Friday Favourites

 

Rich morning light saturated my photos one day this week. Not today. Instead there's been drizzle and grey and a chill wind. I met with two friends for a walk and then we sat outdoors by an outdoor gas fire near a coffee shop and talked and talked. How good it is to get together with friends and catch up on each other's lives. Texts and phone calls are not the same as face to face visits. 

My eldest daughter painted this beautiful rock with the help of her friend who paints a lot of them. It's so pretty and matches the pansies very well, so I have it nestled among them for now. 

I planted kale early last autumn and it grew slowly over the winter. Some days I could see it curled up and frosty, but it always perked up again. Now it's growing vigorously and I've been harvesting it. 

Kale pucks are good to have in the freezer to toss into soup or a vegetable saute. I chopped, then steamed the kale for three minutes before packing it into muffin tins. Once frozen the pucks easily pop out and I store them in freezer bags.

Some of my recent reading material. The Kinghorn novels are very easy reading centered around the first World War and "The Founding" touched on the controversy of Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. It's the start of a long series and I don't know that I will get through them all. Well-written historical fiction. "Where the Crawdads Sing" is excellent, if hard reading, touching on the vulnerability of children and women, and the beauty of natural life in the marshes of North Carolina. 

My husband brought home flowers for Easter and the lilies are opening up beautifully. It's a mixed bouquet and as the various flowers die I like to cut the better ones down and place them in different vases. 

He was out of town last night and this morning called very early to tell me the news about Prince Philip. Not unexpected, but sad, especially for the Queen who has lost her beloved husband who provided her with strength and courage throughout the years. I pray for comfort and peace for her.

I read a fun essay this week by J. F. Riordan about modern appliances that I thought you might enjoy.

Electronic Narcissism 

The weekend forecast is for sun and a warming trend. I'll be gardening, at my daughter's place and perhaps here a little, too. 

Thank you for reading and I wish you all moments of joy and happiness.

Friday Five: Almost Christmas

I confess that I lost all of my sparkle this week. On Tuesday I wanted nothing more than to pull a blanket over myself and lose myself in a book. My back hurt from top to bottom, my list seemed endless, and I did not want to go to work. All I wanted was one full day at home, and that wasn't going to happen.  

However, my sparkle is back. Two nights of wonderful sleep and lots of ticks on my list have me once again eagerly anticipating Christmas. Tomorrow is a half day of school. My Spanish 12 class is doing a rendition of Feliz Navidad for the school assembly that should be fun. 

The paper whites wanted a closer look at the Advent calendar and leaned right in, as if to speak to the angel. 

Now, about Christmas gifts. If ANYONE who will be at our house on December 24th is reading this post (I don't think they will, but just in case...) GO AWAY. You don't want to spoil any surprises, now do you? 

Friends of ours do handmade gifts for each other and last Christmas I thought it would be a fun idea to try. Our children were all on board, some more enthusiastically than others, but we gave it a whirl. We all spoke of being done by summer. HA! 

In reality, our year went like this:

January - thinking of ideas, finding ideas
February - thinking of ideas, finding ideas
March - ditto
April - ditto
May - ditto
June - ditto
July - narrowing things down
August - purchased raw materials
September - thought about getting started
October - thought a little more
November - started gifts
December - finished gifts

For our daughters and daughter-in-law, I made silk kimono toppers - like loose cardigans - lightweight. There are four there, because the dark pink one is a prototype. I sewed French seams and hand-rolled the hems, which took much longer than I anticipated. I'm quite pleased with the results and I hope the girls like them, too.

For the guys, Tim made wooden serving boards and he smoked salmon. They'll also each get a loaf of homemade rye bread, some spiced nuts, and other goodies.  

For the grands, I made flannel rag quilts. They came together quickly and I used up a lot of stash fabric. Tim made marshmallow shooters for them from PVC pipe and fittings. This evening, before wrapping them, we had a marshmallow shoot out in the kitchen. The shooters really work! There were marshmallows flying everywhere (the mini ones) and we were laughing so hard we could hardly blow the shooters. I hope the grands enjoy them as much as we did. 

