THAT Time Of Year

Every year....the week between Christmas and the New Year....millions of people make their New Year Resolutions. 
We all strive to do better in the new year than we may have done in the past year(s.)

)

For quilters, that might mean finishing up all those UFOs ???? Eh?

Every year American Patchwork and Quilting hosts their UFO Challenge.  Every year I join the challenge.  Every year I am distressed that I did not finish all 12 items on my list.  

As an enlightened quilter, I now realize it's about progress, not perfection. And, I did make progress in 2021.

2021 UFO Challenge

Join the Challenge.  Click HERE for their Facebook page.

Have I made my list for 2022?  Why yes, yes I have.  It's about progress, not perfection.

Stressed or Serene

 

 

 

We're into the final days before Santa's Big Ride.....

How are you doing with your Christmas Projects?  

 

 

 

Most of the quilts I gave this year were birthday quilts gifted throughout the year.  

Only one Christmas Quilt and it is, as-we-speak, winging its way to Kentucky.  

 Steampunk by eQuilter.  

This quilt uses a panel from eQuilter, and was created for my nephew's 14-year-old daughter, Sabrina.

I hope she likes it (you never know with teenagers.)

 

Backing

 

 

eQuilter occasionally has interesting kits that make a quick gift. The kits come complete with the pattern and the backing, which is handy. Get on their Newsletter list.

The only other Christmas thing I've done this year was make Prairie Point Stars with the Needlers for small gifts.

 

 

They are fairly quick to put together, but a bit tricky getting the buttons in the center. For the pattern and tutorial, click HERE

With the big move just around the corner, Christmas decorating in this house has been minimal *

Hung Mom & Dad's stockings from 50 years ago.
About a million little sequins sewn on one-at-a-time.

 

*I MIGHT have The Babes over for a tree decorating...maybe...perhaps....don't know....

Beyond OUR Control--But NOT Beyond God's Control

 

As you all know from previous posts, I’m preparing to move to Kentucky early in the new year.

Yes, this tornado landed very close to my new home in Paducah… it landed about 25 miles south.

 

The cute quilt shop, Backyard Fabrics, in Mayfield is fine.  They posted on Facebook. 
After all the devastating pictures of the destruction, it was nice to read a good report.

My Kentucky family are all OK.  Joy (my sister) went by my new house and aside from tree limbs in the yard, it is also OK.

As you may have seen from news reports, Mayfield itself is pretty much leveled.  For those of you who pray, please pray for Mayfield.   For those of you who want to give, here is a link to local shelters, etc.  HERE.

The pictures look so  terrible.  I don’t know how a community recovers after such an event, but by God's Grace.
And the working through His people.

 Backyard Fabrics is hosting a quilt gathering:

 

Hancocks of Paducah is also accepting quilts:

 

For those of you who make charity quilts, please consider these.  

Sometimes it is hard to comprehend why a loving God would allow such tragedy...and this is by no means the only terrible human event that has happened in our life times.  Our small minds simply cannot comprehend the Sovereignty of God.  It is so vast.  

I came across this post on the internet written by Melanie Campbell.  It is worth reading.  It did bring me comfort knowing that while the world may seem out of control, there is One who does control all things.  HERE.
Melanie Campbell's web site: https://melaniecampbellauthor.org/

The Annual Scramble

Here we are...the end of November (Remember when we didn't think we'd make it through 2020?)

Thanksgiving is the official ushering-in of the holiday season, with the annual-scramble to finish up current projects. 
I have a couple quilts that need binding and labels (Steampunk and Carolina Chain), but for the most part, I'm on track. 

Wrapping Up

This year will be a very different (and somewhat difficult) holiday season for me as it is my last holiday season in California. Early 2022 will find me in a new home, in a new state...I want this year to be as much like previous years as possible, having all my favorite "holiday happenings" with The Babes; i.e., decorating the tree, Zoo Lights, etc. And, so it starts with Thanksgiving weekend.

With four days off  I did accomplish quite a lot; ate a big dinner with my son's family, cleaned, packed, sewed, napped, practiced for my December, Farewell Ukulele concert.  (December 18 if you want to attend.)

Shopping

To BF or not to BF* that is the question. The answer is mostly NO.   

But, I did go to M & L Fabrics** and take advantage of their 20% off sale. 

 

I saw some pretty, I want, fabrics but I bought only fabric I needed for my great-niece's baby quilt.  (A baby girl is expected in February.)
 

 

 

 

The pattern will be Ring Around the Daisy. 
A free pattern from Windham Fabrics.

 

There are a lot of FREE patterns on this site.  Click Here

Packing:

Instead of singing "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" 
I'm singing "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Moving."

It's beginning to look a lot like moving
in every room you go

There are boxes in the office
boxes in the bedroom
there are even boxes in the
powder  rrroooommmmm

It's beginning to look a lot like moving
soon the van will come

But the thing that will keep me sane
is the music that I make
on my Uku-le-le !

