Some pictures of a lovely local quilt show....

Summertime is coming and I thought it was time for a new look LOL !

June continues to be a busy time for me but a week from today my school kids will begin summer holidays and the following day, so will I. Two weeks ago we moved back to our individual classrooms after a two month hiatus in the gym while they completely renovated our classrooms. Since our return, we have continued to move things around the classroom, emptied boxes and tried to keep the students engaged in some learning activities.
After hours, I have written reports, filled out forms and sorted things. On occasion, I have worked on my quilting project and made a few bead bracelets. We have visited a conservatory for plants called Muttart's that are located in four glass pyramids.

As you can see in this picture, I have quilted my life is a trip quilt. I need to get it bound and a label placed on it this upcoming weekend. This past weekend we went on a short journey as all my school paperwork was completed. There was a quilt show in a small town called Wetaskwin, about an hour's drive from home. The show called "Quilting by the Lake" was held in a lovely building that overlooked a ravine and water. The 20 women group showed some beautiful quilts. They had a lovely wall hanging of their guild members to identify all the talented quilters.
Here you can see some of the beautiful view from the balcony ( which had some lovely curved spaces in its design too. I love quilts that have circles and use batiks, so this quilt was my favorite in the show. The person used some gorgeous batik fabrics. This quilt was hung in a corner spot that was a sea of color - Since I am a huge fan of color I really enjoyed this particular area of the show.

There is some cool variations of Bento box patterns and the one on the right was a design like that. I wish our camera could really capture the rich colors of some of these quilts. They were so pretty and the colors quite vibrant.
Caryl Bryer Fallert has created some amazing designs and this wallhanging is one of her patterns. If you look at the folds you can see one side is a bright color and the other side black. The quilter did a fabulous job on their interpretation of the pattern.

Some of the ladies in the group decided to have a 9 patch exchange and then created a challenge with it. There were some really interesting ways they used the blocks that they had traded with each other. The photo shows a design variation that was really appealing to me, because of the color gradations and the on point arrangement. It made me want to get out my scrap box and start quilting.
Here is a view from another direction on the balcony. One of my favorite kinds of patterns are quilts that use star fabrics and star blocks. Isn't the funky star quilt fun? I think the star fabrics in some of these quilts are glorious. The quilts on the balcony had been shown in some previous shows and remain stunning. They have the show every two years and I certainly will look forward to seeing their show again. Thank you ladies for a grand afternoon of beautiful quilts that were inspiring to me. We had such a nice time looking at the quilts. There were also some interesting bags, tablerunners and clothing. There was over 100 pieces to view and to touch, if you wore the white gloves:D One person had created a laptop bag and another had made a table runner with cording shaped in a spiral design to add texture to it.

There were a few vendors that had some patterns and fabric for sale. I did a buy one piece of fabric with blue poinsettias on it. It was a great price and how can one resist a piece of fabric with poinsettias!!

When we left the show we journeyed on to my parents in Red Deer where we stayed over night. It was lovely to have dinner with them and then spend some time catching up with one another. I was particularly glad to spend time with my dad to celebrate Father's Day. We went out to breakfast and had some more family time before heading home in the early evening.
My mother and sister found this wonderful quilted heart picture that they gifted to me.
It says:Mothers are like quilts, lives pieced together, stitched with smiles and tears, bound with love and memories that last throughout the years. They thought that I would love it and they were right- I especially like the hand painted matting that was made just for me. A friend of the family's is a marvelous painter and she added the very pretty floral border on it. I still haven't decided where I am going to hang it, but probably it will go up in my sewing area.

I received some very pretty thimbles in the mail this past week from Australia.
Naomi sent me a set of wonderful decorative thimbles (7) that had belonged to her mother. They are all so pretty and I think every quilter's area should have some quilting decorations in them. I plan to display them in my quilt room too. Thank you so much for your generous gift Naomi.

Hope you enjoyed the little quilt tour-

Some areas south of me are struggling with flooding just now. We will hope that the sun comes out soon.

