Thursday, January 31, 2013

Eleven Years Goes By WAY Too Quickly

Tomorrow is the eleventh anniversary of my becoming a mother, aka The Little Man's birthday.

Every year I feel a little traumatized by that.

I crawled in bed with him tonight and cried as I told him that when he was born I was so amazed at how intensely I loved him.

That I never knew that there was a love like that.

He says "So you don't love me at all." and laughs, because he knows that I am being crazy and emotional and that I love him more than words could ever say.

Happy Birthday Buddy.  You are my world.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sometimes I Just Want to Write Stuff Down and Not Find a Title for the Post

Today was weird.

CH is miserable and I, being a Pisces, react strongly to that.

The Mouth is mad at me for acting as if I am his mother - only different because I have hire standards when it comes to manners.

The Shorties are at my Mum and Dad's and I miss them, although it is nice to have a day off from cooking dinner and bed time. I just feel like a hug from the two best huggers.

I had a fabulous day at work.  I love the feeling of family we have there. It is the best job I have had in forever, and that is how long I plan to keep it!

I got a giant bag of free clothes for Penelope from an acquaintance that I did something nice for last month.

I had a strange comment on from a person who bought something from me from Etsy ages ago.  The transaction did not go well, and her comment is a mixed bag of nuts.  Not too sure how to take it... or if I should put it live to the blog...

Anyway, that is all for now.  I am starving and need to find something to eat for dinner.

:o) Tina






Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Snap365, Days 21 through 29

A lot of days...  oops.  Should have made two posts out of but now I am thinking maybe it is a good way to review my week... :)

:)

Day 21 :: Arrived home from Vancouver to nothing but good mail - that never happens! I was so excited to receive a little gift and a very nice card from my dear friend who lives in England. xo

Surely sent me a present, I suppose she is thinking about me since it has been TWELVE years since she left me promising it was only a year and it would go by fast. What a jerk. :p

Love, Fabric

Day 22 :: My stash was calling my name all day today asking me to come home and sew, now I am here and I don't know what I want to do more - a new bag, owls, zipper pouches... I just can't decide. ;)

Why?!

Day 23 :: My husband drinks a lot if Pepsi - a lot. The fact that he is driving himself to the land of Diabetes is one thing, the fact that he leaves his empty (and sometimes not) cans all over the place DRIVES ME NUTS!! But then, it gives me something to blog about. ;)

Note:  I know this is a repeat for y'all but I used it in my Snap365 too so here it is. ;)

Eyes

Day 24 :: Getting ready to make a batch of owls. Thank goodness I bought that circle cutter!

She Sews

Day 25 :: Okay, maybe she doesn't sew but she chose all the fabric and cut it all out and stuffed it with almost no help from me. :)

She decide that we needed to figure out a way to make sleepy eyes. She her creativity is amazing, once she gets a hold of needle and thread and the desire to make them work she is going to create truly amazing things. She can already draw ten times better than me. I am going to suggest that her crazy hair has something to do with this but it is pool hair. ;)

Ready to Stitch!

Day 26 :: Obviously I have been sewing and not much else in the last couple of days. Not complaining!

And They Are Done!

Day 27 :: Well almost. I still have a few things to do to the bags and to stuff these guys. I love it when a new batch is done, I always fall in love with one - this time it is the pink one . :)

Violent Violet

Day 28 :: This is Violet. She is the prettiest cat I have ever seen - hands down - she hates me. For really. She is trying to kill me with her laser beam eyes!

This cat was rescued by ME.  CH did not want any more cats but I brought her home, all tiny and cute because I am a soft hearted dumby and now, she is all grown up and hates me.  If I talk to her or walk toward her she growls at me 8 times out of 10!

Vintage Smokies Merch!

Day 29 :: My father in law was on the Smokies executive back in the day and gave me these circa 1975 buttons. I'm pretty excited to show one off at the next game!!

There you go. :o)  Tina



Monday, January 28, 2013

Very Pinteresting

This week I made a lot of bags and owls, including this one that I found on Noodlehead, via Pinterest (of course!). I actually bought this pattern. It has an interior zipper to close the bag and I need to learn how to do that so I splurged. I, of course, being a rule breaker will follow none of the other instructions and just do it my way...


I also, stumble upon the receipt for Amish bread sour dough starter on Saturday and got started on it on Sunday - I was pretty excited I had made this super delicious Amish Friendship bread that was like a cinnamon vanilla pudding monster cookie in my past life and H1 THREW MY STARTER AWAY! I still have the recipe and I am sure I could have Googled it or something but suddenly, there is was.  As if it were calling my name telling me to bake.

