A Bit of Sewing

Awhile ago I made a holder for my circular knitting needles.  I had seen some similar ones for sale on etsy and decided I could make one for a lot less.  Febricland had some cotton material on for $3.00 a metre so I purchased a nice flower print and set to work making the holder.

After a bit of tweeking with a paper pattern I came up with 12 pockets (4 in each row) to hold the needles.

It folds up and is tied with some ribbon.  The circs are easy to find now and can be stored on the shelf in the craft closet with my other needle and hook holders.I"m still working away on the brown and beige afghan. And just yesterday my daughter saw a neat crayon holder on etsy so I just might have to make one of those for my grandson's markers.  I've added that project to my ever growing list of things to do when I retire in June.

Down by the Bay in February

Last week we had some nice weather, in fact one of the days was almost spring like.  We went for a walk down by the bay to check out the ducks.

Did you know there are many terms to describe a group of ducks and it depends on what they are doing and what type of duck they are.   I found out that a group of mallard ducks is called a sord when on the ground but called a flock when in the air.

There was an open channel of water and there were a lot of ducks gathered there. How lovely to hear them all "talking".

It was a lovely sunny morning and I wasn't necessarily in the right position to avoid some glare in the photos.  But I did manage to capture some reflections of a couple of the ducks that were off to the side of the main group.

Just look at those orange legs and the lovely shadows and reflections in the cold water.  You wouldn't catch me putting my toe in the water let alone both feet.  Nature never ceases to amaze me.

I'm joining in with Weekend Reflections and Shadow Shot Sunday.  I'm also linking to Camera Critters with my sord of ducks.

Flowers for Friday

On a day when a storm is supposed to dump more snow on our area it is wonderful to look at the Christmas Cactus and enjoy the lovely buds and blooms that are brightening up the kitchen.

The one bud that I had originally has turned into many, many more.  And what a delight they are.

The tight bud opens up into a gorgeous bloom.

It reveals many petals and it takes on a very interesting shape.

It reminds me of an exotic creature in flight.

I hope you have some Friday flowers to enjoy.  Why not stop over to Tootsie Time and see lots more.

Soaking up Some Sun

It is a lovely sunny day and looking out of the window I can't feel the -14 Celsius temperatures.A dove fluttered in to sit on the deck railing and enjoy the sun.

He or she didn't mind the cold snow and just settled down to enjoy the warmth from the sun.  It just posed as the perfect lens friend. It's a long weekend for us in Ontario to celebrate Family Day. So I was lucky to have this opportunity to capture the dove through my lens as I would usually be at work during this time.

I'm linking to Mosaic Monday.  I hope you have time to do a blog hop over there and see some other wonderful mosaic photos.

A "Soup"er Stew

My Souper Sunday recipe this week is a "soup"er stew I made in the crock pot.

The ingredients were 3 good sized potatoes, 3 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, about half a kilo of lean ground beef, 1 cup of peas, 1 can of condensed tomato soup and 1 can of water.Chop the potatoes, carrots and celery and place in the bottom of the crock pot.  Sprinkle the cup of peas over the top.  I use frozen peas but you could use canned peas.  Cook the ground beef in a frypan, drain, and add over the top.  Mix the can of soup with the can of water and pour evenly over the top.  Cook on medium setting for about 6 hours.   Towards the end of the cooking I stir it a couple of times just to be sure everything is cooked.Once cooled I store this overnight in the fridge and have a ready made meal for when I get home from work on Monday.  Stew always tastes better the next day.

Shadow in the Sun

We were teased on Thursday and Friday into thinking spring had arrived.  The temperature reached just over 10 Celsius on Friday afternoon.  The snowbanks went down rapidly, only to reveal that dirty layer by the roads.  On Saturday the sun came out but the winds had picked up considerably on Friday night and they reached speeds of 100 km. per hour.  What a lot of noise they created overnight.  I fully expected to see some damage in the morning, but only awoke to a few branches down.

