I Did Something Wicked

  I bought this adorable terrier cookie jar for myself. I couldn't help it; he's so darn cute. I thought
about waiting until Christmas was over and then he might be half price. But there were only two!
Now you know he's not going to be there after Christmas is over. Which is why he's now sitting in my home. So what's so wicked about buying a cute cookie jar if one likes it?
You already know that Christmas is just around the corner. But what's really bad is that I also have a birthday and an anniversary this month. So I really shouldn't be buying presents for myself, should I?  I felt really greedy; I even took it back and put it on the shelf. But self won out and he came home with me. I want you to know my guilt is over and I am thoroughly enjoying him

My sewing is coming along well. I have one blanket done and hope to finish the other two today.
Have a great day friends,

What Was I Thinking?

  I was thinking how cute and warm, and cuddly these flannels would be made up into blankets

for our g'children. I knew I didn't dare attempt to sew pjs for them, since none of them are near enough to try them on. Oh, I know there are several of you ladies out there that are much better seamstress than me and are able to do this. But when it comes to sewing I'm not too good at 'flying by the seat of my pants'! I must follow an exact pattern.

 

What prompted this brainstorm was my visit to Pininterest. I said I wasn't even going to think of

going near this site. But I kept seeing 'visit my pininterest' on some of my blogger friends sites. And well, I didn't want to be rude, after all! And what did it hurt if I wasted a couple of hours of my life visiting pininterest? I actually discovered many, many new projects to try and, of course, tons of new decorating ideas. Just what I needed.

I want to share the site with you because you may want to whip one up yourself. Do It Yourself Diva's shows you step by step how easy these are to make. Well, I'm off to throw all my flannels in the wash to have them ready to start cutting tomorrow. What are you working on? Projects or decorating? Maybe both?

P.S. It is the May 11th post or easier just scroll down their sidebar to rag blanket.

           Blessings,

Judge Not

    Mendenhall Glacier-Juneau Alaska 2009

    Judge not, lest you be judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with
    the same measure it will be measured unto you. Matthew 7: 1&2

    I remember many, many years ago a story that was told to me about a pastor who was called on
    to try to speak to two neighbors who were having a dispute. Both attended his church. While
    listening to all the ugly remarks one of the neighbors was expressing to him about the other.
    She instructed him to look out the window at her neighbor white sheets on the line. They
    weren't white, they were dingy. She didn't even know how to do laundry right!
    Next he went to the other ladies home. She was a more gracious lady. She didn't really
    understand why her neighbor had such harsh feelings towards her and didn't really know
    how to change the situation. It seemed that whatever she did her neighbor criticized it and
    jumped on it, and blew it out of proportion. The pastor stood up, went to the window to
    ponder the situation. To his surprise the dingy sheets that he had gazed upon from the window
    next door where snowey white! How could this be? He excused himself and went outside. It
    was no trick of the eye they were white! Then he looked at the next door neighbors windows.
    They were what was dingy, not the sheets. So whenever the neighbor looked out her own dirty
    window, it made the white sheets of her neighbor  appear  to be dingey.
    I hate to admit that I sometimes look out upon people or view situations through a dirty
    window. I sometimes make my own judgements and then determine a persons heart from my    
   view point. So my prayer for today is for the Lord to help me to be more long-suffering and less
   judgemental. And to give me wisdom to discern truth.
  
   Blessings, 

The Fireplace Flame is Back

        Well, if you live in Canada you know that winter is near when your satelite carrier begins

        showing the fireplace log. For those of you who don't live here I'll explain. There are two

        satelite channels that have a flame very similar to the one above, that are on the air 24/7.

        There is no music, just the crackling of logs burning. However, the logs never burn down

        as mine do in my woodstove. They stay the same size and emit the very same crackling sound.

        Over and over and over again. That same crackling sound. That same picture!

        Although I know this would be far more economical then the wood that disappears so quickly

        in my stove, it just doesn't seem to have that same warm, homey feel that I get from my old  

        Regency wood burner.