Last week my fabric stash was calling my name, this week it is, apparently, my recipe box. ;)

When I make it, I will post the recipe for my version of this yummy bread (cake) and if you live near by I will be more than happy to share my starter with you.  All you need to do it COMMENT and ask. ;)

:o)  Tina


Saturday, January 26, 2013

How I Know My Husband Secretly Hates Me (or at least wants to make me so crazy that I will be committed) Part 3

Pepsi cans.  Everywhere.  I am not even joking.

Fine drink it.  But put away the cans. PLEASE.  For the love of Pete. Just put them away...

Pepsi
New to the kitchen sink
Next to the kitchen sink, as close as they generally get to away - well other than the giant pile of bagged up ones that lurks in my carport and sneers at me when I open the dining room curtains every morning, the pile that I am entirely too embarrassed of to take a photo for all of the world to see and cannot even believe I am mentioning....


One of my favorite places (NOT!), on the shelves that are home to my pretty things.  Grrrr.


The back of the couch - this spot, as you can imagine, often ends up in disaster and a healthy (or is is??) portion of cursing and stomping. It just seems nonsensical, but usually happens right after I have said something about the next photo.


This spot probably makes the most sense but I feel as if my space is being invaded and therefore I strongly discourage it.  The appliance in the background - my sewing machine - is on a table right behind the couch, the easiest place for him him to put his drink and be able to reach it.  My problem is that they gather. Last night there were three of them and I need more space in my sewing area - not less!! I suppose I could use my office and sequester myself and then I would have nothing to complain about other than the loneliness.


The stairs leading up from our family room.  This one I must admit I am guilty of too.  I put stuff on the stairs to take it next time I go up - but three of them, really?  And a different three than were occupying my sewing table as it was a few days before.

So you see what I have to put up with?  Just one more reason why, I seriously think that his motivation is to put me over the edge, but maybe not I did see his apartment and I married him anyway...

;o)  Tina

DISCLOSURE:  I did not put any of these cans where they are, I did however turn them label out so that you could see that they were in fact Pepsi cans.  He drinks a lot of Pepsi. A lot. He also eats a lot of candy and baked goods and makes me worry about diabetes. :(

Friday, January 25, 2013

Today is No Longer Blank

So... today is Friday.

It was once, Fill in the Blank Friday, but then the author of the blog where I was picking up the blanks had a baby and as the baby grew her interest in her blog diminished.

I am okay with that, but I do miss talking about myself (because I am a little bit like that) and the routine of it.  She stopped doing it for a little while and then when she came back, they were not inspiring and she knew it and quit.

I get that.  Your first baby can makes you a little nuts and a lot tired.

I am not sure what I will do it place of the Blanks, but I will find something.  But not today.  Today, I am sewing.

:o)  Tina



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Happy

Today I realized that I am happy again.

I have my sense of humour back.

I am sleeping better.

I feel so much more relaxed. So much more like myself than I have in forever.

Closing that store was the best thing I could have done for me and for my family.  I am sure it was not easy to live with sad stressed out Tina for so the last 4 years.

I am so happy to be back!

:p  Tina

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Fabulous Beautiful Amazing Vancouver, I Love You

Not only do I love this wonderful city but I love my people there so much.  I got to see three of my lovely Aunties and several of my wonderful cousins.  I am already looking forward to my next visit!

The people of Vancouver that do not belong to me are very unfriendly which I do not love. Even in it Kits, which was friendly welcoming place when I lived in Vancouver ten years ago. People look the other way when you smile at them.  I would hope that they do not think I am so down on my luck that I might hit them up for a dollar!  Who knows but after being back in small town BC for ten years I find it very strange - they do not know what they are missing avoiding human contact is so unnatural.
House for sale in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC
{via}

Perhaps it is the fact that it was once an affordable neighbourhood and has now become a crazy expensive neighbourhood loaded with snobby people. Not all of them.  I have two amazing Aunts, an equally amazing Uncle and several adored and wonderful cousins all living in this much changed neighbourhood.

The houses are really nice, if you like heritage houses, which I do. A lot. The one I have pictured here was almost right next door to where we stayed and is listed for 1 MILLION 798 THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!  CRAZY!!!!  Meanwhile, there are people sleeping on the streets down town and living in a tent city on the North Shore.  I love Vancouver and do not want to talk trash about my beloved city but.... perhaps the people need to collectively shake their heads and make some serious changes.  Things seem to have gotten very out of control and that scares me and makes me a little sad. Do you need a BMW, really?  Buy a Honda and donate the difference to a homeless shelter.  Seriously people.

