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Batteries Not Required Toys & Things, Moose Jaw, Moose Jaw, SK (2026)

08/24/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 361

I just put our fabrics in a semblance of order from my F.A.R.T. - I 'saved' over $300 by being there that day! Divine Intervention? I think so 🙂 The concept of these types of quilts is quite mind boggling. Judy Neimeyer and her son are the brains behind the patterns. So many little pieces to connect here, there and everywhere, and yet they all work together to create the most stunning quilts. Mami's Country Quilts in Duck Lake is the home of the ONLY JN Certified Instructor in the province! She told me there's only 3 or 4 left in all of Canada! Yikes, not good. Part of her training as a CI is how to navigate the computerized systems to plot and plan one of these masterpieces. They used to have to do it the 'hard' way - paper and pencil! Her and her husband are super helpful in taking away the 'overwhelm' - How do you choose a fabric collection with so many wonderful options? Well, You start with two of the more prominent colors on the sample picture. I knew (with DJ's suggestions) that I wanted to go with more of the colors we saw on our trip through Wyoming, Utah and various other dirt toned states. Where their picture shows the teal and light color I chose a brownish dot and a creamy color. The brown had other colors in it that would compliment other choices. I wasn't able to come home with the light fabric - there wasn't enough for what I needed. I paid for it anyway, and will wait for a new bolt of fabric to be ordered - this makes sure there are no color variances between the two bolts of fabric - it happens! From there you can literally go through each component and make choices. I tried to keep my bolts in order so I wouldn't get confused, but then I also chose other fabrics just to have in my stash, at 30% off...they are on the bottom right of the first picture. I'm glad I took a picture of the fabrics as I was choosing them so I can compare the batik swirlies - it can get confusing.

The computerized program enables the CI to bring up the blank canvas of the layout. She clicks on each section, which has a corresponding number in the papers, and inserts the actual color sample that is in their computer system. She literally did a color by number, with my fabric choices, and was able to print off what my quilt will look like. She also wrote a sticky tag for each fabric, listing the cutting requirements as dictated by the computer and the number code for that fabric. Her husband did the cutting and just like that - Bob's your uncle! It still took a considerable amount of time, and we chose fabrics for TWO quilts that morning. They open at 9:30, I was there shortly after, and I think it was after 1 pm when we finished! Funny story - I THOUGHT I could go through all the pages and write out/calculate how much of each fabric I would need..... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I didn't even know yet WHICH fabrics I would need!

DJ's Dark Red outer fabric is also being ordered in - we needed 8 meters of that and they only had 6.5.

The fact that I can even wrap my head around this to try and explain it to all of you tells me my brain is ready to get back to business! We'll get started on these this winter probably - if I can hold out that long! This week is a write off - I have an appointment every day except Friday! The week is still young, lol.

08/23/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 360

I'm still behind on the updates - shows how much I crammed into a few days! I can't say enough about the complimentary breakfast at the Day's Inn on Circle Drive! I've learned that I can make a half sized waffle - just pour half as much batter on half the griddle! Three minutes and it is baked. Real bacon and scrambled eggs were on offer - bacon is good for the soul 🙂 I also downed a yogurt, knowing how much I had planned for the day. I had a bit of 'fun' with the hotel - While in Duck Lake Thursday I got a phone call from the desk. Someone thought I was only there for one day, and when housekeeping went in my room to clean they discovered ALL the things, including the sewing machine! They discovered their error and fixed it. BUT, the system deactivated my room card key. I had to get a new one. I called the desk in the morning and said I would likely have to check out around 11:30 instead of their stated 11 am, got told 'no problem'. When I got all the pillows sewn up I packed up my room and hauled a load to the car. When I got back to my room my NEW key card wouldn't let me in! I guess they have timed systems, so I was deactivated - again! There was a housekeeper at the room beside me so I asked her to let me in to collect my second load of stuff. There was a bit of a language barrier tho - she opened the door and said 'Oh, this room has been cleaned'! Well, Yes, I do make my bed, and everything was tidy, but I still had bags and coolers to get to the car. All in all, my experiences at Day's Inn have been good, they are very quick to fix issues. And you can't beat the price! Two nights, two massive breakfasts, pool, hot tub and workout room? - $126 and change 🙂 (DJ's 'friends and family' discount employee benefit)

