I Got You Babe!

 

This last week and a half has been a bit of a blur....

We were on the road way more than I like to be!

We did finally get down to Traverse City where

our middle son lives with his family-yeah! We met our ninth grandchild and played with his big brother, Reece. Oh, what fun that was.

Now this is a photo of Samuel Brigam.

And this is a photo of his big brother, Reece.

Do you see the resemblance between the two brothers that I do?

The funny thing is that Reece resembles his

Daddy, Clayton!

I'm thinking this is going to be interesting to see who this little fellow ends up looking like.

Of course I had to do a little baking before we left.

I wouldn't dream of arriving there without any home-baked goodies!

I made Chicken Pot Pies, Apple Crisp, Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert, and Trail Mix Cookies.

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I do have to admit that I'm always a little deflated once we arrive home after visiting any of the grandchildren. The cabin is too quiet. I find myself

wanting to watch movies like Toy Story or Aladdin.

I spend way too much time scrolling through Pinterest looking for a new project, never quite finding one that revs my creative juices enough to actually begin work on any.

Then I get an e-mail from Jib Jab reminding me that I am a member. So now my attention is diverted from Pinterest to Jib Jab. Not good.

Anyway ladies, to make a long story short this is what a bored broad came up with to entertain her equally bored husband!

Click To View-If You Dare!

Don't be scared to view-I promise it's family friendly!

Have a great day-Kimberly

 

 



 



 

 





Note Card Party Time

 

It is that time of the month when Vee holds her Note Card Party. I don't mind telling you that the cards that I've chosen really 'rock'! Ha!

 

 

 

 

 

Please drop over to A Haven for Vee and check out the other 'rocking' notecards that the ladies have posted there.

Have a Great Day!

Kimberly

Ric-Rac and Chicken Scratch

While hunting through my sewing tote I came upon a treasure trove of

ric-racs that I had bought last summer while we were stuck in Haines

Alaska due to a landslide on the mountain side between there and where we were working. Wow, that was a mouthful!

 



What I really wanted you to take note of was the price on these trims. Can you believe it?

When was the last time you saw ric-rac for .15 cents? Were we even born then?

I'm not sure...

I had also found a chicken scratch tablecloth while up North.

It looks so complicated.

Here is a close-up view of my piece. I remember my Grandma showing me how to do this. It is really so, so simple. Yet it can dress up gingham and make it look truly unique.

amybarickman.com

Here is a piece that is really gussied up with ric-rac and twisted yarn. I am looking forward to trying this one! I just haven't decided what to make with it yet though.

Any ideas?

 It is saved on my Pinterest board under 'Sew Sweet' if you'd like to re-pin it. I try to keep adding to my boards whenever I see something interesting, which is whenever I happen to visit someone elses Pinterest site!

primrosedesign.blogspot.ca/2009/09



This piece appears to be a bit more complicated. If you want to see several pattern ideas just search'chicken scratch' images. There are so many photos of several lovely pieces and patterns to try.

I hope I've inspired you to do a little scratching of your own now!

Blessings-Kimberly







Goodbye Matthew

 

Oh, why do they do this to us? They get us hooked on a character, then at the

pinnacle of all happiness, they pull the rug right out from under our feet!

Matthew's dead.

From the very beginning of Downtown Abbey the main story line for me has been the relationship between Matthew and Mary. We watched them go through a very rocky start. We watched as Mary realized she was in love with Matthew, but he was committed to another.

 

We finally saw them happily married , worrying then about whether they would pull together as a couple to see it through the financial problems facing Downtown Abbey.

They did and everything was going beautifully, especially with the birth of their sweet son and heir. Then death, Matthew's death, and it's all over.

I have to admit I was all set to blame Julian Fellows, the writer and creator of this series, but upon research I discovered that it was Dan Stevens (Matthew),

the actor himself who wanted to leave Downtown Abbey. Well, I'm crushed, as I know many of you are. Oh,  I realize life must go on.

However, I am not committing to watching Downtown Abbey next season. I just can't imagine it being the same without our beloved Matthew........

Can you?

 



Happy Valentines Day

 

I hope you're having a special day today with someone you love! I am!

