Light's Out

A blog must have photos.  But my camera has died.  No, that's not accurate.  The camera still works but the flash is gone.  The puppy's soft maltese hair is nearly five inches long now and she's ever so cute.  But the camera will only let me take photos without the flash and the quick-moving bundle becomes a blur.

Many years ago, my livelihood involved always having a camera near by.    It was a Nikon FM2 -- all manual and I was very proud of it.  It fit beautifully in my hands.  I couldn't afford the Nikkor lenses but I had various lenses that went with it.  And a big heavy flash.    When the daughter was just over a year, I finally gave up 35 mm film and went with a Canon Powershot.   While my work doesn't require a camera, having that little memory collector in my lap top bag has caught many a photo that's helped communicate our day-to-day ministry for the community.  Since daughter is turning six soon, it makes sense the camera has given up.  (Though the Nikon FM2, stored on a very high closet shelf, would still work fine)
   My husband suggested that I get an SLR camera.  You like photography he says.  And I know there are photos that I miss because the easy-shot camera doesn't have the depth that my FM2 did.  Yet, I know I've liked the little convenience camera.  It's light.  I can carry it most places.  I can concentrate more on the people around me, then the heavy equipment.  And realistically -- you can buy an SLR camera but then there's the lenses to purchase also.
  So I'm looking at this Canon

  Though the flash doesn't work, I captured a photo of youngest daughter and puppy this morning.  Later, puppy had her first hair cut and the four to five inches of wonderful soft fur is down to about an inch and a half.  Still soft puppy, though.

"You're just what I need!"

Sassy Lassie loves all things Vintage and this story is one she loved as a child and then read to her own children.    I requested it through our library and J and I loved reading it last night.  And then the phrase:  "You're just what I need!"  has become our farewell (at school in the am) and greeting (pick up at the day home).  So tonight I found it on eBay, remarkably through a Canadian seller, and hopefully our own copy is in the mail soon.
    It's a delightful story of a mother waking up in the morning and finding a "bundle" under the blankets and imagines all sorts of things that that bundle might be (of course, it's her child hiding).   It was originally published as The Bundle in the early 1950s.  The copy I found is a re-issue from the 1990s.

   Thank you Sassy Lassie!   This is a gem.

A bit of this, a bit of that

Sometimes the sewing ambition falls away and small projects fit the bill.   After a skirt I'd worked long and hard on, didn't work out, I turned to a bit of this and that.  Eventually I did redo the skirt but it's too cold to wear its embroidered sheerness so will wait until warmer temperatures to show you that one!

But here are a few simple projects that were enjoyable to grab a few minutes here and there to get done in past months:

I got a great deal on a red night gown from Land's End similar to this one....but it was too short, imho,  to keep the legs warm in winter.  So with a small bit of polka dot flannel from Fabric.com, I lengthened the nightgown and added some fun to its simplicity.



Every year, I try to make something for the Ujamma Grandmas Bags and Babies sale that raises money for the Stephen Lewis Foundaiton.  With inspiration from Brianne, I sewed up these fabric bags -- that could be used for gifts or simply to keep something special in.  Everything came out of the stash and some of the ribbon and cloth from the Unused fabric sale that the same women run each spring.     I was slightly anal about this -- even changing the thread colour to blend in with the decorative buttons on the pink bags -- but I liked the finished product.   A few of J's pony beads were used at the end of the ribbon pulls.  Two of the pink bags have a "Princess" theme and the mid-size one in the middle has music theme on the buttons.

J spotted Sponge Bob cloth in Fabricland one day and 'suggested' we buy it.  I found the pillow inserts at IKEA -- the feather ones because the polyester ones were just too thin and didn't have to worry about allergies.  She has one and the second one was made up for the nephew.  During sleep-over visits over Christmas the two five-year-olds were pleased they had matching pillows as well as the fact it was Sponge Bob

A Gentlemanly New Year

A neighbour described our dog, Sneaker, as a gentleman.  And he certainly is.  He finds a way to get along with all manner of people and dogs.  In the past five weeks he's adjusted to a new puppy, smaller than him and then two other dogs visiting over Christmas.  With the puppy, he certainly had his nose out-of-joint -- until he taught the puppy how to wrestle.  For New Year's Eve we travelled to my brother and sister-in-law.  The puppy had its little kennel to curl up in.  We forgot Sneaker's bed.  The poor guy usually heads to bed mid evening.  He didn't know where to put his weary body and my sister-in-law snapped this photo near midnight. 
    But before I make him sound too saint-like -- there was the wrapped box of chocolates under the tree that he half demolished last month as well as managing to get the tupperware top off of the puppy food in the pantry.  Needless to say, Sneaker's gained weight and has yet again proved he's much smarter than us! (humans who put chocolates at dog-nose reach and leave pantry door open....)
   The puppy is named Grace or Gracie.  She "keeps us busy" as the five-year-old told the grocery store clerk.  But added many smiles and more laughter to our household.

   In terms of family this has probably been one of my busiest Christmases yet.  Lots of people to feed over the past week.  But gifts sewn were well received -- bathrobes to the eldest kids, pyjamas for Dad and a dress for youngest daughter's doll.  La sewista described sewing doll clothes 'like eating potato chips -- you can't eat just one, you have to eat to the bottom of the bag.'  She's right.  I loved making the dress and carried on.  More on those little garments -- once I figure out how to repair the camera's flash!