happy crazy busy . . .

The crazy busyness of the season continues ... and probably will right up until Christmas Eve evening! But it's happy crazy busy, which makes all the difference in the world, right?!  Wednesday evening Todd and I went to the staff Christmas party for Essential, the church where we're currently serving.

It was a very fun, laid back evening. Except for the 10 minutes we had in Target (where we went as a group to shop for our dirty Santa gifts).  That was hilarious!

Thursday lunch was the staff Christmas luncheon for my work (it was also my last day of work until January 6, 2020).  We met at a very nice restaurant and I forgot to get a picture. Silly me.  After lunch, I ran some errands, including running over to Patches and Stitches (our LQS) to check out metallic flosses for future snowflakes. I wanted some blues, purples, and iridescents. Here's what I came away with . . .

Aren't they yummy?!  They're Kreinik brand. And they make me anxious to finish the one so I can start another! LOL!  It's the story of my stitching life.

I had a couple of more things to take care of and then it was time for our guild meeting (where I did NOT forget to take photos). It was set up beautifully and we had a great crowd!

My mini stitcher's group (my affirmation sisters) were all there, so a trio selfie was in order!

It was a fun night with a fabulous spread of desserts, games, prizes, and camaraderie.  I ♥ guild.

Friday was Todd and my traditional Christmas vacation movie date day.  We went to see The Rise of Skywalker and it was excellent.  But kind of bittersweet, too, knowing it was the end of the franchise. We had lunch out and did a little Christmas shopping, then came home and I did some stitching and went through Christmas cookie recipes. I think these are what I'm going to make to take to Joc's house for Christmas Eve . . .

Chocolate Ganache-Filled Mint Thumbprint Cookies.  Only I'm going to color them pink and call them "Peppermint" Thumbprint cookies.  LOL! I've got some other baking to do as well, and I've got Monday and Tuesday set aside for that.

This afternoon I'll concentrate on some slow stitching. I've got a variety of things to choose from. I'm not quite finished my holly snowflake, but it's close . . .

So that's definitely an option.  I've also got labels to print, iron-on, and blanket stitch to each of the three Christmas quilts.  And then Saturday I got a wild notion to quilt this UFO from April, 2015.  

Good grief, right?!  LOL! I backed it with purple flannel, got it sandwiched and did some simple straight-in-the-ditch stitching in the center.  

And I'm hand-quilting unicorns and stars around the outside, in a very pretty rainbow thread. So I can work on that, too.  And I probably need to, because I hope to have it bound and ready to take with me to:

Yup, California, here I come!  And it looks like I'm bringing the sunshine with me.  Whoop, whoop! I can't wait to see my Panter crew! ♥

I'll leave you with this charming shot of my local girls, modeling for the Spring/Easter trunk show for Mary & Grace . . .

Aren't they beautiful?  They make my heart melt!

Linking up today with the Slow Sunday Stitching post at Kathy's Quilts.  Happy Sunday! 

And MERRY CHRISTMAS!

:)

out with the old . . .

Here it is . . . the last day of 2016.  Wow, this past year has simply flown by.  I don't know that I can handle time marching on any more quickly than it did this past year. If time moves more quickly the older one gets, I'm in trouble! I was woefully negligent to my bloggy-blog for the past twelve months--with only 41 posts for the entire year--but I don't for a minute regret the time I spent doing other things . . . like cuddling grandchildren, tinkering in the Nook (which actually was also a tad neglected), hanging out with my best friend/hubby, chilling on the lake, being with family . . . nope, no regrets. All-in-all it was a pretty terrific year!

Ellie and Evey agree that 2016 was pretty good!  :)

Todd and I will be serving our last Sunday at Wears Chapel tomorrow . . . so 2017 will be ushering in big changes right from the start. We plan on taking a brief furlough, visiting other churches in our association, before being re-assigned.  As of right now, we have no idea where we'll be!

I wanted to have closure on my 2016 stash report, so here it is . . .

. . . unchanged from the last one I reported on 11/20.  -grin-

And here's the first report for 2017 . . .

