A Nice Story about a Three Legged Dog...

Today was the first day of our "We're Ready for Spring" sale.  Its always lots of work getting ready for these events so when the day arrives, we are happy to be visiting and helping our customers.  It's relaxing after weeks of working almost around the clock at home!!!

And we always hear fun stories...today was no different.

I was in the front of the store when I heard my name so I wandered back to the checkout area where my friend was waiting on a customer and her mother.  I love animals and most everyone knows that so the story goes like this.  See the neck roll pillow with the green trim doily in the picture?  That little pillow now belongs to a little three legged Chihuahua.  

Seems that this little dog ran into the street and was hit by a car.  The vet tried to save her leg but when he couldn't, he removed her leg.  So now she hobbles around on her three legs and while she likes her owner's pillow best - her Mom decided she needed this little pillow for her own.

The customer asked if I cared that it was going to her dog - and of course, I thought it was a wonderful place for my little pillow to go - hope it gives this little dog comfort after such a terrible ordeal.

So - there you go - another fun little human/doggy interest story to add to my memoirs.

Take care,
Bonnie

Works in Progress or Mess in the Kitchen!

Here I go again...making stuff in the kitchen.  Deadline coming - sale in the shop Feb. 15 and 16 so I'm finishing up, starting and redoing stuff!

Yup - there is my kitchen table underneath all that creative mess!

My #1 Assistant...

Oh, oh...my 2nd #1 Assistant...

Where I go they go...so I always have company making stuff.

I love my messy life!!!

Bonnie

My New Red Kitchen!!!

Under my cupboard vignette...

It's done!  My kitchen is red...its Benjamin Moore Raspberry Truffle.  I'm loving it.  It's very dramatic and I think rich looking up against my cupboards and woodwork (that I would paint in a minute if it wasn't all oak.)

So I have taken a few pictures of my walls...with all my transferware plates and art pottery.  Two of my many collections that fill my house to the rafters!

I guess my theory is:  if one is good - many are better!  And so goes my life - compulsive/obsessive.  

Aqua corner cupboard reorganized...

Many different kinds of red transferware...

Stove area with transferware platter...

Upper view of shelves with art pottery vases, etc. 

So that's part of my kitchen - quite a change and so much more me than neutral walls!!!

Take care,

Bonnie

Day 5 Stitchin' Chicks Quilt Camp...

Red roses for Valentine's Day!

Time to post something - its been a while and I have much to share and so little time to write a post!

In January, our quilt group decided to spend a whole week together sewing.  Our other two camps are four nights and five days.  How did we get so lucky to be able to take the time and schedule this time together???  Well - we have very understanding spouses for one thing.  Yay!

So while my hubby handles the home front, I am here inside this wonderful establishment (AmericInn No. Branch, MN where they treat us like queens!) doing my very favorite thing...creating stuff out of fabric.

Instead of making quilts this time, I am making smaller things.  I've made four pillows, three little Valentine hearts, two table runners and now I'm working on fabric bracelet cuffs and fabric cards.  I have to get rid of some quilts before I make more quilts...maybe they will be gifts this year so I can refill the cupboard.  But for the time being, I will make pillows, jewelry, table runners, and other stuff.

Red roses pillow, Nest pillow, little Valentine hearts
 and Au-then-tic cuff will be ready for the shop!

The weather this week has been perfect for staying inside and that's what I've done.  When the temperatures are below freezing and sometimes below zero, its time to do inside stuff.  Other than running to the car for something, I went out once for a little shopping and to a great Mexican restaurant - then back inside to my sewing machine.  

Hope you have something in your life that is as relaxing and fulfilling as sewing is to me!!!

Take care, 

Bonnie

Lunch and Movie Date...

Today was Hubby's birthday and we went on a date.  First we went to the thrift store, then a nice lunch and off to see the movie "Lincoln."

We woke up to a mist and a yard and driveway full of water and ice.  The sky was grey and it seemed like a perfect day to spend shopping, eating and watching a movie.  

Apparently donations are down all over thrift world...it was the third place I've been in the last week that had lots of empty spaces.  I should spend some time going through my treasures and add to their shelves.  At any rate...we bought nothing.  Sad.

So on to a nice lunch where we met a friend.  Then we all went to see "Lincoln."  We all enjoyed the 2 1/2 hours of court room like drama.  To say that the process of getting legislation through Congress hasn't changed much is ironic.  I would compare it to making sausage...you can't believe what has to be done to produce a final product...a very enlightening process.

