Happy Valentines’ Day! This is my nod to the day, a wool felt candle mat that I put together using my Sizzix, wool felt, buttons, and pearl cotton. Not frilly but lots of heart.

It’s the middle of February? We’ve had more than our share of rain this year so far, but it’s been mild. Tonight it’s actually wintery outside, and my daffodils will be gone. Not even one picture of them! I’ve been in sew therapy as much as possible to counter work stress. I put together this little quilt with lots of dots using a Broken Dishes block.

The sweetest part of Valentines Day? Little sweet ones.

I miss my grandsons too! Shannon and Nathan brought ten-month-old Georgia over for dinner. She clapped for us!

Now most people might want chocolate for Valentine’s Day, but Allen wanted me to make an onion pie this weekend. It was pretty sweet! Ozzie?  He is as lovable as ever. Although he has no new photos to share of himself, he sends pug kisses and says hello!

When I get home from school, I do not clean up the kitchen, start laundry, or pick up general junk. I usually check the mail, say hello to Ozzie the Pug and to Allen if he is working at home. Then I go straight to my therapy, working on some quilt project in my sewing room. It is pretty effective as therapy too. This little quilt was a sew-along project from Humble Quilts. I’ve done a couple of other little ones she has provided, and each one has been lots of fun, so when I saw this project, I had to jump in. I especially like the sunny yellow when it has been so dreary and rainy this month here in Hunstville. We’ve had more than ten inches of rain in January, and today, February started with another soggy day.

I thought it was hard to get the colors photographed, but I think they look better in the picture with the bowl of fruit. I’m ready for real lemonade weather, but I guess that will be a couple of months yet.

I worked on this Civil War Block of the Week all last year. The directions were posted weekly by Barbara Brackman, and quilters all over the world followed along.  I really had fun collecting reproduction fabric and then digging through my stash to find the combination for the block that week. There were 53 Saturdays last year, so there are 53 blocks. When I laid it out, I found out that I only had 52. It took me a while to find which one I had somehow skipped. (It was the Indiana Puzzler block – top corner, second from the right). I have the fabric for the backing ready to go, but I am not going to attempt to quilt this one on my domestic Bernina. The quilt measures 96 inches square, and so I will send this out to my long arm quilter. I am pretty excited to have this all put together. On to the next project.

At least Alabama got try #2 right! We had a fun get together with Shannon and Nathan and friends on Monday night. Yesterday was a long day on short sleep, but it was fun watching them take the BCS championship  – decisively take it back! I made the Bama table quilt back in September, and we’ve had it out since then. Notice the hounds-tooth napkins?

I made the elephant tea towel with my Sizzix die and leftover fabric from the quilt.

Then there’s the new needle-book I got for Christmas from Shannon. It has a new home in the sewing basket by the couch in the family room.

Here’s the inside. I have found I really like Roxanne applique needles, among others. I never knew it mattered much what needle I used, but I guess I’ve changed my mind.

Did you know I have a fun collection of miniature elephants? There are little figurines, salt and pepper shakers, tiny tea pots, and my favorite, toothpick holder elephants. I don’t buy them often unless they really catch my eye. Don’t know why I like them, but they complement my bigger 1940-50s elephant planters.

I guess Alabama football is officially over for this year, but the first game for the next season is just around the corner in September.

Roll Tide!

It has been rainy and gloomy here, good for hanging out in my sewing room. This is the first finished quilt this year – The Twelve Days of Christmas from the Temecula Quilt Company. Each block has the same number of pieces as the day of Christmas – one on the first day, two on the second, three on the third… and then it has sashing and borders. I had fun doing this from my stash in all reds and neutrals. I am also working on a Kaffe Fasset quilt, and I’m finishing my Civil War Block of the Week quilt. I thought I had all 53 blocks, but it seems I have 52. Darn!

Tomorrow, back to school and then home to the BCS game. Allen (not I!!) has the deer meat chili cooking. Roll Tide!

Allen is showing Ozzie his own picture. Meghan painted Ozzie’s portrait for her dad’s Christmas present. Ozzie was interested in the new dog and barked at his own picture. Silly Ozzie.

Aunt Meghan and Georgia on Christmas night –  Georgia’s tuckered out after her first Christmas Day.