I'm remembering the days over 40 years ago when my husband and I were dating. For fun I made a love letter out of those heart shaped candies.

We did keep the original letter for years, but it got placed in a box in an old shed where some lucky mice enjoyed a sweet Valentine treat one day, along with two of my favorite dollies eyelashes! But I digress, that is a story for another day.....

 

So last year I made a new version for my husband.

Notice how the lingo has changed? Believe me, I wouldn't have been calling a boy I was dating 'sweet lips' or 'honey pie'! But it was a lot of fun to put together and Tim really got a kick out of it the second time around too.

Here's a preview of my latest project. Anyone want to guess what it is that I working on now? I sincerely hope to be able to show you the finished product by Monday!

 

I know some of you are cozying in with your books or your movies.  I have a tradition that as soon as the snow starts to pile I read Laura Ingalls, 'The Long Winter'. It just seems so appropriate when I'm shut-in (by choice, of course) and it always gives me such an appreciation for all the many blessings I have today!

 

I thought this was going to be a short post and here I've been such a windbag. Sorry.....

Please enjoy your Day-Kimberly



 



Just a Thought

 

 

Are You a Re-Gifter?

  Re-Gifter?

Now I want you to be honest ladies. Tell me the truth! Have you ever received a gift that you knew you would never use and turned around and re-gifted it to someone else?

Well, I have. It's not that I'm cheap, I swear. It's just that if I don't have any need for a gift and I think someone else would love it why not give it to the person who would appreciate it more.

However, I would never give away a gift that was given to me by family or a friend whose feelings might be hurt by my re-gifting!

Don't ask me why I'm asking all these intrusive questions. I can only guess it's because I just get to wondering if I'm the only person on earth who does things the way I do.

Which leads me to my next question....

Have you ever gifted a person from a item you have purchased at a re-sale or second hand shop?

I stand guilty again. And why not I ask you? I have honestly found some of the most unique gifts in these shops!

Or, like the mixing bowl above, I've found new or like new items, that would make nice gifts for a shower or a friend who just happens to love red.

Okay, please tell me I'm not a freak or the chintziest

person in the world. Or worse, a person that operates in very poor taste.

If you have time, give an example of  your re-gifting. We'll all have a laugh together.

If you've ever done it, that is!

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I am joining the following Parties today:

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage

Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill

Cowgirl Up @ the Ivy Cottage





Winter on the Gitche Gumee

 

Excerpt from Longfellow's 'The Song of Hiawatha'

 

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,

By the shining big sea water,

 Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,

Dark behind it rose the forest,

Rose the black and gloomy pine trees,

Rose the firs with cones upon them;

Bright before it beat the water,

Beat the clear and sunny water,

Beat the shining big sea water.

Oh, it is so good to be home to my Gitche Gumee.

As many of you know I've just returned home from laying my Mother to rest. She passed in less than two months of my Father. Hard, yes.  I will miss her. It is such a blessing though to know she is happy now with Dad and that she went peaceably in her sleep.

After traveling for the last 25 years, two and three times a year to visit my folks, I informed my brothers and sisters it was now their turn to come and see me. I believe they understood completely.

I feel with Mom and Dad gone a chapter in my book of life has now ended. I don't really know any other way to describe it. I'm sure if you've lost both of your parents you'll understand what I'm trying to express.

My feelings are like the ice out in front of our house here on the lake-all jumbled and fighting against each other.

One minute I'm praising the Lord that they are now spending their time in eternity and that they went home without suffering. Then the next minute I'm crying because I'll never hear my Dad call me "Kimmie girl" again or be enveloped in one of Mom's welcoming hugs ever again. At least not until we are all reunited in heaven.

I know that as the sun melts the icicles, in time my pain will too melt away and then I will be left with just the many good memories. Until then I'll accept my tears as cleansing and healing....

Thank you to all of you who sent your kind sympathies and words of comfort. They were much appreciated and heartfelt.

Blessings to all-Kimberly











I'm a Winner

  First I want to say 'Thank You' for all of your kind words of sympathy. Your words truly touched my heart. And it does bring comfort to know others are thinking of you. I know so many of you have traveled this road yourselves or are near to this journey with your own parents.

