Meet our newest family member Spirit. She is a Bernese Mountain Dog and she will be 10 weeks old on Feb 7th. We just picked her up tonight and brought her home. She already has her own blog. You can find her at LIFEWITHSPIRIT.CA
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws
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Filed under BlogPaws, Spirit, Wordless Wednesday
We made an unplanned visit to Johnson Farm today. We dropped off a blanket and a bunch of plush dog toys. The hope is that they will develop Mom Sophie’s scent and other comforting scents from around their home. These scented items should offer Spirit some comfort during her first fews days in our house. I managed to capture a few pictures of our visit on my phone. The adult Berner in the last photo is Journey. She let us know that she needed loving and attention as much as the little ones. Just two more sleeps!!!
Filed under Baby Pictures
I went through severe withdrawal last week because we didn’t get any pictures of the puppies at 8 weeks old. I saw this one on Facebook yesterday and just fell in love all over again. It’s their official 9 week old picture and the last one of the litter together. They are starting to move on to their adoptive homes now. Look at them….so beautiful. Spirit is the one on the far left. Her brother, the one of the far right, is just gorgeous with the wide, white flash on his forehead. He would have been my first pick but he was already spoken for. Only 4 more sleeps until Spirit comes home with us!!!!
A big thank you to Coreen and Steve Johnson from Tailspin Bernese Mountain Dogs for allowing me to share their puppy pictures on Spirit’s blog. Soon I will be able to take all the pictures I want of our little girl…..ok…not so little.
Filed under Baby Pictures
It is time to set my February goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes. I hope to finish piecing, quilt and bind my Quilts of Valour Quilt. I started it in January and have 75% of it pieced.
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
Yeah…..I made my January goal for #ALYOF. Back on January 5th I blogged about finishing my baby boy quilt made with Zen Chic Fabric. My cousin’s son has a baby due in April (does that make him/her my 3rd cousin or cousin twice removed??) and I have a feeling it will be a boy This is the first quilt I’ve made with the “L” shape block. I didn’t realize how versatile it was and how many different designs I could make with it. I just played with these 3 ideas on my design wall before settling on the last one.
I’m happy with the way it turned out. First goal for 2015 ALYoF completed…..yeah me!!! Hopefully this will be the start of a 12 month streak. This quilt is also my first FAL quilt for the first quarter. I originally blogged about it here.
Linking up to:
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, FAL, Finish-A-Long
I can giggle now when I look at these pictures but at the time I felt so sorry for my little girl. She woke us up in the middle of the night crying in pain. We rushed to the emergency vet and we discovered that she had a very swollen and infected anal gland. They had to drug her and open it up to drain it. When we got home she had trouble standing and holding her head up with the cone of shame on. I made a little nest for her in front of the fireplace. When she was a little more conscious I gave her a little yogurt (that accounts for all the extra white around her chin) to help offset the negative effects of the antibiotics they put her on.
Linking up to Blogpaws Wordless Wednesday
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After a two year hiatus I have decided to participate in QuiltEssential Co’s 2015 Block of the Month (BOM) program again. Their theme this year is novels and I picked “Bridges of Madison County” which features this pretty combination of tangerine/mango and grey prints. The blocks finishes at 10.5 inches so that will make a nice sized quilt once all 12 are done.
Here is January’s block all finished with 10 days to spare.
Filed under Block of the Month, Quilting
It took me a while to settle on a final design for my baby boy quilt top. These ‘L’ blocks are so flexible and can be laid out in so many ways. The top is all pieced and it is just waiting for FMQ.
My Quilts of Valour quilt is also coming along. I have 90% of the HSTs done and now I am just experimenting with different designs. I’m leaning towards the last layout.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Show & Tell Tuesday @I Have to Say
Too Cute Tuesday @Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Link Tuesday @Freemotion By the River
Sew Cute Tuesday @Blossom Heart Quilts
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Filed under Quilting, Quilts of Valour, Work-in-progress
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We had our second visit with the puppies today. It was only a few degrees below zero so we got to play with them outside. I was shocked to see how much they grew in 2 short weeks and to see their individual personalities emerge. Spirit is a little timid and quiet but she played a little with Don. They were getting over some tummy troubles so that may have contributed to her quietness. I was able to get a couple of good pictures of her.
