Friday, June 10, 2011

Fill in the Blank Friday

fill in the blank friday
The Little Things We Do
1. This weekend I have to try to get some yard work done, my flower beds are abysmal and I don't feel like it! I just want them to magically look fabulous like they did 4 years ago when I had no shop and more TIME!

2. My last vacation was ...vacation... hmmm... the last real one that did not include a tent (not that there is anything wrong with that) would have been the summer Penelope was 1 (she is 6).  All four of the kids and I drove to Vancouver Island, where CH was working and we did all the things tourists do on the Island and on the Mainland.  It was really fun.


3. My next vacation will be to Vancouver for the Davidson Family Sports Day. I am SUPER excited to see my extended family and to go on a vacation with CH and the kids. We have been places and done stuff but this will be an actual get away for a week, do the touristy stuff, have fun...


4. My favorite way to relax is with some junk food, a good movie, CH near by and the kids snuggled in their beds.  I especially love this when the weather is bad.  When the weather is good, I love to swim in my favorite swimming spot on earth...

5. When vacationing one should always leave room for spontaneity. Planning is good, but spontaneity is the stuff that memories are made of. That makes me think of my favorite road tripping friend ever - I love you and miss you Surely - we always found an adventure on the side wherever we went.  It once took us 12 hours to get from Hope to Vancouver (which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive in traffic).

6. When vacationing one should never count pennies. You are always going to spend more than you intended - enjoy it while you can!


7. The best part about a vacation is the reaffirmation of the bonds you have with the people you vacationed with.  I once went away for a weekend (it was an amazing fun, fabulous weekend) with my girlfriends and when we came home we all had a little girlfriend withdrawal.  I missed being with them.  We had SO much fun. I think "as an adult" the best part is the mental break from the everyday.

Saw it on Facebook

My cousin Marie had this as her status this morning - didn't want to be a status stealer so I put it here. Enjoy.

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." ~ Marilyn Monroe

:o) Tina

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Fabric Math

I am good at quilt math - I think it is one of those things.  Practice makes perfect and I have a LOT of practice.  The measurements below are not something I have stored in my head but can figure out pretty easily.  I found this compilation in the gigantic stack of paperwork I am constantly trying to get a grip on.


These numbers are based on a yard, not a meter but that means you can get a little bit more in Canada where you are buying 39 and a bit inches rather than 36!


Square Per Yard
1"
=
1584
5"
=
56
9"
=
16
1 1/2"
=
696
5 1/2"
=
48
9 1/2"
=
12
1 7/8"
=
437
5 7/8"
=
42
9 7/8"
=
12
2"
=
396
6"
=
42
10"
=
12
2 1/2"
=
238
6 1/2""
=
30
10 1/2"
=
12
2 7/8"
=
180
6 7/8""
=
30
10 7/8"
=
12
3"
=
168
7"
=
25
11"
=
12
3 1/2"
=
120
7 1/2"
=
20
11 1/2"
=
9
3 7/8"
=
99
7 7/8"
=
20
11 7/8"
=
9
4"
=
99
8"
=
20
12"
=
9
4 1/2"
=
72
8 1/2"
=
20
12 1/2"
=
9
4 7/8"
=
63
8 7/8"
=
16
12 7/8"
=
9

Squares per Fat Quarter (18"x 22")

2"
=
99
3 7/8"
=
20
5 1/2"
=
12
2 1/2"
=
56
4"
=
20
5 7/8"
=
9
2 7/8"
=
42
4 1/2"
=
16
6"
=
9
3"
=
42
4 7/8"
=
12
6 1/2"
=
6
3 1/2"
=
30
5""
=
12
6 7/8"
=
6

Diagonal Block Measurements
The basic calculation to find the size of square you need for setting triangles is to multiply the block size by 1.41

Finished Block SizeDiagonal Measurements Decimal Equivalents
4"5 5/8" 5.625"
6"8 1/2" 8.5"
9"12 3/4" 12.75"


Get a printable version of this information here.

