Baby Boy - Hayes

I chose books for this baby boy as well but these are for younger one as he only as one sibling.

The art in this book is wonderful.  I am a sucker for watercolor.

Jake is up when he should be asleep.

 

The colors book is very basic and his brother can read it for a bit before Hayes is ready for it.

The art is interesting and each color has several everyday objects that fit into the category.

I'm not sure if these children will learn to love books the way I did as a young person.

They may only have a digital device will only provide resources available on the internet.  Not everything is on the internet.  And there may be some good things missed.

New Baby - Cole

We have a couple of new babies in the family.

I generally give books as baby gifts.

I chose books for older children as there are several children in this family so Cole will not read them now he can share with the others until his time.

The atlas is full of colorful photos of countries in the world with maps and photos of significant things from that country.





As you can see I went with reference type books instead of story books.

The dictionary is full of wonderful things all ordered by the alphabet.



Mom & I found this one at the thrift store today.

I will see him on the weekend as we celebrate Easter.

Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study

Today is the final day of our Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study by Sherri Harris.  I have been following the bible study from a scrapbooking study I did in 2010. 

It's been a little rocky as we have had to cancel a couple of times due to weather and my illness.

We studied 2 per session, met from 9:30 - 11:00 am and generally some of us had lunch together afterward.

We have been 7 ladies sharing about these qualities that God grows in us when we cooperate with Him.  These ladies have been well engaged and participatory in the sessions.  We have shared of our challenges and joys.  We have gotten to know ourselves and each other a bit better. 

It has been a great privilege to facilitate this study.




I found a printable to give to the ladies today as a reminder of our time together.   It was designed by Sara D. and you can find it here.

 


Feb 14 - Cancelled for Snow
Session 1 - Living a Fruitful Life & Love - Feb 21
Feb 28 - Cancelled due to my being sick
Session 2 - Joy and Peace - Mar 07
Session 3 - Patience and Kindness - Mar 14
Session 4 - Goodness and Faithfulness - Mar 21
Session 5 - Gentleness and Self Control - Mar 28

Recent Photos

The pussy willows are out, it is later than March 22 which are 2 signs that it is spring but the temperature and snow are not cooperating.

There is plenty of snow left from last week and getting above 0C is still a challenge. 

When I was a kid - we wore our spring jackets, the water was running in the ditches, and the pussy willows were out. 

I guess patience is a virtue and it will come but not in my timing.

After my challenge of trying to grow tomatoes on my east facing balcony last year I have learned something about plants and light. 

My sister had given me a devil's ivy a while back and I had put it in the hallway thinking that it would be watered regularly because I was going regularly.   It had been suffering some and with my being sick for the last 6 weeks it suffered some more.  I decided that it needed to be closer to the window. 

What was I going to use for a place for it to live.  I had bought this maple shelving unit last summer.  It needed a good cleaning but it will serve that purpose very well.  There are 4 shelves so I decided to fill each one. 

After researching low light house plants I headed to the garden center. There was a section labeled low light house plants. Excellent. I replaced the Devil's Ivy with this healthy one.  I bought a Silver Nerve Plant, an African Violet, and Dwarf Mother's in Law Tongue.  

I had bought this small watering can at least a year ago because the large Tupperware pitcher I have used for years was too heavy when full of water.  The price of growing old. Sucks. I have decided to fill the big one and use that to feed the white one.  Now that I have 4 plants to feed I will more water per week.

I don't do nurture well.  Yes, you have to pay attention to them every week.  I did okay with the outside one last year.  Maybe I have learned  a bit.

Of course they need nice pots to live in.  I just put the new ivy in the one that housed the old one on the top shelf. 

The blue one on the second shelf I was given by a friend a couple of years ago.  The dwarf went into that one. 

I bought a cobalt blue one which needed a saucer.  As it was this plate had been set aside as it had been chipped recently.  Excellent for the violet. 

The last shelf is the silver plant but the pot was too tall.  I added a plastic container below the plant pot inside.  Don't know if the plant will grow into the pot. We'll see.

My mother and sister are much better at this than I am but I will give it my best effort. The fact that I will see them from the couch will help I think.

Sharing with
Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #78
Mersad at Through my Lens

Large Butterfly Card

Since there was one last piece of this designer paper I chose to make up this card.  I had rejected the card for this kit because the card color was too dark for black ribbon. 

In this case, I chose light ribbon, a light sequin and tiny white brad. 

