Apart From You I Have No Good Thing

Reminder to self....

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Remove pins before sewing over them!

Happy Monday.

xo Nicole

Make Life!

2012-01-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I have finished my first quilt of 2012. It's made from a charm pack of Sweetwater's Make Life, some Moda Bella Snow for the background, and polka dots from Make Life for the border and binding. It's a lovely size for a baby quilt, so good thing that it has a new home with a sweet baby.

I made it for the daughter of a teacher that I work with. I picked out the fabrics before I knew what the gender of the baby would be, but I knew that it would be perfect. I used a pattern that I got from Carla at Moda Club last year. It's super easy and quick to put together. I really love the graphic quality of it too. I may just have to make another one day! It would also be fun to do with a layer cake.

For the backing I used a sweet Japanese print that I got on sale that has little soldiers and cats and dogs and trees marching in rows. The colours are a fabulous match with the charm pack. I had thought that I had enough to do the whole back, but it turned out that I was short a bit. Luckily I had just the perfect amount of red dots left over from the border and binding. I can't believe how perfectly that it worked out.

I quilted it 1/4" away from the seams; a kind of echo quilt, I guess. It took quite awhile to get it all quilted. I used my walking foot and did have some problems with the stitch tension. Most of the quilting looks okay after I washed it. I really love how crinkly and soft this quilt got after it came out of the dryer.

My new favourite way to do binding on baby quilts is by machine. It is so much faster and it will hopefully hold up better to frequent washings. I am becoming better at it with each quilt I make.

It feels good to get something done. I can take delight in that! I have been feeling a little overwhelmed by all my projects that are piling up. Hopefully I can finish some other things up in the next little while. I'll try to make up a blog post soon featuring some things I am working on. Then you can keep me accountable to finishing them!

xo Nicole

In Progress

2012-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

I am piecing a quilt called Rambling Rose Meets Jamestown for a local quilter. It's going to be a big one - queen size in fact. I've got the first three blocks done, but have many more to go. Nine more sample style and 23 log cabins. The pattern uses templates for cutting out the pieces. It's the first time that I have used templates and I quite like them. The only pain is when they slip a little in the middle of a cut! I think I figured my way around that now though.

I worked on this block in the past week. It took longer than I anticipated, but it came together well enough. It is called Roanoke Island. I like the fussy cut flower center.

This block gave me some troubles. I'm not really sure why, but I misunderstood the directions and had to do a bunch of ripping out. Oh, my old friend, seam ripper. This block is called Discovery.

Lastly, I have been working on a sample for my Beginner's Quilt class in the spring at Katja's. I miscalculated how much background I needed and had to buy some more last week. Good thing there's lots of it! I also was not thrilled with my original sashing choice, so I bought a new fabric today for that. I think it's going to be lovely!

xo Nicole

PS. Sorry about the terrible photos. Night time lighting is the pits.

Addison's Quilt

2012-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

Last October/November I sewed up a little quilt for a baby shower for my friend. I used blocks from my month from The Maple Leaf Bee 2 quilting bee. I was originally planning to add an off white border around each block and then some scrappy sashing, but in the end it was a perfect quick project for a baby.

I had each of my bee mates sew up some scrappy log cabin blocks a la Denise Schmidt drunk love in a log cabin style. I sent them out a lovely selection of green, pink, orange and brown prints and solids and I am so pleased with the results. The hardest thing is capturing the colours accurately on camera. I tried my best to doctor up the pictures a bit to get you a better idea of what they look like. However, it just doesn't measure up to seeing it in person.

I quilted it with an all over stipple loop and machine sewed the binding. I love the bright pink of the binding. It adds just a little more girly-ness without being over the top.

I pieced the back together with some left over bits of fabric and sewed on a label in an oval shape from a piece of Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party line. I think it may be my favourite part of the quilt! I hope my friend and her baby girl will enjoy this quilt for many years.

xo Nicole

Welcoming 2012

2012-01-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

I know that it's a little cliché to review the last year and make goals for the coming year, but it feels satisfying somehow. In the past year there have been many accomplishments and some difficulties.

I have a faithful God who loves me and will always be with me. I have a loving and supportive husband. My family relationships and friendships have been deepened and strengthened. I am blessed with two great jobs and wonderful colleagues. My health is good and is even improving. We are home-owners and have been blessed with everything that we need.

Even in the midst of unexpected difficulties and hardships, I can be joyful and filled with hope for the future. I know that my character is being stretched and grown. I am becoming more of the person that God wants me to be and I am so thankful for this.

In the coming year I have a lot of goals, hopes and dreams. Some of them are small and some are large. Some are public and some are private. I'll share some with you.

:: to make relationships a priority
:: to visit family and friends regularly
:: to teach a quilting class
:: to finish many of my unfinished projects from 2011 (I have three quilts basted that are waiting to be quilted!)
:: to do some of the quilts on my long list
:: to use up lots of my fabric that I already have
:: to be wise with my time
:: to finish crocheting a couple of baby blankets
:: to significantly cut down my sugar intake
:: to make myself do things 'now' rather than 'later'
:: to purge my house of unnecessary clutter and stuff
:: to be a peacemaker

I have heard of people choosing a word to remind them of their top priority for the year and I'd like to do that too. I'm just not sure what that one all encompassing word would be. Maybe the word delight. It has the conotation of being content and joyful and thankful. It makes me feel happy. I want to take delight in what life offers me. I want to delight in the Lord. Yes, that will be my word for the year. Delight.

xo Nicole

Grandma's Quilt

2011-10-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

I finished sewing Grandma's quilt up last weekend and sent it off to her on Monday. She received it Friday and is so thrilled with it. She says that it matches her decor perfectly. I am so happy that she loves it, because by the time that I was finished with it, I wanted to keep it for myself.

I ended up inserting a little strip in it to make it longer. When I originally cut up the squares I had decided on a certain dimension, but when it came time to sew the squares together, I didn't remember what I'd decided. So I just guessed, and it turned out wrong. I had wanted to do 9 squares by 12 squares, but I sewed them together in 10 by 11 (and I had to cut a few more). Then the quilt was too short and I had no more scraps to add in. I was thinking about just adding a top border, but when I mentioned my problem to Katja, she suggested adding in a strip instead. So I did, and I really liked the way it turned out.

I ended up quilting it in a zigzag pattern in the squares, and did a little stipple in the floral strip section. I bound it in a peach check that was perfect for the quilt. After I washed it up, it was so crinkly and soft and even better than I imagined. I know that it will keep Grandma company through many evenings of TV watching.

I better go get going on my next quilt! I have a long list of quilts to make....

xo Nicole

I'm Teaching!

2011-10-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

This quilt is called Reversed Rainbows and I will be teaching a class on November 1st. If you want to make one of your own, please sign up this week at Katja's Quilt Shoppe in Kamloops. Hope to see you there!

xo Nicole

Placemats

2011-10-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

I made up a set of four placemats for my cousin for a wedding gift. She just got married on the September long weekend. I had some fun fruit fabric (alliteration anyone?) and combined it with some other fabrics in my stash. I enjoyed putting in some colours that didn't match exactly, but I thought they spiced it up a bit. When I tried adding colours that were a little closer match to the fruit fabrics, it looked really dull.

I added a fun striped fabric to the back so they can be reversible. I quilted straight lines about 3/8" apart and a solid green binding was machine stitched on. Once washed up they still look great. The only thing that I am not so happy about is the way that the fabric looks like it has chevrons from the quilting. Oh well, next time will be better.

xo Nicole

Doll Quilt Swap 11 Received!

2011-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

I actually received it about a month ago, but forgot to blog about it! I don't know why because I really love it. It was made for me by a lovely woman, Wendy. On Flickr, she is known as On a Whim / Little Whimsies.

She posted some sneak peeks during the construction phase, and I had commented that I really loved it and the colours were awesome. I never dreamed that I would be receiving it!

She also included a couple extra goodies - magnets covered in coordinating fabrics, some fun pins and a little sticky note pad. I love these too!

She called the quilt "Teddy Bear's Picnic" possibly because in one of my comments I mentioned that the tiny bear paws could be teddy bear's paws. Whatever the case, I sincerely love it and it's hanging up behind my sewing machine now. It inspires me everyday with it's tiny loveliness.

Have you ever made a mini quilt or a doll quilt? You should - it's fun and fast!

xo Nicole

My Beet Soup

2011-09-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I know how to make Beet Borscht or anything. This is just my made up recipe and I think it tastes good! This is a great time of year to make things with beets.

1 onion

2 stalks celery

2 cloves garlic

5 or 6 beets

2 carrots

1/2 head of cabbage

1 large can diced tomatoes

farmer's sausage

bullion cube

s & p

dill

I start with onions, celery, and garlic. Chop 'em up and throw 'em in a pot with some olive oil and cook them while you are preparing the next stuff. I chop up the beets into small cubes and add them into the pot. Same thing with the carrots and cabbage. Then I throw in the canned tomatoes and some water and a bullion cube. I turn up the heat to make them boil, then turn it down to simmer. I also cut up some farmer's sausage and add it. Totally optional, but it tastes really good. Then I just cook it up until it's done, maybe one and a half hours. Before serving, I throw in the dill and when it's in the bowl I blob in some sour cream or plain yogurt. You can even sprinkle in some more dill if you like. Eat it up with some fresh bread. Yum!

Pretty simple and very tasty. Let me know if you try making it sometime or if you have any questions.

xo Nicole

One of my Works in Progress

2011-09-17T22:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend I started with a pile of fabrics that are leftovers from a quilt I made for my mom and added in some solid peach fabrics. I'm making a quilt for my Grandma V.

I recently visited her and she was showing us her new digital cable box and trying to figure out how it worked. I thought that she would enjoy having a quilt to keep her warm while watching her favourite shows this winter.

Her favourite colour is peach and I thought that it would go well with these florals. I think that it makes a lovely simple patchwork. My stack quickly was cut and began to be pieced in a few evenings.

I currently have all the rows sewn together and will hopefully finish the top tomorrow. The squares are cut 5" and the quilt will measure about 45"x 50", big enough for a lap quilt on her recliner. The colours are better in real life, but that's what happens when you sew at night and have a crappy camera.