Happy summer to all my northern counterparts. I hope that winter's arrival in the south is not too chilly.

Warmest regards,
Anna

Life is a trip .....

This trip around the world pattern is from Bonnie K Hunter. Bonnie is a wonderful quilter who has a number of free patterns on her website. She also has written two books and is currently working on another one. Do check out her website.. My version of her trip around the world is at the top of the list to be quilted. I hope to get it quilted this weekend. Pedal to the metal...

June is a month that flies by when you are a teacher- at least here in Western Canada. This is the last month of school for my kindergarten students. To say that this particular year end is full, is an understatement. My teaching partner and I had been teaching in the gym for the past eight weeks while they gave our classrooms a face lift ( perhaps it should have been me that they gave one too as well LOL) Together we had 48 students in the gym. It was a busy happening place every day. On Monday we moved back to our own classrooms. We are now busy trying to sort our way through the sea of boxes and unpacking the materials into new cupboards and a new floor space. One thing that you learn is how much stuff you collect over the years- some of it good and other items that is a multiple that you will never ever use up!!! In between the sorting, we are still trying to teach our students- School finishes on June 29.. This past weekend I finished writing report cards( still need to edit) and got started on some other paperwork.... You got to love June :)

The last couple of weeks since I posted have been filled with some social things too. My son's girlfriend Rose, had a birthday so we went out to dinner to celebrate..
We also took a trip to the Art Gallery to have a last look at La Petite Danser. It was a terrific exhibition and we are looking forward to seeing the new one that is coming in the summer that has Looney Tunes cartoons as well as MC Escher. My husband is a big fan of Escher - His perspective drawings are fascinating - pictures that use tessellations or optical illusions that have no beginning and no end.

I have often thought about making a tessellation quilt- Jinny Beyer has a wonderful book about them that I have borrowed a number of times from our local public library. Do you have a list of quilts that you think about making? One of the things I find about the blogs, is that there are so many wonderful quilters making amazing quilts out there. My list keeps growing with new techniques and patterns- now if I could just put that inspiration into creating some new quilts! Summer time is coming very soon...

Thanks to all of you who visited during the Virtual Blogging festival. I received so many lovely comments on my bargello quilt- It really is a fun technique and there are some stunning bargello designs out there. I have only worked my way through about half of the quilts but I know that Amy leaves the link open so you can still visit the quilt show long after the posting of new quilts stops. Just click on the button on the top right hand side of my blog.
Amy is giving away one of those Go cutters with three die cutters - They look pretty amazing and a few of my blogging friends have been blogging about them. Go and visit Amy's blog - you might just win the cutter..

Now I will finish with a few other giveaways that are out there just now:
Michele is a new quilt blog to me and it is always fun to discover a new blog.
Melinda has the most beautiful hand made necklace she is giving away- As well she is has some other lovely things that she is parting with..I really enjoy seeing all her use of vintage items combined with some new things. Go quickly she soon will draw her name..
Jane is having a week long giveaway with new items every day- There are some lovely fabrics to admire and perhaps win- Take a chance and stop by..
Christine of Once upon a quilt is giving away a quilt top she bought off Ebay.. She is celebrating 200 followers what a nice accomplishment Christine- She has a lovely blog and etsy shop..
Riel is a fellow Canadian with a fun and fancy giveaway

and last but not least my friend Rosa is giving away some Chunkettes.. Rosa makes me laugh- she has the greatest sayings.. She and husband Gilbert have just bought a longarm quilting machine- She is from Eastern Canada- from the province in New Brunswick
Go and Check out the Chunkettes...

Until next time, happy creating..
Regards,
Anna

Blogger Quilt Festival- Spring 2010

Amy has a new blogging quilt festival that will begin tomorrow May 21. There are so many wonderful quilts to be seen and blogs to visit. I hope that you will get the chance to visit many of the wonderful quilts and quilters that are participating in it. This is my third time participating in this event. A big thank you to Amy for organizing this event- I am sure you will be inspired by the many beautiful quilts and stories. I know I am!


