Oh my what a month February has been….

the view from my front door

I can’t ever remember a month where we had back to back to back storms. It would storm on Saturday and Sunday and then storm again on Tuesday or Wednesday. We would just get dug out from one storm in time for the next one to hit. It has been epic! I have heard various reports on the total amount of snow that has fallen – anywhere from 70″ to 90″! That is a lot of snow.

During all of this we have also been breaking records for cold temps. BRRR!!! let’s just say it has really been winter here in the Northeast and especially along the coast. I am not complaining I live in Maine not down south where they freak over a dusting.

Gracie and Stella in the snow covered yard

While all of this has been happening we brought home a new baby. The four legged kind. Miss Stella has joined our family. Stella is a chocolate lab who is a little spitfire. Stella has us all jumping at her command, she is just so darn cute.

Stella – one of her rare quiet moments!

Love that face!

Gracie is not at all sure that she is happy about the newest family member but she is definitely telling Stella to stay our of her space. They are sharing toys and people but as with all sisters they do get on each others nerves!

Gracie telling Stella the rules

During all of this fun in the snow we have been doing some puppy training. Stella knows to go to the door and ring the bells when she has to go outside, she comes when she is called – even when I don’t have a treat in my hand and she sleeps through the night. She does not want to accept that Gracie is the boss yet but she will learn.

It has been a great month to stay in and cook and sew – I have been stocking the freezer with all sorts of goodies that make it easier for me to have a hot meal on the table and still get some sewing and quilting done.

I don’t mind the snow but I am not in charge of relocating it after every storm. Our snow blower decided that it didn’t want to be in charge of snow removal either and after 15 years it died. We will get a new one next year when there is actually a selection. Not many snow blowers available in the Northeast these days.

Here is a little peek at some of the sewing that I have been doing lately.

Mirror Mirror Block by Marie Bostwick

Grand Illusion by Bonnie Hunter

Stay warm, Spring is coming – hopefully the snow will melt by May.

Be Kind….

Faith

A pleasant day…

Aug4

in Maine. About a month ago Chuck and I decided to take a ride, we loaded Gracie into the car and headed northeast.

Gracie loves the car

There are so many amazing places to visit in Maine that we often have a hard time deciding where to go. Chuck had read about Owls Head, Maine in Downeast Magazine. We read that there is an amazing little general store where you can get “the best hamburger in Maine” It is called the Owls Head General Store and let me tell you they have the best hamburgers in Maine.

We grabbed our hamburgers, chips and lemonade and headed to the Owls Head State Park. It was a beautiful day so a lot of people had the same idea. We spotted a picnic table in the shade with an amazing view and plopped ourselves down to enjoy “the best hamburger in Maine”.

our lunch time view

The lighthouse is a short walk from the picnic area. I love lighthouses – I love the views that you see at lighthouses, typically they are situated in a spot where it can be seen for miles – because of this when you visit the lighthouses the views go on for miles.

Owls Head Lighthouse

We love visiting the Lighthouses of Maine. There are a lot that we have not seen yet but we have a list and one by one we will be checking them off of our list. Many we will visit more than once because they are such special places.

Of course during this ride we went past a few quilt shops – during that time of year many quilt shops through out the country were participating in a program called The Row by Row experience. The shops that were participating have designed a row, you collect the rows from the various shops and then make a quilt out of them. During the summer I was fortunate to collect patterns from Maine, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. The quilter who gets 7 rows made into a quilt first and brings it to a participating shop wins a prize. I have not even started mine yet but I will make the rows and show them to you at some point.

Chuck and I had a wonderful day, we saw some beautiful views and in the end had an ice cream cone. What more can you ask for – lighthouses, quilt shops, good food, great company, a dog and an ice cream cone. Seems like a wonderful way to spend a summer day.

Have a great day….

Be Kind…

Faith

A Wonderful weekend…

Jul21

in Boston. A couple of weekends ago we loaded up the car, dropped Gracie off and the kennel and headed south to Beantown. We were going to visit our daughter Elizabeth and spend the day wandering around Boston and seeing the Red Sox.

Our first stop was the Quincy Market – we went for a walk around the business district. Had to get our steps in for the day.

Elizabeth and me in Quincy Market

Our next stop was the Museum of Fine Arts Boston to see the Pilgrim/Roy Collection of antique quilts. The quilts were amazing!!! I had a wonderful time looking at them and getting inspired once again to go home and make quilts. Here are a few of my favorites from the collection.

