June Flowers

Late June and our flowers are looking like this!















Snow in June?

Look closer!!! A field of flowers. Yes - we did have fun rolling around in the field of flowers and took some goofy photos!

Ahhh, the culprit - our huge snowball bush!

Just 2 weeks ago the blooms looked like this...


Our neighbor has huge poppies that have gone by, but I did manage to get this photo right at the end of their season.





What do you think July has in store for us? Little Boy and I will be sitting - watching our peony bush bloom. They smell wonderful! I love peony bushes - everytime I move I always plant at least 1 bush in memory of my Nana... she had the most wonderful peonys. This particular bush has been my most successful one so far - last year it fell over the flowers were so heavy so I caged it this year. LB has discovered that there are more colors available so I do believe that we will be adding a few more bushes in the future.

Quilt Group Tomorrow

Tomorrow is quilt group and this is a photo of the current quilt we are working on (before the frame got rolled!). The 9 patches were donated by a member who had participated in a swap. We only had to make the connector pieces. Since I like to machine sew - I pieced alot (but certainly not all) of the blocks/rows together (really fun since I didn't have to press them - someone else did that!). Another member made the trip to the store for the backing fabric (it takes HOURS to get there, plus crossing the border so believe me, this was great!). For this quilt we used a very puffy batt. I am not part of the hand quilting group - maybe next quilt - I just wasn't up to it this time around. Last week I was happy to just sit, knit and visit - for me it is fun just to see everyone! I DID finish LB's 2nd sock that I was working on. In anycase, we have some excellent hand quilters in our group! Probably tomorrow the final stitches will go in... no need to attach a binding because the binding was put on before it was put it on the frame!

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During my time at quilt group tomorrow I have plans to at least START attaching the hanging sleeves for these 2 quilts - both of which will be in our show. I decided on these 2 quilts because they aren't huge and have interesting fabrics. Here are photos of them on a queen sized bed to give you an idea of the size. Many of the quilts in the show are hand quilted, but mine are machine so I've added the machine quilters info to my forms.

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On a nature note: here is a photo of a luna moth. DH saw 2 of these in the parking lot of the grocery store early one morning and brought them home so they wouldn't get run over. They hung out in the shade of our porch all day (much to LB's delight) and were gone the next morning. The tape measure is a bit off-centered but at least it will give you an idea of how big they are.

Can you guess?

An assortment of pans... plus...

A great helper (wearing a new pair of PJ's I just made for him)...

equals....



A dump truck birthday cake (with 5 candles)!!!
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Or at least - my version of a cake HE saw in a Wilton cake decorating book featuring fondant and all kinds of fancy stuff. Believe me, MY version looks, ummm, welllll - very homemade compared to the one featured in the book, but it certainly is made with lots of love! And he was so excited about this cake that he declared that he wants the exact same cake for next year!
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Nope - we didn't have a "party" - all this cake was for the 3 of us!!! I needed to make a double batch of cake in order to get the truck shape. Yes, there are left-overs even after lots of sharing with others.
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All in all, he had a perfect and wonderful birthday. Just as it should be when you are at the Fun and Fantastic and Fabulous age of Five!!!

Lillac Dreams

The other day the wind swung around to the south and we had a very nice warm day - ok, so I am still wearing a fleece jacket, but it was the warmest day we have had so far this spring. Little Boy wanted to lay out on the veranda and smell the beautiful lilacs. Mmmm, such a wonderful smell! We have numerous lillac bushes (more like trees they are so tall) both purple and white. So, I asked DH to lug his little mattress out there with the blankets and pillows (and Elmo, of course) and within minutes, he was sound asleep. Me, well I sat down right next to him to keep watch and worked on my knitting.

What am I knitting you ask? Socks! My sister knit a little pair for her son and when he outgrew them - they were passed on down to my son... who just so happened to fall in love with hand knit socks. Here is a photo of my sisters pair on my bars quilt. In anycase, more hand knit socks are needed so I bought a pattern and some beautiful Regia yarn and set to work (I already had the needles - don't you love it when you already have the correct size!). Never mind the fact that I have never knit a pair of socks in my entire life! It all went pretty well until I got to making the instep and then I was totalled baffled. A quick Google search turned up a wonderful knitting video where she shows you exactly what to do and once I saw it once, it was all perfectly clear. Sorry, can't remember the exact website address, but if you need it - just Google - I am sure it will come up! Here is a photo of my 1st sock - the 2nd one is almost done now!

