Okay - more snow pictures!

I really shouldn't be posting more snow pictures -- enough is enough! But I just couldn't resist. It has been snowing here all day and night - it has finally stopped. It is unbelievable. ( Update -- apparently it hasn't stopped snowing!!!) The Global News is on right now and they were saying that in December the average snowfall for Vancouver is usually about 16 cm --- so far this December we have had 70 cm!!!

We went to a play at the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island last night - "It's a Wonderful Life" It was very well done and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The snow was just starting as we were driving home at 10 PM.

We are supposed to drive in to North Vancouver and pick up the two boys -- Eric and Andrew to spend Christmas Eve here. There is a good possibility that we will not be able to do the drive. Andrew doesn't get off work until 6 PM. It just won't feel like Christmas if the boys don't come out for the night - but watching the News it looks like it is too bad out there to take the chance of driving - and there and many hills between here and there.



The driveway which Jim worked so hard to clean and sprinkled with salt is back to where he started. I can't believe how much it snowed today --- just adding to the already great pile of snow that we have on the ground.



Here is the snow accumulated on the back deck -- and this much snow is on the roof. I bet when it starts to rain and all that snow on peoples roofs starts to suck up the rain there are going to be some major roof issues happening.




This picture gives a good idea of how much it snowed just today -- the pile of snow on the railing is about 7 inches! That is just today's snowfall. I can't believe how much it snowed today -- have I already mentioned that??




And this is my favourite picture! I think I have said enough.......

Hunter starting to crawl -- or Hunter eating the cat's tail

Blogger is loading pictures backwards

Since blogger seems to be loading the pictures backwards I am not going to move them around tonight.

It has been an interesting week here on the west coast. There are so many weather related posts out there that I really didn't want to blog about the snow --- but yet there is just so darn much snow!!! In the past 24 hours we have received another 30 cm on top of the 15 or so cm that we had last Wednesday. The unusual thing is that it is cold and the snow is staying on the ground. Usually we get snow one day and rain the next.

Here is a picture of Jim shoveling the very long driveway this morning. We actually were able to get out to the mall this afternoon for my last bit of Christmas shopping.




The driveway -- before being shoveled.



A couple of snow pictures. I know there are just tons of snow pictures out there but I just couldn't resist. It is supposed to snow again on Wednesday or Thursday.



I like this one -- you can see how much snow has fallen in the past 24 hours -- the pile of snow on the bird feeder.



Here is a picture of the new washer/dryer. It has been busy since it arrived on Friday.



I have been busy with last minute Christmas items. But Jessica sent me a little video today of little Hunter working on his crawling --- and trying to eat the cat's tail. It is so incredibly cute so I am going to try to post that as well.

We had a wonderful salmon chowder tonight. Jim made it with all the left over bits of salmon that he has collected over the season. He will fillet the salmon and scrape off bits that are close to the bone and left on the bone from filleting. He also saves all the bones for the soup stock. So tonight he made it into a fabulous salmon chowder -- while I wrapped Christmas gifts. It is so nice to have someone else prepare a great meal -- I did help a bit, I put the buns in the oven to warm......

Snow day

It just snow and snowed all day long! Needless to say the washer and dryer never arrived.

I just had to post some pictures of my afternoon walk with Jenny.



Look at that face - within a few minutes of starting out she was covered in snow. Jenny just loves to be out in the snow. And the snow was the soft and light and fluffy kind of snow that we rarely get here. It doesn't often snow here - I don't even own a pair of boots. I was out walking in my running shoes. It was a good thing it was the fluffy - dry snow. Usually the snow we get is wet and messy.





This is a picture of my neighbourhood today! It was quite the snow day. I like this picture you can really see how heavy the snow was falling.



Jenny - looking through the bridge railings - up to her chest in snow.


We returned home to find Jim walking down the hill. The highway was closed for a good part of the day. I got a number of calls from random cell phones he borrowed to say he was still stuck and pretty unhappy. By the time the road had opened around 1 PM it was snowing so hard he decided to leave the car and take the little commuter bus back. He left at 8:30 AM for a 40 minute trip to the bank and back - which turned into a five hour marathon and a his car now sitting in the parking lot at Safeway.



He is very happy to be home! Here he is in Eric's old coat from Grade 8 -- 1994. Bought for Eric to wear in Cranbrook and kept for Jim to wear at Andrew's hockey games. We don't even own winter coats!

Jenny just loves the snow so we played outside throwing the ball for her - which was hard for her to find in the deep snow.

