RUG HOOKING BLOG

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I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Monday, December 31, 2012

BABY IT'S COLD OUT THERE


I just wanted to wish everyone of my followers a JOYOUS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, GOOD HEALTH AND CONTENTMENT. MAY YOU REACH EVERY ONE OF YOUR GOALS IN 2013


Here is my granddaughter M's newest pet. He's trying to warm himself or herself on a LED light, lol...(Gee, I forgot to ask her if it was a he or a she) lol... I'm not even sure if it has a name either.
 I'll call it  Taxi as in Taxidermy.

Don't worry, she didn't kill this little cute chipmunk, It had already met it's demise. She went online and found a Youtube video to learn how to proceed and she cleaned it all well and proper to kill any bacteria and stuffed it.  I welcome her comments to rectify what I missed or distorted. The fact that she stuffed this little creature blows my mind. This was actually her second critter to stuff.


A side view of the chipmunk.



Now before you all scream, it's a mouse who  also met with her maker but not by my granddaughter's hand. No she's much more compassionate than that. She salvaged what was left of the little critter and disinfected it too before proceeding. She cut it on the front and had problem with sewing it up as the skin is very thin and fragile but she did the best she could and then she found out that she should make the cut on the back where the fur is thicker. Makes sense to me. There's even a wire in the tail.




She wants to make cloths for it. I think that Tasha Tudor would approve. hahaha.


I didn't took a great shot but this is my granddaughter M. explaining me how she did the taxidermy.


Her younger sister N. showing me how the chipmunk looked as if it's warming itself over a candle.

I've got more photos to show but I must go now. Stay safe and warm and have a blast to celebrate the new year. I've got my bag of chip and my wine all ready. That's the only preparations I've got and I'm Ok with that and I'm as happy as a fish in the water.

Thanks for following me all this time and welcome to my new followers. I do appreciate your comments and visits.
Hugs,
JB


Sunday, December 30, 2012

ONE TIC TOC AT A TIME AND IT'S GONE NEVER TO COME BACK...

Another year zipped by and did I attained all my goals?  No, I didn't. I make lists and I cross them as I reach certain goals.  Then when the list looks messy, I make a new one and start all over again.  I must admit that I reached many of my goals but I always take on more than I can accomplish. The reasons are many but I get a second chance to do better in the new year. A whole year of tic toc is almost history.
One day at a time we're given a second chance and another and another to reach our goals. Some are long term goals and they need more time and some are short term goals. I've stopped making new year resolutions and just try to do my best. I can't think of any regrets for this past year.

My computer was not cooperating at Christmas so I'm late posting on my blog although my grandson could play his game.
Christmas was low key this year and was a departure from the usual. Somehow I managed to take some pictures. Everyone was overworked and tired but getting together was still important.

My daughter and the kids came for the afternoon visit


My grandson L.  playing his game of skill


My granddaughter M. working on an amazing piece of embroidery for a period costume that she's working on. These are supposed to be the pockets. I'll try to post her progress when she is has more done if I can.


My grandson S. reading his new book.


A close up of her handiwork. each hole is counted and the white border around the design is actually is a tiny cord that is stitched over. Very tedious work which she loves to do. The tiny gold thread is a chain stitch.


The pencil lines in the centre is where the seam will be. She has done a lot of work but still a lot more to do.


My other granddaughter N. and her mom, my daughter Jackie sorting out the puzzle


My hubby working on the puzzle while granddaughter N. is  painting her mom's fingernails blue with her new nail polish kit. Her mom chose blue.



Grandpy is a good sport and volunteered to have her practice on him.


Now that she had the practice on grandpy, it's mom's turn to be pampered.


My next door neighbour came and just before dinner was ready, she placed some puzzle pieces with lightning speed and got it all done while I was putting dinner on the table.


Here is the finished puzzle.
We normally have a larger and more complicated puzzle to do but the Holstein cow on this one was the decisive factor. As a rule the girls and I all sit around the table to work on the puzzle  and we are only allowed to take a sip of wine when we place a piece. It gets pretty hilarious some time when someone gets lucky and puts several pieces in while the others haven't placed a piece in some time.

I did not take pictures of the turkey dinner.