We've had some crazy windstorms lately. Rain pelts against the windows and the house rattles with the wind. Many people lost power. Although our lights flickered seriously, we still have electricity. 

I came home this afternoon, turned on the tree lights, and made a cup of tea. So comforting. Then I wrapped gifts. They are all done.

About that endless list I mentioned. Quite a number of things were crossed out - deemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Permission granted to relax and enjoy rather than power through. 

Dinner tonight was a simple frittata with leftover ratatouille and cubes of ham, along with a salad. Easy peasy. Tomorrow the grands are spending the night here. We're planning a cozy time together. 

It feels good to have a little sparkle back. How are you doing?  

Gifts I Cannot Give

Gifts are bought or made. I'm ready to wrap them and place them under the tree. Yet. I find myself wandering the aisles. Searching. I pick up a pretty bauble. Set it down. Choose a book. Put it back. Frustration sets in. I cannot find what I want. 

Almost to the point of tears, I realize that what I'm looking for are gifts I cannot give. 

There is much sadness in my world. Oh, there is also joy in abundance, but today the sadness overwhelms me. 

For one who has suffered multiple and deep loss this year, I want to wrap up hope fulfilled in the prettiest box under the tree.

For loved ones suffering physical ills I'd like to hand the gift of freedom from pain. Healing.

To another who wrestles with doubt and fear I'd give simple trust and faith.

There are those who need a bow-tied package of reconciliation, of peace.  

And love. I want everyone to know they are loved, deeply. The presents I wrap and place under the tree are but a token of love. Yet my love cannot give the gifts I want most to give.

I head homeward again, having purchased nothing. The words of the song come to me, 

O Little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie,

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting Light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

The words "the hopes and fears of all the years" resonate deeply. For the hopes and fears of frail humanity God sent the ultimate gift, the Christ child. Gifts of hope, joy, love and peace. Gifts I long for those I love and the world beyond. God with us. In the midst of the pain, the despair, the doubt and fear. Immanuel. God with me. God with you. 

  

Beautiful Blues

What kind of blogs do you read? My blog list includes "slice of life" blogs much like I write, with a focus on finding beauty and pleasure in the ordinary things of life, but I also enjoy reading blogs about food, fashion, travel, photography and more. 

Several weeks ago a black box tied with a ribbon arrived in my mailbox. I knew what it contained and could hardly wait to open it.
  

One of my favorite fashion blogs is The Vivienne Files, written by Janice. Her posts are full of wonderful ideas on how to have a coordinated wardrobe that will give you the clothes you want when you want and/or need them.

She held a giveaway for the scarf above, from KathKath in the UK, for one lucky reader. I was so surprised and pleased when my name was chosen. This scarf is lovely to touch and even more lovely to wear.  
 

It will go well with my wardrobe - largely based on black, grey, navy, and blue. At first I wondered how I would wear this scarf in the heat we've had, but I saw a woman in town wearing a scarf as I'm doing above and thought, "I can do that!"

Janice provided another idea recently - tie a knot in the center of the scarf and use it as a necklace. Click on the link for more details.

Thank you to Janice and to KathKath for this beautiful scarf. It's a an addition to my wardrobe that will be worn often and will take any outfit up a notch or five.  

A Bit of Stitching

The sewing urge has been quite dominant lately. It's a good thing. My daughter-in-law's birthday is later this week, but we celebrated this past weekend. I stitched up two pillow covers using fabrics that will go in her living room. A simple Granny Square block with diagonal machine quilting came together without any glitches.
 

We also celebrated my daughter's birthday which was the previous weekend. I don't make clothes for my kids much any more, but last spring I stitched up this Vogue 8689 pattern and it turned out a wee bit too small so I gave it to my youngest daughter. Then I thought it would nicely fit her elder sister, so this time I made it in a cozy flannel. It does fit her, and oddly, it fits me, too, although I don't think I've lost any inches. Next I'll make it for myself, allowing for a little more room where needed.
 
This afternoon I worked in the garden, digging some manure into the garden beds where it can rot over the winter. I planted a few more tulips, some Siberian iris and Allium bulbs.

The winner of the Gladys Taber book is Deanna of Creekside Cottage.  Congratulations, Deanna. I'll contact you via email for your address.

