Gratitude and Glimmers #111

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of September. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed. 

--Art Wolfe

Rather an apt quote for this month's gratitude post.

1.  What a glimmer this was!

This wee moth was having a daytime snooze in one of my mandevilla vine flowers. Wouldn't you love to be tiny enough to have a nap there?!

Gratitude & Glimmers #109

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of July. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

Peace is the strongest power, yet unrecognised.

--Sri Chimmoy

1. You know my lifelong love of trees. You may recall me talking about that time in 1994 driving through and stopping (for not long enough!) in Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island. How I wish I could fly out to Vancouver to see this current exhibit about the magic of BC’s ancient forests.

Lifesize model of an 1800-year-old Mother Tree.

Gratitude and Glimmers #106

"Perfect happiness is a beautiful sunset, the giggle of a grandchild, the first snowfall. It's the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events. Joy comes in sips, not gulps."

                                                                            - Sharon Draper

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of March. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. This is the absolute BEST. I couldn't' stop grinning the entire two videos. Watch both, one comes on after the other) and I am still grinning as I type this! Click to watch Huxley the rescued raven imitate his rescuer's sneeze and say his name.

Gratitude and Glimmers #104

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of February. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. 

1. I love this house for its brightness. Despite it being small, with no closets to speak of, and having painted-over panelling from the late 1940s (it was built in 1947), the brightness due to lots of windows, and something about the lot upon which it sat, told me it was a good place. Slowly over the years, we well mostly MacGyver, have renovated this house to the point where there isn't a room or wall that he hasn't touched/redone. When we did the major renovation in 2019, converting the half story to a full useable second level, we moved my sewing room to where we'd originally thought our bedroom would be, because of the light, which our wise builder had noticed. I love how it streams in through the entire day, thanks to windows on three sides that face east, south and west. Yes, it can wreak havoc on fabric and quilts, but I am careful to move them or shield them if in direct sunlight. This gave me a glimmer of joy early one morning when I walked by.

I made this cover for my longarm in 2019 when I was an Island Batik ambassador. filling it with all kinds of quilting motifs.

Gorgeous fabric and a gorgeous if I do say so myself, double ribbon candy motif.

Gratitude and Glimmers #102

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of December. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Thanks for hosting these once again all year, LeeAnna.

From my mindfulness calendar for today:

It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.

--David Steindl-Rast

1. I love sunrises and sunsets, but in winter with silhouetted trees, they’re something else. 

Sunrise

Gratitude and Glimmers #100

Holy moly! One hundred gratitude posts (brain emoji). My first one is here, written on May 8, 2014. This was before it was a 'thing', and it was an idea I'd had all on my own. I like, no I love that I have done this for so long. I keep thinking that each year I should print the twelve posts I write and put them into a booklet... There, I've put it in writing, so I will investigate!

A grateful heart

is a magnet for miracles.

--Unkown

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of October. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1a. I've been often in the "I hate humans" mode because of Gaza, of world leaders' NOT doing their job, of the rampant destruction of our planet, because of greed, and of the pervasive negativity... However, our recent Maritimes trip had me several times thinking how much I love humans, and how no matter what province we are from, we have common ground on many levels.

Cavendish Beach PE

At one charging station in Quebec, we couldn't get our Chargepoint user card to work in the Circuit Éléctrique charger. These Quebec chargers do not accept credit cards either, something that we think needs to change, as other networks do this as well. A gentleman came up to us and asked, "Y a-ti-il un problème?" to which I responded, "Notre carte ne marche pas; la machine ne l'accepte pas." and then he continued in English and when he couldn't get it to accept our card, he said, "I can do something else..." He did something on his phone, held it to the card reader, and voilà! Charging started. When we realized he had prepaid for a charge, I said I had cash and turned to the car to get it but he stopped me, saying no it's just fine, not to worry, and off he went! It got us to 75%. MacGyver figured out that the balance on the Chargepoint card, which is a prepaid system, had gone below $5 and he hadn't realized it to reload it. All went well after that learning moment. But what a kind human.

