A Perfect Trifecta

After a delicious breakfast of eggs benedict...
- gin tasting (and buying) at 11:30 am
- fabric puchasing @ Rumpled Quilt Skins at 12:30 (boy, that shop owner could see when she had someone on the hook!)
- shoe shopping @ the Bay at 2:30 pm

A day couldn't get much better than that. 😊

Brunch & Trivia

Sunday was brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel, courtesy of 1-800-luke. I would definitely recommend that...brunch was delicious. And the scenery is pretty nice too, nestled in the mountains. ☺
On the way back to the condo we're borrowing, we took  a drive up Spring Mountain Road to see what was up the mountains. When we got out for a photo op we were almost blown away by the WIND. Hokey smokey - cold and vicious, so it was a very quick sightseeing moment.
On our return it was time for French Martinis and a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit. The girls won (no surprise). Today we plan a hike at Lake Louise then back to Calgary. We've got some snow here, and the Weather Network shows freezing rain at home. I hope Sadie is staying out of trouble. Maybe we'll call the sitter later to check on things.

Merry Christmas From Calgary

My favorite time of day. This afternoon we're having Santa's Sleigh cocktails (from Food Network).
DH and I are in Calgary spending Christmas with my brother & s.i.l. I'm pretty sure lots of money changed hands when DH actually got on a plane. Sadie has been left at home to hold down the fort and guard the quilting machine. It's a good thing she loves her dogsitter.
We left warm 15 c. weather to come here where it is -18 and snowy. The company and the food are making it worth while, though. Turkey dinner tonight!Tomorrow we are heading up to Canmore for a few days, then back here. Home in time for New Years with the pooch. 🐶

A Sampler Quilt and Ennui

I love Sampler Quilts.  This was done as a Block of the Month at the Caledonia Guild last year.

Cable border design.

Dresden Plate.

Gorgeous feather design.

The hull of the boat was quilted with simple, straight lines.

This is my favorite block.

So.  Ennui.  From Merriam-Webster:

ennui

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of ennui

1. the state of being bored ennui that comes from having too much time on one's hands and too little will to find something productive to do>

Synonyms blahs, doldrums, ennui, listlessness, restlessness, tedium, wearinessRelated Words cheerlessness, dispiritedness, joylessness, melancholy; languidness, languor, lassitude, lethargy, lifelessness, torpidity, torpor; dullness (also dulness), monotonousness, monotony, sameness; apathy, indifference, unconcern

That is how I've been feeling for the last couple of weeks, and I don't know why.  I turn off my workroom lights at 4, 5, or 6 o'clock depending on that day's events.  And I have no interest in doing anything after that.  Seriously disinterested.  The evening will consist of finishing the last few words of the crossword puzzle that DH has been working on, then doing the daily Sudoku puzzle from the newspaper, then either t.v. or a book, or both.  Bedtime can't seem to come fast enough.  I hope it's just the time of year, although the weather has been so incredibly warm it's more like October than December.  Even the stupid thistles are still growing in my flowerbeds.  Grrr.  I also wonder if the MESS of STUFF around me has got to the point of overload.  The old windows are still here (listed on Kijiji for sale), the old stereo equipment is still here, Mom's stuff from the nursing home is still here, furniture from DH's parents' nursing home, empty boxes from electronics purchases, and on and on. Weeding out is an awful chore.  If I dispose of pictures I feel like the devil's right hand man.  Silly, but true.
I am eagerly anticipating a visit with my brother & s.i.l. over Christmas.  If anyone can get my mojo working again, he can.  And she's a super-tidy neat freak who will whup my ass into shape.  I hope.  Stay tuned.

My New Toy and A Shot Of Colour

Yes.  I need to have my head read.  This is my idea of a new toy. 

The last time I bought myself a vacuum was in 2008 - see here.  The new one is cordless & rechargeable, and intended strictly for my workroom, to deal with the approximately 12 pounds of cotton lint dust I produce every day.  (ok that might be a BIT of an exaggeration.  But it's a lot of dust.)  It will only run for 20 minutes, so I don't have to worry about getting carried away with TOO MUCH cleaning.  It also has a removable hand-held vacuum thing for doing the stairs and window ledges, etc.  I don't have to beat my way through all the stuff in the closet to haul out the central vac hose that weighs a ton.  It was on sale through Costco.ca for $115.00.  If you compare that to what I paid for Threddy Krueger (the Roomba), this was practically free.

Here is your little shot of colour.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.  Love the orange with the variegated thread!!!