We now have an official adoption date. Thursday, February 5th at 1830hrs. It is only 17 days away but I know it is going to feel like a life time for me. I’m used to getting my puppies much younger but I am sure she will be worth the wait.
Filed under Baby Pictures
Squeaky Toy Love
I just love those big, fat, jowly cheeks.
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Filed under BlogPaws, Wally, Wordless Wednesday
Once again this year I am going to participate in the Finish-a-Long (FAL). I have found it to be a very productive tool to help keep me on track. This year the FAL is being hosted by Adrianne at On the Windy Side.
Because I have been so successful with the FAL the last two years, I am shocked to say that I only have a few works in progress so my first quarter list is going to be very small.
First, I would like to finish the FMQ on Leftovers IV and bind it.
I have a baby/crib quilt in progress made with Barcelona from Zen Chic. It is just a pile of blocks right now.
And my last FAL is for Quilts of Valour. I was very lucky and won a fat quarter bundle from Sew Sister’s Blogathon Canada. I am planning a HST quilt….not sure what the final design will look like but I am in the process of making lots of HSTs.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilts of Valour
Oh gosh she is so darn cute. We get to go and visit them again next Sunday. I can hardly wait.
Filed under Baby Pictures
This year I’ve decided to participate in ‘A Lovely Year of Finishes’ (#ALYoF) hosted by Bitter Sweet Designs. At the beginning of each month you have to blog about one WIP that you want to finish that month. Hopefully by the end of the month you will have attained your goal.
My goal for January is to finish this baby quilt made with Zen Chic Barcelona.
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Quilting
This is my final finish for 2014…and #4 out of 5 that I had hoped to finish in the last quarter (see list here). It is a quilt that I made to test a pattern called High Tea designed by Adrianne at On the Windy Side. The quilt is is going to be donated to Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch. Each child is given a quilt when they arrive at camp and when they leave they get to take it home with them.
I came so close to completing all 5 quilts. Leftovers IV just needs a tad more FMQ so I guess it will have to go on my 2015 first quarter list.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
My third finish for the 4th quarter (original list is here)is a queen/king size one block wonder commission quilt for my massage therapist. She gave me a piece of fabric to use for my inspiration and then left everything else up to me.
Click on this link to see more pictures and read about the making of this quilt.
Linking up to:
Made by You Monday @Skip to my Lou
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Show and Tell Tuesday @I Have to Say
Too Cute Tuesday @Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long
On New Years day we finally got to meet the puppies. It was heavenly to smooch those little, fat bodies and to smell that amazing puppy breath. We also got to meet Tailspin’s 5 adults and 1 teenage Berner and their beautiful Newfie.
Filed under Baby Pictures
This morning we participated in the annual Resolution 5K run. It was an incredible 3 degrees outside…definitely the warmest resolution run we’ve ever done. We normally experience temps closer to -20 degrees celsius so it felt more like spring than winter. Today was also Don’s first official day as a retired old fart.
Filed under Races
I’m pretty happy with my completions this year and I have the finish-a-long to thank for keeping me on track. It motivates me each quarter to try and finish all the projects that I have on my list. I am definitely going to keep participating in 2015.
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
Every weekend I wait for the weekly pictures to arrive from Tailspin. It is shocking how much they grow and mature in only a week.
Filed under Baby Pictures
Merry Christmas from the Dog House to your house. Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws.
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Tilly’s lovely long hair acts like a snowball magnet.
Linking up to Wordless Wednesday at Blogpaws.
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Earlier this year SARShop.com contacted search and rescue groups from around the world asking members to submit photos of their dogs. Their plan was to produce the first Search and Rescue calendar. We submitted a couple of pictures of our beautiful Tango and then promptly forgot about it. Just a couple of days before Tango crossed over the rainbow bridge we received an email telling us that Tango’s picture had been chosen for the calendar. This weekend we received our complimentary copy of the 2015 calendar. It was very emotional for us to see our girl’s picture in the calendar. The picture above is the one they chose. She is part of a group of pictures for the month of July.
