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?