But through it all our lens friend, Shadow found some lovely sunny places to stretch out and relax.  This one shows shadows from the window frame and her just soaking up the sun.

Why not do some blog hopping today ... first over to Camera Critters to see some adorable photos of favourite critters and then over to Shadow Shot Sunday where you can see many more amazing shadow photos.

Ripple Hooking

One of my favourite things to make over the winter months is an afghan.  I've been working on a brown and beige ripple afghan for a couple of weeks.  But I just didn't want a plain ripple so I created my own version to have a ripple with a difference.

I'm working this pattern in the back loops of each row to give a ridge effect.  It is so warming to have the afghan drap over my legs as I work on it.

I'm doing 2 rows of brown in single crochet and then 2 rows of beige in single crochet.  The next 3 rows are in brown using double crochet and a space between each stitch, just to give a bit of a loose pattern. Then it gets repeated in beige, brown, and beige again. I just might get around to writing down the pattern.
The weather is like the ripple afghan with the temperatures going up and down.  At the beginning of the week we reached around +5 Celsius and overnight Monday it dropped to -18 Celsius and all that melting that took place the previous day was frozen solid by Tuesday morning.  Today the temperatures start creeping up again with Thursday and Friday maybe reaching the double digits.  There is rain in the forecast for both days so hopefully more of the snow will vanish.  But then come Saturday we dip down below 0 Celius once again.  It sure is nice to have some of those promising days when the sun is out, the temperatures feel wonderful and the snow disappears.  But I'm realistic and know that it is only for a little while and that winter will return rapidly.

2sDay Teacups

It's 2sDay, the day when I like to show 2 of something. It's also Teatime Tuesday so I'm sharing 2 teacups today.  The theme for Teatime Tuesday this week is red or pink for Valentine's Day. Now I don't celebrate Valentine's Day and red and pink are not colours that I particularly like.  You won't find any red clothes in my closet.  Yet I love red cardinals!  But I do have 2 teacups that are red and pink.

The lovely teacup with the red was a gift from a friend.

This lovely teacup was a find at a garage sale. It has very light pink around the scalloped edge of the saucer, and on the handle and base of the cup. I probably bought it for the lovely little bunches of flowers that decorate it. The same little flowers are also on the inside of the cup.

Won't you stop by Tea Time Tuesdays and share in the tea party.
Have a lovely 2sDay.

About to Bloom

I've been waiting ages for my Christmas Cactus to bloom.  I had a few blooms before Thanksgiving and then nothing till now.

Now this might have something to do with the fact that I had to move this plant.  I've read it doesn't like going to a new location and takes awhile to adapt to that spot.
At first I thought there was only one bud, but you know that saying "The more you look, the more you see" ... well, it was true in this case and I discovered many more little buds.I'll certainly be taking some macro shots of the blooms as they open. I'm linking to Mosaic Monday.  I hope you have time to do a blog hop over there and see some other wonderful mosaic photos.

Ruffled Feathers

Today is a lovely sunny day but the wind is quite strong and besides blowing the snow around it is ruffling the feathers on the birds visiting the backyard.

The male and female cardinal were under the back feeder snacking on the black oil sunflower seeds that fall to the ground.

The wind is rearranging his feathers.

These aren't the best photos I've taken of the cardinal but it was too windy for me to step out onto the deck so I took the photos through the window.  The brightness of the sun was not helping me in taking these photos. I'm linking this lens friend to Camera Critters.

Seedy Saturdays

It's always a wonderful thing to walk into a store and see the seed racks out, especially when there are huge piles of snow everywhere. It's heavenly to browse through all the packets, pick them up and look at all the wonderful pictures of what those little seeds will turn into.  Of course you will be tempted to buy a packet or two or maybe more.

