Merry Christmas!

Well, kiddies, it's Christmas! Frosty cold here...everything outside is coated w/white. So it's really nice to know that I don't have to leave the house to go anywhere today.

Our family does more of a Christmas Eve get-together. So I drove to my daughter's house. She fixed enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup and it was wonderful. Mike's brother Jimmy was there so it was a very nice family gathering. Then it was time for the presents!!!

My son-in-law loves his coffee, so Missy and I went together and got him a coffee basket - 3 different kinds of coffee, 5 different flavoring syrups, some different seasonings for blended coffee drinks, then I got him a French press. All of that should keep him 'wired' for a while.

Missy got me an electric blanket. Now - as a quilter - why would I need an electric blanket???? Well, I tell you...I turned it on last night - an hour or so before I went to bed - then turned it off when I got under the quilts. Everything was toasty! No warming the bed, no cold feet! Just cozy right off the bat and I think I was asleep in 2 minutes!

A very nice afternoon - as the aftermath will tell you...Scott liked the quilt I made for him. I still have to get Casey's done - and that's this weekend's project.

The kids have re-done their deck into an extra room off the kitchen and we had the celebration there. Wonderful cozy room. It's still not quite done, but I love the little cozy corner they had yesterday...The stove doesn't put out a whole bunch of heat but it sure adds atmosphere. Above the stove is a wall quilt I made a few years ago - made one for everyone in the family...

I asked every member of the family - both here and in SD - to trace their hands and send them to me. I then traced those onto fabric and layered and appliqued them into the tree shape. For each different family, I tried to include members from both sides of their family - to make it THEIR family tree. Then I loaded each one with tons of beads and sequins. I hope it's something they can pass on to their kids.

Well, I'm off to do a little New Year's organizing and the old year's quilting.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Been a while since I've been here...Christmas rush and crazy at work. You know how it goes. BUT I did find time for a weekend retreat at Dumas with fellow guild members.

If you've never been on a retreat - you are missing one of the finer things in life. Dumas Bay is a converted convent. The rooms are Spartan...a twin bed, a chair, a radio. Each room does have it's own toilet and sink - showers down the hall. But since the whole point of the retreat is to spend time sewing...the rooms don't matter much. And - come to think of it - the simple plain rooms are also to the point of the retreat. When you retire to your room, you have time to comtemplate WITHOUT distraction. I usually knit in the room and it's a great time for planning and putting my life in some form of mental order.

BUT - the high point of the retreat is the quilts. The December retreat is always fun as a lot of the people are working on Christmas gifts so it's a good start on the holiday spirit.

These are postcards that Alicia was working on. I got the top done for a quilt for my grandson...

I shared the pattern with everyone - as it was a free one from a quilt shop - all it requires is 5 yds. 1 yard of each fabric...how easy is that? Anyway - one of the 'girls' went home, pulled 5 yds out of her stash and proceded to finish this top...Laurel Birch fabric....

and a more sophisticated look of autumn like colors...I have some fall colors picked out for one for me and I can hardly wait to get started!

More later as I get more pictures ready.