The Dawn Quilt

The Dawn Quilt top is finished and ready to take to Faith, my LAQ.

My original plan for backing was to use the same fabric as the outer border...but, I miscalculated and I do not have enough fabric.  I will need to go back to M & L and see if I can match what I originally purchased at Hancock's of Paducah last month, or change the plan.  (I think my sister is going to love this quilt. I will gift it to her in January.)

Not everything on my To Do list for this long weekend was marked off...cleaning the oven...
gotta save some fun for another day, right?

*BF = Black Friday
**M & L Fabrics is a smaller version of Hancock's of Paducah....It's big and there is A Lot to see.

Give Thanks To The Holy One

 Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son*

 Ephesians 5:19b - 20

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

 

To All My Quilty Friends:
joyous holiday with friends and family
and Give Thanks.

 

 * Song by Don Moen Click HERE

Everyone has Ten Minutes

 

It's been a week since my return to So. Cal. and I've accomplished very little from my To Do list.

Here are my excuses:
     *The time change!  Don't you hate it when they fiddle around with the clocks!?  (Random thought...NO ONE I know likes
      this time change, right?  So WHY is it still happening!!??)
     *Add to that one-hour change the timezone change!  I found myself justifying an early bedtime based on 
      Central Time.  Goes something like this; "6 o'clock here on the West Coast.  Adjust for Central Time...8 o'clock. 😴
      Adjust again for the hour from daylight savings...Ahhhh 9 o'clock.  A decent bedtime." (and I think I got that backward
      but it worked in my head.)

    *Not feeling well.  I did have to finally visit the Dr. for an Rx.  The medication seems to be kicking in, so I'm feeling better. 

    *Work:  It was a crazy, busy week.  My brain felt tired at the end of the day.

    *New-House paperwork and errands. I suppose that's here to stay for the next few months.  But, it is tiring;
      physically and mentally.

3:00 am

Let's see....can I think of any more excuses?  No...I guess that's it.  Now the weekend is upon us and I feel anxious about catching up...but where do I start?

What happens when you go to bed really early?  You wake up in the wee hours. 

It was during one of these wakeful times that I watched an interesting video on YouTube;
Accomplish Everything With Mini Habits.

In a nutshell, the creator of this video is saying Instead of telling yourself  "I'll do such-and-such for 20 minutes," which doesn't always work out as planned, make the time increment more manageable. 
The creator chose 2 minute increments.  I've chosen 10 minute increments.

And, it appears to be working!  It's only 8:30 on Saturday morning and I've already accomplished three things! 
(Showering isn't one of them...that's next on the list. ("You put 'showering' on your To Do list?!" 
Yes.  It feels so good to cross it off!)) 

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

 

I have missed the changing of the Seasons.

 

This post is coming to you from beautiful Paducah, KY.  I'm here doing what you do when you buy a house ....
touring the house ... signing things .... meeting people ... writing checks, etc. 

It's just the right size for me.

  As an added bonus, I get in a visit with my daddy, too.

This pic was taken during my September visit.

 

It's been nearly a week since I arrived, and there's been a so much to do, but today, FINALLY, I did venture out to
Handcocks of Paducah.  I told my family, "I'll be back in a half hour." (Hancocks is only 2 miles away)
.....one-and-a-half hours later....and honestly I could have browsed longer.

There is a lot to see at Hancocks.  I wandered around for a while, auditioning fabrics for the
"Dawn Quilt*."  It was really hard to buy only what I needed! There are so many beautiful fabrics, and at pretty good prices. 
And the Pre-cuts and Kits!!  Oh-My!!

I decided to give the Dawn Quilt to one of my sisters for her January birthday.  Now that the quilt is for an adult and not a baby,
I wanted to jazz-it-up a bit.

The Dawn Quilt for my sister.

And, because I'm using the "Dawn Quilt" for my sister, I need a baby quilt for my nephew's new, expected one. 
I bought a pack of fat quarters.  The pattern?  A Star is Born.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click  HERE  for the tutorial and a link to the free pattern. Melissa Corry at Happy Quilting.

Sunday it's back to So.Cal. All the Paducah real estate stuff  will sort itself out. In the meantime, I'm going to TRY to live a normal life through the end of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I'd like one more regular Christmas with my Babes, doing the Christmas things we've always done.  

Changes are in the wind.

*It is the "Dawn Quilt" because my friend, Dawn, gave me all the pieces.  Read about it HERE.

Stay Tuned....Big Changes are Coming!

 

It may be a bit premature, but I'm just too excited to keep this to myself!

I have put on offer on a house and the offer has been .....

ACCEPTED!!!

As a way of catching everyone up....I moved to California from
Portland, Oregon almost 10 years ago to be near my grandsons.