I have had Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals, since it came out.  This movie is based on parts of her book.  I need to finish reading that book because the movie has piqued my interest again.  I need more information. 

Just this week it was announced that this movie is up for 12 Oscars.  The cast is made up of many familiar faces...Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones to name just a few.  The acting is mesmerizing.  However, the ending is tragic.  As people were leaving the theater, we heard them talk about how they knew what was coming but it was still a shock.

History...we need to learn about the past and remember the process and celebrate the victories.

Go see this movie...its well worth the effort.  It makes you think and think some more.

Bonnie

Great Eggnog Pecan Waffles...

Hubby and I like eggnog...no alcohol...just eggnog.  A favorite way to enhance a dish of ice cream...Turtle Tracks or Old Fashioned Vanilla or Chocolate Chip or...and a splash of eggnog.  Could you put more calories in a bowl?  Probably not...   No family members had any so our 2 quarts of eggnog went untapped on Christmas Eve.  Maybe they like Tom and Jerry's - I don't know - never thought of that!  We're not against alcolhol, we just never think of having a drink.  Oh wait - I do like a beer with my pizza.   Anyway - the use by date on the eggnog container was getting closer.  So I thought - hmmm...I bet waffles would be good with eggnog.  Yup - someone else had thought of it too and on Cooks.com up popped a recipe.     Both of my daughters wanted waffle irons this Christmas and so I bought two and told them I thought Bisquick made the best waffles the quickest.   Oh wow - were they good...sprinkle a few pecans on top of the waffle before you close the lid and they were so tasty!!!   So here's the recipe.  I made Jimmy Dean's Maple Sausage to go with the waffles.  It's a keeper supper for us!      EGGNOG PECAN WAFFLES from COOKS.COM 2 c. Bisquick 2/3 c. milk 2/3 c. eggnog 1 egg 2 tbsp. oil Beat all ingredients with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended. Pour onto center of hot waffle iron. Add chopped nuts (pecans) as desired. Bake until steaming stops. Makes 3 (9-inch) traditional waffles.     Try them - you'll love them!   Bonnie

Finishing a couple 2012 projects...

I love walking into my sewing room and discovering multiple projects that are almost complete.  There is nothing more satisfying than putting in that last stitch.

So that is what happened the other day when I found this table mat - pieced but not quilted.  After auditioning a few backing fabrics, I decided on a nice green print with gold and orange.  The large black floral print has every color in it so it was fun to see what worked best.  You can see the quilting I did on this piece...different that the usual swirls or meandering.  Trying to quilt out of the box a little - I did irregular line quilting and boxed a few of the flowers.  It was fun.

I haven't done much embroidering lately but found this linen towel that needed something more...so I added a ruffle to spiff it up a bit.  I don't have a ruffler so its usually a pain to make ruffles...not difficult but time consuming.  The technique I used was to increase the tension of both the top and bottom thread.  Even after I doubled the fabric, it worked like a charm.  I like the results.

Now off to find some more half finished projects...or I could sew binding on 5 or 6 quilts.  Nah - need something a little more exciting.  That attitude could be why I have so many bindings to sew.

Take care and a very Happy New Year!

 

Bonnie

Ok - so now I'm recycling my socks...

I know its winter here Upnorth when my cat has to sit on my lap every time I sit down and I need my fleece socks to keep my feet warm.  So on a particularly cold, drafty day, I went for my leopard skin print fleece socks.  I pulled them on and WHAT???  The bottom of my foot was cold.  So I pulled them off and checked them out...thin, very, very thin on the bottom.  Now these socks are a few years old...from L.L. Bean so they were good quality but it was very obvious that they had seen better days.  So I put them aside and pulled out another pair.  I have been buying one pair each year so I won't be without my warm fleece socks in case they stop offering them.  One year my youngest daughter and I tried to make them...not so good.  We had lots of laughs though.

Anyway, every day as I walked by those old socks, I thought - I should throw them away.  But they were my favorites so I was dragging my feet - so to speak.

Then one day as I was wandering around my bedroom, it came to me.  Being the recycle queen/artist that I am and being that I've been crocheting wrist warmers to keep myself out of the kitchen and away from eating, I saved those worn out socks from the landfill!

Yup - I made wrist warmers from my beloved leopard skin print socks.  I just cut the socks off above the heel and hemmed them.

My newest fleece print socks.

