Spirit, Bentley, Boomer and Hope
On Saturday the gang got together at Patty’s house for a wonderful day of fresh air, great food and even better company. The dogs had a wonderful time running around together and practicing scent detection.
Hope helped me make a snow angel
Spirit got to meet her first cat. She just kept looking back at me with an expression that said “Hey Mom…..look at this thing!”.
Spirit meeting Bazinga
Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday, Playing
Finished 18km (-2 degrees)
What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday’s workout was unbearably cold. Contrast that with this morning’s balmy -2. Even though we went 2km further (18km vs 16km) we sure look a lot fresher and less frosty at the end.
Finished 16KM (-31 degrees celsius)
This is what I looked like after spending a couple of hours outside with the temperature at -26 (-31 with the windchill).
Filed under Training, Uncategorized
I have managed to keep up with the 365 quilt challenge. I’ve got my first 21 blocks of the year done:
My Quilts of Valour WIP is on the longarm getting ditched while I decide how I want to quilt it.
And finally, I have all the blocks pieced on my baby quilt so I am in the process of sewing the blocks together. I haven’t decided if I am going to add any borders.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Filed under 365 Challenge, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilts of Valour, Uncategorized, WIP, Work-in-progress
I’m jumping on board the 2016 Finish-a-Long again. I just love that it keeps me focused and motivated to complete my list each quarter. This year it is being hosted by several different bloggers from around the world.
My first quarter list has three goals. I want to finish Leftovers VI. It was on my list twice last year so hopefully this will be the last time.
I would like to finish my second Quilts of Valour charity quilt:
And finally, I have a baby quilt in progress. We are having a bit of a baby explosion in our family so I need to get this finished before the next one is born.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
I’m participating in the #365quiltchallenge2016 this year. It is a block a day challenge that will result in a 90×90 ultimate sampler quilt. I’m making mine a pseudo scrappy version using blue and brown fabrics from my stash plus a few extras. So far I am up-to-date on my blocks. Let’s hope I can keep it up.
Filed under 365 Challenge, Quilt-A-Long, Quilting
It takes Spirit just a few seconds to inhale her meals. When I saw Facebook and Blog posts about the snuffle mat I knew it would be perfect for my girl.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blowpaws:
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Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday, Fun Video
I volunteered to do the free motion quilting for members of my quilt guild who made a quilt top for Our Lady of Grace. Ioleen pieced this quilt from blocks that were donated by guild members. She gave me the freedom to quilt it however I wanted to. As usual, once I get going on the longarm I can’t stop myself. Hopefully she will like it.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilting, Volunteering
For the fifth year in a row we’ve spent our January 1st morning doing the Resolution 5km run with approximately 1000 other folks. It was a beautiful morning and only -2 degrees Celsius which is unusually warm for us. Here is our before and after selfies:
…before
…after
Filed under Races
A Lovely Year of Finishes:
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, FAL, Finish-A-Long
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here's an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Filed under Uncategorized
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,800 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 30 trips to carry that many people.
Filed under Uncategorized
Thank goodness Christmas is over……or …..the morning after the night before……..you decide?!?!
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws:
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Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
I found this new iPhone app called Superphoto. It allows you to apply filters to your pictures. I especially like the painting filter. It makes my already beautiful “kids” look even more beautiful.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blowpaws:
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Filed under BlogPaws, Wordless Wednesday
Our girl has a good nose. Spirit passed her first Sporting Detection Dog Association (SDDA) test. She got her Designated Odour Test (DOT) certificate and ribbon for Wintergreen. There were 14 containers and the hide was in the 12th one. It took us 28 seconds to complete it.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday @Blogpaws:
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Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday, Nosework, Scent Detection, SDDA
Since we were away on Sunday when Spirit actually celebrated her first birthday we had some “spoiling and loving” to catch up on. First she got a big frozen sardine to wet her appetite. Then came the real treat…..a giant knuckle bone. She spent over a hour lying in the snow enjoying her present.
Then we took her to the dog wash. We now have an even more beautiful and shiny girl. She is so fluffy that she looks like she put on 25 lbs.
Filed under Birthday Pictures, Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
I’ve been working on Leftovers VI since the summer. I finally finished all the blocks in September so now I just have to come up with a design using my 25 blocks. I need a boot in the fanny to get it finished by year end so it is my December goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Lap Quilt, Quilting
Well, I can’t believe it but my big girl is celebrating her first birthday. Wow time just flies by so quickly. We’ve also had our first snowfall of the season. Only one individual in our household is thrilled with the white stuff. Guess who?
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Filed under Birthday Pictures, Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday, Fun Video
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon so I grabbed my big girl and we went for a lovely fall walk. The long shadows of fall made for some interesting pictures.
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Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
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Filed under Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday, Playing
Our guild is collecting baby quilts for Our Lady of Grace. The quilts will go to pregnant or parenting teens. I had some left over fabric from Leah’s Quilt so I decided to make a baby girl quilt. I love the colours…they look so girly and feminine. I went a little overboard with the quilting, what else is new, but hopefully whoever gets it will like it. This quilt is also my second FAL finish for the 4th quarter and my November ALYoF goal.
