Apple Love

I finally got it!

After years of PC hell I bit the bullet and bought a

Mac.

It has been quite the learning curve I tell you, but all worth it.

I started with ipod touches, and each of us girls in the house have one.

They are mini miracles in my household.

Tales to Go, music, learning apps, Netflix...theres no end to the usefulness of these little wonders.

Then I got an iphone.

Can I just say I have no idea how I lived without it.

I have had many adjustments, growing pains as they call them.

I think I've hashed most of them out.

My favourite addition to my Mac is the Aperture program I purchased.

It is amazing photo editing software that has allowed me to really expand my photography, and I need all the help I can get!!

Soapy Kids

For a gift last week I bought K a "Make Your Own" Soap Kit.

It was nice because it was easy and the finished product was wonderful.

Simply by melting a bar of glycerin and adding some food colouring and essential oil we had our liquid soup mixture ready to go and in under 5 minutes.

For a quick kid craft this is great.

Then we poured the mix into a silicone form.

After they cooled and hardened, about 20 minutes tops, K wanted to wrap each one to give to her friends.

K even gave me one.

Does that mean I am a friend??

Had to make a quick stop into the fabric store yesterday, which turned out to be an hour of rummaging around trying to find the perfect fabric to finish a quilt I in the middle of finishing.

Here's what I ended up coming home with....5 new projects!!!

Spring has Sprung Part 2

Mama Bella is so proud of her babies.

They are vibrant and healthy; their eyes have just opened and they are starting to roam around on their wobbly legs.

I have moved them into our kitchen and they are exposed to the daily life of two curious young ladies.

This calico one is Gilligan AKA Gilly, and he/she is going to be ours.

I promised the girls we could have one from this litter since I refused last time and they are ecstatic.

This week has been ful of catching up in the yard.

The weather has allowed us to plant grass at our rental and over-seed our patchy front yard.

I replaced the batteries and out I went again to get some more yard photos.

I do this every year because I love to see/document the seasonal changes year to year.

These always remind me of Alice in Wonderland.

After a long freezing winter my sink needed a little tune up before we could turn the water back on.

Thank you sweety!!

I know its the last thing you really wanted to be doing but you did it with a smile and I am grateful!!

Happy Spring

I can smell it in the air, the warmth of the sun.

The days are longer and full of adventure.

Spring has sprung!!!

I finished the Happy quilt for my new little sweet niece Jordyn Anne.

I got to hold her today for the first time and it was incredible.

I haven't held a newborn in a very long time and it was so special.

When J held her I saw that familiar look of longing in his eyes.

He would love to have more.

He'd have 20 I'm sure.

Easy said since he's gone to work 95% of the time.

I do feel bad though but I am settled with two.

Two beautifully healthy perfectly happy girls.

Just perfect!!

I grabbed my camera for a jog around the yard today and took a few photos of spring , then the battery died so these are all I got.

Great Mews!!

Our Beautiful Bella has had her kitties.

5 kittens, all healthy and wonderful, eating like champs.

She is such an amazing mother, dotting on each one carefully.

I went out to check this morning as I have every morning for the past week because I knew her time was close.

Sure enough I could hear tiny little meows.

Oh!! it just melts my heart.

The girls have named them already.

Meet Butterscotch.

Gilligan.

Licorise.

May.

Coco.

It was tricky to photograph them, its cold outside and they were very screechy without mama.

Spring is in the air around here for certain.

Poor Molly is feeling a bit concerned that all the attention is being shifted from her and will have no part of that.

Shiny New Roller Skates

I have vivid memories of the days i used to roller skate in the hall just up the road from my house.

I remember paying 50 cents for the rentals and skating laps around the hall to hits of the 80's.

There was definitely a sense of nostalgia when I bought the girls their own quad skates.

They just love to roll around, and as the season is slowly changing to summer, we soon will have the chance to skate outside all around.

This makes me happy.

As Katie still cant ride a bike, roller skates offer us an opportunity to do something new and fun.

Since January when I chipped a bone in my knee, I haven't been skating with the team.

This has been a real source of contention for me and has angered me to no end.

Its hard to be a part of a team when you cannot contribute.

