Hello folks!

I'm a bit of an insomniac these days so while I'm not sleeping, I thought I would write up a post on the latest happenings in my world!

Jill and her bff Sue popped over tonight for a movie night. We busted out the kleenex and watched "My Sister's Keeper". We all read the book and loved it and thought watching the movie would be a good idea. I've seen the movie twice before and bawled my way through it both times... Jill and Sue did an amazing job not sobbing. I was thankful that I could distract myself by making these mitts. I attempted to teach Sue to crochet a few months ago but it just wasn't her thing so she gifted me the yarn and hook and I whipped these together. Took about three hours - the pattern is my own design and they're really cozy and easy to make. I still have another ball of yarn so I'll whip her up a scarf, too.

Mom and dad hired me last week to go through their attic and decide what of my childhood stuff I wanted to keep. So much of it was just stored there after we moved to the farmhouse and most of it was forgotten. There was plenty of stuff to go through - books, stuffies, school work, toys, etc. At the end of each scholastic year dad would give us a box for all the stuff we wanted to keep. I had 12 boxes to go through... I made quick work of that and ended up with three boxes at the end of the day - one box for Kindergarten through grade six, one box for grades seven through nine and one box for grades ten through twelve. We took a whole bunch of young-adult novels to the bookman and got quite a bit of credit on my account. (YAY!)

While I was rooting through the attic I came across several hand-knit and crocheted items that Great-Grandma Nowlin made for Jill and I. It was a real treat to go through all the crocheted "gowns" she made for our dolls. I kept them all! Its amazing... looking at the dresses now I can see exactly how she made them and how plain they really are but as a child, they were true princess dresses! I also came across several "friends" that she knitted and crocheted for Jill and I. One of these friends was my rabbit:


After going through the wash at mom's, he has arrived and is currently camping out in my living room. I'm going to re-create him! His arms are knit but the rest of him is crocheted. He won't be hard to make at all and I hope to make him for Rowan's birthday this May. I think Jenny would really like that. This rabbit was a special friend to me as a child - you can't quite tell from the picture how worn he is... lets just say he's well loved!!

There's so much that I want to write but some of it has to do with surprises for certain people in my life. I'll have to write about it after the fact!

I think its time to give sleep another try.

Talk to you soon!

Hello folks!

I thought I would post a few of my latest projects.

These towels were for my sister Jill. She was having a war with dad about whose towels were whose so I thought I would solve the problem by gifting her her own set for her birthday. I had a heck of a time with back stitching her name on them... the needle kept getting caught in the terry cloth. Very frustrating.

I don't think I've posted pictures of the blanket I made for Jill for Christmas. It was a lot of work but I'm generally pleased with how it turned out. The quilt is made of 200 patches, half of which are cut up denim jeans, all 9" squares. There was a colour pattern but it accidentally got reversed when I sewed the final two rows together. Ah well. The snipping took forever and would have taken longer had it not been for Melissa http://missy-memories.blogspot.com/ and her magical rag-quilt-spring-loaded snips!


I found a tutorial for these slippers online. They didn't quite turn out like the picture but I know where my mistakes are and I know how to correct them for the next pair I make. (The opening for the foot should be larger and should curve more around the toes.) They're really comfortable to wear!


I needed a new band for my medic alert bracelet and whipped this up the other day. Made from glass and shell beads. Love it!

That's all for now.

Talk to you soon!

Hello!

Hope you're all doing well.

Today was largely uneventful. I'm ok with that.

Jill and I went to Staples to get toner for her computer printer but they charge and arm and a leg for it so we skipped that and just looked around at all their stuff. Then we swung by Pricesmart and I picked up a few groceries. I've been craving potato and onion soup and the recipe I found that looked good also called for carrots. I've just whipped it all together and its simmering away. Starting to smell really good. A few months ago I discovered the exciting world of bay leaves so every time I make soup, the pot gets a one! Delicious.

Yesterday's worship practice was short. There were just three of the six there and one of us had to leave early so I did, too. I can't sing my way out of a paper bag most days but I do love to raise my voice in worship. I know God likes it... I'm just careful to not sing into the microphone!

Guitar went really, really well! I'm "writing" a song... and that really means I get to pick the strumming patterns and cords and then Troy puts to together into something that sounds passable! I'm enjoying it a lot and can't wait to play it for mom, dad and Jill.

Well, I should get back to my delightfully smelling soup.

Talk to you soon!

Hello to my peeps!

Sorry I haven't written lately. Like I told auntie Gloria, I stopped posting regularly when my laptop started to die and it was taking forever to load the pages. Then I got this spiffy new computer and it has a different browser (firefox) and it isn't as easy to bookmark pages like you can with Explorer. That's the only detractor from this browser - I love everything else about it! I had a routine of going through my list of web pages and blogs but now I have to actively remember which pages I want to look at. And my memory often fails me! whoops, eh?

But, I'm doing fine otherwise!

Jen's husband Elie flew out to the Dominican Republic (DR) today. He's taking some aid with him and then is going to his mom's to get their papers together so she can go back to France with his nephew (or cousin, can't remember). He's supposed to be there for two weeks and I sincerely hope that's all he's gone for - its too hard on my Jen otherwise. She heard from him today (he has cell service in the DR so we'll just have to wait and see if he calls tomorrow from Haiti. I hope he has cell service there, too. He arrived safely and made a couple of friends who helped him get to the bus station with his many bags. Now he just has to cross the border. Please keep him in your prayers.