         

This is a photo of me reflected in the glass door of our woodstove. Can you

see my hands? But back to the TV fire logs. Are you a person that would enjoy watching the flame burning on a TV screen? My DH and I used to

laugh about the thought of anyone doing this. Then last year we were invited to a friends home

for a pre-Christmas gathering and they had the TV fire log burning! It was one of those moments when

you and your hubby catch one anothers eye across the room and know precisesly what the other one is thinking!!  And then quickly look away so you don't start giggling like some elementary

school age child would. Not my DH, of course, just me. I'm silly like that. Oh, I hope I haven't offended anyone out there. Really! If you do like to watch this particular fireplace please make a comment and tell me how it brings enjoyment to you. Then I'll understand!

Thankfulness of Heart

                                                 So once in every year we throng upon a day apart                         

To praise the Lord with feast and song

In thankfulness of heart.  

Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

                       

It's Time

                      With the weather now in the 20's & 30's, it's time for the flannel sheets.

                      It's hard to imagine these babies stay on the bed until July usually.

                  My husband is up and at it already working on his latest project- a log shed.

                  This is the first time he's ever attempted a structure. But after calling our son,

                  Clayton, he felt he was up to the task. I'm happy because I will have somewhere

                  again to store some totes, and then can claim my loft back as a creative space.

                  If you could see my loft right now you would understand what a BIG deal this

                  shed really is to me!

               I've got to get busy with my several little Christmas projects. I bought my apron

               swap fabric-so cute. I'll show you after my swap partner has received it. I do want

              it to be a surprise after all! I am cutting out a pattern and finding fabric for my MIL

              to make dog and cat hand puppets for the great g'children. And then theres the fabric

              book above I haven't done yet. Oh, I'm not going to bore you with all the many projects

              I've got in mind for Christmas. Which in the end, I'm usually good at getting only half

              done.

              What are you working on today? I'm sure many of you are only concentrating on

              Thanksgiving. But if you're not, let me know what your project for today is.

              Blessings to you all today-Kimberly 

Bathroom Storage Tips

        Living in a small house holds it's challenges for storage. I am a person that can not tolerate

        junk sitting around on my counters. Unless, of course, it's pretty junk! I try to find ways of

       displaying objects I need right at hand  in an appealing manner.

            When I saw this old condiment holder, minus it's proper glassware, I knew I had

            found just what I needed for a few of my bathroom essentials. I bought 5 juice glasses

           to replace what was missing.

             I've used this for the last couple of years to house my Q-tips, cotton balls, clippers,

             lipsticks, and hairpins.

           Here I've used a silver plated tray to hold my powder (inside the sugar shaker), my bath

           salts, and Epsom salts. This you can see in the cabinet in my first photo.

           I am presently tinkering with my bathroom. I brought back an old medicine cabinet from

           my MIL's home that I've painted, and am working on pictures for the wall. So I will

           follow up in a later post with those photos.

           I hope this is of help to someone else that lives in a smallish home and is space challenged

           like I am!

           We are off to town for the day. I am participating in an Christmas apron swap. So I'll

           be shopping for fabric for that. It's been in the 20's here. I actually wore my thermal

           undies for my walk today. I'm such a wimp!!

           Hope you have a blessed day today-Kimberly



What's required of you?

 

                         And what does the Lord require of you?

               To act justly and to love mercy and to

               walk humbly with your God. 

               Micah 6:8

It's Beginning..

                                              BH&G-2000

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere! In the stores, on the tube, and even on

our blogs. I, personally, don't decorate until the first of December. But I do like to work on projects and get new decor ideas planned ahead of time. After all, it is a 40 minute drive to any stores here, so no running to pick something up if  I've forgotten it.

                           canadian home & country

For all my horsey blogger friends-how about a wreath for decorating your horses neck? It looks great for a photo opt, but not very practical!  I do think the urn is beautifully done though. And I still like to hang my Christmas cards as they arrive, do you?

     LLBean
Isn't this lovely? One of the advantages of living in the woods is all the free greenery at hand. There is nothing here that I will have to purchase. Well, the light if I want one exactly like this one!

                    And, of course, the traditional pine wreath is still one of my favorites.

Have you began planning your holiday decorating yet? I know some ladies (mostly my Canadian

friends) who are now setting out some of their Christmas decor, since Thanksgiving has been long

over. Please keep sharing your Christmas ideas, as I still need some fresh ones for this year!

