Score!

Oh, I just love to find a good deal! I take my kids to see the specialist every three months. We drive about an hour and a half to get there, and across the street from the paediatrician is the Mennonite Closet, a thrift store. At our appointment in the summer I noticed this chair for $60.

Patience pays off. I loved the chair but hated to spend $60 when there were so many other things we needed more in our new house. We stopped by the store on our way to my brother's wedding and though it was still there the price had not dropped. Today I was amazed that the chair had not sold, and the price had been reduced to $40. We snapped it up and were thrilled when he sold it to us for $30. It has a new home in our master bedroom.

I always check the material bins when I am in thrift stores. You can find unique patterns of fabric that might be unavailable or just very expensive at the fabric store. Today I found 4 little bundles of material and the fellow at the store also reduced those prices.

We also got some wonderful old wooden skis that will add character to the bar-in-the-basement that we have planned. All in all, it was a nice day out as a family and the appointments for the kids went well. I hope you are finding ways to keep busy this winter!

Blue Jean Blanket Project

If you have children, especially young ones, you might understand how a project can be started and actually take years to complete. That is what happened with a blue jean blanket that I have finally resumed working on. My eldest son was a baby when I completed a different blanket and began cutting out circles of denim for this pattern. We were having company and when I cleaned up the guest room all the denim got piled in a heap. Then we had baby #2 and that room became the toddler room. So my denim and all thought of the blanket got packed away in a closet.

I have the space to sew again now that we are in our wish house. A few weeks ago I dug out the project and dove in head first. It is so refreshing to see my progress and feel like I am actually getting something done.

In the endless cycle of dishes, laundry, picking up toys and cooking meals, it is easy to fall into a discouraged feeling that every day is the same. Right now I am finding that most days are the same, but in a really productive and self-fulfilling way. I do want to be here with my boys. I enjoy taking care of my family and that includes all the mundane household chores that go with being a stay-at-home-mom. But as they play together more and are growing more independent, I am loving the bit of time that I spend sewing and using the creative side of my brain (without using play-do to do it!).


I saw the pattern on line years ago and loved the look of the blanket. I really like to use denim for beach blankets (sand doesn't stick) and most outdoor use. They are warm to sit on or cuddle under at a hockey game,a sleigh ride, or nice at summer events where you might need to sit on the ground or benches.

The pattern is circles of denim with smaller squares of multi-colored fabric. The circles are sewn together, leaving flaps of denim that are later sewn down to create almost a window-frame effect.

 As shown on the right, I even handstiched a few pieces of old pillow case to add a really homemade feel. I would say that I will have the blanket completed in a couple days. I'll show more pictures then!

Pottery Results

Recently I began taking a pottery class at the museum in town. I was lucky enough to have my mom suggest it. I really enjoyed having an afternoon to myself "built in" to my week, but mostly I enjoyed the experience of learning and creating.

I took a beginner's pottery class four years ago and ended up hand-building all of my pieces. I wasn't that happy with the glazes and I was disappointed not to have learned a bit about the wheel.

I did not conquer the wheel this go-around, but I'm happy to have a couple pieces that I will use. I also really like my hand-built plates. Unfortunately, two of the ones I made that would match those in these pictures were cracked. It is wise in pottery to never get too attached to a piece--the hardest part for me!

I really enjoyed this class and I can't wait to take another. I dislike driving in the winter and don't want to be out on the road so late at night, plus my mom will be busy with their calving season, so there won't be another until sometime next year. Have you had a chance to take up a new hobby lately, or return to an old one? Any major Christmas projects you are working on?

Beating the Winter BLAHS

No, I'm not going to start barking about the weather, the short days, the grey sky. I'm saving that for January...FEBRUARY....when I can barely put one foot in front of the other. Today I thought I would share how I pulled myself out of a funk.

After a week of letting housework slide in favour of more important, more urgent matters, it can be hard to get back on track and feel like laundry or dusting matters. To keep from dwelling on things out of my control, I decided today's mission is to make our home feel more comfortable. So I took this:

And turned it into this:

And I did it in under an hour (unless you count the time spent retrieving tools from a 20 month old helper)!

After finding the tools I needed (hammer, drill, drill bit, screw driver, anchors and screws, level and measuring tape) I just measured centre of the wall and centre of where the hooks go on the back of the shelf. I made sure those points were level and marked on the wall where to drill. After making a hole I gently pounded in the anchors and screwed into those the screws (thus ensuring the screws and shelf won't just pull out of the drywall).