As an alternative, I chose not to cut the lovely designer paper to a square and trimmed it to leave a large border.  It measures 5 inches wide by 3.75 inches tall. 

Again, the large butterfly is Stampin Up Beautiful Butterflies die cut from vellum. The small one cut with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thinlits from same as the card.

Ready 2 Go Stack Kit - No Greetings

I created this card to add to a couple of other kits to make a stack kit.

I chose a WeRMemoryKeepers - Funfetti - Confetti. I loved the variety of colors in this paper which allows making different cards with the same sketch.  I cut it to 4 inch squares. I chose a golden yellow card. The square was adhered aligned to the left side.

I wrapped a length of black grosgrain ribbon across the card front and taped the ends to the inside of the card.

The vellum butterfly was cut with the Stampin Up Beautiful Butterflies die where you fold the paper and cuts the large butterfly.  The colored butterfly was cut with the Sizzix Winged Beauties thin lits. I layered these and held them in place with a tiny black brad with a tiny black sequin for the head.  The kit includes green, blue, orange and magenta cards.

You can find the details here.















The details for the flower card are here.

Ready 2 Go Stack Kit - Tropical Note Cards

I used decorative paper I made here.

I chose a turquoise card base.

I cut a yellow die cut with the Tim Holtz Cabinet Die then embossed it with the Cuttlebug Victorian embossing folder.  It is adhered to the card front aligning the bottom, left and right hand sides.

I aligned the yellow circle to the curve of the color coordinated smaller die cut which was cut with the Tim Holtz Cabinet Die Mover Shaper. Then I added the card color blue five petal flower punchie made with the Stampin Up Five Petal punch and then the silk flower.  Use a push pin to make a hole through those layers then place the yellow mini brad through it and press apart the prongs on the back of the smaller diecut. Wrap the yellow fiber around the accent below the circle, knot and trim the ends. Cut the 3D foam tape square into 5 pieces.  Place a piece in each of the four corners and one on the curve of back of the element you just created.

I have included orange and purple ones as well.

Blah Paper - Purple

I am working on card kits for my April 9 Stack Kit  class. 

I have several sheets in colors which I created a while back.  I had turquoise and orange but not another that would work with my tropical theme.

So, I created another 12x12 sheet from yellow embossed card stock I purchased a while back. 

I chose FW Artists Acrylic Ink in Purple Lake. 

The ink was diluted with water and applied with a foam brush from left to right.  I dabbed the ink off the yellow embossed areas to provide good contrast.

Recent Photos

We got some more snow overnight!  I captured these soft snow mounds in the river valley on my walk this afternoon.

It was only -2C so the water was running in places and hopefully soon it will be history!!!

The birds were busy at the bird feeder.

I had put sunflower seeds to have them land on the railing of the steps.

Another walker had put out peanuts and was desperately trying to keep the magpies eating his contribution for the smaller birds.

I love how I got the shine of his eye in this photo.  He is keeping an his eye on me while checking out where the food is.

The House Sparrow has such wonderful coloring on his back.

The fellow had made the peanut chunks smaller but it seems a bit of a mouth full for this guy.

Of course, the squirrels are competing with the birds for dibs but I am not including of photo of them this week.











This is a small evergreen tree on the golf course in the river valley.  He is perfectly suited in a suit of white.

I captured a bit of color as well with these dried rose hips. 

The dried grasses are in the yellows and straw colors right now as well.



The snow fell slowly and gently over night and most of the morning so driving was a bit hazardous so I chose my feet in nature towards the end of the day.  This is my snow capped mosaic.

Sharing with 

Maggie hosting Mosaic Monday #77 at Normandy Life.

Thru My Lens N.137 hosted by Mersad Donko Photography.

Welcome to my Kitchen

We had a wonderful time of fellowship.  Our hostess set a wonderful table with white and gold dishes.  She served home made bread toast with a variety of jams along with yogurt and fruit. Of course, tea and coffee in abundance.  We had 16 ladies in attendance.  Books were exchanged, a collection made of dish cloths and tea towels for the church kitchen, a great devotion and prayer for the concerns in the room.

I am so grateful to have this group of wonderful ladies to share time with each month.

Ready 2 Go Stack Kit - Thank You Cards

I am working on card kits for my class on April 09th.  I decided to make a kit of only thank you cards. 

This card starts with a black textured card base.

I adhered a printed and embossed thank you layer which was trimmed to leave a small border.