Happy quilting.

:o)  Tina

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

I think I have mentioned this before.  I love doing these things.  When I was a kid (grade 7ish) I wrote reports - for fun.  I love to write, I just need to be given a topic so answering these questions is pefect.  Sometimes I find that I would write and write and write...  Well anyway, here is this week's Ten on Tuesday, enjoy.  :o)

1. What type of phone do you have? Do you like it?
I have an iPhone 4 and I don't like it.  I freakin' LOVE it!  It is, next to my sewing machine and my Barbie motor home my favorite toy ever!  I can talk on it, text with it, BLOG with it, serf the internet, email, take pretty good pictures, there are lots of fun and useful apps...  I really love it.

2. How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
I think I was 25, I might have been 26.  (I am 38 (OMG as if I am 38) now.  Wow that just hit me.  When did I turn 38!!!!! Yikes!) I was on my way to my Grandmother's house from downtown Vancouver in a snow storm.  It took me three hours when in good traffic I could get there in 25 minutes.  When I got there everyone was worried, I called home and Dave (the x-husband) finally agreed that I should have a cell phone.  Back then not every single person over the age of 13 had one.  Most of my friends did not.

3. How many cell phones have you owned since your first?
This is the my first phone.  :o)

My first one was a little Motorola flip phone, and I was so proud of it.  I had it until I moved home from North Van (September 2001) and there was sketchy service where I was moving to so we no longer had cell phones.  I did not have one again until about 2006 and I got a pink one that was free with my plan.  I had two more pink ones and now my beloved iPhone. I  have had 5 - CH has had like 10 starting with a brick. 

4. How much is your average monthly phone bill?
$75 plus taxes and usage fees, etc. So worth it. 

5. When you were a kid/teenager, were you allowed to have a phone in your room?
Umm no!  Remember how old I am?  We did not do that around here then.  Nobody had a phone or a t.v. in their room. Believe it or not I do not feel damaged from it.  My Mum used to set the timer on the microwave to limit the amount of time I could stay on the phone. We did not have call waiting as it was not available then and she claimed that people from work called my Dad for stuff - I do not remember anyone calling.... I really loved talking on the phone - I think it is a right of passage for every teenaged girl.

6. Do you like talking on the phone or do you despise it? Or somewhere in-between?
Depends who I am talking to. My Mum, PITA, Grandpa, or my other friends - yes, mostly.  CH, not so much.  He is usually phoning for something (i.e. he needs me to answer a question, solve a problem, or do something for him) and he does not have much to say beyond that - he a crappy phone talker, which is not a problem now but was a little bit when he worked on the road.

7. Do you text a lot? Is texting/talking while driving illegal where you live? Are you guilty of it anyway?
I do a lot of texting.  I don't do it when I am driving.  It is illegal where I live but that is not why I don't do it.  I just do not have the coordination it would take to do both and 99/100 I have my kids with me and it is SO not worth the risk.

8. What sort of texting keyboard does your phone have? Touch screen, slide out, or something different? Do you care?
I have touch screen and I am pretty sure I could not go back to keys. The texting was a big part of why I wanted the phone in the first place.  Did I mention I love it!

9. Look at the last call in your call log – who is it? What were they calling about? Who calls you the most?
It was CH.  No surprise there we have free calling to each other so make good use of it.  I do not remember why he was calling, I think maybe to find out if I like purple freezies cause they were out of white ones.

10. What is the longest phone call you can recall having?
I think it was just under 8 hours.  Multiple phones were required.  I was walking to my high school and 20-something best friend about 2 years ago...It was crazy, I cannot imagine what her bill was like since I live in Canada and she lives in London England!  Haven't talked to Surely since as a matter of fact....

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Five Question Friday

I hope all this question asking and blank filling in does not bore you. I think it is fun but, well, honestly, I guess I enjoy writing about the things I know the best - me, my life, and those in it.

