Saturday, April 16, 2011

Has anyone done a family cookbook?

Just one more thought----
Has anyone done a family cookbook? Or maybe one for your church or quilt group?
I'd like to put together my reciepe , and my Mom's to give to my DD for a Christmas gift.
She always E mails me for "Mom, what is the pecan pie, or sweet potato caserole " before Thanksgiving or Christmas. This way if I'm hit by a bus, or the plane goes down, she will have them. Will have to start during the summer.
I did find on line "The cookbook People" where I could buy the software, it is only $34.00 for the basic, then add ons are extra.
Any thoughts?
Sara in Fla.

this & that

Doris-You will really like the front loading washer. Not only does it use less water, but is easier on the wear and tear of the clothing.
If you are in Amelia Island some time other than when I am in Canada I could drive up to meet you. There is a wonderful quilt shop there, "Jan's"--she has lots of brights, and beachy type cottons. It is about a 1 hr. drive from my house.

Went to a nice Mother/daughter luncheon today-both my guests bailed out on me at the last min. but it was fun anyway. The wife of an NFL quarterback spoke-Stacie Brunell, wife of Mark.
Still waiting on the sprinkler guy and the sod guy. I'm hoping for Mon. or Tues.
Sara in Fla.

Friday, April 15, 2011

checking in

Sara in FL - I think a trip to Quebec would be marvelous. The DR is in hurricane territory in September, while Quebec is less likely to suffer one, so last-minute trip cancellation wouldn't be a concern. JMO . That said, DH has a convention in September, at Amelia Island, and I'm going. :-0

Marion - How sad for Christchurch as a city, and all of you for whom it is/was a central figure in your life. You are all going through an excruciating grieving process for which there is no quick resolution. (((hugs)))

More storms & rain today, with possible tornadoes. 'Tis the season. (ugh!)

Our laundry room remodel is half-done, I'm waiting for the painters to come remove wallpaper and paint walls & woodwork before the new washing machine & dryer are delivered. I'm diving into the world of F/L (front-loaders) and the cabinets had to be raised, so that the F/L will fit. I'm having the risers/pedestals/platforms/whateveryoucallthem as well, due to my tallness and bad back/neck/shoulder/knees.

Good thing we did this small remodel, too! When the carpenter removed the cabinets from the soffits, the drywall was moldy and damp. The sewer vent pipe is routed through the soffits and the flashing at the roof had gone bad. We've had a leak for who knows how long. It could have gone on for years before we realized it, and suffered worse damage.

Stay dry and safe!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

rain

missed,it has just started. Bee and two very wet kittens!!!!

Christchurch

Marion, I can imagine how you and your DH are feeling , my friend's husband has been down there since the first quake and he has photos.I really think the city will never be the same and such an English city. The trees and surroundings are very English and I used to feel very much at home. While it is very good up here not to have to sweep all the leaves in winter I still miss the English plants and trees. I personally don't think it will be possible to rebuild the old houses etc. I still have a picture in my mind of the family homestead of the Aussie rugby coach, can't remember his name. Only a quick note I am trying to beat the rain, weeds, I don't need any more growth there. Hugs to all , Bee in NZ.

Christchurch Cathedral.


DH. has a friend in the demolition business. Yesterday he provided DH with all of the necessary paper work to enter the cordoned off central city. It was a sobering experience. The Cathedral was the "hub" of the square. Always busy, always colourful. It was deserted and very, very quiet yesterday...


DH. was born in Christchurch and educated there. During the years of our married life, Christchurch has always been "our city." For many years, we farmed a two hour drive north of the city, but even then, our lawyer, accountant and bank were all based in the Christchurch. Our daughters were both educated there. Of recent years we have lived closer and enjoyed the many entertainments available. The theatre, the concerts , the films and a large variety of eating establishments. All gone now and leaving us looking for the Monopoly Board.. It could be a long winter ! We heard today that 70% of the central city will be demolished... The news is being fed to us gradually. There is a general air of sadness around. The earthquake is still the number one topic of conversation and there are some very sad stories being exchanged.


Went to a local "Farmers Market" today and was surprised to see so many vendors there. Some had come out from town as the venues that they had previously traded from, were no longer available to them.


Have a good weekend. It looks as if it will be a wet one here.


Marion.