Amy asked us to write about a favorite quilt of ours to share. After some deliberation, this was my choice.
I made this wedding bargello quilt for a friend and her husband. The pattern is called " Melinda's Heart" by Heidi K. Farmer.
I chose these rich colors as my friend was keen on primary colors rather than the pink and green combination used in the original pattern. This was not the first bargello quilt that I had made. I really enjoy constructing quilts using this technique. To some, it may look more complicated than it actually is. It does require some careful cutting and pressing but it is not difficult. Someday I want to make this quilt again in pinks and greens. It would be softer and have a different kind of elegance. My friend's birthday is the day after Valentine's day, so this design seemed particularly appropriate.

There are some fabulous bargello books and designers out there - Chris Timmons - an Australian native and Derek C. Lockwood are among my favorites. Marge Edie also has a lovely Bargello book. I have a few patterns collected for my someday quilts. My someday list is getting longer and longer....perhaps you suffer from the same problem of the ever growing list of quilts you want to make...LOL

Do you make a pattern more than once? Do you have a favorite pattern or technique?

I am currently working on a new quilt- a second version of the blue/ brown quilt(see my last post). This weekend is an extra long weekend for me. I plan to get some quilting done as well as getting some school work finished. I want to begin some year end report card writing. June is just around the corner. The cool and rainy weather will be perfect for quilting and writing- unfortunately, not so perfect for our friends who may be wanting to be camping. They are predicting wet snow in the foothills /mountains tomorrow. That could be chilly in a tent!

In Canada, the 24th of May Long Weekend ( also known as the Victoria Day weekend) is traditionally the first camping weekend of the year. As a child, our family would go camping in the foothills of Alberta. One of my first childhood memories is of sleeping in a tent by a river and waking up to snow on the ground outside. Part of that same memory, is eating fresh pineapple for the first time. Some family friends brought a pineapple for us to try. I was probably 5 or 6 at the time. Fresh produce that we now have readily available year round, was not so common place in the early 60's. Strange the things we remember and store as memories from one's childhood.
I hope the weather is not too inclement for everyone to enjoy some time out of doors.

I was very fortunate this week to win a lovely giveaway prize from Susan at Blackberry creek blog. She is having another giveaway this week- a Southern Living Cookbook that you might wish to own. Susan has been busy redoing her house- she is an avid reader and a lovely quilter- Do stop by and visit..Thank you Susan for choosing my name to win your bunny tapestry. It will be treasured..

Enjoy the quilt festival- just click on the link and it will take you to the list of bloggers that are participating in this years festival.

Warmest regards,
Anna

A Mom is....

I love you Mom - I have been blessed with a Mother, who has always been there for me when life has gotten difficult or when I was celebrating the special and ordinary events in my life. I know that I can count on her to listen and, even to parent me in middle age. Our standing joke is that she will tell me that its time for bed when the clock is getting late and we are talking on the phone. I can say " Yes Mom" and grin". This photo was taken of us about 5 years ago. She recently celebrated a birthday and my family went home to visit just before her and my dad's birthday. I wish her a very special Mother's Day. I am looking forward to talking to her some time today to wish her a lovely day. I will try not to make it too close to my bed time :D
On Friday, it was our annual Mother's Day Tea. My school children made flowers for their moms/grandmas to present to them at home. All week we practised songs, made cards and wrapping paper and finished painting our flowers. We sang 5 songs for our Moms.I had the kids do a survey- my kid's moms ranged in age from 11 to 65...five year olds do not have a clear idea how old we are..VBG
We had most of our moms come to join us for the tea so the gym( our current classroom) was pretty full with our students and their families.(My teaching partner and I had about 3/4 of our families represented). As always, our educational assistants helped to make the tea a grand success- they made sure the tea pots and food trays were full. Our special assistants gave the children without any family members present, an opportunity to give tea to someone special. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful caring support for our students. One rose was given to each parent as they left the tea. We sent home a flower with each of the students whose families were not able to come celebrate with us. Friday was a very busy day because we went on a field trip to a local school to hear Sandi and Lee Paley sing with the kids in the morning. We were a group of tired ladies at Friday's end.

