Trucking Hay

We are still getting a little snow every day. It is mounting up. This weekend we are supposed to get another dump. Also this weekend we have to start getting hay from the farm next door. Never before have we run out of hay but it was bound to happen at some point I guess. When we did hay in the summer our count was way off..and now we are paying for it. Also with the weather being so cold the horses have been eating more. Not happy!!

Our group met for our once a month lesson on the quilt we are making. There is a lot of detail in this quilt and is a learning curve to just about every class. We have been having a ball. Lots of laughs and one liners from the gals as we express our frustrations..lol. Here are a few picturs showing the different colour combinations.












So we have lots of homework to do this month. I can't wait to see these quilt tops finished. They are going to be just amazing. They are all going to be queen size. Back to my sewing.

Enjoy the day!!

Sunny Days

Yesterday was snowy like most of the country but today is great another sunny day. Last weekend our granddaughter called and wanted to go for a ride. So she and the young gal that keeps her horse with us saddled up and went out in the fields for a short tour. The wind came up so they were not out that long but at least they got to enjoy the horses. I think the horses had even more fun than the girls did.



Our horses are just so social. As soon as anyone comes in the yard they are right at the fence wanting attention...or food..lol. I managed to get a few pictures. Ears up..how about that.



My constant companion Tippy



With it being such a nice day I am off to do some fabric shopping. I have a lapquilt that is almost finished so time to get some backing fabric. Have a great day.

Another year!!

Happy New Year to All..

What a great Christmas we had in our household. The tree and decorations are down and packed away for another year. Somehow we got to the 12th of the month. A few more days of winter gone..yes!!!!

As with most of our holidays I do have a story to tell. Now for those that do not know me well...I hate cooking. I would much rather work a 12hr shift..clean the barn...sew..anything other than cook. With age I have managed to adjust to the fact that our family and friends do like to eat...so!! Without a doubt cooking a turkey is not rocket science and I have managed to put on some pretty amazing meals..but as the years have rattled on I have also had some dandy misadventures. One year the door fell off the oven..we used a chair to keep it in place for the rest of the day..lol. Another year I decided to use the convection oven part of the stove to cook the bird..well it was broken..we ate Thai food that nite. So now we get to this year.
Over the years I have gotten a nice farm turkey from neighbors and have had success with every one of them. This year I had to get a bird from a new source as our friends were not raising turkeys anymore. I found a farmer really close and ordered a turkey..or so I thought. We dressed the bird first thing in the morning and in the oven it went. It was only 18lbs so it was not going to take that long to cook so checked it a few times and thought it looked really dark...and gee it does look kinda thin...??? As the hours past...gee no smell of bird in the house..odd!! Well finally it was cooked according to the thermometer..so I got my SIL to help lift it out of the pan and put it on the cookie sheet to carve it. It was dripping GREASE...BLACK GREASE!! OMG...and the legs were pitch black and impossible to carve off the bird. At this point any turkey I have cooked falls off the bone..WHAT THE HECK HAVE I COOKED???? There was white meat..so it was not a goose..yet it was very greasy. Next to NO..dark meat..and very little white for that matter...AND the skin was at least 1/4 inch thick with ta fatty skin???? So...was it a wild very old..lol...turkey...or a goose?? I have not been back to see the farmer...!! Did he think I wanted a wild bird...I don't know..what I got sold..but I sure paid for it. $3.33 lb. and we did not eat it.
So much for Christmas dinner. I think for Valentines Day I will buy a turkey from a STORE...and have a nice Christmas in February dinner for our family!!

Moving on to a Great 2011

Finished, Done...Ready

Yes I am, no more shopping..yippee. I think this is a first that I am ready this early. What a great feeling. Now to do some more baking..which is no big deal. Rod is on his last run for the year. For the first time in many years he has the week off between Christmas and New Years. Looking forward to some down time. The long range forcast is for cold but sunny weather. How great is that. Not a snow storm in sight..lol.

I got a call from our neighbor a few days ago wondering if I still had a picture of there Great Dane I had taken a few years ago. He was a sweet old fella and had a stroke and died the day she called. Well I looked all over my computer and finally got my old camera out and there was the picture on it. (which I have sent her) Anyway on that disk were some other pictures I wanted on this computer. This is one of them. Our granddaughers playing on the wagon in front of the barn. They are 12 and 13 now so this was awhile ago. How fast they grown up.




Well off to do some sewing. Hope everyone is enjoying the Season and are all ready for the Big Day...Merry Christmas to all my friends out there. Enjoy!!!

