What happened to April? where to start.........

Started off the month of April sewing sleeves on articles to hang at the quilt show, and sorting through things to put in the Boutique there. Then life took a turn for the worst as I struggled with the mess renovation was creating in my life. I like to see things around me neat and tidy, (and I'd like it even better if someone else would do that chore!) And when it ISN'T that way, nothing gets done. Then Emails started coming in about my Mom's health, so I made plans for a visit home to Ontario. She had no illnesses (unless you count diabetes, but it was controlled with insulin), but was over 97 years old and life was taking its toll on her body and mind. Booked a flight home (my REAL home.....Ontario) for April 15th at 7 a.m. and alas, Mom died in the early hours of that same day. It would be cruel to wish her still here unless we could magically have her back as the happening,lively chick that she was, but we do miss her.

After my trip home, I got back here to where I am blooming (with very shallow roots) where I have been planted) yesterday very early hours and when my brain catches up with my body will post more. In the meantime, hope every body knows I am content in the knowledge that Mom is in a better place and that I will see her again and we will spend eternity together, with no more troubles for either of us. Not that we had that many; we have been very blessed.

Here is a photo of some of us (me and some of the brothers at the celebration of her life after the Requiem Mass and the interment at Sacred Heart of Jesus RC Cemetery in Marmora.

Hard to believe that 22 days have flown by since I last posted! Time flies when you're busy living life and not having enough hours in the day to write about it. I finished quite a few projects, like the little sweater and hat for Emily and the hat for Emma (knitted things) and made a great start on my challenge quilt for the Quilt show coming up at the end of May. And then after last guild meeting, I stayed to take Carolyn's class on fabric postcards and now I am hooked on that. So now you can catch me running back and forth between my sewing room and the scrapbooking/cardmaking room because a lot of the stuff I am using for the postcards comes from the scrapbooking room. It will be so nice when it is all together in one room.

Speaking of that, Jeremy started last Monday (the lucky 17th) framing and insulating that section of the basement, with a finish date of 3 weeks. If I could think of a way to transport everything neatly down 2 flights of stairs and have it magically go where it will be most efficient, then I would truly think I had died and gone to heaven. One of my online chatters has named it "No-Man's Land" ; after I got done laughing, I thought it would be a great name for the christening of that room. I did take photos of the before and am anxious to take the after pics. Will share them there when it is all done.

Scrap booking: I learned how to change a DVD case into a photo album that would make the neatest gift. When I get photos in it I will post that here as well.

We had a very quiet Easter here, quite chilly at only 8 degrees C. When we visited Amber and the kids, Emma asked me if the Easter Bunny came to me. She was quite sad that he came to Granddad but not to me. And it's not that I don't like chocolate! More that the Easter Bunny doesn't believe in ME!

Surfin' for quilt patterns

Well this is all you get done when you spend 4 hours online looking for the perfect design with which to quilt a delectable mountains quilt! One site links to another and before you know it the day has long shadows. So to make up for my lack of anything productive having been done, I had to make some peanut butter cookies and this is what they look like........And here's the recipe (if you're not on a wheat free diet, just use regular flour and skip the Xanthan gum).

In mixer bowl, blend:

1/2 cup each of brown sugar, white sugar, peanut butter and regular butter

1 tsp vanilla

Add One egg and mix till fluffy.

Stop mixer and add:

1+ 1/4 cups g/f flour mix

1 tsp Xanthan gum

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Blend on med. speed till mix leaves the sides of the bowl and the beater. You may need to add a few more Tbsp of sweet rice flour to achieve this.

Using a med scoop, scoop out dough and place on cookie sheet about 2" apart. Mash down with fork and sprinkle with a dash of white sugar. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Makes 2 dozen big cookies.

For Jane and Philip: i gathered up some bubble wrap and got your parcel ready today, so don't drop it on your way from the post office!

For Sandie: Same thing

For Scott: Did Emily get her doll stuff yet?

For Kevin: Will try again to call you tonight.

And can you believe we are into March already? Plan tomorrow is to stay in my sewing room and not come out till I get my challenge quilt ready to photograph for the quilt registration. So it can rain all day if it wants to.

Working away on my Challenge quilt today, have the center completed and the borders are cut and ready to be added. The theme was "Once Upon a Time", so I have a fairy sitting on a branch in my garden watching other fairies, (which are invisible to all except virgins) dance. I also Put a quilt that I am making for Kelly on the frame this morning, but am still figuring out how to quilt it, I want to find something with shamrocks in it so may end up having to doodle one myself if my search is unfruitful.
And last, but not least, I am so close to being done with the cookbook. That will be a day to celebrate, when that is downloaded to disc and ready to be shipped out. One more day and I will have met the last of my movable deadlines! Instead of printing out hard copies, I am copying it to disc. That seems to be the latest way to disseminate information. Takes up less room than a hard cover book, and if you want to copy it, go for it, you have my permission!

Isn't this the cutest thing?

Did you ever take a class with a bunch of professional scrap-bookers who knew what they were doing? Did that on Saturday down at a new (to me) store, opposite Jazz-Ma-Taz on Montrose St. I think it's called Urban Trends. I think the gal running it used to work at Suki's on Granville. Well at least she had the same attitude! Part of the project (making a Vintage Photo Album) consisted of applying "Rub-ons". So you take a Popsicle stick and run it over the lettering while holding the lettering in place in the spot you want the design to be transferred to. So I'm rubbing away, thinking I will discover fire before this thing gets transferred. Turns out you have to remove the plastic from the back of the rub-on first. Since the "teacher" assumed we all knew what we were doing she neglected to tell us that. Nice to give folks a reason to laugh at one of the newbies.....moi. Oh well, been laughed at before and will be again. But it definitely gave me a reason not to patronize this store again. Hate to have to run all the way to Chilliwack to Classics on Alexander but they are most helpful there and never make you feel like a kindergartner in University...even if that is what you are. I did finish the album though and it got me back into the scrapbook room. Now I'm searching for a red album that had photos from 1986 to 88.can't find it anywhere. And all the albums are in that room, so where oh where could it be? Do any of my children know????

Did you see the moon?

I went out and sat on the driveway last night for a half-hour to watch the eclipse, and it was so exciting to see the moon emerge bright and white after the 'shadow' had passed. Held my arm up to see if it would show up, but couldn't see it with my naked eye at all, at all.

we went to the States yesterday on a little shopping trip and I found all the rulers that I have been searching for ever since the Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt challenge. so now they are neatly stored in my Omnigrid rack awaiting the next time I do hourglass blocks, or half square triangles, etc. got some really nice St. Patrick's stuff too, fabric with shamrocks AND ladybugs too, how cool is that! and socks and stickers, oh I could have spent a fortune. Just love the ABUNDANCE down there! And clerks who seem to be so happy you're a customer in their store. Strange feeling to have a smiling clerk!

And will post photos at last of my Red and Black jacket and convertible mittens while we are still in a month to celebrate the color red.
Finally...Happy Birthday to my number one grandson, james, who celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday. Congratulations James, and on your new career as a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces. Travel safely.