I'm generally not a huge floral fan, but there are some prints in this quilt that I really love. I hope that my Grandma will love them too.

xo Nicole

Beach Huts

2011-08-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

I recently participated in a Doll Quilt Swap on Flickr. This is the first time that I have participated in this swap. Basically I get a secret partner and make her a mini quilt and in return, someone else makes me a mini quilt in secret. It is fun to find out information about what your partner likes and would want, and then make the perfect quilt for her.

The rules are fairly simple. It had to be between 9"x9" and 18"x18". It needed to have a least six pieced blocks and be a miniature version of a bed quilt, ie. no art quilts. And you have to send it on time, or you are not allowed to participate in future rounds.

I started out making something with a colour palette that I hadn't used before, but it just didn't seem to be calling out to be sent to my partner. So I tried again. I came up with this idea of using lots of fun, bright scraps and making beach huts. My partner lives in Florida, so I thought this would be perfect. I added a fun rainbow scrappy border and hand-quilted it with a variegated thread. I haven't really hand-quilted before, so it's a little puffy. I think that next time I would use a hoop to keep things a little more flat. It's not perfect, but I really like it and my partner loved it too! I sent her some scraps and a little notebook for extras. She received it last week. (I am still waiting for my little package to arrive!)

xo Nicole

Sixteen Again

2011-08-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a post recently that I will be teaching a couple of quilting classes in the fall. This is one of the quilts that I made for a sample. I wanted to do something fun and easy with solids that looks very striking.

I won't go into a lot of detail about how I made it, but it turns out to be a very nice lap size quilt, perfect for snuggling up with on the couch. I always like a nice big quilt to keep me warm in the winter.

I decided to quilt diagonal lines on it and used 5 different thread colours since I just couldn't decide on one. I actually really like how it looks! The binding is my extra bits of fabrics and I think it looks pretty cool. Hopefully some people will sign up for my class!

xo Nicole

Preoccupied With Pigeons and Kitchens

2011-08-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Early this summer I noticed a pigeon start building a nest up near our roof line. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to make her move somewhere else. She ended up laying eggs and then I couldn't bear to get rid of her. So I named her Pidgey-Lou. And her partner is Mr. Boo. He only came around from time to time, but the nest was really too small for both of them to be there together.

Pidgey-Lou had two babies and I watched her feed them from my sewing room window. They always got very excited when she came with food. One day I noticed that peeping was coming from below. I went downstairs and found that one of the babies was on our balcony. I guess he fell out of the nest. He had a broken leg, but managed somehow to get to his mama when she came with food. The next day, the other baby was on the balcony too.

They have pooped everywhere, but I love watching them, especially when Pidgey-Lou comes to feed them. They get all excited and flap their wings and peck her and are generally noisy. They fight each other too, to get at mama. (I named them Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. Tweedle-dum was the one who fell out of the nest. He seems to be doing fine now, but has a limp). They enjoyed having our old kitchen cabinets on the balcony. I think it was like a playground to them. Sorry, we had to haul those things to the dump!

We began renovating our kitchen on August 7th. We are undertaking everything by ourselves and it is a little scary considering we haven't renovated anything before. Luckily things are going pretty smoothly so far. We ripped out all the old cabinetry and the super ugly backsplash.

We are keeping the tile floor but have to fill in the gaps where the old cupboards were so that the new cabinets have a nice level ground. It was pretty nasty on the wall behind the sink. I guess a lot of water leaked in over the 30-odd years the kitchen was in here.

We had to do a bit of wall repair where the old backsplash was ripped off, but we aren't professionals. It looks ok, but most of it will be covered with our new tile backsplash. It sure makes a lot of dust though!

We then primed over most of the wall to seal it. I bought a small can, but we used the whole thing. I'm sure that I could have bought a bigger can and done two coats, but I think it was good enough. At least I know how to paint! I tried to teach Nader how to do it, but he wasn't very confident in his abilities. I think it was fine.

I ended up doing the second coat of paint by myself while he was at work since I had time. We also left a message for anyone who will renovate the kitchen in another 30 years! It will be behind the new base cabinets. Now we are going to pick up the first load of cabinets and the test will be the installation. We need our plumber friend to come and help us deal with a couple of things before we can install the cabinet where the sink will go. I hope it all works out!

I haven't been sewing much in the last few days, but I do have a little project to show you soon.

xo Nicole

Something Exciting

2011-08-08T22:41:00.001-07:00

Last month I received a phone call. It was from Katja, the owner of Katja's Quilt Shoppe, and she wanted to know if I was interested in teaching some quilting classes and working in her shop! Of course I said, "YES!"

I have been dreaming for the last year or two of teaching some quilting classes and wondering if that was something that was destined to only be a dream or if it was something that would come true one day. I didn't apply or ask if she was looking for anyone. She just called out of the blue. I was very flattered and humbled that she liked my work enough to ask me. What an honor. Thanks Katja!

I started working in the shoppe last week and will teach two classes in the fall. The picture above shows one of my quilts with the fabrics. I am nearly done my sample and then I will show you some pictures of it and tell of the angst involved...

xo Nicole

Bee Quilt

2011-08-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

I finished up this quilt at the beginning of July and gifted it almost immediately. It went to some friends who were in need of some encouragement during a difficult period in their lives.

I made the quilt with some blocks from my two online quilting bees (Circuit Block Party and The Maple Leaf Bee) from 2010. My original vision of the quilt did not come to fruition due to blocks being a variety of sizes instead of 12.5". (One of my own star blocks was not included because it turned out to be 12".) So, I had to put on my creative thinking cap to come up with a solution to this problem. I had 5 star blocks and 10 improv blocks and my desire to have a quilt that was a decent lap size. I wanted it to be 5 by 5 blocks. The photo above shows what I was thinking at the beginning of this process.

I went to work making blocks. I made 4 improv blocks with lots of small pieces of leftover fabrics. (Those blocks are in the outside centers of the quilt in the photo above.) Then I wanted to make 4 more blocks that were keeping with the scrappiness of the quilt, but had some structure to them. I came across a photo on Flickr that had a block I loved, so I decided to make my 4 blocks with it.

In the end, this is the layout that I went with. I put the star blocks in center of the quilt and put my mosaic blocks in the corners with the improv blocks spaced in between everything. I wasn't really loving the results, but I had a quilt top anyway. I decided to make it a bit longer, but instead of doing more blocks, I added a top and bottom double border. I think that it really helped to tie everything together. (See first photo.)

I decided to just piece the back together out of leftover chunks of fabric. I think it turned out pretty good. The grey solid actually isn't the same as on the front, but I figured nobody would notice that.

We had a lovely day to take photos of the quilt and Nader's shirt even matched the quilt. He begged me to take the label off and give it to him instead. I guess I got him hooked on my quilts!

For the double borders I decided to try a new free motion quilting design. It shows up best in this photo of the back. The bigger circles were in the solid yellow border and the flowery design was in the larger print strip. They aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun to try out a new design. I'll definitely do them again.

I decided to bind the quilt in the charcoal solid fabric and I love the way that it frames the quilt. To save time I machine sewed it and it looks really good! In the end, I am pleased with the quilt and I know that our friends love it so much. I hope they get lots of use out of it (now that it is in Australia!).

I have some other exciting news, but I will save it for a future post. I am running out of steam tonight!

xo Nicole

Mexico Quilt(s)

2011-07-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

I may have mentioned before that I was starting a project at church to send quilts to Mexico. It's called Project Cobija (quilt in spanish). Each summer our church sends down a team to build 8 or so houses in Tijuana. Last year when I went, I thought that it would be fabulous if each family was also given a quilt with their new house. With the help of some wonderful women at church, we sent down 10 quilts last week. Above are some of the quilts that were given away.

The quilt that I made was mostly from my scraps! (I think I need to make another one to thin them out some more). I followed a tutorial from Amanda-Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts. She called it Easy as Pie. It definitely was easy!

I cut out the pieces in one evening and sewed them together in three more. I basted it and then quilted it in a couple more. I quilted it with a free motion loopy stipple so that it would be nice and sturdy.

I decided to machine sew the binding for durability and speed. It was my ~~first~~ second time attempting machine sewing binding (I don't want to talk about the first time...). I'm very pleased with how it turned out! I know it looks kind of white in the pictures, but it's a light greeny batik. I even finished my quilt before my deadline! That pretty much never happens.

I'm very pleased with the end result! Maybe I will have a picture to show later with its new family.

xo Nicole

Carmen's Practical Bag

2011-06-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I made a bag for my friend Carmen. She was looking for a cloth bag that was big enough to fit in some specific items.

She looked at several stores without luck, so I offered to make one for her. She came over and picked out some fabric at my "store." (You know you have too much fabric when you refer to your stash as a store).

I used the Practical Bag pattern by Grand Revival Designs. I made one of these bags for myself in the fall and I really enjoyed the pattern. It was easy to follow and well laid out. I think the design is really clever too.

I made the lining out of two different fabrics for fun and added in a couple pockets made from scraps. I didn't add interfacing to the lining but I think that next time I will. It would make the bag just that much sturdier.

I top-stitched in a turquoise thread for some contrast and I am very pleased with the outcome. The most difficult part of making the bag was getting the 'v' to lay flat. Hopefully next time they will look a little better.

I also bought a purse pattern (called Flea Market Bag) by Grand Revival and have yet to try it out. I hope it will be as simple and clever as this bag. Have you made either of these bags?

xo Nicole

some quilts to share

2011-06-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

This first quilt is one that I made for my nephew Paul. He's so adorable and I really love him. I wish I lived closer by. I started making this quilt before he was born, before any of us knew if my sister was having a boy or a girl. I wanted to make something gender neutral. I found the pattern in a book called Great Little Quilts that my great-aunt gave to me. The pattern is called Single Wedding Ring, but it's also known as Crown of Thorns.

The book didn't really give very specific instructions, so I just made up my own size block. Unfortunately, I forgot to add in seam allowances. I cut all the fabric before I discovered this. Luckily, it still sewed together nicely, just a little smaller than I anticipated. Which also meant that it took longer. I think I also underestimated the complexity of each block. The quilt has 12 blocks, each made up of 25 squares and 16 of the squares are HST (half-square triangles). Each square ended up 1.5" finished.

