Biffy's Bits

Kristopher's 10th Birthday

2008-02-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

Kristopher's birthday party was a lot of fun this year. We grabbed a couple of Kristopher's friends and headed out to my sister Kansas ranch for the afternoon. What better fun for a kid then spending the day out on a big cattle ranch with friends and family. Weiner roasts and birthday cake around a campfire in the winter. The kids played non-stop. Sledding down hills, Uncle Johnny and his skidder rides; being pulled around on your sleigh by a skidder is the ultimate in cool when it comes to top notch birthday fun. Aunty Kansas made Kristopher a beautiful birthday cake.
Kristopher had his two friends sleep over night afterwards. I know that this birthday party memory will last a lifetime. Thanks Kans.

My New Grandson Julian

2007-10-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Our newest addition to the family tree. We welcomed Julian into the world at 4:47 am October 11th, 2007. He's the most beautiful Grand-baby a Nanny could ever dream for; he's perfect in every way. We are so proud of his Mommy because she fought hard and long for over 40 hours but she did it with Nanny and Great Aunty Cathy by her side reassuring her that she could do this.

Our Holiday Table Cloth

2007-09-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is a labor of love that turned into a family tradition in our home. We use this table cloth for every Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving dinner. I bought a single sheet back in 2000 and from then on everyone who ever sits at our table for a holiday dinner has to write a little something, even if it's just their name and the year. We use a fabric pen because after I've embroidered it, it washes the pen marks away. I wanted to have something that would keep the memories alive and have a holiday heirloom to pass down through the years. It's been wonderful to read what everyone has written through the years and to see my children and their cousins hand prints grow. My only regret was not having started it when my oldest was younger and the biggest sadness of all is not to have my Dad's handwriting down on it. I lost my Dad March 28th 2000 and I started the table cloth Christmas 2000. My Dad and I spent almost every holiday together and I miss him as though it were only yesterday when he left me alone. My Dad's name is on the table cloth a lot though because so many people have let him know how much they miss him too. Someday I will get my Sister Kansas or my Aunty Bub to sew a nice hem around the bottom or add a crochet lace but for now it's our treasure just the way it is.

Packing Wood's A Drag

2007-09-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Wow can you believe it, summer's over already. I'm not a person who looks forward to the cold weather. If it wasn't for Christmas thrown into the middle of it all, I'd hate it even more. LOL

Going out to the bush to gather our wood, packing wood, filling the wood stove and having your husband complain because he's too cold and your boiling up; oh joy, oh joy.
My neighbors just laugh and tell me they wish they could put a tunnel between our houses to catch all the heat; I regulate the heat upstairs by opening the doors and windows.

I have yet to put my summer clothes away for the winter since I've been married, that's 21 years ago, and when family and friends come to visit they all know to bring their shorts no matter how cold it is outside. When we built our house we made the mistake of having what we call my husbands "boy's club" a rumpus room, downstairs. My Dad always said that it takes 3 houses to build before you get the perfect house. If this happens guaranteed there won't be any stairs. Fifteen years ago the stairs didn't bother me but they do now and if there is stairs, my husband will be using them everyday; not me! Lol

Meet my Daughter & My Grandson

2007-08-26T09:32:00.001-07:00

This is the start; "Hey Mum, I'm pregnant!"

Shaylee At 8 months

Shaylee w/ Uncle Kristopher

I'm a Happy Nanny!

Great Aunty Cathy & Shaylee

Here is our Newest Addition to the Schultz Family Tree.
Meet Julian (means youthful)

Kitchen Reno's

2007-08-11T07:04:00.001-07:00

This is a before the reno picture of my kitchen as you can see the walls are closed in and you can't see the living room from the kitchen stove.

Marty the head carpenter has knocked down the walls

No More spare bedroom wall The Crew

Let there be light, no more pass through into the dining room, no more wall to close me into the kitchen and I now have a great bar for you to sit, eat and shoot the breeze.
The big stuff is done and all that's left to do is finish the drywall, floors and paint.

Busy Summer

2007-08-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a great summer so far but a busy one too. House Reno's, traveling, camping, fishing trips, gardening, and lots and lots of company but also a whole lotta fun. Not much time for crafts or computers but then I've always considered that something to do in the winter months anyway. It's usually about that time your rushing around figuring out what your going to make for Christmas presents. I haven't started canning this year. I'm waiting for the tomatoes to ripen. I still have enough apricot jam to do me for a couple of years yet. My son is not like our daughter use to be; this kid is a picker eater and he eats like a bird in comparison. Kristopher likes blackberry jam and those kinds of berries are great for picking and freezing to turn into jam later in the not so busy fall and winter months when school is back.
Maybe now that I'm older and wiser (no laughing); I've decided that I would much rather swim in the pool all day with my son and enjoy his company and a lotta laughs, before he turns into one of those dreadful teenagers. Kids grow up too fast and before you know it their living their own lives. Yes I know this from experience, been there, done one already.
I use to can anything and everything but now I only grow what we eat the most and or use the most in a can. I think as you get older your eating habits change a lot. We pretty much traded in our beef eating for chicken dishes and a lot more fresh vegetables; I never did care for canned corn or carrots. I still have things in my canning cupboard that should have been thrown out years ago, even a pint jar of pickled beets will last in my fridge for years these days.
I still love to garden though, who doesn't love the scent of a tomato plant or every morning with a coffee in hand, walking out to see just what has changed overnight. To me it's a beautiful sight as though your opening a new Christmas present every day.

