Happy New Year!

Here we are at the end of another year; how can that be? 2007 got off to a rocky start for both of us thanks to some health issues for each of us but is ending on a happy note.


We just got word last night that Jill and family arrived safely home in Chicago, this time with luggage in hand. We had a wonderfully busy ten days with them, cuddling Sophia and reading to David as well as cooking lots of recipes that hadn't been used since our three left home.

It's very quiet here now. Ginger has come out from under our bed, the train hasn't been run for 24 hours, and the Pack 'n Play has been stored away until the next time.
I just finished a pair of socks that Linda had admired when she visited last summer and decided to send them to her for her birthday....sure hope they fit!

What will I work on next.....well, there's the fall CQ block that's been patiently waiting, a sweater for David and one for Sophia that were put aside to work on Christmas projects, a sweater for Jill, a quilt for Ronald MacDonald, and the list goes on and on. I am determined to finish some of my many UFOs also, lots of which have been lingering for a scarily long time. I also want to learn to use the embroidery unit on my sewing machine more fully in the coming year. Nope, I'm not going to be bored-ever!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2008, this is my last post for 2007.

Winter Visitors

Dick took this photo last Saturday on the way to the playground up the hill at Somerset Elementary School. That morning we'd had 5 kids under 4 here to see the train, and the three oldest ones really needed to blow off some steam! They had a great time playing with all the equipment, and I had a few minutes to decide what to cook next!

The Last of the Christmas Projects

For the first time ever, all of my Christmas projects were finished BEFORE Christmas Eve, even this scarf which I made for my son's friend. It's made with 2 different yarns, one called Squiggles. Another friend told me she thought it looked like a lion's mane....she may be right!

We had a wonderful Christmas with all our children and grandchildren here!

Pillows Are Done!

Well, I finally finished something that I've meant to do for a long time. It was fun to experiment with the thread, trying to make him look snowy. I used a white thread, a very light grey, and a strand of sparkly white Kreinik blending filament but shoould have used a dark background instead of white....it does look snowy though.

Yesterday my second batch of Art to Heart buttons arrived, so I finished those pillows, too, and put my sewing machine away for the holidays! I even cleaned up the sewing room a tiny bit, so that there will be room for Sophia. There's only one Christmas project left, a scarf, and it's coming along quite nicely. Thankfully a few days are left!

Merry Christmas Stitchery

I fell in love with this pattern the first time I saw it in Nancy Halvorsen's Star of Wonder book. It took me a while to find the buttons, but when I did, I splurged and ordered a set. The stitchery turned out well, and now I'm working on some cute stitched pillows. The panel quilt will have to wait till next year, but it's really cute also. The best thing of all is I'm about caught up on my list of projects so can start some new ones, and maybe even tackle my Fall CQ block! (That's not to say that there aren't any UFOs left, however.)

December Around the World

As I am writing this, Catherine is in India again for work and sent this photo of her weekend at the beach while her sister Jill is "enjoying" freezing weather in Chicago along with the rest of the Midwest. And here are David and Sophia, oblivious to everything except each other! We are looking forward to having the whole family together, including our son Carl, for the holidays.

Happy Birthday, Angelina!

My friend Debbie's little girl turns six on Friday, the 14th. Sharing a birthday with Christmas festivities is hard which we learned with our Catherine whose birthday is on the 28th. My sister did the best thing for her, one long ago June, when Catherine visited her all by herself for the first time: Jane gave her a half-birthday party! And now, many years later, Catherine still talks about that celebration as a special memory. So, Angelina, may you have a happy day and a happy year! I hope you'll like this little vest; there's a little love in every stitch.