The Valance Project

The valances in our kitchen are tired. Very tired. They are navy blue, that has faded, and they are "old fashioned", I'm told.

My friend Carolyn, who makes all kinds of "window treatments" and gets paid big bucks for it, told me that she was going to teach me how to make valances for my windows. (How hard can it be?) I got the fabric and yesterday afternoon, we started the project.

First we had to measure and cut all the pieces for all five of the windows. That took us most of the afternoon. This is Carolyn working on one of the pieces.

This is me cutting one of the long pieces. This fabric is so pretty and cheerful!

We cut out the pieces for 48 tabs for the tops of the valances. This is me sewing them together after Carolyn left. She loaned me her sewing machine.

After they were all sewn, I trimmed them.

The next step was to turn them right side out and press them. Here they are all sewn, pressed, folded and ready to sew on to the tops of the curtains.

Stay tuned, next Monday is phase two; sewing the valances together and hanging them.

(And wait until you hear about my next 'how-hard-can-it-be' project. Response from my partner in crime for this one - "I'm stoked Granny")

The Viola Progress

With the move I kind of got behind on my viola. I've been back to it and getting some work done on it the past few days. This is the front and back with the purfling set in the groove. Tomorrow, I'll take it out, trim it and glue it in place. I'm pleased with how it came out and now I'm pumped about getting it glued and starting work on the insides.

To give some size perspective. This is the back of the viola alongside the violin that I finished making last year. The size difference shows when they're side by side. When I start my cello this summer, there's a huge size difference. Not to mention the double bass that Bethany and I are going to start making later this year.

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Did the purfling today. I can see the barn door now!

The Visitor

The visitor strolls into the yard, I see it out the window.

It sniffs around and finds a comfy spot by the rhubarb.

Settles in for a little snooze.

Hears Muggins bark, so heads off into the trees behind the antique sattelite dish.

And that my friends is why I am not going to compost!

Stuff

As the weather gets nicer, the guard cockapoo spends more time watching for something to bark at. This week she found a new chin rest.

This was the state of the woodpile on April 5th. This is for next year's heat (our furnace is wood/electric). The Mister has been working on it almost every afternoon. Uncle Roy taught him to sharpen his chain saw, so that saves a lot of time, trips to town and money.

Here it is today .... he's "gettin' 'er done".

While The Mister was out cutting wood I was looking in the "back yard" and found this secret garden. There are hundreds of trilliums budding and blooming right now.

They are so pretty!

No more lollygagging, I have work to do.

The Kids Are Here - Day 4

Today is the last day that the kids will be here. We wanted to make it fun, so after everyone was up (Mya slept in) and going, we went out on a field trip.

We went to Minden to the playground behind the town offices. (The only one we knew of.) We wanted the kids to get the full meal deal, so here's Devon and Gavin going down the slide. He asked for this one a second time, but that was plenty.

Mya played in the sand until it was her turn for us to show her how to have fun with us.

She got to go in the swing, she looked all panicky for the first forward swing, then after that she sat with a completely bored look on her face and endured it.

Gavin wanted to go on the big kids swing. Trying to put him on it was hilarious. We both tried, but it was like trying to put jello on a stick. They were the stupid rubber strap swings. I put this picture here because Devon looks so funny in this pic.

After we both tried, she had a little swing with him on her lap. I do mean little. He was not impressed.

After that we there was teeter todder and monkey bars.

Next stop, Kawartha Dairy. We figured we were going to have a gargantuan mess on our hands after this one.

Nope, a few baby wipes and we were on our way.

We got back to the house with time to sit and chat for a few minutes then load up. The kids' patience was beginning to deteriorate at this point. Devon was headed for Cam's place where Johanne is meeting her and taking over with the kids. Devon is getting Cam from the airport this evening.

This is Granny, locking the door as they left to ensure that nobody could get back in. Granny needs a break from the chaos ... a huge break.

That's why CG is coming up tomorrow .... so Granny doesn't get a break.

The Kids Are Here - Day 3

Mya was not a happy camper this morning .. she laid on the dining room floor an snoozed for a while. I think she misses her Dad.

We went for a drive ... destination Wolf Preserve. Got there and the office was open but the wolf section wasn't. Duh ... should have called.

We got back to Carnarvon and Mya got car sick. Yay! We cleaned her up, then headed home. After lunch, we went for a walk in the forest.

After we returned from our walk, we bathed the kids ... I say "we" carelessly, 'cause Devon did it, and she did a great job. They never have baths, Cameron showers them, so they were not really familiar with her way of doing the job.

Then it was supper, and bed time. Then survival for me and Devon.

The Kids Are Here - Day 2

We made it through the first night with everyone in one piece. The kids didn't even wake up or at least I didn't hear them if they did. By morning they had switched beds though.

After putting them to bed and untwisting the light bulbs, and drawing the blind, all was quiet. I noticed that Mya (I'm guessing) removed the night light from the socket. Okay ... it's gone now.