Seedy Saturdays are beginning to happen across the country. Have a look and see if you can find one in your area. These days are a chance to purchase seeds, exchange seeds, and get gardening advice.
I'm encouraged to get out my seed storage basket and see what I might need for this year.  It is still way to early to start the seeds for my area, but it is time to start making lists and plans because spring will be here before we know it.

How about you ... are you planning to go out and buy some seeds? or order some seeds? If you attend a Seedy Saturday I'd really be interested in hearing about your experience.

Teapot Town

I have some whimsical little teapot houses that are displayed in the china cabinet amongst the regular sized teapots and teacups.  Last week I showed you briefly what they looked like.

Each of the little teapot houses has 2 characters outside the door. Perhaps they are going in for a teaparty after we have all gone to bed. Here is a closer view of teapot town.
They aren't much more than 5 cm high.

By the way, the lids do lift off.

Won't you join me for a whimsical tea party today?

I'm linking with Tea Time Tuesdays.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day. 

Bluejays

We love watching the birds at the feeders during the winter. They brave all sorts of weather to come to the feeders.  And we brave the elements every few days to be sure the feeders are filled.

The bluejays always announce when they are coming with their loud squawk.  They usually head for the peanuts in the mailbox feeder.

But on this occassion they chose the suet feeder and the flat feeder.

I love the varying shades of blue on their wings and tail feathers. They are the perfect lens friends for linking in with Blue Monday.

A Chili Souper Sunday

Last week I made a large pot of chili. That doesn't really qualify for Souper Sunday but that's okay.  It's made in a big pot like soup and it is comfort food for cold winter days.

Chili is a great meal on a cold day.  I use about half a kilo (1 pound) of extra lean ground beef, a large can of chopped tomatoes, a large can of red kidney beans, and a small can of tomato paste plus a couple of spoonfuls of chili seasoning.  Sometimes I add some sweet onion but today I didn't have any in the fridge.I just love that little gadget on the side of the pot.

It attaches to the side of the pot and you rest your spoon or utensil on it. It saves having a small bowl or a spoon rest container on the counter. And any drips go right back into the pot. I bought this one from one of my favourite stores, Taste of Country, at Christmas time. My friend and I were shopping for cooking gadgets for a co-worker and I saw this one and  just had to have one of these for myself.  It's always nice to treat yourself when you are out shopping isn't it?We had a bit of snow last night, just a couple of centimeters but enough to have to brush off the vehicle before going out today. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great day.

Shadows after the Storm

It is a lovely sunny day today, but a bit crisp and cold. The sun is casting some wonderful shadows on the backyard after the Groundhog Day storm this week.

So it was time to snap a couple of photos from the deck.  The shadows make the trees, shrubs and garden items look so much taller.

The lattice work pattern on the cleared deck is lovely. Be sure to blog hop over to Shadow Shot Sunday where you can see many more amazing shadow photos.

Groundhog Day Storm

When-sday is a day when I revisit some posts and photos from way back when and today is the perfect day to do that.
I would sooner look at photos of tulips than of snow.

We are getting a huge Groundhog day storm that has closed down a lot of businesses and all the schools in our area. Predictions are for 20 to 30 cm. of snow with very strong winds causing blizzard conditions.  So it is the perfect day to look at previous taken photos of tulips and think of spring.
And guess what, that groundhog didn't see his shadow. So will spring come early?

The When-sday memory for today was from spring 2008.

Hopefully I'll be seeing the tulips in a couple of months.
If you are on the receiving end of this huge storm, I hope you are able to stay safe and warm at home.

My Tiny Teapots

It's time for tea. Today I'm sharing my little tiny teapots.

I love the little teaset at the top.  This was a gift from one of my daughters.  Perhaps when my granddaughter is older we will be able to have a little tea party with her dolls.The collection of 3 little cottage teapots were bought on sale for 49 cents each.  And the little whimsical teapot houses were a gift from another daughter.  These ones are about 2 cm. high and have little teddy bears outside each door.  I'll have to get a close up shot of these one day and share them again.
I'm linking with Tea Time Tuesdays.