Family – Page 12 – Organizing Threads

March 27, 2014

My Billie B

In July of 2010 a puppy, about four months old, was left at the KW Humane Society accompanied by a paper suggesting she was part pug, part Staffordshire terrier. Now Staffordshire terriers are a banned breed in Ontario, therefore not adoptable. The staff at KWHS decided to foster this little female for awhile to see if that breed was going to show. So Christine, my daughter-in-law (now in charge of adoptions at KWHS) took Billie home.

My beloved Shazdeh had developed cancer and I had had her put down in early February that year. I had decided that as long as I lived in a third floor apartment I would not get another dog. However, Simon and Christine were quite certain that Billie, as the puppy was now named, would be a wonderful pet for me. One weekend in September, when Billie was given the OK to be adopted my kids asked if I’d puppy-sit — an opportunity to “try out” the pet before I committed. Ha! Like I was going to say “no” after that.

Billie is a sweet girl, a dear companion. But I’m frequently asked what breed she is. Not knowing for sure I reply, “part pug, part terrier”. Several weeks ago Christine brought me a Wisdom Panel® Shelter Dog DNA testing kit. Here is a chance to find out Billie’s ancestry. I subsequently swabbed Billie’s cheeks and sent away the sample. This morning I got the results. Here they are — and no Staffordshire Terrier in the mix!

March 17, 2014March 17, 2014

California – A Slideshow

March 12, 2014February 21, 2019

Mama’s Quilt

Yesterday Trish took Mom to the Snyder farm to pick up her quilt. It is now on her bed at Heritage House.

March 6, 2014March 28, 2014

Disappointment

Today I fly to California. But today I blew it. In my mind the plane was leaving at 8:30; in fact, it left at 6:30 when I was on my way to the airport. I am so disappointed!

I have re-booked so that I will arrive in San Jose at ten this evening, instead of 1:30 this afternoon. Means I miss Mina’s ballet class. 🙁

I’ve often had dreams of getting to the airport and not having my passport, have never had a nightmare like this. It speaks to the power of our minds being able to believe something in the face of facts. I saw the boarding time on my pass – 05:50 – and still it didn’t click in my brain that the flight left at 6:30.

Now how to fill these extra hours…

February 12, 2014

Winter Projects

Only the second week of February but it feels like it has been a long winter. It certainly has been a cold one! I’m so glad to see the days getting longer; spring will come.

I seem to be better at starting projects than finishing them lately:

I’ve started another Owl phone cosy, hoping to make a tutorial. I really have a hard time writing down what I’m doing.
My mother’s room at the Long Term Care Home is not big enough for us to personalize it with any of her furniture. She has a crocheted afghan on her bed that I made many years ago, but her space still looks institutional. I hit upon an idea: When Grandma Roth died (1981) Mama gave me some quilt patches that she (Grandma) had pieced. Mom and Grandma had given me a single bed quilt they had made after I got married; I used it ‘to death.’ These patches are in the same pattern. There are 23 of them, not quite enough for a single bed. The piecing is certainly not professional, but some of the fabrics I recognize and that is kind of cool.At any rate, I hope to finish piecing this quilt for my mother’s bed. The women of First Mennonite Church gave me some advice on how to do it, and the women of Bloomingdale Mennonite Church have offered to quilt it for me. Thank you all!
Trina recently sent me a link she thought I’d be interested in. I was! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quilt-inspired-square-and-pillow Tara Murray of Alaska is a very talented designer – check out her website http://mamachee.com/ I think this quilt-inspired pillow is a fantastic way to use up bits of coloured yarn! I have 7 squares made:
And speaking of quilts – one more project that I started many years ago, and I really need to finish, is my daughter’s wall-hanging. When Trina first went to school for fashion design I took pieces of fabric from clothing I or she had made plus pictures of her wearing those articles and pieced a small quilt:

(click on the picture for a larger version)

I really need to get my act together and finish these items while I still want to stay cosy and warm inside!