Christmas!

Another Christmas has come and gone; as always, I was almost ready. Are we ever completely prepared? Naturally, all of the gifts were purchased and wrapped, cards addressed and sent, and the food was ready at the appointed time and place. But, then, there's always those "extras", those things I think I'd like to make and tuck in as a special surprise- those little cross stitch ornaments I admired last July and had every intention of completing. The cute little Christmas quilt blocks that I decided would make such adorable pillows to give my friends. The precious quilted zipper bags for holding treasures. Some more mini-Chrismons for our home tree. The list goes on... did I make any of them? No. Where did all those days and weeks go? What did I do with my time? Sigh. I don't know. So, I tell myself the same thing that I always do:  There's always next year! 

I did get  our annual BIG batch of Almond cookies baked in time for holiday desserts (and snacking).

Gingerbread men (and ladies) were baked and decorated, as well as Sourdough Rustic loaves. 

I was able to keep up with my traditional favorite Christmas movies while I was in the kitchen baking. 

Our children and oldest grands, from the Capital City, spent Christmas Eve afternoon with us. I'm officially the shortest of the whole bunch now. Lucy Ann reminded me that I'm still taller than Augie!  

Christmas day was spent with our son and his family, the youngest grands. Lynnleigh is still captivated by American Girl dolls. Lila, her newest "child" is ready for gymnastics and received her own dog too. 

Gregory is quite skilled on the golf course. Video golf will keep him in good form during the winter. 

Today has been spent cleaning up, breaking down cardboard boxes and making more Rustic Sourdough loaves. These last two turned out very well. Mr. G. bought me sourdough starter and a crock from King Arthur for an early Christmas gift; I have wanted to get back into bread making for some time and this is a great way to begin! I'm really enjoying the process. So, another Christmas has come and gone and here we are again. During this "in between" week I hope to accomplish a few of those aforementioned little "extras" before we launch into the New Year... time will tell. Where, oh where, to begin?!

 Wishing you and yours a blessed week

filled with joy and gratitude and all 

the best in the New Year to come!

Life is Good!

Along The Way...

I've learned a LOT along the way while the wrist is healing. Time doesn't slow down, or stop, when one's casted. Nope, it's business as usual. Augie turned eleven months old on Wednesday! He's my best snuggle buddy and resting companion when I need that. I can tell when I've done enough for the day and it's time to lay low. Fine motor skills are slowly returning and strengthening, (I can pinch the clips together on a skirt hanger again, type on a keyboard and manage a fork to eat) gross motor skills remain good and are less painful each day (handling the vacuum cleaner, walking the dog and gently stirring or scooping with a spatula). All those crazy little mindless actions that we're used to doing countless times each day now demand respect and a level of determination. These two products have been game changers for my daily routine! This cast cover is truly waterproof and easy to put on and take off by myself. I found that I couldn't manage a regular blow dryer and round brush, the dryer was too heavy, it was impossible and frustrating. A friend recommended a hairdryer/brush combination. It is lightweight, easy to maneuver with one hand, and does a great job of drying and styling at the same time, which makes it an enormous time-saver; win-win! Who knew? To be honest, the hardest time of day for me has been getting ready first thing (showering, doing hair, dressing myself); it's easier with these two items but I'm still rejoicing after those tasks are completed and ready to tackle anything else! 😉 One-week-after X-rays revealed the cracked bone remaining in alignment, it's all good. Three more weeks of being casted, you can believe that I'm counting the days!

To pass the time I have organized my embroidery floss by brand and type. Something I have wanted needed to do but never wanted to stop and take the time to accomplish. Now it's done.

Our Stitch Club met here and this fella thought that Quiltkeemosabe's tote bag made the most comfortable bed. They came bearing books and magazines which have been great to peruse this past week while I'm healing; such a welcome way to while away a few hours. 

The kitchen re-do project continues with backsplash. We loved this herringbone pattern, the tiles are 1" X 3". Apparently they're a BEAR to cut. 😬

But they sure are pretty up on the wall. Grouting and sealing happen will next.

We had our two grandchildren last weekend. 

Gregory did a fine job as a stand-in acolyte at church.