I promised you a before and after photo of my new hairdo. This is a photo taken a few days before- I was mighty windblown( which doesn't help) but it was getting pretty raggedy looking. The pets are not very happy looking either LOL

And here is the updated haircut- sleek and shaped and not too floofie looking. I am not sure why I didn't put my specs on- I wear them all the times these days as I can not read much of anything without them.(I do have more than green shirts in my closet) just have been wearing lots of green this spring. Perhaps I am hoping that spring has finally arrived- last week we had a snowstorm and needed to pull out the dreaded shovel. It has melted again and things are really beginning to green up- Hurrah!
Bruce and I visited the Art Gallery this week to attend a lecture about Yousef Karsh. His black and white photographs are so rich with light. He was an Armenian immigrant who moved to Canada when he was 16. He lived a long life( 1908-2002), mostly in the city of Ottawa and took photos of over 15,000 people many of them celebrities. This beautiful book called "Regarding Heroes" was written by David Travis. He was a former curator of photography of the Art Institute of Chicago and was the speaker at the lecture we attended. His book was a Mother's Day gift from my loving spouse. My favorite page in the book has Martin Luther King on the left and Nelson Mandela on the right page.

Yesterday while I was out, I visited a local quilt store to check out there clearance section. They had some lovely fabrics that included a beautiful piece of paisley that I added to the stash. Our son Kevin and his girlfriend, Roseanne, took me out to Mother's Day dinner in the evening. We stopped for dessert at a local ice cream place called Marble Slab to have waffle cones. My choice was raspberry cheesecake ice cream - total decadence.

Later today we are off to the Winspear auditorium to partake in a special event where some classic Chopin will be played and nice food served. It should be a very nice evening. All in all, I am one fortunate lady.

There are a few giveaways going on in blogland:
a honey run quilters giveaway Do you like jelly rolls and charm squares? Do you have a favorite line of fabric? Go leave a comment for her to enter.
Inch Worm Fabrics is having a great giveaway of a Lonestar book by Jan Krentz . She has a great blog and very nice store - do go and have a look around.Mother's day giveaway. Be sure to go to the Mother's day link first in order to enter for the great book. I am sure you will enjoy your visit.

Angela at Fenland Textile Studio gave me a very nice compliment and chose me as one of her beautiful bloggers. There are many wonderful blogs out there so I am very touched, she would choose me. There are so many bloggers that I could pass it on to, that I can not choose a handful. Pick any of the blogs on my blog list and you will find someone special to read. Do stop by Angela's blog -she has been sick with pleurisy and will enjoy having you leave a comment.

My original idea for today's post, was to write about my four great grandmothers. They were amazing ladies who were immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. That is a post for another time.

For some of you, Mother's Day may not be a happy day. You may have lost your mother or your child recently and feel great sadness. May you find yourself buoyed by the warmth of caring loved ones today.

I have been blessed with a loving Mother and Mother in Law. My mother in law now lives in a nursing home where she is well cared for- she has Alzheimer's. I miss her friendship, her love of the arts and her thoughtful ways. She was a nice painter, a fabulous bread maker and a kind and caring friend to me. She raised 5 wonderful children who miss her presence in their lives.

Motherhood, to me, is about the nurturing of loved ones- that may be your biological mother or someone who has provided you with the care and feeding of your physical or emotional spirit. Our family circles are richer for those who give us sustenance and support. Thank you to all who share their loving gifts with others.

Until next time,
Be well,
Warmest regards,
Anna

May is here.....

