Quilt? Check!

It has been quite a while since my original 'before 25' post and I have finally accomplished some of my goals.

This weekend, I went to visit my Aunt Donna down near London to trade her quilting skills for my internet prowess. In exchange for her help in finishing my quilt, I gave her a lesson in the facebook. Let me tell you a little bit about this quilt.

When I was fifteen, I took some sewing lessons at the local quilting shop. I learned all the basics and went on to create some pillow shams, a tote bag, a few pairs of pyjama pants, mittens, scarves and a denim dress (that didn't really turn out the way I had pictured). For my next project, I decided to conquer quilting. Did I choose to make a nice, small throw quilt or a flannelette baby rag quilt? No. Obviously not. I guess I thought my sewing skills were pretty hot, because I decided to make a queen-size log 'rail fence' quilt. It was a pretty intense experience. First, I had to slice all of the fabric into little rectangles with this cutter thing that is like a pizza cutter, but much sharper. Then, I pieced the rectangles into squares and then into long rows. I eventually sewed all the rows together and added a wide border. This took me months and months. Towards the end, I was slicing some more fabric with that pizza cutter thing and… I slipped. I sliced off the tip of my left index finger. Needless to say, progress on my quilt went pretty slowly after that. I did manage to sandwich some filling between my quilt top and whatever you call the back piece. I even pinned it all together with these little bent safety pins which are especially for pinning quilt tops to whatever you call the back piece. But that was it. That was how my quilt sat, rolled up in my closet for the past nine years. I just couldn't let it sit there any longer.

So Aunt Donna got me set up on her machine and I finished the quilting bit. Then, she helped me figure out how to turn the edges under and finish them off. In all, it only took me about six-eight hours. And it looks great… looking at these pictures, you may be thinking 'Wow! Sarah is such and incredibly talented quilter, I must get her to make one for me!' Well, I'm gonna just let you believe that. I'll keep all the wobbly stitches to myself as I cozy up under the extra layer on my bed.

I have also checked off a few of my other goals. I joined the Christmas Cantata choir at my parents' church! (We're singing on Sunday Dec 11 at the morning service, if you want to come see!) I've started going to yoga at one of the local studios too! (And pretty soon, I will have completed all my teacher's college applications!)

I haven't really read much more of Samuel, so I want to get on that! It's those darn 'Game of Thrones' books! I've read the first two now, and they just suck up all my reading time. I can't put them down!!!

This Post is Late… Before 25 Tuesday!

Hey there! Happy Thanksgiving! How wonderful was the weather this weekend? I headed up to Almonte, Ontario, the birthplace of basketball, to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with the Patterson clan. My family ate Thanksgiving dinner outside in the sunshine, sipping cold beers and smiling at our reflections in eachothers' sunglasses. I am thankful for so much in my life and my family is definitely near the top of the list!

In the past couple of weeks, I have made some progress towards accomplishing some of my 'Before I Turn 25' goals.

Earlier this week, I received some information from the OUIT, allowing me to log-in and complete my application for teachers college. I've started to fill it out, but I probably wont fully submit it until closer to the due date so I can add on some of the volunteer and work experience I will have by December.

Also, I went out to check out a local chamber choir. I think it might be fun, and I really want to get back into choir singing and they sing a wide variety of music. But… the music is pretty challenging. I'll definitely need to practice at home on my own!

I am going to be doing some volunteering at a local elementary school as well. I will be helping out in a Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 class— I had my first day this week. Although trying to supervise nineteen 5 and 6-year-olds was a little bit stressful, as they constantly attempted to pull my attention in different directions, I had fun! I helped them sound out words while playing a board game and I made playdough cookies. I am looking forward to next week!

My job has been a bit hectic, so far. It's good, just hectic. I haven't settled into the roll yet… and some things aren't quite working out as I have planned, so I will be making quite a few changes for next month's calendar. As everything in life, this job is definitely a learning experience. I am enjoying it— unlike some other learning experiences I've had in recent years!

I will leave you tonight with some excellent music. I may have mentioned 'Watch Listen Tell' in a past post, but just in case I didn't, please check out this link. Watch Listen Tell records up and coming artists as they perform acoustic renditions of their singles in outdoor locations around North London. Unsurprisingly, I discovered their recordings while YouTubing my favourite English band, Stornoway. Some artists they have featured include Liam Bailey,  Dry the River, and Newfoundland's own Hey Rosetta! Oh yeah, OKGo's WTL is amazing, too!

My new favourite discovery is a band from London called 'Golden Silvers'. They. Are. Ace. If you every hear that they are touring in North America, PLEASE let me know. Enjoy!

If you have Netflix, check this out:

I just watched this awesome documentary on Netflix called 'God of Wonders'.

It's a 'Planet Earth'-style documentary, describing the immense power found in the cosmos, the intricate detail found in insects, water life and birds and the innate sense of justice found in each human's conscience. Admittedly, the guys in the video are not the hippest-looking people (and none of them are ladies), but they speak the truth. You should check it out!

More from Ed Sheeran and Birdy

I've shared tracks by both these artists with you before, but I've found some new stuff I really want to share.

Ed Sheeran's debut album '+' is now available. I haven't heard the whole thing, but what I HAVE heard, I truly love. Here's another track from that album for you to enjoy. It's called 'Small Bump'.




Birdy has an album coming out later this year. Her debut single was a cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love. This track, 'People Help the People' by Cherry Ghost, is just as stunning:

Only 43 Weeks Until My 25th Birthday…

Hi Mom and Dad and Laura and Andrew and whoever else reads my blog! Thanks for doing that, by the way, it's real nice of you.


So I am going to be 25 in only 43 short weeks. For those of you that have already been 25, I am sorry for making you feel old, but try and remember how you felt when you were my age. I feel like I should be DOING something, you know?