Let's go 'thrifting'! Boy oh boy did I have fun... I am not a hardcore shopper, so I MADE myself slow down, take the time to find the gems, and just enjoy the experience. The Village Green thrift store isn't all that far from the hotel. I found it last year while tracking down a SNAP outlet - both pretty close to the hotel. It's a good thing I don't drink tea, because that cute yellow trio would have been tempting. The $79 price tag? Not so tempting. I snagged a hard inner case/padded outer cooler on wheels that became my shopping bag - zippers, some fabric, a back pack, sewing goodies, and a dozen CDs for the car. There was a massive square wooden table for $250 that would be great for DJ and his buddies to host their DnD nights. Except I was in a Honda Civic, and there's not a room in this house that would hold that table!

Also close to the hotel is Value Village - and I sure scored there! Everyone knows I will recycle and repurpose wherever I can. I found a lot of fleece blankets and quilted things that would provide TONS of usable fabric. I was sad that baby quilts that a grandma would have made had $2.49 price tags on them! But I guess at least someone might use them? That pale blue blanket is two sided Minky dot - reasonably expensive to buy the fabric. It measures in at 33.78 Square Feet, working out to TWENTY CENTS sq. ft! That's insane, but I will put it to good use as backings for my personalized quilted pillows. I also lucked out and found a hot wax hand dip machine! And it was full of lavender scented wax, hard as rock of course. I found the testing station and the lights came on, but I wasn't going to sit around to see if anything melted. It wouldn't have been the worst thing I wasted $8 on, lol... I found six bathing suit components and guessed at the possibilty of them fitting me. Ha, One pair of swim shorts fit, the rest will be incentive to get smaller by next summer!

Off to Osler - road construction and constrictions caused bumper to bumper traffic jams for a good 20 minutes trying to go north on the #11. Coming back was almost as bad, but the south bound traffic was moving quicker. Osler has a Mennonite thrift store AND a Liquidation store - very similar to the one here in Moose Jaw actually. I found a lidded plastic tub and some patterns, as well as a whack of James Patterson books that I didn't have yet. There was a beautiful China Cabinet/Hutch unit for $85!!! Dang Honda Civic! A quick run through the Liquidation store and I 'found' a long knit sleeveless lounging type dress and a lazy woman's sleeveless jumpsuit, priced at $7.50 each - didn't 'need' them, bought them anyway 🙂

Off to Warman - and 'Bodacious Bustlines'! Once you've been properly fitted for the 'girls' you will not be happy with WalMart bras! I wish I knew how many I tried on, but it was a LOT. A visit to that store is made every couple years, so I can justify the cost of holding things in one place - if you get my drift? 😉😄Right across the street in Warman is ANOTHER Mennonite run thrift store - some teal metal tubs will be put to use in my sewing room!

I did some thrifting in Rosthern yesterday - CDs and lace doilies. Leaving Saskatoon be darned if I didn't notice ANOTHER Mennonite thrift store not too far east of Value Village. I couldn't get into the right lane to turn left and I was on a deadline to get to Warman, so I guess I keep that location in mind for the next trip.... I had a blast wandering through stores with no set plan in mind. I did leave a LOT of glassware behind - I have 'enough'.

This is a long post, but it also is an endorsement of sorts. Wasn't that long ago that I had the thought that I would NEVER drive again. I was scared. I also didn't want to be alone. LOOK at me now! I am so happy that I got over that hurdle - I think it was Rhonda Martin who told me I did not want to lose my independence this young! She was right. These past few days are just what the doctor ordered. Today was spent unloading the car and admiring my purchases. That wax melt machine had tipped over in the back seat and the lid came off. I didn't figure it would be a big deal - but when I reached to get it the sun had done a darn good job of turning that hard wax lump into a squishy very soft hunk of wax! It was ready to fall out! Yikes... I plugged it in and it's been 'melting' for close to four hours, still has a solid bit in the middle. Makes me wonder if Wascana leaves theirs on all the time?

Thanks for coming along with me on a treasure hunt - I plan on doing it again someday! Pictures are in no particular order - And I didn't buy ALL this stuff, some stayed up north 🙂

Oh, I did listen to my new CDs on the drive home - How can I not remember what I did last week but I could remember the words to 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance'??? Lots of good 'old' music to keep me company on the drive.

08/22/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 359 (a day late)

I got home quite late yesterday and spent a good chunk of time catching up with DJ. I was just too darn tired to try and make sense of the day - so here we are!

