I did it!!!!

Do you have one of those mental lists of all the things you'd like to do/accomplish in your life? Mine is so long...and growing by the day. One of the things on my list is to learn to quilt. I've taken some classes but never really finished anything. My grandmother made quilts, my great aunts did; Mark's great grandmothers made quilts. We have several of theirs that I really cherish. Just think of the time and thought that went into each one. I think they're so special. I'm no where near ready to dive into making one like those ladies did. Baby steps here. What better way to start than with a baby doll quilt? I found this tutorial that Vanessa made. Talking about a super talented lady (and so sweet on top of it all!). She gives such easy, detailed instructions that even I could make it. Emma helped pick some of the fabrics since it's for her and her baby. She was in my sewing room quite often encouraging me with her words of praise. I'm so pleased with how this one turned out. It's not perfect...but it's a start.

Did I mention that we moved in????

FINALLY we've moved in!!!!! We've been in the house about a month. We've celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in our new home. I've loved every minute of it! How blessed we feel to finally be here. No curtains, not all the furniture...but we're home. Here's a brief glimpse into our home.

Here's the kitchen on Christmas morning. I love having our extended family with us. Very comfortable. I love my kitchen!Mary's room-all Hollywood glam. Perfect for her. The opposite wall has a pic of Audrey Hepburn. Even I like her room!
Here's Grace's room. She's always loved brown and pink. It's perfect for her. I love the polka dots!Last but not least is Emma. Her bed is not complete, but we're patiently waiting. It's the perfect color of pink for a princess!

Here's my little yellow sewing room. I have this vision of it looking like a bedroom in

Granny's house. I love the iron bed and the old armoire that was my grandfather's. I'd love to make a quilt to put on the bed. Hanging on the armoire is a christening gown that I made for Emma. This room makes me feel happy!
Here's the study. Kind of blah right now.

The living room on Christmas morning!

One of my favorite things is the view out the windows. I love living in the deep south. Just look at the moss dripping from that old oak tree. That happens to be Aubbie our little orange cat climbing in the tree. Just beyond this is the creek.
Hopefully soon we'll have the house a little more decorated and pulled together. Maybe I'll post more pictures then. I have to say, I'm just happy to be here. We've waited so long and God has chosen to bless us beyond our wildest dreams. I'm so very content.

A quiet afternoon

The last couple of weeks Emma and I have been able to meet some friends at the library while we wait on our big girls to dance. This is such a sweet time for us for many reasons. Emma enjoys her little friend while I chat with her mom. I also feel it's a very cherished second chance that God has given me with my friend. Cherish I do every moment I have with her. I wish there were many more (I don't think she's quite up to that yet! LOL). Today, though, our friends didn't make it. It was very, very quiet at the library because all the computers were down. What a perfect opportunity for me and Emma. She did puzzles and built with blocks and we read tons of books (or so it seemed). Two of which Emma picked out all by herself that were so very good I thought I needed to pass them along.

Here was the first book: Degas and the little dancer by Laurence Anholt. Part of our homeschool curriculum includes studying famous artists. What family of ballerinas would not look at Degas? This book was really sweet and gave a kind of personal glimpse of Degas. In the back was a brief history of Degas-perfect for a 6 year old.Who wouldn't want to read about mice living in a tree?? This was so cute! The mice have a special 'festival' to celebrate winter. In the process, two mice children discover some secret rooms beyond the attic. The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem is just precious!

I do hope our friends show up next time we visit the library but just in case they don't we can can always make new friends in all the unread books!

New stuff...kind of! LOL!

Why does it always seem that I'm trying to catch up? I like to think that it means my life is full. Full of love, family, friends and so many blessings! Never a dull moment here. So...now I try to catch up. Sweet April wanted pictures from Canada. Maybe I can post these without crying. Those friends there are so precious to me. Wish I could see them more than just once a year.

I love these old grain elevators! What is it about them that draws me to them? Honestly, I want to print black and whites of these and hang them in our house. They are just lovely to me.

Farming is such a big part of the area we visit in Canada. It seems everyone is connected to it in someway. Usually by the time we arrive in the fall all the crops have been harvested. This year was a bit different. Farmers were still staying up all night trying to harvest their crops. It seems that this summer had been very wet and cold. We were fortunate enough to get to ride in the combine with our buddy Firmin. I realize that doing this day in and day out must get old, but for us it was so much FUN!!

He and Sharon are so dear to us. I wish we had many more hours to spend with the two of them.

Besides farming we did lots of visiting, tons of eating and even a little pumpkin carving at Auntie Cheryl's house. I never imagined I'd have so much fun.My favorite thing to do in Manitoba is visit Mrs. Phyllis. She's Cheryl's neighbor and she's just adorable. This lady should have been born in the south. Talk about southern hospitality...she's got it down to a perfection! Over the years, as we've sat at her kitchen table, we've had many cups of hot tea, perogies, homemade cakes and lots of homemade cookies. Oh! and I can't possibly forget the homemade sauerkraut! Talk about delicious! I love, love to visit with her and learn about her life. What a precious lady she is.Now everyone knows the real reason we get to go to Canada, right? It's to hunt, of course! Never will you see so many geese and ducks. Our dogs (and my husband) are in heaven!
I can't imagine anyone visiting here and not falling in love...with the prairie and with the people.Heaven just has to be a little bit like Shoal Lake.