(Amazing how much bigger my left foot is!!!)

I loved these socks and now they have a new life!

They keep my wrists warm while I crochet

more wrist warmers!!!

More wrist warmers!!!

 

My repurpose, recycle, reuse friends and I laugh about saving empty toilet rolls, plastic creamer containers, and various other items that we stockpile for later reuse.  But I think this repurpose/reuse/recycle is almost genius. 

 

I've loved leopard skin print since I was a junior in high school when I got the most impressive coat that was leopard.  I felt so Hollywood.  Funny how some favorite things just stick with you and bring back such fond memories.

 

So that's my story and I'm sticking with it...and my wrists are warm and so sexy!

 

Take care,

 

Bonnie



Peace...

Life is so Fragile...

This morning 20 little kids were sent off to school by their parents, were met by the school administrators, and were welcomed to their rooms by their teachers. 

Tonight there is only sadness in their homes and across the nation because they are not coming home - not being hugged by their parents - or tucked into their beds - or celebrating Christmas or their special holidays.

May God bless them and their families. 

We pray for the teachers and school administrators who did not get to go home today either. 

May they rest in peace.

Bonnie

Decorating our tree...

I have my tree up and almost decorated...this is very unusual.  Last year was the worst...I think I got my decorations up a little more than a week ahead of Christmas.

I love this season.  But because I have so many decorations, the job of decorating is overwhelming.  Sorting through all the storage containers is hard work!

Anyway here is our tree - not quite done but close.  I just had to add my sparkly snowflakes...it doesn't seem like my tree unless I sprinkle it with snowflakes!

 

 

 

So there it is...almost complete.  I am one of those women that keep tweaking the tree until I take it down.  Now to decorate the rest of the house...that means diving into a storage container or two.

Take care!

Bonnie

 

Our Grand Old Lady...

Our tired Old Barn...

 

We removed 20 small windows

 

Our old barn is no more....today the heavy equipment came and demolished the last of her.  After two years we found someone and his son who did the dance of the dinosaurs and removed the last of the tamarack, roof, logs, and foundation.  I call it the dance of the dinos because that's what it looked like as they swung and crunched and deposited the remnants of our old lady.  They could be surgeons as they sorted through the tin and siding and timbers with precision only learned from experience.  They determined that there was only one layer of shingles on top of the original cedar shakes so she stood for longer than anyone could expect.  One tough old broad...

They arrived at 8 a.m. sharp and didn't want to harm our
white pine coming into the driveway so they unloaded on the road.

Dinosaur #1

 

Dinosaur #2

 

Eating their way through the old barn.

 

Lots of crunching...

 

Eating away from the other side...

 

And then she is no more.

Well - there are the dinosaurs doing their thing and now three or four dumptrucks filled with dirt will come in after they flatten the land a bit.  We are glad to have this part of our old barn complete but the landscape is bare and our new little barn is a little far away from the silo.

I guess this is progress but we miss her statuesque figure out there.  This opening in the land and skyline hasn't been visible for more than 100 years.  She stopped sheltering animals in the year 2000 and now she will be part of things that we build with her timbers and siding.  So she lives on...

I'm still sad,

Bonnie

We Do Love Our Quilt Retreats!!!

What better activity to be involved in when the weather is gloomy and the ground is almost frozen and we just like to quilt anyway!  This week five Mora Quilting Friends made the long, long journey to The Pine City Scrapbooking Co. in Pine City.  It's really not very far and in 20-25 minutes we were checking in and hauling in carloads of projects.

Ron and Marni are the owners of this 12 bedroom retreat center and scrapbooking store.  They are so accommodating and nice!!!  We threaten to go back again in late Feb.  Yay!

Here are a few pictures of one of the projects we each worked on...

 

Deb is working on a wall hanging that has had her
stymied but she's now on the way to finishing it! Yay!
 

 

Won't it be gorgeous???

 

 

Mary Ann has used Christmas prints in

combination with light fabrics and as you can tell

she's a happy woman!!!

 

 

Theresa completed her foundation (newspaper)

pieced quilt blocks with scraps she's collected.

 

 

Barb worked on this pretty fall appliqued wall hanging!

 

 

And I got my new Scottie Dog nap quilt tied and buttoned up!

So that's how I spent three days and two nights last week.  I feel so relaxed now and I'm going to really try not to get stressed out again.  I think I inherited that part of my personality so I'm not sure how successful I will be.

Take care,

Bonnie