Day 4 The Hives and Marin in Varsseveld

Morning all, I am so behind in my posts, no excuses really other than I seem to have developed some type of reaction to something.  At first we thought that these were mosquito bites, but every hour or so I come a cropper with more new skin eruptions.  Now the process of elimination begins.   I suspect that it may be the coffee, and I drink a lot of coffee here, which is much stronger than my normal instant coffee from back home.  Even though I drink a lot of coffee at home it isn't strong like this is (this coffee is yummy) but I really think it may be just too strong for my system.  Let us hope it is the coffee and not something else.  Anyway the process of eliminating anything remotely different that what I normally eat or drink in Canada begins. 
These hives are driving me absolutely around the bend and I haven't a moments rest from scratching.  Have you ever had such a reaction to food or drink?
Then there is the sheer pleasure of once again being in the company of my dearest friend which has left me little time for posting because if were aren't tearing up over something we are giggling like two unruly teens at just how very similar we are and the total pleasure of our memories. 
For instance the other night we were sitting in front of the television with the Wii and attempting to fly this tiny airplane through a tunnel, when my friend finally made it through that tunnel after untold attempts we were screaming with sheer abandon over her accomplishment, so much so that we brought Frank all the way from the other end of the house to see what might be making us scream so loudly.  Just one tiny event but oh so memorable and so very much  fun!
Els took me to a local quilt shop, and when I say little, I mean TINY!
This little quilt shop close to here in the small village of Varsseveld (not far from the house) is named MARIN, after the owner.  What a lovely little shop this is, of course I didn't have my camera with me, but I promise next trip to take my camera.
The shop is so tiny you just can't imagine from the outside of this house, the amount of notions, as well as a large variety of batting and 100's of bolts of fabric could be so neatly arranged and organized within just two tiny rooms of that house, with living quarters in back and upstairs. The  classes and workshops are conducted in a tiny outbuilding behind the shop.    
Needless to say that turning any quilter lose inside a very interesting and well stocked quilt shop will see that quilter finding something of interest to purchase.   I found an interesting panel and a tone on tone black fabric from Marcus Fabrics and when I left the shop I left as a happy quilter.  It is amazing how very much could be crammed into such a tiny space and still not make you feel claustrophobic. 
This is all for the moment, thanks for stopping by and putting up with my chatter, later we are off to visit a thrift shop, what I see there is anyones' guess, but I am looking forward to seeing what differences, if any, there are in the thrift stores here and the thrift stores I frequent at home.
Have yourselves a perfectly wonderful day no matter where you might be and please come back for more tomorrow.

I'M AS READY AS I CAN BE!

It's here, it's here, the final day of waiting until I leave very early in the morning!  MY wait is over, hurry up tomorrow and slow down the clock for the next 2 months...puleeeeese?
Picture this:
A van with two suitcases, two women, and a sketchy budget!!!  Back in the very early 1990's, my best friend and I journeyed from Ontario down through the United States heading for Pennsylvania, Amish Quilt Country (at least that is how it was referred to at that time). 

My friend traveled from Holland to Canada landing at Pearson International airport in Toronto    

two days later we were on the road, for us, this trip was a trip of out lifetime.  In those days, neither had a computer, so snail mail flew back and forth.  She had just become addicted to "patchwork" and scoured her library for books on the basics of quilting, which she did, but by hand.  Somehow she convinced me that I too needed a hobby and that is when and where my addiction to quilting began. 
We had six weeks of sheer pleasure, no office, no husbands, no children, really no responsibilities. 

Getting to Pennsylvania was such fun, along the smaller highways and byways whenever I passed a farmer I would shout and wave a HELLO.  The first two hello's she asked me "who was that? "  I would say, "a farmer"!  "Yes" she said, "but what is his name?" I replied, "I don't know" "I just wanted to say hello".  

Poor farmer, he must have thought we were someone he should have known. 
We had a ball, we ate too much at the Amish eating houses, visited as many quilt shops and farm quilters homes as we could, searched all of the byways for those out of the way Amish quilters who allowed the public to visit and shop at their farms and bought way too much fabric.  This is where we were introduced to Miller's - 

wow, our eyeballs bulged the whole time we were in there and our piggy banks took a good beating..