Waiting for the new washer and dryer

I have been working a lot this month -- good for the cheque book -- but not so good for the blogging and quilting!

The washer and dryer are supposed to be delivered today.



The laundry room is ready and waiting. Jim removed the old machines last night and I gave the room a good clean this morning. It is nice to clean all those areas you can't get to when the machines are there.



The old machines are sitting outside - the delivery company is going to take them away. So we are ready -----

And it is snowing -- like crazy! It has actually snowed a bunch since I took this picture an hour ago.




The delivery company said they would be here between 9:30 and 11:00. They were going up to Whistler and would be stopping here on the way - before they went to Whistler. They need cash -- not a cheque for payment (why not a cheque... sorry no cheques) So.... Jim had to drive in to the bank to get cash - forgot to take his cell phone and now he is stuck on the highway somewhere - the traffic is not moving and he has borrowed a cell phone (twice) to say he is not happy. I'm going to guess that the washer and dryer will NOT be delivered today.

Gingerbread Houses

I has been a bit since I posted. I have been busy working --- have to pay for those Christmas gifts! (and the new washing machine/dryer) My washing machine has been having issues for the past month or two. It is washing fine - but the dial is not advancing so it has to be manually moved to the next stage or it just stays stuck where it is --- like spinning clothes for 1 hour! And as you can imagine it is hard to remember the washing machine - it is something you usually put on - and leave to do it's own thing. It is the machine that came with the house when we bought it - so we went out last week - just to look - and bought a Whirlpool front load washer and dryer - for a very good price at our favourite place to buy appliances. So -- Merry Christmas Pam and Jim -LOL

While we were in Seattle we stayed at the Sheraton Hotel. The week we were there they were setting up the Christmas decorations and they set up a Gingerbread House display to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes.

So here are a few pictures - to start the Christmas season.



The theme of the house was "Super Hero" I think this is Batman filling in for Santa.


I really liked this one it was just full of lots of details. It was quite large -- 4-5 feet high



This was a drawer that would move in and out and the light was on and all the super hero toys were made of candy.




There was another one that was the Batman house with a lot of details and I really liked it but I didn't get a very good picture of it.

I have been doing a bit of quilty things this weeks as well -- between shifts.

I had a dream last night that I got ready to go do all my Christmas shopping and it was Christmas DAY! Such a nightmare - I better get going - I now have my list -- sort of!

An afternoon at PatchworkPottery

We got back from Seattle late Wednesday afternoon. We were expecting that there would be long line ups at the border crossing as it was the day before Thanksgiving - the busiest travel day of the year in the U.S. - so we were told. The traffic was very light and there was no line up of any concern. I didn't buy much in Seattle - a few Laurel Burch Christmas fat quarters. I did get to go Bed,Bath and Beyond. The first time I had been there. I bought a few things there -- a very nice turkey baster for $5.00. I stocked up on Aleve and mostly just wandered around Pike's Market - enjoying the good coffee and the sunny weather.

Yesterday I got to go to spend the afternoon with Laurraine at PatchworkPottery yesterday. I went with one of my "Quilting Peeps" -Krista. Laurraine made Krista and I a lovely lunch and wonderful Cinnamon buns for a treat. The buns were so tasty - Krista and I shared a 2nd one!

I met Laurraine at Quilting by the Bay in September and she sells the most fabulous handmade and unique items on an Etsy store. She brought a bunch of items to sell at our retreat but I was too busy sewing ( or talking) to notice. When I finally discovered all the items on her site I just had to have this little coffee cup bag. Don't you just love the bag!



Laurraine made the cutest little cupcake pincushions and tape measure houses. She has a few published patterns as well. She has a new pattern for the sweetest little monkey baby quilt. There is a list of her published patterns on her blog - PatchworkPottery She also does pottery - although her kiln is not in operation at present. And --- she doesn't live that far from me!! So I will have to keep an eye on her blog for future cute things that I really, really need!! Although Jim keeps saying that I don't need one more bag. I find he is getting a little annoying about it actually -- so he hasn't yet seen the coffee cup bag!

Now for the next incredibly cute item. This is a little bear that one of the ladies from my Friday quilting group made for each of us in the group. Thanks so much to Barbara for this little guy.



He is only about 3 inches high. Isn't he cute!

Look at that cute little face..............



Well.. enough cuteness for one night.

