Tuesdays Treasures

I know it is late and I almost did not post but you know I need to think of things I appreciate everyday ,especially right now when I am dealing with the trials of my parents moving , it is far more stressful than I ever imagined it would be. Anyway I do have lots of things I treasure and we have a new addition to our property and a new family has set up residence which makes me so happy so this is my treasure for today.

 If you click on the photo you may be able to see the little swallow peaking out from the middle hole .It was fun to watch their antics as they tried to decide which apartment they wanted to set up house in , they deposited building materials in each space but always seemed to come back to this one on the bottom , I was surprised when my BIL told me that their would only be one family set up here , they are apparently very territorial and would not allow another family that close by and this couple had to fight for ownership , there were lots of others flying around the first while when Bill set this up. Why they build them with so many holes I have no idea . The partner of this swallow is usually on the top of the house perched on the ball but he flew away as I tried to capture them both. Now I hope to see the little ones when they get ready to fly off . I'm linking up today to The House on the side of the Hill  with sweet Melody
 No sewing to report , I was away for a few days to my parents and right now I am much to tired to think of sewing. Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.
 hugs Sheila

One Christmas Item a Month

It is the 25th already ,can you believe it , this month has just flown by . I  did get one Christmas item made early in the month which is a good thing as the later part was too busy for sewing . This is a really fun pillow to make and I think I will make more of these before the big day .

The pattern is called Comfort and Joy by This and That company . You may not be able to see but the background fabric is music notes , too bad it wasn't Joy to the World ;-0 I am so pleased to add this to my box , it is getting full , a great feeling. Thanks to Narelle of Pins and Whiskers for hosting this monthly event , why not join us , Christmas is not that far off . Okay , I am wrong just checked and this was last month , ok well it is now in my box , sorry Narelle I guess I did not get a Christmas item made , maybe I can count the candle mat I just completed :-)
 Thought I better update this post  , you might think I have lost it totally lol .  I am posting a picture of my crazy quilt that I am sandwiching today to machine quilt , my hope is the finish this in time for the quilt show ,I think I can do it , cheer me on won't you . The show is June 9th , yeah that is rather close but I still think if I get at it I can finish it . I am going to go set up the machine now but then it will be time to get supper going so no stitching on it this afternoon .

 The sun is shining today and there is a nice gentle breeze blowing , a perfect day to be outside in the fresh air so I think that is what I will do now. Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by .
 hugs Sheila

Postcards and more

I know it has been a while since I posted but I have a little situation in my family , my parents are moving and I have had to go to their home in Cape Breton and try to help with that transition , wish I could say they are all moved but they are not . It has made both my parents sick and has been and still is a very stressful situation for all of us. So if I go missing again you will know where I am :-)
 Today is the first time I have been sewing in well over a week , a record for me I think , anyway I am happy to report that I have not one but four finishes . I am taking part in a postcard swap in a yahoo group I am a member of and this morning I made three postcards that will be mailed off asap. The theme was vintage aprons , I simply could not resist when I seen this as an option . I love aprons and I love reproduction fabrics and I had fun designing these cards.

  I also finished off another candle mat , this was one of my samples for the class I had taught at our quilt guild and is the same fabrics as I probably showed before .This is a fun project that was designed by Annette of In Stitches and Seams , Annette is a talented designer and recently designed a quilt for the Mc Call's Star Challenge contest and is now in the next round , good luck Annette I know you will do well.

 I also managed to get the pieces cut and ironed on the background for this months house block with Shabby Fabrics but no sewing done yet .

Does that look like a basket of pansies , I hope so as it was the best I could do , those pieces sure are tiny :-)
Now I just have to share this work of art by Mother Nature , I love things like this and had to ask Bill to stop the car so I could hop on out and take a picture or two or three . Amazing I think but then I am kind of weird sometimes ;-)

 I can't let you get away that easy , I have to show you one more.

The fungus is amazing but also take a close look at that tree , don't you just love the knots and irregular bark .
 I am linking up today to the Needle and Thread Network , thanks for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of the day doing something you love.
hugs Sheila

Happy Mothers Day

To each and every Mother I would like to wish you a very Happy Mothers' Day , I hope you will be surrounded by the love of your children and have a very special day . Being a mother is not always an easy job but the reward is beyond measure and being a grandmother is equally as rewarding . I am so very fortunate to have three wonderful, successful sons who have given us seven beautiful grandchildren ,they light up my life. This Mothers Day I will spend my with mother and I hope my presence will make her realize that I love her and thank her for all she has done for myself and my sisters and brother over the years , I know it was not always an easy road for my parents but they did the very best they could and we all did well in life and hopefully have made them proud.
Happy Mothers Day !! and thanks for stopping by .
 hugs Sheila

The postman arrived :-) and a Mom's pride

What better way to start your Friday than with a visit from the postman carrying a squishy , such was the case for me today . Some time ago I signed up for an apron swap on the Down to Earth blog and my partner was Sue of Fairytales and Goblins blog , today the apron she made for me arrived along with a postcard of her area and a recipe for a date cake that I will have to try out . Thanks so much Sue I appreciate the sweet apron in a lovely bright red .

And now for a better picture of the apron , I had to use the office chair as my model :-) Isn't it great !!

Talking about chairs I just have to share what I took out of the wheels of the chair I use for sewing . I was vacuuming yesterday and noticed some thread sticking out from under the wheel so pulled on it but it resisted my tug so I turned the chair over and this is what I took from around the wheels , amazing they even moved at all.

As I have mentioned I have been  sewing along with Joanne of Thread Head with her little mini and this morning I sewed on the borders and then added the applique using her method and it had been a while since I have done machine applique this way so wasn't sure how that was going to go but it actually worked well . I think my fabrics could have been better chosen but I still love it and really enjoyed making each and every part . Thanks so much Joanne , now to get it machine quilted , Joanne has given us some wonderful ideas of ways to accomplish that so I will give that a try as well , probably not today though.

 I know this may sound like I am bragging and I guess I am but I want to share a little fact with you , our oldest son Robert is with the RCMP(Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and is presently part of the musical ride ,I shared some of this last summer when they were in Nova Scotia, this year they have the honor of performing for the Queen for her Jubilee .

Here is my handsome son , always with a smile on his face :-0 Seeing Rob riding a horse brings tears to my eyes , silly maybe but it does and to be riding in front of the Queen , well I will need a shipment of tissue ;-)
Here he is touring Windsor Castle a couple of days ago .

 Pretty awesome experience for him and it sure makes us proud , my only regret is not being there to watch the events . He was interviewed by CBC and from what he said that will be broadcast Sunday at sometime so I will have to be watching . We love you Rob and are extremely proud of all you have accomplished .
 Thanks for stopping by today and have the best day ever .
 hugs Sheila