Devon is on her way up to stay until Tuesday. We're all waiting for the car to show up any minute.

Gavin has been up and had a LOT of Cheerios and OJ. He said Cheerios, yes, and juice and I understood all three words. Yay for me.

Mya is mopey this morning. I'm not sure if perhaps she's not a bit homesick. After Devon gets here, we'll have lunch and go to the playground. That should brighten her up a bit.

I've put a really lousy calendar-ish on the fridge for them, outlining each day's activities. That way the have an idea of what to expect. My artwork is pretty crappy, but I don't think they'll mind.

The check marks are the ones that are finished now.

The Kids Are Here

The big weekend is in progress. The kids are here.

After they got here and settled in, we went for a walk in the forest. It seemed to be mildly entertaining despite the drizzle.

After we got back Gavin wanted a video in, so we put it on. Mya watched the video, investigated the house and stole Muggins' toys. Much to Muggins' disappointment, Mya didn't get that she was expected to throw them.

I was worried about them communicating, but both of them have used the pecs book (don't know what that stands for).

Gavin picked out the hamburger picture, attached it to the card, along with the "I want" picture.

I was so pleased that it all worked. Mya picked out her choice for a movie from the book and handed it to me.

We had supper and now they're busy doing their own things.

Gavin watching a video.

Mya singing to her reflection in the door of the oven.

And now, happily it's 7:00 ... bedtime approaches.

Word Travels

The Mister's brother live in a town where everyone knows everyone.

Apparently, someone in his neighbourhood spotted the "Googlemaps" truck coming their way, so they all made sure they were ready for their "closeup". This is the Mister's brother looking casual. I've edited the address stuff, although, why would I worry about privacy!?

I think it's hilarious.

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It's The Little Things

Sometimes the little things can be huge. This is some of the drawers and cupboards in my kitchen. The fridge is white and the walls are an almost white shade of icy blue. See the ceramic floor tiles, grey-blue and white. The pulls are all dark ivory, bordering on yellow.

Perhaps some of you don't have a problem with this style of pulls. I hate them, and I hate knobs on the drawers.

Why, you ask. First of all they're kind of frou-frou for my taste.

Adjective

frou-frou (comparative more frou-frou, superlative most frou-frou)

1. Frilly; heavily ornamental; fancy; overly elaborate, particularly as regards clothing.

   
   

But that's not the main reason. This is the part that really makes me crazy. Not being freakishly tall, pockets and other decorative bits of clothing catch on the pulls and tear.

I started looking for new pulls quite some time ago. I was shocked to find that the kind that I liked were in the $4 - $6 range ... each. I needed 41 of the little devils.

This past week, we got the Lee Valley (Yay!) catalogue for April 2010, and they had drawer pulls on sale .... the kind I liked and had been looking at .... 10 for $6. I couldn't believe my eyes.

No more caught pockets. White instead of the yellow-y colour, so they look MUCH better, despite the Mister's mocking.

You be the judge!

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What Next?!

Today I went to Bethany's and while she worked on a fiddle, I worked on my viola. As we worked and chatted, we made plans for upcoming projects.

When my viola is finished, I'm starting my cello. I now have the plans (pattern) for making it, so I can even start making templates.

We also started making plans for another project. This will be one that we'll get paid for. We're going to combine efforts and make a double bass. We're both going to buy the supplies, work on it, and we'll split the profit.

Here's a pic of one ... it'll be bit bigger than the current projects, but we're up for it!

After having been chastised for not posting frequently enough recently, I hope you're impressed.

It's Been a While

It's been quite a while since I blogged, a month as a matter of fact. We've been busy settling in to the new digs and trying to keep up with all of our usual activities. We're still not finished unpacking, but I've finally been able to do a little work on my viola this week anyway.

A couple of weeks ago we had a talent show at our local "club". This is The Mister & me, performing some tunes.

I decided to get some people together to add to the fun. We Played "This Land Is Your Land" with combs and wax paper. Our band was called "Comb Motion". Although we didn't win the "Idol" title, the one who did asked us to accompany him while he played his final tune. (Notice Gryper, second from the right.)

Gavin, Grandson III, turned 8 years old and we went out for supper. Gavin went and sat at the bar for a few minutes. Here is the birthday boy with his dad.

Later, Larry, went over to have a little "guy talk" with him. I don't know what they were chuckling about here.

Last week, we had a birthday lunch for a Red Hat friend. She's got a cottage on the lake for the summers and an apartment in town for the winters. She has a car and still drives. She does a lot of volunteer work and raises a bunch of money for the hospital auxiliary. It was her 95th birthday.

April 15th is the annual music festival and I'm performing again. I'm doing one fiddle set, with The Mister accompanying. I'm playing two pieces with the string ensemble (violin) and two pieces with the concert band (flute). Just working on those is keeping me out of trouble.

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