I eventually finished it up and added a couple borders to make it a little bigger. I was only going to make one border originally. I took some time to think about how to quilt it. I didn't want to take away from the beautiful blocks or to be too densely quilted. I ended up doing straight diagonal lines that brought out some of the secondary patterns of the blocks. I also chose to do a fun binding on an otherwise traditional quilt. Don't you love the backing fabric?

This is a quilt that I made for my sister Frances (Paul's mama) on her birthday last year. I forgot to take any pictures of it before giving it away, so it has been unblogged until now. I think that I bought it as a quilt kit, but can't remember where. It's made of fabulous, bright batiks and a white on white fabric. The design is from Atkinson Designs called Lucky Stars.

It came together quite quickly because the blocks are 15". The quilt ended up being 45"x60" - a nice size to snuggle on the couch with. I quilted it with a loopy meander - my go-to free motion quilting.

The back is just a solid green with a few scraps thrown in. I like the simplicity of the design.

The last quilt to be featured today is one that I made with Cherry House Quilt Along. She called it the Socken quilt. It was quite simple to put together. The little squares finish at 1". I was inspired by the quilting on another of her quilts, and attempted to do something similar. I really like how it turned out. I gave it to a special baby in our church a few weeks ago. I hope that he loves it and gets lot of use out of it.

Thanks for stopping by!
xo Nicole

Create

2011-02-20T21:04:00.001-08:00

On Flickr, I found a group called Create! A Project a Day. The premise is that you will create something everyday in February. Since I was feeling highly unmotivated in January and didn't accomplish much, I thought it would be a great idea for me to join. It's been a great push and the creative juices are definitely flowing. I will admit that I haven't made something everyday, but I think that I only missed two days so far.

I've been working on making a quilt for my nephew Paul, who was born on December 28, 2010. I found a quilt in an antique quilt book that I fell in love with and I knew that I wanted to make it. It's called Single Wedding Ring, which maybe isn't the most fitting for a baby, but it was just too sweet to not make. I really love how the blocks create secondary patterns when sewn together. It will have 3 by 4 blocks and a couple of borders. The blocks are quite tedious to put together, so I've been easily distracted by other projects...

I came up with an idea for this stack of fat quarters. I can't reveal too much info at this point in time, but I am finishing up my drawing for it. I have a lovely person in mind for the resulting quilt.

While I was reading Cherri House's blog at the end of January, I discovered that she was going to have a quilt along. I liked the pictures she showed and was excited to join in. She recommends making it with solids, but I wanted to try it with some fabric from my stash. I think it looks good so far. It's small, baby quilt size. The green blocks finish at 1". I'm not sure yet who the recipient will be, but I am going to try out some new quilting on it!

This project has probably distracted me the most. A while back I saw a quilt block on flickr with this design and from the thumbnail picture I thought it was a large quilt. When I clicked on it, I saw it was just a block. Since then, I've been obsessed with making a large quilt with that design.

My blocks are 8" finished and I am nearly done sewing the top together. It actually has come together more quickly than I thought it would. It will be a present for a friend, and I should have enough time to quilt it up before her birthday. I really wanted to make something with spring colours since winter seems to be dragging on forever. I chose some green and pink fabrics with a spring feeling. I used 8 fat quarters and some solid natural yardage.

The other thing that I've made this month is a nursing cover for my sister. I am pleased with how easy it was to make. I used this tutorial. And the best thing is that my sister loves it and uses it.

The more I take time to create things, the more ideas I get. I'm finding it rather hard to focus on one thing at a time. I do feel like I've accomplished a lot so far this month and I am thankful for the time that I spend using my God-given gifts. I am also thankful for my own sewing space that I can leave and just pick up where I left off.

I hope that you are inspired to create something yourself!

xo Nicole

Quilting Bee Blocks

2011-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

In 2010 I participated in two online quilting bees. I am going to share some photos from the Maple Leaf Bee that I moderated. I learned a lot during the year and tried new techniques. I also learned about how to run a bee and to get the most out of it.

These two orange and blue blocks were made for Quilting Barbie and she is going to make a quilt for her son with all our blocks. We were asked to make improvised blocks. They were a lot of fun, and were more time consuming than I anticipated. I have fallen in love with improv since that time!

These two pink and green blocks were made for maripenquiltmom. She made a quilt for her sewing room with them. She asked us to make the centers in the style of Oh Fransson's Map of the States block. I didn't follow the exact instructions, but used it as a jumping off point. I am super happy with how they turned out.

This crossed canoes block was my first introduction to paper piecing and I made it for indigolimeblog. It was interesting to try it, but I definitely don't love paper piecing.

These two pinwheel blocks were made for FeltArtistic. She sent us some vintage sheets and told us to make our favourite pinwheels. It was a challenge to use these fabrics because some were very soft and slippery, and there wasn't a lot of contrast in them. I am pleased with the outcome though.

I made this spiderweb block for Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in May. Each section was paper pieced, but not in the same way as the crossed canoes. We used scraps from our stash and she sent us the middle pieces. I love how it looks with the printed fabrics in the middle.

This flying geese circle was also paper pieced for brenda.g34. I was terrified of this block and put off making it for several months. Once I finally started it, I had to use my seam ripper numerous times. It was super challenging. This block confirmed my suspicions that I hate paper piecing!

These two tree blocks were made for crazycraftycarm. She requested any kind of tree block and this is what I came up with. I was sent green fabrics and also added a bunch of my own green scraps. I love how they turned out.

These two blocks were made for DoreyR. She sent us a few jellyroll strips and asked us to make whatever kind of blocks we wanted, as long as they ended up 8.5". I made some very simple blocks, but I think that they are very effective.

In September, kroddick asked us to make up some wonky quarter log cabins with these two solids. Mine isn't very wonky, but I tried to make some wavy seams. I think they are too subtle and maybe just look like mistakes in sewing. I'll have to experiment some more with wavy seams.

Austen g. sent us some Hope Valley fabrics and asked us to make whatever kind of block we wanted to. She is making a Hope Valley sampler quilt. I tried out a block that I got from my Moda class at Katja's Quilt Shoppe. It was fun and easy to come together. I was thinking that it would look really cool to have a line of these blocks in a quilt. I'm planning on trying that out someday!

In November, arianescrafts sent us some very delicious fabrics to make her a dresden plate with. This is the first time that I have every done machine applique. It took me a few tries to get my tension right, but once I did, it went very smoothly. I can hardly wait to see her completed quilt!

Finally, December was my month! I asked for these pinwheel within a star blocks. I told people that they could change the centers if they so desired and the fabric placements too. I haven't received all the blocks back yet, but the ones I have received are fantastic! I'll probably make up another block or two for my final quilt, but I haven't decided exactly what to do with them yet. I was planning on combining them in a checkerboard fashion with some improv blocks I had my other bee do, but it is looking way too busy.

So, that is a year's worth of bee blocks for the Maple Leaf Bee. I am starting up another round of Maple Leaf Bee and will have some new people. It is going to be half a year this time, which will be a little bit more manageable. I am super excited to get started and make some new online friends.

xo Nicole

Another Quilt for a Loved One

2010-11-02T18:52:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog if this is your first visit. I hope you enjoy your stay here. This is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

I completed this quilt on Sunday. I've been working madly on it to finish it for a friend who needed some quilt comfort. Her husband died unexpectedly about a month ago, and I knew right away what I needed to do for her.

I gave it to her yesterday and she cried. I may have cried too. She is seriously sweet and genuine and caring, and nobody deserves to have something good in her life more than she does right now.

I made it with diamond balis and used the Turning Twenty pattern. It works so well for large scale prints like these. I am so pleased with how it turned out. This quilt is about 70 x 86". Its the biggest quilt I've ever made and I can't believe that I managed to quilt it on my small machine. I quilted it with loops, spaced quite close together. It took a long time.

For the backing I used a super soft Moda Bella solid green (sorry I don't know the name of the colour). The binding is a periwinkle colour solid that I bought in Egypt at the market.

I wrote a Bible verse on the label, even though I originally planned to quilt the words into the border. I just ran out of time and it was much easier this way. That can be an accomplishment another time.

I hope that you enjoyed hearing the story of this quilt. If you are the praying sort, please pray for my friend and her family. I know that our God listens.

Also, please go check out the other quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival over on Amy's Creative Side. There is a lot of inspiration, so be prepared!

xo Nicole

Mexico Trip

2010-09-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

This summer I had the opportunity to go on a missions trip with some people from my church. Our destination was Tijuana, Mexico, and our goal was to build eight basic houses while there. It all sounds so simple, but there was so much more.

Our team of 21 members drove from Kamloops in 3 vans. That's over 2,500 kilometers! We left at 5 am on July 21st. Each day we were assigned a van to be in and it was switched up once each day, so that we could get to know each other really well. Sometimes we got to know too much (as sometimes happens when spending endless hours cooped up in a van). The good news is that we all got along and bonded well.

We finally arrived, with some stops along the way, in Tijuana 4 days later. We had the privilege of attending a Mexican church on Sunday when we arrived. It was really neat to sing and worship God with the people there. I loved seeing how passionate the pastor was in his preaching too.

After church we had our first experience ordering tacos in Spanish at a taco stand. It was really hard for me to remember the names of things the first day, but by the end of the week I had it down pat. And the food was delicious. That was actually one of the things that I was most looking forward to about the trip.

We worked with Mexico Caravan Ministries and stayed in dorms there. They have a very unassuming building in a regular neighbourhood, and the inside is simple as well. They can house up to 100 people there. We slept on triple decker bunkbeds and had to share a very small washroom. Oh, and no showers either. (I have to be honest. This was something that I was very worried about and made me debate whether or not I would go on this trip. I'm not high maintenance, but I do like to keep clean).

Each morning we would get up, get ready, have devotions, eat breakfast and then gather together with the other teams that were there for the week. We sang together and then listened to a speaker. Mexico Caravan Ministries is actually a missions mobilization organization, so their focus was on showing that God calls us to spread the gospel in all the earth. We are to go to all corners of the earth to tell others about Jesus and his death and resurrection. Each morning we had a different speaker who explained different aspects of this. I was challenged in so many ways. The Lord spoke to me about how I can live my life for Him and what He is wanting from me in my life.

After the morning session, our team divided into two and we each went to a different location to build a house for a family. Caravan makes all the decisions about who to build for and since none of us had much Spanish knowledge, we don't know the different situations of each family that we built for. All we know is that they were really grateful for the small, simple structure that we could build for them.