Hope you have a great weekend.

Suitcases

          I am not a suitcase collector per say, but I find that I have accumulated a collection of sorts.

    In a 1200 sq. ft. home you try to find any extra means of storage you can! These suitcases are

    full of fabrics and sewing notions. They sit on an old trunk in our loft area.

I just brought this huge bottom suitcase back from my MIL's garage rafters. The small one on top

was obviously part of a set. The large suitcases in my bedrooms are used for seasonal clothing.

With only two closets in our cabin, I can't possibly hang all the clothes and coats we have. So this is a wonderful alternative.

Do you have a collection of suitcases? What do you store in yours? Or do you have other types of

unconventional  storage you can share with us. I love to discover new and attractive ways to hide

stuff. But it has to be handy to get at too! Please share ladies, it will be a help to us all!

     Blessings,

Legacy

 

Some 20 something years ago Nanna taught my daughter Emily how to knit. Emily passed this

on to her daughter, Starlet. And now Nanna is teaching Great-Granddaughter as she once did

Granddaughter. I can't think of a much better legacy to pass on. It's a craft that will bring hours

of enjoyment. It's a craft that enables one to produce gifts of love for others. Gifts that when worn

remind us of those who lovingly made the special piece for us. I love inheriting objects that I can gaze upon that reminds me of the loved one who gave it, but one of my most precious memories is of the hours my patient Grandma spent teaching me to embroider. I remember her taking me to Woolworths and letting me pick out my own dresser scarf and the embroidery floss in the colors I wanted. Every time I embroider now I think of her.

Now Starlet will have her own memories of the time her Great Nanna lovingly and patiently spent

teaching her a craft that will live on and on. May the legacy continue.

Lambert is our little paleontologist. He has loved and collected dinosaurs since he was a wee little
guy. It was so funny- I was reading him one of his many dinosaur books and butchering their
names. I guess he was making all kinds of puzzled face whenever I pronounced them, but he didn't correct me until finally I think it got to be too much for him!  He is a spitting image of his Dad, Ryan. I realize I didn't get any pic of Emily or Ryan this trip.

This is the 'Mother Hubbard' coat I bought Starlet last winter while I was still up north. It has a beautiful purple duffle liner underneath. It is the traditional coat of the Inuit women and girls. I think she would fit right in-in

the Arctic regions, don't you?

    Sorry to say, the little guys have gotten away from wearing any coats representing their heritage, except for ceremonies. So I didn't have a special coat I could purchase for Lam. But maybe I'll pass on my musk oxen rack to him someday! That is about as close as one can get to a

pre-historic animal these days anyway.  As usual our trip was short, but sweet. I'm sure looking forward to spending more time with these two at Christmas holidays! 

Today I am devoting my time to getting my living room back in order now that the stack of boxes

are gone. I have to tell you that I have already packed away my fall decorations. I was truly sick

of looking at them! Anyone else feel that way yet? I am waiting until the first of December to start with the Christmas deco so I don't burn out on it too quickly too. I'd better get at it now. 

Have a great day-Kimberly

A Trip Down Memory Lane

 

Do you ever have a time when you think you are running out of things to post about? Well, tonight was my time. So I thought I'd just search through my photo gallery and see what I could

come up with. And what did I find? Pictures of my past life. I just can't believe this was less than

a year ago. It seems like eons ago! This is me in my office doing my day end closing for the gallery.

I actually had my snow pants already on-it was a brisk walk at -45  some days to our apartment!

Here is the gallery from one angle. This shelf has pack dolls, Okpiks(owls), tea cosies, hand puppets, and wool duffle mitts.

                Of course no Northern gallery is complete without a huge supply of Inukshuks!

           The Dene are known world wide for their birch bark baskets adorned with quill work.

Beautiful sealskin mitts with duffle inserts. The coloring is more silver, not the tan as it appears.

                           The jewelry in the case is carved from Walrus bone.

                                Cynthia was from Kugluktuk. As you can see from her smile,

                                            she was a sweet lady to have on staff!

                                We are off to our daughters in the U.P. for the weekend. I will

                                be back Monday . Hope you all have a great weekend.