Miller's was and I bet still is a place to visit, especially if your so very new to the quilting hobby and you want to experience some of the Amish style eating places which Miller's clerks can direct you to!!  It was through Miller's we got reservations to many eating establishments, the one we remember the most was the one called "Good and Plenty"

 what sheer eating pleasure that was.  Mmmm  Visit Miller's web site, you will find everything you can want in AMISH QUILT COUNTRY.
We bought far too many pieces of fabrics, so much so that her fabrics could not all be taken home with her as it would put her into major overweight and boy was overweight ever expensive in those days!  Luckily friends and family were traveling to Holland that year and the fabrics were farmed out to the various travelers and eventually found their way to Holland and my friends stash.
We laughed and laughed that whole journey and the memories we made together on that trip are all alive and well today!
Now at that time we'd both been married 25 years by the time we took that trip, but we let loose the responsibilities of family and work and just had a fantastic great time.
Here I am in 2011 and I am so ready for this journey to begin and come 4:30 tomorrow morning I will be up, have had my first cup of coffee, washed, dressed and sitting on my suitcase on the veranda waiting for my brother to pick me up and get my vacation started, after all, I only have two months!!!!  LOL

I have lived with my lists for so long that everything that made it into my case was supposed to be included and well, everything else will remain left behind.  No shampoos,conditions,moisturizers,hand creams or hair equipment of any kind is included among the things in my case, anything I need, I can buy there..  What my case is crammed with are things my friend cannot get there.  Local quilt shops are not as plentiful as in North America and I decided to take a whole ream of things for her to have. 
Thank goodness I bought a special package with my airlines to allow me some extra weight allowances.  This suitcase of mine is so close to my allowance weight and if I had to carry it, I simply wouldn't have the strength to do it. (I just know the look my brother is going to throw my way when he tries to pick up that suitcase and place it into the trunk of his car)!!!!  He is going to lecture me big time, I just know it!!!  LOL 

I have my quilted luggage tags securely attached, strips of the brightest and prettiest blue fabric I could find in my stash neatly tied to the handle of my red suitcase, to make it stand out when it rolls around on the luggage carousel at Schipol Airport.   I locked it using only those interlocking twist ties that you have to cut to get off (better than a lock needing a key to open it) and it is already down stairs. Thank goodness it had wheels or I'd have killed myself getting it down a flight of stairs for sure.
Like I said, I am so ready for this, and hope I will not bore you as I post throughout my time away from my home here in Canada.  
I realize I have written an even longer post today than on some other occasions, but, as stated somewhere in another post, I love to share and who better than you to share it all with.
Thank you for allowing me to share some good memories with you and to begin making new memories this year, and no matter where in this wonderful world we live in, have a simply marvelous day and remember, if you feel like passing a comment, please do, I would love to get to know you  better.  

I Can't Believe I Did That!!!

Surprise is what I got last night!  My family showed up a day early!!  Well early to my memory, but in all honesty they said they would be here Thursday and I thought it was to be this evening, Friday....that is what you get when your so wrapped up in what your doing that you very inconveniently forget your getting overnight company!  It all worked out well and they have come and gone, but, I admit I felt rather stupid. 
Only 20 sleeps left until I leave Canada and head off to Holland for my two months mental health break, which I can now see I really do need!  
My dear daughter-in-law presented me with a certificate for the fabric store and with it I am now the owner of a June Tailor Shape Cut Ruler.  What fun! I had ordered it and was prepared to pay for it myself, but, lucky me, I was able to pay for it with my gift certificate....  Now all of those 2.5 fabric pieces I will be needing to cut for my Hexies that I am taking with me to work on while I am across the ocean will be so much easier to cut and a much faster job than just using my 12 inch ruler and rotary cutter.  I decided that I needed that shape cutter because my cuts always seem to have a wow in them, no matter how careful I think I am, I still get several cuts I have to deal with because of those slight variances I always manage to get.
I decided to watch the video on the shape cutting system and I confess she made it look so easy, but realistically I know I will be watching that video more than some while I get the basics of how to use it down pat.  With my need for visual aids in learning, I am so very happy the internet offers video tutorials on all of these wonderful tools invented by very savvy quilters. 
Do any of you use this type of ruler?  Do you use it a lot?  Do you like it?  I would love to hear from those of you who do have it and use it, has it made a huge difference in your piecing?  I certainly hope it does for me.
I haven't much more to tell you other than I am busy preparing for my trip and living with my lists of things to put into my suitcase or chores and appointments that have to be kept before I leave.  Why didn't I put my childrens' arrival date on one of those lists I wonder?  Guess I am having the "one track mind" syndrome this year, really thinking about what I have to accomplish before I am finally let loose on my unsuspecting family and friends in Holland...LOL


Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit with me this evening.  I hope you will continue to visit as I blog from Holland, my best friend tells me of all of the nice finds she gets when she visits the market stalls,

 old bits of various provincial costumes and bits of fancy crochet as well as old fashioned lace or ribbons, and I can't wait to get stuck into the fray and make some wonderful discoveries of my own, maybe then I can get back into some crazy quilting.