ostara ....

Ostara celebrates the birth of spring aka the spring equinox.  This is another design by Isobel .

the happy earth looks at the sky and sings -

may you enjoy a fruitful and blessed spring

oops ...

We've got cherry apple blossoms - oops, used white instead of pink - a bit early for apple blossoms but they look nice ......

These have kept me busy ......

If your comment doesn't receive a reply from me it's because you're a 'no reply' blogger - regrets.

no matter how long the winter -

spring is sure to follow

the tree ....

 This is a new door decoration that I made a while back and forgot to share - if you look closely you'll see a wee grey mouse with a tartan tummy nestled amongst the branches - the flowers are from a pattern by Quilts by Cheri .....

 Here's the February tree - there are a few different ones on it .....

I finally did a finish on this piece - I quite like the sentiment - the 'my' and I' can be changed ...

  
Apparently, I don't have a suitable candle/table mat for February so I crocheted this - it worked up quickly ...

whatever we do in this life

no one gets out alive

imbolc .....

On the Pagan Calendar, today is Imbolc - it marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox - it is the beginning of spring (although not in my neck of the woods).  We usually celebrate on February 2 with Ground Hog Day knowing the spring equinox (not necessarily spring) is 6 weeks away.  This is one of Isobel's  designs....

let us nurture
the spirit of renewal
and embrace the light
of the lengthening days

three a day .....

There isn't much to talk about and I seriously considered not posting this week.  We're currently having another mild spell with temperatures above 0C (32F) and lots of snow has disappeared - there wasn't all that much to begin with - x-country skiers are not happy that the trails are snow-less.  It's so nice to have the windows open at this time of year even if just for a short while - it's even nicer that the windows aren't frozen closed.  ^^   Three a day ..... that's how many miles I walk every day and I'm pleased that I can do each mile in 7-10 minutes - depends on whether I stop to check for mail or such - if I stop to visit with a neighbour it takes me longer.  Three miles a day is a record for me  - I'm able to do it because I can walk indoors on a flat surface.  You see, our building is  a C shape - (without the curves) - it is a half mile from one end to the other - I walk a round trip to complete the mile. 

I recently learned about Continental Knitting - had never heard of it - tried it out - it may just get me knitting again.  Just the other day I watched the movie "Goodbye Christopher Robin" - I wanted to go buy a Winnie the Pooh book.  ^^  Today I finally remembered to start some seeds sprouting - we should be sampling in a few days.

All I have to show you is another finished b.d. card - I'm determined to stay ahead this year.  For this one the x-stitch design is another mini from Permin (see my previous post for the link) - their designs are perfect for cards.  I made my own washi tape by putting double sided tape on fabric and trimming it up - I've never seen washi tape to buy - we live in the sticks.    I used cardstock for the card and it worked out quite well - this won't win any blue ribbons but it's not as boring as usual....

Some quotes I liked from Victoria and Abdul:

the banquet hall of eternity

we're all prisoners

everything in Scotland is scratchy

can you believe ....

Can you believe it's the middle of the month already - this month of January that often seems so long and usually drags by?

I've been working at finishing some of my stitched pieces along with some new projects for upcoming birthdays and even a Christmas project.  Sadly,  I'm not getting as much done as quickly as I'd anticipated - too much other stuff gets in the way.  I tried making one of those bowl cozies figuring I could make a bunch of these for home and the cabin and use up some of my fabric hoard - mine looks different -  nice but different - I finally figured out why - will try another before mass producing.   It was very cold here for Christmas week but last weekend saw temperatures up to 0C (32F) with sunshine - what a treat - I suppose it was the annual January thaw since it has cooled off considerably again.

  Here are a few things I've finished and all are 'gifts' .....

The x-stitch card is from Permin - they offer a free mini chart each month.  The kimono ornament is a Twinkle Patchwork design with a wee modification.  The hedgehog card is from an old Homespun magazine. 

the virtue lies in the struggle

not in the prize

reflection ...

Reflecting on last year ...

   We moved again - this time out of our rented mini apt. to our new home - it was a good move - we really like our new place and it has felt like home from the moment we walked in. 
      I injured my wrist the beginning of May - it's been a challenge.   Stitching was getting easier by year end - I really like Daffycat's reindeer and have stitched many of them ....

   Blogger corrected many of the problems that I'd been having and behaved itself for the latter part of the year - I was particularly pleased that it allowed me to leave comments on blogs again.  This is a good post about blogger.

  In December I celebrated another birthday - don't care for the number - 71 - but I appreciate that I'm still celebrating them - I even had a cake!

  
  I discovered that I quite enjoy hanging out on the internet - I spend too much time doing so - I'm an avid reader.    I have so many projects saved that I shall have to live forever to make a dent in them.  I admit that in looking at so many things that others have made I've lost my own creativity - or let it go by the wayside.  For this year I'm going to try to limit my time looking at what others have made and saving patterns/designs to do more of my own thing - once upon a time I came up with some good ideas.  
  I finally made some bacon jam and it is delicious - no photo to share - it didn't last long.  I made cranberry sauce with real cranberries and was amazed at how easy it was to make and it was delicious - didn't taste like it does from the can - this is the first time I've made it from scratch - won't be the last time.   
  The January tree ..... 

it's not who you are that holds you back ...

it's who you think you're not