Another year gone

Wow - can it really be over a year since I wrote anything on here????  Since then my youngest son Glen married Tessa, my middle son Eric got engaged to Kylie, and my oldest son Scott and his fiancee Amber have been planning their wedding which will be in my neighbour's fabulous garden in July 2013.  Phew - how's that for getting busy!  All 3 of the girls are wonderful and I'm so lucky to have such daughter-in-laws!

Instead of gardening and quilting this summer I spent a lot of hours repainting the inside of the house, but I did want it freshened up for next year's festivities.....I'll be hosting some out of town guests and the rehearsal dinner.  (I did begrudge the time it took from the other 2 activities though.)

My 10 month temporary contract with BC Govt Employment and Labour Market Services (formerly known as Manpower) ended in March, but I was hired (2 weeks before the end of that contract) as a full time permanent employee with BC Govt Income Assistance (formerly known as Welfare), moved 2 desks over and proceeded to drive myself batty trying to absorb the seemingly infinite procedures and computer programs to do my job. More than a little stressful to say the least.  But it does pay the bills and I was grateful to have the job this spring and summer when Ken was unable to work much as his thyroid was all out of whack and he had surgery in September and was off work for a few weeks.  Thankfully the surgery was a great success and he has been re-energized......but I don't think I'll retire just yet (good back up plans are hard to come by).

I've been quilting a fair amount especially since the rains began (I do love a good rain storm) and was part of another international round robin - crazy quilting this time.....something none of us had too much experience with, but wow talk about some fabulous blocks.  I haven't got them done in a setting yet, but have a good idea of what I want.....added it to the "some day list".

My little quilt group "Sassies" (Sunday Afternoon Sewing Sessions) has undergone quite the personality change as people have left and others have joined.  A little more laid back and easy going and a much fun as ever.  Last Sunday I took the opportunity to use the girls as guinea pigs and tried out a new recipe I found in the newspaper for apple dumplings on them.......well, if I made them just for myself it just wouldn't have been as much fun!  And yes, I'm allowed to make the dumplings again for them if I want to.

Toby is still just as much fun as ever....and now that he's five he's not quite as high energy, but he's not slowing down much either.  In fact a few days ago he proved he can still corner running along the living room wall!!!  Gravity defied!  (Watch out for that new paint job silly dog!)

At work I've been put on the "Social Committe" and a few of us are now planning the December festivities.  Cubicle and desk decorating during the first week of December, a fund raising raffle (each of the 3 departments in the building will do up a gift basket) proceeds to go to the local children's charity for toys, crafting in the boardroom at lunchtime and the Christmas party during the second week, third week we're having a potluck lunch and secret santa gift exchange.  We do know how to organize! Fourth week we'll have a skeleton staff of which I'll be one......  (I'll be working at the office in the north end for several days to cover staff shortages there too - absolutely nothing static about this particular job.)

Well, there's the condensed version of the past year for you......

Lynda

And I can cook too!

The past 2 weeks at work I've been the Public Employees Charity Fund canvasser and fundraiser coordinator for my office.  Nothing like government service for long-winded titles!

On Wednesday, October 5th we had a "Soup Kitchen" and 3 of us brought in our homemade soups to have with buns at a whopping huge donation of $2.00 a bowl!  I made my "famous" beef barley soup and it was a hit!  One of the other soups was a creamy mushroom that was so rich and made by one of the men in the office - a definite gourmand. The 3rd soup was a traditional Eastonian soup called "frikkadilli" which was also creamy and full of veggies, barley, little pork meatballs and ?  There have been several requests for this event to be a weekly occurrence......

On this past Wednesday it was "Appetizer Party".  8 of us brought in appetizers ranging from Jalapeno Popper Dip (so yummy!) to Malaysia Beef (I've asked for the recipes for both of these), and my entry was Pear, Pecan, Blue Cheese Bruchetta.  Everyone that paid (again $2.00) for a plate of all the choices got a ballot and voted for their favourite.....you guessed it!  I won!  (A Cooking Light magazine recipe comes through again.)

At the start of the charity campaign, which was October 3rd, I sent a quilt "Techniques BOM" (that the little quilting group "Sassies" which I belong to, had made up last year for our local quilt guild) into the silent auction which could be bid on by every provincial government employee in BC!  The auction ends on Monday and I'm wondering what the final bid will be.

Here's Spotty Polka Dotty!!!!  A baby quilt I just finished for little miss Evelyn....now an entire month old and cute as a button!  I bought the 2 polka dot fabrics on a fabric shopping trip a couple of months ago and just couldn't wait to use them.....guess I'm just getting "dotty"!  The pieced block is a traditional block called Aunt Dinah...guess she's dotty too!  Okay, so I'm glad to finally have a finish to show!

Spotty Polka Dotty!!!!

Yes, I'm still around

Hello there my long lost buddies.  I am still around, but between work (which I am still enjoying a lot), doing extra household and yard chores (because of my husband's extended absence due to new jobs up north - he should be home by the time the snow flies.....I hope) and plain out and out laziness?.....maybe it's because there's too much fun to be had while the sun shines, I just haven't gotten around to updating my blog for a while.  This week I will also be finally adding another completion - a very cute baby girl quilt.  Photo coming soon.

Roses and Slugs

Roses and Slugs - they go together like typhoid and Mary, like chicken and pox, like.....you get the idea.  However, in this case I'll make an exception.  The slug is for a crazy quilt, and I couldn't resist a couple of pictures of my roses in the perfect state of open (my opinion) - the sun was just an added bonus.  Not bad for someone that normally takes the really awful, blurry, dark and rather yes, boring photos.

FINALLY a finish!!!!

Here's my first finish in 2 months!!!!  A tea cozy that is crazy quilted and embellished to the nines.

What kind of rainbow are you?

Your Rainbow

Your rainbow is strongly shaded green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are an intelligent person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I thought this was kind of fun and interesting and of course it is sooooooo accurate about me, no really, it is, really!

Scott and Amber moments after getting engaged!

I've a new full time job working for the provincial government that I started on June 1st.  So far I'm really liking it and the people I work with.  Everyone's been helpful and fun and very encouraging.  So nice to be able to say that.  The office is new (only 2 or 3 years old) so a huge change from the other places I've worked.  Just think air conditioning!!! My commute is about half an hour each way, but the drive is pleasant and the highway is in good shape....and I do get to see some beautiful scenery along the way.  And since I'm working in downtown Nanaimo I get to make some interesting discoveries on my lunch time walks....like a bead and embroidery shop just across the bridge, and the little wool shop around the corner.  Also the ocean is visible from the office windows as we're only about 3 blocks from the water.

I'm using the new job and the gardening work as my excuse for not having any finishes this month.  I am however still working on my crazy quilt tea cozy, and on my crazy quilt block for the round robin I'm in.....here's a hint ladies - my theme is "Sea to Shore".

Also!!!!!!!  My eldest son Scott brought his girlfriend Amber to the Island for a visit and we all went out to Long Beach on the west coast where he asked her to marry her - and she said YES!!!!!  We're so happy that Amber is going to be family.

While Amber and Scott were visiting, my other 2 boys Eric and Glen showed up to go fishing and for the first time in 2 years all of us were together.  I tried getting a picture of them together, and spent about 20 minutes with us all laughing hysterically while Eric, then Glen, then Scott kept cracking us up with their antics.....oh my sides hurt from all that laughter!  Eric's the one in the overalls, cap and "play off beard", Scott's the one in the middle and Glen's on the right.