Belated Celebration...

Although Olivia turned 8 at the end of August, we just got around to having 'the party' this past weekend. I all too easily remember having an end of the summer b-day....quite often either we were on holidays or all my friends were on holidays but Mom always made sure we had a party! Well, we did celebrate many times over with Olivia...once in Osoyoos, a family party when we came home and finally the 'friends' party...only this year we did something different! I offered Olivia the option of inviting one friend to do the "Build-A-Bear" Workshop. You have to understand that up here in Canada it's still a novelty as it's only located in a few places in BC and is quite expensive. So, she invited her friend and her friends Mom suggested making it a ladies night out and heading 'across the line', as we so fondly use the term for crossing the border to the States. It involves a little wait and some organization with identification but its a fun outing...especially for those of us who only live a few minutes from 'the line'. As it isn't an easy task to take someone else's child across the border I was more than happy to take a mom along so I'd have someone to visit with too! We left from school and headed down to Bellingham for a fun day of build a bear and of course some shopping too...the dollar is pretty good right now! My favorite stops are bath and body works and Target! We ended off the evening with dinner at Red Robins and headed back home....it was a great day! Olivia named her dog 'Alexa' and Laura named her monkey 'Tommy'. It's almost as much fun clothes shopping for the stuffies as it is shopping for the kids!

Colour Combo...

I picked up these great fabrics at local quilter, Cheryl Wall's, open house last weekend. Cheryl is a very famous quilter and makes the best prim patterns! I love the brown and pink combination and can't wait to come up with a creation using these....today I'm off to Kim's to have some help with applique as its not my forte! You can find Cheryl over at Country Quilts.

The second pic of all the fabric is the lot I got in a sale at our local quilt shop in Abbotsford. Once each year the owner puts out all her sample fabric swatches that the dealers give her and we can go nuts filling a bag for $20. I managed to get 129 pieces in mine! They're very small but perfect for quilt piecing!

Hope you have a great day...I"m off to sew until hubby's done work at the farm.

Hole in the Barn Door.....

Well, not in our barn thank goodness! That's the name of the quilt pieced block you see here. I'm in such a creative mood these days..I think it's the change in weather. It's nice to turn on the radio, sip a cup of mojo and choose a project...other than housework of course! I love this color combo you see....although the blue doesn't look true in this picture. I'm planning on making these into a runner. I can't remember the names of these fabrics...some were just scraps that I had and the others were fat quarters I bought somewhere and can't remember the line.



In true Andrea fashion I've put the unfinished one aside and started a new one using the brown/green/coral combo you see above. This particular color series is called "Shangri-La" by Moda Fabrics. Picking colors is half the battle...sometimes it's super easy and other times its a time waster! The challenging part for me is now going back and finishing all the started projects...which there happens to be 4 waiting in the wings. Time to get busy! thanks for checking in!

Celebrating a Home-Going...

That's right, yesterday we celebrated the truth that my Grandfather has gone on to his Heavenly Home. Yesterday was his funeral and memorial service. Most of my family is out of town so it was great to see everyone even if it was for a somber occasion. Many of my cousins were not able to make it but I did get to see a few who I haven't seen in many, many years. Everyone came to our home between the burial and the memorial services so that we could spend time together remembering Grandpa. My Grandma looked lovely and was so brave. Many lovely tributes were given at the memorial and my mom and uncle teamed up and sang a beautiful duet. I will always remember my Grandpa fondly and am happy he lived such a full and happy life. Thank you to all our friends and family for words of encouragement, prayers and practical help...blessings to you all.

Work Mode...

Well, it's that time of year for me....time to get busy and create! Anyone who knows me knows that this isn't really 'work' because I love doing it. People always ask "where do you get the time to do this?" Well, it's what I do to unwind. Some people work out (which I need to do more:), others shop, some work outside the home, this is what I do. Once the kids are in bed or if I've got a free hour here and there in the day, creating is what I do. I'm fortunate to have my own space where I can put on some tunes, relax and get into 'create' mode. It might be paper, it might be fabric but either way I usually enjoy it. It doesn't always get finished in a timely fashion but it's the process that counts.

The picture above is something I'm currently working on. I'm bananas for anything plaid and fall is my favorite season so I combined the two and with the help of an inspiring pattern, created this fall table topper. I actually made two and sold one at Campbell Valley Country Fair this past weekend. My friend/cousin Kim is the one who introduced me to the fun of quilting and she's taught me well! Her and I team up and do a few fairs along with our annual Christmas open houses each year. There'll be much more coming on my blog about those but if you're looking for dates already you can check out the "events" list on the left side of this blog.