Gifts That Cost More

There's no hint of Christmas decor up here yet. This photo is from last year. But that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about the season. I've cleared away the autumn decor. The house is spare and clean, waiting. Tomorrow I'll continue with some cleaning, then prepare the candles for Advent.

Today is Black Friday. I watched some snippets of the hullaboo in the country to the south of us. And I heard about situations, not quite as dramatic, here in Canada, where Black Friday fever seems to have swept over the retailers. And what's it all about? Getting stuff for cheap. Saving money. Trampling over people (literally) to get stuff that's going to be out of style, broken and useless in a few years.

I'm all for saving money and not spending what I don't have to. But as society searches for the cheapest gifts that money can buy, I think about gifts that might cost a whole lot more. Not gifts that I can wrap up and place under the tree, but gifts that will carry meaning long after the tree drops all its needles, the candles burn out, and the batteries run dead.

I'm thinking about gifts that will cost me something intangible, but utterly important. Like forgiveness. It's hard to make the first move when I feel misunderstood or treated badly. My pride gets in the way. It costs me dearly to step into the breach and say, "In the grand scheme of life, does this quarrel matter? Let's make up. I forgive you. Will you forgive me?" I know of too many siblings who won't speak to each other, too many children estranged from their parents. However valid the differences of opinion, I still find it sad.

Or the gift of acceptance. Believe that people have goodness, that people do not want to harm you. Believe in their sincerity. Oh, I know that there are those who will betray that belief and who, perhaps, cannot be trusted. But believe that there is a core within that will respond to love and acceptance. That belief will be a gift to you as much as to the other.

Or the gift of time. Letting a frazzled young mom get ahead of you in the line up. Chatting with that older neighbour who goes on and on while you want to get on with your own tasks. Getting together for tea with a friend you haven't seen in awhile. Time with family, with friends. Time with your spouse. Time with yourself to think.

These gifts will not deplete my bank account or run up my charge card. They will cost me mental effort, emotional output, and time. But in giving forgiveness, acceptance, and time, I believe that my Christmas will be made richer. Not everyone will respond in like manner, but I will have done well. I will have gifted others and gifted myself at the same time.

 

 

Preparations

Decor to Adore is a blog I've followed for a very long time. Laura writes about decorating - in the real world. She is such a gentle soul, creative and generous. I'm pretty sure that if we ever meet in real life, we'll get along famously. Recently she held a giveaway, and I won these beautiful earrings. I love the light and sparkle to them, and since I have dark hair, I try to wear lighter coloured earrings. These are perfect! Thank you, Laura.
 

Now that the craft fair is over (with moderate success), I'm working on Christmas projects. The bags shown above were created from donated upholstery samples. Fronts and backs are different and I've had such fun mixing and matching colours and prints. They will be filled with toiletries, gloves, and other items to give to disadvantaged women in our town. Tomorrow we'll get together and fill them. 
 

Things are looking bare in the decorating department around here. I'm putting away the autumn decor and cleaning in preparation for Advent, which begins on Sunday. Full scale decorating won't begin until later. We always have a real tree and like to keep it up until New Year's, so we wait. I'm liking the idea of bringing out the decorations a bit at a time - Advent candles and some greenery this weekend, followed by the Nativity scene, the outdoor wreath and others.

I'm feeling very mellow about Christmas this year, or at least, at this moment. That could change at any moment. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends. Have a wonderful day! 

Snack Bags and Using What You Have

On my daughter-in-law's wish list (we exchange them for birthdays and Christmas) was the request for reusable snack bags. I've seen them here and there, and had a couple tutorials pinned to Pinterest. So I made a few and asked her to try them out. I can see that I should have done some pressing before taking the photo.

The larger ones have a flip top, and are lined with cotton, not nylon or plastic. They would be good for drier snacks. For the fold top snack bags, I used the tutorial from My Very Educated Mother. They are a little smaller than the pattern, simply because I used fat quarters. 

