Home Sweet Home!

It's nice to go away....but even nicer when you get home!

I have a ton of things to do in the next couple of days but they can wait an hour until I unwind a bit.

We've spent the last week in Alberta for Christmas. We only had a couple of days of very cold weather....the rest of the time, not so bad.

I've never taken stitching to do on an airplane before, but thought I'd give it a try this time. I didn't risk taking scissors, the only thing I could have lost to security was an old needle. 

I know I've seen posts of people taking hexie projects on flights. I'm not into the hexie craze, but I do like English Paper Piecing. Preparing to go away I made sure I had lots to take along....and it all fit into the cute zippered bag that was gifted to me by the Twilight Guild in Simcoe when I did my trunk show there.

A little girl and her mother asked what I was doing and I explained that this was the beginning of a new quilt. The young woman said, "I wish I could do that!"....and I replied, "You can!".

This has been my third visit to the Edmonton area and I finally got to visit the West Edmonton Mall. Everyone always asks if I've been and I can finally say I have....and on Boxing Day, to boot!

I've heard stories of this mall, but my imagination did not do it justice.

In this mall there is a full amusement park...

....a full waterpark with a wave pool, which my husband says is bigger than the one at Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara...

There was a skating rink, but this week it was covered for an auto exhibit.

There is a pirate ship with a full water feature, including seals that people could get their picture taken with....

I'm glad I finally got to go to the "West Ed"!....I almost came home with a beautiful pair of cowboy boots....I do regret passing them up!

I did get to a local quilt shop. They had these banners on display available from Northcott this year...I purchased the Ontario and Alberta ones....I will incorporate them into the backing of my 150 Canadian Women quilt.

For the first time I experience deep-fried turkey. 

Before...

After...

I have to say....not a fan of the deep-fried turkey. I feel like going out to see if there is any turkey left in the supermarket so I can have a traditionally baked one. Oh well, it was nice to try something new.

Finally, I just want to share some photos of an attraction we visited, the Muttart Conservatory.

In each of the four "pyramids" a different biome is featured.





As I wandered around I was thinking of friends who would have loved the conservatory, so I'm sharing a few pictures that they may have liked...

 The Owl-Eye Pincushion

 The Elephant Foot Tree

....and this one...so cool!...

Sorry the info about the Voodoo Lily is so hard to read, it's the best I could do.

That's all for now....time to tackle the pile of laundry!

I am linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social.