Winter Wonderland.....

It's BEAUTIFUL here....did you read me? Beautiful! In this neck of the woods we aren't totally strangers to snow but it's sporadic and rarely ever graces us for Christmas...but this year is one to behold! We have about 2 feet of snow all over and its still falling....and its Christmas Eve!! It's supposed to turn to rain in the next few days but we're going to enjoy it while its here. Rob has been busy clearing snow from all the driveways at the farms so the feed and egg trucks can get in when they need to, and also keeping the church parking lot cleared although the Christmas Eve service has been cancelled....the majority of people here don't know how to drive so great in the snow....it's comical...until someone gets hurt of course. So, here's our beautiful White Christmas pics for you to enjoy.....wherever you are I hope it's equally beautiful. A very Merry Christmas to all of you....enjoy the Season as we celebrate His birth!

Farmer In Training...

Well, even though its snowing like crazy and there's 2 feet of the stuff on the ground, our barns are a balmy 92 degrees. We recently had a flock change at our farm and we brought in 13,000 baby chicks, only hours old, where we'll raise them for 4 months until they're ready to lay....then they're off to our layer barn. But, for now, they need lots of TLC. My hubby is a great farmer (insert tooting of my hubby's horn here) and he is especially great at raising these little gals. His dad always told him he raises great birds! Well, we thought we'd introduce our new little man Isaac to 'the chicks'. We only get chicks once per year so this was a first for him....and obviously not his favorite activity. We thought he'd love the chicks and the warmth of the barn but apparently not. No worries...we think he'll come around...in the meantime it was the perfect chance for some photos....

Christmas Happenings....

It's a wonderful time of year! So often the routines of Christmas become exactly that...routines. This year I was determined to be refreshed in my thinking about each and every tradition and enjoy each one, knowing it is a gift from God to help our family remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Here's just a few random shots of different things we've been doing to enjoy the season....I trust you're all enjoying your special traditions and maybe even creating new ones! Blessings to you this Christmas Season....Jesus Is, and always has been, the Reason for the Season!

It's been a while......

Hello All...well, I've been entirely lazy in my posting...but it is that time of year when time itself is scarce.My daughter's been begging me to post her latest creative outlet...blocks! I bought this box of Kapla blocks years ago when I used to work in preschool/daycare. The kids love them and find them so theraputic. My girls love them....they're always thinking of something creative to construct. It doesn't matter who's visiting...Uncle Ken, friends, Grampa and Gramma...everyone loves the blocks! If Uncle Ken is here then the blocks are building airports and towers and hangers....if friends are here then it's animals and names being built, if it's Grampa and Gramma then it's going to be cars and roads.

On this particular day Olivia chose to build Madagascar characters...she had just seen Madagascar the 2nd with friends the previous day and was 'in the mood' to create. She kept telling me to come check out her blocks and I kept putting it off because I was busy with something...but when I finally took the time to go and look I was totally impressed with what she had done...the characters were easy to make out....so this post is for you Livi!

Christmas Open House 2008

Well, one down, one to go....we had a wonderful, successful open house here this past weekend. I am so greatful to my friends and family for all their support in so many ways. Here's a few pics to show in the a slideshow above so you get just a little taste of what went on here...enjoy!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Music has been playing, little lights are twinkling, stockings are hanging....its that time of year! I've been crazy busy preparing for the open house this weekend at my home. I'm on the home stretch now and will be pulling a few late nights to get it all done....but, it'll get done! There's lists of grandiose plans of things I wanted to get done, but my time is limited, family is a priority so what I have will have to do! Kim and I have been preparing for months now and hope to provide a warm, welcoming Christmas experience for all those coming. Last year we had visitors in the hundreds and this year we are anticipating nothing less! The open house begins at my house this Friday from 12-9pm and Saturday 9-5pm....and continues the following weekend at Kims place with the same hours. You'd think we'd be a little sparse for visitors being a little out of town but we get a lot of traffic heading this way to visit a few other attractions out here like Glenda's Christmas Cottage and Tanglebank Farms. I've posted just a few things for a sneak peak of what we'll be offering, many you've seen already in the making on older posts....you can head on over to Kim's blog for a better idea as she's the 'bee behind busy bee':) Kim and I have done this for a 'few' years now and appreciate the support of so many regulars! Everyone has been inquiring about the aprons.....yikes, apparently I should have made dozens...but alas there are only 5. Try not to notice the jam on my 3 yr olds face...i was desperate for a model other than myself...very desperate!!! I will be happy to take orders on them after the open houses, and in the new year I plan on starting childrens aprons. The ones I've made here are size large and fit an average size 12 -14. Well, time is of the essence so away I go...looking forward to seeing many of you and thanking you for your interest in 'what we do'. Blessings to you today!

