Saturday, May 31, 2014

I Have a Niece

Actually I have several, all talented unique lovely young women, but today I want to tell you about just one of them.

B is very smart – once figured out some kind of math behind some kind of physics that we use every day (I’m lucky to figure out the math behind my bank account); very crafty – spins and weaves and knits and creates all kinds of things; very ecologically-minded – saves and reuses and recycles absolutely everything that she can.

Earlier this year, B moved to Nanaimo BC and promptly got a job in a quilt shop, Serge and Sew.  She had made a quilt or two in the past, and I’d thought she’d done a great job on them.  Well, here’s the picture of one she just recently made for a shop sample:

I think that’s worth a WOW or two, don’t you!

So if you’re ever over in Nanaimo, look up Serge and Sew, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed in their offerings.

Happy to have nieces (and nephews, too)!             Blessings, Peg

Friday, May 30, 2014

Catch-up

A little while ago, I posed the question, ‘What do you do with your time?’  It was rhetorical, because it came with an inspirational video to make one think about time and how it’s spent.

I had intended following up with some of the results of my time-spending, but it just never happened.  Looking back, I see that I haven’t shared anything substantial for quite a while, so today is a little bit of catch-up.

Fairly early in September my brother, SIL and niece came for a visit, and we all trekked over to Wayward Pines.

118.Visiting Wayward Pines with M, V and Eryn

You may remember previous posts about this ‘town’, which is actually a film set that has transformed the main street in our little town.  As a matter of fact, as the three of them drove through on their way to our house, my SIL was heard to exclaim on the shoe shop, the toy shop, the candy shop, with full intent to spend a day shopping.  Well, window shopping was all we could do in most of the shops, but it was fun.  But we all wanted to ride the carousel:

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Mid-September is always Fair Time here, and we were home for a change and able to head over to enjoy the displays, the animals, the entertainment – and of course, eat some corn on the cob:

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The quilts were inspiring

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Somebody did some research on quilting history – just a reminder of the sister-(and brother-) hood to which we all belong:

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In the meantime Grizz has had total knee replacement surgery, spent all of 48 hours in the hospital, and now we (and it IS we because he’s not allowed to drive yet) do physio runs twice a week.  He’s recovering nicely, every day gets a bit better, and I have had to become a nag to make him remember to use his cane (not that nagging is that much of a stretch).

Then our Sadie got a GI infection, which laid her low for a couple of days and meant a trip to the vet – not her favorite place to go, but they always do a fabulous job making her feel better, just wish we could explain it to her:

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September quilting time was spent getting a few tops sandwiched and quilted, and now these are complete:

A Linus blanket for a (kind-of) nephew:

120.Colton's Linus blanket

A baby blanket for a niece who has joined the family

121.Noella's quilt

A table topper for a house-warming gift:

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There are a few more now just waiting for binding to be finished.

Also been working on Linda’s Stash-buster Challenge – 7 blocks now completed:DSCN9937DSCN9936

 

Between times, I continue to do some needlework, some genealogy, lots of reading, and of course waste some of that time I mentioned at the top of this post just playing on the computer.

I think that catches up – will try to let you all in on our activities a little more regularly!

Happy fall!            Blessings, Peg

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Sisters Quilt Show part VII

Every quilt is a piece of art in my mind, but some are just obviously meant to be displayed, usually on a wall, as simply art-work to be admired.  Take a look at these:

 

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The quilters of these 2 pieces even added an actual frame:

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Had to include this one as this looks so much like our Sadie:

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Each little piece of the ocean wave is a small block!  How, oh, how do these quilters do this?

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Each leaf on these birch (aspen?) trees is individually added for a total 3E effect:

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This quilt literally glittered in the sunshine, with the beadwork:

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Happy, happy show!                      Blessings, Peg

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption



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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2010: From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louies plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. Youll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and youll want to share this book with everyone you know. --Juliet Disparte

The Story of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Eight years ago, an old man told me a story that took my breath away. His name was Louie Zamperini, and from the day I first spoke to him, his almost incomprehensibly dramatic life was my obsession.

It was a horse--the subject of my first book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend--who led me to Louie. As I researched the Depression-era racehorse, I kept coming across stories about Louie, a 1930s track star who endured an amazing odyssey in World War II. I knew only a little about him then, but I couldnt shake him from my mind. After I finished Seabiscuit, I tracked Louie down, called him and asked about his life. For the next hour, he had me transfixed.

Growing up in California in the 1920s, Louie was a hellraiser, stealing everything edible that he could carry, staging elaborate pranks, getting in fistfights, and bedeviling the local police. But as a teenager, he emerged as one of the greatest runners America had ever seen, competing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he put on a sensational performance, crossed paths with Hitler, and stole a German flag right off the Reich Chancellery. He was preparing for the 1940 Olympics, and closing in on the fabled four-minute mile, when World War II began. Louie joined the Army Air Corps, becoming a bombardier. Stationed on Oahu, he survived harrowing combat, including an epic air battle that ended when his plane crash-landed, some six hundred holes in its fuselage and half the crew seriously wounded.

