Of course after my last post, I realized that I should have taken some pictures of the kitchen before we packed most of it into boxes. I took some that afternoon but you won’t see the decorations that were on the wall or the clock or the pots that hung over the stove. But here’s what I’ve got.

The sink is staying where it is. The pantry that is on the far left of this picture is coming out as is the chimney behind it. That will allow us to have cabinets all along that wall. The frig will move over to the right and we’re getting a new one that is cabinet depth.

In the next picture, you see the sink and the dishwasher and the edge of the stove. The wall behind the stove is coming out and we’re adding on in that corner. You can see better in the next picture.

See how the stove juts out and there is a small peninsula next to it?  That is all coming out and the corner of the kitchen behind there will be added onto in order to square off the room. That will enable us to have tons more cabinets. The old built in on the right side of the picture is coming out and that area will be opened to the dining room. The range will move over to that wall with a hood above it. There will be a small island next to it and the opening will have the curved edge like the other ones in our house. I could go on and on and tell you about the materials we’ve chosen but it will be easier to just show you as the process continues.

We got confirmation today that the concrete guy is coming on Monday to dig and then pour the little corner of new foundation. Then they are supposed to start demolition on Thursday. I sure hope so. I am ready to get this show on the road.

We’ve already put in quite a bit of work to get ready for the kitchen construction to start. First we had to make sure we had the money. We had to work with the kitchen designer to come up with a plan we loved. We had to interview contractors to find one we felt comfortable with and confident in. We’ve had to look at appliances, countertop materials, lighting, tiles, hardware, cabinet styles and paint colors. And I’m sure I’m leaving something out of that list!

Now it’s almost time for the demolition to start and we realize we have to pack up everything in the kitchen and find somewhere to store it all while the remodel is going on. Okay….. But before we do that, we have to decide what to leave out for the temporary kitchen we are setting up in the basement.  I’m starting to panic because with me having surgery Christmas week, I’m not strong enough to do this all myself. And who comes to the rescue, my Thursday knit group! You’ve seen them on this blog many times over the years. They all offered to make a day of it and just get it done.

The kitchen was an absolute mess. We had two packing stations set up, lots of packing paper and what I thought was enough boxes.

We packed twenty boxes in about an hour and a half and had to stop because we ran out of paper and boxes. We got all the dishes, glasses, pots, pyrex, baking stuff and those miscellaneous weird items we all have. I definitely found my item for next years white elephant exchange!

There was much laughter and joking along with the hard work. So afterwards we sat down to a lovely lunch and then birthday cake for Elaine. Rick and I thank you angels from the bottom of our hearts. There is nothing as wonderful as good friends.

It’s been a really long time since I wrote on this blog. I contemplated restarting it several times last year and have finally decided it’s time. Why now? We are getting our kitchen remodeled (!!!!!) and all our families back east want to see what’s happening. The construction is starting on Jan 25th, (wow, next week!) and we are busy getting things moved around, taking stuff to Goodwill, consigning old furniture with an estate sale dealer, and selling books to Powells. Basically we are doing all those chores that you usually put off forever. There are walls coming down and furniture that won’t make the cut, so stuff has to go.

If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to since last April, well there have been trips, surgeries, a quilt retreat, meetings with my regular knit group, sewing days with the monthly sewing group, Tuesday afternoon knitting at Happy Knits, and many happy days spent with friends. If you were breezing through that last sentence and noticed “surgeries” in there, yes, there have been several surgeries in the last nine months. My cancer is not going away, but we try not to dwell on it after the initial surgery-recovery time and instead try to dwell on having fun, loving our family and celebrating the small stuff.

I invite you to check in and come along for the ride. I will keep you up to date with pictures of the remodel along with pictures of any crafts that happen along the way.

This should be fun. (Remind me that I said that about two months in!)

When I had kids of my own, I finally realized how wonderful she is and how much wisdom she has to share. I came to rely on her for guidance when things got difficult with my kids.

Mom is older now but she is still as full of life and adventure as ever. She is on the go a lot, I’m sure her social calender is much fuller than mine! She is active, eats well, and is so healthy, she is on no medications. Rick says she is our role model of how to grow old with grace and fun.