QUEBEC

Rosey, give yourself a treat and spend a few days there. Even I have been there albeit 54 years ago. I found it confusing to drive despite my rudimentary school girl knowledge of French. The street signs were all in both French and English and even though I knew what ARRETTE (sic?) means it still took me several seconds for it to sink in. The city is beautiful and the food, as you may imagine, is great. Come to Cherokee and the signs are all in the Cherokee syllabary as well as the language. The former was invented in the early 19th century by a Cherokee chief named Sequoiya. Talk about distracting to an Anglo. I'm currently reading a very interesting and detailed history of the Cherokee which starts at about the American revolution up to and including the final removal (or Andrew Jackson's failed attempt to get rid of all of them). The eastern band here are desendants of the tough ones who hid out in the mountains. Many of them were half bloods and thoroughly converted to Christianity and American ways away from their from their former lives and hunters and gatherers. The US government, approved by the Senate, made a treaty, after many had moved west voluntarily, their own sovereign nation with set boundaries. Then Jackson renegged despite the Cherokee Christianization and adaptation to farming etc. by Mennonite missionaries. Jackson was a real sweetheart. Why didn't we learn about his duplicity in school? Jane

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Quebec City

Sara, do NOT hestitate to take this trip...at that time of year, the leaves are turning, it's very colourful, the weather is not cold but pleasant...it couldn't be a nicer time of year here in that part of Canada. I've never been to Quebec City and keep promising myself it's a trip to take. One of these days. Go on the internet and Google Quebec City. I'm sure you'll find it very enjoyable. French Canadian is spoken, not Parisian French. Louise Penny's last book was set in Quebec City. Rosey

Canada trip?

We have just been offered a trip to Quebec, Canada for Sept. 28th as a prize for
selling lots of Carrier A/C units. I think that we already met the min. number of
sales, so will have to see about it.
There was also a trip to the Dom. Rep. but it is the exact same date of DH's
HS reunion (45 years) and 1 week before my niece's wedding in N.C.
Don't see how we could work that out!
Rosey--what is the weather like from Sept. 28th --Oct 2?
Sara in Fla.

Good morning, Spring is back

Spring has returned here, after 3 days of heat. I went to ACE hardware last evening and got some Sedum, some angel wing begonias and some things that no one knows what they are. Will be putting them in the ground in a few min. when I finish my coffee.
It is only supposed to be 72 today! Now if the legustrum would not bloom I'd be a happy camper.
It is so sweet, and makes my eyes itch.
JANE-that is good news. I went to get mamo a few weeks ago, and have not heard back. Will have to put call in, but am thinking no news is good news.
Don't know any other news. Preparing for Easter, even though we will be out of town.(that doesn't prevent me from buying and eating chocolate bunnies) We were married on April 22. Little did we know it would be "Earth Day" the following year. It falls on Good Friday this year. 33 years!

Did I mention that our old house in West Palm beach has been forclosed on? I drove by and since it was empty looking, went and looked in the windows.
We built it in 1979.... sold it in 1990 for $89,000, it re-sold a few years ago for $370,000, now is forclosed on and is for sale for $160,000 I'm sure it was way over-priced at the 370 mark. When hurrican Wilma hit a few years ago lots of trees fell down in their yard.
It is strange to go down the street, see all the changes. Lots of fences up, lots of pick-ups in the yards, etc.
OK, time to hit the yard!
Sara in Fla.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

PARAGRAPHS

indentations are gone again. Jane

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

The good news is that the IRS owes me $900 and the bad news is that I owe the state of NC $490. Of course the feds have had the use of my money this year without having to pay me interest but if I'm 30 seconds late paying the state the money I owe them I'll get hit with interest and penalty. What can one do against such injustice? MARION, the painting is lovely. I have some paintings done by a dear friend who is gone now. However, yours is more professional looking. I feel that I've turned a medical corner recently. I don't have a doc appointment until June!!! Maybe I can get back to quilting again. I even feel like cleaning up the mess around here. First, however, gotta take a hike with the fur babies tomorrow. The weather guesser says it will be sunny all day. ROSEY, have you heard from Celia in NB? She seems to have disappeared. I miss her antics. Jane starting to nod so will be off to bed when I sign off.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Do you like my new picture ?