Dusty the dog was in serious need of a hair cut so after a visit to the vets to get her rabies shots updated we took her to the groomers. She gets rather motley looking (as seen in the first photo)not to mention grumpy. Dusty is also not the best problem solver.Here she has managed to tie herself around the bottom of the back step because she only knows how to turn in one direction. I am not sure how one teaches a dog to go in both directions at age 8!
This is the after photo from her visit to the groomers. She is so sleek now - Dusty was not keen on the bows- neither was our son. A girl needs to get dressed up now and again VBG
Over the weekend, Bruce and I visited a local rock and gem shop. Naturally while I was there I bought a few beads to play with- I am currently making some bracelets with a black and silver theme so I added these beauties to the collection. There is a strand of abalone and some black agate. The owner had a sale so everything was 10 percent off. It was fun to see all the beautiful polished stones.

Aren't these beautiful little pots/bowls? Twice a year, a group of local potters have a craft sale. My good friend Val and I went to check out their wares and came away with a few pieces for very reasonable prices. I bought these pieces as gifts for friends and family.
Once upon a time I played in the clay before I took up quilting. Occasionally, I think about playing with the clay but somehow there is not enough time for me to create my quilts, bead and do pottery too. Have you always quilted or do you do other things to express your creativity?
Linda of Flourishing Palms sent me this beautiful handmade bag as a giveaway prize on her blog. I love the beautiful detailed quilting and the turquoise color. Unfortunately, my limited photography skills do not do it justice. Thank you so much Linda for your lovely gift. It is a beauty!

These are my two current quilt projects- I had some trouble with the border of the convergence because I gave it a bad Haircut- it was quite badly askew and I was beginning to think it might need to be a liberated version of the quilt. With the help of my quilting friend and mentor Linda, we managed to straighten it enough for me to add the outside borders. The fabric on top is going to be the back of the quilt. Do you like your front and back to be coordinated? Do you make pieced backs or use one large piece of fabric?

I recently began making this quilt as a gift. It is a fairly muted quilt for me but I think it will work for the its designated home. I am still debating about adding the printed border to it. I think it will work out nicely but I am still playing with it.

In other news, we are managing quite nicely in the gym at school. This week we are working on Mother's Day projects for our moms. We are going on a field trip on Friday and having a special tea for our Mothers in the afternoon. Friday will be a busy day indeed.

Today I bought the April/ May issue of Quilter's Home. It has a list of 55 Rad blogs to check out. There are so many great blogs out there - I am sure that I am going to discover a few more from this list.
A friend went to Quilt Canada in Calgary last week. Mark Lipinski was one the guest speakers. He is a wonderful comedic storyteller and kept everyone in stitches. I attended some of the shows that were associated with Quilt Canada when it was here in Edmonton a few years ago. It is always fun to see the newest trends, fabrics and meet with other quilters. It feeds our creative spirits and infuses us with energy to continue on one's quilting journey.

A dear blogging friend Eileen lost her beloved Geo yesterday. She is a special lady, a wonderful quilter and one of the kindest people I have come in contact with in blogland. I wish her comfort and the support and caring of friends and family at this difficult time.

Mother's Day is coming up and my blog friend Michele has written a powerful piece about her mother and her experiences with Alzheimer's. Michele is involved with Ami Simms Alzheimer's Initiative project. Please stop by and read her poignant piece.

Life continues to be full - May has arrived and there are many things on the horizon- a special Chopin concert, another trip to the Art Gallery, moving back into our renovated classroom, assessment and report cards... and a new Haircut for me..
Like Dusty, I am in serious need of a new hairdo... that is on next weekend's agenda

Until next time,
Be well,
Warmest regards,
Anna

The Winds of Change

March winds have blown through and have brought in some April changes.
I don't even know where to begin- the past three weeks have been so jam packed busy. It has been windy here and they say the wind brings change well- there are lots of changes happening just now. We had our spring break holiday the week before last- For part of it I worked at school packing up my classroom- No, its not early summer vacation- Its Renovation time. My school is having a beautiful face lift and it is our turn to be renovated. They are gutting each of the classrooms down to the wall boards and replacing everything.There will be smart boards in each of the classrooms with new mill work,flooring, wiring and lighting. It will be lovely when completed but in the meantime, my teaching partner and I are moving to the gym with our two kindergarten classes. For the next 8 weeks, it is going to be a busy place with 47 kindergarten students, 2 teachers and 4 support staff sharing a large gymnasium. Our boxes are packed ... Ready set go....