Mom has visited us here often over the last 11 years. She has come to help out when we’ve needed her and she’s come just to have fun. Last time she was here, we made her a new quilt together. And seeing how she was instrumental in encouraging my enthusiasm for sewing, how appropriate.

I am grateful for every day that she is still in my life.

Mom, you are the best and I love you so much. Happy Mother’s Day!

Anyway, I was going through the bins of my UFO’s and came across this.

This quilt got started in the late 1990′s as a group project when I worked at ThimbleCreek. There were probably twelve or so of us on staff then and we would pick a quilt and each of us would make 12 blocks exactly the same and then we would exchange blocks so everyone walked away with 12 different blocks. I think I participated in four such projects while I was working there. It was a lot of fun and I’ve gotten some gorgeous quilts because of those group projects. This quilt is the only one that I never finished.

When I opened up the box, I just had the ten pieced blocks.

Also in the box were the fabrics for the applique blocks. Yes, it’s applique again. Real change of pace right? There were only six whole blocks and ten setting triangles that needed to be appliqued. I’m happy to say that I have finished the six whole blocks and am mostly finished with two of the setting triangles.

It’s been pretty quick and I’m pleased with how it’s looking on the design wall.

I can’t remember the name of the book this pattern was in, I just remember it’s from an antique Pennsylvania Dutch quilt. The pattern calls for a pretty elaborate applique border but I don’t know if I’ll do that. Although now that I’m thinking about it, the quilt is so complex and rich, it would probably look silly with a simple, plain border. That means more applique, hum, we shall see. I’m really loving it.

Liza and I had a lovely time in New Zealand and she is now back in Boston, looking for work. Rick and I were away for a few weeks visiting family on the East Coast.  We had a great time with all our family, ate a lot of really good food,  and the weather was lovely. We came home rested and happy.

Then we had to get through some major surgery for me and that’s kept me close to home since. It has allowed me some major time for hand work and for some reason, I’ve really been in the mood for applique. This is a block of the month project I purchased back in 1995 0r 96, can’t really remember which. It’s called the Victory Garden and is by Susan Powell. I’ve been loving it and have finished FIVE (!!!!!) blocks in the last 4 weeks. Here are the first six all sewn together with the sashing and posts.

And here are a couple of close ups.

I’m working on the eggplants, but I think it’s finally time to take a break. There are twelve blocks in all and the eggplants will be number eight so I’ve gotten pretty far. I think it’s time to knit or crochet for a bit.

We spent 2½ wonderful weeks touring the South Island of New Zealand. We rented a camper van and went wherever the road took us. We saw magnificent scenery, from incredible mountains to the bluest lakes to beautiful coastlines. We saw all sorts of incredible animals, including penguins, royal albatrosses, dolphins, seals, kea birds, and others. All the New Zealanders we met were friendly and helpful, and we met interesting people from all over the world in the hostels and holiday parks. We got caught in a gale, cruised the Milford Sound, and swan in the ocean with dolphins.

All in all, a remarkable trip. Here is the first batch of photos.

We flew into Christchurch and spent the first three days there. We rented a tiny little Suzuki car which allowed us to get used to driving on the other side of the road before we picked up our campervan. Liza did way better than me with the driving. Maybe it’s because she’s been driving for only four years. This is the big Cathedral in Christchurch.

This is the Avon River which runs through downtown Christchurch and is very picturesque. You can go “punting” on the river but we didn’t.

We drove out to the Banks peninsula just south of Christchurch. It’s lovely out there with quaint little villages and a beautiful harbor. This is the beach in Akaroa.

This is our campervan which was our home for the next 10 days. Not nearly enough time. We met many people who were there for months driving around. Our van had electricity, gas stove, a small fridge and a working sink. No bathroom. You could easily get away with a van with no kitchen as all of the “holiday parks” where we stayed had communal kitchens. The kitchens were great and also where you met your fellow travelers. I loved it.

I just loved this sign. It’s outside the big Countdown store which is one of their big grocery chains.