Working together as a team we hammered and nailed and lifted and painted the house into being. There were often children who came by and wanted to help out. It was very sweet. The family we built for each day was also responsible to serve us lunch. It was always exciting to see what kind of food they prepared. I'm thankful that I had no gastrointestinal problems for the whole trip! I just enjoyed what was offered.

After building houses for 4 days, we had a day to serve in another way. We spent the day with boys from a boy's home. We ate lunch and then went to a water park. It was so neat to see all the kids delighted to be at the pool.

We left Mexico early the next morning. We took 5 days to get home and had some really neat experiences. Maybe I'll share some of those in another post. This one's getting rather long!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the highlight of my summer.

xo Nicole

P.S. I didn't bring my own camera with me, so all these pictures are courtesy of my fellow team members.

New Canadian

2010-07-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new Canadian! Nader finally got his Canadian citizenship on May 28, 2010. (I know I am late in posting this). Nader and I did not get to sit near to each other, so my limited photos turned out poorly. The photo above was taken after the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in a high school gym just 1 block away from our house on a Friday morning. The judge came from Victoria, but he used to live in Kamloops. I can't remember what his name was. He made an incredible speech about what it means to be Canadian. I was moved.

It was really neat to take part in the oath of citizenship. I have never made such a declaration, as I was born Canadian. It states:
I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.

After saying the oath, each person becoming Canadian that day received their certificate of citizenship and shook hands with all the dignitaries. Then we ate cake.

Nader was so excited to apply for a passport that he did so right away, and got it within 3 weeks! Now he really wants to take a trip to the US, but that won't be for a little while yet. We have lots of other things planned for now!

If you ever have the chance to attend a citizenship ceremony, I highly recommend it. Its really neat to see people who have worked hard to become Canadians have their dreams fulfilled.

xo Nicole

Housewarming

2010-07-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt for our friends, Dave and Kathryn. I had a set of scraps that I got at a great deal quite a long time ago and I decided to make something with them. They were pre-cut and I just randomly sewed them together without a plan. Once I had some chunks, I decided to do a little planning.

I came up with the layout above, but there was a tricky little hole in the middle. With some frustration I figured out how to fill it in. I bet you can't even find the spot! I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I quilted it with an all-over loopy stitch, similar to what I've done in the past, but with bigger loops. I think it has a nice texture to it. I used a dark blue Ikea sheet for the backing and a turquoise solid for the binding. I like how it ties it all together.

Our friends really like the quilt and tell me they use it regularly! Nothing makes me happier than that!

xo Nicole

Carmen's Birthday Quilt

2010-07-05T17:03:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring I decided to participate in a quilt along. I picked out these fabrics and started cutting. I got the solid yellow, a linen cotton blend when I was in Egypt last Christmas. The batiks came from my stash. I found the backing fabric at 50% off on a trip to Burnaby. I love the cherries!

I had the top ready to go in strips to sew into a top, but then we moved. It took some time to get things set up in our new place for sewing to resume.

I then was teaching a friend how to quilt, using the same pattern, so I was distracted. I had the quilt ready for binding for quite a long time and had to show Carmen in advance! I was too excited to hold off any longer.

Finally I bit the bullet and finished hand sewing the binding down (after it sat on the back of my couch for nearly a month)! I gave it to Carmen for her birthday (which was in March) in the beginning of June. She was so thrilled!

I love this quilt because its so cheery and it was really simple to make. If you ever want to learn how to quilt, let me know!

xo Nicole

Orange Joy

2010-04-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

Well before Christmas I tempted you with a peek at the Orange Joy quilt. It was a present for Dana for Christmas, and since she reads this blog, I couldn't give it away, now could I?

I followed the tutorial at Cluck Cluck Sew to make this quilt and I am so happy with the results. Its so happy and fresh and just makes you feel good!

I made the back with some orange solids and some left over pieces. I kinda like how it turned out, but my vision wasn't fully met. Oh, well. We all have things to learn each quilt we make.

I made a scrappy binding and love the way that looks. And the orange polka dots are my absolute fave! The quilt ended up being about 60"x60", which is the perfect lap size. I did my signature quilting on it and washed it up to make it all nice and crinkly. Mmmm...my favourite part of quilting.

Dana is super happy with her present and won't let anyone share it with her, so don't even try. ;-)

I would definitely make this pattern again. It came together fairly easily and has so many design possibilities.

xo Nicole

Abandoned?

2010-04-22T22:25:00.001-07:00

No, the blog is not abandoned. I can just think of a thousand other things to take my attention away from it! I participated in a siggy swap through p.s. i quilt. I made 101 blocks and will receive 100 blocks back with many signatures from around the world. Well, actually it will only be 98 because 2 people didn't fulfill their commitment. But still, it is going to be cool to get all those blocks back and make a quilt with them.

I've also been to California and enjoyed some time in San Diego, Salton City, and around the Palm Springs area. This picture is in Joshua Tree National Park. I'd love to spend more than one day there. It was so beautiful.

I've also been busy moving (to our first place that we own!!), quilting, reading and who knows what other shenanigans. I'll have to share some pictures of what I've been up to in the near future. Hopefully I can discipline myself to make this something more regular! I'm always inspired by other bloggers.

xo Nicole

Plaid Reconstructed

2010-01-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been too long since I posted something here! I was away for holidays in Egypt and am finally settling back into my normal life. I have lots of things to share with you. We'll break it down into several posts though. I don't want to overload you.

This quilt was a Christmas gift for my dad. I got the plaid fabrics at Quilt Essential Fabrics in Abbotsford for a great deal. I knew that they were perfect to use in a 'man quilt.' My dad wears lots of plaid shirts and tends towards these same colours too!

I was trying to figure out how to make the best use of them and was browsing lots of books and magazines. I finally found a pattern in a Quilts and More magazine that looked like it would be perfect for my project. I just needed to get some solids.

Well, I ordered some online and was very happy with how they worked with what I had. The nine patch blocks were a little tedious to make, but I chain stitched and somehow they all were made. The rest of the top was pretty quick to put together.

Then I had to decide what to do with the backing. I wanted to do something fun and I had lots of leftovers. I came up with this and was very happy with the results! So I pretty much made a reversible quilt.

The quilting I did is becoming my go-to for quilts. Its a meander with loops thrown in, and its fairly easy and quick. I love the crinkly look it creates after I wash and dry it. I'm so thrilled with the results from this quilt and, most importantly, my dad is too!

Come back soon and I'll share more about quilts I made for Christmas!

xo Nicole

Where Has All The Time Gone?

2009-12-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that its December already! The last half of November just flew by. I've been crazy busy trying to finish several projects before the 12th of December. We're going away for Christmas and I decided to make too many things. What was I thinking? Self-inflicted stress is really crazy.
I started this table topper last November (2008) and all it needed to finish it off was some quilting and binding. I finally managed to do that a couple weekends ago. Its a Christmas gift for the teacher that I work with. I hope she likes it!
I also made three Christmas stockings for my brother and brothers in law. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of them before giving them away!) I've also made three small quilts (two still need the binding stitched down) for my niece and nephews. I will feature them in another post coming soon!
Here is a sneak peak of something that I can only reveal after Christmas.
And another sneak peak, also to be revealed later.

Between all that sewing I still need to pack and prepare for my holiday. I am really looking forward to relaxing and spending good time with my hubby over the break. We have a jam packed week and then a loooooooong trip, but it will all be worth it in the end.

xo Nicole

Quilting Bee

2009-11-09T21:19:00.001-08:00

I have joined a quilting bee online which is so exciting! I will be making blocks for other people for a whole year, but they will be making blocks for me too. What a cool way to meet other quilters and improve my skills.

I am also trying to start a Canadian online bee. If you want to join me, let me know! I need 11 people if possible. It's also possible to have fewer people and do things a little differently. It would also be a smaller time commitment.

xo Nicole

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-22T21:43:00.001-07:00

I have had an idea that's been rolling around my brain for a couple of weeks and I decided that today I will put it into action. I need to be more aware of the blessings in my life and the good things that God gives me. I want to regularly remember them, so I decided to make Thankful Thursday. Every Thursday, I will write a blog post about things that I am thankful for. There may be repeats each week, but I will try to be more aware of things during the week that are something I am thankful for. If you want to join me in this endeavor, let me know, and I can create links to those who make Thankful Thursday posts. If nobody else joins me, that's ok too, I'm doing it for my own spiritual health.

So, today, some things I am thankful for:

having a job where people want to work together as a team and where I feel like a contributing member
my wonderful husband who helps wash dishes and is just sweet in general
being part of a home group that cares for and challenges each other
having enough money to order pizza once in awhile
being able to have a creative outlet in quilting
having enough money and time to be able to share both with others
my family - we all get along most of the time and can talk and do fun activities together
my friends - you are all unique and bring something special into my life
that God loves me and wants to have a relationship with me - really, everything else is just icing on the cake!

Thank you Lord for all the good things you have blessed me with. Apart from you, I have no good thing. My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. (Psalm 16)

I hope you can think of lots of things to be thankful for today too!

xo Nicole

Polyphonic Purple

2009-10-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt for my sister, Leanne, back in 2007. It was my second quilt that I've made. I really enjoyed shopping for the fabrics and making it have a scrappy look.
The binding is just leftover pieces joined together. Love it!
It was also my first attempt at free motion quilting. I stippled in the white sashing and made up a leafy design diagonally throughout the nine-patch blocks.
Oh the crinkly goodness of quilts! It was for her birthday, although I completed it a couple months late. At least she loves it!!!
And I called it Polyphonic Purple because she loves big words and music, and, of course, it's purple! I hope Leanne will enjoy it for many years to come. Its a lap quilt and it lives on her couch in her new home. Yay!

Hope you enjoyed my quilt showcased for the quilt blogger's festival. Check back to Amy's site to see lots of other wonderful quilts.

xo Nicole

Floral Fusion

2009-10-06T16:54:00.001-07:00

Here is the quilt that I made for my mom's birthday in September. I was only about a week late in finishing it, and then another week went by while I waited for a day to photograph it.
I gave you a sneak peak of it earlier, but here it is in all it's glory! I think it measures about 60" x 72". At least it did before quilting and washing.
I used a wide variety of pink, cream, blue and green florals. Mostly large roses, but other flowers too and a cupcake print. It was just too cute to resist. I bound it with a diagonal stripe that had pink, cream, blue and green in it. How perfect.
My inspiration was from a patchwork tablecloth in Kaffe Fasset's Glorious Color. I added a different border for a challenge. I try to learn something new for each quilt that I make. This time I made diagonal pieced squares and triangles.

