Got the Christmas tree up!

So this is after we got our tree set up - actually the next day - it had been wrapped up and had to have a chance for the branches to fall - which it did and that is when we noticed that the tree is very crooked. We turned the crooked size to the wall and continued.
Please pretend you don't see the mess on the glider.So here is the tree after my wonderful husband put the lights on and than my son and his friend decorated the rest (oh I hung the gold beads).

A wide shot of the front room - minus the mess on the glider.

This is our new leather set - the love seat still has to be replaced (for the 2nd time!) due to a flaw. But notice I moved the big red bowl with gold balls?

UPDATE: The love seat has been replaced 4 times! and is still defective - they will not replace again (not sure I would want them to), so they are giving us a full refund and will pick both pcs up today (Jan 4th). So we will have to go leather shopping again soon. We didn't even get to enjoy it over the holidays because since they were going back I wouldn't let anyone sit on them :)

And then I added red balls! I know, I'm so unique!

My dining table - I had to take the shot a few time to exclude the clutter in the kitchen- so I ended up chopping off the top of the center piece instead.

Still have to take a pic of my front door for THIS spot.

Inspirational Crafting Blogs

As you may or may not know - I tinker with sewing, quilting, knitting and the like - I enjoy it - I am OK at it.

I love to view other peoples work though. I have been reading and perusing different crafting/sewing/quilting blogs for some time - when I find one I like (lots of pictures of their work), I read all the archives right back to the first post.

Then some of them I continue to follow. Some I forget to bookmark and try in earnest to find again.

Here are a few I have found and stuck with:

SouleMama - so much fun and inspiration there - she has a book or two out.
Her life is so full of colour - something I think mine needs more of.

Needle Book - a fellow Canadian that I just found

Princess Nimble-Thimble - so creative!

Leanne's house - man her stuff is beautiful - I believe she writes books too.

Take a look and enjoy all the wonderful crafts these ladies create.

Works for me Wednesday - Simpifying Christmas Giving

Call me Scrooge whatever - I have 6 children/teens that I buy for each Christmas - I used to do the Scholastic route and get them all really really cool books at great prices through Scholastic and earn my son's classroom Scholastic points as well.....but well the kids just didn't find the books as cool as I did. They are not all into reading as much as my son and I are.

Trying to find something to buy them that they a) would like, b) didn't already have, c) I could afford has become increasingly difficult.

So this year I bought them all gift cards for the "We have everything store" (otherwise known as WalMart).

This way they can go spend their bucks on something they really want and I have less stuff to wrap :D

This year with the new house and so much going on - I would much rather focus on get-togethers with friends and family instead of more "stuff".

So that is what Works for Me today - for more inspiring ideas, check out Rocks in my Dryer.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.........

I have decided to participate in the
over at BooMama's
check out all the beautifully decorated homes over there now!


Table in entrance way

View above my front entrance way. The bridge.

View of other side of bridge.

Top of staircase.

Bottom of staircase.
Side view of staircase.

View of staircase from the front door

Living room fireplace.Family room fireplace.

Big red bowl my BIL & SIL gave us a house-warming gift. Filled with gold ornaments.A different view of the big red bowl. It needs a couple red balls in there too.

Pop over to this more recent post of my Christmas tree!

The invisible dog

Hey whatcha doin?

What is this stuff - does it taste good? Nope - I'll lick it anyway.

Hey why aren't paying attention to me?

Do you see me now?
What about now?

I'll lie (all 100 lbs of me) on your foot - now you will notice me.Oh the furry slipper - I likes furry slippers!Arrg! Gotcha!

Oh cuddly furry slipper.

Hide from the furry slipper!

Ignore the furry slipper.

Ah ya - that's the spot!

Hide under the furry slipper. Can't see me!

Oh ya nice soft furry slippers.

Nummy!

Hubby's Company Christmas Party

Which means.....an excuse to dress up and then to have a couple drinks and act foolish - I mean I only ever see these people once a year LOL. We actually had a really nice time - and other than trying to remember the macarana (sp?), I didn't act foolish.

Here I am before leaving for the party.

A close up.
Me and da man - he always looks so mean in pictures - boy he is goin grey! - don't ask why I have my head held like that - I dunno - and it looks like I have a Loon growing outta my head.


Ok the soon to be famous "Macerana" pictures...Notice how we all seem to be doing something different....?

Works-For-Me Wednesday: The What-Do-I-Fix? Edition

Shannon, over at Rocks in my Dryer has made this week's theme for WFMW, The What Do I Fix? edition.

The scenerio: It's 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, you have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What is your BEST last-minute meal recipe?

Mine best last minute meal?: Breakfast for dinner. We don't often have time for big breakfasts, so having it for dinner may be the only time we do have it.

• Eggs - scrambled, fried or omelettes with whatever you can find in the fridge (bits of cheese, leftover vegs),

• toast of course (bagels or english muffins if you have also run out of bread),
  

• bacon, sausage or even luncheon meat heated in the fry pan, you can even skip the meat part if the pickins are really slim.

