My very talented sister-in-law has designed the most gorgeous applique quilt and guess what? She’s giving away a quilt! Yup, you heard me right; giving away a quilt. For any non-quilters/sewers out there, this is a serious amount of work that Elizabeth is just giving away. This is from her original design, Spring Up, and is constructed out of gorgeous fall fabrics.

There are a few ways to enter, each upping your odds of winning this one of a kind piece of art.

1. Visit Elizabeth’s blog, Pig Tails and Snails and leave a comment scoring yourself 1 point in the random generator.
2. To grab 5 more points, blog about this amazing quilt.
3. To up your chances to a total of 11 points, post the banner in your sidebar (which can be found visiting Elizabeth’s website).

With 1222 comments and counting, you better be crossing your fingers, toes, legs and arms to win this beauty!

I had such a great weekend. Really. It was so incredibly relaxing and exactly what I needed after a 52 hour work week. Yes, a weekend at Yahk, B.C. is precisely the thing I required to somewhat reboot, relax and get my mind back in order. I even had time to read most of a book called Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner, which I finished today and it was a good book; I totally enjoyed it. However one of the reasons why I read it so fast was because I needed to finish it before I wrote off motherhood for the rest of my life. This book really threw me for a loop and was a super wide eye opener. I had to finish it to know that everything turned out okay for this group of four new mothers. So as much as I enjoyed this book, I do not recommend it to anyone who does not have babies. However, read it if you do have children and perhaps feel as though you’re struggling. Just keep in mind that the language is colourful in some parts and that, well we all know where babies come from. Needless to say, Conor got an ear load of all of my fears for the future and all he got was a soaking wet t-shirt from my tears that seem to be rather endless at times.

Moral of this post: really great weekend. Great food. Great sleep (9+ hours!!!) and great company!

So… I made more jam. Ya, I know that I said I wouldn’t do anymore, but I really love canning and I needed to relax and do something quiet that I enjoy on Tuesday night and what could be more relaxing than making a mess and jam in one go? Pear jam was the choice of the evening and I made a baker’s dozen. Whew! I now have a rainbow of jam; raspberry, raspberry-saskatoon, peach, nectarine, strawberry, pear and saskatoon berry (my personal favourite). Perfect Christmas gifts for Grandparents and Home and Visiting teaching families!

Question: What is better than a great outfit?

Answer: A gorgeous handbag to with a great outfit of course!

Now is your chance to win a handbag from a new site, Handbag Planet, that will be launching October 15. They’re giving away 24 handbags in 24 hours! This new site will be selling designer bags for non-designer prices. We’re talking $30-$80 a bag here. Hello! What are you waiting for? Go pick your bag and cross your fingers!

I picked up a second job. Crazy! I have yet to actually balance both of my jobs however, I’ve pulled a couple shifts at Gap this week and it’s been alright. Because I’ve worked there before and am so experienced, I’ve had to have hardly any training, my interview was nothing but a chit-chat and a bit of talk about work details. I’m working adult instead of Kids and Baby this time around (I really don’t need any more baby clothes ) which is a fun change of pace. So far, so good. Hopefully I can say the same when both jobs are on the go. Some of the things on my “to buy” list are the Tweed Skirt and a great Cable cardigan in orange. And I bought a fabulous belt the other day to be revealed in a future Catalogue Katie!