My mom loves the quilt! I am so happy with the end results and am glad that she loves it too. She said the fabrics remind her of her granny and the quilts she used to make. What a fabulous compliment.

Now, on to current projects... I just finished a quilt last week (pictures to come soon), and I have to make 4 more before Christmas! Yikes, what have I gotten myself into? Its all self-imposed though. I just can't help it. I guess I better get off the computer and get sewing!!!!

xo Nicole

Hot Summer Nights

2009-09-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, the nights aren't hot anymore, and summer is pretty much over, but I finished this in the summer. Its for those hot nights, when you don't want a duvet, but still want to be covered.
I made this for myself and finished it back in August. I just didn't get around to taking pictures of it until recently. I went to the park down the street one afternoon and had a lot of fun having a photo shoot with some quilts.
Unfortunately the colours didn't show up exactly the way the are, but the bright sunlight was too nice to resist. I tried hanging it on a fence, but it was too windy and the quilt kept blowing towards me.
I used the pattern from a Fons and Porter magazine that I picked up at a second hand book store a few years ago. I knew I wanted to make this quilt for myself since then! I love the colours and the batiks were fabulous to work with. They don't ravel as much as some other cottons.
I like how the back was pieced and the label is a miniature star from the front pattern. The free motion quilting was fun and pretty quick to do. I think it took me about 4 hours total. Its my new favourite way to quilt.

xo Nicole

WIP Wednesday

2009-08-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a couple of works-in-progress (WIP).... I am working on a quilt that has a deadline coming up pretty quick. I've been working on it for a couple hours today. It has a border that I haven't tried before, and I am liking the way that it looks.
I am having some inner conflict about liking this quilt or not. Some days I like it and others I don't. I think it depends on the lighting. It is all floral and the colours are a little more toned down than I usually choose. It sometimes seems too busy. I really like the design though, so hopefully when all is said and done, I like it. It isn't for me to keep though, so it really only matters if the recipient likes it!
This is another project I started recently. I was procrastinating a bit from doing the floral quilt. I had bought some pre-cut scraps from a quilt shop and I decided to just start sewing them together without a plan!
Ahh! That's hard for me to do. I usually draw everything out in advance so that I get maximum usage of fabric. I've posted here three different layouts that I am trying. I'm sure that there are other options too. I can cut up the long rectangular blocks to rearrange as well.
Which of the three do you like the best? Or do you have another suggestion on what to do? I found a little bit of fabric at home that coordinates that I can use to fill in a few spaces if needed. Let me know what you think and I'll keep you updated with what I do.

xo Nicole

Apricot Jam

2009-08-14T08:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I made some delicious apricot jam. My friend Lillie brought over some apricots that she picked from a neighbour's tree. She didn't have time to use them up, what with family reunions and packing to move.
They were so small and delicious! I had to quickly make them into jam before you-know-who ate them all up. He already had eaten 14 since the day before. It doesn't matter if you say that he will enjoy the end product even more...
I found a fantastic recipe online for this jam and it doesn't require pectin or boiling jars in hot water once they are filled. That's a great thing for me, since I don't really have any canning equipment. I just bought these jars at the grocery store. I didn't really have a big enough pot to cook the jam in either. As you can see, I had to use two pots at first, when the jam started boiling over!
Let me just warn you if you want to make jam too, it makes a really big, sticky mess in your kitchen. The jam was splatting all over the place when it was cooking, including my arms, clothes and feet. Ow! Its really burning hot! And the recommendation about getting a wide funnel to put the jam in the jars? Great advice. I think I'll follow it next time.
I ended up with five 500 ml jars full of delicious jam, and a little extra kept in a container in the fridge. And instead of adding the little kernel inside each jar, I added a smidgen of almond extract to the whole batch after boiling it. Almond and apricot pair really well. In the end I also had a few apricots left over so I made some muffins, but I found that recipe online and it wasn't very good. Too bad!

Well, what have you been making this summer? Anything delicious? Something beautiful? Feel free to write something in the comment section!

xo Nicole

Tidbits in July

2009-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love bicycles in photos? There is something so exciting about them. They have been somewhere and could go anywhere. And just who has left their bike behind while doing another activity? Will they come back for it? What if someone steals it? I love the old style bikes especially.
For some interesting surfing (of the web variety):
*A fun song and cartoon video
*A delish looking BBQ sauce recipe
*Dr. Zahi Hawass talks about recent discoveries in Egypt

Keep cool on these hot summer days!

xo Nicole

Inspiration

2009-07-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

The question has been asked (on Calamity Kim's blog), What inspires you to create? I like this question because I have a lot to say about it!

First of all, I create many different kinds of things. I quilt, I paint, I craft, I photograph, I redo furniture... I pretty much do anything that catches my fancy!

As for where my inspiration comes from, it really comes from everywhere and anywhere. I might see a blog with fantastic photography, lovely paintings, or whimsical stories. I might see a pattern in a photograph I took. I love looking through coffee table books; you know, the kind that have glossy pages and interesting pictures, about subjects like traveling, home decorating or the life and works of an artist.
I also find lots of fun projects that I want to try from quilting magazines, like Quilting Arts or Quilts and More. Sometimes, when I look at fabric stores (online or in person), there is a wonderful fabric that jumps out at me and I know I just have to buy it and make something wonderful with it. I like looking at lots of photos to find new and interesting colour combinations. Traveling, or doing something new also inspires me because I am outside my normal routine and I find the creative juices tend to flow more freely during these times.

I really am a visual person and so many of the things I see contain beauty and interesting shapes or patterns. I love nature and organic forms. There are so many ideas that I have inside my head, all fighting to get out! One day, I hope to be able to express them all.

(Photos are of some small quilting projects that I have completed in the last month or so. Top: a cute little quilt with some wonderful fabrics. Middle: a table runner wedding gift made for my friends Ashley and Sean. Bottom: Two file and paper holders that I made for the two fantastic teachers I worked with last year.)

Happy inspiration to you all.

xo Nicole

Nader's Choice

2009-06-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

I promised, quite some time ago, that I would post pictures of the quilt that I made for Nader. I made it in secret in November/December 2008 while he was away for three weeks in Egypt.
I had promised to make him "the next quilt" last March, but somehow I made one or two before his. He even picked out the pattern he wanted and some of the fabrics he liked.
As it turned out, it was a huge surprise at Christmas when he opened his present from me! I had just opened a gift from him, quilting books, and we were making jokes that he gave them to me as a hint. He had thought I made another quilt for someone else (Eric) before I made his. HA! It was a fantastic moment.
It is the largest quilt I've made to date, approximately 60"x75". And it took many, many hours to complete. There were a lot of little piece to sew together!! I love the free motion quilting that I did on it too. I think I will do the same on the quilt I make for myself, which I am currently working on.

Oh, I have so many ideas for quilts and things to make. I don't have nearly enough time or energy! And then I keep getting more inspiration from photos and things that other people have made. Unfortunately, this weekend, my house still looks like a disaster area and I haven't done anything to clean up. I was too busy sewing.

Hope you have something that you are passionate about too!

xo Nicole

Tidbits

2009-06-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some more tidbits of interesting places online. I hope you find something that you enjoy!

I am reading through the New Testament this year with my church. One of our pastors is writing a blog to guide us through the passages. Feel free to join in!

Want to take a colour personality test? It was more accurate than I anticipated.

Finally, check out this cool store on Etsy that makes clocks from old bicycle parts.

Hope you're enjoying all the sun and hot weather like me!

Love Nicole

Handmade Signature Book

2009-05-26T22:13:00.001-07:00

So here is some of the inside of the guestbook that I made for Bryan and Leanne's wedding.I also added questions throughout that guests were to answer and then sign their names.They loved it! I am so glad that I was able to contribute something very special for their wedding day.I love creating new things that are loved by the receivers. Sometimes I even create things just for myself that I love too! It makes me feel good to make beautiful things. There is something about creating that makes me feel alive. I think part of it is the tie to the Creator who made me and all the fabulous things on this earth. Thank you Lord!!

xo Nicole

New Favourite Breakfast

2009-05-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

I think my new favourite breakfast is steel-cut oats with strawberries, mangoes and either a dollop of yogurt or some milk. I have also made it once with some leftover whipped cream. Now that was super rich! I kept trying to convince myself that it was still healthy from the oats and fruit....I have made this for myself the last few Saturdays as a treat. Not exactly what some may call a splurge, but I don't care. I made it for Nader today and he thought it was fantastic. "Delicious, sweet, fruity, and I wish that I could make it in Edmonton," were his exact words.

xo Nicole

New blooms

2009-05-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

What does the typical Canadian do on the long weekend in May? They get flowers and plant them in their gardens!! In my case, I had to get a few planters and then add dirt and then plant the flowers. I am so happy with the results! The long planter is on my balcony, along with its twin. It adds some colour and coziness to our small outdoor space.
These beauties grace our front entrance. It was hard to know what colour planter and flowers to pick to not clash with our lovely pink stucco exterior. I think I did a pretty great job of choosing the right ones!
I hope that our guests will feel more welcome now! It sure beats the bags of garbage I had left outside the door last time. Oops, forgot to get those to the dumpster....And my latest project that I'm continuing to work on...Leanne and Bryan's wedding guest book. I made the exterior cover with some fabulous greens and browns. And it has a sweet ribbon to tie it up. It was pretty quick to make. Now I am working on the interior. I'll post some of those photos another day. Maybe after the wedding. It sure will be original and a wonderful keepsake for them.

xo Nicole

Tidbits

2009-05-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I last posted. As for the contest that I was running, I think most of you forgot (or didn't care that much). That's fine. Nader wins the contest since he was the only one to make a suggestion in the comment section. Maybe I will run another contest at a later date.
I decided to give a little tidbits section for today. Tidbits are little delicious morsels that can be enjoyed at your leisure. They may be connected or not. Click on the link to take you away....Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing Creativity: This is a 20 minute talk that I watched this morning about creative genius. Very interesting.

