New Year's Eve Fire Works, well not really

I've never been one for celebrating New Years, seldom do we even make it to midnight. It's just not a big deal to me. New years day isn't either since neither of us are sports fans and don't watch any of the "big" games. I seldom even know who's playing and my friends joke with me that I only know the colors of the uniforms to even be able to tell them apart. I do cook the good luck black eyed peas, but that is about the end of any traditions around here. It's a day off work and one to relax and in my case, sew. I did get several very nice sewing related presents for Christmas and today while working on an apron for Angel my pin cushion ran dry and when I went up to get more I put them in one of my new pincushions that was from Angel. It's Mary Engelbreit and so very precious. It even has a little pillow that goes in the chair.

I finally got the sewing machine back open yesterday and had other things to do and not a lot of time to sew so I started on a few ATC. I got 4 started and they are ready to trim down and do the hand beading etc on.

So today while letting a big pot of beef stew simmer I started on Angel's apron which was to have been a Christmas present (oh bad sister) but I didn't even get it started. This way thou she will get a little present between now and her B-day - so hey another present is always good. I got this pretty fabric in Gatlinburg at the Cherry Pit, I just loved it and it has that 50's flavor. Toss in the red rick-rack and I'm feeling pretty much like June in Leave it to Beaver, minus the pearl necklace. This is the first time I've used rick rack on anything and I found I had to pin it to death to get it to stay, bad rick rack stay!

Happy New Year to you all and

thanks for stopping by from time to time.

May you all have a good new year

filled with peace and happiness.

My Blocks Are Here!

We had a small but very enjoyable Christmas this year. We didn't go out of town because I'm very lucky to have all my family right here. We had a very yummy breakfast here Christmas morning with my sister and her hubby and we all pigged out on the good stuff Angel and I made. After that all I could think about was hitting the couch - I'd been sick for the past few days, so we just chilled the rest of the day and watched a wonderful DVD my SIL gave me for Christmas, Craft In America. It's wonderful. I did finally get out of the house today, had to go to the post office to pick up my signature blocks! They are all so very different it will be a lot of fun trying to figure out how to arrange them all into a quilt. I've got them all spread out on top of the sewing machine cabinet (which is still closed) and I look at them every time I walk by. I want to resist putting sashing between them and setting them in a row if possible. Not sure what I'll do yet...hum. Thanks so much Linda for hosting the swap. That was the first time I'd made a 9 patch. There was also a wonderful surprise in the package with the blocks one of Linda's beautiful hand made pin cushions. You can always use another pin cushion.

One of the best presents I got this year was the little snow man below. He's very cute and I love Jim Shore's work, but the best part about him was how he got here. Long ago in a land far away lived 2 crazy young girls who did everything together and were the best of friends, then along came life and as high school friends often do we drifted apart. OK I guess the high school reference let you know just how long ago that was. Well my dear friend moved to California and I moved to Florida and our mothers kind of kept up with what was going on with us. They would see each other at the store or out shopping and tell each other what their girls were up to. We pretty much lost track of each other over the years and we often thought of each other and wondered what the other one was up to, but I had no idea how to get in touch with her. She was more stubborn thou and kept looking for me, then along comes facebook. Just a few days after I first logged on and was checking it out to see what all the buzz was about I get an email from Janice. WOW! I was shocked. Hey this facebook thing is wonderful! So while she was in town visiting her mom she came by and we did as much catching up as we could. It was like we had just seen each other last month or so (except for all the crying and hugging). It was one of my best gifts this year. Now every time I look at this snow man I'll smile and just maybe tear up a bit.

Counting down till Christmas

It's getting to be very busy every day now with Christmas rolling upon us quickly. Was all ready for the cookie baking this morning and realized I was out of butter. Darn how does that happen? That is one thing I sometimes forget to do is mark items off my list when I take stuff out of the freezer. Then I look at the list and it said I had butter down in the freezer... So out I go into the 30 degree weather - yuck. And then when you're at the store just buying butter you see that a pretty roast is on sale and the next thing I know I've got a cart half full.

Wanted you to see this new recent phenomenon we have here. Hubby got these 2 little carpet samples from the flooring store for our little babies. With the cold weather and the lack of carpet they sit on these little islands of soft warm fuzzy and it's almost as if they are adrift in a sea of cold hard floor.