Fresh Eggs

2006-12-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

I finally get to post the fresh eggs sign I made. This was a Christmas gift for my sister Kansas. Her favorite crafts from me are the ones that hang on the wall, because shelf-sitters get lost and collect dust.

Quick & Easy Ornaments

2006-12-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

If you have a glue gun and a few minutes time these ornaments make your tree look festive and your gift baskets special. My sister Kansas and I made a whole bunch of these last year for last minute basket fillers. All you need are some round plastic Christmas balls, store bought doilies, scraps of ribbon, silk or dried flowers and we used little plastic pearl garland for a hanger. If your a crafter like me, no doubt you will pretty well have everything on hand. Check out your Christmas isle at your local discount store for those dollar cardboard's full of flowers, bows, and bags of cheap Christmas ornaments; they work great I think both of us agreed that the gold balls looked the best.

Christmas Tree

2006-12-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick and easy craft anyone can make. My Christmas tree is made out of a store bought tomato cage turned upside down. To get the cage ready before you add garland and such you have to gather the wire that sticks into the ground into a point for the top of the tree, I used wire to hold them together, I then ran wire in between the circles of the cage diagonally to give the cage a little more rounded look for the garland to attach to. All I did was wrap Christmas lights around it and then added green and gold garland. I also found gold beaded garland with little fake Christmas lights on it and added this to the tree. I like the traditional green tree but if your Christmas decor is silver, etc. then let your imagination run wild. I like to add little christmas decorations too. My son loves to have any Christmas tree up, the earlier the better. We use wood to heat our house and putting up our big tree has to wait for at least a week before Christmas because it's just to warm and dry.
The Nativity scene was passed down to me and I it means so much. This was my Nanny and Grandads, it's been around a long time. When my Dad gave it to me he built me the little manger and it makes me smile when ever I look at it because I know in my heart that it's a little piece of all three of them that I will always have at Christmas.

Snowflakes 5 cents

2006-12-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

I just finished this cutie. He's about 12" tall and I have him hanging up in my living room. He can either be a wall or door hanging. I must be on a snowman kick this year. His arms, nose, button and snowflake are cut out separately from 1/8" birch and the snowman and sign are cut out of 1/4" pine; some paint and scrap material for the scarf and bow, and a little bit of wire to attach the snowman to the sign and for a hanger. I love adding to my collections of ornaments every year; who needs Hallmark when you own a band saw.

Melting Snowman

2006-11-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

This little guy warmed my heart; I just had to make him. I cut out the pieces of wood for the puddle of snow and mittens, I then used a purchased wooden ball from my collection and a little wooden plug for his nose. The scarf is just a piece of felt tied around his neck with fringes cut on the ends. The hat is also felt; a rectangle cut and looped around your finger to make a tube then whip stitched closed. Then you cut a circle and whip stitch onto the tube for the brim, cut another smaller circle and fit it inside the top of the hat and stitch that too. Paint all your pieces before you glue it together with wood glue. I also used textured glitter snow to add to the base and a little on the hat and mittens for added effect.

Adding Some Colour to my Kitchen

2006-11-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Can you believe a friend was throwing this away. Once I reinforced it some,
I just got out my paints and had some fun with it.
Turning a plain step stool into a colourful work of art.

The step stool from the top view.
I found this pattern from a picture in a magazine but it was on a little ladder.

My husband, Kitt, built me this pot holder so I could get some, much needed, cupboard space.
I painted the edges around it to match the step stool.
I just took the blue from the step stool and the little flowers from the edge of the stool.
Easy technique to make the little flowers. Dab the end of your paint brush into the colour paint of your choice. Start with the middle of the flower and then with your second colour make five dots around it. It's that easy.

Snowman

2006-11-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

Getting an early start on Christmas

Halloween Crafts

2006-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

Here's 4 of the Halloween Crafts I made this
year.

My trick or treat candy corn characters are papier-mache; but from their legs down I used wood. You have to improvise when you live in a town without craft stores. I didn't have wooden cones so I made do with what I had around the house. I kinda like the way they turned out much better because they don't look so much a like.

I added another picture to my post (my sister's idea) she's the blog pro. A picture of my son Kristopher beside the vampire candy dish; so you can all see just how tall I made him. Our Vampire is made out of clay pots, I just used a kitchen catcher garbage bag for his cape. I did glue some fun foam that I cut into pointy shaped ears to the side of his head.

My pumpkin with the painted bats mouth is made totally out of papier-mache. I didn't grow a garden this year. First time in 20 years and we could only buy a small pumpkin. So again we just made our own. I just stuffed newspaper into a grocery bag and then used wallpaper paste and glued strips of paper all over. A few layers later. The fun part was painting the design.

My son wanted some spiders to go along with the pumpkin. We found a bunch of great idea's on the net and put them all together. The spiders are just small balloons papier-mached pretty much the same way as the pumpkin. We just made 4 small holes on each side and glued wire in the sides that had little papier-mached feet attached to them. I used glow in the dark paint for the spiders eyes and nose; my son loved his spiders.