This week, of course, will be filled with much time on the road and time spent with family so I will be absent for a while, My friends. But I will be back to visit as soon as I can. You know I just hate it when something happens and I miss it!

 

I can't leave without saying "Thank You" to Suzi

for this beautiful vintage lace collage she's designed. I won it in her drawing! Yes, you heard me right. I won something!

 If you click on her name it will link to her site where she has many more lace collages and  lovely quilts she has designed for sale.

I already have a special place chosen for Suzi's gift when it arrives all the way from Austrailia.

Thanks again, Suzi!

 

Together Again

 

Friday my Mother went home to be with the Lord and to join her beloved husband.

 As many of you know my Father passed away on Dec. 10th and Mom wanted only to follow him quickly.

She woke my SIL at 4AM and they sat together holding hands. She said Mom looked over at my Dad's empty bed and cryed, "Oh, Ed-Oh, Ed". She would say this when she longed for Dad. As you can imagine, it just broke my heart to hear her cry out for him like this.

My Sil checked on her hourly as she slept, then at noon when she checked, she'd found she had passed.

I'm rejoicing that she is with the Lord and my Dad again, and that she went  peaceably.  I can't thank the Lord enough for giving me such wonderful parents-I was truly blessed.

But my heart hurts to think of life without them.......  

The Blankets are Done!

 

Hello Friends! I have finally finished the blankets for Reece and Brigam.  Several of you ladies had ask to see them when they were finished. So here goes. 

With Reece's I choose a no sew tie technique. It is easy, but I do think it takes as much time as the sewing method with all the cutting it requires.

This is the opposite side of the skier fabric. It reads "I Love Canada".

 

Here is Brigam's minky blanket. I hand stitched around several of the Penguins to tie the two fabrics together. The minky is such a plush  fabric that the stitches didn't even show on its surface. The Penquin fabric is a very soft terry fabric, which will work nicely against the baby face, I think!

I'm now headed to the kitchen today to cook up a few freezer casseroles and desserts to take with us to our son and DIL's this weekend. I'm thinking I'm going to try the red velvet cupcakes I saved in my Pinterest account. I'll let you know how they turn out and if they're presentable I'll even post them-ha!

One last photo I had to share with you. This is the snow from our metal roof as it slowly was sliding off the other morning. You can even see the seams outlined in the snow! I'm calling it a 'snow canopy'.

The temperature right now is-12C or 10F. So the snow is no longer sliding off the roof, that's for sure. I'm glad that I can once again enjoy another day of nesting.

Let me know how your day is taking shape so far!

Blessings-Kimberly

Nesting...

 

Nest: a place of rest, retreat, or lodging

Merriam Webster Dictionary

I love winter. I love the beautiful white wonderland the snow creates for us to enjoy, different daily, as it's blows and bluster, shifts and changes.

But I also love that it gives me good excuse to 'nest'!

Yes, it's a good time to cozy inside by the fire with my hot cup of tea and browse through my old magazines to see what project I might want to work on or even pick my brain a little with my crossword puzzles I've neglected for too long.

Tim and I have been passing our evenings nesting, watching our DVDs of  Foyle's War. I do not like to watch war shows, but this is more about life in England during the war. It is so good. It is serious, but it is full of warm characters, and even humor at times. We were so sorry when we were finished with them all. But we just discovered there is another series coming this year-back by popular demand!

Here is the view out the main living area window.

Notice how the ice is piling around the shore and spreading further out into the lake? This scene will change many times as the ice drifts back out and floats along the lake and then piles back again against the shore. I do love watching it.

I've finished Samuel's baby blanket. This was quite a feat for me. Not because it was hard, but because I seem to start each morning with the intention of working on it, and then get distracted by something silly-like a job interview... Now that Samuels's is finished I'm going to work on making one for Reece with the scraps. I used minky. Oh my, what a mess. It's everywhere!

On the rug, the floor, my sweater-I'm surprised it didn't somehow make it's way to my mouth!

Well, that's all the 'excitement' of my nesting day!

Tell me, what do you do when you 'nest'?  







 



A Sigh of Relief...

 

If you read my post yesterday, ladies, you'll understand and appreciate this photo today. Yes, the interview is over and I'm sighing with relief!