Mama's Got Mail!

Woo hoo... I got 'fun' mail today....no bills, no junk mail, just a yellow padded envelope that I'd been waiting for! A couple of months ago I joined an online Christmas Ornnament swap that was hosted by JoAnne. We each committed to making a handmade Christmas ornament that we would then send to a certain someone...everything had to be a secret..... The ornaments had to be in the mail by Nov 1. We each emailed a picture to JoAnne so she could post them on her blog and we could guess which one might be coming our way....well, funny enough the very one I had my eye on arrived in my mailbox today!!! So, a big thank you to Kris for her lovely handmade ornaments, and a big thanks to JoAnne for all her work in coordinating the swap! I LOVE them, and they suit my house perfectly! I love that she took the time to check out my blog and picked up on the fact that I am a plaid junkie! Thanks Kris for your thoughtfulness and hard work.....I am so excited to have these new ornaments for my tree this year...well, ok, one of my trees this year! This weekend I'll be putting up some of the Christmas decor in preparation for my Christmas open house the following weekend (see sidebar).....stop in if you're in the area! Bye for now! Sorry for the bad quality pics...my flash won't work...time for new batteries I guess:)

new quilt and table topper....

These two projects are finally heading towards the home stretch! The pink/brown combo is a cute quilt that just needs some borders and binding....not sure what to do with it yet but it'll make a great baby quilt or a couch quilt if you like those colors! The other is a table topper I did using log cabins made from the infamous Shangri-La fabric collection. They were way too much work and I don't think I'd do this particular pattern again, but hey, live and learn! I've got so many ideas in my head of things I'd like to make that I've been making a list so that if I don't get them done this year I can always do them next year! i just got back from the post office after mailing a few handmade ornaments off for an ornament swap...I can't wait to see what I get! I can't post pics of them yet, but once I get mine then I'll post the ones I made for my swap partner...for now it has to stay a secret!!! Have a great day...here it's raining and the leaves are covering the ground.....I love fall!

All things bright and beautiful!

This is a glorious day here in BC....every colored leaf is at it's peak! I just couldn't resist snapping a few pics for your viewing pleasure...and mine, of course! I know that our fall display out here is not nearly as breathtaking as those on the east coast but we give them a good run for their money! These pics were all snapped from some vantage point in our yard....it doesn't matter which window I look out of these days there is colour galore! Fall has always been my favorite season and I don't find it hard to stay within the speed limits so I can take in the beautiful scenery...we take a different road home from school each day just so we can see God's latest art exhibit! Hope you are having a beautiful Fall day wherever you are!

Cutting the Apron Strings.....

no really, I'm cutting apron strings! I made an apron about a year ago when some friends and I got together for a crafting day and I've always wanted to make more. So, with a little encouragement from a friend I decided to make a few to sell at our upcoming open houses. I tried to choose a variety of prints to make it interesting although 'vintage' was my original goal.
I'm making two of the half aprons and 3 full size ones. The paisley and polk-a-dot prints are for the half aprons and the cherries, pears/apples, and sushi prints are for the full size aprons. I have a long ways to go yet but I thought I'd show you my progress so far....I tried to get the mundane parts done first.....so, here's the waist ties and the neck ties for the full size aprons. I'm not planning on adding the lovely bow that's shown on the pattern....just a little too 'flouffy' for my taste:) Hope you're having a great day...thanks for checkin' in!

No Idle hands here...

This week seems to be flying by and I thought it was about time I did another post! It's been an exciting week celebrating the birth of two little girls in our new, big hospital. We are so excited for these 2 families as they welcome these two precious lives. Our love and congrats go out to these couples who we consider our own church family. They are both wonderful families and we wish them love and happiness as they raise their new little ones for the Lord.