. . . all sparkly new and fresh and clean!  Although, I'll admit right off the bat that Patches & Stitches has it's annual sale on January 2nd, and I plan on being there. I wanted to start a little project, but realized I had very little 'grey' in my stash.  *sigh* At least I know it'll be out almost as soon as it's in!

Good thing wool isn't counted in stash reporting (and I'm not about to start). Todd and I took a little overnight jaunt to Nashville, just the two of us.

We stopped at Quilter's Square in Franklin, Tennessee, on the way home. They were having a nice little sale and I picked up some yummy wool (among other things, none of which was fabric) . . . 

Isn't that pretty?? And a four new little patterns, the bottom two of which are kits . . .

One of which I've started working on . . .

This will be my slow Sunday-into-Monday Stitching, for sure!

I'll be linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts (tomorrow). Happy New Year's blessings to you and yours!

:)

evidence of absence . . .

I would say that I was horrified or blown away by how much time had passed since I last blogged . . . but saying such seems rather dramatic, considering I've known precisely well that I *wasn't* blogging and that June, July, AND August had all passed by with my knowledge and without a word from me.  A word on here, at least.  

Unfortunately I have to admit that I've enjoyed the bit of bloggy break. Over the past three months I've spent time with family and grands, both here and in California, lots of time in VBS, Fridays with Todd out on the lake, getting our first cabin at the camp (!!!!!!!!), and time helping my folks get settled in their new home, right here in good ol' Alabama! Toss a 40+ hour work week into the bag and it's been a pretty busy, albeit very enjoyable, summer.

So very pleased to have my folks nearby!  It was a HUGE move for them. Mom and I have enjoyed going through boxes . . . especially the ones that net this kind of reward:

Aren't they beautiful??  Both of my grandmothers collected teacups. One box netted several pieces of china that belonged to my great-grandmother -- how special!

I've done some stitchy things, though quite honestly, not a whole lot.  I did finally finish the bloomers that I started for Everley in May. 

I finished up the sixteen sets of Civil War print swap blocks (including a set for myself) and got them dropped off.  I *still* have not picked up the blocks that come to me!  But I have a picture of them . . . 

Which is better than I can say for the ones I stitched myself!

I stitched up some huge pillows (26" pillow forms) for a dear friend of mine. Don't they look great in their new home?! The upholstery fabric was interesting to work with.

I finished up an Irish Chain wall hanging for my mom (housewarming). I'd done one for a swap a couple of years ago and knew it was perfect for my mom.

Note to self.  Be super careful when trying to get 'artsy' by hanging finished pieces from the top of the pontoon's cover.

Glad we keep a net handy.  (I did wash it before gifting it!)

I got started on a new wool project.  With a little help from a dear friend!

Isn't it cute?  It screams summer!  Now that it's fall.

I've not purchased the first bit of fabric since I was on here last. Not. One. Inch. I find that to be either most impressive or incredibly depressing.  I haven't decided which.

I'd like to say I'm current with my two-ornaments-per-month-challenge. But I can't. C'est l'été? Actually, I'm probably most disappointed in that -- I need to get on the ball! And when I do, this will be my next project . . . 

Isn't it darling? Simple but very pretty.

With summer days waning, I'll try to be a bit more consistent on the blog.  For my sake as much as anything else! Though I MUCH appreciate those that have checked in over the course of the summer!

I've got a three more days of a long, four-day weekend stretching out before me; wonder how I'll fill it?!  Happy Labor Day . . . bring on Autumn!

:)

mid-week musings . . .

Happy Wednesday!! Aren't you glad we're mid-way through the work week? That only stands true for me first thing in the morning on Wednesdays, seeing as how I work four ten-hour days! That means tomorrow is my Friday and I get TWO Saturdays! LOL! I'll stop now . . . !!

Before I headed out to the Nook on Sunday afternoon, Todd and I tooled around the camp for a bit. I'd mistaken "deerberry bushes" for mountain laurel a couple of weeks ago, but found that the mountain laurel was finally blooming . . . 