Paintings by Maura Fine: I've been following some other blogs for the last few weeks about painting. This always makes me wish I could paint.

A Gift Wrapped Life: This is full of beautiful pictures that I find so inspiring. It really is a little girly, but fabulous none the less.

Well, I think that's sufficient for today. I'm going to try to be more dedicated in updating my blog regularly, so check back often. Who knows what interesting things we will discover together!

Love Nicole

Spring Break Beginnings

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

I have been delaying on starting any new sewing projects because I wanted to work in my 'studio' space, which was a huge mess. I kept procrastinating from cleaning it....sound familiar?
So I finally decided to do something about it and took the first day of Spring Break to clean and organize.
These are the results! I have to say that I am soooo excited to have this done and my creative juices are flowing. I spent time looking through old quilting magazines for inspiration and it sure worked!I found these fabrics to make a quilt with as I was searching through my stash for colour inspiration. I haven't decided on a quilt design yet, but I was thinking about making up my own... Its something that I have wanted to do for awhile, but have just been altering other people's ideas. Actually quilting is kind of like that anyways; most things have been done before and new designs are a remix of old ones.I also have finished a project that I started more than a year ago. My little chicken pin cushion/tool holder. Isn't she cute? I haven't named her yet, so here's an idea. You give me name suggestions, and the one I like best will get a prize. How about something like what's below? A handmade, memory verse poster. Its about 9"x12" and is mixed media. I will even make it in your favourite colours and use your requested verses. I had lots of fun making this one yesterday. I made it for the girls in my youth group for the talk we had about outer and inner beauty. I made colour photocopies for each of them so they can hang it where they will see it regularly. They were very excited!

On Tuesday, Nader and I went to a free adult skate. It was so nice to go skating again. We haven't been on the ice since early January even though we keep intending to go. I was amazed at Nader's skating. He just picked up right where he left off and went around the rink rather quickly. As for myself, I had a great time flying around. My feet didn't hurt at all during the whole time I was skating, which is totally amazing because I have always had sore feet in the past. I think it has to do with my weight loss. I just didn't expect that it would make such a difference for skating.

Well, I am going to keep on creating for a couple more days and then I am heading down to Burnaby this weekend. I will probably be hanging around for a few days and I would love to get together with you if you are available. Let me know!

Love Nicole

Rush 2009

2009-03-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Going to a youth conference is something I haven't done for years and years. It sure is different being an adult and attending with a youth group. I felt very old at times and out of place a bit. Rush was held in Kelowna, hosted by Willow Park Church, and located on a large property with rallies in a barn! It was really frigid and there were limited bathrooms. We stayed at a church and slept on the floor and went without showers.
Don't get me wrong, I still had a great time and the music was amazing. The band Starfield led worship. Oh, how the girls loved Starfield. I couldn't help myself from yelling "Starfield" in a high-pitched voice everytime they came on stage in a slight mock of the girls who were over the moon for them. The only problem was, according to the girls, that Starfield was "too old." (The lead singer was 35 and guitarist was in his late 20s).It was so nice to see the students getting into the worship and hopefully God spoke to their hearts. There were times I didn't know what to do with a couple of the kids. But on the whole, the group was really great.
The speaker was Shane Claiborne. He was so intense, so interesting, so radical, so inspiring. He spoke about how desperately we need to be helping others in need, especially in poor countries. He said it was essential that the church in the western world do something for the world. We have so much. Did you know that the amount of money we spend on bottled water in one year could get all of Africa clean water?
Another highlight was Riley Armstrong. He is a singer-songwriter from the Lower Mainland and he is soooo funny! I was lucky enough to buy the last cd available at his table! We also laughed a lot at the comedian Daren Streblow. He did a standup act on Saturday evening. He was really great.On Saturday we went separate ways to various fun activities. Some went snowboarding/skiing, paintballing, video gaming and to the 'spa.' The spa was held at another church in Kelowna and had a variety of stations. There was salsa dancing, hair and make-up, nails, and crafts. They also had a coffee shop set up (for free!) and we had a catered lunch. After that, a young woman shared her testimony and how God is teaching her that she is adored by Him. It was really special.
Over all, it was a fun weekend with a great group of kids. I really enjoyed getting to know the youth better. I like how God will speak to you, even if you are at an event aimed at teens. He knows what you need to hear and that you can grow in Him at any time. Thanks God!

Love, Nicole

I Lost 20

2009-02-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

Isn't that exciting? Of course I am talking about pounds, not dollars. Nader and I have been following a healthier eating and exercise program since early January.
I was not expecting to lose that much so far, but I am really happy with the results. Who knows how much more weight I will shed by Leanne's wedding? I already can't wear some of my old clothes because they don't fit anymore. I have never been so excited to get rid of clothes before.Even Nader is doing well. He has lost 12 pounds and is really happy to change the notch in his belt 3 places over. He said this doesn't feel like a diet because he is not hungry. Well, it seems to work for us!
We went for a walk on Saturday to enjoy the sunshine. I have had a cold nearly a week already, and we wanted to have some fresh air. It was so nice to be in the sun!! Today it is foggy and snowing again. So much for spring weather.
Hopefully the weather will be better for the weekend. I'm going to Kelowna with the youth group for a big youth conference. It will be a blast! I'm trying not to think of how we behaved as youth on these kind of trips...I think it was hard for the leaders to deal with us! Maybe God will have mercy on me. Pray that we will have a great weekend and that God will touch the hearts of our teens. And that my cold will be better by then.

Love, Nicole

Procrastinator?

2009-02-04T18:13:00.001-08:00

So, I keep procrastinating on updating my blog and I hear some people are waiting for an update. Another item that I am procrastinating on is above. The lovely quilted table topper that I was going to give away for Christmas. Seems that it didn't get finished in time.At least I was able to finish two other quilts for Christmas and the receivers were very happy. This one here was made for Eric who happens to love ORANGE and other bright colours.It was so nice and beautiful that I wanted to keep it for myself, but I knew that it would be greatly loved by him. I can always make a quilt for myself later. I already have some fabric and a pattern ready. One of these days I'll get around to it....that sounds vaguely familiar somehow...For those of you interested, I had a wonderful Christmas and a great long visit with family. I know it was awhile ago now and people have moved on to new interests, but I have some great memories.

This coming year is going to be great! There are weddings, births (not of my own), great jobs and exciting new adventures that I don't know about yet. Nader and I have made a choice to live healthier and are enjoying losing weight and feeling great. So until next time, keep fit and have fun!

Love Nicole

First snowfall!

2008-11-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

It started snowing during the night and snowed all day long. The kids at school were so very excited to play outside during recess and lunch. They made snowmen, snow angels, and forts that required guarding. Their imaginations ran amok and it was hard to herd them back inside when the bell rang.Later on, the fog moved in up on our hill. Walking outside, I could feel the fog. It was thick, it had substance. I had a hard time seeing further than 5 m ahead. It was very ethereal and dreamlike. Then, as soon as I drove down the hill, it suddenly disappeared, and the late afternoon was clear and still. The snow had stopped and it took awhile to feel that it was normal to see clearly. I went into Starbucks, had an eggnog latte, and listened to Christmas music. It was very cozy and made me feel like Christmas shopping. The atmosphere was totally right.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

Nicole

Fall comes to town

2008-10-10T11:03:00.001-07:00

Nader and I had an adventure last weekend. We went out to Sorrento and Salmon Arm to explore and enjoy a fantastic fall day.
It was just a great drive through the country on back roads. We found some older buildings built in the early 20th century. We found some brand new expensive homes as well.
It was just great to spend the day together and explore a little of the area near Kamloops.
We found a neat farm market in Salmon Arm where they even had a bunch of goats, sheep, llamas, miniature horses, chickens, ducks, geese, pheasants, pigs, peacocks, roosters and cows! And they had about a thousand pumpkins, but the batteries on the camera died before I could take a picture.

Hope you are having some wonder-fall adventures too!

Love Nicole

I laughed until I cried

2008-10-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Donkey has a ride!

You may not find this amusing, but honestly, I just kept thinking the donkey is saying, "Oh shit!"

Okanagan Road Trip

2008-09-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

A chilly grey morning turned into showers and later, into a full-blown sunny crisp fall afternoon.First stop: Honey! (Planet Bee in Vernon). We learned about bees and tasted a variety of honeys made from different blossoms. We bought a couple local varieties.The next stop was Gatzke's Farm Market, about half way between Vernon and Kelowna. We bought some delicious plums, apples and baked goods for lunch. I also indulged in a latte and we ate outside under an umbrella. In fact, it was right behind us in the picture above.We walked around their orchards a little bit and admired the luscious peaches and prune plums just waiting to be picked. I also loved the sunflowers planted along side the road, adding their cheery faces to a cloudy mid-day stop.We also stopped at two vineyards where we had a tour and wine-tasting. To me, the idea of a vineyard and grapes is so romantic. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but even just thinking about it makes me feel nostalgic.
Both vineyards, The Arrowleaf and Gray Monk, were situated with a fantastic view of Okanagan Lake. Seeing the vines in row after row, with grapes ripening, waiting to be picked in a few weeks, was magical.We also went to a goat cheese farm, way out in the country. It was a fantastic drive: the sun was shining, the air was crisp, the smell of fall coming in the windows of the car, and even a few changing leaves made me feel alive! On the drive back home there was a beautiful sunset to end my idea of a perfect day. Too bad I was driving and couldn't take a picture to share with you!

Wishing you many happy autumn days!

Nicole xoxo

Flowers Galore!

2008-08-27T18:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the fabulous flowers I photographed at the Blodel Conservatory and at Burnaby Mountain Rose Garden. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Have a fantastic day. Love you all.
Nicole xoxoxo

Guest Bedroom

2008-08-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

I spent almost two hours putting that bed together....it had more pieces than I thought it would. I also had a few panicked moments when I thought that the pieces didn't go together. IKEA is a long way away when something is going wrong. At least I figured it out and it stands with two people on it. Ha! I'm so excited that its ready now and Nader's parents have a nice place to sleep when they are here. After they leave, anyone else is welcome to try it out as well. Its really comfortable!