For the second, smaller bags, I used the tutorial from Laura at We Wilsons.  Again, I tweaked the pattern slightly, making a flap to fold down over the velcro closing. I thought it might prevent crumbs from getting caught in the velcro. These I lined to make them water resistant. But first, this conversation ensued:

Me:  "I need to get some rip stop nylon to line these bags."

Husband: "How much do you need?" 

Me:  "oh, not much, about ...." (and I hold my hands about 18 inches apart)

Husband: "I have some."

He goes downstairs and comes up shortly with an entire tent fly. Yellow. It's never been used because somehow, when we bought our tent, we landed up with two flys. I've warned my children that every snack bag I make from now on will be lined with bright yellow rip stop nylon.

I'm planning to make a bunch of these for stocking stuffers. This is not a secret. 

Have you started making anything for Christmas yet? 
 

Making Gifts - Ideas to Sew

So here it is, the 24th of October. We are deep into autumn, and parts of the country are already shoveling snow. I want to savour each day and not rush the seasons, but I do like making gifts for Christmas. It's time to begin. Or maybe you've begun already. I have not.

The thing with making gifts is that you can't show them ahead of time, so I've gathered photos from gifts made in past years, or ideas for gifts, and showcased them here. Maybe you'll be inspired, and maybe give me some ideas of other things to stitch in the comment section.

Placemats are fun to make and a useful gift as well. This pattern is from a sew-along last October on the Sew Mama Sew blog. There are many, many wonderful tutorials on that site, and all are very well written. 
 

Table runners are another practical gift. This one was inspired by The Peony Teacup and is constructed using the disappearing nine-patch block. Just keep adding blocks until the runner is as long as you like, then layer, quilt and bind.

Sachets made with lavender, rose petals and herbs from your garden (or purchased) make a lovely gift for friends. These were made with linen, stamped with rubber stamps and tied simply with a ribbon. Tuck in a little sprig for a hint of what's inside.
 

Do a search for rag doll patterns and you'll find many. This is one I did several years ago. The link is on my side bar, and also here for Part One, and Part Two. It's a tutorial I would like to redo at some point.

Pillows or cushion covers change up the look of a room in a hurry. Use scraps to make the one above (1 1/2 inch squares) or for something different, the Je t'aime pillow on my sidebar.
There are lots of pillow tutorials on the web as well.
 

And for the men in your life - what about a tuxedo apron with a red bow tie (slightly askew), cummerbund, and a pin-tucked shirt front? I made up this pattern. Another tutorial I hope to write some day. I captured Tim just as he was ready to carve the turkey. 

Have you begun making gifts for Christmas? Any ideas you'd like to share? I'm feeling kind of low on creativity just now.

Of Lavender and Reading

I'm not all that fond of the scent of lavender. Too much of it gives me a headache. But I do like the faint whiff I get when I open a drawer or linen closet containing a lavender sachet. A couple of weeks ago I cut some lavender and dried it, along with lemon balm leaves. The two mixed together well and I stitched together some sachets from leftover silk dupioni.Tied up in sets of two with scraps of ribbon, they make pretty packages.

As you surmised from the previous post, we're off on a trip. We're here for the weekend in Chilliwack, and on Monday morning, early, will be heading east, through the interior, across the Rocky Mountains, to Alberta, to visit family and and to attend the wedding of a friend's daughter.

I've never posted while traveling, but my computer is along for the trip, and we'll see what happens. Internet accessibility might be hard to come by.

Choosing what to take along for reading material is always an important part of packing for a trip. You'll see that I have the magazine I wanted to get to earlier this week, a classic to revisit, and a new book, Quiet: The power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking. It's a book I've heard of from a number of sources recently, including Pondside, and my youngest daughter. Thus far I've read the introduction and it's shaping up to be an interesting book.

What are you reading? 

Gift Wrapping

Back in October I wrapped a few Christmas gifts. They were lightweight, suitable for sending to Europe. Decorations had to be flat and not easily scrunched. So I printed off a couple of photographs from childhood days gone by (I had some scanned from the wedding slide show). I layered the photograph on the gift (above is wrapped in a brown paper bag), tied it with red yarn and added a sprig of cedar. 

For this gift I used plain white paper, and stitched each end closed with my sewing machine. This photo shows our youngest riding a horse as a little girl in Ecuador. Instead of tying the yarn, I wrapped it round and round the gift. 

