EAVESTROUGHS AND APPLE PIE

I baked this apple pie for my DH. He has been so busy cleaning the eavestroughs so I thought I would surprise him with home made apple pie for lunch. Kit was supervising while he was cleaning.

DH up in his bucket truck cleaning the eavestroughs

DH waving from above. He looks hungry doesn't he?
He looks like he would like some apple pie!

Home made apple pie

Kit was supervising while DH was working

A GREAT QUILT SHOW

If you want to attend a great Quilt Show, this one is it. It is a three day show in St. Marys, Ontario. There is a Tea room with fabulous home made pies, muffins, and sandwiches, a Merchant's Mall, a Boutique with lots of hand made items for sale and much more. There are some great quilts on display too. So if you are in the area, come and check it out. You won't be disappointed. It has a reputation of being one of the best Quilt Shows around!

Blessings

~Janet

A QUILT FOR "KIT"

I made this Quilt for "Kit" my little Jack Russell. She has lived with us for just over a month now, so I figured she needed her own little quilt. She loves to be covered up when she sleeps and I put flannel on the back so it will be nice and cozy for her. I am pleased with the way it turned out. I made it in the colors she has on her head.

On another note, I can't believe the gorgeous weather we have been having. The temperatures have been in the mid 70's, very unusual for this area. DH and I have been wearing T-shirts and shorts. We even had our lunch outside on the porch. I have spent all day today out weeding my flower beds, transplanting perennials and doing some edging and general clean up. Kit has been outside all day helping :) 

I have had a good week with two different road trips with some friends. Lots of friends, food, laughs and visiting some really nice quilt shops.

Kit's Quilt

Kit's Quilt

I snapped this picture yesterday while she was taking a nap on the couch.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is here, you see.

We'll pick some shamrocks, one, two, three.

We'll count the leaves and look them over,

And maybe find a four-leafed clover.

I'll sew green buttons on my vest,

Green for St. Patrick is the best.

I'll wear a green hat, very high,

And dance a jig--at least I'll try!

OUR FAMILY IS ABOUT TO GET A LITTLE BIGGER

Our family will be a little larger next month. DH has ordered 24 day old chicks, 12 Rhode Island Reds and 12 Barred Rock hens. I have really missed having chickens and the fresh eggs they gave us. We will have some for ourselves and hopefully will be able to sell a few to neighbors. I don't know of anyone who doesn't like free run fresh eggs. We are trying to grow/raise most of food right here on our farm. I will be posting pictures when they arrive. The weather has been great here lately. I went out to our Quilters' Guild meeting today and didn't even need a coat. I don't ever remember not needing a coat in March up here in Canada. It was kind of nice actually.

Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks

CRITTER ADOPTION

AN EARLY MORNING WALK

As some of you know, I am a very early riser (4 am to be exact). We heat our home with wood and I have the 4 am feeding of the woodstove. I am out in the barn feeding the horses way before sunrise each morning. It is my favorite time of day. I also walk our dogs to our bush each morning just as the sun is starting to rise. I took a few pictures this morning as it was so pretty after the snowfall we had last night.

This is the spot in our bush where my cabin is going to be built. DH is building me a cabin in the spring. I will be helping build it too......Can't wait! I have ALWAYS wanted a little cabin in our bush.

This is a picture of the wood that DH has cut this winter. 
This will be our firewood for next winter.
Louis our Australian Shepherd got into the picture also.

Another picture of the the wood pile. 
DH has been busy this winter :)

Kit, our Jack Russell terrier playing in the snow.

I love this picture. You can see the dogs in the snow.
The clouds were starting to move out and the sun was starting to peak through.

This is Kit and Sydney playing. These two just love to play tag. 

Full speed ahead!

TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN

I found this today on Pinterest and it made me cry. How true it is that an animal is a life long commitment.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today was my DH's birthday so we took a trip to Amish Country and had dinner at the Crossroads restaurant in Elmira, Ontario. They have a fabulous buffet there with so many choices. Two salad tables, three hot food tables with chicken, roast beef, turkey with stuffing and cranberries, meatloaf, ham, and pasta. They had fresh biscuits and rolls and many vegetable choices. They had turnip, sweet potato, corn, carrots, potatoes, mixed vegetables and more. There were two desert tables also with lots of home made pies and puddings, and squares. I think DH had some of everything. He was pretty full when we left, but he did enjoy it. The best part was...........when it is your birthday, your meal is FREE!!! All you have to do is show your ID with your DOB.

I ordered a special cake for the occasion and picked it up this morning. We sampled it for lunch. It was so delicious. I ordered it from Unger's Market, in Hyde Park. They do a wonderful job of making cakes. I have one made for him each year. 

A NEW MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY

We have a new member of our family. Her name is "Kit". She is a 3 year old Irish Jack Russell terrier.  "Kit" actually did come all the way from Ireland last year. She loves going for walks back to the bush with her two Australian Shepherd brothers "Sydney" and "Louis". She has even been helping me in the stables. She has met "Sylvester" our barn cat, and she even likes him too. Yesterday she was tired out from all of the exercise and she just flopped on her bed and slept all afternoon until it was time to go out to the stables and bring the horses in for their dinner. She is adjusting well to her new life here, and she seems very happy. She has lots of room to run and play. We just love her. She fits in very well, and  she is such a sweetheart. I am posting some pictures of her so you can see how adorable she is.

~Janet

This is "Kit". She is such a sweet little girl

This is "Kit" looking for her brother "Sydney" while they were playing in the snow

Posing for a picture before taking a nap

Here is "Kit" taking a nap after a long walk to the bush

A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE

I just wanted to post this picture. I pinned it on my Pinterest. It is one of the sweetest pictures I have ever seen. I have loved horses all of my life and this picture just touched my heart.