We have a friend who likes to paint. When we redecorated the lounge/dining room I asked him to paint something for the end wall. After some discussion it was decided that he would feature some of our favourite things... a bit of a risk really ... where to start ? I left it to him, he knows us well... Three years later (I jest not) he delivered this. We love it but we are slightly concerned that the bottle of wine has such prominence...!?!


Nice to see the paragraphs back again...at least on Rosey's post. Loved the splash of colour Rosey, thank you. It certainly brightened up the page. It had begun to look a bit "solid" with posts not showing paragraphs.


DH and I went into Christchurch to visit a friend in hospital yesterday. We parked miles away and walked along the river bank. It's usually such a lovely walk , yesterday it was quite very strange...The road is still cordoned off to traffic. It was so quiet...the pavement was broken and the river was dirty. The grass had not been mowed and some of the larger trees had been removed (for safety) Looking towards the city central, only the cranes were visible. There were piles of bricks and rubble everywhere. We walked past DH's old school. The quad there,which has always been strictly "Off limits" to the boys, was covered with temporary school buildings.. (that REALLY upset him !) The beautiful Arts Centre looked very sad , covered with scaffolding ...When we eventually got to the hospital I felt very anxious being in such a large and multi story building. I wasn't happy in the lifts and ended up scurrying up lots of staircases..The Hospital was basically undamaged, but the ceilings had been removed along the corridors, I presume for checking that everything was still working. The sight of the pipes and the wires made it look very ' third world' .. we may have to get used to that...


A few more roads were opened yesterday, that should help with the traffic congestion . Evidently the city sewerage system is "on a knife edge.." the pipes are full of silt . There are still 41,000 people using chemical toilets and Porta- loos are still in evidence in some areas. Those of us who live in the country are so fortunate. It will be a long winter for those living in the city.


We are enjoying a spell of beautiful weather. A bit nippy in the early morning but the days are sunny and warm. The trees are looking colourful, it's a lovely time of year. DH has gone to golf today , he'll enjoy that. Nice to be out on a day like this.


Marion.


Quilters are such visual people and we love colour and pattern; figuring out the intricacies of how patterns go together and choosing just the right colours of cloth to go into our quilts. This morning in Southern Ontario, Canada is very overcast, at least in the hills and valleys of where I live. The temperatures have risen into the sixties farenheit, which for most of us is like letting the sheep out of the barn door after a long winter of being closed up in the barn. But, the downside is that our bodies are not always ready for such an abrupt change from cold to warm and nights become stuffy with humid air that we sometimes long for the cold weather to return. And, it will. It is still early April which means very inconsistent weather patterns. My Adirondack chair is already outside on the porch and sitting in the late afternoon sun makes me drowsy.


I am currently working on a request for the donation of another of my dog grooming aprons from an Aussie breeder in Michigan, Thornapple Australian Shepherds. The bib is appliqued with the head of an Aussie (dog); a blue merle puppy. It is for the USASA Junior Handlers show in May.


The gerbera daisy is by JonKatz.

Worms, cats; squirrels, cats; mice, cats; chipmunks, cats....Bee, your post reminds me of our last cat, MacDuff, the world-famous hunter of small animals which he would delight in bringing to the feet and attention of our B&B guests. If they were city-folks, it was never appreciated.

Rosey

Hi from a fantastic NZ.,S

the weather here is wonderful for this time of the year, still in short sleeved blouses and only a sheet on the bed at night. It will cool down soon but I am enjoying breakfast on the deck as long as I can.Still have 2 kitts getting so much bigger and so busy, Jemima caught a bird today, not impressed but I had been told to press my fingers in her throat and as they try to take breath of air they let the bird go. It worked and the sparrow flew away .Now to stop my cat bringing worms inside.!!!! I am going to a quilt session at the beginning of next month and a friend is going to show us the American Beauty block. I have made it before but as she is an award winning quilter I hope she has some new way to make it. I have done quite a bit of foundation piecing, that doesn't look right but my spell check won't let me put anything else. I want make a quilt with similar blocks and have a lot of batiks to use , I already have the pattern but just can't remember the name of it. If I can make this one I can take my Christmas quilt down after at least 3 years. Cheers for now look after yourselves and take care, Bee in NZ. PS Sara I haven't forgotten the address next week. Bee.