A Maritimes AdvEVenture Part 4

From Ingonish we headed on to Chéticamp on the Cabot Trail, hoping to do the world famous Skyline Trail that day, but if not, then the following morning. The parking lot fills up fast, and when it does, they close the trail, and the fines are very substantial if you park on the road and walk in. Once 30 or so vehicles depart, then they will reopen the lot. However, this first window for us happened to be a pretty cool day (high of 13-15) within a cluster of gorgeous warm (low 20s) days, so when we arrived at around 11:30, there was plenty of parking to be had! Before we arrived we made a few stops.

Green Cove

Colour and texture, bracing wind and powerful pulsing surf, a mesmerizing cocktail.

A Maritimes AdvEVenture Part 3

When planning the Cape Breton section of our Maritimes trip, MacGyver confessed he was a little anxious about the charging infrastructure as it's pretty remote. Never did we think we'd be more concerned with the charging of the human body infrastructure!

Now if a human could live on the non-stop feast that was before our eyes over the past two and a half days, then we'd each have been stuffed to the gills. My heart was aching almost 24/7 with the utter splendour.

Ocean view at the top of the 23-storey high Freshwater Lake Look-off Hike

Gratitude and Glimmers #99

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

—Melody Beattie

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of September. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. J’adore la belle province de Québec. Nous sommes à Lac Brôme ce matin, tout près de Knowlton…some of you know the significance of this sweet village in this jaw-dropping beautiful part of Québec which is about an hour south of Montréal. More on what exactly I’m doing here in a few subsequent posts, but know it’s a big trip! Ahhh, j’adore l’automne.

Gratitude and Glimmers #98

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our sense to grow sharper.

--W. B. Yeats

Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of August. It is a week late, partly due to Brady being here for nine days, and partly due to a commission of four project bags. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that caterpillars and butterflies have captivated me this month. Last year we intentionally bought several perennials and annuals that are good for pollinators, and boy have we been rewarded. I've had monarchs, pipevine swallowtails (the black one with iridescent blue and orange and white markings), gigantic yellow swallowtails, a hummingbird moth and Mason wasps, to name the prettiest ones.

You can see several little videoclips on my Instagram, @mmmquilts.

Gratitude & Glimmers #96

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

--Oprah Winfrey

Welcome to my post for the month of all things I like and for which I am grateful. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Glimmers are the little things that give me a frisson, if you will, of joy or happiness or excitement, or all three.

I like going for a walk at the marina in Leamington. This year they have put these life-like rubber statues at a few points. We aren't sure why unless it's a deterrent to the Canada geese, whose poop is, uh, rather large and prolific! Rufus was intrigued. I missed the original encounter where he went nose to nose to investigate this strange dog!

Gratitude and Glimmers #93

Welcome to my post for the month of all things I like and for which I am grateful.  You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Glimmers are the little things that give me a frisson if you will, of joy or happiness or excitement or all three.

1. This is the fifth time we’ve been to Cuba but the first time we went to Cayo Coco. What another beautiful place! Here are just a few photos, none are photoshopped for colour. It truly is this eye-popping, saturated turquoises and blues. 

Damage from last year’s hurricane brought in sandbars and rocks that were not here before. It’s very shallow for a long way out. You can walk forever along the shore, kilometres of beautiful beach. 

Gratitude Glimmers #79

Still struggling some days at finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness, a lift to my spirits. Being grateful has become a habit though, and I snap photos all month long as reminders of these glimmers. Gratitude does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I like this sign I saw on a dog walk in Kingsville earlier this month.

Gratitude #78 Glimmers

I readily admit that I have had a bit harder of a time lately in some ways finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness. Being grateful, however, has become a habit, and it does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. This one makes my heart sing! About a year ago, an Etsy customer, Wendy in Boston, messaged me after she'd bought my pattern, Grace, asking if I thought she could reverse the pattern to make two quilts that fit together, like a friendship necklace, she said,  for her niece's twin baby girls. I loved the idea and sent her a colouring sheet in reverse image. It is now a part of your download for the pattern. She sent me this photo last week!

