Happy New Year - A New Decade

I've been so busy this past week I haven't had a chance to blog.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I hope you have had time with your family and friends. I hope you got to eat good food, got great gifts and made some wonderful memories. 

I am cleaning house and putting away the Christmas stuff. I'm periodically watching TV, knitting videos, trying to finish knitting my scarf,  tatting on the never ending flag and trying to decide if I want to make any resolutions.  I don't think I will.  I am just going to try to do better next year with everything. I want to lose weight, do more quilts, tat more, knit more, spend more time with my family and my friends and be healthier and happier.  Anything else, hmmmm, yes. I want to wish  everyone  reading this a heathy, happy and prosperous New Year too. I hope you laugh more, love more and find time to do what you want next year.

Don't forget to eat your blackeyed peas for luck, cabbage for money and wash it down with some good old sweet tea!  Hugs from Texas!!!

Christmas wishes and musings

 I didn't send out any Christmas cards this year (again!) and I haven't had time to blog either. I love this holiday but it is very stressful too. I know alot of people that get depressed around the holidays for various reasons.  I tend to get frazzled myself. I find myself stressing out over what to buy for ????, did I get enough or did I buy the right thing?  Should I have given her a gift too?  Why didn't I think to go by and see them?  Why didn't I make a gift for ........... You know what I mean. Everyone gets stressed to some point or another.   Anyway, please just try to enjoy yourself, be with your family and friends and enjoy them too. If you get a gift but didn't get them one, just say thank you and give them a hug.  They thought about you and wanted to do that. It's ok....

I have gone to alot of parties and celebrations this season and I have enjoyed every one of them. I am thankful for all my friends and loved ones. I am thankful for my health.

 I would like to have a better year next year with time,family,  health, finances and my crafts and I hope you do too.  I hope you have a job, if you need one...If you don't have to work, I'm proud for you. I hope you are healthy and happy and that you are with the person or persons that you love. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday and you stay safe, happy and healthy. Please take time to enjoy your family and friends and let's get back together after the holiday. Merry Christmas to you and yours! Hugs from Texas where my grandkids wish it was snowing....

Sewing with Heidi and Bobbi and friends, finishing up on Saturday

I went to the church last night and visited with friends while I sewed. I worked on making a snuggle for my granddaughter.  I finished it up last night and then worked on putting my Crazy 8 quilt top together.  I got it about half way done before calling it quits for the night.  I'm going to get that quilt top together soon...

The snuggles are great but they are hard to cut out because fleece is so thick. I sewed two more today. One for the youngest and oldest grandsons.  I had just enough left over from all the yardage to make scarves for the three of them.  Two gifts in one...Here's a picture but it's really hard to tell what they are....I didn't have any models to put them on.

I did a single crochet around one of the scarves and I just cut the ends and fringed the other two....

We are wrapping gifts tonight instead of going out...We'll celebrate our anniversary later.

Sewing with Heidi and Bobbi

Don't forget, tonight is sewing with Heidi and Bobbi....I'm going to go to the church and sew with some friends. I'll post pictures later.  Have fun and get busy sewing!

Our anniversary and birthday

Yesterday was our 32nd wedding anniversary.  My husband snuck into my office after I left yesterday and left me some beautiful flowers, a card and a chocolate message....I saw this when I walked into the office yesterday morning. If you can't tell what it is, he spelled out 32 with some chocolate kisses...Ok, where's the money, no I forget, it's show me the money....Anyway, I thought this was sweet and I love him dearly.  Today is his birthday too.  Happy Birthday, honey, I love you.

 

A Great Giveaway...A Subscription to Fons and Porter's magazine

(Click on her name and it will take you to the post to sign up for her giveaway-couldn't be easier than that, huh?)

Quilt Frenzy is having a wonderful giveaway.  Hurry, go sign up, she's giving away a one year subscription to  Love of Quilting magazine by Fons and Porter!!! How neat is that?!  You have to hurry, the giveaway is this Friday, so rush on over and sign up.  Good luck and happy holidays!