Missing you all,

Nicole

Bowling Friday

2008-08-09T10:21:00.001-07:00

Nader and I decided that we needed to go bowling on Friday night. The lanes were quite empty, although the weather was pretty good, so its not too surprising. We had a deal that whoever lost would be recorded saying, "I'm a Bowling Loser."
After the first game, I was sure it would be me. I think I only got two pins in about 5 frames. The rest of the balls were wonderfully guttered. Although, both our scores were really terrible the first round.
I think that it had something to do with only 5 pins instead of 10 pins. We haven't played 5 pins together before. Apparently, Kamloops doesn't have 10 pin bowling alleys.
The second game I took the lead and managed to maintain it for the whole game. (Still not great scores though). We had only bought two games, so we needed to buy another to find out who would be the bowling loser.
As it turns out, I got two strikes and a spare in the third game!! Nader managed to make a spare as well. So....I am NOT the Bowling Loser, that esteemed title goes to my spouse.

I think that next time we go bowling on a Friday night we should also wear white to glow in the dark. That would make the pictures really cool!!

Lots of love, Nicole

Various Ramblings

2008-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Nader and I spent time with friends we invited over for dinner on Sunday. He made his famous Macarona Bechamel and I made salad and dessert. It was an evening full of interesting conversation, much of it about church and church history. I think we need to have people over for dinner more often.
I spent the weekend working on restoring a dresser that I got for $25 at Value Village. I sanded and filled a few holes, painted and put on new knobs. Don't you think it look great now? I ended up spending more money than I anticipated on the project, but I can paint other things the same colour now if I want to! Plus it looks way cooler than a brand new dresser.
We also went down to Riverside Park one evening to listen to live music there. It was a bit of a stormy evening (ie. thunder and lightening), but we enjoyed the fresh air and the atmosphere. In Kamloops there is live music every single night all summer long for free! Its so cool. We also went for a drive down a road we've never been on. As it turned out, we ended up at the dump and drove past the (smelly) mill. We saw a large buck eating grass (I think he had about 3 points on each antler). I hope that we see cool wildlife when Nader's parents are here.

I've started my job hunt now, so my 'free' time is more limited. I need to make sure I have something to record about what I did each day. So, I better get going on that. I have an info session at the work search center this afternoon. I hope it helps me out.

Keep fit and have fun!

Love, Nicole

A Busy Week

2008-07-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

I was helping out at Vacation Bible School this week at our church. I did the powerpoint for singing and created slideshows of the kids each day. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it too! God is with us! (Can you see it?)
Lots of yummy snacks all week long! The leaders got home made cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing today....mmmm.
We had great weather all week, except for Thursday - there was a thunderstorm and pouring rain! Plus it was really cold for July - about 15 degrees.
In my spare time I am working on fixing up a dresser I bought at Value Village for $25. I got it for the spare room for our guests! It will be a wonderful colour called "Coriander Seed." I'm still looking for nice knobs to put on it. I am so excited to see the end results!

Have a great weekend!

Love Nicole

Rhubarb Delight

2008-07-03T14:13:00.001-07:00

Another great rhubarb recipe. It was like rhubarb cheesecake without a crust. I bet it would taste even better if it were on a shortbread crust. I liked eating it just from a bowl.

3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut up
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp flour

Mix together. Put in a deep dish pie plate or an 8x8 inch pyrex dish and bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

8 oz (250 g) cream cheese (I used light and it turned out fine)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs

Mix cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat until smooth. Pour over hot rhubarb and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

1 cup sour cream (again I used low-fat)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together. Pour evenly over hot pie. Chill and serve with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.I hope you enjoy eating this as much as I did. Nader liked it too! Its all gone after 2 days. Happy eating.

Love Nicole

Okanagan Lake

2008-07-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

We were invited out to the lake with our friends, Jeremy and Lillie. Jeremy's family has a cabin on Okanagan Lake near Vernon that is fabulous. We spent a day and a half there doing pretty much nothing....There was reading, eating and playing dominoes. The guys did a little work to fix up some rotten boards on the deck, and Jeremy's mom painted.
We did swim as well, after getting good and hot! It was 34 degrees in the shade and much hotter in the sun. The water was surprisingly warm for the time of year. I didn't even get goosebumps and Nader didn't complain of being cold.
We had a great fire when it got dark and roasted marshmallows and made banana boats (split your banana with the skin on and stuff it with chocolate, then wrap in foil and place in the coals until hot). Oh man, that was good! I've never heard of doing that before, but it will definitely be done again.
After finishing up at the lake, we went and had a BBQ with some more friends back in Kamloops. Getting out of the car was a huge shock - it was roasting hot. I think I broke out into an instant sweat! Kamloops broke the record for heat from 1987 - it was 39 degrees officially. (I think it was hotter....) Let's just say that I am so thankful for A/C!!

Happy Canada Day!

Love Nicole

Rhubarb Bread

2008-06-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

I had a great idea from Dana to put on my recipes that I have been making...so here is the first one! Rhubarb is the quintessential early summer fruit and many people just don't know what to do with all of it. Unfortunately I don't have a rhubarb plant and had to buy my own, but it is just delicious. I made this recipe which makes 2 loaves and gave one away to our church staff. They gave me rave reviews...

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk/sour milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tsp orange zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb (more if you like!)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg and orange zest in a large bowl. Mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture, mixing until smooth. Fold in rhubarb and pecans. Spread batter into two 9"x5" loaf pans that have been greased, dividing evenly. If desired, mix 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp softened butter and 2 tsp orange zest until blended and sprinkle on top. (I found it to be too sweet, so next time I will either half that, or omit it). Bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan and then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this! Bon appetite!

Nicole

A Fantastic Weekend

2008-06-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

A great weekend full of sun (and some cloud), new friends and good times. Saturday was such a gorgeous day that we decided we needed to do something different than usual. We had been invited to go camping with some people from church for the whole weekend, but we had some other things to do. After we finished our other things, we drove out to Adams Lake where they were camping to spend the day with them. Adams Lake is past Chase, but before Sorrento , a little more north. Its just over an hour's drive from our place. Well, it was cloudy and chilly when we got there and poor Nader forgot to bring a jacket or warm clothing. At least I brought a heavy Mexico blanket and he stay sort of warm with that. We basically spent the afternoon around a campfire chatting with new people and getting to know some friends better. It warmed up and the sun even came out too. We drove back home around 7 since Nader was so cold by then.On Sunday after church we went to Jeremy and Lillie's place for lunch. They are one of the couples in our home group that we are part of. Lillie made a fabulous fish curry....mmmm....even thinking about it makes my mouth water. We had really good conversation about food and different cultures and traveling. Then we had ice cream with home made chocolate sauce and peanuts and almonds on top and we ate it outside...oh what a glorious day!
They invited us to go fishing with them down near Kamloops Lake, so Jeremy showed Nader how to find worms. Nader didn't want to touch any of them, he just held the container! We drove just outside of Kamloops and hiked down to the opening of a creek onto the lake. Jeremy and Lillie had been telling us of the rattlesnakes that they saw last time they came down, so we all were a bit jumpy.
The location of the fishing trip was a beautiful spot, but there were lots of mosquitoes and we all got bitten before we put on our repellent. Apparently the water level had fallen about 18 inches in a week, so the fishing wasn't as good. Nader did catch a trout, medium size, but it got off the hook before he pulled it out of the water. I also caught a small trout, and again, it got away! Lillie and Jeremy had no luck, but they caught 12 last week (catch and release), so that's ok.
We did, however, come across a couple rattlesnakes....One was just in the bushes behind where we were fishing, so we were nervous and kept our eye on him. He did end up coming right up to where we were and Jeremy took a video of him. He seemed curious about us. Anyways, he was headed to the water and we were in his way, so he went around. When we followed him, we found another one curled up under some exposed roots. Jeremy was sitting too close when we noticed him. Neither of them were rattling though. As for other wildlife, we saw a beaver, who apparently has a house nearby, a bald eagle and its (big) baby, an osprey, and other birds. I think Nader enjoyed being around Jeremy who is very knowledgeable about wildlife and outdoor activities. We were exhausted when we got back home, since it was also a hot day.
Last night after eating Fatteh (sooooo good, remind me to make it for you sometime), Nader and I decided to go for a walk at Kenna Cartwright park. We can see the hill/mountain from our balcony and it has lots of nice trails. It is cooler in the evening, so nicer to walk then.We walked down the Red Fox trail, a bit wary of rattlesnakes (I keep writing snack...), but enjoying the cool evening. There were lots of pretty little flowers along the way.I got bit by a giant mosquito and killed it on my arm. That was a lot of blood! We continued on the Doc Findlay Loop and went back up the hill. It was a good walk and I felt great when we came back home. It was exactly what I needed!

Last night I also put up pictures on the walls (finally!) and it is feeling so much more like a home in here. I've been kind of lazy to do the finishing touches around here and still have about 10 boxes or so to put away. I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I am feeling more and more at home here in Kamloops. And I signed up at church to help out with VBS in July, so that should be interesting and fun.

Have a wonderful day! Love and hugs, Nicole.

Sewing again

2008-06-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have begun sewing another quilt! I am so excited about this. I have been putting it off a little because my sewing area is not organized, and I wanted to have it in order before starting a project. However, I went to the quilt store to find some inspiration and found some beautiful fabrics that are just perfect for a quilt for our friend's new baby, Elaine!
The colours of the fabrics are just fantastic. They are called Sherbet. Yummy. I also had the perfect pattern already from making a baby quilt for Matthew with sock monkeys. It is so easy and the blocks just come together quickly. I already made 16 blocks in one evening.
A good thing about our new place is that I don't have room for the ironing board where I sew, so I have to get up and go to the other room to press the seams. It is good to not just sit in one place, but to get up and stretch in between seams. However, there are a lot of seams and it was getting a little frustrating to get up every time. We'll see how long this lasts.

I have also been preparing stuff for the Hillside women's retreat this coming weekend. I am really excited to be going and seeing what God will do!

