Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A little bit nippy around these parts!

I had a very rude awakening this morning. Wendell left for Halifax, Nova Scotia yesterday on a business trip.  It never fails that something happens when he is away. At 5.30am this little baby....


the smoke detector outside our bedroom went off at an ear piercing rate!! It startled the life out of me and my first thought was naturally, that the house was on fire.  I jumped out of bed, knocking my glasses UNDER the bed in the process, quickly grabbed my slippers and robe only to find, when I opened the door, (thankfully, I might add!) that there was no smoke at all.  I went to the main level and also the basement where the furnace is, and there was no sign of anything strange.  I had to get up on a step ladder to turn the darn thing off, so by the time this was all done I was wide awake! After calling the manufacturer later in the morning I realized that it was  out of date (more than 10 years old) and needs to be replaced. Oh well, I guess it's better than having a fire and no smoke detector!

I am driving a friend's children to school this week for her as she has broken her wrist and can't drive.  We are in the middle of what is being called a polar vortex at the moment with the temperature this morning at -36 degrees Celsius.  That is mighty cold when it hits you in the face as you open your front door.  I felt a lot like our car door this morning - very stiff and creaky!

When I got home I felt that hot oatmeal was the thing for breakfast. So I made some up


25 minutes later


I haven't tried this recipe before.  I should have put grated carrots in it, but didn't have any in my frdige as I blanched and froze them all last week, but it was still delicious with just the coconut, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and raisins.


A lovely warming breakfast! Recipe found here

Would you like to see the fabrics for my next quilt?


I still need to cut a lot more of the beige squares as there will be many more of them to add to the colours.  This will be a queen size and I am going to try and quilt it myself.  I want a very old fashioned look, so we'll see how it goes.  Watch this space!

I forgot to mention my cookbooks in my last post on books. Here they are if you're interested. These are the ones I use most


And these are in the cupboard above the microwave.



Wendell is working from his hotel room today as they are in the middle of a blizzard in Halifax, even though their temperatures are way milder than ours in Ottawa. The sun is shining through my window making me feel its warmth, but outside it is freezing!  Stay warm wherever you are!

P.S. My neighbour across the street is having new windows installed today.  -36C and the instalers are on ladders outside - madness!!

21 comments:

  1. I am very glad that you didn't open the door to smoke Julie! Remember to pick up a new smoke alarm soon won't you. Even if you just pop it on a shelf or chair or something for now until Wendell can put it up that will be better than nothing! I don't know if you have carbon monoxide alarms over there, but they also run out after 10 years we found out recently, so check how old that is too while you are at it! I hope that you stay warm while you are home alone and have fun with your quilting. I look forward to seeing how you progress. We share some of the same cookbooks, but not as many as we would on our fiction shelves! Hope you are having a good week. xx

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  2. Don't worry Amy. We have other smoke detectors on all levels of the house. Our carbon monoxide detector is not as old, but we may just replace them all at the same time. I will put this one on the landing shelf tonight just to be safe. I am snug as a bug in a rug. Thank goodness for furnaces!!

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  3. We had an alarm which did just that for several days. The replacement is super quiet!
    What lovely fabrics you have chosen.

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    1. I hope it's not too quiet Elizabeth! You want it to be able to wake you up if needed! I just wish my false alarm had happened at 5.30PM and not AM!

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  4. Love the quilt fabrics, it's going to be very pretty. Is that bowl and cup by Emma Bridgewater? It looks identical to some melamine plates that we have by her.

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    1. Yes they are Emma Bridgewater. The cup is melamine but the bowl is pottery. We have a full dinner service of polka dot and I have lots of bowls, jugs and mugs in various patterns of hers. I love her work.

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  5. Wow that's cold Julie - the poor window fitters! That's definitely the weather for a warming breakfast.
    The fabrics are lovely, and I'm sure with your sewing skills the quilt will be absolutely beautiful.

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    1. I still am in shock that they were working in temperatures like this. They are out there again today so must be doing the comlete house! Better them than me as it's still as cold today!

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  7. Hello Julie. I've just seen that you are my new follower and would like to welcome you to my blog. I've also found that I have several newcomers via Bloglovin too and in my haste to write to you, I thanked you for following me on Bloglovin - which of course you aren't. (Sorry just a senior moment!) anyway I deleted that comment just in case you were wondering what was going on. Look forward to getting to know you.

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    1. It's me again - I've just popped back over to Bloglovin - and there you were! So I wasn't going mad after all! Well I've really started off on the wrong foot haven't I? Let's start again......see you soon.

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    2. Hi Patricia. I followed you on both as sometimes I can't leave comments on certain blogs through bloglovin and have to use blogger. One way or another I will read your blog and look forward to getting to know you.

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  8. HI Julie, just catching up, I havent been reading much this week.Hope you are keeping warm, sound so cold where you are. I dont know how you cope with those temperatures.

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    1. We are very grateful for a good furnace and a nice warm house let me tell you Anne! I tend to stay in as much as I can when it gets this cold. We don't go for winter walks around here!

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  9. Glad it was a false alarm - your fabric looks lovely. I can't believe how cold it is - wrap up warm x

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    1. It's flannel sheets and PJ's around here and hot chocolate in the evenings when it gets this cold.

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    2. And thanks for stopping by Sue. Glad to have you here!

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  10. Poor you with the smoke alarm but at least no fire and you are now happier knowing your detector is new and in perfect working order.
    Goodness your oatmeal sounds delicious and the perfect insulation for the cold weather you are experiencing

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  11. Yes, my hubby is now home and we have three new Smoke detectors all up and running! I am glad it was a false alarm as well.

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  12. I see that we have similar tastes in books, both cooking and sewing, and from the look of your oatmeal food as well. I have to confess to ordering 2 more sewing books this week, Lori Holt's new one and one on Mug Rugs and I got Camille's new one last week. Your quilt fabrics are looking very good together, I shall be watching with interest. Pam

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  13. Hi Pam. I have been following your blog for a while now and really enjoy yours posts. I have Lori Holt's new book and it is certainly good eye candy! Camille's books are great and I plan on making some of her quilts in the coming months. I started chain piecing the quilt pieces this afternoon. This one is just plain patchwork and it will look very vintage (I hope) when it is finished. I will post photos as I go.

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