I used a push pin to create 3 evenly placed holes along the top edge of the card.  I ensured the holes went through only the card front. Then, I cut three lengths of red grosgrain ribbon. I fold each in half and used the push pin to create holes in the ribbon for the brad. I place the small black sequin onto the brad, then pushed it through the hole in the ribbon then through the hole in the card front.  Turned the card over and press the prongs apart on the inside of the card. I trimmed the ends of the ribbon with scissors. I repeat for the other 2 ribbons.

 

This card starts with a red card base.  

I adhered a printed thank you layer to the card front which was trimmed to leave a small border all the way around.

I added a couple of silk flowers which coordinate with the card color in the top left hand corner held in place with a coordinating mini brad.  I used a push pin to create the hole for the brad.

This kit has red and magenta card bases.

This card starts with a green card base.

I cut 2 scallop borders from gold sticker paper with the DieNamics Scallop border thinlit.  These were adhered aligned along the top and bottom borders.

I placed holes on the right and left side of the gold embossed greeting with the Stampin Up Slot punch.  I pushed the ivory gold organza ribbon through the right hand slot, across the back of the greeting and up through the left hand side.  I then adhered the greeting to the card front to keep it aligned.  I pulled the ribbon around the card edge across the inside of the card and back around the right hand edge of the card to meet the other end on the ribbon. I tied a knot and trimmed the ribbon ends.   The kit contains pink cards as well.

Nature - In and Out

I stopped at the Conservatory for a few minutes on my way home yesterday.  The feature pavilion's theme was CandyCopia which was not really my cup of tea but I did manage a couple lovely images.

I think this one is a rose of some sort and of course tulips were great.  I will have to go back during the week when it is less busy.  There were several large groups in for tours.









I headed home for some lunch and a bit of a nap.  This viral infection is just dragging. 

Later in the day I decided to get out and visit the wetlands.  I know it's early in the season to expect to see wildlife though birds must live there year round. 

Cattails in the late day sun were very pretty.

The walkways were pretty icy and snow covered.   I met a few families enjoying the last of the sun.  The area is frequented by many dog walkers but I did not see any on this trip.

 

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #76 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

St. Patrick's Day Birthday

I made this card for a friend whose aunt celebrates her birthday on St. Patrick's Day. 

I chose a warm green card base.  I added a few stripes of vellum which were adhere to the inside of the card  then flipped forward to cover the front. I added some double sided tape down the card which will be covered by the greeting.

The greeting was printed on bright warm green card stock and then I ripped the bottom and top edges.  It was adhered aligned to the bottom of the card front.

I punched 3 hearts from plaid green glitter paper with the Stampin Up Sweetheart punch.  I cut a stem by hand with scissors.  I added 3 small hearts over the glitter ones adhered with 3D foam tape.  The shamrock was assembled and glued in place with double sided tape. 

The white narrow ribbon was added just above the greeting. I used a 1/8" circle punch to create a small hole in the fold on the left hand side.  I ran a length of the ribbon twice through and tied a knot on the right hand side of the card.  

I added an Irish Blessing on the inside.

Exchange Cards - Teapots

I'm late getting my exchange cards for February out.  I've used some teapot photos I took recently.

Love this Japanese Teapot.  I added some bamboo chop sticks and a coordinating tea cup.  It was placed on a piece of batik fabric in coordinating colors.

I cut the photo to 4x4 inches.  I used  Martha Stewart corner rounder punch on the top left and bottom right corners.  I glued the photo to a deep blue card aligned top and sides. 

I added an oval greeting in blue on white.  This was adhered to the card front with 3D foam tape.










This small green teapot is wonderful as it's surface is matte and creates less reflections. Paired with a tiny white porcelain tea cup set and some spring tulips in deep yellow. 

I chose a deep yellow card.  I corner rounded the corners same as the first one. I added a Stampin Up Decorative Label punchie in black then a Modern Label punchie greeting in deep yellow as well.  It is mounted with 3D foam tape.

These are on their way to my exchange partners late but done!

Kitty Cards - Exchange

I have been working on creating some art for one of my photo calendars for 2019.  I had decided on a cat face. I have spent days on this project.  I have drawn many faces but I have not achieved the results I wanted - CUTE!.  I have incorporated a couple of the paper pieced art in my card exchange for March so that the effort spent produced some results.  I want to thank my sisters who have provided endless feedback on this art project.                           What do you think of the face? 

