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31.7.11

A Weekend of Joy!

It's all about Claire...Here with her Opa...enjoying his sunglasses and finding him very interesting and handsome.....she gives him a toothy smile and was blinking her beautiful big brown eyes at him!"


Going for a walk to meet up with Opa at the Super Store..Is there a bigger collapsable stroller in my future that has higher handles?





Dancing to Katy Perry when her Mommy left for the wedding.





Oma feeding her...What fun that was...they cautioned me to wear an apron..it worked..she was really good and ate it all! She is saying..."well are you just going to sit there and laugh or are you going to feed me?




She is such a joy and a precious gift to Jim and I. We are very glad they only live 4 hours away!




30.7.11

Claire is here...

Here she is...7 months old yesterday..she is such a little charmer. She is staying home with us tomorrow..Julie will go to the wedding herself and Jeremy will stay here with her and I...The mosquitos are so bad where the wedding is this year and she had kind of a rough car ride...so they have decided she needs a day off...I am so glad to have the time with her and Jeremy!



Getting a massage from her Dad...she loves it. It makes her relaxed and smile!



Thanks Dad!



29.7.11

15 seconds of fame

In 1998 I worked for Sumac Ridge Winery while we were living in Nelson.
I am mad about all things Martha Stewart and my girlfriends used to call me Dagmartha all the time..I have every single one of her magazines...including her first issue, all of her books and besides all that...I make alot of the crafts she has in her magazines or books.. Jim bought me tickets to go see her in Calgary for dinner and a visit with Martha...I brought her a bottle of our Ice wine and was able to give it to her...She graciously came over to our table and thanked me....this is her thank you letter to me!
Here is the little snow globe I made from one of her Christmas magazines...I think that year I made about 20 of these little snow globes to give as gifts..they still make me smile after all these years!




























28.7.11

Great thrifty finds...

My favorite thrift store..."Bibles for Missions" had 50% off the entire store...here are a few of my finds...Two completed needle worked pillow covers in my colors as well as a pile of wool crewel thread...$1.75 for all this....it gets better...2 linen tablecloths with marvelous poppy flowers 45x50 as well as 60x50..$6.00 for both...a few doilies for.25 cents and a Pyrex 1 cup glass measuring cup...50 cents! I yelled at Jim...."Start the car, start the car!" He was even surprised at my great finds!......does it get any better than this? I think NOT!















27.7.11

Misfits.....

What do you do with flowers that just didn't quite make it as "good enough"?
These darling little misfits became a garland...buttons were added to cover the defects...layers were added for color and texture...now these not quite perfect little flowers are just hanging on the wall adding a burst of thriftiness and color to my craft room!
























Just Waiting

"Emmy Lou loves to stare over the water to see if there are any ducks in the horizon. Wasn't too much awake at this hour except us. Nice sunny day."

My Cindy sent me this lovely photo of her dog Emmy Lou....love this shot....just imagine the thoughts in her head....what is she really thinking?








26.7.11

Blueberry Scones

Blueberry Scones......
Too much mixing, kneading, and baking will produce dry and tough scones.
Yield Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.

Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.

Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.



The recipe I used was from Aug 2011 issue of MSL...called Berry Scones...they called for Cranberries as well which I added...OMGoodness!
Paired with Cindy's Raspberry Jam..Heaven on a scone! I hope you try them..they are so easy and taste so good! Enjoy!
This is how mine turned out!









25.7.11

Happy Birthday "Gertie"

It is mfsibrtp { my favorite sister in Bull River that paints} birthday. I adore Caroline. She is feisty, sweet, loving, kind, determined and an outdoorsy kind of gal. I call her Gertie or Carrots of just Caroline..she is 9 years younger than me and many years wiser....she is a loving wife to Larry and a great Mom to Troy and Kari..grandmother to Gianna..I am so happy to be her sister and to call her my friend! I know our other sister Evelyne who is one of my fav's as well feels the same way!
Happy Birthday Caroline!





The Vines and the Fruit....