My son was here and came to take some food to his friend who was not well. I didn't thought of taking his picture. In reality we had 5 people for Christmas dinner. Next year if all goes according to plan, it will be a big dinner at our house.

Today we are being pounded with another major snow storm. There is no color and everything seems black and white.


A shot from my sunroom door of the deck.


This is what is left of the turkey soup we had for lunch.

I have more pictures to share for next blog post because this one is already too long but it's for my family.
I hope that you all stay safe and warm while you wait for the New Year to come in. The New Year baby in diaper is going to freeze his butts this year. He'll need more than a hat to keep warm.

JB


Monday, December 24, 2012

SERVER PROBLEMS TODAY

 I've been trying to post comments on your  blogs since yesterday. After many tries sometimes it works but I my server gets cut off andI loose my comments most of the time... It Christmas Eve and I can't spend anymore time on the computer as I have some last minute preparations to make.

I'm even having a hard time to post this. Hang in there and sooner or later I'll get it fixed. I've been able to visit some of the blogs I follow but not all.  C'est la vie.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. PEACE, JOY, HOPE, LOVE AND GOOD HEALTH

JB

Friday, December 21, 2012

MODELLING MY NEW GLASSES

My new glasses are in and now I can sing my own rendition of Johnny Nash song, I can see clearly now...
I can see clearly now the rain is back.
I can see obstacles in my way... mmm  mm  mm mmm...

Yes, it's raining here instead of snowing on our first winter's night and the shortest daylight of the year and we survived the end of the world...

Someone from my followers wanted to see my new glasses and I thought that I would model them for all of you. Yes, I'll be brave and show you what I look like after taking off  my toque when I got back from my chores at the barn. I have a love/hate relationship with the said toque. It keeps my head warm which I love and it makes me look twerppy when I take it off because my hair gets all flat.

As you can see Miss Clairol doesn't make any money off of me, that's for sure.
I can't blame the lack of Miss Clairol for my wrinkles though. Wow, they are multiplying fast. I know that I don't get enough beauty sleep lately. Heck, I hardly get a good night sleep anymore. Sometimes less than 6 hours a night.

I've been  playing with my camera again.
I set it to night setting and it depends at which angle the lens points out, sometimes it flashes a tiny bit and sometime it doesn't.

Is that close enough  for you to see my wrinkles? Wrinkles are something that is hard to avoid when you get your old age pension. It's a conspiracy with the government. You got to look old to get money for old age. Kids like wrinkled grandmothers, right?


How about that, it didn't flashed this time and I was looking directly in the camera lens in the bathroom  mirror. I'm trying my best to smile without cracking the mirror.



Now to be fair, I'll include this last photo of my new clip on Polaroid sun lenses.  I just hold them by  the edges on each side and pull slightly and it is spring loaded  and they clip right on just like that, for $30.


I ran into my next door neighbour this evening on my way to the farm to feed the calves and we chatter for a few minutes. She had no plans for Christmas as she was going to be alone. We've only met in passing on the road or when I work in my gardens. Always too busy to invite her in. Well I invited her to have Christmas dinner with me and my husband on Christmas Day and she was so pleased.  I cannot let her eat alone when I live just next door.

My wish is that you all have someone to spend some time with at Christmas even if it's with just a furry friend. Christmas is not about present but it's about love.

Merry Christmas my blogger friends.
Hugs,
JB

Monday, December 17, 2012

CRAVINGS

I've been craving  polenta for some time now  and of course it needs planning ahead. It seems that I'm always preparing something quick on the spur of the moment. I USED to be organized but now it seems that I'm getting slack in that department. I'd rather spend some time visiting my blogger friends to see what they've been up to.

Polenta is so easy to do but the trick is  that it needs a couple of hours to cool in the fridge to set before it's ready to fry. It doesn't sounds too appetizing until you add some grated  parmesan. I used the ready grated kind. It's quite salty so I don't even bother salting the polenta. Instead you could add the parmesan on the sauce  but this time I added in the polenta and I like it this way.



Once cooked, my polenta is spread in a lightly oiled glass pan to set until firm enough to cut in which ever shape I want. I chose the simple square.