These are large cards A7 (5x7) cards because the original art work was based on a 6x6 background.

The kitty is paper pieced where the face is printed on designer paper then cut out by hand.  The ears are printed on the same paper and cut out then a triangle of black is added for depth.

I tried a couple of collar options.  On the left, is the bling collar with a jingle bell.  These again repeat the black from the face and ears.  I adhere the bling with Zots.  The jingle bell is a Martha Stewart punch.  I attached it with a piece of thread.   On the right, I created a bow tie with 2 triangles of black with a .75 inch circle in the middle.  I added a blue button in the middle with Zots.

The greeting was printed on the same designer paper as the cat face then I ripped the top and bottom edge.

These are off to my card exchange partners today.

First Trip Outside in a While

As you may learned from my previous post I have been under the weather for a while.  The weather has been been good and not so much. We got some more snow on Friday and Saturday and the roads have been ugly!
I was out for food and essential supplies of cough drops, ginger, and flour on Thursday night despite not feeling like it at all.

I decided to go out into the world today for a few minutes, of course with the camera. It was relatively nice at -7C but twenty minutes was all I could stand. 

Nature created these cotton ball like snowballs in the trees.

I caught the late afternoon sun on these dry leaves.

They were a bright spot on a pretty white landscape.

I love the golden tones and the texture of the veins creating light and dark spaces.
 
This sunflower still retains it's yellow coloring from it's fall glory.

I hope the birds have harvested it's seeds.

I managed to photograph 4 birds near the bird feeder.  A sparrow, a chickadee, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Junco.  I am grateful for those who have kept the feeder filled throughout the winter.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #75.

Viral Time Out

I have received a viral time out.  I have been sick in bed and couch for 10 days.  A visit to the doctor confirmed that I did not have a sinus infection or lung infection and as this is likely a viral infection no medication will be prescribed.

The doctor confirmed that I will likely be miserable but should I be worse in a week come back.  I can tell you I was not impressed.

I spent nights not able to sleep in my bed because when I laid down I coughed like crazy.  I tried all kinds of solutions.

I drank a lot of water and ginger lemon hot tea helped with the very  sore throat.   I was fortunate to have Olympics to watch, and a couple of books to read.

I have turned the corner and know that I will be well soon.

This book takes place in Greece and fills some of the stories I have read about in other books.

In a Greek taverna, high over the small village of Aghia Anna, four people meet for the first time: Fiona, an Irish nurse, Thomas, a Californian academic; Elsa, a German television presenter; and David a shy English boy. Along with Andreas, the old man who runs the taverna, they become close to each other after witnessing a tragedy when a pleasure steamer catches fire in the harbour.

NIGHTS OF RAIN AND STARS is the story of one summer when Fiona, Thomas, Elsa and David all have to face the particular life crisis which first made them leave their homes and end up in Greece. With the help of Vonni, a middle-aged Irishwoman who lives in the village and is now a near native, they each find a solution - although not necessarily the one they anticipated...

Ella Brady wants to film a documentary about Quentins that will capture the spirit of Dublin from the 1970s to the present day. After all, the restaurant saw the people of a city become more confident in everything from their lifestyles to the food that they chose to eat. And Quentins has a thousand stories to tell. But as Ella uncovers more of what has gone on at Quentins, she begins to wonder whether some secrets should be kept that way...

Every table at Quentins Restaurant has a thousand stories to tell: tales of love, betrayal and revenge. Ella Brady wants to make a documentary about the renowned Dublin restaurant that has captured the spirit of a generation and a city in the years it has been open.

In Maeve Binchy’s magical Quentins you will meet new friends and old: the twins from Scarlet Feather, the Signora from Evening Class, Ria from Tara Road – and a host of fresh faces. There is Monica, the ever-cheerful Australian waitress, and Blouse Brennan, whose simplicity disguises a sharp mind and a heart of gold. Presiding over Quentins are Patrick and Brenda Brennan, who have made the restaurant such a legend. But even they have a story and a sadness which is hidden from the public gaze. As Ella uncovers more of what has gone on, she wonders about the wisdom of bringing it to the screen. Should the restaurant keep its secrets?

I found the Olympics in 2018 in PyeongChang to be really wonderful.  I watched curling, snowboarding, skiing, ice dance and bob sledding.  There was not a lot of politics, issues, and problems in this set of Olympics.

I loved the technology in the ceremonies.  It was amazing.