Frank, the dad of the family I work for, is on his way home to Chilliwack after spending the last three and a half weeks in Haiti. I can't speak for his family, but I know I'm relieved to have him back in Canada! I'm not sure what his friend Chad is up to. Please keep the work they're doing down there in your prayers.

Jen and I took a break from all the craziness of life today and took a drive into Coquitlam to hit up IKEA. We had a hoot. I didn't buy much - uber tight budget this month - but it was fun to look at all the pretty things - especially the baby things! (no comment).

Well, I've got a bit of tidying to do. My pal Kathy is coming over for tea tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing her! Its been a while! Plus she's bringing me back one of my favourite books that I've been dying to lend my sister (Second Glance by Jodi Picoult).

I'll endevour to write more often. I do miss it!

Talk to you soon!

Hello folks!

It feels good to be writing again.

I just talked to Jen and got an update on her friends and relations in Haiti.

Her husband's family is doing ok, though his mother is stomach sick. They're not sure what's wrong with her but they're hoping to get some medication to help her out.

They got word on one of their other friends's families... this gal lives locally and there's been much worry about her family. Her mother and baby sister are fine but her older sister has been injured, broken bones, and is in hospital. Unfortunately its not the 'good' hospital and while we have friends down there working, it isn't safe for them to go in and get her out to take her to a better hospital.

There's no information on the abandoned baby ward yet... no one seems to know if that ward was in the hospital that collapsed or not.

Things here are going reasonably well. I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I didn't go to church. I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a headache but it seems to have abated. I'd really prefer to not get sick again!

Mom left yesterday for a two day course (for work) on the island. She's looking forward to tomorrow when dad goes to meet her. They're going onward to Qualicum to visit family Aunt Bev, Uncle Sandy and Aunt Jessie are all psyched to see them. Its been a while since they saw dad's aunt and uncle (Sandy and Jessie)... I think they'll have a great visit!

Jill is coming over tonight after supper. Not sure what kinds of shenanigans we'll get up to... might watch a movie.

Kristy just stopped over to drop off a fan I let them borrow this summer. She stayed for a cuppa tea and a visit. I love seeing her! She's great!

Am going to have another cup of tea and then attack my floors... they're in desperate need of a mop!

Talk to you soon!

Hello again!

Have had a quiet day today. Its been a nice break from the go-go-go of the last week or two.

The excitement of my day was when my door buzzed and someone asked for the apartment manager. I hate it when that happens - because I'm #102, they figure I'm in charge here! Not likely! They were just dropping off phone books, so I met them at the door and let them leave the books on the table in the lobby. Wasn't sure what else to do with them!

Jenny called at lunchtime! We had a great visit and I got to hear the kids playing in the background. Sure do miss them and their chaos! Jenny dreaded her hair! They're just 'baby' dreads but I think they're going to look fantastic on her. They look pretty good already! She told me that they have a resident rodent (a mouse) so we named her Henreeka. They figure its a girl because she's always eating Jenny's chocolate! haha.

I've been getting reading my friends updates about their family and loved-ones in Haiti. Sebastien, Michelle's good friend, is safe with his mom and aunt, Elie's family is alive though their house was destroyed along with the rest of the buildings in Port-au-Prince. Frank and Chad are safe and sound and have been going from place to place making sure that everyone they're affiliated with are safe. It sounds like all the kids are ok but that they're running out of food and clean water. The buildings are in a sad state, though. Someone mentioned that just about everyone is sleeping outside because the buildings aren't safe to be inside.

I talked to Jen about my idea to crochet blankets for Haiti and she thinks its a good idea if its a loose-weave blanket, like a granny square. Neither of us know how to get the blankets down to Haiti but I really feel called to do this, so I'm making them in faith that they'll get down there somehow at some point. Its going to take a while to make anyway with my hands being so sore anyway.

Melissa is coming over tonight so I tried a new recipe for granola bars and they seem to have turned out ok. I baked them and they're currently chilling in the fridge like the recipe says I'm s'posed to!

I should go wash a few dishes and think about what to make for supper. I think I'll make up the last summer squash that's left in my crisper. Yum.

Talk to you soon.

Hey there folks.

Wow. Its been forever since I wrote here!

I just had a surprise visit from my friend Danielle! She's recently moved to Vancouver and was in Abbotsford so called me up to see if I was home and up for a visit. Of course, I said! We had a real hoot (as usual!). I met Danielle about 10 years ago at camp. Gosh, I can't believe its been that long ago. She's been busy with nursing (maternity) up north but I'm so thrilled she's in the valley now.

What's going on in Haiti is just gut wrenching! So many of my friends have lives wrapped up in Haiti that its hard to look at the worry in their face and the images on the news and not feel called to action. I don't know what that action will look like but I know many of my friends are booking their flights down there, and a one has already left. My friend Jen's husband is Haitian and I just read from Jen that they got ahold of his family and they're all ok. The buildings on their road have collapsed but they're alive, thankfully. Some of their neighbours have died, though, which just breaks my heart. I can't imagine living through something so devastating! The gal I work with, A, her parents are affiliated with a few orphanages in Haiti. There are so many unknowns... how are the orphans, how are the staff of those orphanages, how will they find food and clean water? The papers have reported close to half a million are suspected dead. In a country that is already so unstable, this can't bode well for them.

Like A's mom said, we serve a good God. He's already there and won't be going anywhere! In the meantime, I'm going to start making blankets for the children. What more can I do at this point? If anyone would like to join me in my blanket-making endevours... please feel free to knit or crochet 10" squares!

Talk to you soon!