Made cookies today for hubby to take to work, for their holiday brunch tomorrow. Have 2 quiche's in the oven now for him too. I've got the good looking roast in the crock pot and hopefully will get some sausage balls made today too.

I have been very blessed recently to get 3 bags of free fabric from friends/family. I've just got to get it rolled up and put away in it's proper place - that may not happen till after Christmas. In one bag of fabric that was from my hubby's grandmother was a special surprise. This was some of her stitching. It's hanging on my pin board for now till I determine what this will be used in. It's so pretty.

Finally Finished

Well it took me a month to get back around to this little quilt. I started quilting it right after the fabric was ironed in place but I was having big problems with my thread. I ended up getting some info from the author of this technique Maria Elkins and switched over to Superior Thread. Wow what a huge difference it made. I couldn't find the thread locally so I ordered it and by the time it came in the house was in a mess with the floor project. So now that life is back to normal and I can sew again this was one of the first things on my list to get finished. I see a good list of things I'd would have liked to have done differently, but it was a great experience and I plan on making many more quilts with this technique. I'd love to do my dogs, but that would be a good bit more difficult I'd think.

Christmas is pretty much here and I've just got a little wrapping left to do and my baking. I'm going to try this super easy snack recipe I saw in a magazine. Just take a square pretzel and top it with a Rolo, pop in the oven for 1 whole min. and then press a pecan on top. How easy and oh it sounds good.

Only Crazy People Do House Renovating At The Holidays

Well I guess that makes me crazy. After I'd determined to get that old carpet up thou their was no stopping me. Well the old floor stopped me, but just for a while. The the prices of new floor stopped me, but I'm a hard headed girl and moved on from there too. So now 10 days later it's over with and I'm so glad. I've moved the last piece of furniture back into place and even opened the sewing machine today. Life returns to normal. This is what it started out with, sad huh?

The babies didn't want to give up the carpet.

It was all broke in, for goodness sakes.

All the sawing and compressors and nail guns were almost too much for

Ginger. On the other hand thou little Auggie didn't seem much

to be bothered by any of this.

The kids still miss the carpet and for now I've just got them little carpet samples I got at the flooring store. Hubby said we could just move the little carpets around and the babies will just go where we sit them. That is pretty much true. With all this crazy stuff going on this is the first year EVER I've not put up my big Christmas tree. It seems very odd. So I stopped one day while I was out and got a little 4.5 ft tree with lights on it and have it on a little table. Oh have to have a tree, Hubby laughed at me and said he knew I'd do this. Well I'm predictable at least.

Button Up For Winter

Been very lax here lately with my blog. I guess I've lost my mind starting a big home improvement project this time of the year, but hey you know sometimes you just have to go with it when the mood strikes. So I've decided I've had it with the carpet in the downstairs of our house and have pretty much ripped it all up. One room left to do. It's been a bear to deal with. All those seemly thousands of staples not to mention the angry track stripping. So under the carpet is 77+ year old solid oak flooring. I'm keeping my fingers crossed with each hammer blow and hope for the best. I knew there was paint splattered all over it but only after I'd pulled it all up did I find the cupped planks and in places rotted wood. Oh heart break. Well buck up and come up with plan B. Checked into having it replace and almost had a heart attack. Might as well look for a new house, good grief. So it's time to shop for new floor covering. Been bouncing ideas off hubby of the new floating floor systems, tile, sheet flooring what will we do. So that's where we're at now. Had all the rooms measured today and will be checking on how each of the options budget out.

Needless to say with all this going on I've not been sewing too much. I did make my sister a Christmas table runner and have been working on several Christmas presents which I of course can't put on here till after Christmas. So for now here is another project I've been working on - Buttons & Beads for my mixed media stuff. I normally get the clay out several times a year and go gun-ho for several weeks to get a stock of stuff made up. I'd run completely out of my hand made beads! So for the last few days it's been poly clay and a little Christmas shopping.

These are a few of my hand made buttons.

And the hand made beads.

Well that's it for now. Getting ready for a jewelry

class tonight at our local JoAnn.