In an effort to do less physical activities we watched movies together Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon; it's a BIG challenge to find something that an almost 13 year old and an nearly 11 year old haven't seen before, but is also is appropriate and grabs their interest. These were all good ones! I've got more to share in the next few days. I hope to try some machine piecing over this weekend and may get back to the longarm too; we'll see. Life moves on, a day at a time, and if we're lucky we learn new things along the way; it's all good.

Life is Good!

Where Did The Week Go?

We had loads of fun at our granddaughter's outdoor, socially-distanced birthday party last Saturday. She and her friends decoupaged paper mache pumpkins, ate treats and tie-dyed T-shirts! I can't believe that's already been almost a week ago. Time has FLOWN by this week! 

So, where did the rest of this past week go?

This pretty much sums up the week. I'm doing ruler work on a Metro Rings quilt. it's time consuming. but very, very satisfying. It's a BIG quilt, too. I've wanted a longarm work table for some time now, a sliding one that sits on top of the rails and will hold tools (rulers in this case, and a container for thread snippets) above the quilt's surface when doing custom work. I've had my eye on one, but it's expensive. (I've dropped hints to my resident handy-man who one time told me that wouldn't be a hard thing to make!??) In the meantime I am using a sheet of foam core. 

This does the job for now, is lightweight and easy to move, and was FREE (I had it in the closet already!).

And, since man can't live by quilting alone I've been baking buttermilk bread in the bread machine (several loaves a week). This is a great recipe that I am linking here. If you want to make yours in the bread machine like I do, substitute one pre-measured packet of yeast for the TBSP as listed and set your loaf size to 1 lb. 

Since I've been spending so much time in the sewing room I've been watching movies while I quilt; heart-warming, old-fashioned love stories on the Hallmark channel, it's my latest obsession and pure escapism when I need it the most. I've switched off the news and am avoiding social media platforms as much as possible because of the politics and personal agendas. These movies were all good. So is D.E.A.R*. time, I force myself to sit down and read for an hour late in the afternoon every day- this month it's mystery books.

Have you heard about the Stich Pink sewalong? I'm collecting Moda's blocks-of-the-day for October following the "Stitch Pink" initiative. You can subscribe here if you want to keep up this month. 

Here's the final layout, right now I am downloading the block instructions each day and keeping them in a notebook for later. I'm not going to make a pink quilt; but, rather, will do mine in Christmas colors.

It's been a while since I've commented on adapting to the state of our upside down 🙃 world right now. This picture might say it all: yes, it's October and, yes, this one Iris decided that now's the time to bloom. It's not the craziest thing going on this year, not by a longshot. Stay safe, my friends. 

Life is Good!

* Drop Everything And Read

Whirlwind Weekend!

We had a wonderful, whirlwind of a weekend with our two youngest grandchildren. We celebrated Pawpaw's birthday in grand style with his favorite dessert: homemade apple pie. There was also some cookie decorating, a nap or two, box stacking/tower building*, creative arts, ice cream and many, many games of Otrio. This game is a new twist on Tic Tac Toe. Mr. Goodneedle and I were amazed at how quickly the children took to the game and marveled at their strategic skills; even at their ages they were quite adept at defensive moves. This is a great family game, check it out if you haven't heard of it.    

On Quiltkeemosabe's recommendation we all watched The Star on Sunday afternoon. This is a sweet movie of the first Christmas told from the animals' point of view. It is just precious, we all loved it. All too soon the weekend was over and our house grew quiet once again. And yet, reminders remain.

Last evening, after dinner, we were moving upstairs to settle down and watch TV in our converted attic space/entertainment area. It was then that I spotted this pinned to a quilt that hangs in the hallway outside the room. Gregory likes to announce what's playing in "the theaters"! Sigh. 

Yes, it's quiet around here today, New Year's Day.

I look forward to more whirlwind weekends and memory making in 2019! 

Wishing you peace, joy and fulfillment on this day and every day in the new year to come.

Life is Good!