Windy & Cold

There is lots I need to get done before Christmas and it has had to wait. High winds and snow has made driving to dangerous to head out to do shopping. The horses were in for 2 days (second time in Dec. they have had to stay inside) and finally today we had a break. I was surprised that they went out so calmly. Guess there age is showing. I was hoping to get some good pictures of them playing. The mini's put on a little show but that was it. So today after I got everyone out I headed in to town and got some more shopping done. Before long the stores were very busy so I guess everyone else had the same plan I did..lol.

Last year I posted a cute picture of our Fuzzy cat checking out the Christmas tree. I still miss the little guy so much..what a sweet entertaining little guy he was. Molly the kitten I got from the Human Society is celebrating her first Christmas with us. She is going to be a big cat..man those long legs..lol. Sure enough when the tree went up she was right there.






We have been very lucky here when I look at the news coverage of the Sarnia, Ontario Snow Crisis. Lines of trucks and cars snowed in on the Hwy. Hundreds of people in warming centres and private homes keeping safe until the weather improves. The spin off from this is starting to show up in ways no one had thought of. One area is Propane. All our propane supply comes from Sarnia...so the outlets in our area are running out and the hwy is just open to one lane of traffic. It will take weeks to build up the supply here and hopefully homes will not run out before the trucks can get rolling again. Sure glad our tank is full..for now anyway. It will be interesting to see what else runs low.



Happy that my hubby was not caught in that storm. As it is he is having a challenging winter. Last year was a breeze compared to this winter..and it is only December..geesh!! I am so happy he is off between Christmas and New Years this year..he can use the rest.

Keep warm!! Back to my sewing room..a few gifts to finish off.

Mini Blast of Winter

All around us there is massive snow building up as the week progresses. Oh my goodness some people are having a heck of a time of it. Snow is falling lightly so it is accumulating but not to the extent some are getting it. Cold enough -8 with the wind chill it is -18..brrr!! Horses are glad to be in at nite I am sure. At least they seem to be happy to see me at my usual 4pm feeding. With the usual water to be filled up, vitamins ect.,hay and bedding it is usually around 5 - 5:30 before I am finished. I do hope this winter the temps don't drop much colder..I am not wanting "that"..lol



This past weekend I surprised my dear husband with a new Kitchen Aid Mixer. Our old one had finally died. He was raised with his Dad as a baker and worked for years in the bake shop. We had our own bake shop when we were younger and still have all the old recipes from his father's shop. So this weekend was the weekend for making Christmas Cake. He even went so far as to give a try at making pastry. Both turned out great..he has not lost his touch. It looks like a lot of cake..but it is not by the time we give some as gifts and our friends attack it..lol. So the mixer is a winner and will be staying. Note that it is red...lol..to go along with the washer and dryer in the entrance way..lol. It has been well broken in on its first day of work!!







Now I will play around with small batches of cookies..but will leave the large amounts to hubby..lol.

Enjoy the day!!

Men & Toys

Again.. I am late posting. Not sure how the days and weeks whip by so quickly but they do. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with family and friends.

With this holiday almost over it is on to planning Christmas. Every year it gets harder and harder to get holiday shopping under control. It was so easy when the girls were younger..toys are easy..lol. Now we are into the teen years so it is a chore. I think we are into the $$ and a small gift stage. This year again I am going to rely on the internet to do most of my shopping. Between gift cards and some phone and internet orders I am hoping to avoid the stores. This weekend the tree goes up. I have a few holiday decorations out now. With the kitten the tree will be secured in the corner with a few more cords..lol.

Yes hubby started his Christmas early this year. He and a buddy decided they should get new cars to play with this Christmas..and should break them in early..lol. Our friend travels a lot so they spent his last visit home testing out the new cars. I think they get more of a bang out of these toys than the kids that visit...lol






I have to show you my friends first quilt. Can you imagine she is a new quilter..and also picked out her own fabric. Kim Bolender did the quilting for her. She just has to put the binding on and it is all done. Just love it!!She should be very proud of herself. Now on to another one..she is hooked..lol.



Back to my sewing room. Have a great weekend!!!

Lavender Ridge..Co Cutter Draw

What a cool little addition to anyones sewing room..the Go Cutter. If anyone is interested..you have a short time to get on over to Lavender Ridge and enter your name. Good luck!!

Some jobs just take time!!

It all started last week. I went in to town to order new winter tires. After much searching around the internet with the staff at the garage we decided to stick with what worked out before. I had liked the ones I had..those tires were just worn out. Tires had to be ordered.
So a few days later I went in to get them on..tires off the car..off the rims..ready to put the new ones on. Nope!! The warehouse had shipped the wrong tires or the number had been wrong..who knows!! Well hey these things happen. Back on with the old tires..new ones ordered.
Go back in today to get the new ones on. Now I want you to know..I HATE sitting around waiting for "stuff" to get done. Drives me crazy because all I can think of is all the things I want to do at home.The POOR Girl..!! that works at the garage comes over to me after sometime ...and says..awwww!! we have to put one of your old tires back on the car. They have sent a tire that had a sticker on it with the right number but the numbers ON the tire are not the one we need. Now..I am being nice..it is one of those things that happens. The girl has been awesome..and I feel so sorry for her..it has not been her week...or 2 weeks..lol. No point in making her feel any worse than she already feels. BUT..OMG!! I have to go BACK to town again tomorrow to get the 4th tire. At this point as much as I know I should NOT say this...darn it..it had better snow..LOL..LOL. I will as of tomorrow be ready!!!