Well, I got that off of my chest.  I did not even really know it was there to be honest but it came out so must have been.

We arrived Thursday at about 7:30 in the evening and stayed until about 11:30 this morning and I packed every minute as full as I could.  I honestly had no spare time whatsoever but it was fabulous - as always.  If you have never been to Vancouver you should go, it is so beautiful.

Snap365 Days 16 through 20


I did not take as many photos as a I normally would but here are my Snap365 shots.

Foot shadow puppets
The Foot

Day 16 :: I had something different in mind but got side tracked by life. Just crawled in for a super early night and realize I forgot to take my photo today. Husband says take a picture of my foot, I have nice feet. So I did. :)

(Note: The night before we left I forgot to take my photo so CH suggested I use his foot as my subject matter.  I thought it was hilarious but I never got even one comment so apparently no one else did!)

Doug at West Hedley Mall, Heldey BC
Doug

Day 17 :: Doug was hitch hiking at the West Hedley Mall. I hope someone picked him up, it looked like he had been waiting a while. Unfortunately we were headed in the wrong direction. ;)

(Note:  Doug (whose name is on his shirt, I am not just pulling one out of his hat) was still there, a little more snowy, when we came home but we are both very cautious of picking up hitch hikers.)

Art


Day 18 :: This is why I love the city. When was the last time you saw chalk art like this on the side walks of Cedar Avenue!
Yellow Primrose in Vancouver BC
Winter in Vancouver

Day 18 :: January in Vancouver.

Australian Silky Terrier
Freda

Day 19 :: Saturday we stayed with my Auntie in Cloverdale. She has the sweetest dog, Freda, who is almost 17!

(Note:  Freda is a teeny tiny Silky Terrier - more the size of a Yorkie.  Even when she was young and spunky she was a snugly loving little thing.  Her and her brother Conrad, who has been gone about a year, where the reason I got brave and got a dog as an adult.)

Highway 1 Heading East from Vancouver
Heading Home

Day 20 :: Heading toward the mountains and away from the ocean and my family makes me sad but I miss my kids so home it is. :)

:o)  Tina





My First Ever Zipper Pouch!


zipper pouch with square zipper corners tutorialViola!  My first ever successful zipper pouch made using a combination of two tutorials.  I am terrible at following sewing instructions (maybe more than just sewing) so I combined the two and added (or changed) a few steps of my own. I am very happy with it and am planning to make more this week - but you know how that goes...

The tutorial I used to do the nice tidy square corners it is here.  There are a lot of great patterns for sale on this site as well, I might be considering purchasing one or two of them.

:o)  Tina




Wednesday, January 16, 2013

How I Know My Husband Secretly Hates Me (or at least wants to make me so crazy that I will be committed) Part 2

I do at least 10 loads of laundry a week.

I am not even exaggerating.

There are the clothes and the towels (more about those in a minute) from five people as well as the incidentals such as the dish clothes, or the dogs bed that had a strange odour, or the blanket that the old smelly dog found on the floor and left all hairy and stinky, or the couch cushions that Penelope spilled something on.

It is really quite ridiculous.

There is a constant cycle of laundry waiting to be done.  I have not seen the bottom of those bins since the day they came home from the store.

Anywho, a few months ago, I asked CH to please be in charge of putting away the towel, dish cloths, etc.

I wash them, dry them, fold them and put them into a laundry basket for him to take from the family room upstairs to be put away.  Can you guess what happened today?  Can you?

This morning when I got out of the shower, I reached into the cupboard to get a towel for my hair and what did I find? Two freakin' hand towels and a half a dozen face cloths!!  WTH???

I did laundry all weekend.  I know there are plenty of clean ones. That's right - they are folding, in the laundry basket in the family room waiting for CH to put them away.

After 10 years I am pretty sure he knows that a) I shower every morning, and #2 I need a towel.

I seriously think that his motivation is to put me over the edge, but maybe not I did see his apartment and I married him anyway...

Okay, I must admit this works way better than chewing him out for the multitude of things he does that drive me bonkers.

Definitely (I totally cannot spell that and need spell check every time !) cuts down on the bickering and gives me a sense of nanner-nanner-boo-boo for getting it off my chest in a harmless fun way.  The nagging never achieves the goals I am hoping for anyway - admittance and change.