Four Poster quilt – this was made to fit a 4 poster bed.

Baltimore Album

I love the half blocks on the sides – you almost never see this in quilts made today.

Star details

border – love it!

love the simplicity of the design and the amazing quilting.

When you think about the fact that most of these quilts were made in the 1800’s – they were hand pieced, machine pieced and hand quilted. There were no rotary cutters, none of the tools that we use today to make our quilts complete. It was wonderful to be able to see these quilts in person. They were displayed in a way that allowed you to really see the details and the workmanship of the quilts. We had a lovely light lunch at the museum and then continued our Boston fun.

We headed back to our hotel to relax for a bit before dinner and the game. It was so nice to spend time with Elizabeth – we had a cocktail and a cheese and fruit platter and wonderful silly conversation. I tried a Moscow Mule and I just might have to purchase some of these fun copper cups and have a Moscow Mule Party.

Moscow Mule

Dinner was early and Garrett – (Elizabeth’s boyfriend) joined us at Stephanie’s on Newbury. We had a very nice dinner and then walked to the park.

Fenway Park

The Red Sox won the game that evening- we had a wonderful time and then went back to our hotel for a nightcap and some more conversation. Overall the day was relaxed, fun and exciting. Boston is a wonderful city – it is easy to get around and it has always been one of my favorite places to spend a day.

We were up early the next morning so that we could pick Gracie up at the kennel. Gracie was very happy to see us and to be home and Chuck and I were happy to be home as well.

I will post more pictures from the museum tomorrow – there are some more amazing quilt to see.

Have a nice day,

Be Kind…

Faith

A few long weeks…

Jun5

So the weather here in Maine has been good and bad this spring. My allergies have been horrible and to top it off I picked up some sort of virus that has had me feeling pretty lousy these past few weeks. It has been a chilly, damp rainy spring here along the coast of Maine.

If you notice the date on the thermometer it is May 28th. 45 degrees on May 28th, that is crazy!

This is a picture of some of the flower parts that have since been appliquéd onto the raffle quilt. I have done my part, now another member is doing the long arm quilting, she will then pass it to yet another member who will put the binding on. It is wonderful when we have a group of quilters working together.

This is a picture of my favorite pincushion. I have had it for over 20 years, it is wool roving that has been rolled together. I love the colors and the size and shape.

Last weekend I used my new FreshTech canner. I made strawberry rhubarb jam and strawberry jam. It was very easy to make with my new canner and it didn’t heat up my kitchen and it was done very quickly.

Our pool was opened today – they worked amidst the rain drops. It needs to clear up before we can vacuum it but the fact that it is open means summer must be on it’s way.

It looks more like pond than a pool but once the water clears it will be crystal clear and Gracie (our chocolate lab) will be swimming long before any people do.

This little fellow was watching the pool opening. The pool cover had been protecting one of his little holes and now that the cover is off the entrance to his home is no longer hidden. I don’t think he was very happy. Oh well he can move out anytime – that would be fine with me.

So now I will get back to some of my other projects – I have a long list of quilts to make.

Be Kind….
Faith

Celtic Christmas – part 2…

Dec10

Our Christmas tree this year.

Bonnie posted part 2 of the mystery on Friday but before I could get sewing I needed to decorate the house, and Sunday was such a beautiful day we took Gracie for a walk.

When all of that was finished I started cutting and stitching like a crazy lady. I have been working on some Christmas presents but I have also been working on Celtic Christmas aka Bonnie Hunter’s Celtic Solstice http://www.quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html.

I am not finished sewing but I am finished cutting and marking.

I have started to sew. Bonnie’s hint to mark all of the center lines does make getting a true rectangle much easier.

I have put together a few of the chevrons just to be sure that I had the concept correct.

As you can see I am keeping Bonnie’s instructions right in front of me because the potential for mistakes is very high with all of these angles.

I have been saving the triangles that I am trimming off. I haven’t decided whether or not I will use them but i just can’t bring myself to throw the out right now. I have seen that many of you have completed this step already – one question – do you sleep?

I love to look at all of the different combinations of colors that everyone is using. It is such fun to try to imagine what the end result will look like.

It is snowing a little bit here in Southern Maine right now and that is fine with me. I have no where that I need to go so I can stay home and sew. Enjoy the process.

Be Kind…

Faith

Wow – 1 year anniversary!