Well, the little critters are growing up F-A-S-T and as young teens tend to do, they do not so much want to come to meemaws and sleep on the futon for a sleep over any more.  Hot chocolate and checkers is not that big a draw any longer.

And, I'm considering retirement in a couple of years...

And California is EXPENSIVE.  

 

 

The next phase of my life has been on my mind for a while now. 
I put an offer on a house in Quilt City, USA (Paducah, KY).  The offer has been accepted! 

For those of you who have purchased real estate, you know the process can be tedious and it takes time.  The closing is not until the very end of the year with the BIG move sometime after that.

 

And, as an added bonus, my new house is only 2 miles from Hancocks of Paducah
AND the cherry on top of all that, Paducah has an active ukulele group, too!  

I think that must be a sign from Heaven.

Have You Hugged Your Postal Person Today?

 

I received a WONDERFUL package in my box!

 

 

 

From my quilting buddy, Dawn White of First Light Designs.

 

 

 

 

And just look at these cute and coordinating fabrics!!  Just like a pre-cut, they are ready to GO!
(Pre-cut AND pre-sewn!)

Check out Dawn's Blog to see how she used these cute fabrics and HSTs.  HERE

 

I just can't wait to get to my sewing studio and play. (Although, I'm probably going to copy Dawn's car quilt....it looks so darn cute.)

Thank you, so much, Dawn, for your thoughtfulness!!

UPDATE:  Too tired to sew last night (long day at the football park)  I laid the squares out on my design floor.  

One baby quilt down, and one to go.

I spy with my little eye a boo-boo.

Now my dilemma is whether to pick them up and reassemble in the studio.....OR.....
bring Miss Ellie to the apartment and sew it up here.....hummmmmm.

Suck-It-Up, Buttercup

 Another week has come and gone and I have made some progress:

*Created some quilt blocks in EQ8.

*Cut out all the pieces for the Steam Punk quilt.

This will be a quick and easy lap quilt.
It will be for my nephew's 12-year-old.

I hope to complete the top this week (tonight, maybe?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Attended the 10-year-old g-son's football game.

*Cleaned my whole apartment, including dusting baseboards!  (that felt good!)

*Forced myself to participate in the Ukulele Friday Night Jam.
Even though I am shy, I did play a song for the group.  They were gracious.

Special guest appearance from Sonny & Cher

 

Sometimes you just have to Fake It 'til You Make It....

These positive actions are helping get me get off that sandbar in the Doldrums

Having said that, a special "thank you" to Miss Dawn of First Light Designs for reaching out with a gift to help the process along. 
Miss Dawn offered to send me some left-over-from-a-project fabric. 
There is nothing like some new fabric to get the blood rushing!  'Eh?

Stuck in the Doldrums

 

That's me...stuck on windless waters....

Since returning from vacation I'm feeling low energy.  I can't seem go get my quilting (or my ukulele) mojo back.  And I NEED to get with the program!  It has been announced that one grand-niece and one nephew are both expecting little bundles of joy early next year....they will also be expecting a soft, cuddly gift from the Quilting Auntie.

I need to jump start my creativity!

There's No Place Like Home

 

 

Travel and vacations are nice, but it's nice to get home again, too...

.....Sleep in your own bed....
.....Eat your normal foods....
.....See your babes and your friends....

 

 

The final days of my month-long trip were spent in Virginia with my daughter, Ana, looking for wild ponies.

IF you have a girl you probably know about Misty of Chincoteague.  A book written by Marguerite Henry.  

She wrote a whole series of books about these amazing ponies, and the very first chapter books my daughter ever read.  From that time on Ana has wanted to visit Chincoteague and Assateague Islands.

In a nutshell....the wild ponies live on Assateague Island.  Once a year, in July, the pony cowboys round them up and swim them across the channel to Chincoteague.  There is a big auction and many of them are sold.

The remaining ponies are then swam back across to Assateague to mate and replenish the herd.

Most of the time there is no intervention in their habitat.  They just live.

Read about these ponies HERE. 

I must admit, they were pretty amazing to see:

 

 

 

And, Virginia is a BEAUTIFUL state!  (Except there were a number of biting insects to deal with...)

Dipping my toes in the Atlantic Ocean.

We saw may cute critters.

Chincoteague is like most beach towns, quaint but commerical, too.
The little cottage where we stayed was across the peninsula in a teeny town called Saxis.  I LOVED IT!  

 

Population, 241.  You can walk the entire town and home again in 9,000 steps.  

On one of my walks, I met my neighbors, had a nice conversation with the post office woman and toured the tiny town museum. 

 

 

 

 

The museum curator rides his bike to work and just parks it in the street.  No worries.  As a matter of fact, I saw bikes all over town...no locks.

 

I could so live in this town!

 

 And so the sun sets on this marvelous vacation.