~Janet

A TRIP TO OKLAHOMA

I just returned home yesterday from a trip to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I was there for five days attending an Equine judging seminar and re-certifying my judging credentials, which I have to do every three years. It was great seeing some of the other judges I have worked with in the past and going out to dinner with them. I went to the Cattleman's steakhouse twice and Shorty Small's steakhouse once. They are two of my favorite places to eat when I go to Oklahoma. This week I have to do some intense walking to reduce my waistline. Seems I do a lot of eating when I am down there :) We had great weather. It made it up to 70 degrees on Wednesday, but unfortunately I was inside all day. I drove to Detroit airport and flew out of there as it is much cheaper than flying out of Canada. I was planning on stopping in at Holly Hills Primitives yesterday for the girls Super Bowl party, but I was just too tired to re-route. My intentions were good though. I would have loved to have seen Dawn. I had to get up at 3 am. and get to the airport, as my flight home left at 5:30 am.

If any of you haven't signed up for Pinterest yet, you should. It is a lot of fun. You can check mine out. I have a link on my sidebar. A lot of Bloggers are on there.

Hoping you all have a great week.

~Janet

A THANK YOU

Thank you to everyone who left kind comments on my Blog over this past weekend, and for the numerous emails of comfort I received regarding the passing of my beloved "Shorty". Many were from people I don't even know. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

~Janet

LOSING A VERY SPECIAL FRIEND

Today is a very sad day for me. Early this morning I lost my special little friend Shorty. I adopted her from rescue almost 10 years ago.  She was around the age of 7 or 8 when she came to live with us. I can't even begin to tell you how much joy she brought to our lives. I found this little poem and I am posting it as a tribute to her. 
I loved her so much. It broke my heart.

God looked around his garden and found an empty place.

He then looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful, he always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering, he knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never get well on this earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough and the hills were hard to climb.

So he closed your weary eyelids and whispered "Peace be thine".

It broke our hearts to lose you but you didn't go alone.

For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.

Author Unknown

AN OUTING TO AMISH COUNTRY

This morning my DH and I were feeling a little better after battling a flu virus/bronchitis for the past 4 weeks, so we decide to take a drive to Amish country which is only just over an hour away from us. It was a beautiful drive, mild and sunny with snow on the ground. I was up there just before Christmas and got some carrots that were the sweetest carrots I have ever tasted. I bought 10 pounds of them, and for only $1.75. We have been enjoying them every day, so I thought I could pick some more of them up while we were there. Today, I got 20 lbs. of them. Of course I will share some of them with the horses. We had the breakfast buffet at a wonderful Amish restaurant called the Crossroads in Elmira, Ontario. They have fabulous food. The breakfast buffet is absolutely delicious and for only $7.99....all you can eat, and boy did we eat! They had so many different selections from fresh fruits, to pancakes and waffles, eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, and lots more. There is a great Quilt shop at the end of the building where the restaurant is, so we had a look around there after breakfast. After that we hit the market and got some needfulls for the pantry, then we headed home. It was a perfect day for a nice drive. We enjoyed it so much, and yes it did make us feel better.

~Janet

Amish horse and buggy

Fresh vegetables at the Farmer's Market

A SNOWY DAY

Today is a snowy day here in Southwestern Ontario. Sometimes, I can't even see the barn when I look out of the kitchen window. The bird feeders are all full and the birds are all huddled together getting their wild bird seed. The dogs have been out enjoying the snow and the horses are outside enjoying some fresh air. The cats are laying beside the wood stove in DH's shop soaking up the heat. We are expecting up to 40 cm of snow by the end of tonight. This is the first snow storm of the season. I just finished making some home made butternut squash soup, so we will be enjoying that for our lunch.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. DH and I have been fighting off a cold virus and bronchitis for the last three weeks, so hopefully we will feel better soon. 

I am looking out for a tall cupboard only about 12" deep for my sewing room to store my fabric in. Having it in boxes on the floor isn't a great way of organizing it. Hopefully when this snow stops, I can find something that is in my budget.

Have a great day.

~Janet

HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A CHRISTMAS GATHERING

Last night was our yearly Christmas gathering of our little sewing group. What a fun time we had. I know what you're going to say Robin....yes I am at it again :)

Mary was our host and she made a delicious dinner for us. On the menu was pasta with a choice of meat or vegetarian sauce, Caesar salad, garlic bread, sausage, and for desert, Mary made home made pumpkin pie, lemon tarts and peanut brittle. She had some wonderful appetizers also.Thanks Mary. A great time and a delicious dinner. As you can see from the pictures below, we all had a wonderful time.

Mary's table was beautifully set

We enjoyed pasta, Caesar salad, garlic bread, sausage, and for desert Mary made homemade pumpkin pie, lemon tarts, and some peanut brittle. It was a real FEAST and very delicious!

Linda and Michelle

Brenda and Mary

Brenda, Shirley and Michelle

hmmmm..... I wonder what is in that container??

I think I see a lot of wine bottles in there???

Brenda wearing her party hat :)

Shirley is having a great time!

Linda and Mary

Mary and Brenda

Ok girls, I think we should slow down on the wine!
Shirley knitted us all neck/head warmers in our favorite colors. Mary and Linda are modeling theirs. I got a beautiful red one, as red is my favorite color.

PRIMITIVE HORSES

I went to visit my friend's shop yesterday, and she is now making these gorgeous hand made Primitive Horses. They are just awesome and the pictures do not do them justice. Thought you might like to see some pictures. You can also check out her website at www.pinesamplerfurniture.com