"me"

Friday Favourites: Hang-It-All and New Boots


Our little old house does not have a front (or back) closet. Oh yeah, we don't really have an entrance either. You just walk into our living room. That means shoes and coats and all the detritus of living in a cold climate are often scattered throughout the room.

In an effort to get the front entrance a bit more organized I bought this long lusted after Eames Hang-It-All. It really is a fun piece and oh so practical. Actually, too practical. It is generally covered in coats. So much so that you can't actually see it. I can't complain though, it is getting used and that certainly helps. I did clean it up for this photo and removed 5 jackets belonging to the girls and one belonging to Hubby. And this was before the snowpants returned.

I also wanted to share my sexy new boots. Vanessa was doing a giveaway the other day and sent so many folks here (Welcome new friends!). In jest she told people to tell me I had great calves. Well thank-you Vanessa and those of you who did just that. I'm pretty happy with my calves these days.

Despite no exercise other than the walks to and from school these days (That leash in the photo doesn't get used because the dog is too old.) I've managed to get back to pre-pregnancy weight plus a little bit. Just with careful eating. That gets me halfway to my goal weight loss. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to treat myself to some new clothes and shoes. And these sexy boots came home with me. Hells yeah!

Weekend Reads - Launch


In an effort to appease my husband and focus on the family a little more I've decided to not quilt on the weekend. No work (even if a lot of my quilting is for fun) on Saturday and Sunday. That means I'm getting some relaxed mornings sitting in a comfy chair, tea in hand, reading. The girls read with me while the baby naps or we all watch cooking shows while I flip through cookbooks and magazines. Needless to say, I have a million things I could share with you.

This week I'm launching Weekend Reads, a new series here on Dining Room Empire. Each weekend I'll share with you what I'm reading, whether it be fiction, cookbooks, magazines, or quilting books. Perhaps it will involve a little book review, perhaps not. It might just be a capture of my weekend reads.

Take this weekend, for example. We went away to Banff for the weekend. A whole weekend of wonderful eats, total maniac time for the girls, some easy winter hiking/tourist activities, wood burning fireplaces, and lazy mornings. I actually got to read part of my novel yesterday. Now that was a treat!

Right now I'm reading Sweet Tooth, the latest from my favourite author, Ian McEwan. Curled up in a quilt (yes, I bring my own quilt to a hotel) I luxuriated in the time to get lost in a thrilling novel.

Maple Leaves



There have been many bursts of patriotism in my life over the years:
- Silken Laumenn winning a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics after a brutal accident
- When our former Prime Minister Jean Chretien attacked a would be burgler with a soapstone sculpture
- Watching any Olympic hockey, but especially Crosby's goal in 2010
- The moment I see the mountains as I round the corner on the road to Banff, the splash of seals from the bow of my boat on the Halifax Arm, or the endless gold and blue of a Prairie sky
- Every time the gay marriage and abortion debates are raised in other countries I am thankful for our protection of freedoms
 - And when I saw Amy's Union Jack quilt

Yes, I'm serious about that last one. I have no special affinity to the UK, unless you count Earl Grey tea and Masterpiece Classic series. But Amy's quilt made me think about whether a Maple Leaf quilt could be made just as cool. She had confidence in me to do it and this weekend I finally tried.


I wanted to adapt our national flag into quilt form. The red portions are all pieced slabs - a technique we describe in Sunday Morning Quilts. The proportions are that of the real flag. And I eyeballed the actual leaf based on the original. Using fusible I cut the leaf out from a slab then fused it to a white background.


There are more blocks to be made, possibly in other colours. Let's see where this goes! Cool? Not sure about that, but I do think it is pretty neat.