UFO Challenge for next year and another Friday night sewing with Heidi and Bobbi

Nancy, the Patchwork Penguin has geared up and is hosting  the UFO challenge again this year.  I got so many of my UFO's finished (or at least to the flimsy stage) by taking her up on her challenge last year that I have decided to do it again.  Here's how it works: pick out 10 of your UFO's and list them 1-10. The first of each month, Nancy will pick the project to work on and announce it on her blog.  You work on that project for the month and hopefully, get it completed.  No guilt or reprimands if you don't get it finished but this is just a little push to help you get those UFO's to a manageable state.  Why don't you join us?  Do you have ten things you want to finish?  Do you need a little push to help you finish?  This is the thing for you.  Click on the UFO on my sidebar to sign up and then pick out your ten projects and list them on your sidebar or somewhere on your blog.  Then, wait for next year and start working on those pesky UFO's and let's see some great finishes!

This Friday, the 17th is another sewing in your jammies night with Heidi and Bobbi.  Hop on over and sign up and do some last minute Christmas sewing.

Look on the right side of my blog for the above button and click on it. It will take you to Heidi's blog to sign up for the sew in...Check out some of the things people have been working on.  I get alot done on these sewing nights and I  think it's fun to think about all the sewers out in Blogland in their sewing rooms at the same time as me.  When you post on Saturday, you will be put in a drawing for a prize from Heidi and Bobbi.   The prize is just a little incentive to spur you on to sewing and blogging about it. So, come on and join us. 

til next time....

Milestones....and a giveaway.

I was reading Peg's blog over at Pieces on My Mind and she was talking about milestones.  So, I thought I would share a big one for me....today, is my 5th anniversary of being cancer free!  Yes, I am a breast cancer survivor and 5 years ago today, I was in surgery...I am thankful that I am alive today.

If you will take just a moment and click on the pink cancer button on the side, it will give someone a free mammogram. Merry Christmas!


P.S. Peg is also having a giveaway to celebrate.  Use the link to hop on over to her blog and congratulate her on her milestones.

Christmas shopping!

I took today off and my husband and I went and did 95% of our Christmas shopping.  We had a wonderful time together and I didn't have to shop by myself like all the previous years.  I even found the rest of my Christmas dishes.  My MIL bought me dishes last year but she only gave me 4 coffee cups and 4 salad bowls.  I found the other 4 bowls, the other 4 coffee cups, 8 salad plates, and  the creamer and sugar bowl. I called my MIL and let her know and told her I found them. She asked me if there were any other pieces to the set and she's buying the serving platter and large bowl for my gifts this year and my set will be totally complete. I'm so excited about that.  I'm going to be serving Christmas dinner with my beautiful plates!  We came home, I fixed Potato soup and cornbread and put my aching feet up.  Talk about shop til you drop...but I only have to find two more gifts! Easy, peasy! I can do that in my sleep.  Now, I get to wrap and put them all under the tree and get on with enjoying the rest of the month.  I do have 4 snuggles to finish and some knitting to finish but I have so much time, I'm not feeling any pressure.  Merry Christmas! 

Sunday afternoon Christmas Open House

Sunday afternoon, my MIL and I went to a quilter friends house for her annual Christmas open house. This is her 13th year to do this and it is amazing. She decorates every room with quilts and Christmas trees. She has 44 trees up this year and her house is wonderful. I enjoy going to this every year and I'm never disappointed.  Here's just a few pics for you to enjoy. I'm always motivated when I leave here and I'm definitely in the Christmas spirit...



This tree contains all the handmade ornaments that have been done for 13 years.





She tats too.




I love this little picture and I totally agree with it.



This tree has the current ornaments that she is giving to her friends and guests.



Look at these treats.  She makes all the candy and cookies AND gives you the recipes too. What a wonderful hostess.



Friday night sewing with Heidi and Bobbi and Christmas celebrations.

I had planned on sewing and getting my Crazy 8 quilt top together. I did sew on it but I didn't get it all together.  It's still laying on my kitchen table and I'm still sewing on it as I walk through..

I just wasn't in the "mood" to sew.  I had the TV on and wanted to watch some of the Christmas shows on...I'm a romantic and the Falalala Lifetime shows are just my cup of tea sometimes.  Anyway, I did work on my Crazy 8 quilt top but I also started on a new knit pattern.  It's very easy and I thought I would get more of it done but I didn't...Yes, it's easy but I had to rip out a few times as I wasn't paying attention to the design and got off not once but twice...  I probably would have finished it if I didn't have to  rip out.

 Here's a picture of my Crazy 8 quilt in progress:

Here's the One Row Lace Scarf I started working on last night.  It's alot of fun.  One of the ladies at the Knitting group showed it to me on Thursday night and I really liked it. She said I could find the pattern on Ravelry and I did....you can click here and get the pattern. It is on Turvid's blog...

http://turvid.blogspot.com/2008/05/free-pattern-one-row-lace-scarf.html

Here's what I got done. 