Oh but wait - do you all realize how very unusual it is for my son to be napping in the middle of the day? He is actually very sick and there is a story to go along with it (fortunately he is on the mend).

Little Boy and I set off last week for a little bit of much needed R&R. I LOVE driving around New Brunswick - the scenery is just so beautiful. Here are 2 photos that I snapped while driving - I just picked up my camera and pushed the button without even bothering to look at the screen and amazingly enough - they turned out pretty good. Everything is so green right now. Oh, and there is never any traffic where we go!

So there we are miles away from home and LB develops a very high fever. He is crying. He is complaining. Now you have to understand, this boy hardly ever ever crys. So, I figure it is serious and will bring him to the medical clinic nearby after giving him some Tylenol. Except that doesn't exactly work out. We take a number and wait over and hour and then they tell me that after I pre-pay the $250 for the visit then we get put into the line again to wait for a doctor. Could be over another hour. Hummm. Tylenol is kicking in and he seems to have settled down some so I decide to just get in the truck and head for home to bring him to his own doctor. Even though the tank isn't on empty, I stop and get gas before heading out. The nice thing about New Brunswick is that gas prices are regulated so they are the same everywhere unless you live in a very rural area in which case the gas station is allowed to charge a few cents extra per litre for transportation. Umm - I live in the very rural area catagory so we pay a few extra cents. I was happy to pay $1.33 a litre for gas while away (there are 4 litres per gallon). Happy being a relative term if you consider paying almost $100 for gas a happy experience! Then again - I like to drive a good sized truck, and no, I am not the least bit interested in getting a smaller car. I like my truck.

Anyway - I call DH and tell him to please call our doctor and tell him that we are on the way. Oh, and Little Boy has a high fever and says his neck really hurts. Well, an hour after I drive past the big hospital DH gets in touch with me and tells me - our doctor says to head back to the big hospital because it is possible LB has meningitis (which it wasn't thankfully!). Not familar with the city I follow the H signs and arrive at a smallish hospital and after they look LB over they decide to send him over to the big hospital. I ask for directions and they tell me not to worry about it, they called me a cab, they don't want me to get lost on my way. I'll tell you - I was sooo worried and everyone being extra nice to me just made me worry even more! But when all was said and done... high fever from an ear infection and strained neck from this cold that just won't go away (sneeze, sneeze, sneeze and these pre-schoolers have such tiny necks for their bubble heads, plus he generally hurts all over from fever). MUCH too late to make it home by the time he is released, so we got a hotel for the night and headed home the next morning. Phew, so much for going away for R&R - it was all very stressful and I was happy to get back home with my sick little guy. And that story would explain why he is napping away having Lillac Dreams in the middle of the day!

Oh but wait - there is even more to this story. After all that driving, with a very sick child - right before I drove into my own driveway I ran over a nail. I got out of the truck and all I could hear was the air rushing out of the tire. Quick -DH jumped in and moved the truck up back where the land is level and sometime this coming week we will get around to getting that tire off and fixed. Now, no one likes a flat tire I am sure, but of all the best places to get a flat, it has to be in your very own driveway!!! Blessings all around.

And all that fresh air and extra napping must be doing him some good because yesterday we actually made up a batch of cupcakes (appetite is returning) AND washed the windows and sills - at least the 1st step. When windows are really caked with dust/dirt/pollen/salt spray - the best thing to do is to first go over them with a sponge or soft brush and warm water before you get down to the shiny clean window washing part. It is good to see him start to get a little bit of energy back again. And yes, I often use housework as a form of entertainment - might as well get some work done while having fun, right?

Let's hope he is back to being his busy little self in no time flat! Here is a photo of him right before he got sick- don't you love his wader boots? Soooo cute!!!

June Already?!

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June already?! Where did May go???

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Actually, we really enjoyed the change in weather and spent a good part of the month outside puttering around in Little Boy's garden, riding bikes and going for walks. He just loves flowers and plants! Here is a photo of his prized bleeding heart, plus photos from various walks. Bring on the warm weather!!!

Notice the pink boots? They are a "spare" pair and he has liked them well enough all winter. But one day - he refused to get out of the car to go into school with PINK boots on! Oh, ok - got sneakers in the car anyway for wearing inside and it was a day they weren't going outside because of the weather. The pink boots will go to a little GIRL cousin for next year. Too bad the influence of peer pressure starts so early.
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It was a month of a fair amount of travel, including complicated connections which involved some long waits. But - my good little traveler - as long as I buy him a plant somewhere along the way - he's a happy camper. Here he is with marigolds and a geranium. See what a prepared traveler I am? Have apple juice, little bag of necessities, writting folder, extra blanket - and of course, Elmo - yup, ready to travel!