This is a photo of my classroom taken last fall when my husband came to read to my students during a special reading event. I will take a picture of our updated look before summer vacation or when we have all the boxes put away in our new room.

On the home front, our son Kevin is moving into his first apartment not far down the road. It is an exciting but a big change for us all. Moving and change seem to be part of our lives just now..

Some spring break outings:
My husband and I went to see a play called the" Science of Disconnection" written by a Canadian playwright named David Belke. It was a fascinating one woman play about Lise Meitner. She was a physicist who worked on a team that discovered Nuclear Fission. Meitner was overlooked when the Nobel Prize was given in 1944, for splitting the atom - Otto Hahn(her professional partner) was awarded it. It was a fascinating story about a brilliant woman who was passionate about physics.

We visited the magnificent new Art Gallery of Alberta and saw La Petite Danser. She is still beautiful with her face radiating her pure joy of dance. The exhibit had a number of interesting Degas sculptures- many were studies of body movements. Degas heirs had many of the pieces cast in bronze. Most were not meant to be shown and were originally made of wax.
The new Art gallery building is truly glorious- so filled with light. We will go back and visit the Dancer before she leaves us. This summer the new exhibit will be MC Escher and Bugs Bunny.

Our family visited my parents and siblings over the Easter weekend. It was terrific to see my sister and brother and their families. There were delicious meals and some together time. My father's birthday was on April 8th. My mother gave me this photo of my dad and their miniature collie, Tammy.
My father has always loved animals and has a wonderful way with them. I love this photo of him with his current beloved dog. Belated Happy Birthday Dad- May the year be rich with wonderful things for you.

Bruce lost a dear friend Ed at the end of March. He had been ill for quite a long time. He was very interested in astronomy, mountain climbing, the outdoors and the Opera. When Ed was first diagnosed with cancer, I made this astronomy quilt for him. Rest easy, dear man, may you find peace now.




Now if you are still with me, I do have a few quilting things to show you. I began a convergence quilt during spring break. I thought I remembered what to do but I sewed four seams together and promptly needed to rip them all out. However after some rethinking- I managed to get the quilt top together - personally it may be questionable at this time whether I am all together LOL)

I have chosen a robin egg blue border to act as a stop border for the convergence quilt. After that, I will extend the four corners out of each of widest outer fabrics for the outside border. I have a second convergence ready to cut into the strip sections. I love this Ricky Tims pattern- I am always excited to see how the grouping works together.

One of the things I book ended my break with, was time with two of my dearest friends. My quilting friend Lou came to the city and we went on our own shop hop. We stopped at 6 different quilting stores and I managed to not to break the bank doing it. I actually only bought fabric in the first store and in my favorite second hand place. Lou and I had a delicious lunch together. One of the reasons I showed some restraint is because I had been coveting some Kaffe Fassett fabrics. They are quite expensive here ( about 18 dollars a meter).I had found some KF fabrics on line for 10 dollars a meter plus free shipping. Here is what arrived in my mailbox last Friday...
I do love all the beautiful colors and was very pleased to be able to touch them. The four fabrics group are not Kaffe fabrics- I just liked them.
On the last day of spring break, my friend Val and I had the opportunity to catch up and have lunch before we returned to the classroom. Was that really only last Monday we had lunch...


These beautiful things came to me from a couple of giveaways that I was lucky enough to win. I love Angela's little bag and hand dyed fabrics.Angela also sent me this gorgeous bracelet and it fits perfectly. Do go and visit her blog called Fenland Textiles.
The batik piece came from one of my Australian blogging friends, Jane. You can find her blog here.Jane I love the leafy batik.
Thank you both so much for your lovely gifts.