It was an amazing day...beautiful summer weather..{finally}.. a long drive thru the vineyards and orchards...Our lovely picnic at Hester Creek Winery HERE
Our first stop was at " See Ya Later Ranch" in Okanagan Falls. I love this particular winery as I used to work with them when we lived in Nelson.That's when they were Hawthorne Mtn.Vineyard...always such great supporters of our BC SPCA for animals.






The view from SYL winery...another lovely spot to enjoy a picnic





Speaking of which.....check out this deer looking over some new digs for he and his family...on the deck no less...maybe looking for a place to picnic as well.




At Hester Creek for our picnic....they have a new restaurant as well as a place for the guests to either buy or bring their own picnics....complete with a fabulous view, wine tastings, music, and cooking classes.... they also have villa's to stay in...this winery was a best find by Jim..well done honey!















In season now.. apricots, cherries and soon the early apples....with it's 200 lakes in a 200 mile radius and 125+ wineries...no wonder our wonderful Okanagan Valley it is called Napa North.....truly, I think it is much more diverse and even more lovely than Napa..but then we live here surrounded by this beauty.











24.7.11

Claire's first wedding

Claire all dressed up in her party finery for her Uncle's wedding in Victoria. The lovely lady to her left is her 96 year old great grandmother....I can't wait to see all the photos of how cute she looked...she is being held by her proud Mom, Julie.




23.7.11

Picnic time....

Tomorrow we are heading out for a picnic...One of these would be a great way to travel....

In 1968 I traveled with my families friend, Helen Cox, from the small town of Bull River, BC where we grew up to Pawling NY....in her VW camper Van..3 months on the road...endless memories that helped shape me into who I am today...Looking back I am not sure how she did it..she never had any children of her own and she took this chatty 17 year old with her...she did insist on an hour of silence each day....only an hour I say?
She taught me how to drive in NY City! She became my son's Godmother and passed away years ago....she instilled in me my love of travel ...she was a wonderful mentor to me.



























repined from Pinterest.


22.7.11

U-Pick Flower Market....

There are many farmer's markets here in the Okanagan...U-pick flowers, cherries, peaches, apples, raspberries...the list goes on and on in this fruit growing valley.....yesterday I stopped in to pick 12 stems of zinnias' for $5.00...I added some mint leaves and voila..a bouquet of summer goodness for the weekend! I hope the sun is shining where are you!


















21.7.11

"Millie"

Who would of thought that a chenille bedspread, a thrifted pile of clothes in bright colors, a puppy stitched on her pocket.... would turn from
This to That!
Meet Millie..friend to Olive, Lucy and the traveling Rosie...Slightly dazed by the look on her face...planning her summer schedule.










20.7.11

"Rosie" is heading south......

Meet "Rosie"....she is a gift for my blogging friend Suzanne.....for her new granddaughter...I love making these and I am very pleased with how she turned out...the right pieces of fabric just seem to be found when I need them...I asked Suzanne to name her...and just love her given name!
Check out her great blog...Meridian Road....HERE

I will post Millie tomorrow...I will be working on Daisy and Darby...for Christa's new grand baby to be as well as Darby for Daigen....She will be scouring the fabric selection to see what she can make!

Here are some of the names I am working on...Helen, Joyce, Heidi, Hazel,
Martha...Humphrey, Simon and Albert...who knows what they will look like!















19.7.11

Create..

Most of the time I just need...want..must...make things..very seldom are
my hands idle....I found these words as a quote.....I have this app for my IPad call Phoster and this is how it turn out! This is my motto! Now if you will excuse me..I am off to make a new kind of " softie." Photos of course to follow! :)




What I miss the most.

Our dogs...Cookie, Pebbles and Sable and my old dog Buffy...These pets have a place in our hearts that are forever there....
This was Pebbles (in black spots) and Cookie..our chocolate chip Dalmatian
on our spare bedroom/craft space in our AZ. home.






Sable was our Sheltie..she kept Cookie in line when Cookie was a pup..
Sadly, I was unable to find a photo of Buffy..the Sheltie that we had when Jeremy was young...I must go thru my albums to find one of her! They leave their paw-prints on our hearts!







18.7.11

Simple Summer Pleasures

The joys of a sunny day to play, craft, garden, nap and get on with your day!
























































Location:Carrington Rd,,Canada