Hey and have you noticed..Daylight Saving Time change is Sunday November 7th. How did we get to November anyway!!

Off to get some sewing started..so much for a day of sewing..will call it an evening of sewing..lol

Comments..and Sewing!

I noticed on my side bar that it is showing so many wonderful areas/countries that are the homes to some great bloggers. I would love to hear from you..thanks for dropping in but please if you can slow down and leave a comment. I would love to hear more about you and be able to visit your blog. I know it is a pain to do when our lives are so busy..but it sure would be appreciated. It is so fun to look at the world map and see just where all my visitors are from. Oh my!! In any case thank you so much for dropping in even if you are to busy to comment.

My blog title says Stiches & Hooves..well I am sorry I have not shown a lot of stiches lately. I am still having trouble with my eyes so it has taken me some time to adjust to not sewing "perfect" seams and corners. Slowly I am venturing back to my wonderful hobby. I am just having to let some things "go". I am so lucky to have my #1 love..my horses. They have helped me cope with this change in my life. I am very lucky!!

So here is a table runner I just finished. It was during this class I realized just how bad my eyes were. It is a Serger Class I took..lots of fun and did learn a lot. Yippee..something is finished. Now on to more UFO's that are waiting for me.





Still working on my Mariner's Compass Quilt..it is a queen size so it will be awhile. I started this quilt many years ago..and it is going to get done before my eyes get any worse. I would say I am 1/2 way into this quilt so will post some pictures soon.

Well off to the barn!! Have a great evening.

A Gentle Stroll

Our friends had dropped in for a visit and we decided it was a great day to hitch our horses and go for a wander and check out the fall leaves.
I gave the lads a whistle to come into the front paddock from there big field they graze in all summer long. When they were young I taught them when they heard me..they needed to come. Better than walking all the way out there to get them. You can pretty easily see Bill is saying ..?? what do you want??? It did not take long for them to figure it out.



Just liked they had been hitched the day before. What great lads they are. Both Bill and Max are in there late teens early 20's..lol..we have had them so long we can't remember. Close enough.



Off we went for our tour. Now our lads are not show horses..lol.They are just dear old pets that love to get out as much as we do..and well..we are kinda slow as well. Our friends who show there horses came with us. It was hilarious to hear them as we slowwlly walkeddd down the roadddd!!! LOL..LOL. There horses rarely walk..lol..they are big..impressive, aggressive show horses..and they ``MOVE". What a gorgeous thing to see. (pictures of there horse in back post on this blog) I don`t think they have ever gone on such a slow ride..lol. They said oh my..you can almost day dream while out here...lol So true..it was so relaxing and the horses were that way to.



Back to the little yellow barn after a lovely walk with the lads..what an awesome day!!

Jobs getting Done

The weather has been terrific. Colder nites but that is ok. Still no frost but it is very close some nites. Got the lawn furniture away and the garage sorted as much as possible. Once the lawnmowers are out of there and stored in the shed at the barn..all will be well.

It was hard to stay focused on some of these chores when so much sewing is waiting for me in my room. Hubby got some more uniforms for work that had to have his name embroidered on them. They are 1/2 done. Fun to work even on that. It has been ages since I have embroidered. A friend just got the Husqvarna Diamond so this weeek I showed her the software I have. There is one newer edition but at least I could give her an idea of what kind of changes ect. you can do to an embroidery design. This week we are going to her dealer so she can learn even more about the newer program. I also have a lot of work ahead of me on my Mariner's Compass. I am over 1/2 done with this quilt. It is the boring borders that I am working on right now.

Here is a picture of a wallhanging one of the gals is finishing up at our sewing group. She just retired so is having a great time finishing up project that she started and had trouble finding time to finish off. I guess we are all in the same boat. We really do need longer days lol. Just love the detail in her tree. I am sure she has the perfect spot for it to hang.




Not sure how it happened but our daughter is 39 today and she was born on Sunday. I am so proud of her. What an amazing woman I have watched grow since that day 39 years ago. Terrific mom, great friend and the best daughter we could ever ask for. Happy Birthday Dear!! Cake is in the oven!!

Enjoy the day!!

