prime minister by the time she is thirty. Since she was old enough to crawl she has always spent equal time with Carl and I, showing no favourite. Emma and I designed quilt patterns both on paper and with plastic fusion beads.   Here’s one of her original designs which she wants made into a full size quilt.

Carl and Emma did a few walk abouts around the house, played on the Wii, shot pool, let him win at cards and read books together.   As a family we watch DVDs especially Wall-E and Shrek 3 (especially the commentaries), sang silly songs, went shopping, went on walks, shopped for pyjamas and  (as a special consideration to the grandparents) watched the news.   During the news, most of what came out of that little 8 year olds’ mouth, made more sense than the politicians we were watching.   She has very definite but well informed views on global warming, the H1N1 vaccine and the celebrating of Christmas as Baby Jesus birthday and not a gift giving extravaganza.

As grandparents it was our duty to see that the children ate properly.  The proof is in this picture of our visit to Dairy Queen.  Every one knows you eat sprinkled ice cream before the fries.

On Sunday afternoon we drove to Bath for a visit  with my sister Boo, where we enjoyed old fashioned molasses cookies and bread fresh from the oven.   When we returned home, Meaghan quickly mixed up a batch of bread.  Half was used to make pizza crust for supper. The other loaf was enjoyed the next morning with raspberry jam also made by Meaghan.  Each meal Meaghan would prepare the vegetables,  my job was to cook the meat (as she is vegetarian).  I was also allowed to prepare Kraft dinner for lunch under the watchful eye and strict directions of Emma.  Apparently I prepared it wrong the last time.

Besides making a batch of toblerone fudge, Meaghan also did all the dishes.  She also presented us with her home made soap, one bar of aloe vera and a bar of cinnamon soap. As a grand-daughters go,  she is definitely a keeper!

By the time, Andrea and Ron arrived home Monday afternoon we were ready to say our goodbyes, already looking forward to next month’s visit.

Apparently I’m special

While helping me make the bed last night Emma said, “Mam, you’re special!  You don’t move slow like other people’s grandmothers.  And I don’t have to talk to you real slow either.  So you’re special.”

Higher praise has never been given.