• If you have potatoes fry some of them up too - parboil or nuke em to get them par cooked or it will take you forever to get them to brown.

For dessert if it is something you MUST have (we don't usually have dessert): yogurt with bananas sliced in, canned fruit, or if you still have bread - cinnamon toast.

Disclosure policy

This policy is valid from 25 January 2008

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact k dot murray at sympatico dot ca.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

People and their opinions

Ok so someone came to my blog and got offended by how my son was dressed for Halloween.

You can read her comment, and mine back to her here.

I gotta say, this has really got my back up. I mean this is my blog where I post my stuff - if you don't like it - you don't have to read it right? No one standing there twisting your arm is there?

How a child dressing as a zombie can be deemed degrading to victims of crime is beyond me.

I would never in any way defile the memory of victims of crime or belittle the grief of their relatives. And just who the hell is this person who assumes I would and that I would teach my son to do it as well?

Do you know me? Can a Halloween costume tell you so much about my morals and values?

I think before you continue to judge people on the basis of Halloween costumes on their personal blogs, you take a good long look in the mirror and see if there isn't a bit of work you could be doing on yourself instead of criticizing others.

If you don't like my blog or my choice of costumes GO AWAY - the internet is a big place - I am sure there are a lot of other places you can find offensive.

More quilting

I have finished trimming the first set of pink squares in the medium pink fabric. Have started trimming the 2nd set of squares in light pink. Got bored with that and started doing the background in dark pink.

Here is the first strip.

More luscious new fabric!

Not sure what i will do with them yet - the first is an meter and a half of a Herb fabric. The next photo is of 10 fat quarters.

So so yummy - you know fabric never used to do this to me LOL.

Antique rose quilt top finished

Ok I have completed the top of this quilt - mostly - I have found a couple errors I want to fix first - but then I am going to start my first attempt at actual quilting - I am thinking hand quilting - Jean any tips?



I think (I will research before starting) that I am to sandwich the top, batting and backing and then quilt it - then I put the binding on. Please correct me if I have this wrong.

So how do I quilt? Can I just make something up - do I have to follow an intricate pattern that must first be traced tot he fabric? Again I will research before starting - I have worked on this quilt for far too long to mess it up by being hasty.

I was thinking to maybe give this quilt to my Mother in-law for Christmas - but since she has such limited space where she lives with her daughter, it would probably just be packed away.

So instead I am thinking to hang it on my office/sewing room wall. It will actually go very well with the room decor.

A catch up post

So it has been a busy couple of weeks. My father in-law moved here from Labrador. Unfortunetly, the basement is not quite ready yet and he will have to spend a few weeks in my guest room until it is.

He brought a LOT of stuff with him and even though he has a decent 950 square foot apartment, he has WAY too much stuff and has to weed through it.

I have done a bit of work on my pink quilt - I bought lighter pink fabric to sew around the 2nd set of centre squares and than a darker pink for sashing between the two sets.


I think it will be given to my sister once it is finished as I really don't even like pink and she has a single bed which makes making the quilt easier - plus she is very used to having to wait years for me to finish projects for her :)

Nothing major happening on the job front - one of the positions I was hoping to submit for has been put on hold until January. Still waiting on a 2nd interview for another. Or I could just win the Super 7 lottery tonight - 17 million and the hell with a job all together.

Still having some issues with J's school - yet another reason I wish I had the money for private school.

And the winner of the Fall Y'all Giveaway is......

CHRISTINE of From Dates to Diapers and Beyond!

Congratulations!

After looking at Christine's profile, I think she really deserves this prize - she is the Mother of 5 (including a set of twins) with one on the way! OOPS Christine has let me know - her profile was out of date - the one on the way is here!

Boy I hope you get the time to enjoy this lil luxury box soon.

I'll post a picture of the gift as soon as I finishing buying all the components tomorrow.

Update: Here is the loot!


We have 2 candles, two kinds of tea, two kinds of chocolate, 4 kinds of lotions, bubble bath (it looks like a bottle of champagne), a mini photo album, a wash glove, soap, cleansing cloths, a pack of mini hand sanitizers (more for the kids but helps Mom too), a mini spa kit, a couple body washes, cotton pads, a makeup bag, a buff puff and way in the back a canvas bag - I think that is everything. I will also be throwing in a few samples I have and what ever else I can think of.

Thanks for the great turnout too - 234 submissions!

Fantastic!

Halloween!

Ok so kiddo wanted to be a zombie for Halloween this year - we got all the clothes at Value Village for a total cost of $12. These first two pics were taken just after we cut up all the clothing. You can see his cute face here too :)
And then these are on Halloween evening after I did his makeup.





The blood is made from Maple syrup, powdered milk, a bit of cocoa and red food colouring. It was pretty difficult to wash off at the end of the night - sticky but looks real doesn't it?