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A gardener I am not - as evidenced by this photo of MANY tomato plants in 1 pot - a kind friend set me straight on the basics of starting tomatos and we got them all seperated and now in individual pots! But - I am willing to learn. Honestly, I don't think our cold climate is condusive to growing tomatos and I am thinking we might have better luck with pumpkins and sunflowers. But no matter - it has been a fun project.

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Here is a photo of Little Boy just sitting - enjoying watching his garden grow! Isn't that too cute? He has pulled another chair up for Momma. He planted just about everything in there and knows every plant by name. I can just imagine him sitting in this same spot when he is 80 year old - watching his flowers grow! We all should learn a lesson from this wise little guy!

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We spent some time chasing a bald eagle, but never got the perfect shot. He arrived on his fishing rock late in April, but the tide has to be right and then the correct time of day for the lighting AND then the eagle has to be there! One of these days... I am keeping the BIG zoom and tripod in the car just to be prepared. I am going to TRY to make an effort this summer to take some nice photos rather than just using my little pocket camera all the time. But good photos take a bit of time, patience, the right timing, luck(?). The little pocket camera does manage to capture our daily doings just fine! In the meantime - here is a photo of my little photographer taking a photo of the fishermen's net fields with the big camera in late April. He also took this photo of me - taking his picture taking photos. Net fields? Well yes, fishermen have fields like farmers - except instead of growing crops, they put rocks all over them so nothing grows and then spread their nets out. Some of the nets are huge!

May is also my birthday month and a sweet lady at my quilting group makes a cake every month for all the birthday girls. Here is a photo of her super May cake! Of course, I made my own birthday feast - we had enchalidas, Mexican rice, re-fried beans, orange/onion salad, gaucolmole, shrimp dip, pork kabobs (my favorite) and blueberry cheesecake. All from scratch - Mmm, mmm good. All the recipes are over on my kitchen/cooking blog - see sidebar. Well, almost all of them - I still have to post the shrimp dip recipe. We aren't big on presents but rather our celebrations center around food! Here is a random photo of the goof-ball cook (yup that would be me!) doing a late night clean-up in the cold kitchen. I am wearing a beret one of my sister's crochet for LB. Anyway, Little Boy got me a toy at the Dollar Store and my ever so romantic DH got me an ice scoop - because we needed a new one! LOL. Good thing my Mom taught me to buy my own presents... except this year I really couldn't think of anything special I wanted so I have a present in the bank, so to speak.

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Little Boy had Pre-school graduation. The school got a cake and had a little pot-luck afterward. I made 2 dozen deviled eggs, I just love any excuse to use my cute egg plates! I think there were 18 kids who graduated and there had to be at least 50 people who showed up. It is nice to live in a community that really shows their support for the kids. He only went 3X a week for 2.5 hours, but believe me, I made good use of that time. Next year... kindergarten, oh my!

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Unfortunately, May was also the month of "the cold". A very nasty, long and prolonged cold that made for many sleepless nights as it hit each and every one of us at various times and lasting for over 2 weeks a whack. Ugh. Add that to a very busy workload and needless to say, I am very tired.

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A special treat was that our local choir had a concert just down the street from me. I was able to slip out (alone!) for a wonderful night of beautiful music. Amazingly enough, for a small community, there are over 30 people in the choir and what a talented and dedicated group of people. I got the 2nd to last seat and after that - it was standing room only along the back wall. It was great to see them pull in such an audience.

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With all these things perking along in my life, obviously I didn't get much sewing done (or blogging for that matter)! I've been plugging along on my String Tulips, working on my HST stars, started some string 6 pointed stars and go to quilt group 1X a week. But a little progress here and there slowly does add up to something!

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And finally - just a note about the seasonal changes around here... May brought budding leaves on the trees and it was so good to finally see GREEN again! Daffadils and tulips bloom, the rhubarb is up and the woods are full of fiddleheads. Fishermen are mending nets, herring sticks are delivered and being prepared. Wood has been delivered and everywhere the new wood is neatly stacked in rows or "haystacks" to be ready for next winter. The bald eagle has returned, 2 male pheasants squable and make a ruckus all day long in the back yard, the robins are here and the first of the hummingbirds are zipping around. We had a few warm days. Ah, May!

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Just in case you are wondering - a photo of the herring sticks - they are cut and numbered by how long they are. You can see the weir drivers in the background.