Awesome Time of Year

How can anyone not love this time of year. These pictures were taken on our back road past our place. These lovely old trees make it my favorite road. My Granddaughters call it the forest road. When coming to visit they always wanted to come the forest way instead of going around the other way using the hwy. Can't blame them!!!







The leaves are falling fast, one more good storm and that will be it. I am so happy I got some time to wander back to my spot and get some pictures before the show is all over for another year. There were deer crossing the road up further but I did not manage to get that picture. Oh well maybe next year.

Have a great weekend!!

Yard Work & Painting

Lots of yard work to get started on..it is that time of year. Time to put away lawn furniture and make sure the snowblower is working. It is so easy to just keep putting off the routine work and wham is that snow out there..lol. Our snowblower is an old thing but it has always done a great touch up job for us when it is needed. The paint is peeling of it..but it keeps on going. Every year I look at the snazzy new ones and droul but no this one will be fine for yet another year. We sure could use another garage for all our toys. I guess this year the lawnmowers are going to have to go to the barn. Would love to get the car in the garage this winter. With snowblower/lawnmower/riding mower/tools/power sprayer...ya! who has room for a car.

Not in the best of mood today. I finally decided I would pick up a paint brush again. After the reno work in the livingroom..ect I had had enough of painting. Well when the ceilings were done in my sewing room and the little spare bedroom the trim coming off damaged the walls. No fault in that happening..they had paint on them and it "happened" to be expected. So down to the basement I go to find the matching paint to the walls in my sewing room. No problem..found it and up the ladder I go..touch up 2 walls. I noticed the shading difference..but hey it will dry out and not be a problem. NOT!!! OMGosh I have to paint the entire room. This also means I have to take down shelving and move a pile of "stuff" out of the way. Grrrrrrrr!! Taking a break and back I will go to finish this darn old job. I just want to be done with it. I think you can see in this picture how different



Hope everyone is having a great day..back to my painting.

Kids & Horses

Our oldest granddaughter loves to come out and play with Murphy. Does not really matter if it is a wash or a ride..he loves it and so does she. Not many more washes with the weather changing. Another thing that is on my list if we win the lottery. Yes..an inside wash bay and some heat..lol. Murphy has a great life. Between our gal riding him and a good friend riding him he gets lots of attention. Lets face it I sure don't ignore him either.



Last nite we had a STORM..OMG... I don't think I got 2 hours sleep so needless to say I am just DONE!! Every time I started to fall back to sleep the darn storm was back. The warnings started around 8:30pm that the winds could hit around the 90k..that got my attention. Guess what, it sure sounded like it did. There were times I thought the little house was going to fly away off into the lake..lol. The reports are that over 20,000 in the area are without hydro. Indeed it was some storm. Not snow I keep reminding myself!!! YET!!

We have started a wonderful quilt pattern with our group from Burnt River. The first group met last Tuesday and what an amazing range of colors are being used. I can not wait to see all the quilt tops finished. The fabrics are just awesome!! There are 19 gals registered for the classes. Because of this we are in 2 groups one week apart. Can't wait to see what the gals have chosen for there fabrics next week. Kim Bolender from Haliburton is our teacher. Kim always takes her time to make sure everyone is feeling comfortable with there assignment for that month. A wonderful teacher. I will try and get some pictures for you as we work along on our quilts.

Time to crash..hope everyone had a great day.

Where were you on 9 - 11?

I remember it like yesterday. With friends away for a day of quilting. Our teacher's husband came and told us what was happening. That changed everything..a day words can not describe. My husband was working in the USA..where was he? What else was going to happen?
I think of the all those lost and the families that have suffered, they are always in our prayers.

The video touches me every time I see it.

Feed Time??

It is all about the groceries. Murphy has been a wonderful addition to our lives. Full of personality with such a calm way about him. This summer has been so hard on the horses. Between the heat, heavy rain and the flies. Never before have we had to have fly masks on the horses for 90% of the summer. Check out the mud..omg!! We have to get the tractor and clean all that out and put down a nice cushion of sand. Another job!!! What we really need is more days to the week.

With the cooler weather comes more riding. The 3 girls took the horses out for a ride the other evening and had a great time. Horses nice and calm..nothing bugging them. With school the riding will be only a few times a week but that is ok. Elaine has on her back pack with a set of bells hanging down..just in case a bear wanders in there area. Several people have seen one but always early in the morning. Bears are one thing that will spook a horse into next week!!!!! Not something I want the girls to deal with. Seems like there is always somthing to think about when going for a simple ride!!



We have had so many tourists from a resort down the road drop in to see the animals. Dusty Miller is a favorite of them all. His picture has been taken by young and old alike. Such a sweet boy with tons of personality. This is his seat and don't anyone forget it..lol.



Off to deal with a back log of housework after a busy weekend.

Enjoy the day!!