On a May afternoon in 1943, Louie took off on a search mission for a lost plane. Somewhere over the Pacific, the engines on his bomber failed. The plane plummeted into the sea, leaving Louie and two other men stranded on a tiny raft. Drifting for weeks and thousands of miles, they endured starvation and desperate thirst, sharks that leapt aboard the raft, trying to drag them off, a machine-gun attack from a Japanese bomber, and a typhoon with waves some forty feet high. At last, they spotted an


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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The Answer

As promised yesterday, here’s a completed map of the United States:

I did check to make sure I put the state names in the right spots.  It was a good exercise for me.  And as I did this, I recalled some of our trips into the US and all the wonderful places we’ve visited there.
So far, we’ve been to:
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York (state, not the city)
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Only 18 more to go….hmmm, do I hear plans for another US trip????
Now I think I need to learn about Europe and Asia and South America.  Oh, how I love to learn!
BTW – do you all know the names of the Canadian provinces and territories?  There are only 13 – an easy one!
Happy learning!              Blessings, Peg

Monday, May 26, 2014

Close-Up: How to Read the American City (Phoenix Book; P863)



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"Grady Clay looks hard at the landscape, finding out who built what and why, noticing who participates in a city's success and who gets left in a 'sink,' or depressed (often literally) area. Clay doesn't stay in the city; he looks at industrial towns, truck stops, suburbsnearly anywhere people live or work. His style is witty and readable, and the book is crammed with illustrations that clarify his points. If I had to pick up one book to guide my observations of the American scene, this would be it."Sonia Simone, Whole Earth Review

"The emphasis on the informal aspects of city-shapingtopographical, historical, economic and socialdoes much to counteract the formalist approach to American urban design. Close-Up...should be required reading for anyone wishing to understand Americans and their cities."Roger Cunliffe, Architectural Review

"Close-Up is a provocative and stimulating book."Thomas J. Schlereth, Winterthur Portfolio

"Within this coherent string of essays, the urban dweller or observer, as well as the student, will find refreshing strategies for viewing the environmental 'situations' interacting to form a landscape."Dallas Morning News

"Clay's Close-Up, first published in 1973, is still a key book for looking at the real American city. Too many urban books and guidebooks concentrate on the good parts of the city....Clay looks at all parts of the city, the suburbs, and the places between cities, and develops new terms to describe parts of the built environmentfronts, strips, beats, stacks, sinks, and turf. No one who wants to understand American cities or to describe them, should fail to know this book. The illustrations are of special interest to the guidebook writer."American Urban Guidenotes


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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Christmas Season starts

Yesterday we took in a local dance studio performance of the Nutcracker Ballet.

The young dancers did a fabulous job, so much talent. 

Little Clara’s dreams came to life!

One of the best Christmas stories ever!  And a great way to start off the Christmas season.

Happy dreams!            Blessings, Peg

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Done and

Can’t say ‘done’ because somehow it seems I’m never done.  There’ll be another project on the go shortly, but for now:

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I kept the quilting simple, with a large cross-hatch, and then simply outlining the giraffe – keeps the quilt nice and soft:002

On the back, the cutest fabric ever:

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Here it is turned around the ‘right’ way:003

The words are ‘Baby’s First Friends’, ‘Cute and Cuddly’, ‘Stuffed to be Loved’, ‘Furry and Floppy’.

And I got a little pillow out of the leftovers:

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Happy finish!                                         Blessings, Peg

Friday, May 23, 2014

Monday’s ‘Musement

I laughed so hard I cried!

Could YOU fill in this map?

Erm, sooo, yeah. We really wish we could tell you this is the worst attempt. It's not even close.

Follow this link to see what (some) British people think the names, and placements, of the United States are:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/its-thanksgiving-so-we-asked-some-brits-to-label-the-us-stat

This is hilarious!  And, BTW, on this map, California and Texas are correct.

I do have to admit that I’m not 100% sure of the exact placement of some of the eastern and southern states, but I do have some idea, and I do know the names of all 50 states.  But, while I’m admitting this, I have to say that I really think I’d fail, and just as sadly as some of these, if I was asked to fill in the European countries on a blank map.  I wonder what this says about our education of places beyond our own borders and/or just plain awareness as adults of the world beyond our own borders.  Could I name the Asian countries?  Do I know, with any certainty, the names and placements of many of the south Atlantic countries?  It’s worth thinking about!

And, just to help you all out, I’ll give you the (correct) answers to this map tomorrow.

Happy knowledge!             Blessings, Peg

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Sisters Quilt Show part VI

The morning just kept bringing more and more fabulous quilt inspiration!

 

Do you see the little red shoes print that makes the sashing in this Wizard of Oz quilt?

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Each flower and leaf is colored with crayon, then embroidered to give depth:

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The back of this quilt is as beautifully pieced as the front:

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Hearts, or tulips?  I thought hearts when I first spotted this quilt, but then looking at the photo later, I thought tulips.

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Bargello is still a quilt style on my bucket list:

737475767778

 

I do always wonder how quilters find just the right colors and tones:

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Happy show!                   Blessings, Peg