I left enough screw sticking out for the shelf bracket to "grab"

 Then I repeated the process again. It took longer to find things to put on the shelves than it took to hang them!

I am glad I got motivated to cheer up one small space in our house. In the process I managed to cheer myself as well! What do you do to keep from getting down in the winter?

Welcome Mittens

This post is long-overdue! At the end of August, Husband began working nearby. He hauled the camper home and also brought a surprise for our boys.

Welcome to the family Mittens! I am not a cat person....in fact, this is the first cat I could stand to have around. But I have to admit she is cute. It took awhile to teach the boys not to man-handle her, and she has been patient and never scratches them. She waits at the door to play with them, and comes running to play when they are outside. Ahem....she has even taken to going down the slide, and runs back up the ladder to wait her turn. Marvelous good fun!

Borrowed Time

At this time of year, every nice day feels like borrowed time. Last year we had snow by mid-October and we had dreadful spring storms that kept us buried until the last week of April. It was a long hard winter.

Our lives and my outlook are so different this year--proximity to family, friends, town, neighbours to chat with on the shoulder of the road--we just aren't as lonely. My kids play together now (and fight, but that's a different post!) and I finally feel like I can "turn my back" and get more done while they play or run around. As anyone with small kids will tell you, it is a challenge to stay on top of everything when your kids need you more. Their growing independence is a blessing I am grateful for everyday.

There is so much for us to do before the snow comes. It is forecast for tomorrow, so today I want to do as much as I can and enjoy working in the yard before the weather turns my attention indoors (where there is also so much to do!). The last two weeks have been incredibly productive. Our carpenter turned up one day and built the stairs to my basement (cue the angels singing!) and our doorstep and the small deck off the master bedroom. They built the car garage and my sittin' porch before other jobs beckoned. If all goes well the garage floor concrete will be poured tomorrow and the carpenter will return to finish up once it has cured. Oh my how I will enjoy parking in the garage! In our old house we never managed to park inside--there were always too many things stored out there and too much in the way. This time will be different!

Have I mentioned that there is a lot of rock on this piece of land? I will post more on that later, and include pictures of our many, many rock piles, but suffice it to say I am at work on two raised flower beds made of stone, and I have many more plans for all the rock we are picking, picking, picking!

Some of our rocks. 

My dad has made so many trips over with a tractor to bring the topsoil back into our yard from where it had been piled (pictures to come). Everyday the kids and I have been out there--them playing on their spankin' new swing set and mommy picking rocks or watering trees (that reminds me, there is a post on trees coming soon....once it snows!) I am so enjoying the work outside. I would like to get the two stone beds finished and filled with soil so I can plant the bulbs I have left. And then another winter to draw and dream.

Tuesday Is ME Day

My mom is the best. Now that we are living just down the road, she offers to watch my boys every chance she gets. It is wonderful to see how excited they get to go play at grams', and it is wonderful for me to have a bit more time to myself. All of this at a time when my kids are getting easier--they play together more, and everyday they are more independent.

I was able to enroll in a beginner's pottery class on Tuesday evenings, at my mom's suggestion. I drop my kids off with her in the afternoon, go to town and do the running around that I can't seem to get done (or don't want to, with car seats and little helpers to deal with), and then take part in the evening class. The kids sleep over and have a wonderful time. I even get a bit of quiet the next morning before I go get them.

For now it is just a relief to accomplish things in town that are so hard to get done--but my goal is to also add an exercise class of some kind so that my day out is enriching mind, body and soul. If you have kids or responsibilities that seem to bump you to the bottom of the list, I hope that you are able to find a way to put yourself back on top--if only once a week. You are not doing it at the detriment of your family because it will make you happier, more fulfilled, better at your job. If there is a way to do it, do it. And further, if you know a mom or someone who puts others first but rarely gets a break for themselves, perhaps you could drop off a casserole, a gift certificate, offer to babysit or have a sleepover. It does not need to be monetary, in fact, it usually shouldn't be. Taking time to help a friend, to say "I see what you are doing and I would love to help you" might make all the difference for someone and their family. I intend to pay this forward as soon and as often as I can because I can already feel the difference it is making for me and my kids. And we will certainly thank gramma by helping her as much as we can.

Was there ever a time that someone offered to help you and you were blown away by their generosity? Please feel free to share your stories here!