When it was finished I decided that I needed to make one for a baby boy too. I raided my stash and came up with this version:
They look so cute together:
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Made by you Monday @Skip to my Lou
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Whoomp There It Is @A Quilted Passion
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Free Motion Mavericks @Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF @Anja Quilts
Link a Finish Friday @Richard and Tanya Quilts
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Baby Quilt, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, HST
At our October guild meeting I found out that we are making baby quilts for Our Lady of Grace. I have started piecing HSTs together. I would like to finish my donation quilt as my November goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.
It was a year ago today that we said goodbye to our beloved Tango. We still think about her daily. Those big, pointy ears….
Her beautiful, gentle brown eyes…
The way she ran like a cheetah. She would flatten her ears for increased aerodynamics and speed…them bring them up to use as flaps to help slow her down…..
And the big wet puppy kisses she would give to anyone that would let her get close enough.
She was a real ambassador for the Canadian Search Dog Association…..
We still miss you our little ‘search girl’. We know you will be faithfully waiting for us to join you.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws:
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Filed under Tango
Today Spirit is 11 months old (weights 85 lbs) and just finishing up her first heat. I knew it would be a challenge with two intact dogs in the house but I was still overwhelmed by Wally’s response to her. My old boy will be 15 in April but he still has his “mojo” firmly in place. I think it put a bit of a twinkle in his eyes and a spark in his step.
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Filed under Baby Pictures, Birthday Pictures, Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
Now that I have given this quilt as a gift I can post pictures of it. It is my Oct ALYoF Goal and my first finish for the final quarter of the 2015 Finish-a-Long.
This summer Erin married her sweetheart Paul. Paul’s sister Sue just had a baby girl. She is the first grandchild in their family. In honour of the birth of Leah and the joining of our families I made her this baby quilt.
I used a stylized feather in the lighter triangles to push them into the background and have the brighter triangles pop forward.
I used trapunto to make the hearts pop and then did a dense quilting in the background to enhance their 3d effect even more.
I like the back of this quilt. I used some left over HST blocks and a few 5 inch squares. You can really see the free motion quilting on the back.
Linking up to
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Mad by You Monday @Skip To My Lou
Sew Cute Tuesday @Blossom Heart Quilts
Handmade Tuesday @Ladybug Blessings
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Too Cute Tuesday @Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Link a Finish Friday @Richard and Tanya Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Whoomp There It Is @A Quilted Passions
TGIFF @Faith and Fabric
Sew off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Baby Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, FMQ, HST
I’ve decided to enter Leftovers V into the scrappy category of the fall Blogger’s Quilt Festival hosted by Amy’s Creative Side. It is made from leftover strips from my Blue Odyssey Quilt. To see more pictures and read about this quilt click here.
Filed under Bloggers Quilt Festival
It is time to compile my list of works-in-progress that I hope to finish in the final quarter of the 2015 Finish-a-long hosted by Adrianne at On The Windy Side. I’ve got 3 projects:
I’ve got a HST quilt in progress. It is a surprise so I can’t show too much of it.
These are some of the blocks that I have made for my series of Leftover’s Quilts. This will be the 6th one.
I’ve got a few dozen left over 5″ squares and a handful of HSTs from the first WIP on my list that I plan to piece into a new quilt.
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long, HST
I’ve got several works in progress this month. First, I’ve got my September and October blocks done for QuiltEssential Co’s 2015 Block of the month. Two more blocks to go and then I have to come up with a quilt top design to incorporate the 12 blocks.
I’ve been playing with layouts for my HST gift quilt:
And I’ve made a bunch of blocks for my Leftovers VI quilt. I still have no idea how I am going to lay them out
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Motivate Me Monday @Keeping it Simple
Sew Cute Tuesday @Blossom Heart Quilts
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Too Cute Tuesday @Funky Polkadot Giraffe
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Filed under Block of the Month, BOM, WIP, Work-in-progress
It is that time again. My October goal for the “A Lovely Year of Finishes” hosted by Sew Bitter Sweet Designs is a work-in-progress that I need to finish by the end of this month. I’ve cut lots of 5 inch squares from yardage in my stash that I am making into half square triangles. I can’t show too many pictures of it because it is a surprise.
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Baby Quilt, Quilting
Leftovers 5 is finally finished. It was on my 3rd quarter FAL list and my September ALYoF goal. I can now cross a log cabin quilt off of my bucket list. I really enjoyed quilting this one. Played with lots of my rulers and went a little wild. It was a little windy when I was trying to take pictures so the quilt so it looks a little wonky. To see more pictures and to read about the quilt click here.
Linking up to:
Scraptastic Tuesday @She Can Quilt
Whoomp There It is @A Quilted Passion
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
3rd Quarter Finish-a-Long @On the Windy Side
A Lovely Years of Finishes – Sept Party @Sew Bitter Sweet Designs
DesignWall Monday @Patchwork Times
Motivate Meet Monday @Keeping it Simple
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Too Cute Tuesday @Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Sew Cute Tuesday @Blossom Heart Quilts
Handmade Tuesday @Ladybug Blessings
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Finish it Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Link A Finish Friday @Richard and Tanya Quilts
Thank Goodness It Is Finished Friday @Quokka Quilts
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
Today Spirit and I are sharing our special day together. She is 10 month’s old and I’m ancient.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws:
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Filed under Baby Pictures, Birthday Pictures, Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
Life In The Dog House 