Bruce and I are beginning to get the idea of what it might mean to be empty nesters. We went off to a concert of East Indian music featuring a sitar artist last evening.The three musicians sat on a beautiful quilt that I spent some time trying to figure out the pattern. It was made with brocades and silks and the pattern was a simple hour glass block combined with squares. We enjoyed a delicious Vietnamese meal prior to the concert. The restaurant was called "The Golden Bird" and was a new one to me. Our usual favorite was going to be an hour wait... New places are good too you know...

This week will be busy with the move. I hope to fit in a bit of beading and quilting if I am still awake in the evening.LOL

Spring has sprung - the grass has rise... It has been quite windy outside - the weather seems quite fitting for the way life is just now...

I will return when I get the chance,
Warmest regards,
Anna

My grandfather Henry's Century....

March 14 is a day that I often pause to reflect and remember my grandfather Henry. He would have been a 100 today. My grandfather Henry Helge Alexis Linneberg was a farmer who told me wonderful stories. He was born to immigrant parents who came from Sweden in 1907(his father) and his mother(1908). Their trip to Canada was long and arduous. My great grandmother arrived on a boat with her two children. Her berth was the size of a large chair. Frida then rode on a train that took 3 weeks across Canada. Her journey did not end there. The final leg was to ride in a wagon to the farm. It took another day and a half to arrive on the homestead where my grandfather was born. There was not much more than brush,forest and hills as far as the eye could see. My great grandmother Frida did not speak English. Her nearest neighbour lived about a mile down the road. When Nils, her husband died 6 years later, they had only 6 acres cleared. In Sweden, Frida had always worried about Nils dying in the mines,he worked as a fire boss in Malmberget in Northern Sweden. Life was not easy as an immigrant widow on the prairies. Frida never returned to Sweden. She became a widow at age 38 and raised her 4 children to adulthood by herself. My grandfather was 6 when his father Nils died. This large aerial photo is of my grandparents farm taken in the early 70's. Their farm was adjacent to the original homestead. My grandparents lived on that property from 1936 until 2003.For almost 100 years, my mother's family had roots in that Alberta farming community.

My grandfather Henry was a dapper looking guy. Here he is with my gorgeous grandmother Grace on their wedding day. Henry was a man of many talents- he played a saxophone and a violin. He had a deep baritone voice and some of my first memories of him, are related to music and mealtimes. Henry would say the blessing and we would have a beautiful meal prepared from the food he and my grandmother had raised on the farm. After the meal was over, he would often stop to sing a song or tell a story. If there were small children he would bounce them on his knee and sing" Jimmy Crack Corn". I loved his stories and asked him to write them down in a small journal I gave him.
Over his lifetime, my grandfather worked many jobs as well as farmed. He often spent the winter away from my grandmother so that they would survive on the farm. He sold Watkins and drove a dairy truck during the second world war. In the later years, he went down to work in a cement plant near Banff. For 18 years, Henry spent winters away working on the boilers to help provide for his family. There are many bundles of letters from his time away, that reflect the deep feelings he had for my grandmother and how much he missed being with her and his family.
Henry wrote many letters to Grace over the years. Here is one of his notes that he wrote called "My Gracie."
" My Gracie
How fortunate I have been in choosing a wife. For over 50 years we have enjoyed life together. I look back even before we were married-
George(Grace's brother) and I were working at the mill- You(Grace) came out to get some wood and I received that million dollar smile that has won so many people into our friendship and lives. It has flashed across the room at me countless times and never failed to give me that old familiar thrill that has colored our lives each and every day throughout the years that have never been marred by discord or disagreement." by Henry written around their 50th wedding anniversary


One of the things that I think about when I think of my grandparents - besides their unwavering devotion to one another, was their value of family and family times. Many of my memories of childhood surround the times I spent with them on the family farm. I remember going to bring in the cows and berry picking in the fields in the surrounding area( saskatoons, wild strawberries, raspberries). I can close my eyes and smell the smells of the milk separator and the hay in the fields. I can taste the berries and cream and my grandmother's delicious chicken. There was always music in the house and we all sang the old country songs or the current musicals. The last sounds I heard each day were usually the voices of my grandparents talking and laughing with one another in their bed which was on the other side of a thin wall that separated our bedrooms in their old house. I remember that sound being like a comforting blanket that soothed me on my way to dreamland.