Nov6

Who would have thunk it??? I wrote my first blog post over a year ago. I have really enjoyed sharing my world with you and I hope that you have enjoyed taking a peak. This fall has been very busy – we have done a bit of traveling, we have watched our beloved Red Sox win the World Series, I have worked on many charity projects and Chuck has removed bags and bags of leaves from the yard. Over the next couple of days I will share a lot of the wonderful pictures that I have taken and tell you about some of our adventures.

In September Chuck and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. Don’t ask me where those 28 years went. It is pretty nice to be married to and spend everyday with your BFF. We really enjoy each others company, we look forward to spending time together. That is a really good thing because we work together also.

We took a trip to Bar Harbor in October. Thankfully the idiots in Washington had re-opened the Federal Government so we could walk through Acadia National Park with out “breaking” the law. I have some really pretty pictures from our walk around Eagle Lake. It was mid-October so the trees were in full color.

leaves on the carriage road around Eagle Lake

I have been very busy being the President of Evergreen quilters. We hosted 85 quilters from all over southern Maine for a pot luck dinner and speaker. We had a wonderful meeting and handed out some fabulous door prizes. Leroy the Chicken was one of the door prizes.

Leroy

Leroy is a very large pin cushion. I need to make one for myself. I would love to have Leroy keep me company while I sew. I would just need to keep him away from Gracie -he is stuffed with crushed walnut shells. It seems Gracie likes to eat pin cushions that are filled with crushed walnut shells. She devoured Henrietta the hen a few months ago. Bad Dog!

So stay tuned – I have loads of wonderful things for you to see and read about.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog – I really enjoy the creative outlet that it gives me. I also love to share bits and pieces of my daily life here on the coast of Southern Maine.

Remember…. Be Kind…

Faith

Fun weekend & Mabel visits Maine part 2…

Aug6

Jacoby Ellsbury hitting a triple

What a wonderful weekend I just had. Friday night we went to Boston to see the Red Sox. We met our daughter in Boston, sat at the bar at Jerry Remy’s, had a couple of cold beers and some nachos and just talked. It was wonderful to have some time to just visit and be silly. Our daughters boyfriend met us later for dinner and then we went to the game.

We had fabulous seats and had a really nice evening. Got back to Maine at about midnight. Phew long, but great day. Sadly the Sox lost.

On Saturday our son and his girlfriend came to visit. Of course they brought their 5 month old, 70 lb. English Mastiff named Mabel.

Mabel is a very large, very sweet dog. She has her crazy times as do all puppies but then she gives you a big sloppy English Mastiff kiss and all is right with the world.

Mabel

The weather was absolutely beautiful. The temps are perfect, no humidity. We had some wonderful meals together, the kids and Mabel went to the beach for a walk.

A man and his dog.

We have determined that Mabel does not like the water. We tried to get her into the pool but she wanted no part of that. When we brought her to the beach she skittered away from the waves. Some dogs like the water and some just don’t. Mabel is a don’t.

Mabel thinks that she is a lap dog. Which is fine now but someday she may weigh in at 150 lbs.

Mabel loves the yard and the freedom to check out the flowers and the bees.

She also likes to sunbath. Overall I think that Mabel likes visiting Maine. Every time I see her she has grown a lot. I have to say that I love this dog. I love her goofy antics when she is chasing a ball and sliding all over the floor. I love when she pounces on an ice cube and sends it flying across the floor. She is a puppy disguised in a very large dog body. Mabel is fun!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend also. I hope it was spent with people you love, that always makes the weekend better.

Be Kind…

Faith

Mabel the Mastiff visits Maine…

May29

Hmmm – how do I get up there?

Memorial Day weekend was a raining cold one here in Maine. I almost turned on the heat but it was the end of May and I totally refused to turn it on. I cooked and baked instead. That warmed up the kitchen and family room, which is really just one big room.

Is there something good to eat in there?

Yes, I am being a good girl. But don’t blink…

My son Charles, his girlfriend Charlotte and MABEL came to visit. Mabel is a 12 week old English Mastiff puppy. She already weighs 27 lbs. Yikes she is growing fast. She is a puppy and does all the wonderful and annoying puppy things. She tumbles over herself, she pounces on everything that she finds and she chews. She chews pant legs, bones, toys and hands. I was lucky enough to avoid the little shark teeth and came through the weekend unscathed, I can’t say the same for the other members of the family.

Oh dear – I am in love!!! Are you sure you want to take her home.