Our first night in the campervan was outside the lovely town of Omaru. Liza and I both loved this place. There is a wonderful Victorian section of town that was built during the gold boom in the 1800′s. The gold boom went bust and the town died but the buildings are still there. They were almost demolished in the 1970′s but the town didn’t have enough money to pay the bulldozer so only one was torn down. And a decade later, the town realized that the buildings were actually a treasure and should be preserved. They are in the process just that and several of them now have shops and galleries and eateries in them. They are awesome. This was also the place where we saw the blue penguins coming in out of the ocean at dusk. You can see a picture of one on Liza’s flickr site.

Liza and I standing out on the rock beach near our campsite. This is the mouth of the Waitaki River. It is immense and very impressive. And the color of the water is beautiful. It’s not showing up very well in this picture but it’s very teal and clear.

This is one of the Moeraki Boulders. These are  on the coast south of Omaru and they are something. Liza and I thought they looked like alien pods, like in the movie Cocoon.

So that’s first post on New Zealand. There is more to come: dolphins, Milford Sound, penguins.

Here are some of the pinwheels.

They really are awesome. I was going through my files for inspiration one day and just happened upon a pattern that I had ripped out of an old Quilters Newsletter. The pattern had the little pinwheels going around larger pinwheels in a diagonal setting. I liked the idea and set about trying to find two fabrics that I already owned that would work for the larger pinwheels.

This is what I came up with.

I like both of the fabrics in the larger pinwheels, especially the tealish, floral one. But something isn’t right. My friend Susan came by today and she had the perfect solution. Take out the little dot that is paired with the floral and replace it with the same white that we used in the little pinwheels. Brilliant. I had to make a couple just to see if it would work and ……….

It totally ties everything together and gives it that fresh, modern feel that is so popular these days. I’ve really been in the mood to sew lately which is kind of insane seeing that Liza and I are leaving for New Zealand tomorrow. We will be gone for 2 1/2 weeks and I don’t know if I’ll be able to blog from there. Would be pretty cool if I could. We shall see. If not, have a great month and happy sewing.

I made this pillow for my mother in law. They love Christmas at their house and I thought a nice pillow would fit in well.

I found the pattern free on line and I believe it was a Crabapple Hill pattern but I can’t find my source. The ornament was embroidered first and then appliqued to the background. And then the background was embroidered. The pattern called for the rickrack and it makes the pillow, don’t you think?!

I was really in the mood to embroider after both of my surgeries this fall so this was the perfect project. I also embroidered  a pillow for my sister, but I forgot to take a picture and will try and get her to take one.

For Vivienne this Christmas, I decided to make the Dumpling Bag. This was a free pattern from Knitting Daily. I like Knitting Daily but they have evolved from mostly informational daily emails to just trying to sell you stuff. Occasionally they offer a good tutorial and a free pattern or two. This was one of them.

This is a felted bag and I used Cascade wool. I bought the yarn up at Close Knit on Alberta and they were very helpful. They had made the bag as a store sample and found that if you embroidered it before felting it like the pattern called for, the embroidery didn’t show up very well. They recommended waiting until afterwards so you could really see the embroidery. I went with their suggestion and was happy with the results. It’s a funny little bag and I know with felting you have to take what you get, but I wish the opening had been a bit bigger. I think it will be good for holding a yarn project or maybe going out somewhere special. Loved the variegated brown yarn.

More to come……………….

Rick and Liza and I all slept in until 9:30 and had a leisurely breakfast and coffee.  Devon and Jenny got over around 10:30 or so and we just took our time opening presents. Not tons of stuff this year, just important things, things that meant alot.

Each of my children gave me incredibly thoughtful gifts this year. I was very touched. Devon and Jenny compiled a notebook with all their favorite recipes. They are both great cooks and like healthy, fresh food. I will use it often. And Liza gave me a wonderful picture of my family that she took when she visited them at Thanksgiving. I will cherish both gifts.

During the afternoon, there was some napping or reading and then came the prep for our traditional Christmas dinner. It’s been the same for at least five or six years now. Vegetarian spring rolls, pork dumplings and szechuan green beans. This year we also added Rick’s fabulous hot and sour soup. Us girls have lots of fun sitting around the table doing all the wrapping.

It was a delicious, wonderful meal which our neighbor Jewel shared with us. Lots of warmth and laughter around the table. Ahhhhh…… Hope everyones holiday was great and I wish you all a Happy New Year.