1. If you had to choose, how would you prefer to choose to spend money...on landscaping or a pool?
I typed landscaping first but really, I think pool.  I really love to swim and this is hypothetical. :o)

2. (Scott likes to get things stirred up...) Death penalty, yay or nay?
Oh my Gosh. NAY!!!!  Killing is killing no matter who it is.  I do not care about "the taxpayer's money".  What kind of a world allows the death penalty.  I do not want my children to grow up thinking that two wrongs make a right.  NAY!

3. What's the worst thing your kid has gotten into when you turned your back / blogged / showered / blinked?
Penelope has never - for real - done anything worse than taking every Kleenex out of the box and putting in the toilet (for which at 2 1/2 she blamed her brother). The Little Man on the other hand.  Can you say, sleep with on eye open?  He was a busy, busy boy.  The worst.... probably, taking a carving knife outside to get me some flowers while I was breastfeeding Penelope who was all of three weeks old.  I saw him, put her down, and calmly grabbed the knife from him (and received 5 stitches).  I was so, so scared that he would see me coming and run with the knife.  He did some many crazy, rotten things between 2 and about 5 that I often wonder how he has made it to the ripe old age of 9 - bless his heart. :o)

4. How often do you REALLY go to the dentist?
I try to go at least twice a year but usually only go once.  We do not have dental so all of our budget for that goes to the kids - they go twice a year for sure and more if they need to.

5. What is your favorite animal (doesn't have to be a pet-type animal)?
I have always loved horses and vowed that I would have one some day.  They make my heart ache I love them so much.  I love all animals.  Dogs and cats are high up there. I would love to snuggle into a lion's mane or ride on the back of a zebra...

Saturday, June 4, 2011

One Meter Apron



I found this pattern in the basement of my shop.  I am having some regrets about writing my notes all over the original but what is done is done.

So anyway, I made the apron.  Took exactly 0, that is zero, pictures to display here.  What is the matter with me!?  I am going to make another one so that I can take pictures of the process and have them here for you when you come back to this post to get the pattern!

Click here for your very own printable copy.

:o) Tina

Update, March 3, 2012 - Still haven't made another one and I have lost all motivation to do so! Nag sold this one and now our lady has a vintage apron one her.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Fill in the Blank Friday


fill in the blank friday


1. I love my family because they have never let me down when it comes to the things that really matter.  I think I have talked about this before and I do not mean to sound bitter - I'm not -  but my experience is that, it is very true - blood is thicker than water.

2. A time that mama knew best was when my heart was broken over my first boyfriend and she told me it would not be the last time that I had a broken heart but that it would mend.  Sad but true, there were more heart breaks after that one.

3. My first kiss went a little like this ...I don't remember.  Totally NOT memorable.  I know it is something you should never forget but I was really boy crazy and I used to chase all of my cousin's friends and try to kiss them...  I really do not remember the first real kiss

4. My celebrity crush is Hello! Gerrard Butler! It began with "PS I love you" and was cemented with "300". Please note that CH is aware of this crush and I think is somewhat amused by it... I hope.

5. My splurge of choice is food. I love eating. Food and I have a strong love hate relationship... last night I felt stressed and sad and I ate a whole big Dairy Milk bar - that is like 12 WW points... I felt guilty this morning but it was oh so worth it last night. Jeesh sounds like I am having affair!


6. My biggest accomplishment is my ability to smile and laugh and see the bright side 98% of the time. I am not sure that I was born with it but I do "practice" it now. I have other big accomplishments that I feel are worth mentioning - the marriage I fight for, the children I adore, the store I work so hard at... even though that last one has got me down a little this week.

7. My dance jam of choice is ... another tough one.  I LOVE to dance and just about anything will do.

So there it is. My blanks filled in for another week.  Now that you have gotten to know me a little better I hope you are still reading  - and that perhaps you are even looking forward to reading the future posts.  I look forward to writing them.  My goal, is to get brave enough to post the link of FaceBook, so far, I feel like most of what I have written is a little too personal to make that step.  I actually know some of the people I have as my friends on there...  What do you think?

:o) Tina