So I am going to do something. I am going to do a lot of somethings before I turn 25. I have quite the list in my big red notebook, but I have chosen not to reveal them all at this time as some of them are private and others of them will make nice surprises in the grey dullness of February and March.


Here are a few of my goals to accomplish in this, the year before I am 25:


Apply for Teachers College
So far, I have filled out the online application at the Ontario Universities Application Centre and printed off a couple of informational booklets. In reading these booklets, I have discovered that I really can't do much more as far as my applications go until I get some kind of email from each of the universities. I'm sure I will update you on this process once things actually start moving.


Get Blogging Again
Done and done!


Run another 10k
I am pretty out of shape after a summer…and September of not running. But this is definitely an important goal for me— heart health is a good thing and running is really good for the heart!


Get another Tat
I am working on that at the moment… but until I get myself a second part-time job, pay off my credit-card bill, pay down my OSAP a bit more and save up a bit of dosh for Teacher's College, I'll hae to make do with my existing ink.


Try Blueberries, Olives and Grapefruit 
I have tried all of these foods in the past, but I don't like them. However, they are all foods that my friends and family seem to love! 'Blueberries? Are you serious? How can you not like blueberries? Oh my goodness, your taste buds must be broken! I just love blueberries and they are full of anti-oxidants!" So I am going to be an adult and try them once again. I'll make sure I have a camera ready to record my reactions… which, by the way, I anticipate will include expressions of disgust.


Finish my Quilt
For those of you who knew my in high school, you may remember that I had a bit of an injury in grade 10 regarding my left index finger. It was a tragic quilting injury that, unfortunately, prevented me from completing my very first quilt. Since 2002, it has sat in a box in my closet, untouched. But this year, my friends, it will finally be completed! I will have to enlist the help of my dear Aunt Donna, who knows far more about sewing than I do. She has suggested we make a trade. She teaches me to finish my quilt and I teach her how to use Facebook. I think that's fair.


Read all the Books in the Bible I've Never Read
I have started with 1 Samuel. My favourite part so far is this (1Sam 3: 2-10):



One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.


Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Take French Lessons

Take Yoga

Join a Choir

Volunteer

Take Sewing Lessons

Frame My Posters

Go White Water Rafting

Now those are all the somethings I am going to share with you for the moment. What do you think?

Can't get this song out of my head.

Oh hi. 


In celebration of CBC's 75th year, CBC Radio 2 has been broadcasting little mini-biographies of popular Canadian songs from the last seven and a half decades. I have heard the story of Canadian Disco Queen, Pasty Gallant's hit 'From New York to LA'— apparently, it caused a bit of a kerfuffle because the tune is based on Gilles Vigneault's classic Quebecois anthem, 'Mon Pays', but it tells a completely different story. Here are both songs. ENJOY! 

I especially love the part near the beginning when the disco beat drops and she goes "L A-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-OOH! From New York to LA!" Love it.

A Little Update

Oh hi!

Hey there!

So I have clearly been absent from my blog for months and months! I'm really sorry about that. I have really missed writing and sharing all about my life with you!

In a nutshell, I have made a lot of changes in the past few months while also ending up in the same spot. In June, I left my job at SNAP Newspapers to head back to Golden Lake Camp. They had a great directing position available last minute and I couldn't pass it up (especially since I had been looking for work unsuccessfully for a little while).

Me and a couple of my fellow directors, Luke and Melissa, atop Blueberry Mountain

I worked all summer as Golden Lake's CIT Director, putting together and running a training program for 14-16-year-old potential counselors. I also helped out with other director duties and had a wonderful summer spending time with campers and getting to know the staff. It was kind of a rash decision to make, leaving my salary-paying, benefit-yielding full-time job in my field to work at a summer camp for about half as much money… but it was totally worth it. I'm pretty sure it was God thing.

Me with a few of my first CITs of the summer!

Anyway, since leaving camp in August, I've found myself a great part-time job running an after school program in Flemingdon Park, Toronto. I spent quite a while looking for an apartment downtown, but after reevaluating my finances and the logistics of commuting from Newmarket, I've decided to live with my parents for one more year. I get along with them just fine, so I know it will be a good year. Also, I'm really only working about 3-4 hours a day, so I need to find another part-time job here in Newmarket. I have taken my resume into a few coffee shops in town, so here's hoping I find something soon.

Another change in my life is that I've made the decision to go back to school. Today, I began my application process to teacher's college! It's a bit scary, especially since the application process is so expensive. I have been a bit uneasy about my future for the past couple of years. I thought I might like to teach design to highschool kids, but in order to do that, I need more industry experience. But after spending a summer hanging out with kids of all ages, I figured out that 8-year-olds are pretty cool. So I'm applying to the Primary/Junior programs at York, The University of Ottawa, U of T and OUIT.

As for this blog, it's going to go through some changes too. I am going to add a bit of structure (partly to motivate myself and partly to motivate my readership :p). There are a few things I am going to be thinking over and experiencing this next year that I am going to share with you.

You see, I'm turning 25 next summer. That's a terrifying prospect for me. 25 is almost 30. And 30 is actual adult-hood.  Although I am very satisfied with my varied life experiences so far, there is still a lot I would like to accomplish and enjoy. So I thought I would put together a 'Before I Turn 25' list and attempt to complete each task before next July 30… and write all about it. I'm going to share these experiences on 'Before 25 Tuesdays'.

Also, I will be working with kids. And kids say the darndest things, don't they? I know that I am going to hear some hilarious things come out of the mouths of the 6-12 year olds in my care— and I'll post them here for you to enjoy on 'Kid Quote Thursdays'. If you like hearing funny things kids say, you should check out 'Smacksy'.

And that's all the structure I can handle for the moment, so… goodnight!