Design Wall -or in my case pool table- Monday

I finished all the alternate blocks for this quilt yesterday.  Only made 30some more than I need so I guess this is the first of two pink and pastel quilts!  I only want to make it twin size as I intend it for Nora.  Hope to have these sewn up this week!

12th Night-the last Day of Christmas

The tree in my bedroom.

I love decorating for Christmas, hence the fact that I have 4 trees!  The top of my bookcases hold several North Pole Cottages and I drink my tea out of holiday mugs!  That said, tonight is the last night for the outside lights, tomorrow I will drag all the boxes down from the attic and begin packing everything up.  Sad.  The house always looks so bare when it's gone.  Then I will dig in and scrub the house back to normal, change out the few seasonal things I keep for winter and get on with it.  Until the Monday after Thanksgiving!

Cross-stitch update

I haven't posted a cross-stitch update for quite a while.  In fact, the last photo I could find was this one from MARCH:

 Compared to this one I took tonight.

I should be much further, in fact I should be finished.  All those weeks of not picking up a needle really hurt!  I'll be working on it some more in a little bit.

Yesterday, Rob and Tanya came to borrow my food saver and brought me these!

Aren't they beautiful?  I am loved.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Snow!

You can tell it's early in the snow season by my enthusiasm!  Later on it will be "more snow, ugh" but now it's "Yeah, it's snowing!"  It has snowed off and on all day, a lovely wet snow that will nourish the ground.  Not too cold, just at freezing, an no wind. It didn't stick to the roads but it did stick to every branch and needle of every tree and bush making for a really beautiful sight.  Quinn and I took two walks in the park with the snow falling around us-just gorgeous.  Quinn will probably never lose her excitement over snow!  Tomorrow it may be to cold for a walk until afternoon.

I had planned, sort of, on going to the movies late this afternoon and taking myself out to dinner but I really didn't want to leave home so I had leftover beef stew and I'll be stitching while listening to movies.  I MIGHT stay up until midnight, or not, I'll see.  Quinn will crash about 9 whatever I do.

Today I cut some pieces for little houses, about 30.  I'll quit with these I think, although 365 was the goal I'll be happy with what I have, nearly 100 I think.

I'm going to sew the window units together tonight then do some cross stitch and English paper piecing-hexis and the secret project.  I find these really enjoyable and not at all boring.  This surprises me as I don't really like doing the same block over and over.

Enjoy New Year's Eve but drive safe if you're out and about!  Blessed Be!

The last of the gifts! I promise.

Tonights installment of gifts came from both my oldest brother (Jim and wife Jessie) and Beth, Lucas and the boys and all are for my bicycle, Annie!  A lovely basket, I had hoped it would be large enough for Quinn but I don't think so, a mounted holder for my cell phone, rear view mirror (for safety), biking gloves and really cute pink pompons for my handlebars!  Can't wait for it to warm up enough to deck Annie out!

As for gifts I gave, the boys got boring guy presents!  Rob a drill, Scott a drill press, Lucas a messenger bag, and Steve two parts for his ham radio--See Boring!

I did make some jacket protectors--if anyone wants to keep dust off their suit jackets, winter coats for dark blouses etc, just buy some flour sack tea towels (or similar small towels) and put at buttonhole in the center, then slip a coat hanger through the buttonhole and spread out the towel--nearly instant dust covers! I also made each of the girls here a couple of hot pads--

Just using up scraps and playing around with machine quilting.  Useful, although I did tell Tanya she had to USE them and not save them for posterity.

Un-time.

No one understands my concept of "Un-time" but that's what I consider the week between Christmas and New Years.  Too late to lose a 100 lbs or finish most things you wanted to do in 2012 and too early to begin work on 2013.  A time for a bit of planning, sleeping late, eating whenever, stitching and reading.  I love Un-time.  January 1 I'll be up and running but until them it's time to take it slow and easy.

Today, I took Tanya out to "Jared's" to purchase the proper size bracelet.  I gave the girls in Missouri Pandora bracelets and one charm.  I love the one I got for Mother's Day and they had all hinted large that they would like one.  The California girl got a necklace-one she'd apparently put on her list for my son to give her and I beat him to it!  Rob and Tanya gave me another charm for mine.  Green for Ireland, along with a calendar of Irish places.  I do so long to return to Ireland.  They also bought me a smaller crockpot-I don't need the biggest one they make too much any longer as I'm cooking for one!

Kolby and Nora (both three) received castles!  Melissa and Doug make some cute things.  They seem to have been a hit, Kolby was hiding things in the dungeon and Nora had her dinosaurs attacking the castle.  I took a chance here, as neither had it on their wish list but they were just so cute and so designed for creative play I couldn't help myself!

I've been lazy long enough today-wait who am I kidding?  One can never be lazy long enough!  I do want to finish up a smallish project or two in this un-time so I'll think I'll scoot my chair over to the sewing machine and get to it!