Love, Nicole

More Visitors

2008-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Eric, Leanne, and her friend, Suvi came for a short visit on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning on their way to Cranbrook. We enjoyed going for a small hike at Kenna Cartwright park on a sunny afternoon. Eric especially loved the bouldering there.The other activity of choice was pinecone baseball. All you need is a dead tree branch and a pile of medium size pinecones, and some sagebrush for bases.
The walk through the park was really nice and the smell reminded me of camping and hot summers. Too bad a lot of the trees are dead from the pine beetle. At least they were clearing out some of the smaller trees so that there would be a lower fire hazard in the park. They seemed to be doing some other construction there too, but I don't know what for.On Saturday morning we went downtown for the Farmer's Market. No fresh produce yet, but I am looking forward to later on in the summer when there will be a lot of it. It was a nice atmosphere down there. We went for a walk down to Riverside Park and Eric was trying so hard to not startle the geese....walking in slow motion....
Leanne and Suvi found a wonderful rock to sun on, one that reminded Eric of a nice lizard sunning spot. And of course he demonstrated that too. (Wasn't fast enough with the camera to capture that).
Alas, the visit came to an end less than 24 hours after it started. We did enjoy good times together and lots of good food. I hope we have some more visitors soon! We have a nice guest bedroom all set up now and there are lots of books to read too. I know people who downhill bike and I am discovering some nice lakes to walk around. There are plenty of things to do in Kamloops in the big open space. I think I am growing to like Kamloops more each day. We are making some good friends too, from church.

Still missing you all,

Nicole xoxo

A quick week

2008-05-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

The last week went by rather quickly. All of a sudden I realized that I didn't update my blog for more than a week! My apologies. ;-)

Nader and I decided at the last minute to go to Burnaby for my dad's birthday on Sunday. We had a nice time visiting a couple of our friends who just had a baby (she is sooooo sweet and small). Then we hung out with family for the rest of the weekend. We went to the beach on Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a picnic and croquet in the sand. Then we went back to my dad's place and had a BBQ dinner and delicious cake. (There I go with the food again...I guess you can tell that I like food!)

This week back in Kamloops has been relatively quiet. The weather is unsettled, so one day is hot and sunny and the next is rainy or cloudy. I haven't really gone out for any walks. I did drive around a bit to explore some more areas of town. I unpacked a bit more and organized stuff. I went to a Tupperware party. We bought a new foam mattress...so much better than the spring one! Thursday evening we went for a tour of the Kamloops water treatment centre with some people from our home group. It was actually more interesting than I anticipated and I really appreciate where our water comes from. It's quite the process and the water is very clean here.I hope you all are doing great. Miss you all.

Love Nicole

Nader's birthday

2008-05-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

We had our first visitor to our new place on Tuesday. My uncle Gerry came over for dinner, as he was in town for work. It was a good visit and we enjoyed a nice evening. Nader was very happy to have discussions about politics and the economy. We hope to have more visitors soon! Anyone up for a housewarming party? I would like to have one in June sometime.

Yesterday was Nader's birthday! We had a fantabulous birthday cake that I made.

I wasn't satisfied with any recipes I found, so I made a dense yellow/white cake and invented a filling and frosting. It was pineapple jam (which is very hard to find by the way!) and cream cheese and whipped cream with crushed pineapple on the outside. (I couldn't decide whether to make cream cheese icing or use whipped cream, so I combined them). Yummy!

Nader was very excited to open his present - he thought he knew what he was getting! Actually he kind of knew since he was making hints for the last few weeks. He got 'Teach Yourself French Conversation', 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' dvd, and some beer. We had some good laughs with the movie last night.

Today I am making cinnamon buns for a BBQ with our home group this evening. I am very excited about it...I hope they will turn out delicious. I just love being off from work right now. Its been fantastic. Plus I am getting EI, so we have some breathing room. Thanks Lord!

Love you and miss you,
Nicole

The long weekend

2008-05-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how fast Spring came here. One week everything was brown, the next everything was green and blooming. Too bad you can't smell these gorgeous lilacs...

We had a great long weekend here and it was hot and sunny. We got to know a couple from our home group better by having a BBQ at their place. It was great. They have fabulous views from the front and rear of their house.

We were going to go to a nearby lake this weekend, but Monday it started to rain...shoot, we should have gone on Sunday. So instead I decided to make cookies and try out Dana's recipe for sweet bread. Both of them turned out delicious! And it was my first use of our full size oven!
I hope you all had fun weekends and not too many sunburns! Miss you and love you.

Nicole xoxo

Friday's Activities

2008-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

I had a really good day. I think this day was one of the highlights of my week. It was a sunny and hot day. I spent the morning reading and rearranging furniture and the afternoon shopping. I found these items that make me smile and add a touch of whimsy to the mantle.
After eating dinner, Nader and I headed out to the North Shore (an area in Kamloops) to find a Farmer's Market. It was rather sad because there were about 6 vendors there. I had been hoping to find interesting things to take pictures of. Instead we drove around McArthur Island park, planning to have a walk there. Instead we happened upon a mini-golf course and decided to play! It was Nader's first time playing and he did fairly well. The first half of the game I beat him and the second half we tied. (Not that I am a very good player!) It was a fantastic location. We saw many birds and a groundhog. We then had ice cream at DQ which was very busy. I don't think I have seen a DQ that big before, but it makes sense in a place like Kamloops!
We then decided to drive around a bit to explore areas we hadn't been and discovered a Chinese graveyard. It is where Chinese workers who built the CP railway and worked in Kamloops were buried. We then went home and enjoyed a warm evening and the lights of Kamloops on our balcony.

Hope your weekend is a great one! Love, Nicole

So much free time

2008-05-15T09:44:00.001-07:00

I don't know what to do with all my free time. Yes, I have many things to do. I spent 12 hours on Tuesday doing laundry.
I unpacked many boxes and put together shelving. Yet there is still a huge pile of boxes surrounding me. I actually spent half the day reading yesterday and the other half going shopping (for groceries mostly). Of course I was sidetracked in Costco...they have a nice section with plants and I have ideas for a few pots on our balcony. I have lots of nice ideas to make our apartment more homey and functional, however most ideas need me to buy something and since I don't have a job, its not feasible to put most of my ideas into practice. I think I will walk down to Chapters/Starbucks today. Its going to be a hot one! The forecast is over 30! Hmmm...time to find my shorts.

As for my job search, its not really a search right now. I have applied for EI and I am trying to decide what direction to take. I feel like I need a bit of a change. Nader and I are going to take AutoCAD in the fall. I wish they offered it in the summer time. I am also thinking about volunteering somewhere for one or two days a week.

Nader got his contract with his job finally! We are so excited. He is now a full time employee and the contract is open. He is on salary, but no raise as of yet. We trust God will keep providing for us like He has.

Nader and I are both feeling a bit lonely. We miss our friends and family in the Lower Mainland. I think we need to take some steps out of our comfort zone and reach out to connect with people here. At least we have a Bible Study on Thursday evenings and the people are really nice. Hopefully we can get together with a couple of them during the rest of the week. That might help!

Love you all, Nicole

New car!

2008-05-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Finally after days of searching and lots of negotiating, I managed to secure a car for myself. I am so tired of the process but took my time because I wanted to make sure I didn't get a lemon. However, only time will tell...

It is a Mazda Protege 5, manual transmission (better performance and gas milage!), has A/C and a sunroof. It will have new brakes and tires by the time I pick it up tomorrow. I think that I managed a good deal with a little help from my dad and my brother. I am happy with the outcome and excited to get to drive it away soon!

I came down to Burnaby to find something since selection is limited around Kamloops. It has been great to stay at my dad's place and also visit with Eric since he came back from New Zealand. In some ways it feels like I never moved to Kamloops! Everything is so familiar. I went to church on Sunday and it was just like I never left. I had a really good time on Sunday actually. I connected with my friend Ruth for awhile and then had lunch with other young adults at the pastor's house. It was delicious food too!

Love Nicole

Settling in

2008-04-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

So last night I went to Girl's Night Out at the church. And I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I found was definitely not what I envisioned. It was basically set up to be a sit-in-your-seat-and-listen event. I had hoped that there would be interaction and fun among the women. Plus, it was a sponsored event, so there were a lot of plugs for businesses and organizations. That really bugged me! I felt confused as to what the purpose of the event was - was it to promote businesses or was it for women to learn? The speaker was entertaining, but I didn't feel that her message changed anything inside me. I think that I put up my defenses very early in the evening due to the set-up and atmosphere. It was fake feeling. I miss Hillside.

On the plus side (after a lot of complaining!), I met a few new people and they were friendly. I think it will take some time to feel a connection with people.

I am starting to feel a bit disconnected and a little lonely. I am enjoying having quiet time to do whatever I want, but I miss hanging out with people I know. It is also good to be with Nader again after 2 months of being apart. I guess it will all take some time to become adjusted to the new life. I am trying to stay positive and upbeat.

Maybe I will feel better after setting more stuff up. It's still a big mess in here. I feel a little lost and don't know where to start. I start something and then think of another thing and another....soon I can't remember what I was doing in the first place! (Oh wait, that's nothing new!!)

Love Nicole

New place in Kamloops

2008-04-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is...the new pad with a beautiful view. So far its been good. We do have a yappy dog or two living next door and I already want to get out a pellet gun. Thankfully we can't hear too much from our bedroom as it is on the opposite side of the building.

We went to church yesterday - Summit Drive Baptist Church. It seems to be a good place and Nader knows some people there. I met a bunch of people and they were very welcoming. One woman is into quilting too! There is a "girls night" on Tuesday night at church (whatever that will be...) and I will go and hopefully get to know some people.

Our move itself went very smoothly, and we unloaded the truck in about an hour. It was a little more work due to the stairs, but I am happy with the outcome. Now I just have to unpack and make the place look like home...easier said than done! I have put away most of the kitchen stuff, but have a few more boxes to go. Nader got out the computer and set it all up and we have access to the internet! I was feeling a bit cut off.

Well, I should get going here and start doing stuff for the day. Miss you all. Love Nicole

Spring is coming!

2008-03-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

I noticed the Spring is nearly here today. As I drove down the street I saw some bushes with bright green leaves on them! I shouted outloud with excitement in the car, "Hallelujah for Spring!" Good thing I was alone.

I do feel a change in my outlook on life right now though. Its like I have come through a dark and difficult time and now I have a fresh attitude. I feel excitement and anticipation for what is coming next. It may have to do with my possible move to Kamloops, or maybe because my work situation has changed. Or maybe I feel energized from the Word of God and going to the Beth Moore conference. Whatever the reason, I feel alive and welcome the change wholeheartedly. God is so faithful. This Spring I feel like I have started a new season in my own life.