I'm a bad blogger

I apologize for not getting on here and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. At any rate, I hope you all had a great holiday and that your New Year will be wonderful in every respect.


Our snow is all gone, and it has been great to be able to be out and about a bit now. We can get out and walk, and it's surprising how much I missed that when everything was too icy to take a chance on taking a walk.


In October at our guild meeting, we had the Portland/Vancouver Project Linus volunteer speak to us. She was very, very good, and showed us a DVD that left most of us with damp eyes. It motivated me to work on some quilts for Project Linus, so the following are two that I have completed so far. I have another top that I did, but it needs to be sandwiched and quilted.
The pink one is made with fabric that was given to me and I am pleased with it.

The second quilt with the bears is a kit I bought several years ago and made the top by never finished it. It is such cheerful fabric (flannel), and I hope it will be enjoyed by some child.

Enough snow and ice already!

We are in our 11th day of heavy snow and ice here. They say it's the worst storm since 1968, and any snow and ice that we get generally happens after the new year. Anyway, we had a break last Wednesday, I think it was, and we got out and ran a couple errands, but other than that, we've pretty much just stayed home. We have at least 18 inches of snow, with a layer of ice in between two layers of snow. Most flights were cancelled, so there are folks who have been camped there for days. We got a little snow today, and there may be a little tomorrow, but then we should start warming up and transition to our usual winter rain. After our morning snow, it did warm up to 37 degrees, so we got some melting, but there is still a lot to go. The main roads have been sanded and plowed, but residential areas have not, so those roads are heaving covered with snow and ice and deep ruts. We just don't have the equipment here or the manpower to do it.

This evening I had about had it with being inside, so hubby and I walked around the block and then got in his truck and went around a couple blocks. Even with four wheel drive, there was a lot of slipping and sliding. It sure felt good to get out for a few minutes though.

Early Christmas

I think I mentioned before that we were having an early Christmas, since Kurt and family will be in San Diego on December 25. Sunday was the day that everyone came up with that would work for all. We started with an early brunch, and feasted for a while and then moved on to presents. I think the four grandchildren were very pleased with what they got. The nightgowns, pajamas, and fleece throw were quite a hit. I was very gratified by the pleasure our sons and their wives displayed when they saw their completed quilts. I also made them a set of matching pillow cases.

The first picture is of Kurt and Tonya. Both DILs had chosen the colors that they wanted for their quilts, but for the most part, I chose the fabrics.

This is our older son Kevin and his wife Marion. Theirs was the first French Braid quilt that I made.

I consider myself very, very fortunate. Both families live close to us, and we have a very good relationship. To make it even better, they have given us four beautiful, darling grandchildren.

Well, back to our day together. Cold weather and snow was in the forecast, and that's exactly what transpired. Wind came with it, so it was really cold. The kids did go out in the backyard with one DIL though, and made a snowman. It has remained cold, so the snowman is intact, and it looks like it will be for several more days yet. More snow is forecast for tomorrow.

Have you ever played the game Catch Phrase? We played that later in the day, and it's a fun game. The funny thing about that is the night before we were frantically hunting for the game so we could get it out, and we absolutely could not find it. So we went up to the store and bought another one, thinking that we could take it back if the first one surfaced. Well, first thing the next morning I walked into the room where I sew, and there it was sitting on the table in plain sight! We had opened every cupboard, looked under beds, and in every imaginable place, including the toy box, which is right beside where I found it! Talk about feeling foolish!

Presents for DGC

It seems to have become tradition that I make nightgowns for Christmas for our DGDs and something for each of the boys. The Oregon Ducks throw is for Tanner, and he will love watching sports on TV and covering up with that. Anson is the little guy, and I chose an AWFUL fabric to work with. I had a pattern that needed a stretchable neckband, so i got this waffly (rhymes with awful :-) ) fabric that was very cute but stretches so much, and it was horrible to work with. I don't think he'll be able to wear them very long, because even though I preshrunk the fabric, the top especially seems to shrink up when it is washed. Alas, why are my lessons always learned the hard way.

For the girls, however, I am very happy with the nightgowns. Tylee will get the one with the little doggies, because she is just nuts about dogs and cats. Aubrey gets the one with the purple butterflies because she loves butterflies and the color purple.

So now, with those all done, I can wrap the last of the presents for the DGC. I still need to put the labels on the French Braid quilts for our sons and their wives. I printed them out on the computer, but I hate doing labels, so once again, I have put it off until the last minute almost. I guess I just don't feel very creative, so they are just a big pain. I haven't labeled my Winter Wonderland either, and need to do that very soon.

Okay, I'm off to wrap presents. I wish you a great Wednesday.

Sunday is coming fast!

Our Christmas celebration is December 14, because Kurt and family will be in San Diego for Christmas. So, in light of that, I have six more days to be ready. Thankfully, a lot is done. I have one pair of pajamas to sew; I've made two nightgowns and one fleece throw (Oregon Ducks fabric, of course). I need to make cookies, but I think I'll make the dough tonight or tomorrow and put it in the freezer until Saturday, and then make them so they will be fresh.

We are having a brunch celebration on Sunday, so I'll be making two breakfast casseroles and probably cinnamon rolls. That way hopefully there will be plenty to please everyone. One of the casseroles will be your Tamworth eggs, Dee, and the other an overnight apple french toast, but this time I'm making it with marionberries.

My hubby and Kurt got the tree up, and I decorated it yesterday, except for the decorations that I've save for the grandchildren to put on - four separate piles of decorations, one for each child to add. I've got to be fair, you know.

Oh, and there's the wrapping. That's the part I like least, but I've got to get that done also. Well, maybe after the pjs are made I can do that.

Winter Wonderland

I have made quite a few quilts, but none I like better than this one. Too bad it is so seasonal and will be put away for most of the year. Actually, that may not be a bad thing, since it has so much white in it. Anyway, I really, really enjoyed making this. I started on the embroidery at least two years ago. I pieced the blocks in May of 2008, and put it together in the fall. The quilting was done with Superior threads glitter thread. I just love the way the quilting just sparkles



This is a closeup of the quilting. Except for the red border, I did a meander of loops and stars.