Christmas 2017

 We have added more children to our family Christmas this year. What more could I want? Let's make some graham cracker houses. Bonnie is intrigued.

I made this Marcia Derse quilt for Jim. We were going to visit her on Whidbey Island, but got stormed out.

Naomi is the newest addition to Christmas.

On the Frame

 I've been working on this broken star for a few days. It is important to keep all the corners the same, so I take pictures as I go. That way, I don't have to keep rolling and unrolling.

I'm also making this quilt with a nice fuzzy backing for Bonnie. I hope the back holds up to washing because it is feeling very heavy.

Christmas Quilting

 I have a hard time saying "No." If someone needs a quilt done in time for Christmas, they really have to get it to me by Halloween. Even then, clients are desperate and sometimes will switch out one quilt for another. I forget how much time I spend on quilting large pieces. If I get behind, I get grouchy.

I finished this about 1am and collapsed. Some deadlines are extremely firm and there is no procrastinating my way out. It's really my fault for deciding on a complicated design. But with this much negative space, it had to be done.

Bonnie Meets Santa

 Bonnie is at the age when Santa may be frightening. But Pam and Howard are smiling, so it must be okay. She is perfectly dressed for the ward Christmas party. 

Hmmm. Maybe not.

Preparing for Christmas

 I'm trying not to stress, but it's so hard to say "no" during the holidays. Ideas pop into my mind and I want to do everything. Every craft. Every candy. Every quilt.

Let's start with caramels. Should I dip them in chocolate?

The tree is up, but not decorated yet.

Why not make a cute make up bag?

The reverse is just as cute.

Oh, good. My shipment of 11 lbs of chocolate arrived from Amazon. I just need to pack these in 1 lb packages with my FoodSaver.

Why not make some ornaments with my parents' pictures?

My dad was a handsome Naval officer.

My mom was a beauty queen in the Rose Parade.

My ancestors in Sunday School class in 1887.

Happy Thanksgiving

 Usually I'm exhausted by the end of Thanksgiving, but this year I tried to stagger the work out a bit. If I can get Paul to deep fry the turkey, then the oven is all mine. The trick is to get the orange rolls to come out of the oven at the same time as everything else is ready. Usually I forget something.

Berry Delight and Broccoli Salad can be done on Wednesday. Pumpkin pies are a morning affair. If I make Smitten Kitchen's green been casserole, that takes a while. Plus mashed potatoes and stuffing. Luckily, Howard likes Satin Pie, which needs no help from the freezer.

That's how I feel.

Let the little ones enjoy a movie or someone's phone. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Lack of Power

 I started Monday in such a good mood. I stitched up these little gifts because our YaYa quilting group meets on Tuesday. But as soon as I was done, the power went out.

Sometimes I check the PUD outage map to see how Everett is doing. If they aren't out of power, we get more trucks. On Tuesday I left for Mount Vernon to enjoy the day quilting. Not much was going to happen at the house with no power.