Mountains......

I really miss seeing the Mountains when I drive anywhere!! I guess I just took them for granted when I lived in Calgary - since I lived there my whole life. I took this picture last weekend when I was in Calgary - just a gentle reminder..... I think I would like to to a landscape of just the mountains...

I picked up some new fabric at one of my favorite quilt stores, Traditional Pastimes, and decided that I would make my mom a new table runner for her coffee table for Easter.... I cut out the blocks at my retreat and finished them up yesterday.... I think she will really like it. The blocks are churn dash and it really didn't take that much fabric to make this quilt.

My retreat....

came to an end last Sunday...... this is what it looked like when we woke up on Sunday morning....It was a good thing that our hosts drove our cars to the top of the hill - they then took us up in their 4 wheel drive - my little car would never have made it up the hill. Even tho' this is what it looked like at 9 am, I was in Calgary by noon and the snow had stopped and it was just horribly messy.

The above quilt is a finished "retreat project" that Julie had been working on for the past two retreats - it was so great to see it finished.... we all felt like it was our project being finished!!!

I completed a small baby quilt top and put together my borders for Baltimore Bunnies. I just have the bunnies to applique, then I have to put it together... so there are no photos yet of this Baltimore Bunny project - that is being worked on in its second year.




Thought for the Day
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie

I'm enjoying...

my retreat. Yesterday the weather was so beautiful... but tonight we are in for a snow storm.... so, it may make it tough to get home ..... Yesterday and today a few of us went walking.... this is the view looking up into the hills - as you can see the sky is blue and it was about 11 Celsius.

The picture on the left is looking out from our sewing area, which is on the lower level, onto the deck that overlooks the Bow River.

The picture on the right is the common area of North Bow Lodge - where we can sit and chat, have a fire, hand stitch... just enjoy each other's company. It is on the main level. The bedrooms are also on this level.

This picture shows our sewing area on the lower level. There is a small alcove towards the lower deck where we eat our meals. The quilt below is being pieced by Julie, who bought the fabrics when she was on a trip to France. It is a wonderful little quilt.

No pics of me, yet.... I will have to get someone to use my camera! Another update to follow with news of the snow storm that is supposed to be coming.

Thought for the Day

I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.

Brian Tracy

It's....

retreat time.... I am off tomorrow for a 3 day quilt retreat in the foothills of Alberta. I am so excited to see my old friends and to get some of those UFO's completed. I will be taking my computer, so maybe there will be a pic or two in the next few days... hopefully a pic of my Baltimore Bunnies being finished!

Thought for the Day
Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.
Harold B Melchart

I have finally.....

completed a Landscape wallhanging!! My dear friend Shirley does the most amazing landscapes and I have always wanted to make one... I finally took her online class and completed my first one. I am very pleased with it. The sky and orange fabrics are pieces that Shirley and I hand-dyed last year (we dye about once a year)... and I think they go quite well with the other fabrics. I have a long way to go.... but feel I have made a great start. I am looking forward to other landscape projects.

We have had a blizzard for two days in a row... lots of snow.... well, one day, we will have Spring!

Thought for the Day

There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.

Steven J Ross

The Sun is Shining.....

but it is still -30 degrees (celsius) - BUT, we are in for some warmer weather. This picture was taken the other day when we were having a snow storm. It is the view outside my quilt studio - I was thinking if we got any more snow I wouldn't be able to go up the stairs - LOL. This has been the coldest weather in these parts for a few years - of course, the year we move!! I have been busy quilting customer quilts and getting ready for my yearly retreat with friends. We will be retreating at North Bow Lodge on the beautiful Bow River, just an hour outside Calgary, next weekend. I am looking forward to finishing my Baltimore Bunnies that I have been doing for soooo long. I have just the borders to machine applique and then put it together.

Thought for the Day

The best way to knock the chip off your neighbor's shoulder is to pat him on the back.

Author Unknown

Finished...

a couple of blocks for swaps... one is a Peacock block... and one is for a monthly swap for April - April Showers... The Peacock block is a little dark, but if you click on it, you should be able to see it.

Our weather continues to be extremely cold... we had a blizzard last night that made the highways absolutely awful this morning when I went in to work. It doesn't look like Spring is going to be here any time soon - LOL. I have to admit I am getting a little sick of the cold weather.

I have my Secret Easter Swap parcel already to go...... but can't post a pic and... can't tell you where it's going either.

I am quite excited that I am going to be starting a Landscape wall hanging class on Shirley's Learning FA Group - I have all my hand dyed fabrics ready to go... I will probably start it this weekend....

Thought for the Day
The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.
Earl Nightingale