This F.A.R.T. experience has been brewing for a while. As usual, I like to combine 'errands' to make the most of time and gas. I had Hand Therapy in Regina on Wednesday - I'm doing pretty good, and have two more treatments to go from the original approved amount of sessions. I made a quick stop at Peachtree Quilting to pick up another 'Bayonet' light bulb for one of my vintage machines. I took a walk around the sewing machines on display/for sale - the first one I saw was listed at $25,000!! OMYLANTA! I had an embroidery machine that was 'worth' over $8K when I bought it in 2002 - it was on sale for around $5K. I had big plans to make all the things. What I got was a glorified paper weight - too many bells and whistles to break down (ALL.THE.TIME!) and it just got to the point that there weren't enough replacement parts built for the number of machines out there that needed them. I'm still a little ticked about that! Rant over?

Off to Saskatoon - Wednesday night was 'sit in the hot tub' time. Thursday morning was the FART - LOTS of hours sourcing fabric. I noticed thrift and liquidation stores at small towns along the way, so that became Friday's fun.

I had made arrangements to deliver two projects that were initiated last year. #1 was 'Lavinia' - a jointed sheared mouton bear who had a 'broken' leg. The post of the plastic safety joint had broken, and the leg came off. Unfortunately, both parts of the joint were now inside the bear's leg and body. There's no way to get everything apart - the whole point of being a safety joint, right? The only other option was to hand sew the leg to the body, either sitting or standing. I find it's better for the bear to be sitting 🙂 Holy cow, that was a workout for my hand. Some of the sewing happened in my hotel room... I met up with my customer in Osler yesterday (thrift shopping) and was treated to fresh muffins! I have the best customers 💗She was very happy to have her bear home - it's going to her 5th grandson for his 1st birthday coming up. She made the bear herself in a class - I'm happy I could help fix her up!

My sewing machine came to Saskatoon with me. Next customer had originally asked for three mink pillows to be made out of a coat. I was up at 4 am Wednesday to put the finishing touches on the first three at home, intending to hand sew them closed in the hotel. I was asked if there was enough fur to make a 4th pillow? Yep, but it was going to be a 'Frankenstein' pillow. I didn't have time to get it all together before I left, so.... have sewing machine? will travel, lol. I will say this - it felt good to be 'back', but boy oh boy do I ever have to toughen up my hands after this long stretch of time 'off'! I met up with Lynn at Dundurn on my way home Friday afternoon. That will be our last meeting there as she is moving in to Saskatoon next month. I wish her all the best on this new venture.

Are fur pillows luxurious or what??? Bet you can hardly tell which one has four pieces sewn together to make it the right size 😉

08/21/2026

HOME SWEET HOME AWAY FROM HOME

DAY 358

OOPS, I messed up/forgot to get this done on the right day! So, I'll be quick - F.A.R.T. was a HUGE success. Full details to come when I get home. I've put about 560 km on the car so far this trip. Check out our future quilts - I'll share how these pictures were created too :) Great day for a drive, better sleep fast!

08/20/2026

HOME SWEET HOME AWAY FROM HOME

DAY 357

I've sure been blessed with beautiful driving weather most of my trips to Regina for hand therapy. I'm relaxing in my room at the Day's Inn in Saskatoon, thinking about the breakfast offerings I'll enjoy tomorrow! I'm meeting up with a few customers on this trip - if that doesn't make me feel like I'm making a comeback, my new toy will! I've noticed a lot of crafters, and Quilters!, use a collapsible cargo wagon to haul their loads to where they need it to go. I brought a fair bit of items to work on - a three legged bear is undergoing reconstruction surgery, and a passel of mink fur pillows will be delivered to Dundurn on my way home Friday. I needed two trips to get all my goodies from the car to my room!

I've been up since 4:11 am, so not likely that much sewing will happen tonight. Tomorrow's another day!

08/18/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 356

I know, I am early today - don't faint! I've been on the go since before 8 am and while nothing on the list is done LOTS did get done! Car is gassed up and ready for my trip tomorrow - hand therapy in Regina, a few errands, and then off to Saskatoon. I am heading north for a F.A.R.T. - for you non quilters that's a Fabric Acquisition Road Trip! I have planned and budgeted for the fabric for these two quilts and this is the week. I've had the pattern and papers for the Fire Island Hosta ever since the quilt retreat in Montana in 2014. DJ's had his papers and pattern, AND his desired colors planned for almost as long. Yes, DJ will be sewing his own quilt, with some minimal help from mom. My colors will not be what's in the picture, I just don't know what they will be until I get into the store. The fact that I am even considering these two projects tells me my brain thinks it's time to get on with 'it'!