Mabel is quite the little con-artist… she makes you think that she is just a sweet puppy until she decides to pounce on your fingers or hand or ankle. OUCH! what a jaw she has, but somehow it doesn’t matter – you just keep loving her and going back for more. Mabel is totally irresistible! I just love this “little” puppy.

Those toes are very vulnerable!

I am being a really good girl – but just wait. HaHa…

The same can’t be said for Gracie our almost 5 year old Chocolate Lab. At first she was ok with Mable but after awhile she had had enough and just barked at Mabel. Being the puppy that she is Mabel just didn’t get the hint – she kept begging Gracie to play with her but Gracie wanted no part of it. Imagine a teenager with a 3 year old, “Please, Please, Please play with me!!!! Please, please, please!!! Gracie just barked and said NO BUG OFF!!! Gracie doesn’t mind if you are in her house, she doesn’t mind if you play with her toys but just don’t bug her. You stay on your side of the room and I will stay on my side.

So on Monday – Memorial Day when it was time for the kids and Mabel to go home the weather was beautiful. Isn’t that always the way? Your travel days are always beautiful.

We had a wonderful weekend playing with this wonderful new addition to the family. The concept of her being over 100 lbs. isn’t really anything that I can comprehend but in a year she will not be sleeping on my lap. The most wonderful thing about Mastiffs is that they are gentle giants – just don’t threaten their family and you will be fine.

I hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend.

Be Kind…

Faith

GRACIE…

Jan28

Sweet Baby Sept 2008

Oh how we love our pets – some of us go over the top but my feeling is that our pets become part of the family. Gracie had me at Hello, she fell asleep in my arms in the car after we picked her up at Puddleduck Retrievers and I was done. Love at first sight puppy breathe and all. Gracie is a Chocolate Lab and we have all heard horror stories about Chocolate Labs. None of them are true of Gracie, she is smart, calm and above all sweet. Gracie has not caused us one moment of stress since we brought her home. Until Saturday.

I was all packed up getting ready to spend the day making pillowcases for the Battered Woman’s Shelter in York County. Sewing machine, scissors, iron, lunch and a snack all loaded in the car, time to take a shower and get moving. Gracie always comes upstairs when I am getting ready to go out, she is trying to figure out whether or not she is coming me, she seems to be able to judge by the clothes that I am wearing what her chances for a ride in the car are.

I heard a strange noise and turned to see her having what appeared to be a seizure. It was very disturbing – I dropped to the floor and tried to still her. The trembling did not lessen in fact it seemed to intensify. Chuck was in the basement – in my biggest booming voice, I called him to come quickly. I didn’t dare mention at this point that I was concerned for Gracie – that would have scared him too much. We quickly came to the conclusion that we needed to get her to the Vet. Gracie was unable to walk, Chuck had to carry her to the car. We were very frightened! First we brought her to our regular Vet who thankfully has Saturday hours and then unto the Emergency Vet.

Gracie had to spend the night in Hospital. They were monitoring her for more seizure activity. There are still a lot of questions. Did Gracie actually have a seizure? What caused the seizure? Was it something she ate? Is it the onset of Idiopathic Epilepsy? The Vet did blood work so that we know it was not caused by a metabolic disease.

Happy dog! Christmas 2012

Gracie did not have another seizure. We were able to pick her up late Sunday morning. We still do not have a confirmed explanation for the seizure. If she continues to have seizures we will do more tests, to get confirmation of Epilepsy we need to have an MRI and a spinal fluid analysis. These tests will cost almost $2000. If the seizures continue we will have these tests done. Thankfully Gracie has been seizure free since 10 am Saturday morning.

We love our dog in a way similar to the way we love our family. We have committed to taking care of them and to giving them the best life we can. They bring us endless joy, they make us laugh, they comfort us and they always seem to know when we need an extra bit of affection. Gracie seems like the same wonderful dog, companion that she has been since the day we brought her into our family. Hopefully the seizure was a fluke and she will be seizure free for the rest of her wonderful life. We will watch her carefully and get her the medical attention that she needs, hopefully it will not be needed.

Gracie brings joy into our life she is a sweet, gentle, smart little dog. We will continue to give her the same joy.

Be Kind….

Faith

quiltingonthecove

A peek at my life. My quilting, my cooking and a look at the beautiful place that I live!

Archives

Oh my what a month February has been….

A pleasant day…

A Wonderful weekend…

A few long weeks…

Celtic Christmas – part 2…

Wow – 1 year anniversary!

Fun weekend & Mabel visits Maine part 2…

Mabel the Mastiff visits Maine…

GRACIE…