I believe it went well at this phase, but I still have to turn in my references and have another phone interview with my interviewers boss. Yeh.

I don't have much else to share today, but I did see a few really neat ideas on Pinterest that I thought might click with some of you too. I haven't pinned them to my account, so if you like them you'll need to copy them from here.

source

This is such an amazing idea for covering those ugly looking furnace thermostats. I think whoever dreamed this one up should patent it!

source



This hideaway always makes me think of Corrie Ten Booms story. Let us hope we never have any need for a secret place, but I think it's a neat idea all the same.

source

Do you need a cake server? I just changed the glass shades out on my ceiling fan last week and have four of these sitting in my closet. This would make a nice gift for someone.

source

I'm not sure you can tell very well from this photo, but this is chicken wire that has strips of sheer fabric woven through it. I really could see this in my bathroom window. And how easy would that be to do? Very!

source

If you are one of those persons who doesn't mind their dog sleep with them, this might be a project to consider. I, personally, do not allow children or animals in my bed, unless my little one was sick. I'm such a bed hog myself. But I do have friends whose dogs or cats sleep at the foot of their bed and this seems like a good alternative to me!

Thanks to all of you who sent such words of encouragement to me for my interview-it helped!

Let me know if you decide to try any of the projects I've posted. I'd love to see your version of it.

Blessing-Kimberly









Stressed Spelled Backwards=Desserts

 

I received an unexpected phone call that had me falling back into my old, bad habits. As much as I hate it and hate to admit it, when I get stressed I eat. And I especially eat dessert or that's ooey and gooey!



Oh, I know none of you would do what I did, and run to your frigs to see what you could possibly throw together to satisfy this raging hormone induced craving. You see I don't keep cookies or candies or anything sweet that easy to just grab in my times of weakness and eat. Because if I have to go to the effort of baking something from scratch, I can usually fight the temptation quite easily!



However this call rated a high nine on my stress level, so the Pillbury crescent rolls came out, were soon slathered with butter, sprinkled with a liberal dose of sugar and cinnamon, and immediately popped in the oven to bake!



And ladies let me tell you, it was all good...

I'm feeling calmer already.

And that unexpected call to arrange a job interview for tomorrow has just been reduced to a seven on my stress level chart. At least for the time being, that is!

This is really no joke. Please pray for me-Not that I get the job. I'm leaving that decision in Gods hands. But that I don't make a total fool of myself.

Thanks friends-Kimberly

Bring on the Snow

 

This is our g'daughter Starlet. Our daughter, Emily, was over this weekend to visit with her two children.  Fortunately we had more than enough snow for everyone to play in. In fact, we had  so much snowy and blowing weather we weren't sure they would be able to make it here as planned. They did arrive, but a day late.



This is a snow cave Starlet built for her brother, Lambert, to snuggle into. Pretty cozy looking and just his size I'd say.



As soon as Starlet arrived she wanted to get down to the lake to fish! You might remember last time they were here in October and the temperature was in the 40's, Starlet went swimming. I don't believe I have ever seen a child so adventurous, curious and excited about life and all it has to offer as she is. She didn't catch any fish, but she found a treasure trove of snails.



This is the same rocky beach were Starlet was fishing the day before. It's now built up with ice and snow. No shore to be seen anymore!



The thermometer outside our kitchen window right now is reading -14C or 8F. Yes, Baby it's cold outside! This is our typical winter weather for this time of the year here-finally.

I'm thinking now that the kitchen is finished I am ready for a fun project. Maybe a baby blanket for g'baby #9? I'm definitely in the mood to sit myself behind my sewing machine and put that pedal to the metal, ladies.

So what are your plans for this week? Any new projects you're working on? I'll be back to let you know how mine's progressing soon, I hope.

Blessings-Kimberly



Wisdom

 

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore



Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight ,my strength, and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14

 

Wisdom

This is the wisdom, maid and men:

Knowing what to say and when.

Speech is common; thought is rare;

Wise men choose their words with care.

Artist with the Master touch

Never use one phrase too much.

Jesus, preaching on the Mount,

Made His every sentence count.

Lincoln's Gettysburg address

Needs not one word more or less.

This is wisdom, maids and men:

Knowing what to say and when.

Edgar A. Guest