Gift recycling

My daughter is great at recycling, especially when it comes to gifts for me.   Every time we get together  the topic eventually gets around to quilts, sewing and the fabric I have purchased recently.  Being such a good  mother, I always let Andrea paw through my fabric.

Not only does she help lessen my load of fabric, sometimes she even sends it back to me in a new format.   Her Mother`s Day gift to me was no exception, this blue  shopping bag was sewn completely from fabric she borrowed from me.

I can`t wait to see the quilt she will no doubt  make for  me.  After all I know I have  provided the fabric for at least three king size quilts.

Eye candy for the quilters

After the chocolate bunny and jelly bean frenzy, I thought a bit of quilting eye candy is just what we need.   This is for those of you who do not subscribe to my daughter Andrea’s FLickr account.

I bought the Rodale Easy Machine Quilting book  years ago thinking I would teach myself how to machine quilt. On a good day, threading the bobbin is a challenge for me, so needless to say I did not get past the table of contents in this book.

My daughter Andrea borrowed the book recently, read it from cover to cover, bought a walking foot and produced this beautiful piece of work.

If you own the book, you will instantly recognize the Amish Wall Quilt from page 219.  The skill level is easy – maybe for some, but not in my little world. Beautiful job Andrea!

Happy 40th birthday Andrea!

My brilliant, incredible, talented daughter Andrea turns 40 today!  You can drop by her blog and leave her birthday wishes by clicking here.

Andrea, Ron and my youngest grand-daughter Emma drove 3 1/2 hours yesterday to spend the day with us.   Even though we had agreed that we would spend the Easter weekend apart, during our usual Sunday morning call last weekend Andrea asked if we were coming over.  I reminded her of our previous week’s conversation, we were busy, she was busy, yada, yada, yada.    Andrea whined, “Okay, make me admit it.  I miss you guys. I haven’t been to your house in ages. It’s my birthday weekend. I want to go through your fabric.”   The truth was out.   She might be grown up but she is still my little girl at heart.  And nothing brings her home like quilting fabric.

We had a wonderful day full of good food, birthday cake, balloons, quilt books and of course fabric fondling.

Andrea was good enough to go through my fabric stash and relieve me of what ever pieces she could use.  Two large garbage bags full.   And what did I buy my fabric loving daughter for her birthday?  40 for 40.   Forty fat quarters tucked into a Liberty of London oil cloth bag, and a 12 inch square ruler.   Andrea borrowed my ruler a year ago, so buying one for her  was the only way to get mine back.

Here’s a few pictures of Andrea through the years.

Green Beaver apres ski

No it is not a drink, it is what I used on my hands and face to survive this  cold, dry winter.   I find dried chapped skin very painful, not to mention ugly.  And “winter itch” is down right nasty.

Luckily for me,  Miss Julia gifted me with a jar of Green Beaver apres ski winter face cream at Christmas.  (Thank you again Julia).

I absolutely  love this lightly scented  shea and cocoa butter  cream.   It is perfection in a jar.   If I were dropped on a deserted island and could only bring one thing (besides my DH and the kitty of course) I would opt for this skin cream.

Check out the rest of the Green Beaver Company line, your face and skin will thank you.

Didn`t get a t-shirt

Andrea and Ron have been speaking at Word Press camps (Chicago, New York) while I stay home and babysit the girls.  Andrea promised to bring back  a t-shirt for me as proof that she was at the conference  and not just spending a weekend holed up at a hotel with her husband.  Here`s proof she really did attend the Wor d Press Camp.  To hear my wonderfully intelligent daughter go here!

I`m one proud mama, even if I didn`t get a t-shirt!

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.

Proud mama

but Carl and I will stay behind with our two youngest granddaughters while my daughter Andrea and her husband Ron speak at the conference.

My cost for spending 4 fun filled days with my grand-daughters will be a WP t-shirt and mention of my blog during their presentationd.  Andrea, I’ll know as I expect my stats to increase after the conference and the free shout.

For more information about the conference, go here.   If you see Andrea and Ron at the conference, introduce yourself.  Tell them Mam sent you.

Disobedience

Pooh, promise you won’t forget about me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.”
Pooh thought for a little. “How old shall I be then?”
“Ninety-nine.”
Pooh Nodded. “I promise,” he said.

Today CBC announced the publication of the sequel “Return to the Hundred Acre woods.”  How could any one improve on Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin?  So far the reviews of the new book have been quite favourable.

A.A. Milne has always been a favourite in our house, especially the “Now we are Six” poems.  I first read the poems when I was 14 and it was one of the first book I bought for Andrea. At bedtime the poems were much easier on little ears.  It is no small wonder her middle name is Robyn.

At the end of the broadcast, driving along by myself, I recited my favourite A.A. Milne poem, “Disobedience”.   I could not count the number of time I read that poem to Andrea, and later to John Douglas,

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James
Said to his Mother,
“Mother”, he said, said he;
“You must never go down to the end of the town,
if you don’t go down with me.”