Well, we cleared out a lot of stock at Campbell Valley this weekend so it's back to the drawing board...what to make next??? It's going to be a busy week with the upcoming funeral for my Grandpa and the family coming in from out of town but I know that I can head to my haven and get some R & R while I work on the next creation.

Stay tuned for much, much more!

If you'd like to see some pics from our booth at Campbell Valley...head on over to Kim's Brown Bag Studios blog...plus..it's just a cool blog to check out!

Saying Goodbye to Grandpa...

Well, although it was not entirely unexpected, we said goodbye to my dear Grandpa Smith yesterday. Grandpa was 91 years old and up until a few months ago you'd have thought he was only 60. Grandpa Smith is my paternal grandfather although he is not my dad's biological father. My Grandpa married my Grandma over 30 years ago...in fact I was born on their Honeymoon....so even though I'm not the 'oldest' cousin, he used to always tell me that I was his first grandaughter! When I was little my grandparents lived on a beautiful property on the river in Hope. I vividly remember going for visits frequently to see them. They moved to Abbotsford when I was in my teens and just lately were both moved to Menno Home. I'm glad they could be together right up until Grandpa's last moments. My Grandma is doing well considering her loss. Grandma is a strong, lovely woman with a sense of humour sharper than any whip...now you know why I am the way I am! I have been so lucky to have so much time with all my grandparents and am blessed that I will see both my grandpa's one day again. They've both gone to the most wonderful, peaceful place. I am so thankful for God's promise of eternal life with Him. Rest in Peace with your Saviour Grandpa...until we meet again.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Search & Rescue...

Well, we've had quite the couple of weeks with animals! Yesterday Rob had a super busy day...you know, gotta make hay while the sun shines...well in our house that's literal! So, Rob comes up to the house yesterday and says, "I gotta get baling but there's a mewing coming from inside the baler!" So, we headed out to the machine, which has been sitting idle for a few weeks, and sure enough, we could hear a kitten. Finding it was another story...it had somehow either been born, or relocated to the inner workings of the machine. So after much coaxing we got her out. Rob's hands were pretty scratched up from both the kitten and from trying to get his big hands in a little space but she's rescued. So, now what???? We are dog people, not really cat people. We've had cats in the past but we have awful, and I do mean awful, luck with cats. So, catsy is up for grabs....any takers? We think she's about 4 weeks old, very strong and loves attention..just ask my girls! I love that even though my hubby was in a huge hurry he took the time to rescue this little helpless animal. Not everyone would have taken the time or the care to do it.....but hey, he is a farmer after all!

Saying Goodbye....

Well, we've had a pretty rough week around here with our pets...but for now I'll just share about our farm dog Sheba. Sheba was just a puppy when I met Rob 15 years ago. I would go visit him at the farm and Sheba would always greet me...even jumped on my car once! Once we married we lived on the farm for 7 years and Sheba became part of our 'family'. Once we moved off the farm she quickly found a loving 'new' family with the Blakely's. Sheba was the most gentle, loving dog. She had a very special bond with Rob...they are actually very similar in personality! Sheba had a beautiful black fur coat in her younger days....Rob says it's because she ate so many eggs off the farm. Sheba was a very faithful farm dog...she put many miles on while she travelled alongside Rob as he drove the tractor up and down fields. Well, a few years ago Sheba started showing signs of age. She started to have troubles seeing and hearing. In the last few months her body started to fail her and she could no longer function well. Rob made the heartbreaking decision to have her put down, so, at 10 am this morning our farm vet came out and ever so gently sent her into a peaceful, permanent sleep. Poor Sheba. We have many fond memories and pictures of Sheba...these are some of the ones we took yesterday when the kids and I went to say one last goodbye. We'll miss you Sheba, but we're glad you won't suffer anymore.

Something Old..Something New...

Well, the something old is Olivia going back to school. The something new is Abigail going to preschool! Both girls were very excited to get to school. Olivia is in grade 3 this year and attends a traditional school where there is a uniform code, so there are no problems with what to wear every day! Abby is starting preschool at the early age of 3. I wasn't ready to send Olivia to pre-school until she was 4, but Abby is ready! Abby's been talking non stop about preschool since we registered her back in March. Last week, every morning, she'd say "come on mom...i have to go to school!" It was so hard for her to wait, but alas she got to go this morning.

It's hard to see the girls growing up so fast but I try to take advantage of every moment and enjoy my time at home with them so I'll remember these years. Luckily for me, I've still got little Isaac at home and he's not going anywhere without me any time soon!