Along with some baking and couple of smaller things, the parcel arrived in Germany and has been opened. The travelers are off to Switzerland next week, until the end of the year. We're missing them, but oh, what a grand adventure they are having!

Meanwhile, all of my other gifts languish in a closet. Unwrapped. I guess it's almost time to get going on that. 

Men in Tuxedos

I'm 99.9% certain that none of the men in my family read my blog. Any who do might want to stop NOW.

 Don't men in tuxedos look wonderful? This photo of my son and husband was taken about 3 years ago at our son's wedding. I think it's a shame that they don't have opportunity to wear tuxes more often.

A couple of years ago I made my husband a tuxedo apron. He asked for an apron to wear once in awhile at work when the management put on special coffees for the staff. I came up with this idea, and he loved it.

 This year, for Christmas, I made three of these aprons. One for our son, our son-in-law, and our daughter's boyfriend. They all like to cook. When I asked my husband to model this yesterday afternoon for a photo (on a dark and rainy afternoon), he insisted that it wouldn't look authentic without a kitchen tool in his hand. Hence the barbecue flipper.

And on another note, Robin's Egg Blue is having a wonderful giveaway, all themed in her signature colour. Check it out. You'll be inspired.

Thinking Ahead

The trees are looking pretty sparse around here. Leaves scuttle along the street like crabs at the beach. They tumble and toss, clicking and scratching on the pavement. Wind howls around the corners of my house today, shaking the windows and the trees. Soon all the leaves, now hanging tenaciously to their branches, will be shaken loose. Ah, November.

November is also the month to think ahead to Christmas. I noticed in the newspaper flyer last night that baking supplies are on sale this week. All kinds of advertisements are beginning. I've started my Christmas crafting. Before the blogging world gets into the full swing of Christmas, I have a story to share about Christmas Shoeboxes. I'm in the process of filling mine right now and was thinking about the following story. It's longer than my normal posts, but very meaningful to me.

For years Samaritan's Purse has organized Operation Shoebox to help send a little Christmas love to children who might not have any other Christmas celebration. Filling the boxes is fun, and we do several every year. I was so privileged to be able to give out some of the shoeboxes one year in Ecuador, in a different way. Usually they are passed out at events planned in the neighbourhoods. One year, a double supply of shoeboxes arrived in Ecuador (a long story, has to do with customs and no boxes the previous year), and our church allowed individuals to take the boxes and pass them out. Along with the boxes we'd collected bags of groceries.

How to decide to whom to give the shoeboxes? We put four of the boxes and two bags of groceries in our trunk and headed home after church on Sunday morning. We lived out of town, in a neighbourhood that had huge houses with pools, tennis courts and triple garages hidden behind tall brick walls, side-by-side very humble two or three room wooden houses. The class difference in Ecuador is enormous. As we drove around, we noticed two young boys in a field. They were looking after a couple of cows pastured there. We had two boxes for boys about their age, so we stopped. Like any child should be with strangers, they were a little hesitant. I explained that these boxes were a Christmas gift for them and handed them over. A bit bewildered, they politely said, "gracias," and went back to their work.

We had two boxes left and the groceries. No one seemed to be out on the roads that day, which was unusual. Continuing our drive we noticed a woman walking along the road. We stopped the car and asked her if she had any children. She said, yes, she did, two girls. Their ages were the same ages on the boxes we had left! We gave her the boxes and the bags of groceries (her home was very close). She kept asking why we would do this - we explained that we just wanted to show her that God loved her. With tears in her eyes she told us that this would be the only Christmas the family would be able to celebrate - these boxes would be the only gifts her children would receive. We left her smiling.



Driving home we passed the two boys in the field. There was no hesitation when they saw us this time. They had opened their boxes and were examining everything. They had candy in their mouths and jumped up, waving and calling out "gracias, gracias," over and over.

These scenes are repeated over and over in the world because of Operation Shoebox. If you ever wonder if they make a difference, I'm here to tell you that they do. I just wish everyone who fills a shoebox could see the joy they bring.