The next step is to fry it. I like using a bit of butter and Extra Virgin Olive oil just because Olive oil is better for my health.



It can be serve in many different ways but I like this very much.
I sauteed some Portobello and button  mushrooms, onion, garlic, a little Sauternes cooking wine and some pasta sauce and you have a meal that is ready in no time and so satisfying.

True confession.... I ate another serving just because it was so good and I really had been craving it.

May you have a blessed day with the ones you love and don't take them for granted. Love and acceptance starts in the cradle. Prayers for the grieving people of Newtown.
Thanks for your faithful visits.
JB

Thursday, December 13, 2012

RUG UPDATE AND GETTING TOO OLD FOR ...


I've hooked a wee bit last night again until I ran out of the dark green and I dyed some wool today and it's drying, hanging from the ceiling in my husband den by the heat of the wood stove. I've ripped and redesigned to make the vignettes fit but it wasn't easy because of the limited space. If I ever make another similar rug, I'll try to only draw the idea as I go and only pin the rough sketch on the backing to get an overall picture of the rug. It's a learning experience.


The little girl on the rock is me fishing in the little brook, only there's not much room for my brook and that pig is too darned closed to my head for comfort and will have to be ripped out. I knew he was trouble from the start. I had to redraw the legs as they were too closed to my dad's head and that wasn't proper either... I feel like I've  boxed myself in on this rug, lol...

The dude in the red shirt is my dad preserving  mackerel in a salt brine in a wooden barrel. This was a yearly event. He brined pork and herring and sometime mackerel. The kids helped of course but I didn't had room to fit anyone in there.


I've been feeling rather unproductive these last couple of days as far as Christmas preparations are concerned. All I want to do is do nothing or at least as little as possible. I don't want to go shopping for Christmas because I'm already tired of all the flyers that are bombarding me since October.  I don't want to bake, bake, bake because there's no one to eat all the fatty stuff and we  want to eat healthy.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and I don't mind giving, my family knows that...
 I've addressed a total of 6 Christmas cards so far  and have lot  more to do but just not in the mood...

I don't like to buy things for people that are not needed and will only clutter. Everyone already have too much stuff,  including me and my husband. I'm at a lost as to what to buy.  I've gone shopping and come home empty handed. It must be that I'm getting old. There's way too much stimulus out there for me with all the electronics and games, toys and this and that. I feel overwhelmed with too much stuff and want to go home.

 I love decorating for Christmas because it brightens the house at a time of year when we're indoors more.  Everything I bought to decorate with were bought very cheap or I would not have bought it.
I've added Christmas lights in my vine plants in the sunroom and I've got lights everywhere, on my tree, on my village, on the banister.  I never got my outdoor lights on this year.  I was too lazy on days that I had the chance.

 Christmastime is a time to slow down and receive the gift of our Redeemer, Jesus and everyone is rushing like mad. It's just not right.

My husband and I have been way too busy with farm work  to entertain  and we even declined several Christmas parties as we rather stay home.  We must be getting old.

 I'm planning on a very small turkey dinner with all the trimming because we love  to have leftover turkey and chunky cranberry sauce with orange zest and juice. It will be a quiet Christmas but next year will be different.


I've been playing with my camera at night taking photos on two different settings.


This picture taken on the Automatic setting at night with no extra light


This one was taken with the flash disabled to get a warm glow but it would be better if I had a tripod as any shake makes the picture a little blurry. The shutter speed is slowed down.





With flash disabled and no additional light, giving a warm ambiance.  I like it better.



This one taken on the automatic setting with no other lighting except the flash, again at night



I added some lights to my vines and it lights up the sunroom at night with a warm glow. Picture taken again on the disabled flash. I'm having fun.

Thanks for putting up with my eccentricity. Have a great weekend and if things gets just too hectic for you, go play with your camera.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
JB

Thursday, December 6, 2012

CINNAMON STICKS, DRIED APPLE & LEMON SLICES DECORATIONS


When a blogger friend suggested that she imagined my kitchen  smelling of something nice with cinnamon  baking and maybe some apple cider I think, it kind of gave me an idea about what I could make that wouldn't cost anything to add to the garland on my bannister.

