Already mid-April . . . where is Spring?

The spring isn't, it is now April 20th 2013 and the ground is starting to melt, I can see open grassed areas now in the yard where the melt begins bu there are still 2 foot high snow banks around the yard.  I made this snowman April 15th.
 My raised garden bed area is now visible, poking around the herb areas, the scents are still alive!!  I thought to start some seeds indoors but we really don't get a lot of sun, unless I want to keep the garden in the bedroom, and the sunroom. . . there have been a couple days that we actually sat in there, otherwise, it's still freezing.

It has been a much longer than usual go at winter and even though I do love the snow and cooler weather, I am itching to get out and dig in the dirt.  I also need to get all the chicken coop wire tunnel things I had to make to save my plants from the ravenous rabbits last year out and over anything that is showing through the snow as the rabbits are eating everything, nothing new here.

The kids in the neighbourhood have been ripping up the street on their bikes for some time now, it started with the poking and stabbing of the little water ways that lead to the sewers to hurry up the process.  We have some 16 little ones (OK, a few of them are in their teens, but awesome in looking out for everyone) in general.  It has become a very busy little bay and all the kids are located directly beside, across and a couple houses over from us, Ryann always looks forward to coming over now and playing with them.
I was looking at some pictures last night, 2 springs ago there was no snow in sight at Easter and we had the driveway all chalked up!

Well,  enough complaining, there is more snow on the forcast for tomorrow so complaining about it doesn't help.  Pictures of Thunder Bay yesterday were crazy, schools were closed and people were warned to stay home and off the highway, everyone it seems has crazy weather.

I still am itching to get out there, with the days longer . . . .and that sun sneering at you to get up early, it's nice to go to the nurseries to check out the plants and just be around all that general greenhouse humidity and sun to perk you up, I mean Pintrest can amuse you and has great ideas but really. . . . it's on the computer!  OK, I love Pintrest!!  they have more ideas on there than a camel has fleas!  ah to dream that someone would just come over, I'd point at the computer screen and they would go and do all that heavy stuff for me.  The artsy farty stuff I can do!!

Ok, it's wine time.  enjoy the rest of the week-end and plan for planting and rabbit/squirrel/deer plant resistant summer.

 



Quinzee !

My first thought this year was to build an igloo, from proper cut snow blocks.  I googled and watched U-Tube videos and thought, no problem!  Then I tested the snow and an igloo was not in the picture.  My friends next door are wizards with quinzee building so I thought, Quinzee it is.  I used to tunnel through the snow when I was a kid in solid snowdrifts much to dad's objection, I love the quiet, white insulating feel of being inside one.  We have a lot of snow this year, but nothing that I could tunnel out a quinzee from.

I plotted out the area and started shoveling, and shoveling and shoveling.  I packed our old large re-cycle boxes, hauled them across the yard on the toboggan and proceeded to pull them up the hill and build a rather large pile of snow!  When it was high enough and solid I got Ken to take the snowblower around twice just to blow in the snow nicely between the square blocks.

beginning was a little tedious, I have a rib that tends to pop out of place and cause a lot of pain.    However, put your big girl panties on and take a pain pill and move on.

Anywhere Joelle will go, Wilson will follow!

I was almost completed but decided to call in my recruits next door who happily removed the last bit of snow from the back of the quinzee for me, even they were impressed!  

Ryann can actually stand and I can still take the ceiling down a few inches.

I don't know about the sticking  our tongues out part, apparently that's what u do in a quinzee.  

And  remember. . . . . Do not eat Yellow Snow!!

We even had a slide going here.

It's a fun playhouse for a while longer anyways, today we have unseasonal warm temp.  I used water and food coloring to make the red maple leaf above the entrance but it keeps fading!

Ryann and I toasted the quinzee (she has chocolate milk)

Whew Grandma, that was fun!

As Valentines Day is in 2 days, we started with our special cookies.

Then I found our fire pit in the yard and started digging that out, something about having a fire in the middle of winter with lots of snow around you!!

Well that's it for now.  I finally finished those 2 quilts for the kids and the kitchen curtains are next!

Get out there and enjoy the white stuff!

SLEDDING !

SLEDDING !

NO CAPTIONS REQUIRED, PURE FUN

Get out there and . . .ski!

 I LOVE THE WINTER!

I love the winter time, everyone hates the cold, esp in the part of the country where we live, however. . .. layer and keep moving, find something that you like to do and get out there and just do it!  Find a friend that likes to do it as well, or . . . . .get your Granddaughter out there and convince her that it's fun!

For Christmas this year, my choice was to buy her some skis, cross country ones, and so I set out and found some cute, affordable little ones that I thought she might like, of course when she was over prior to Christmas, I put mine on and zipped around the backyard and she thought they were great.

Today, we went out and she was amazing.  I watched a couple U-tube videos for teaching small children how to cross country ski before setting out.  We eliminated the poles  and went with the soccer kick approach.  We have a fairly large yard and my already set tracks helped her through the snow.

Here she is rounding the corner where her tree is planted.  She fell of course a couple times and I taught her how to get up on her own which she can now do easily.  I love it, there is nothing like hearing your little 3yr old granddaughter yelling to you that she loves you while on skis.  

I hope she continues with this sport, it really is a beautiful way to get your exercise in, esp if you find somewhere where the trails are groomed nicely and go on forever.  Ken has a friend with some. . . . .hmmmm, gotta get out there, often see deer and of course the rabbits and squirrels everywhere.

Well, here is to the great outdoors, get out there and just do it!

Quick and Easy Quilts

Matching  his and her snugly blankets?  My daughter thinks it time for new cozy blankets for their newly refinished living room and I agree (1 of their blankets goes back to highschool days)  I should talk, I still have  my leather coat from high school, oops did I admit to that?
Anyways, we went shopping to Fabricland and found this nice non-pilling fleece fabric, they match but are different!!  They have to be "the same length as the one Val made us!!!) because that one is just perfect for our height, especially Garrett!!  OK OK OK
ahhhhhh, Val does make them nice and long, you can pull them up over your head if you are tying to hide from kids and dogs!  I will take the beloved blanket up one notch to include a square at the bottom middle third of the blanket that you can hook your feet into!!  this also nicely serves as a pillow case when you fold the blanket down into it if you want to tidy things up if company is coming, or want to sit on pillows, or throw pillows, whatever.  I guess you could also stick your head into the block if you really didn't want the kid pulling the blanket off of you!!
This should work up fairly quick, lots of tying for the fringes, maybe while watching TV?
stay tuned for the finished ta-da!!

A Pirate with a. . . . Rolling Pin?

Not a Scarey Pumpkin, but I liked the effect, and anyone who wanted to could take a ring!!

Who could remember to take a video, see us all standing in the background?!?

These were simple but delicious as usual.

and.. . . . .finally with some help that pumpkin cracked open!!  Next year I am going to make a big hairy spider!!

Quilting square

Last Saturday the Assiniboine Guild that I belong to met, and Leona taught how to make this star block.  It measures 24X24 inches so it's a fair size for a table center or wall hanging if you like that.  The block is actually square but the intent is to fold the 4 sides in to make it an octagon shape so you are looking at the block "on point".
Of course I had the fall colour theme going but it might be nice for Christmas and I actually was going to make one for my daughter for Halloween but that thought went out the door this morning when I went to buy  spooky, creepy material for it, I am not paying full price for material, consequently the center piece will just have to wait till next year and I will keep my eyes open for some bargains, and for material that I really wanted, like the candy corn for the background material!!