Well, as you can see in the pictures, my hands have been busy this week...with the weather changing it seems as though I'm starting to feel the push to get going on creating product for our upcoming open houses and sales. (see side bar for dates) These latest creations have been fun as they use funky Christmas colors that compliment each other. I've done the two runners using a 'farmer's daughter' block pattern. The other square piece is for a Christmas table topper similar to the fall ones I mentioned in an older post. They are a little bit of work.....100 little pieces to be exact, but they are so cute and the fall ones were very popular! The other runner you see is one I had also previously posted after I had just pieced the three blocks...now it has the sashing and borders on. None of these pieces are near being finished....they still need batting, backing, quilting of some sort and then binding....so, back to work I go! Well, that's it for today....thanks for checking in.
Andy

Fall is my Favorite....

Last week when I was driving down our road I caught a glimpse of leaves tumbling behind me in my rearview mirror....and I realized...fall's officially here! I love fall more than any other season. Usually it means sunny, cooler days, beautiful colors on all the trees and chilly evenings. Lately it's been pretty blustery around here and there are leaves everywhere to be raked! This weekend we will celebrate Thanksgiving and also remember the loss of Rob's Dad on Thanksgiving 3 years ago. It's a bittersweet time but we are thankful he's with his Heavenly Father. These are a few shots of my house this time of year.....Kim gave me the acorn/leaf/sunflower bowl fillers that you see displayed on my Grandma's old stove! Thanks Kim! I love being able to have this old stove. My dad originally purchased it for my Grandma when he first started working...what a nice son! It's great for seasonal decorating!

P.S. If you're looking for a cool giveaway head on over to Cindy's blog and leave your favorite fall recipe in exchange for a chance at a really cool prize!

a-MAZE-ingly wet....

Yep, we braved the rain on Saturday afternoon and headed off to the Chiliwack Corn Maze with a bunch of friends. Well, it was just overcast when we left, slightly spitting when we arrived, and by the time we got started...out and out raining/pouring! We mucked through the mud of phase 1 of the corn maze, although it wasn't too difficult since the correct path was blazed in fresh mud! We're talking sideways, slippery cornstalks blowing with rain in our faces....ahh, the things we won't do in the name of fun! It was so wet that we didn't get too many pictures but here's a few. Once we were done phase 1 (we didn't brave phase 2) we had a quick look in the barn at the animals, and some of the kids rode the ride-on tractors. 'My' men were decked out in their John Deere duds so we took advantage of the dry barn to snap some pictures. We had planned on spending the afternoon there having a hot dog roast in the provided pit but our plans quickly changed and we headed to some friends' house for a bbq with the gang....and to dry out! Fun day despite the weather.

Shangri-La....

is the name of this moda fabric line that I am so in love with! I've stretched out this fabric into numerous projects and will 'have' to order more when it's all gone! Last night I finished the sashing on this table topper..another piece that I'd be happy to keep if it doesn't sell. I love the brown/green/coral colour combo even though this picture doesn't do it justice. My battery died on my camera right after I took this shot....so no close ups for you this time. This piecing pattern is the same 'hole in the barn door' that I posted a few posts ago in a different color combo. I'm already on to my next project...another one with Shagri-La fabric....I know, big surprise! I'm using every spare square of this favorite! Well, better run, we're heading off to the corn maze...I'll post pics of that soon....we're hoping the weather holds up for us. Have a great day!

Happy The Home....

Where Love Abides....is the name of this wall quilt I'm working on. The body of the quilt is all machine pieced and the applique is all hand stitched. This was one of my first major applique jobs and it wasn't so bad....thanks to a little help from Kim! I originally started this project back in May before Isaac was born, and just recently picked it up again to finish. The pattern is one of Cheryl Wall's of Country Quilts. I am a huge fan of Cheryl's work and love her patterns. When I first started this project I thought I would for sure keep it for myself....now I can't decide.....we'll see. I just have to back and bind this baby and it'll be all done! Then, onto completing another started project! Story of my life. It's a perfect day to curl up and quilt here....light rain, cloudy skies....a good coffee, and a candle burning, kids are napping.....bye for now.