He does neither.

Some day I should write a post about why I love him so all y'all do not think he is a total creep. I will work on that.  ;)

Have a wonderful day, I will be back later with some photos of my new zipper pouch!!

:)  Tina

I Did It!

But it is the middle of the night and I am going to bed.  I will post a picture for you tomorrow night sometime...  I have a busy day tomorrow.  I am going to regret staying up so late!!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Mmm Bacon

I made two full packages of it bacon in the over for the first time ever (never going back to stove top cooking bacon - never, not ever!)... for the delicious potato soup that I made again...

I have not been doing much sewing, been pretty sleepy.  Still holding onto what ever it is that has been plaguing me... CH and the Shorties have been having a great time making fun of my voice.  I am getting a little tired of it and would like to yell at them all again some day soon.  At the moment I have to knock on walls or furniture to get their attention as they are collectively too noisy to hear me at all!

Tonight I am going to try to sew some zipper pouches, which has not gone very well for me in the past but I have found yet another tutorial and I am hoping this one will satisfy my overly fussy nature.  I often wonder - do the people who buy my stuff even notice how much attention I put into the little details.  I hope so.

Anyway, it is 9:41.  If I am going to do it.  I had best get on it.

:o)  Tina

Monday, January 14, 2013

Snap 365, Day 11 through 13

I am having fun with this - and I hope that you are too - it is keeping me on my toes and gives me the opportunity to blog everyday if I am on top of it. Which of course, I am not. :P

I have posted a few of my photos on the fly from my iPhone which is much more complicated to blog from, and besides that I think that it makes for a more interesting post when it is more than one photo. Sooo, without further ado...

I unintentionally went with a theme the last few days.  Penelope!


Happy at the Hockey Game
Day 11 :: I had planned to take a picture of my Smoke Eater watchin' seat but could not bare to crop out my happy girl. She id almost always like this (she gets it from me ). Such a contrast to my intense son. I am so lucky to have one of each in every way!

Best Friends

Sleep Over Bliss
Day 12 :: When I was kid my Mum rarely said yes to a sleep over. I on the other hand rarely say no and often have extra kids here on the weekends. This is my daughter and her Bestie, they are 15 days apart and have never not know each other. I hope they stay friends forever. <3 :)

Brother and sister

At Home Reading?
Day 13 :: Today looks like this... well almost everyday does! With three kids at home and probably more pets than we should have, my house is usually pretty chaotic - loud, messy and somewhat unorganized. Crazy or not, no one could ever say that we aren't all madly in love with each other! My oldest does 'At Home Reading' every night with my youngest - I think mostly they just giggle and have fun but I would not change it for anything!

G'night.  :o)  Tina

Saturday, January 12, 2013

More

Three posts in one day! I guess this is what happens when I have no one else to talk to because I am busy giving CH the silent treatment.

I just looked at him - I hope he did not notice - and he shaved.

Like his house keeping skills, he does not always keep up to date on his personal hygiene - in other words he does not shave everyday and I don't like it.

I think he shaved to soften me up.

I have not decided if I will let it work or not...

:o) Tina

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Cominco Arena

How I Know My Husband Secretly Hates Me (or at least wants to make me so crazy that I will be committed) Part 1

CH and the Shorties are big fruit eaters - me, no so much, having grown up on a meat based diet, the salty and savoury habit is hard to break - anywho, as a result of this, he is in charge of the fruit that comes  and goes (partly because he makes the kids their school lunches) from our home and I pay it little to no attention.  In fact he does the lions share of the grocery shopping but that is beside the point.

So I am doing the dishes, which I do not mind but have not gotten to for a couple of days, (sounds much worse than it was, we had pizza night before last and soup last night so it was mostly bowls and glasses) and there behind the stack of bowls topped by the cutting board was our fruit bowl.  Looking like this:


That's right.  He bought new oranges, left them in their bag and put them on top of the dried out hard as baseball ones that nobody ate.  WTF???!!!  I am pretty sure I have a cut and dried case.  Obviously he hates me or wants to drive me completely insane.  What kind of a person does this???!!  The kind that wants to make his wife murder him? The kind that wants his wife to do horrible things to him while he sleeps?

I am unimpressed - but I feel better for having tattled to all of you on him and perhaps I will not murder him or torture him, I will just throw out the old oranges and, wash the bowl and put the new ones into it with a smile on my face while I try to remember that I married him even after I saw his apartment and therefore this really should not surprise me.