I want to make several of these and give to friends and charity too...  I have alot of extra yarn just sitting around begging to be made up and this pattern is so sweet, a great combination...

Today, I went to my quilt guild's Christmas tea.  It was alot of fun and I got to see several friends I don't get to see very often.  We have a daytime group and a night time group. I go to the night time group,  as I still work.  The ladies in the day time don't all come to the night group and we only get to see each other on these special parties or get togethers.  It was a wonderful time and so much fun to be with these special friends. 

Tonight, all of my family, kids, grandkids,husband and all are getting togethe over at my MIL's for dinner.  Just a get together, not Christmas.  We just haven't all been together at her house for a long time and she misses that. So, we will go over there and visit her for a short time..

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to a Christmas open house. This is my favorite place to go at Christmas time and I love going. My MIL will go with me and she enjoys it too. I'll take pics and show you.  My friend and her husband decorate their house and bake all kinds of wonderful desserts and make all kinds of cute ornaments and invite everyone. She's an ex quilt shop owner and is still teaching quilting at a LQS and she invites 250-300 people.  Every room has a tree and is decorated with quilts.  It is always the hi-lite of the season for me.  I see alot of my friends and enjoy looking at all the beautiful quilts on display.  I'll show you the wonderful pics tomorrow.  til next time....happy sewing,





Friday night sewing with Heidi and Bobbi

Dont' forget, tonight is sewing with Heidi and Bobbi.  Click on the title and it will take you to Heidi's blog to sign up.  Join us tonight in your sewing room and PJ's and get some Christmas sewing done (or whatever crafts you want to work on). 

Knitting at Joann's

Last night was knitting night at Joann's.  We had two new ladies join us and we visited and knitted through the night.  It was alot of fun.  We are all working on different things and had a short show and tell. Unfortunately, I failed to take my camera with me and no pictures were made at the meeting.  I hope I don't forget it next time...
Here are some pics of some things I've done.  These are small hats for babies and these will go to the guild to be sent to Parkland Hospital.

I'm also knitting the sleeves to a sweater and I'm knitting them two at a time.  I hope they will be uniform this way and look the same.

Nothing special to the sleeves, just straight knitting.  The design is on the main sweater and I chose to leave the sleeves plain.  I'm on row 37 and it's going slow but at least, both will be finished at the same time...

Dinner with friends, beaded balls and a crocheted wrap.

Wednesday night , I was invited to dinner with  friends. I and a few of my Tatting friends went over to Elaine and Ivy's lovely home for chinese food.  Elaine and Ivy are from Singapore and they pulled a Sandra Lee on us.  They made part of the food and bought part of the food...The food and companionship was great.  I tried several things I have never eaten before and they really weren't bad.  Unfortunately, Ivy is the cook in the group and Elaine tried to fix brownies from scratch and she put too much cocoa in the recipe...Elaine, better luck next time...We all had a great time and a lovely visit. Elaine made some beaded balls to decorate their tree and she gifted us each with one or two of them.  I loved the little balls and she will be teaching us how to do these at our next tatting meeting. 



Elaine and Ivy by their pretty tree



Extra beaded balls for the tree



Their tree with the beaded balls



A close up of the ball



Some of the beaded balls



Nancy showing off Elaine's wrap



Now, what't the trick to this?




Ok, we want to get it right.  You make a rectangle for the back and two skinner rectangles for the front and you can use any pattern you want?  Hm, I think I can do this....



Tatting Tuesday but not just tatting.

Tatting Tuesday was great, as usual.  We all met and tatted or knitted or crocheted.  This group is very versatile and we each have things we want to do or obsessed by...we had several new people come and join us and they were knitters.  It's just fun to come together and sit and chat while you're working on something.  I worked on a little motif and got it right this time.  I'm blocking it and will put it on fabric to make a decoration out of it.  Here's some pics of tatting done over the past two or three years by Nancy.  She likes Christmas trees and Christmas decorations and beads...Last year when we went and did the Tatting Demo at the Texas State Fair, we made display boards like this.  Nancy put all her Christmas trees and other Christmas items together. 

Here's a closeup of one of her beaded trees.

This was a pattern from BeStitched.

Also, from BeStitched website.



Catherine is taking a sock class and her last class is Saturday, she had to get to the toe portion before class time so she knitted tonight.



Almost there....