Napkins and More

Last week was my birthday and then Saturday was our eldest daughter's birthday. We are all celebrating this coming weekend with our daughter-in-law as well, so presents were held off until the big bash. I'm not really sure about that...

Anyway, on Saturday I went out for a lunch/tea with the daughters (DIL is busy prettifying her new house and couldn't make it). And I thought...I want to give something to my daughter because after all, TODAY is her birthday.

I knew she was wanting a bread basket so I found this one at Ten Thousand Villages and then I made four napkins to go along with it. You can tell what her colours are! This was so much fun and she loved it. It's something to keep in mind for future gifts.

For the napkins, I used fabric in my stash (so I feel quite virtuous) and just cut 18 inch squares, turned the edges in twice, pressed them and stitched them. Easy peasy.

I'm using cloth napkins more and more these days. Here are some ways I like to use them.

1. As napkins...the obvious
2. As placemats
3. To wrap gifts - fasten with a pin or ribbon
4. To line a tray when serving tea or a meal in front of the television
5. As a tablemat underneath a candle or vase of flowers.
6. Lining bread baskets

Love in a Shoebag

Our church partners with a community in Mexico. We support a young couple working there. Each year we send two work groups to build houses. And at Christmas time, we send "shoeboxes" full of gifts for the children. I always enjoy filling the boxes and thinking of the little ones who will receive them.

This year I made a few small soft dolls for the baby boxes. I have so many pieces of leftover fabric I think I could stitch and sew for a year without running out. These dolls are about 6 inches high and made from soft cottons and linens with painted faces. All the trims are firmly stitched on and I'll probably add a dot of non-toxic glue as well.

Each one has open eyes on one side and closed eyes on the other. I had such fun making these. I hope they are cuddled and loved.

We've tried different containers for the gifts - cardboard doesn't last long in a tropical climate so for the past years we've packed the items into reusable plastic boxes. However, they break easily and last year quite a few were crushed in shipping. So this year we're making "love in a shoebag." A decorating shop donated all their out of date upholstery samples. We stitch two together. They come with holes in the top and many with grommets. A ribbon laced through the holes closes the bags nicely.

Over the weekend I stitched about 15 bags and I'm filling two. The fabrics are heavy weight and just beautiful. We're also making bags for seniors this year in addition to the children's bags.

When we lived in Ecuador we were privileged to hand out the Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes one year. They were received with so much eagerness. For many, this is only Christmas many children will have.
Sharing with others is part of this wonderful season. Even when times are hard here in North America, we still have so much more than many parts of the world.

Yummy

Betz White, of cupcake pincushion fame, has a tutorial for the cutest pomander. I've started making some of the flowers - it's addicting - but then today I had the idea to cut a smaller circle and add it to the top of a pincushion (inspired by Betz) that I'm making for a friend.

I think it looks delectable. Yum!

A Little Housekeeping

I've been looking for a metal bucket in which to put my laundry soap. The biodegradable stuff I use comes in a rather flimsy bag, which is fine by me, but tends to spill all over. And I didn't want a plastic bucket. I found this one yesterday and it fits perfectly in the cupboard above the washer. I made a little label for it (well, a rather big label) using a graphic from Karen at the Graphics Fairy blog. I have a black and white printer but if you've got colour - well, the things you could do with all the beautiful graphics on her site...the mind boggles.

I made some sachets, not too strong. These are just squares of leftover fabrics. For the filling, I dried mint, rosemary, roses and lavender, then mixed them with flax seed to plump up the sachets. Tied in threes with some pretty ribbon and an old millinery flower, I think they'll make nice gifts.

Sweetness

I've been on the receiving end of a lot of sweetness lately. This is my last week of teaching Grade 8 French. We're doing exams this week and once I get them marked and the report card comments done, I'm finished! I came home from the last day of class and my sweet daughter Ashley had a little package ready for me - this card, a magazine, a DVD set of Corner Gas (Canadian comedy) and chocolate! I'm not really retiring - I just do lots of things for short periods of time!

A good friend, Karen, sent me this decorated candle. I love the music paper and the beaded wire detail. It looks so lovely burning on my kitchen windowsill. Tonight I moved it to the table to enjoy during dinner.