It Is Done.... Finally!!

I finished hand stitching the binding this weekend and was finally able to give Dustin his quilt. I am ashamed to say, that it has taken me two years to complete this project. I explained to Dustin, that this just isn't a blanket but it is also a game that he can play, ("I Spy") and told him that when he was sad or just needing a hug, he could bundle himself up in it for a "Nana hug," and know that the person who made it loved him a lot.

I have started gathering fabric a quilt for the little gem below (The bigger gem) . It is her turn for a quilt...and a "Nana hug," and I commit to finishing it in less that 2 years!

Both of my grandchildren were blessed with a little brother or sister this year. As you can see, Alexia loves her little sister, Delia., and she is a wonderful big sister.

I overheard a conversation between Dustin and his little brother, Halen, this weekend. In a very quiet voice, Dustin said. "I love you, Halen. You are my very best friend. I waited for you for a long time." I asked Dustin if he had wanted a baby brother or a sister, and he replied, "I did not care... I just wanted something..."

Out of the mouths of babes....

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MIA

I have been unable to post for almost a week now. I have been back on night shift and it seems as if all I have been doing is sleeping. Working at night and sleeping during the day is tremendously taxing. It doesn't matter how much sleep that I get...it never seems enough.

We had visitors this weekend...two smalls and a daddy... and on Sunday night poppy shared a meal with his great grandsons. It was wonderful having so many generations around that table.

Dustin, the six year old small, had many questions. He questioned me about why I removed a plastic bag from the garbage and why I felt so strongly about not bringing plastic into the house. It was a great teaching op and after typing "Plastics in Ocean" on Youtube, I was able to show him a video that spoke of the greatest crime against the environment...the use of plastic.

He sat on my lap and I felt his little body become tense at the images of dolphins and turtles playing with floating plastic bags, and he was horrified to see birds with their heads stuck in rings that had previously held our pop cans together. These images, as hard to view as they were, made an impression, and for the rest of the weekend, Dusting asked what many of the items in our home were made of. He reminded his daddy not to bring home plastic and to take a reusable bag when he went shopping.

I truly believe that our children, with knowledge and guidance, will do much to help heal our environment. At this age, they are like little sponges and are not yet conditioned or hardened to the harsh realities of the world.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Much was accomplished.

"Just be happy in whatever you do..."

These are wise words from a visitor to my blog. Wenn lives in Malaysia, and I am really happy that she found her way to my blog. She has reminded me to be happy with every small and insignificant step I make towards living a simpler and greener life.

I sometimes do not walk the talk. I am critical of my efforts from an environmental standpoint. However... I need to remember that if we all made small seemingly insignificant steps to clean up our act, our combined efforts would make a difference.

I went grocery shopping today. This was the first time in a week and the last time this week. With the exception of some soup bones and toilet paper, I brought home no plastic. I remembered my cloth bags. I chose produce that was without packaging. I did buy a dish pan...plastic...but it will get many years of use and the water that is left after doing my dishes will be used to flush my toilet. I have bought a few more bandanas for nose wipes.

All in all, I am pleased with my efforts today. So Wenn... Thanks for the reminder. I will try to remember your wise words.

Another flogging....

I am beginning to think that I am an armchair environmentalist. Sure... I have great intentions, but in my case, my intention does not always translate into successful endeavour. Too often I am jolted into the reality that I could have done things differently. Most lessons learned come on the heel of a great mistake.

I have joined the "No Impact Weeklong Challenge" which began today. I am also reading the book " No Impact Man". I could not sleep last night. I am developing a nagging, irritating conscience. At 2 am I did a review of my week off and the number of times I slipped and left a larger impact than I intended. The thing is, most often I know better.

Take, for instance Friday. Three other ladies and I travelled 70 miles to attend the "Needlework and Craft Festival" in Toronto. My friend drove her husband's Crew Cab... a very large truck. Four ladies travelled 70km or 100 miles to browse and buy more fabric and supplies to feed our addiction to crafting and creating. Crafting and creating is not a bad thing...but the problem lies in the number of projects that all of us have on the go already. More supplies...more stuff...more expense. As if that was not enough, we left the Show and went to a Mall. Afterward, we went to a restaurant and ate.

So...what's the fuss? I really did not need to go. I have more than enough. We burned an insane amount of fuel to get to the Show. (I wonder if anyone else felt the same?)

Dinner was great. The company was great. We could have had a wonderful time, however, just sitting and chatting over a meal closer to home.

My husband and I travelled north to Bracebridge to visit with my daughter the following day... We made another faux pas. Several times we visited Tim Horton's, and bought coffee and lunch when we could have carried our own. More expense and waste.

Amber.... please don't give up on me. You are a tough act to follow. Hopefully after doing this challenge, I will have learned a few things....

One of The Strangest Things I have Ever Seen!

I was driving down my street last fall, and caught a glimpse of a squirrel trying to drag this bottle up a tree!!

Honestly! (I am NOT making this up!) I had my camera...and that in itself is unusual... and was able to shoot some pictures. Good thing! Who would have believed me?

He dropped the bottle and later I was able to zoom in and read the label. It was a herbal preparation for sore muscles!

Poor little guy. I can appreciate that he might have sore muscles... jumping from limb to limb and spending long hours outdoors in cool and damp weather.

He tried repeatedly to lift the bottle and drag it up to his nest.

He was unsuccessful in removing the lid, but you sure have to give him an "A" for effort. Somehow I wish he had been rewarded for all of his hard work but the bottle was on the ground the next morning. I am sure that the squirrel was nursing some pretty tender muscles after that kind of exertion!

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Thoughts on the Environment.

Today is the day when bloggers around the world unite, and in one voice, express our concerns about the state of the environment. I could speak of global warming. but many do not believe that there is such a thing. This way of thinking is difficult for me to understand. I could argue the point, but I choose not to. Instead, I wish to say, that for whatever the reason, we cannot afford to use the earth in the manner which we have any longer. It is time that we became better tenants.

I do what I can to lessen my footprint. Through association with those bloggers who are more knowledgeable, I am learning to do more. When I feel that I am not doing enough, I, like Amber, count the things I do not do. It makes me feel a little better.

It is my hope that my grandchildren, and their children, inherit clean earth and clean air. I hope that their food comes from from areas that are close to home, and that there is enough...just enough...of everything good in their lives. I hope that they learn from our mistakes, and that they do better than we have., as custodians of this beautiful planet we call home.

Thanksgiving at the Cottage

Gathering to give thanks for....

... a beautiful day....

... a wonderful family...

.....for Poppies and Great- Grandchildren... all of them...

...for the many loved ones who have gathered round this fire throughout the years.....

We are grateful.

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The Housework Can Wait...

I have a little visitor today. My plans to clean and prepare for this weekend's onslaught have been put on the back burner... but that is okay. I would rather hang out with Halen.

This says it all....

"Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth, Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

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What is a Friend?

A Friend can enter your life for a moment, and live in your heart forever.

A Friend holds you in a gentle embrace, with open hand, and tender heart.

A Friend knows what inspires you...and supports you with all that she has.

Friendship knows no boundaries and ages gracefully.

Sometimes Friends can become Family...

...and family...Friends.

And when she is gone, a Friend leaves you with a piece of herself...

True Friendship tolerates distance and difference...

And often when we think it is lost... it is discovered again.

To my friends who have enriched my life beyond measure, I thank you.

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