The flowers look very similar, but the leaves are quite different! I love that after seven years, I'm still discovering new flora up at the camp! We also fed the fish at the pond and caught a quick couples selfie.

I do love our life together!

Then I got busy in the sewing nook. I finished one of the ornaments (but forgot to grab a picture), finished up one of the dress tabs . . .

I should have taken a picture of the back side of the tab, which is remarkably blank, a fact of which I'm quite proud of. I took great care to stitch without catching the back side of the fabric! I can't wait to see the girls decked out in their sweet dresses!

I also traced out some alphabet letters and have gotten A and C stitched, and D is traced and ready to go.

These are going to be such fun -- I love the diversity of the letters! Plus they're fairly straight forward, but just fanciful enough to make you smile.  :)

I'll continue to work on this every spare moment (like lunch time and evenings). I still have two quadrants to finish.  Eeks! Linking up today with Esther's Quilt Blog WOW (WIPs On Wednesday) post.

Our Campers on Mission group continues to make fabulous progress on the deck and the other improvements they're working on. I'll do a comprehensive post on all their work soon, but here's a glimpse (I lifted from my Instagram) into our time with them, which included some campfire time last night . . .

The weather has been outstanding and we really enjoyed hanging out last night! Their work is top notch! I can't wait to show it off!

Y'all have a great rest of the week!

:)

happy - busy - happy . . .

It was a busy work week (and just busy in general, work notwithstanding), but there were definitely some sweet highlights!  First, I had a mid-week office visit with *all* the grands and their mommies!

It was a wild, wonderful hour, to be sure!  I love it when they come visit me!

We also celebrated Todd's birthday on Friday . . .

Whoohoo!  He's older than me again!  Haha -- it only lasts for six months.  ;)

And I won a sweet stack of wool fat quarters at guild . . . 

Isn't it yummy?

I'm so glad I don't report my wool stash. That's a horse of a completely different color!

And I finished my center for the Chevron with a Twist piece . . .

I love that method for faux ruched flowers -- it was so much FUN!! The blue bird is ready to be appliqued down, but I think he'll actually go on the half square triangles.

And, tah dah!

I finished piecing Lil' Charmer and got the black borders put on! The lighting this morning does not do it any justice at all.  I so love this!  My Slow Sunday Stitching will be sandwiching it together and getting started on the quilting!  I can't wait to see the effect of the rainbow variegated thread on the black border!

Which brings me to my Stash Report . . .

I'm counting in the yard I purchased for Lil' Charmer, but counting out the 2.5 yards (front and back) I put into it!  Yay!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts this morning.  Y'all have a marvelous Sunday!!

:)

slacker . . .

I've been such a blogging slacker this week!  C'est la vie . . . chances are, if I've been slacking on the blog, life is moving along at a pretty good pace!

My stash hasn't increased or decreased, my design wall hasn't changed, and to be honest, I haven't gotten even fifteen minutes of stitching time in since last Friday! On the other hand, I've spend time with my friends, worshipped and fellowshipped with my Sunday school class peeps, spent time with family and especially grands, and (grocery) shopped and (grocery) shopped and shopped. One of those trips included riding the train with my friend (and pastor's wife) and their son:

Whew, it's all been a whirlwind!  Oh yeah, I also found out . . .

Yup!  It's a girl!!  We'll be having *marvelous* tea parties!!!

Ellie and I made a sweet little Easter craft on Tuesday . . .

He's not here; He is risen!!  She was so sweet, working on the empty tomb.  She also tells me she's ready to be a big sister.

I think she's going be a terrific big sister!

And today is my sweet husband's birthday!  We'll be celebrating with the whole crew, tonight, here at the camp!