* We have amassed an excessive amount of corrugated cardboard shipping boxes this year. I believe that I will invest in cardboard stock. This seems ridiculously wasteful to me. Mr. Goodneedle is looking at these as future fire-starters now that we have switched to a wood burning fireplace. I believe we have enough for a very long time!😉

It's A Wrap

... and just like that, another Christmas is history. 2019 is looming just around the corner. I can finally post about a few things that I have been stitching. Using this pattern by Atkinson Designs I managed
to make up quite a few batches of these zippered pouches that will be good for toting all sorts of goodies and whatnots. For the most part, I constructed them in sets of threes to give as gifts.

But then, I got to thinking-- the medium size is just perfect as a unique presentation for a cash gift. I stitched up another batch especially for that purpose, these were made up from Christmas and winter-themed fabrics and distributed to family on Christmas. 

They were a huge hit! All tolled, I believe I stitched up somewhere between 25 and 30 of these. I can now do it with my eyes closed! One thing that I did learn along the way is that there is absolutely no consistency whatsoever when it comes to pricing all-purpose zippers! Shop around, there are bargains but you do have to hunt.  

And, speaking of huge hits; Gregory loved his new quilt. 😊

Hannes received something cozy, soft and warm from Santa for his sleeping enjoyment as well. 😉

Yes, another Christmas has come and gone. On Christmas afternoon Mr. Goodneedle and I watched a movie that I had never before seen. I realize that you're shocked and that I might be the last person on earth to admit that I had never watched this quintessential Christmas movie. I knew that another year could simply not conclude without viewing Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It truly was wonderful!

There was popcorn, too!

Life is Good!

Small Group

We had a terrific opportunity to watch a great movie last evening. "Small Group - the movie" stars the son of fellow church members of ours. It is currently playing at select theaters nation-wide; but, we learned, it wasn't going to be playing here! Undaunted, efforts were made to get it here. Through Gathr Films, arrangements were made to schedule a screening at a local theater right here in town; a one-night showing. Many church members and family and friends showed up to enjoy an evening out together and to cheer on this hometown actor. Here is the trailer to entice you: 

Look for this one! If you can't find it, promote it and see if you can get your own Small Group (or better yet, LARGE group) for a screening of your own. It's worth the effort, believe me!

Life is Good!

Relaxing Glimpses

After cleaning the house yesterday I actually took some time to sit and relax, a Christmas miracle in itself! Back in early November, after admiring the progress of many bloggers on the Quilty 365 challenge, I made up my mind to begin my own applique quilt. Well, as you know, life happened (and ended up in the ditch for awhile) and the project came to a screeching halt. Yesterday I resumed the handwork on this one, stitching down the circles from collected fabrics representing the month of November. I sipped a cup of tea and watched a movie while I stitched, one recommended by Quiltkeemosabe, if you can find it I believe that you will enjoy it too. Wishing you moments of relaxation today, whatever it is you choose to do on Christmas eve.

Life is Good!

Life is Good!

I fell in love with the tune (surprised?) while watching "New In Town", did a little research and found out that "Life is Good" is a track on Brittini Black's "Good Happens" CD. You can listen to a sample, I have downloaded it through i-tunes, the lyrics are here:

I've let too many little things
Ruffle my feathers way down my wings
And I have wasted precious time
On the difference between a dollar and a dime
I kept my heart under wraps
And watched my life slip through the cracks

But finally it dawned on me
This roads not as hard as it seems
I've taken the lows a whole lot better
All of my edges fit together
Everyday feels like it should
Life is good

I'm learning to laugh at myself
But humble enough to ask for help
Willing to take a second look
Give it a chance not close the book
I took what I used to know
And then I let it all go

Finally it dawned on me
This road's not as hard as it seems
I've taken the lows a whole lot better
All of my edges fit together
Everyday feels like it should
Life is good

Life is good

Finally it dawned on me
This road's not as hard as it seems
I've taken the lows a whole lot better
All of my edges fit together
Everyday feels like it should
Finally it dawned on me
This road's not as hard as it seems
I've taken the lows a whole lot better
All of my edges fit together
Everyday feels like it should
Life is good

This is exciting, I have a theme song!
Life is Good!

I can name that tune in... oh, let's see... two notes!