James James
Morrison’s Mother
Put on a golden gown,
James James
Morrison’s Mother
Drove to the end of the town.
James James
Morrison’s Mother
Said to herself, said she:
“I can get right down to the end of the town and be
back in time for tea”

King John
Put up a notice,
“LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED!
JAMES JAMES
MORRISON’S MOTHER
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MISLAID.
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY;
QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD,
SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN TO THE END OF THE TOWN-
FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!

James James
Morrison Morrison
(Commonly known as Jim)
Told his
Other relations
Not to go blaming _him_.
James James
Said to his Mother,
“Mother”, he said, said he:
“You must never go down to the end of the town with-
out consulting me.”

James James
Morrison’s Mother
Hasn’t been heard of since.
King John
Said he was sorry,
So did the Queen and Prince.
King John
(Somebody told me)
Said to a man he knew:
“If people go down to the end of the town, well,
what can anyone do?”

(Now then, very softly)

J. J.
M. M.
W. G. Du P.
Took great
C/o his M*****
Though he was only 3.
J. J.
Said to his M*****
“M*****”, he said, said he:
“You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-if-
you-don’t-go-down-with-ME!”

– A. A. Milne

What’s your favourite Pooh?

October – isn’t it beautiful

“Crispy air and azure skies,
High above, a white cloud flies,
Bright as newly fallen snow.
Oh the joy to those who know October!

Colors bright on bush and tree.
Over the weedy swamp, we see
A veil of purple and brown and gold.
Thy beauty words have never told. October!

Scolding sparrows on the lawn,
Rabbits frisking home at dawn,
Pheasants midst the sheaves of grain,
All in harmony acclaim, October!

Brown earth freshly turned by plow,
Apples shine on bended bough,
Bins o’erflowed with oats and wheat,
And satisfaction reigns complete. October!

Radiant joy is everywhere.
Spirits in tune to the spicy air,
Thrill in the glory of each day.
Life’s worth living when we say, October!”
-   Joseph Pullman Porter

Photo borrowed from my daughter’s flickr site.

Maybe I’m not cut out to be a belly dancer

Yesterday afternoon as I lay sprawled across the chesterfield in a medicated haze, the phone rang.  It took me a few minutes to realize it was the phone as my hands, eyes, ears coordination was not that great.   The caller was my daughter, during prime time on her dime.  The moment I heard her voice I asked, “Am I dead?”.   She never calls me through the week, let alone on her dime, even with family calling rates she still waits until Sunday to speak with her ailing  mother.

I knew I had to recover quickly if she was that concerned.  Or after spending the afternoon with Julia, she wanted to get first dibs on my stuff in case I was on the way out!

So I’m back and up and at it, after a week from hell.   When my back started aching a week ago this past Saturday I did not give it much mind.  Hell the pain was not that bad, I even joined a belly dancing class the following day with my friend “J”.   My Christmas wish list was to include veils and scarves from my grandchildren.   My plan was to cut a video for each of them starting with a disclaimer that any therapy brought on by watching their grandmother do the dance of the seven veils would be at their own expense.   Monday I suffered through thinking it was the belly dancing.   Tuesday afternoon I spent in the outpatient’s department undergoing blood work, peeing in a very tiny bottle and being x-rayed.

From Tuesday to Saturday I followed the doctor’s orders, took  my medication (Tylenol 3), used a heating pad.  All in anticipation of Sunday’s belly dancing class.   (It’s a grandmother’s duty to expose her grandchildren to different cultures.  And to think of meaningful Christmas gifts.)   Besides my DH was home from Cape Breton and Miss Julia was visiting from Vancouver.

By Saturday evening I could not walk let alone bend over to go to the bathroom without excruciating pain in my lower back and left hip.   So back to the outpatients we go.  This time I received a shot of Demerol and gravel in the butt.  The nurse pointed out to my husband that she did not cause the red angry rash on my butt.  In my loopiness I had to explain that earlier that day I was convinced that a Motrin pain relief rub would end the hurt.   Who knew I was allergy to analgesic rubs!   An emergency cat scan was scheduled for Monday.

To risk sounding like a hypercondriac, I’ll shorten the story.   We went back to the outpatients’ on Monday for the cat scan, returning later in the day for the reading.  By the time we returned the lab was closed and I was just about crazy with the pain.   The nice doctor prescribed morphine and that did the trick.   Mind you I found out I also react to morphine.  By way of projectile vomiting.   By Tuesday I had a rash on my butt, a pain that would not go away and constant vomiting.   Through the magic of gravol, morphine and a good night’s sleep I was convinced I would live again.   Another day of rest was the ticket.

Today I went back to work, drug free for over 24 hours.  Now if I could only get rid of that rash.