♪♫ Happy birthday ♪ to YOU! ♫♪

♫♪ Happy ♪ birthday to YOU! ♪♫

♪♫ Happy birthday dear ♪ Todd !!!! ♫♪

♫♪ Happy ♪ birthday ♪ to ♪ YOU!!! ♪♫

♪♫ And many more . . . I ♥ you!!!!! ♫♪

I do have a new little hexie project for the month.  Actually, I have my choice of three different hexi projects:

These are from the StitchMAP hex labs for the month (along with my Celtic Garden and Australian Wattle projects).  I haven't decided for sure which one I want to do . . . any thoughts?! Regardless of which design I choose, it'll finish up in hexie form.  So I'm linking this on up to HeLP for Hexie-aholics on sarah did it!

Have a happy day!

:)

busy, busy, busy . . .

A happy finish ... well, piecing finish, anyway . . .

I so love the way this pretty little Christmas twisted hexie looks!!  The basting stitches are still intact -- I haven't removed my template pieces, yet.  Now my quest to find an appropriate 'skirt' for it!  I think it will make a gorgeous holiday table covering!

I put my fall fabrics to good use and made another spirograph topper.  I think this may be my go-to project for a pretty little hostess gift.

But I think I may play around a bit with the center applique, too. Any thoughts? I made the center of this one a bit smaller than my original, and I don't think I'll do that again.  I *did* miter the corners of the borders on this one -- and I *will* do that again!

I got out and about a bit this weekend.  Our church had a huge yard sale to benefit the children and youth ministries.  I was mostly good.  I found a couple of fun things for Ellie's dress-up trunk and lucked into this group of silk ties . . .

For a buck!  I figured that between Easter eggs and crazy quilting, I'd be able to put these to very good use!

I also headed over to one of my favorite quilt shops.  I needed backing fabric for Pixelated and Hooked on Quilting was having a guild appreciation sale -- 25% off! So I headed there and found the brown Civil War print (on the left):

It works well with the muted red binding and the front, I think, and will be good for a son to roll around in. I've decided I really do need to machine quilt this, since it is for James ... now I just need to settle on how I'm going to quilt it.  Both the pattern *and* the logistics in the RV!  

I also grabbed some 'burgundy' (the photo doesn't translate that well, I'm afraid) for our guild's 2-1/2" strip exchange that starts next month.  

And I filled up my Martindale card and picked up this book on Baltimore Album blocks (which I *WILL* make one day).  Now I get a freebie book!  Yay!

I also have this fun thing pieced and ready to put a back to:

I'd won the strip kit for it in March and got a hankering to put it together. So I did (minky is a *mess* to work with, by the way!).  But then I needed a back in keeping with the front!  I swung by Sirs, where I remembered seeing the Dr. Seuss prints in wide minky.  Sure enough, I found what I think will make the perfect backing from that same line:

Don't you think?  Technically this won't be a quilt -- the minky is so thick, it really doesn't need batting.  I'm going to stitch the outside edges together (with the right sides facing), then pull it inside-out and 'quilt' down the vertical lines. It'll be an interesting finish!

All that fabric shopping injected another healthy dose into my August stash report, but I also will have some big yardage finishes to include, which will help balance things out!  Linking up this post to Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times and Design Wall Monday and Kathy's Quilts Slow Sunday Stitching.

Before I head out to tackle the world, thought I'd share some of my favorite peeps . . .

Todd is *thoroughly* enjoying retirement and the ability to grow a beard!  I have to admit that I find him quite dashing in the beard and I'm enjoying the "Duck Dynasty" commando look!

Sawyer is now a dragon whisperer.  Seriously.

He's making up wonderful dragon stories and everything -- his imagination is quite vivid!  I got the dinosaur costume for him last October -- and he'd carry it, but refused to wear it.  Until just this past month or so. Gotta love it!

Ellie's driving.

Good gravy, slow the growing down!!  That's a smile she's sporting, just in case you're not sure.  She's pretty much able to give Sawyer a run for his money these day!  She's a clever little chatterbox, too -- Joc asked her to sing her ABC's and Ellie replied, "A, B, C . . . no more!"  Sassy pants!

June is ... well, at home she's called the Princess Baby.  

I think that means she's queen of the show -- I know she's got both daddy and big brother wrapped around her little fingers! 

With a smile (and giggle) like that, who can resist?!

Have a GREAT week!

:)