                                Blessings-Kimberly

Cabbage&Roses Country

  I don't know about you, but I love to create vignettes with a combination of old books, old

family photos, and collectibles that have special meaning to me.

This is an example from Cabbages and Roses "At Home with Country".         

What I especially love in this book is the Outdoor Country chapter. It features a place

called "Feather Down Farm". I am not going to tell you all the details about this place.

I'll leave it to you to either check this book out from your library or purchase it and read

all about it. Because you'll enjoy all the other goodies in the book as well as this particular

chapter.

What would you think of tent living? I actually lived in a pop up tent with four

children ages 4-14 for seven months while waiting for a home to be completed.

That was between June-Dec.19th! It was a challenge, but when it was all said

and done, it was amazing to find that we do not need all the extras we think we

do to live and be happy. The biggest issue was privacy, of course. And because we

were in Michigan, the water spigot froze and we had to carry water for over a month.

 But we really some fabulous memories and a lot of funny recollections to laugh about

when we get together.

If I'd had this option I might not have wanted to move into that home!

The book states that Feather Down Farms endorse an appreciation of the simple things

in life, a philosophy that lies at the heart of Cabbage and Roses.  This is what underlines

the move to celebrate simplicity, beauty, and quality over consumerism, fads, and fashions.

Now this looks cozy enough, doesn't it? So what do you think, are you ready to go

this simple? Even for a summer? I think I could use another summer like the one

I mentioned to help me have a greater appreciation for all I do have or better yet-

to help me put into perspective the real necessities for living my life.

                                                                                                                                                                      

Here is a favorite song of mine.

"This life is a difficult riddle,

for how many people we see

with faces as long as a fiddle

that ought to be shining with glee.

I am sure in this world there are plenty

of  good things enough for us all

And yet there's not one out of twenty

but thinks that his share is too small.

"Then what is the use of repining

For where there's a will there's a way,

and tomorrow the sun may be shining,

although it is cloudy today.

"Do you think that by sitting and sighing

you'll ever obtain all you want?

It's cowards alone that are crying

and foolishly saying, 'I can't!'

It is only by plodding and striving

and laboring up the steep hill

of life, that you'll ever be thriving

which you'll do if you've only the will."

Taken from "The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

                                                                                                                                                                        

We are off  today for blueberry picking in Wawa. It is such a gorgeous drive-I should have

some photos to share with you tomorrow if it's a sunny day. Today's high was 58. It was

windy all day, causing the power to go out for a while. I wish I could do videos for you,

because my DH got some great footage. And then a momma bear with her baby came

into the yard. Sadly, I spooked them after only 15 seconds of video. Next time I'll do photos.

That way I can share them with you. Here is a still picture of the lake. Maybe you'll

be able to get an idea of the wind by seeing the rolling waves. Just use your imagination!

Blessing to you all dear friends!

Merry, Holly, Jolly Christmas!

 

                               A little early for Christmas greetings? Yes, I agree whole-heartedly!

                               But I have to tell you after receiving this adorable holiday apron

                               from Jann at A Cup of Mrs. Olson, I am starting to get more into the

                               spirit of Christmas. Many of you will remember I won this in a drawing

                              she held a couple of weeks ago.

                                   This is exactly the kind of fabric I would have chosen had I

                                   been making a Christmas apron. I still love the traditional

                                   red and greens Jann used, don't you? With the added rick-

                                   rack it's just perfect. I wonder if Jann knew that I was a

                                   Christmas baby some 50 plus years ago! And knowing my age,

                                    should put to rest any ideas that you might have gotten from

                                   looking a this picture that I might have a bun in the oven!

                                  That's just padding I put there to fill the apron out. Not!

                                This is our snow for today. Not quite the winter wonderland

                                I've been looking forward to. Not to worry though, if the

                                forecasters are right, we will be getting our fair share.

                                I am previewing for you tomorrows post. Why? Because

                               I had originally scheduled this for July 11th, but accidentally

                               hit 11-11-11 instead. So if it looks a little summery for a fall

                               post, that is why. But I didn't delete it because "I liked it"!

                               If you are a 'Cabbage&Roses' fan, I think you will too.

                               Blessings my friends-Kimberly