Sylvia's Simple Shots

My one and only trip to the Legislative Grounds this summer.  

The pools seem to be back up and in operation but there is still quite a bit of construction taking place.

The birds and the flowers carry on no matter the situation.

Love this purple flower not sure what it is.

The crows were creating fine silhouettes.

The high bush cranberries are not yet ready to pick.

The Sea Captain's Wife by Beth Powning is the book I finished this week.

Azuba Galloway grows up on the Bay of Fundy and dreams to leave it shores to travel the world. When she meets and marries Nathaniel Bradstock, a veteran sea captain she is sure her dreams will come true.  But their first child is born, her sea life is put on hold. In the small town, Azuba forms a friendship with the local minister and the company is welcomed.  But the locals suspect shenanigans. As a result, Azuba and the child join the captain on his next journey.

The journey is beset with challenges - confined spaces, taking orders from the Captain, ferocious storms, a female living in a male world and food shortages. 

The marriage survives but just barely! 

This is a cottage jacket I purchased while I was still working.

The cuffs were getting ratty and worn.  

It was time todo something about it before they were beyond repair.

I used some of my newly acquired stitching skills to firm up the edge and add some pretties as well.

Maybe I should have used something other than embroidery cotton but it will help for a while.

The ReUse Center always provides surprises.

I found a wonderful pair of pinking shears made in Japan.

They cut very well.

They need a bit of oiling and I am sure will serve me well for years to come.

I bought a chalk pencil from Michaels and some stencils to help me create uniform patterns for sashiko stitching.

I am still trying to figure out how to add embellishments to my linen coasters.

After check out the internet chalk pencil was one of the choices to transfer patterns but easily removed.  I don't want to wet my coasters.

 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The Heart of an Angel - Henry K. Ripplinger.  This is the seventh and final book in this series.

Henry is again facing a life and death decision.  Jenny lies in a coma but very pregnant with their child.  A little girl who has been named from the very beginning.  With complications in the pregnancy Jenny was advised to terminate it but absolutely refused.  She risked her life to give this baby a chance to live when delivered premature. With Jenny unable to respond, Henry must decide.  The father of Julean (Henry's first wife who died) a pastor was very helpful. 

The baby is delivered premature and survives and fortunately so does Jenny.

Father Engelmann is nearly finished the love story book he is writing about Henry and Jenny. He knows the end is near. 

This has been a very heart warming, encouraging, tearful at times series. A wonderful series that promotes Christian beliefs and at times quite Catholic practices.

The embroidery scissors I bought on sale when Fabricland was closing one of its stores spend time on the sewing machine.  There cutting surface tends to be at the end so not always great.

They have been relocated to the embroidery box along with the other bits and bobs which I have accumulated to support my slow stitching habit.

There was a great coupon at Michaels this week and I was thinking what high priced item could I splurge on with a 50% coupon?

I decided to buy a pair of scissors for the sewing machine.  I did buy the more expensive pair that are all steel because they remind me so much of the pair my Mom had at her sewing machine.

I miss her a lot.   I am grateful that she taught me to sew which I very much enjoy in retirement with more time on my hands.

A red sun due to forest fires in the province and further a field.

There have been some evacuations again this year.

This maybe a contributing factor to having to use allergy drops for my eyes again this year.  In general, only my eyes are affected so it is better to use a targeted solution.

My aunt and I headed to the tea house for lunch this week.

This is a place we try to visit at least once a year and more if possible.

It is run by volunteers and business had been slow so they were very happy to see us.

Of course, the fact that you can choose a real porcelain tea cup means I am all in.

I did not turn it over for a trademark but it was a lovely blue floral pattern.

The crumble was a treat all home made.  With cutting down on sugar, we still have to enjoy the simple pleasures.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

 This tealight candle holder is likely the replacement for my Advent Wreath which is broken parts.

I bought it for $5 at a Thrift Store between Christmas and New Years. I like the lines, the fact that it holds 5 candles, and that there is space below to add decor for occasions throughout the year.  It will stay out all year long.  At a thrift store on Tuesday I found these beautiful tealight holders in green, red and amber glass.  Gorgeous blown glass holders. They are Christmas colors.

I have a year to find other candle holders.  I would like to have crackle glass ones again, crystal would be nice, cut glass as well.  What I want is the shadows on the wall which I had with the other one.  I recognize that my lifestyle is going for downsizing so this will be smaller than the other one. 

I bought this Stampin Up punch recently.  I think I will be making watercolor ornaments for Christmas cards and this was a good price.

It is from the Gleaming Ornaments Punch pack which included 2 punches and a stamp set.

I will be designing my own images to trace onto the watercolor punchies. 

You can see I was working of the lines for the hanger on the right hand one.

I was looking for a small scissor sharpener for my embroidery scissors.  I visited a couple of fabric stores and found this one.

I would say it is not the top quality but it has improved the sharpness of the blades so I can cut embroidery thread reliably.

The price was not as high as the Fiskars one I was looking for but the same basic design.

It has improved my experience so for that I am grateful.

It is dangerous to go into a fabric store.

I did come out with 3 small remnant pieces for about $1 each. Check out those flowers on the lace! I hope I can dye them, we will have to see.

The other two pieces are 100 cotton so they will dye nicely. Gauzy fabric to create texture easily on my big embroidery project.

I did buy heat and bond hemming for quick basting of my embroidery projects.

Another World War II story.  The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff.

I love strong female leads and Eleanor Trigg is no exception. This story runs in 2 time lines - 1944 London and Paris during the war and 1946 New York just after the war.

She works for the Special Operations Executive in London for the British Forces. Their male agents are being captured. There is the language and they don't fit in as well as needed. Eleanor is "just a secretary" but she proposes using women which would be less visible. Once the project is approved, she recruits female agents who will be working in occupied France assisting the resistance forces. Radio operators, couriers, and as it turns out much more dangerous tasks. 

Marie and Josie are 2 of these women.  They are sent to Scotland to train in the highlands. Combat, firing a gun, repairing radios, endurance training, learning cyphers to code messages being transmitted and received. 

Grace finds a suitcase at Grand Central Station one day and inside finds photos of 12 young women.  She is compelled to take the photos and she is not sure why.  She eventually learns the suitcase belonged to Eleanor who was killed that day just outside the station. When she returns to the station to put the photos back the suitcase is gone. 

She does eventually learn the names of the girls most of which perished in France just before the D-Day battle.  She learned who Eleanor Trigg was and her purpose for being in New York that day.

Very good book.