Pattern for new Oven mitts

A few months ago I bought a pattern for Oven mitts from a quilt shop in Vancouver. It is their own pattern. There were kits as well with the cutest Mary Englebreit fabric - but I just bought the pattern - and then promptly stuck the pattern away with the rest of my patterns. But knowing I BADLY needed new oven mitts I had plans that one day soon I would make some new oven mitts.



Well that day will be VERY soon -- Jenny decided the oven mitts must be food!! I am sure it was pretty tasty. They really are a disaster and I can't even remember how many year ago I bought them. Anyway.............. I got my Moda Fat Quarter Club this month and it was Mary Englebreit - Recipe for Friendship - perfect for a new pair of oven mitts.




That day will have to wait for a while yet though. We are off again on a little trip. We are going down to Seattle for 5 days. Jim has to work and I am just going to tag along and have a little holiday.

It seems we have been away so much this year - or at least I have been away a lot this year. No big travel plan yet for next year so I think there will be a little less traveling - the plan for this year is a little kitchen renovation.

I am looking forward to this trip. Seattle is so close and we don't very often go down and stay for a few days - usually it is just a day trip here and there or just passing through on our way somewhere else. It will be nice to have a few days to wander around Pike's Market and enjoy walking around downtown and finding places to stop for a good cup of coffee - searching out a quilt shop or two - maybe doing a bit of Christmas shopping.

I got all the fabric I need for my Morris Garden quilt. I ordered fabric from two different online shops -- The Door Mouse and the Just for Fun Fabrics both shops were very good and easy to deal with. I usually just order everything from The Fat Quarter Club but they didn't have the fabric. I was thrilled to be able to find the missing piece. I was quite disappointed that Hancock's couldn't have been a bit more helpful.




Of course I ordered more that just that one piece! I also ordered 2 yards of the medium blue fabric for the outside borders.

( I have just had to switch computers in mid sentence. The lab top just died - hopefully not permanently!!) I am planning to take the lap top with me to Seattle and keep up with my email and such - but we will see if it recovers. Maybe I will come back from Seattle with a new lap top instead of fabric ---- okay - I can dream can't I!



I am not planning on getting much fabric as I have enough to keep me happy for a while in the new sewing room - and the Canadian dollar is a little on the low side right now - but you just never know!

Blogging friends forever

Kieny - The Dutchlady - my blogging friend from Taiwan gave me this award. It is such a lovely award to receive!

The rules are :

-that you give this award to four dedicated followers of your blog;

-and to one person who is new to your blog and lives on the other side of the world.

-Link back to the person who gave you this award.

I would like to pass it along to four followers of my blog --

Quiltmom A long time follower of my blog who just recently started blogging herself! I got to have lunch with Anna in Red Deer. It is always so nice to meet fellow bloggers.

Wendy - Snippets of a Quilter --- we live close enough to each other that we got to meet for lunch as well - and I am working on getting Wendy over for a visit to teach me how to do that wonderful stitching that she does.

Carole - Quilting Adventures -- one day Wendy and I will hopefully talk Carole into making a trip out west.

San - Gypsy Quilter - who was my Secret Santa Christmas partner last year and has stayed with me ever since and she sent that lovely little quilt for dear little Hunter.

Andrea - from Tierra del Fueg0 is probably my farthest away follower but she has been following my blog for some time -- but I thought I would include her because she is so far away and so sweet and I enjoy my visits with her as well!

Micki - Irish Muses - is a recent visitor to my blog and she is far away in Ireland.

Isn't the internet wonderful?

I decided to bring out the little featherweight machine to work on the Gladiola quilt - pictured in the previous post. The fabric is a bit of a vintage design - so I thought I would give the featherweight a bit of exercise. It is still sewing like a dream. And so much fun to play with.



Doesn't it look lovely -- sitting on my Tazzie mat with my Darlene pin cushion at her side. I think she might need to be out for exercise a little more often. It was last year when I took her to the retreat that she was used last. I think she might even need a name.... I wonder if that is a little too much -LOL.

Well -- I am off to the quilt shop...........

Jim says that this quilting seems to be more about the "stuff" --- I said it's ALL about the "stuff" !!!

Back from a very eventful retreat

I have been back from my retreat for a couple of days but I have been unable to type much until today.



Here is a view from my chair at the retreat. It is held on an island just a short ferry ride away from Horseshoe Bay. The place we stay is right off the water. It is a lovely little spot -- I don't think I spent more than 30 minutes outside for the entire 3 days. I was busy! There was a hot tub there to ease our aching backs though and I did sit in that for a few minutes one night.

I finished my bag - which turned out great --- finished the Christmas stocking for little Hunter. I made a little bag from a "This and That" pattern - which didn't turn out that great and I started a quilt from a kit I bought in 2004.



