EPIPHANY, JAN 6, 2012

Ornaments on Laurel's buffet

The Christmas season is now officially over so I must get the decorations packed away for another year. I didn't put all of them up this year and nobody seemed to notice so all was well.  

I enjoyed our first quilting session of the new year last Monday.  My job was zig-zagging around the  quilt edges to finish them off before they were tied.  At the end of the day we had four small quilts and ten large ones in our pile of finished quilts.  I left a bit early and headed for Milestone, not quite two hours away.

The boys went skating and also had hockey practice on Tuesday so Ashley and Grandma kept each other company.  Here we are making pie crust.  Ashley helped roll the crusts, as well as a batch of flatbread.  We also had fun playing with finger puppets.  We took turns there too, being the wolf or the three little pigs.  We enjoyed watching Barbie's "The Nutcracker" too.

I spent four nights at the Diekrager farm and got home just as the sun was setting tonight.  It's a good feeling to know that the days are now getting longer even if it's not too noticeable yet.  We can't complain about our winter so far.  Record setting above normal temperatures have been recorded this week in southern Saskatchewan. It was +10 C in Weyburn yesterday!  Roads are bare, no boots needed.  And this is winter?  We better enjoy it while it lasts.

Greg flew with his mother, Gaylene, to her winter home in Hemet, CA on Monday.  He came home last night to a houseful of guests!  Besides his mother-in-law, there were my sister Sandra and her son's wife, Marion, with two year old Katie and three and a half months old Rhett. (Three year old Blaine stayed home with Dad and Grandpa Merle). It was exciting to meet baby Rhett for the first time.  What a sweet, good natured baby!  He was there for two full days and I never heard him cry.  Here are some special pictures.

Rhett Oscar Sanford
born Sept 22, 2011

Rhett and Dawson
two boys with dimples on their chins!

The night before the Sanfords left, Eric decided to give his beloved old blue blanket to Rhett. (He confided to Grandma, "It's time that I got rid of it.)  He hadn't changed his mind in the morning and after school wanted to be sure that it had gone with baby Rhett.

Eric giving Rhett his blanket

The Frontier community has a baby shower for each new arrival.  Marion suggested a different type of shower for Rhett, their third child.  She asked that instead of bringing gifts for Rhett, donations of baby blankets, sleepers and other items needed in layettes be given instead.  They could be gently used  as well as new.  She generously donated these special gifts to our Torquay Ladies Aid as she didn't know of any other group who assembles these kits. Today I stopped at Trinity, Torquay on my way home.  I had a huge Rubbermaid tote and five plastic bags full of blankets and clothing to be used in our layettes.  Heartfelt thanks, first of all to Marion for coming up with the idea, and then to the many generous ladies in Frontier and area for giving so generously to this project. One lady brought a quilt that had been make for her children who are now all over fifty years old.  I'll have to take pictures when we unpack and sort, perhaps next Monday.  We went through some of them at Laurel's and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in the rest of the bags.  Here's a picture of us in Laurel's living-room sorting through the tote full of items.  By the way, Rhett was well provided for too!  He has already outgrown some of his new clothes and donated them to our layettes as well.

Looking over the clothes donated by Marion and friends
(those are all hand knit sweaters in the pile on the table!)

We send many of these kits to Lutheran World Relief with headquarters in Winnipeg. They are distributed in countries facing disasters and are sometimes the only clothing that a mother has for her  newborn baby   Other kits and warm clothing go to the Lampwick Mission at Lac La Ronge, SK.  Teresa, one of the grandmas who used to be in our group, crocheted many beautiful baby sweaters to include in these layettes.  She also had a granddaughter living in Flin Flon, not that far from La Ronge.  One day when Janelle was at a medical clinic with her new baby, she was amazed to see another baby wearing a sweater exactly like the one that Grandma had made for her son. She couldn't quite figure that out!  She found out that Grandma was making sweaters for many many babies, not just for her own greatgrandchildren.

Little Katie just turned two on Dec. 28th.  She and Ashley had some struggles over some of Ashley's toys and both would proclaim "Mine!"  They learned to work things out and were playing well together by the second day.  Here they are busy finger painting.  One evening they were both drawing on the chalkboard.  Katie could tell that Ashley was getting quite upset, turned to her and said "Mad?"  Quite perceptive for a two year old, I thought!

Sandra found things to do too.  Here she is showing Laurel how to make a necklace/scarf by cutting strips from a tee shirt.  (I don't think Greg will miss the green and yellow shirts she used!)  Another long sleeved cotton shirt is in the process of becoming an apron.  We won't say who'll be wearing that one!

Turning a tee shirt into a scarf

I'm late with my "Wednesday blog" this week so will try to get back on schedule next week.  Ray and Susie are leaving for Mesa on Thursday so I'll be back in Estevan by then.  In the mean time, I'll be here at the farm, hoping to sew some tops ready for quilting next week!