 I sadly have no such aroma in my kitchen at the moment. Smells more like Nachos, lol... I wish it smelled of fresh baking though.

I found a jar of cinnamon sticks and a jar of star anise in my pantry and then I remember that I had some dried  apple and lemon slices tucked away in my buffet.

I used some tiny  elastic bands to hold the cinnamon sticks together but I needed some ribbon and I couldn't find anything suitable. I found a small piece of left over burlap backing from my rug hooking supplies to tie the ornaments to the garland. I pulled some strands from the jute.
I borrowed my husband's carpenter glue, (he's not using it any way shhhhh) to attach the star anise on the bow to kind of hide the elastic band. I used some ornament hooks that I twisted in a "S" shape to hook them to the garland.



I also found a short set of clear lights last night that I thought  I had given away to goodwill. Getting the lights on after the garland is decorated is not the best idea, lol.... Can you tell that it's my first year to decorate the bannister?



I found some fir tree picks and added them on here and there and this red heart that someone gave us for our tree last year when the triplet calves were born. We had named them Faith, Hope and Love. Now, I'm not sure I like the plastic snowflakes on the garland. I'm new at this.


This is not a a very good shot. I tried a night shot setting on my camera. The only lights on in the hall were the one on the garland
 I need to buy a tripod to hold the camera steady with this shot because the shutter speed is slower on that setting.  ( maybe santa is reading my blog)  lol...
 I don't dare tie anything on the rail for safety reason for my husband.

I had my eye appointment today and needed a new pair of glasses. Since I broke my frame last week and the optometrist lend me a new frame which I was supposed to return, but since I got the new frame I can see so much better as the frame holds the lenses in the perfect place on my nose.

In four years my eye sight has changed just enough to have a new prescription but I can still use these for the barn work and use the new pair for dress up or computer. $509.  My senior insurance only pays $100. He did gave me a discount though. It might take a couple of weeks before I get them because I'm having some no glare and anti scratch added on the lenses.

It's supposed to warm up by Monday and I plan to wash my very dirty windows on the south east side of the house. The sun is low this time of year and dirt really shows.

Thanks for visiting again and a warm welcome to all my new followers, seen and unseen. I appreciate your comments.
JB

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

SPREADING SOME CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

I finally started to decorate the entrance inside the house and since I have a banister on my stairs I've decided to hang my old skinny evergreen garland on it. I've added some pinecones and little thrift store birds and some ribbons. It could use some more fillers but I'm not planning on spending money unless I accidentally find somethings  to spruce it up at the thrift store.

My husband doesn't usually get interested in the decorations but he felt that I should take some pictures and put them on my blog. So here it goes.



The same decorations as last year except that I had the garland on the mantel last year and I added a  different ribbon. I love my little snowman who is holding to the spindle on the stairs. My little guys say
WELCOME.


This is a view of the bow in the front







One of my little bird sitting on a branch



This little red bird is missing an eye. There are some more but I'll only show two here.


Another thrift store buy from last year including the pine cones, the bow and the basket


This year, I added the little santa in the train and the carollers. both thrift store finds. The two other thrift finds were from last year.


I've added one snowman from the thrift store on the left  end of the table with my other thrift store find  collection and  the sign says "Snowballs for Sale Cheap"


This tiny nativity was in a little bag with other ornaments that I bought this year at the thrift store . I'm missing Mary and the cow.  I'm hoping that my artist granddaughter can make me some replacement pieces out of Femo clay.


My ceramic village that I made several years ago.  some pieces missing and I will not be able to finish  it because the moulds were damaged in the flood.


I make due with this piece I made as part of it was broken in the flood as well.


One of my old poinsettia that has survived except one section has died. It was neglected and wilted badly.


This one also is from last year.


This one from several years ago. Not in the best condition as they all need repotting.


This is an old one too but it has lots of red bracts starting to turn. It should be red for Christmas



This one was won as a door prize at our Christmas party last year. It's a bicolor one and is starting to turn color.  It looks a bit anemic. As you can see I don't spend much as I make due with what is given me. I didn't bought a single poinsettia again this year.

I hope that you are getting in the Christmas spirit without having to spend too much if you are thrifty like me and that you enjoyed your little visit at my house.
JB