Progress report.....................

I never made it back to the computer yesterday to get the rest of my story out. Well - here I am now.

Friday was a CRAZY day. Got my car serviced - that darn tire pressure light KEEPS COMING ON. Why????   Last time, it was a faulty valve - fixed under warranty. This time - a NAIL in the tire. Fixed under warranty. Good grief - I mean that warning light works, but am I going to go to the dealer EVERY TIME the light comes on?????   Next time I will and it will likely be the tire pressure has just gone low!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sewing machine got serviced as well. Apparently there was NO TENSION in the bobbin case. It was that loose. I was thinking I would need a new case, but NOPE - they fixed it for me.

Then the nightmare began. I was in Burlington and so while in Burlington, one has to go to MEC and IKEA. I needed stuff at both places. Rather than get back on the highway, I took the street - well it was PACKED and took forever to get to both places. Didn't help that part of that area was closed off for a police investigation, it started to POUR rain and it was rush hour. I will NOT be doing that again!!!!!

But I was happy when I got home and crossed some more errands off the list that HAD to be done before I left.

Those dogs of ours are just lazy!!!!!!!!!!!!   I really want to come back as one of them.

Here is Sparky just having a great snooze!!!!!!!!!!!

Sammy is intently watching a fly

And isn't she just the most adorable (OK - so I am biased), but she has such a cute face. That extra hair over her ears is what gets me. And when she has her ears up - well she is just CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course this rain is horrible for the dogs. Our house looks like a pig pen - here are Sparky's back legs

And the front!!!!!!!!!!!

Today, she is even worse as her tummy is filthy too. I have toweled her off, but she is still a mess. I would love a dog washing area in the mud room of a new house!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Imagine having that luxury. Hey - if Martha Steward has one (and I bet she does), then I should have one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of Martha Stewart - well I am becoming the queen of gardening. But first - have a look at the Secret Garden. I swear those trees grow OVERNIGHT. We have cut this back TWICE already this year and as soon as it rains - it just goes crazy. 

The Secret Garden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sparky has a thing for hostas. Last year, she ate them right down to the root and I thought they were goners. But no - here they are starting to grow again. Of course, Sparky was in there pretty quick to eat the tender green stuff. So I bought cheap little fence from the Dollar Store and put around the plants. So far it is working. 

We have periwinkle and a few other things in the front yard. No grass. Well since I did NOT keep my neighbour's grass at bay - it has migrated into my periwinkle. A horrible mess. Last weekend, I started to dig it out. What a HORRIBLE job. I got this much done........................................

Digging out the periwinke

AND - after numerous trips to the forest with plant material and dirt - this is what it looks like now...........

Thank goodness, the area is not that big, but big enough!!!!!!!!!!!  I was sweating and having a GREAT time. I actually like doing that kind of stuff, but never really allow myself the time to do it.

Now, I have always wanted to get a nice straight edge between the two yards and so this is the start!!!!!   I need to dig a straight line from the bottom to that white fence in the back. But this part digs out very easy!!!!!   Then plow through it all to try and eliminate as many roots as possible. Put new dirt in, some new plants - just hostas for this year I think and then mulch and we are DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   A good couple of hours!!!!   But I am happy with the way it looks. I am thinking that next year, I am going to dig up the boulevard part and plant the periwinkle there. It is maintenance free and looks awesome even in the heat of the summer. It won't go anywhere as the area is surround by concrete. I will have to ask my neighbour and dig up their part as well. It isn't big so won't be that much work. 

But I was FILTHY and sweaty. Can't see well in the picture, but my arm was filthy black and looked like I had a disease. 

 Then I was off to yoga. I went in my grubby clothes - had a shower, did yoga and then had a nice shower. Except they were cleaning the steam room, so I couldn't sit in there. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


Yoga was great. Adam is a good instructor, but some of those poses are held for so long - I thought my muscles were going to die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    And as I am working through the class, I thought it was long. Turns out that class is 1 1/2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!   But so worth it  - I can feel a difference already. And NO ONE fell asleep this time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then it was time to hit the quilting machine. While I did not quite finish the quilt - I did make good progress. Had to use FOUR different colours of thread and got the main colour completed. Almost done colour number two and then small bits for the last two colours. Hopefully an hour and it will be done today.

But this is me on Friday. Yeah - another quilt is DONE.................

Normally I DO NOT cheer when they are done, but M was standing there with the camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Customer quilt - DONE

Detail of quilting!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to get these quilts trimmed and call the customers. I've been so busy quilting - and just putting them on the tables!!!!!!!!!!   They are starting to pile up!!!!!

 And now that the sewing machine is fixed, I even managed to get a bit of sewing done.

The border on the left side is sewn together. Just two more borders to go.  But I am worried as that border on the left seems to be a tad longer than the quilt. Well - have to check it out when I get to that point. 

Last night, we noticed Sparky as she went into her stealth mode and crept outside. See where the arrow is pointing - that is a rabbit. While the rabbit is eating the weeds, it is NOT eating them fast enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sparky staring down a rabbit. 

Sparky decided it wasn't even worth going after the rabbit - she just stared it down.




Remember the Skills Competition?????    Well M got her jacket back in the mail.............

Oh my - look at what I got!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silly kid

That's my M - always posing

But having fun at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The jacket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually she came in 5th out of 11 (remember the 12th girl left before they barely got started!!!)

Let's just say that she did AMAZING on the creativity marks, not so good on the execution. Part of the problem was that she did NOT pay attention to the tension on the machine. It was going wonky, but she didn't stop to fix it so when you have wonky top stitching - well that detracts from the jacket, although it was just a technical issue, but there were people there to fix that. Overall though - she did amazing and I am quite PROUD of her.


And she is supposed to be working on her prom dress. The prom is in less than two weeks. I have washed my hands of it - I have done my part. She had better get busy or she will be going naked to prom. I am NOT buying a dress, nor am I helping her. I have offered enough times - not doing more. She will have to call grandma (who is a seamstress) if she needs help. We should put her on alert!!!!!!!!!!!!

Besides - I am doing my part - Mom - can we have the party here? OK - and now I am working my butt off to get the garden ready. It is going to be tight.

Mom - can we get some fabric and MAKE some sashes for the PROM? OK - so bought the fabric that we had to go downtown for. MOM - can you make the sashes? OK - got to make fourteen of them - no big deal - rotary cut and serge - voila - they are done. But (and this is all MY FAULT). when I ask how they are going to put the lettering on - she says glitter glue. Well you CANNOT have glitter glue on those pretty white stain sashes, so guess who is going to embroidery the darn things??????????????     I just have to buy some thread. It won't take long - just will take some time.


I forgot to show you something else that I bought at MEC. Ritter Sport is my ALL TIME favourite chocolate bar. And look - NEW FLAVOURS - well new to me!!!!!!!!!!!   I remember seeing this chocolate when I was in Europe and thought it was European. NOPE - when I got home, I saw it in the grocery store.

Ritter Sport choclate - THE best

While I was quilting yesterday, M made dinner - stuffed peppers. I did help a little bit. She is getting pretty handy in the kitchen. I am LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner - can you guess which one was mine????

And there is Sparky hoping for something to fall on the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well - it is raining this morning, so NOT going outside. I am NOT keen on testing out my new rain hat. So I will be getting ready to go to spin class. I might as well just live at the gym!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!