Back in 2012 this picture of Tango was chosen to hang in the Royal Alberta Museum as part of their Wolf to Woof exhibit. (read more about it here).
Just a few more pictures of our girl. She always looked like she was smiling. Gosh I miss her……..
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Filed under BlogPaws, SAR, SAR Dog, Search and Rescue, Tango, Wordless Wednesday
When I have been sitting at my sewing machine for too long, Tilly likes to poke her head up between my legs and demand that I stop piecing and give her some loving.
Remember Me? I need a little attention here!!!
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Filed under BlogPaws, Tilly, Wordless Wednesday
I finished the girl’s version of High Tea which gives me my second FAL for the 4th quarter (FAL wish list). I went a little overboard with the quilting but it was good therapy for me. It helped to keep my mind off of Tango’s passing. This was the pattern that I tested for Adrianne from On the Windy Side. I also have a boy’s version in our local football team’s colours. It is waiting for time on the longarm.
First I just did this design in pink and I was happy with it….or so I thought.
Then I came back in with orange thread and added the inner petals filled in with pebbles. Still not satisfied I added the inner orange loops.
Then I decided to fill the orange loops with thread to give it more dimension. I was happy with the final design and moved on to work on the next row. Then I got the bright idea to do some dense quilting in the background to allow the design to really pop forward. I lost track of how much time I put into the FMQ in the 15 white squares but it was substantial.
Leftovers IV is still on the longarm. Here is a sneak peak at the quilting I’ve done so far.
I’ve also been working on a commission quilt for my Massage Therapist. She gave me an inspiration pillowcase and then left the rest up to me so that she would be surprised.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Anything Goes Monday @Stitch by Stitch
Show and Tell Tuesday @I Have to Say
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Sew Cute Tuesday @Blossom Heart Quilts
Whimsy Wednesday @The NY Melrose Family
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Can I get a Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link A Finish Friday @Richard and Tanya Quilts
Thank Goodness it’s Finished Friday @Quokka Quilts
| 2014 WIP | Size | Current status |
| Pat’s One Block Wonder | Queen | Piecing |
| Urban Windows | Twin | Finished |
| High Tea Girls | Twin | Finished |
| High Tea Boys | Twin | FMQ |
| Leftovers IV | Twin | FMQ |
| Leftovers III | Twin | Finished |
| Waterlily | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| Asian One block wonder | Queen | Finished |
| Shoji Screen | Lap/wall | Finished |
| Blue Hydrangea | King | FMQ |
| Dragonflies | Wall hanging | Finished |
| 2014 Completions | Size | |
| Jana’s Wedding | Queen | gifted |
| Triangle QAL | Twin | For sale |
| Kimono | Wall hanging | Hung |
| Pink & blue batik | King | Donated |
| Asian Shadow Box | King | For sale |
| Little Warriors Charity (x7) | Twin | Donated |
| Charm Square Crib 1 | Baby | Donated |
| Charm Square Crib 2 | Baby | For Sale |
| Charm Square Crib 3 | Baby | For Sale |
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, WIP, Work-in-progress
Tailspin Bernese Mountain Dogs’ winter litter of 2014 were born yesterday…Saturday, November 29th. Here are their official birth pictures at 1 day old.
The breeder isn’t exactly sure who is who but her best guess is that Spirit in the one in the middle.
This picture isn’t any better. I know which one she is but unfortunately she is underneath ‘red’ girl.
Filed under Baby Pictures
The temperature went from being almost +20 degrees celsius to -17 in just a few days. It was such an abrupt temperature change that we did not have the chance to gradually adapt to the colder temperatures. I went for a run and my boy wanted to come with me so badly that I just couldn’t say no to those big, beautiful brown eyes. He got geared up with fleece booties, a jacket and a makeshift fleece ear protector held together by a hair clip. The second day I switched to a long neck warmer and pulled it up over his ears and that worked a lot better.
As you can see by the expression on his face…..he was not amused….but he was warm.
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Life In The Dog House 