That's better!

Spring at last!

 And the table is ready for Easter.

Now to have hubby bring the rest of the Easter things down from the attic.

Not much happening . . .

Quilt-wise anyway.

I've been struggling to get the house in order - at least the downstairs.  I want to be able to open my eyes wide and not cringe when I look around.  I'm almost there - just need to deal with the dining room table and the kitchen counters.  The second load of laundry is in the washer churning away, with two more loads to do.  I must have slept funny, because I have a cramp in my back - thus, I'm working slowly with lots of short rest breaks.  Of which this is one.  Since I don't like posts without pictures, I'll show you a bit of my progress. 

Clean floors and work surfaces in the sewing room!

The front hall bench is definitely looking springy.

As is the wall opposite the bench

Whoops!  What happened here?  The tea cups definitely say spring, but turkeys?  Guess I need to take this quilt down until fall.  I know I have another spring quilt around here somewhere . . . .

Whoops!  Edited to add this last picture.  If you've already read this you are probably thinking "Turkeys?  What turkeys?"

The day after

I didn't kid myself about yesterday - I knew I still had stuff to do and wouldn't be able to get back to quilting. I was right. The day was spent running a couple errands, making gravy from turkey drippings (Fred and I are the only gravy eaters, so I didn't bother to make it on Christmas), and making turkey soup from the leftovers. There was lots of straightening up to do around the house - nothing major, just returning lots of things to the places they belonged.

Now that the stockings were down I returned the quilt to the table - I really missed having it there! That left a very bare wall under the quilt rack in the entry so I went looking for something to fill it. Surprise! I completely forgot about several of the quilts I finished this year. This one fits perfectly - I wonder how the stockings would have looked in front of this quilt? I also found the Thimbleberries "Winter Dazzle" that I finished this summer. It was to go on top of the treadle machine. Whoops! I guess there is always next year.

By last evening I was caught up - finally! I spend the last 30 minutes before bed doing a bit of straightening in the sewing room. I intend to spend most of the day there today. I don't even need to cook, thanks to a refrigerator of leftovers!

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Gratitudes:

1. The aroma of a pot of freshly brewed coffee

2. A wonderful day with all our kids and kidlets

3. The calm after a storm

4. An entire day to sew!

Hooray - I'm finished!

The last of the Winter stoneware is out of the attic and into the kitchen and dining room. The babies have come out of the attic. They were really happy to be released from the big tubs - it was hard to breathe in there because the air was so stale. None of these babies have seen the light of day for years and years. Now that I have grandkids I think it's time to make some new seasonally appropriate outfits for the Cabbage Patch kids - I must have at least 20 different clothing patterns in my filing cabinet!

Now tomorrow I can focus on the cinnamon rolls. And maybe drag all the wrapping paper out of the attic and get busy on gifts? I hope I can use all of it - I'm getting very tired of the same paper year after year. When all the kids want is books, CD's, video games, DVD's and gift cards, one doesn't go through wrapping paper very quickly. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to shop for toddlers - I know I overbought and will have to put a few things away for birthdays. And most everything is bigger than anything I've wrapped for years - and will use lots and lots of paper LOL!

Well, it's snowing again - we're supposed to get 2-4 more inches by tomorrow morning, then snow showers Monday and Tuesday. It's not supposed to warm up until Christmas Eve. I'll be thrilled if the roads are clear but the rest of the ground and the trees are still covered. This is my 62nd Christmas, and I've never had a white one yet. But I always hope . . . .

It's finally looking like Christmas!

I don't ever remember being so late with my Christmas decorating. I finally finished the tree when I got back from Starbucks yesterday. We've been collecting ornaments for 40 years now - and have literally hundreds of them. Fred always says I don't need to put them all on the tree - I disagree! It just doesn't look right to me without them. This time there are even more on the big tree, because I didn't set up the smaller tree in the family room. I'm seldom in there - too busy sewing - and Fred doesn't care. I set aside about 2 dozen ornaments this year - things like the plastic M&M ornaments that came on the top of tubes of M&M's in stockings. I set aside a few I made - duplicates of some that are already on the tree. I've done this the last couple years - I'll let the kids look through them on Christmas to take what they want. Other than the ones I made, these are decorations that mean more to them than to us. Whatever is left will go to Goodwill - but it's just a drop in the bucket! I've not bought a single ornament this year - I can't remember the last time that happened. Oh well - there are still a couple days left to shop - if our roads clear!

Our big tree in the living room. If you'd like see and read about some of the ornaments go to this post and this one.

I did things a bit differently to the fireplace this year. I tucked an old garland at the back of the mantel, and hung the Merry Christmas needlepoint above. (It was above the piano in prior years.) Now that I see this picture I realize the needlepoint needs to be moved up a bit, but I've not gotten around to find a hammer. I just hung it on the hooks for the smaller picture that usually hangs there.

I hung the stockings differently this year also. I'm not at all sure I like them with the quilt behind them. I still need to get out a few bears and dolls for the bench.


Here is what they looked like last year. What do you think? Should the quilt go back onto the dining room table where it has always been before?


I didn't want to struggle putting the big garland over the archway to the dining room so I put it above the window instead. It wasn't any easier - it still fell down at least a dozen times while I was trying to "fluff" it. You an see the little feather tree that sits on the treadle machine too. It has more ornaments on it too, for the same reason.

I got a great deal on a table arrangement at Fred Meyer. This is the first time this table cloth has been used since the table quilt was finished. I think it's seen better days - I think it needs to be retired. Just in time for after-Christmas sales!

I wanted Christmas dishes for so long - and started collecting them once the kids graduated from college and Pfaltzgraff came out with this pattern. I call them my "winter dishes" and we use them until Valentine's Day. Don't really go with the blue kitchen do they? They usually come out the weekend after Thanksgiving - boy, am I late getting my act together this year!