When I stayed with them we would go to town. Sometimes we stopped to get a soft ice cream cone. One of my grandpa's favorite food combinations was cantaloupe and vanilla ice cream. He loved raisin pie- my mother would often bake it when my grandparents came to visit. My grandmother kept humbugs, hard red berry candies and bridge mixture in the candy bowl. Henry was a patient man- As a child, I had a good imagination. There was a tree playhouse on the farm and I would often visit the dump area to bring back the Old Avon bottles, spice containers and other miscellaneous refuse to play store or house with- It didn't matter to Grandpa whether it was stuff that he had just taken to be destroyed or thought he had disposed off. He happily let me play and make my concoctions in spite of the extra work that I created for him.

My grandfather loved books- he was a serious thinker and there were many books in their home. While he had only a one room schoolhouse education, he continued to love to learn throughout his lifetime. Henry was an avid reader and was very fond of stories about Nature- books like "The Yearling". Grandpa had a dry sense of humor and a great deep laugh. I think at another time, he would have enjoyed being a philosopher. Henry was well known and trusted in his community- many people would come to seek his opinion and council. They knew their stories were safe with him- He was a good listener and a reflective thinker. My grand dad and my husband enjoyed many discussions about the sport of baseball.

As an adult,some of our later discussions revolved around all the changes that had occurred in my grandfather's life time. From horse and wagon to airplanes in less than 50 years. In 1982,my grandparents went to Sweden- he discovered he still could communicate in Swedish even though he had not spoken it since his mother died in 1953. It was an event filled journey meeting cousins and seeing places that his parents left nearly 70 years before.

I don't like to think about the time of his passing. He died in 1988 six weeks after our son was born. He was nearly 78. We have a few pictures of him holding Kevin. His large hands cradling my small baby. They still make me sad.

I have often wondered what he would think now of all the technological changes - the marvels of the internet and how small the world has become. He lived in a simpler time where people traded services and helped each other bring in their crops. Being a farmer often meant being a jack of all trades. He knew how to fix the machinery and what to do when an animal was giving birth. The image that I have when I think of my grandfather is of a man dressed in farm clothes; it always includes a brim hat and cowboy boots. Being a farmer was the essence of grandpa's being and the way I remember him best!

This game of Authors is one that I played as a child on my grandparent's farm. The original set was kept in a buffet in the living room in their house. I would often go and check it out long after I stopped playing it.
A very dear friend found a copy of it on ebay for me as a birthday gift. It is one of my most treasured possessions.
In other news, this lovely pair of earrings came to me from Mel in Singapore. Aren't they beautiful? They were a prize I won in one of the OWOH giveaways. Thank you so much Mel- I have the perfect outfit to wear with them.

Some great books have arrived in my mailbox the last few months from Connecting Threads and Amazon. There are some terrific patterns waiting to be made- I am not sure which one to begin with but I can feel the need to quilt again. Perhaps I am like the bear- waking up from a long quilting sleep. I also got some batting during their sale for some very good prices.

Before I close I want to leave you with some giveaways to checkout:
Banghaisge is having a quilt giveaway. It is a wonderful piece with such interesting fabrics and design- You will need to scroll down to around March 5 post to find it.
Bearbits is giving away the sweetest spring bear- if you love teddy bears do visit her blog- I love her stories too. The bears are often having some adventures. You will find a bear button on the right side of her post.
Tanglefrost has a fabulous post about the concept of worthiness and is giving away a fantastic handmade orchid necklace. I really enjoyed reading her post - I am sure you will too.
Diane of Turn left at pigs is also having a giveaway. Don't you just love the name of her blog.
There are so fabulous blogs for you to visit if you have the time.

Report cards are done and spring is coming... Change is on the horizon.. More about that next time.

Warmest regards,
Anna