I'm adding the pictures of what fabric choices I started with, and the end result of my Mariner's Compass quilt.

08/18/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 355

Vintage quilt did not get completed today, but it did get moved around a bit! I stitched for 30 minutes, went in to take a break, and it had the nerve to start sprinkling! I managed to get the quilt off the frame, brought in and set up in what's left of my living room's floor space. AND then it cleared up, but I had to run an errand for DJ. While I was out he hoisted the whole thing in one go and got it back outside for me - show off! I spent 1 1/2 hours on it today. Tomorrow's another day. While talking with son #2 about this quilt he had this to say... "Good thing you're a textile necromancer"!!! Now, as menacing as that might sound, I do have a history of reviving vintage textiles, so he's not wrong 🙂

Hand quilting is a different motion than hand sewing - at least in my experience. My hand is not hurting as much as I thought it would, and sometimes even feels more limber! I think that's my cue to use it even more, regardless of being told I am 'doing too much'.

Last week's food preservation efforts: 15 pints of beef stew, 6 quarts of potato chunks (1 jar cracked in the canner - my first one in 8 years!), 8 pints of potato chunks, and 14 1/2 pints of blueberry jam. I've made tons of jams and jellies, but this is my first attempt at blueberry - it's awesome!

08/17/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 354

I'm trying to reach my daily step 'goals', or is that society's goals? I'm sure some scientist somewhere has a reason for the 10,000 number? I've hit 10K+ twice this week., but most days are between 6K+ and 8K+ Except yesterday. Yesterday it appears I was a slug - 3,031 steps. BUT I did spend 4+ hours hand stitching a vintage quilt. There was definitely more damage in what I thought was the least damaged of a group of nine quilts I am fixing for a family. What originally looked like a few blocks that came unstitched has turned out to also be broken lines of quilting every few inches, for a few inches! I am following 'grandma's' stitching lines and had requilted the curvy things. Then I noticed that the three outer perimeter rounds of quilting were also gone! Once I got all those done, I noticed that the quilting around the blocks was too damaged to ignore. I can't NOT do as much as possible to extend the life of grandma's work. Fortrel will never wear out, but that thread will. I tried using a big wooden embroidery hoop to hold the work tight, but it was too heavy to hold on to. Out came a quilt frame I bought at least 15 years ago and don't use very often. I set it up on the back deck (newly enlarged, but still unfinished) and got to work. I was in the shade and had a nice breeze to keep flying critters away. I'm sewing/quilting on the back side - it's easier to see where the thread is broken. I certainly can't sew for as long as I used to, but even a little bit every day is helpful.

08/16/2026

HOME SWEET HOME

DAY 353

Something kept drawing me to that map I posted yesterday - and I finally figured it out! So I did some 'drawing' on it to share my steps on that fateful day last August.

DJ was still in laundry back then, working a noon to 8 pm shift. I would convince him to walk and I would accompany him. The red bubble is our house. The Farmer's Market is on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 1 pm (I believe). DJ doesn't care for crowds or the market so we take the trails through Crescent Park by the library - Greenish line down 1st Ave NE/Langdon Crescent. Once I helped him walk 🙂 to Temple Gardens I headed back north to go through the Market - Pinkish line. Then I headed to the Rexall store on Caribou Street to see if my sugar free ginger ale was on sale (blue line) - it was and I grabbed two 6 packs. I remember a little old lady ahead of me at the till saying 'I want to be on your team for the Zombie Apocolypse!" Pop IS heavy! I had one grocery bag, so one six pack went in there, saving my fingers the strain of being hooked in the plastic wrapper. From Rexall I headed east on Caribou, back to 1st Ave NE and north to home - Red line. X marks the spot! DJ got the first call from the police at 12:11 pm! I had finished a bear body that morning before we left to walk to Temple Gardens - I was looking forward to getting home to stuff that bear, finishing an order of six.

Our lives can change in the blink of an eye - never take anything for granted 💗

Batteries Not Required Toys & Things

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