I finished this table runner in January this year - one of my first UFO finishes. The blocks were made in 1992! I think it looks great on the coffee table. The sleigh looks a little lonely though - I think I need to put some greenery, etc. around it. And I need to make a couple little bears to sit with the big one. I used to sell these in two sizes - made hundreds of the little ones from beautiful wool coating fabric and sold them for $7.50 each - but over the years I've given away every last one of the little ones. One of these days, when I'm tired of making quilts . . . I still have lots of coating fabric in the attic . . . . You can see one of the newly finished pillows from UFO blocks on the couch.

Wishing all of you and yours a marvelously happy and healthy holiday season!

Bring on Thanksgiving!

It's a good thing it takes only a short time to put away the ghosts and their friends and bring out the pilgrims! Looks like I'd better get busy making a Thanksgiving quilt for over the piano!

Fall decorations

Finishing my fall decorating is one of the things I was supposed to be doing instead of sewing the Halloween quilt. The decorating was only half finished, and stuff was strewn all over - floor, tables, etc. Finally finished most of it about 9:00 last night. Just need to get some pictures back out now that I know where there are empty spaces to fill on the bookshelves.

Today is a Joseph day - and tomorrow I must sew the aprons, which was another thing I was supposed to be doing last weekend.

A little bit of Easter

I was standing behind the door when they passed out the talent to arrange collections to enhance a decor. Mine always have somewhat of a cluttered, she just stuck it all out there sort of look. I think part of the problem is that I have too many things and they are too little to be able to arrange for truly pleasing visual impact. Oh well - no one really cares what I put out except for me, and so many of the things bring back happy memories for me. So for better or worse here are some pictures of our Easter decorations. I added some Jim Shore items this year - most everything you see has been around for over 20 years.

My favorite is the Easter egg tree - which actually has no eggs on it. I've blown and dyed many an egg over the years, but never got around to finish them with hangers, etc. So other things hang from the tree and the eggs are displayed in old Easter baskets that once belonged to Jeremy and Rebecca. I did the little cross stitch pictures shortly after we moved here - over 30 years ago now. I loved the little shop where I bought the supplies - it was like a predecessor of today's quilt shop. It closed in the mid-70's because the husband demanded half the value of the shop's contents in the divorce settlement even though he'd never stepped foot in the shop. Since Washington is a community property state Lola had to comply, so she had a huge going out of business sale. We were all so sad to see The Strawberry Patch close. Notice I used the Pinwheel Daisy top as the base - I see I need to make myself several more spring quilts.

The two big bunnies by the fireplace were made when I was making animals, teddy bears and dolls for bazaars. I kept these two for us. The blue one is made from decorator fabric. The pattern is an old Simplicity or McCalls - I don't know which. I know I gave it away years and years ago.

All the rest has just accumulated over the years as the kids grew up and decided they didn't want to keep any of this stuff. Now that they both have kids maybe I should ask them if they want any of it back. Nah - I don't think so!

Holiday preparations

Seems like I'm so behind this year. It threw me having a baby shower int he middle of the holiday season in that I lost a weekend I usually have for getting ready. With Fred's help yesterday we finally got our tree up and decorated. Hopefully the shopping will be finished this week. Christmas is such a very special time - filled with love and family gatherings as we celebrate the birth of Christ. This is the last Christmas season that I'll be working - I'm so looking forward to lots of time for holiday baking etc. in the coming years.

Blogging - both writing and reading - has just fallen by the wayside in the need for something to give. Other than making an apron for our daughter-in-law for her birthday I've been doing no sewing to speak of. I have been doing some reading in spare moments but that's it. Here are the last two books I read.

The Handmaid's Tale - "In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies? Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...."

A very different book, quite disturbing. It certainly made me think.

Broken for You - A buoyant debut novel about two women in self-imposed exile whose worlds are transformed when their paths intersect, and a glorious homage to the beauty of broken things. An absolutely beautiful book full of wonderfully interesting characters. I fell in love with this book. A wonderful read.

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Gratitudes:

1. Tiny snowflakes falling off and on throughout the day

2. A family birthday celebration

3. Favorite Christmas carols sung as I remember from my childhood

4. Watching "Miracle on 34th Street" with family

5. Friends, new and old

A perfect weekend . . .

That's what I'm expecting. Why? Because there is nothing I have to do - I can spend the whole weekend sewing! Last night I finished the repairs on my son-in-law's sister's quilt so they can deliver it to her tomorrow. Tonight I'll baste my friend's quilt that's on the machine while I watch the Mariners beat - hopefully - the Blue Jays again. And the rest of the weekend is for my own sewing! I hope to have the orphan top together by Sunday night, and at least one of my own quilts quilted. Should be doable!

I put out all my red, white and blue summer decorations last month. In past years I've left my spring teapots and tea cups on the buffet and dry sink, but this year I put them away because I wanted to find some patriotic dishes for the summer. I've been looking and looking but couldn't find anything. Yesterday I thought to check the "one stop shopping center" where I get my groceries. I don't know why I didn't look there before, as that's where I found the great fall things a couple years ago. Wouldn't you know it - they had just what I've been looking for! And since the 4th is almost here they were all on sale for 25% off. I love how they look. I don't know what it is about new dishes - they just make my heart sing. I think if I had the storage room and money I'd have as big a stash of dishes as I do of fabric!

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Gratitudes:

1. Cool weather

2. A mid-week day off work

3. A $6 red and white checked table cloth for the dining room

4. A bed full of white Shasta daises and blue-purple lavender

5. A scale heading downward after a disastrous week weight-wise

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