Around the House

I started decorating around the house, earlier this month, by hanging the "Stitch Pink Christmas" (my version made up in traditional Christmas fabrics) quilt out on the porch. I finished the quilting on this one in January, it's the first time it's been hung! I love it! From there on it was full speed ahead with the decorations, inside and out. 

I got the Christmas dishes placed in the kitchen cabinet, although this task wasn't without incident. 

You know how it goes- you get on a roll and think "as long as I'm doing this, why don't I take all the dishes down and clean and dust the shelves..."  😞 This beloved platter (all the more so now because I can't find a replacement, even at Replacements Ltd!) didn't make it. Sadly, I've learned what the limit is on those shelf pins. Let's just say we've replaced the shelf pins with all metal ones, the plastic ones have their limits. I was super lucky that the loss here wasn't any worse.

The tree's up and decorated in the family room.

A few Christmas gifts have been finished and wrapped.

Mr. G. and I took a little ride out to one of our favorite greenhouses, this one specializes in Poinsettias . We love to walk through the racks and see all the new varieties, this one with the rounded leaves was gorgeous!

However, change comes slowly to us; we brought a traditional one home with us. Little did we know, until we got there, that this small town was about to have their annual Christmas parade! By the time we made our Poinsettia selection, paid for it and got back in the car, the streets were lined with hundreds of spectators. My idea of stopping for lunch on the way home was thwarted, we were lucky to get out when we did without being part of the parade!

It's beginning to look a lot... well, you know. Not one cookie has been baked yet, though.

Today could be the day. 

 Life is Good!

November Wrap-Up

Here it is, the last day of November. The family's been and gone, the turkey's been eaten and all of my Thanksgiving decor has been stashed away until next year. I have swapped out the dishes for my Winter plates in the kitchen and tomorrow, December the first, the true Christmas decorating will begin  here at Chez Goodneedle. I have watched Christmas go up a lot earlier this year, in our neighborhood and all around town, I know that people are at home and are eager to look forward to something brighter than what this year has revealed, for the most part. I have forced myself to hold out until December. I wanted to share this thankfulness turkey that our son and daughter in law had on their table on past Thursday, they hosted our family Thanksgiving meal together. As each family member arrived they could choose a "feather" to write what they were thankful for this year and place it in the turkey's tail. This turkey itself was purchased through an organization that provides meals to the hungry. Win-win! 

This was a portion of our feast, our son did the turkey on his pellet grill; it was spatch-cocked, juicy and perfectly cooked~ absolutely delicious! This entire center island was filled with pies later on. 

The girls read the thankfulness feathers after dinner was done and tried to guess who wrote which one.

The four cousins had a pre-Thanksgiving sleepover here the night before. This was story time before bed, including a dramatic reading of Turk and Runt compliments of Mason and Lucy Ann!

Mason's almost as tall as me now, my daughter sent this (12 yrs. later) pic collage after she returned home, I love it. It's a pure delight seeing him grow into a smart, athletic, kind and caring young man. 

I've dragged out my last year's Amaryllis bulb and am hopeful for reblooming. Time will tell. 

I've kicked off the season with a Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshake, I try to limit myself to one a year. Again, time will tell;😉 in my defense I must say that these are my all time favorites (followed closely by Peach in the summer). 

Speaking of kicking off the season, you all know that I am a huge Home Free fan. This selection, Warmest Winter, the title song from their new album is a wonderful way to do just that. Click to listen, this is A Cappela at its best! You're welcome. 

Little Miss Lynnleigh began her decorating with a Christmas chain before we left her home last week.

I was able to get Lucy Ann's pillow completed; it's now wrapped and ready for Christmas giving. 

Donation quilts done during this past year are rolled and ready for distribution to the needy. I'm already working on next year's. My hope and prayer is that these will bring warmth and a bright spot where they're needed the most. Just like that, November's done! Sadly, no 'books read' list this month, I've been too busy to read enough that's even worth reporting on. Hopefully, there will be a return of dedicated D.E.A.R time in December, fingers crossed. 

Life is Good!

Hangin' with Harvey

There's a sameness to every day right now. Although I do try to keep to a normal (for me) schedule during these days-on-end of staying at home and quarantining- (getting up at 6, dressing for the day, morning walks, regular mealtimes, cleaning house on Fridays, ironing on Saturday mornings...) I dispensed with decorating the house for Easter this year. I can't remember ever NOT doing that before.  There were, however, a few exceptions... I did get out my bunny and chick salt and pepper shakers and an embroidered rabbit tea towel. 
And, I ordered a table runner pattern for NEXT Easter, it was just too cute to resist. It's from Up A Creek quilting if you're interested in the source. It will be added to my "to do" list for next year. There's great hope in looking forward!
But, for the most part, the sameness of each day- one. after. another. left me uninspired to decorate. But, of course, then there's Harvey! Harvey has been the large-as-life touchstone to this month of April for me. I greet him every morning when I enter the studio and blow him a kiss goodnight when I shut off the lights at day's end. He hangs proudly and faithfully on the door, performing sentry duty.

Harvey is a Country Threads pattern. I made him up a year ago and he went together quickly and easily. If anyone would like this pattern he's still available for $10 and a SASE to: Country Threads, 2345 Palm Ave., Garner, IA 50438 (make sure you indicate "Harvey' on your check memo). Harvey and I have been great friends since he came to live here and I'm grateful for his presence on days that seemingly run together right now. He'll be replaced soon by Uncle Sam. Along with my VISION 2020 scrap quilts that I'm cranking out; this will also be the year of American flag quilts for me. I have two more flag patterns calling my name and a big box of curated red, white and blue fabrics set aside expressly for that purpose. 