Now that I see it in a photo I think I would like a new bowl. Any suggestions? Pottered maybe Fran?

;o)

PS  Hey PITA, I just learn how to spell surprise like yesterday.  Until then I always relied on spell check!  2013 is starting off great!!!

Nothing

Something has just occurred to me and thought I would - should - share.

I am going to be 40 in 2 months and 3 days.  I have closed my shop and therefore putting and end to the dream - and the huge stress - of owning my own business in this small, cliquey, thrifty (tongue in cheek) town and  have quit one of my other two jobs and find myself working about 15 hours a week and that is it.  I have been racking my brain trying to decide what I want to do with myself.  I have always been a career rather than just a job person and just this second it occurred to me that I do not need to be.

There is no reason whatsoever (other than financial and I do not think that is a good enough reason) that I need to work more than I am or that I need to have a career.  I am happy in my part-part time job and it will grow in to a busier job as time goes by so perhaps I need to settle the heck down and enjoy my time in semi-retirement and the last few months of my 30s!

So, I have decided I will do nothing.  That's right.  I said it.  Nothing

(Well, I will sew, and clean and cook and love and smile and enjoy having next to no stress....)

Have a nice day - see you at the game!!

:o)  Tina

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Snap 365, Day 8, 9 & 10


My Tiny Baby :)
Day 8 :: I was looking through a basket of fabric and came across my son's newborn hospital bracelet - my daughter touches and relocates EVERYTHING which is another story altogether! Anyway, it fell off of him when he was about 10 days old. He was so tiny. Only 3lbs 7oz - at 10 he is 5 feet tall and about 110 pounds. He is so amazing and I am so proud of my little premie and the progress he has made!



All The Pretty Colors
Day 9 :: I am pretty darn excited about my new thread jars! ;)


Love of My Life

Day 10 :: When she was a puppy I wanted to get rid of her. She ran away. She dug holes all over the yard halfway to China. She chewed shoes, toys, furniture, socks, underwear, garbage - you get the idea. She made me crazy. Now she is old and smelly (she has skin problems) and her worst offence is sleeping on the couch and I love her SO much I can hardly stand it. :)

SNAP! :o) Tina 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Stuff I've Made

Sugar Shack Quilting, Castlegar Sun Fest June 2006I seem to post a lot of #owls...ScrubbiesLanterns and dragonfliesA #drawer becomes a #shelf at #sugarshackquilting.31 Days of Pinterest, Day 9
31 Days of Pinterest, Day 12Owl mobile31 Days o Pinterest, Day 13, car carrier for Noah. :)31 Days of #Pinterest, Day 15, my birthday #bag!  :)I used a wool coat to make this #upcycled #bag.31 Days of Pinterest, upcycled owl bag for PITA on day 17.
Basket full of #owls chillin' on the #bench outside of the shop waiting to have their picture taken to list on #Etsy.The start of more #owls for my new #etsy shop. :)Yesterday this #bag was a pair of #pants. #sew #sewing #upcycle #recycle #craft #creative#owl #bag finished tonight!My best #bag yet! #blackvelvet and a #yellow #bird. LOVE it!#cars
The next batch of #owl #stuffies ready for stuffing for the next #trailmarket. #trailbc #kootenays #sewing #upcycle #upcycling #crafting #instagood #10likes #15likes#upcycled #owl #bag finished just in time. #upcycle #recycle #sewing #crafting #instagood #10likes #15likes144 1" squares in this #quilt #block for a #blockswap I joined... Hope she likes it! Three nights of #cutting, one night of #sewing. It will be an amazing finished quilt! #sew #quilting #crafting #10likes #15likes #20likes #instagoodFrom #tshirt to #whale! #upcycle #upcycled #sew #sewing #crafting #creative #instagood #10likes #15likes #20likes#Pink #velvet #blackbird #bag. #sew #sewing #purse #trailmarket #trailbc #kootenays #canadaNext batch of #sweater #owls ready for the #farmersmarket.  #owl #recycle #upcycle #upcycled #trailmarket #trailbc #kootenays #canada #sewing #sew #craft
Stuff I've Made, a set on Flickr.
I uploaded a crap load of photos of things that I have made - mostly since about June. I was shocked at how many owls there were!!

This post is only to see how the Flickr link thingy works - I am trying to add them as a slide show on my side bar....  If you know and it is not there yet please tell me!

:o)  Tina