Help!

I have this new blogger format but now my reading list has disappeared! Where have you all gone???

the big chill and a giveaway!

The temperature this morning read -9f when I got up. It is now 8.23am and it has warmed up to -8f! Westkill Creek which runs through our property and is always running, is almost frozen over and not running! We had to take buckets of water out to the horses. I will be surprised if we reach double digits todday although the sun is shining and the sky is a lovely blue! It is very pretty looking out from the warm house.

Yesterday was a very good day for me. The owner of a local quilt shop called me and ask me if I would like to quilt the shop hop quilt! I am really excited to do this. I am really the new kid on the block in this county and have only lived here for 3 years. A lot of my quilting jobs in the first year came from not so local people but now I am beginning to get more local customers and this is just what I needed. I have quilted a couple of things for her before but never the shop hop quilt. Hooting here! I ran up a couple of Valentine wall hangings for my etsy shop. One sold and this one is still for sale. It is quilted in a 'hearts a flutter' pattern. Valentine quilt

Lastly I would love to tell you about a great January giveaway over at patchworkdelights! Fiona is graciously giving away some threads and a lovely book. All you have to do is become a follower of her blog, her shop, her facebook page, all easy things to do because she has such fun pages and her shop is 'delightful'! Check it out!! It is time for me to get a wiggle on here. Have a great day out there my friends and stay warm!! Ooroo for now!

Becky's Song

My nephew Mitch Davis is a wonderful song writer and musician. Becky's Song is a song that he wrote for his young friend who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2011. Mitch is my sister's boy and he is from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. We are getting a bit of everything here this morning, rain, sleet, snow and wind. I have just been out in the elements getting the horses fed and watered and now I am going to retreat to my basement sanctuary where I can not see out into the gloom! Leaving you with some photos from yesterday morning. Have a good one wherever you may be in the world! Ooroo for now.

High Tech on the Hill

Besides having a computer which is almost 4 years old now and a cellphone, I really am not high tech at all. Heck until Christmas time I was still listening to my audio books via CD on a ghetto blaster!
Enter Santa in the form of he who pays the bills. Yes good old Santa tucked an Ipod touch into the bottom of my stocking. Squeezed right in there under the peppermint bark, scratch tickets and woolly socks!

It took me a good week to work that I needed to install a wifi router to get it working to it's full potential. But having done that and figuring out how to download books, I AM IN HEAVEN! This thing is the bomb!! I can now lie in bed and listen to my books at all hours without waking the buzz saw (he who pays the bills). I have very fitful nights and now I don't have to toss and turn or leave my bed to go read in another room. yay!

I have also purchased a thing called a docking station. Of course you all know what that is, just like I did (NOT). This docking station thingy lives down in my basement studio and my ipod just attaches right to it so that I can listen to it without the ear buds. Woohoo! Now I can work away and listen to my books. I am stoked to say the least! Another good thing, my lovely big soft comfy Sony headphones also fit this little gadget. another WOOHOO.
Saving the best bit till last. I can also get all my emails, facebook messages and etsy convo's from anywhere in the house, in bed, in the dungeon, wherever, unlike my so called Blueberry that only works when I stand in the snow on the right corner of the deck with one foot in the air and my right hand on my head.
Yes as you can see I am a very happy INan!
Ooroo for now..

a new year

It's a new year, I am going to make it a new start, a new attitude and a new health regime. A goal is a dream with deadline, I saw this on a sign at our local firestation yesterday. I have set myself some doable goals and the deadline is the end of 2012. They are also my dreams, some are personal, some are business. One such goal is to write in my blog at least once a week and to keep track of all those wonderful bloggers who I love to read. Yes I have been slack and sometimes wallow in my own mire.

What would be a blog without photos. Here are a couple of little bits that I made at the end of 2011. Some for gifts and some for orders.

Happy New Year to all and ooroo for now..

old man winter is blowing in..

It's been a while. I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or holiday.

We sure did! We had my daughter from another mother, her partner and our granddaughter come from Virginia for 3 days, Sherry, Jerry and Carrie (say that quickly after a couple of eggnogs).

We hadn't seen them for a couple of years so it was very special and it did make up for Joe and Ruth not being able to make it.
I stopped sewing two weeks before Christmas and started getting ready, cleaning and organizing spare bedroom, decorating and baking. I shopped online on black friday and for the first time in years I had gifts wrapped the week before. It was a wonderful time and David came home for the day too. Very relaxed and fun. Christmas night we watched 'The Help', the perfect end to a very lovely day.

They weather was perfect 30's and 40's and clear skies. Our company left on Monday and old man winter rolled in. He sure is huffing and puffing today and I don't like it one bit!

I am off downstairs to do some more work on a baby quilt for a customer.

ooroo for now..

Blessings to All

I have so many things to be thankful for and you all are included. Even though I don't get to spend much time at all in blogger lately! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and leave your lovely comments. They really do mean so much. And thank you for sharing your life with me! Many, many thanks to those wonderful bloggers who put so much time and effort into making tutorials to share with us. And to those generous people who have giveaways, thank you! Most of all, thank you for your friendship and inspiration!

last years bird - my best yet!

My son from another mother is here with his son. So I have three John's in the house and it is confusing at times. They arrived from Las Vegas on Monday evening and are here to hunt until Saturday. I love to see the three generations of these lovely boys together, they are so alike and yet have their own little traits and quirks too. Tomorrow we will cook up a big fat turkey and a ham and our friends Bonnie and Harry will come and eat with us and also my brother in law David. So there will be 7 of us. Perfect! Today I will make Apple Pie and Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch. Bonnie will make home made rolls in the morning and I am going to have a go at making cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries.

Beau

My (aussie) grandson, Beau, is currently in California for a three week school boys soccer tournament. He is 16 and quite the player and hoping to get scouted for a college scholarship. Good luck Beau!



It is raining here now and the temp is just above freezing. I hope the roads aren't icy for John's commute into Albany this morning. Well it's almost 4am now and time for my first coffee.

Blessings for a happy and safe Thanksgiving to all! ooroo for now. x