This shirt has more meaning than ever this year!😉 I've been wearing it a LOT lately. 

You know what they say about how people come to look alike after spending loads of time together?

I suppose there's some truth to that, especially since I've been hangin' all day, every day, with Harvey!

Life is Good!

 

October 31, Observed

This is what an October 31st table display looks like in the home of a Lutheran quiltmaker.

Life is Good!

Being Present

In this season of Advent, of waiting, I am approaching the decorating of our home in a new and different manner. Taking a cue from church, where our sanctuary is prepared gradually, one week at a time; I decided to try a variation on that theme and made myself a day-by-day task sheet. Saturday our trees went up, that's it... went up, period. They're not decorated yet, that happens today. Sunday the candles went in the windows and the door wreath was hung. Monday the Christmas dishes appeared in the cupboard. Yesterday was garland day. I have never prepared for Christmas in this manner before; I used to push through, doing everything at one time, and didn't delight in that process one little bit, I was left frazzled and exhausted. This year is different. What's yet to come? There's card day, wrapping day, cookie day... I am being present in Advent this year and I highly recommend it! From Advent A Time of Hope by Paula D'Arcy: "I pray to be present to the day before me. This is life, and only this.  I have lived "ahead" in my thoughts and know them to be counterfeit. All I have is this present moment. I have to stay alert.  If this Advent is to be different, I have to respond differently. Something else is waiting for me and I know it. Only I decide whether or not to listen to what beckons me."

Life is Good!

Catching Up

I took the last quilting stitches in Gregory's quilt early Thanksgiving morning, I pulled a stool up alongside the front while I worked so that  Mason could sit and observe the process for a little while. It was a satisfying start to an otherwise busy day!  With all the prep work and hand washing of dishes afterwards, Thanksgiving is the only day that I completely run out of dishtowels and the bottom of that drawer is fully visible; I can make up an entire washer-load of only dish towels one day a year! That's where I've been. All the dishes are done now and safely stored back in the cupboards; just in time to switch them out next Saturday to my Christmas/Winter dishes! I refuse to begin until December! The Christmas tree lots sprung up, seemingly overnight, on Wednesday last week. I won't pitch myself headfirst into Christmas until I can sit back and catch my breath from Thanksgiving. The good news is I'm ready for binding on this one and the quilt and the big boy bed will be delivered together... soon! I have named this one: "Do You See What I See: Fish, A Frog, and a Floating Dog".

Detail shots (above and below): "F,F, and a FD"
It is quilted in the sashing and inner border with NiteLite thread.
There's lots of fun things to search for and find on this quilt.

I spent yesterday catching up on this month's block from the Bless This House class, block #8.
I decided to personalize this one with a year and an initial, ditching the assigned flowers in the center.
I agonized over the decision of which year to put in the heart... the year I began or the year I hope to finish!  I've got my work cut out for me now, I've committed to a time frame!

All eight blocks arranged on the design wall.
Each block measures 16", the next block is a four blossom Christmas Rose;
a long, triple, landscape panel spans the top before the final borders are added.
Life is Good!

Little Christmas

Today marks the Feast of the Epiphany, the official end to the Christmas season. My grandmother always referred to this day, her birthday, as 'Little Christmas'. I always think about her, my Nannie, on this day; she was born in 1903 and lived to be 83 years old. Typically I would be de-decorating our home, packing away the ornaments and the garlands until the first Sunday in Advent; but not today. Today I am doing some packing of a different variety... for a quilt retreat with my Bee group. For me it will be a weekend of hand appliqué, I am not even taking a machine with me! Photos to follow; plus, there's a BIG finish on the not-too-distant horizon...could that be a drum roll I hear?

Merry Little Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

These decorated pumpkins were in the restaurant area of a hotel where we stayed during our recent time away. Every time I passed through with my camera I found people eating in the booth directly below this display and I couldn't get the shot. ("Excuse me, would you mind moving your head out of the way so I could take a picture of those pumpkins? What, you're eating your dinner and I've rudely interrupted you"?) You get the picture, this is not the way to improve international relations. However, in the early morning hours before we checked-out I sent Mr. Goodneedle downstairs with the camera to try his luck; the timing was perfect, he found the booth empty! I am going to decorate some, exactly like these, for Halloween... next year!

Happy Halloween!

Life is Good!

October All Through The House

All things fall, a photo collage of some of the decorations that I've made through the years to celebrate October and Halloween. These little quilts and objects remind me of where I was and what I was doing at that time in my life, the little witch in the upper left corner is the oldest, I made her in 1993 and the rest of the items followed in an almost annual succession. I am on my way to Des Moines this morning, I'll be at the APQS training center next week attending long arm instruction and maintenance classes, stopping along the way to visit family. Rest assured, I'll post from the road and bring you up-to-the-minute reports of all the activities and sights (quilt shops?!) encountered on the journey!

Life is Good!

Presto, Change-O!

This isn't an original idea, I saw it in a magazine years ago. In fact, this curtain rod and hanging hardware have been waiting in the stash closet for exactly as long! Yesterday my husband installed it here in the studio, I just love it! The beauty of a rod mounted like this is the ease of ability to change out your quilts. Simply unclip one and replace with another, as if by magic; you can change your quilts as often as your mind.

"Presto, Change-o"!
Life is Good!