The twins are now about ten months old. Wendy did the smooth-edge heart. Instructions for the smooth or jagged (broken) heart are included in the pattern.

Gratitude #77 Glimmers

Welcome to another month's list of things I notice pretty much on a daily basis, for which I am grateful. If you would like to write your own post, or read more of these uplifting posts, pop over to LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color.

Yesterday I learned a new word for these moments I note each month thanks to Mx. Domestic who reposted it from Tiny Buddha Official on Instagram.

1. I'm grateful for my library; I've loved loved LOVED libraries my entire life. The quiet, the smell, the knowledge-keeping, the worlds contained in the thousands of books, ahhh. I was in one day quite a few months ago, and Elaine, who is also a quilter, and in charge of the Artist of the Month display, asked me if I'd like to be the artist for September. I told her absolutely, and that that was fitting timing as I had a quilt coming out in Love of Quilting in the September/October issue! Well, here is the display that has been in the library all month.

Gratitude #76

Welcome to my monthly gratitude post. There is a group of us who write these, so feel free to join in anytime you like and let LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color know. You can hop over there and see more  uplifting posts.

I just love Calla lilies and am I happy that we have the perfect spot for this group of five. This is their third summer! They are in a south facing bed close to the house, so I think this is why they continue to survive the winter.

Gratitude #75

Welcome to my monthly Gratitude post. All month long I note little things that make me smile, that me feel gratitude, things that I like or love. Several of us write these posts; you can read more at LeeAnna‘s blog Not Afraid of Color.

 

1. I love dogs. When I was in Alberta at the beginning of May, visiting Brianne and Brady, one of the things Brady requested we do is meet up with my niece, Brianne's cousin, Sheila. She has three little dogs, cute little characters, who love going to the off-leash dog park in Edmonton's River Valley. It is a massage for the soul and spirit there: dogs of all sizes, shapes and ages, running around, just being dogs. Some chase balls, others chase each other, still others just amble or race along behind or in front of their owners. There is a huge field where they can run around, there are trails through forest and bush, and there is the river where they can swim. It's a paradise, and always leaves all four of us, well all seven, counting the three fur mops, just so content and at peace.

The Art of Riding Thermals: Villa Rosa Designs Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the first ever Fast and Fun Blog Hop with Villa Rosa Designs.

I was really pleased to be asked several months ago to be a part of this blog hop by Bernie of Needle & Foot. Make a quick quilt? Help out a designer? Be part of a hop? Sign me up!

The hop is based on a bundle of five super-quick quilt patterns. I chose Snow Goose and made it à la Sandra.

You can get all five patterns on sale right now by clicking here. If you are new to Villa Rosa Designs, as I was, then you might want to check out this link, which takes you to their shop where you can find... wait for it... over 500 of these postcard-sized fast quilt patterns. I had to look twice and scroll to a second page to believe my eyes: TWO DOLLARS per pattern. The instructions fit on a postcard. The quilts are super-fast.

Gratitude #70

Welcome to my last gratitude post for 2022. There is a group of us who write these posts, and you can find us at  the host LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color.

I am grateful for this incredible sunset on December 28, not photoshopped or filtered. Note the 'on-fire' orange in the bottom centre just to the right of the huge cedar (or possibly Nootka cypress). These skies were visible to the east, the south and the west of me (I have windows in my sewing room in all three of those directions). Just phenomenal. I'm grateful for another year on this beautiful blue/green rock!

Gratitude #68

Good morning. Yes, I did not write this up ahead of time because I wanted to write it from where I am: the incredibly beautiful Catskills of New York. This was the view out our bedroom window this morning.

That is through the window (as you can tell) with my iPhone, no filter. Clearly, it down't do it justice, and clearly, that view takes your breath away. Mountains are on the other side of the cute little cottage we are staying in. We have mainly come to visit our dear friend John, who has appeared from time to time on the blog with his beloved dog, Brandy, now over the rainbow bridge. I am excited to explore, and watch for more photos here and on Instagram. Can you imagine how pretty it is in spring with those apple trees in bloom? We are staying in Janette and Eddie's (friends of John's and now of ours) cottage on their beautiful property.