The team has recently gone through some major changes with political/emotional differences leading the team to spilt.

It is difficult to manage my feelings at this time, every time I think of derby it makes me frustrated, leaving me upset with my inability to do it to the extreme that I want to be able to.

Sadly the spilt has also left me a bit sour.

This, the fact that I cannot commit the time needed and that I am physically behind.....grrrr.

I had make a decision.

I decided to respectfully withdraw for the time being.

This is sad but strangely liberating.

I was exhausted thinking about it all the time.

Tired of feeling guilty.

So now I am no longer a derby girl and I feel an emptiness, but a freedom.

I have some of my time back, to complete my quilts maybe.

Or to get into that garden that keeps yelling for me.

When I was skating, the girls were by default derby girls too.

And one thing that every derby girl must have is a name.

K and E each picked out theirs and I had shirts made.

Too cute!!

I'll hold onto my skates and my name.

I know this is not the end for me but merely a hiatus.

Chicks and Bunnies

We were so excited last month as one of our hens was brooding a nest full of eggs.

We had them marked and separated, we candles them at 3 weeks and were on track for about 6 new chickies.

We waited and waited and.... no little babies.

I'm not sure what happened but our mama hen just left her eggs after 5 weeks and we were left with only cold, soon to be rotten eggs.

I was sad, I craved watching mama hen with her little chicks all in a row behind her.

One of our neighbours has many varieties of hens and an incubator.

She had hatched some silkies, some buff orbingtons and some americanas.

We bought a couple new breeds from her and now I have my chickies.

And my girls couldn't be happier.

The are chicken whisperers.

How about a few bunnies to round out the farm crew.

We rescued a couple of rabbits.

They are great pets.

They snuggle and run around the house freely but supervised.

The girls have the bunnies named and have gotten comfortable with them and their personalities.

Meet Tiger and Thumper.

We found this cage unit at a garage sale from a lady who used to own a pet store.

For $40 we got the top and bottom, and we attached them tight together and cut holes through each compartment and up and down, attached a ladder inside and now we have a rabbit condo like no other.

Yes we are definitely a pet wonderland.

Quilts I've Started...

A start to a sweet baby quilt that I will applique with the word "happy".

In hopes that my sister in law will be having a little lady, this lays in wait.

I've seen some amazing quilt art lately and it inspired me to try a piece.

This is a small square that I machine quilted with strong dark colours to add depth.

I then painted some blue highlights and sparkly stars with fabric paint.

I think this is a neat medium of art and makes a great wall hanging.

This is the beginning of blanket for my niece back east.

And this one is a start for my new nephew.

Just the middle piece but like I said, a start.

I see a robot or a bike appliqued on this one.

Piece one, and I think the one and only.

I thought a bright quilt would be fun, but I now think it'll be a bit too obnoxious.

Maybe a seat cushion?

This is my personal fave at the moment.

I want to make this one for my hubby.

No pattern, I'm just winging it, But I have big plans.

The fabrics are just so beautiful.

Then there's this Owl.

I made it a bit too big.

What do I do with him now?

Maybe a bag or a kids throw?

Once I figure it out I'll let you know!

Learning to Needle Felt

When I see anything felted I swoon.

The feel, texture, the colourful softness is so inviting.

I have thought about trying to do it many times but just hadn't gotten around to it.

Finally, while spending a day to myself wandering the streets of Victoria, I stumbled onto a store that grabbed my heart.

I spent hours chatting up the owner and eagerly learned the basics of felting.

I left elated, and I'm sure he was too when I bought half the store.

Once I got home, and poured the loot on the table, the girls were just as excited.

They chose their wools, I set up simple cork needles and away we went, a winter afternoon felting session.

I immediately attempted an Owl and was quite pleased with how it turned out.

It only took about 15 minutes.

Now I want to attempt a whole zoo!!

After some practice, I had the girls work on felted soup bars as gifts for a few of our friends.

Using some lovely soaps from Lush, I wrapped them in hand dyed wool.

It was a great, safe way for the girls to felt.

It felted quickly.

Each bar took about 10 minutes.

We have since used all our felted soups, but I do recommend getting one or making one for your self.

It is such a nice feeling to be scrubbed with wool in the tub.