And I injured myself -- twice. First injury was a bit of a freak accident. My little sewing snips ( the ones that are sharp and always open and you squeeze them together to snip threads) were sitting on the table in front of my machine - where I usually keep them and I knocked them off the table and they started to fall to the floor --- so I very quickly closed my legs together to catch them before they fell to the ground.

I hope you don't mind the picture but I completely impaled the snips into my thigh -- look at that bruise!

Then later that same night I cut my right thumb with the rotary cutter -- right through the nail ---- ohhh now that one hurt. I completely cut about 1/4 of the nail away. I have no idea how deep it is or if I should have gone to get stitches - I just held tight and hoped I didn't bleed on my fabric. It was pretty sore most of the week and I haven't been able to do much with my right hand until today. It is healing nicely though but I am sure that the severed nail will be falling off soon. ( I didn't think you needed a picture of that one!!)


And the last picture is the quilt that I started from the kit. It isn't a great picture of the quilt but I had spread it out today to measure it for the borders and here.... to prove that quilts are not just cat magnets!!


I am heading off to work a couple of shifts tomorrow. I was thinking I might not be able to work with this thumb but it seems to be healing fairly well and I find that if I wear a finger cot and don't hit my thumb on the fridge door ---ohhh that one hurt! I think I will be fine - wish me luck!

A new product

This is a new Pellon product -- or new to me anyway.

It is a very light weight fusible web with a one inch on point grid.

I decided to try it for the Christmas stockings that I like to make - I would find making the scrappy on point "fabric piece" for the stocking shape to be quite time consuming.




You cut your squares of fabric to fit on a one inch grid -- but slightly smaller - these squares are cut 2 7/8 inches - so there is a little space between each piece. You iron them on the grid and then just sew seams of 1.4 inch along in each direction.



It was quite quick and easy and then gives me a big piece of fabric squares to cut out my pattern.


This is the stocking I made last year. Now I need to make one for little Hunter!!



I am just quickly typing this up as I am waiting to be picked up for my 3 day weekend quilting retreat. My first goal of the retreat is to make little Hunter a Christmas stocking. But of course I have packed up my entire quilting room to take along!!

A bit of this and that

I am quite happily puttering away in my reorganized sewing space. I finished my November BOM on the weekend. Jim has reorganized the other side of the room and set up the stereo. The record player is working great and it is so much fun to listen to the old records as I was sewing my block -- remember "Rubberband Man" What a hoot! That was "The Spinners" back in our Disco days (or was it daze?)




I am getting ready to go off to Bowen Island for a three day retreat this weekend. It is so nice to look through my fabrics and patterns to pick out things for the retreat.

The other thing I did this week is figure out how to use my EQ6 program! I was so excited to make a real block. Probably if I had read through the book I would have figured it out a lot sooner!! But anyway.... I have a number of pictures I have saved of quilts I would like to make one day. My plan was to draft the blocks in EQ6 - so finally I can maybe start on that a bit.




This is the first block I have drafted. It was a quilt I saw on a blog. I want to use the Morris Garden by Moda fat quarter collection that I bought from Hancock's in a few months ago. There is a really great pattern for this collection - "Stepping Stones Quilt" Nancy Near Philadelphia is making one. I really like that pattern as well. But I am planning to make one with this block - I have no idea what the name of the block is - anyone know?

So this is my plan for the retreat - to make these blocks - with my Morris Garden fabric.

When I received my fat quarter bundle - months ago. I discovered that I was missing one fat quarter of the collection. Hancock's substituted another fabric - which didn't belong to the collection at all and I have no idea where it came from. I sent them an email and they said at the time they were out of the one fabric and if I wanted I could send the bundle back for a refund. I didn't want to send the entire bundle back and they never offered to send me the fabric when they could - I think I asked if they could send me the fabric but they never responded. I have been looking around the internet - eBay, and various online shops and it seems there isn't any of this fabric anywhere to be found. I find that amazing. I was hoping to find a piece of it - before I started the quilt -- but no such luck. I will go ahead and make the quilt anyway - maybe one day I will find a piece on eBay or somewhere. If anyone sees some of this fabric in there web surfing - send me a link if you get a chance.




And now that we are finished with all of this -- here is a little of that....

Jim filleting up a really big fish!



It is a very large Chum salmon that he cut up and smoked last weekend -- in the midst of building my shelves. Now it needs to be vacuum packed --- so off I go to help.