Our grandsons Bridger and Taplin are good buddies!

Bridger and his Beyblades. Christmas is fun when you are six!

I love this picture because it is really hard to catch Taplin being still for a picture. Taplin loves Ozzie, and the feeling is mutual.

Allen, Ozzie, and Georgia. What else is there to say?

Nine months old. What a doll baby!

Excellent vacation. Oh, did I say I have four quilt projects going? Pictures of those another day.

Roll Tide.

Meghan and Justin and the boys were here for Thanksgiving. Meghan’s big news was that she was named Teacher of the Year at her school, George Hall Elementary in Mobile. Um, proud parents? Yes. Tomorrow night, they will be here for dinner and exchanging gifts. I am looking forward to spending this week with our grandsons. I made Bridger a quilt for his sixth birthday last month.

Thanksgiving was grand with all three grandchildren. Christmas promises to be an active time with the boys here! Yeah!

I’ve gotten several projects ready for the holidays. First, there is Georgia’s patchwork stocking.

Next is a wool felt candle mat that I put together over the Thanksgiving weekend. I used my Sizzix die cutter and just added some embroidery and red beads for berries.

I had so much fun with the candle mat that I went back to the Sizzix and used the swirl cut out to put together a Christmas tree. Then I added a couple of batik borders and a bit of stitch in the ditch quilting, and I have a wall hanging.

I found my old doll cradle in the attic. Actually, I think it was my mom’s first. It was painted a sad pink and needed some TLC to bring it back to life. Allen took it apart and painted it, and I made a new mattress and pillow. But the most fun, of course, was making a little red and green Christmas doll quilt for it. I think it is going to stay under my cutting table for now, at least until Georgia is ready to play with it. There are a little dresser and a doll rocker in the attic still. Hmmm.

I made a little bird and bell Christmas tree. The ornament idea was in Shannon’s Stitch, Craft, Create magazine, a design by her friend and co-worker Courtney. Well, not really co-worker since Shannon has started a new job as the Marketing Director for the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. Yes, she has some proud parents.

My sewing room and quilting are good therapy!

Today, I was in the kitchen baking some sugar cookies for tonight’s get-together. Leg lamp cookies – Major Award from The Christmas Story.

The tree (a new, slightly smaller tree) is trimmed. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Merry Christmas to all!

Last weekend, we had Georgia with us while her mom and dad took a weekend trip to the beach. Ozzie enjoyed the company!

But that picture shows Ozzie resting his head on her rear and not her sweet face. She got to go on one of Ozzie’s walks with us. Check out those snazzy sunglasses! Georgia chuckled the entire time she was rolling.

Today I plan to spend a good chunk of time in my sewing room or maybe pinning a Bama table quilt top I have ready to quilt. My big finish was my red cross quilt last week. I will have to move some chairs and lay it out for a big picture, but here it is finished and folded.

It is a gorgeous fall day here…I’m off to get dressed and run some errands. Yeah for fall break!

As you probably know, my daughter Shannon is the art director for Sew Beautiful magazine. She is also the editor for Stitch Craft Create which will be on the shelves in stores in just a few weeks. I made this quilt (featuring Anna Griffin fabric) , and it will be in the new magazine! The pattern and a kit will be available.

Shannon and Georgia went with me to see the store this morning. The Sew Beautiful Marketplace is filled with fabric, patterns, notions, and inspiration!

Georgia had the most wonderful time when we headed on to Hobby Lobby. She giggled and giggled at the feathers and flowers we held for her to see.

Of course, then we went home and she changed into her glow-in-the-dark skeleton suit for the game. Georgia had her six month check-up: 27 inches and nearly 20 pounds.

Last weekend, we went up to the Monte Sano Art Show. It is such a great venue!

We enjoyed many of the vendors and their work, but our favorite was Guadalupe Robinson.

We’ve bought quite a few pieces of her wonderful pottery, and this is the newest fish pot.

Quilting? I have been working on finishing my red cross quilt, and the binding will go on tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Trip to the Knoxville Quilt Show- Wonderful husband went with me and never complained the entire two days. Of course, we stopped at Frost Knife in Chattanooga both directions, to and from. Big purchases: cone of Aurifil thread, fabric, a new specialty ruler. It’s probably a good thing I do not have room for a long arm machine, or I might have come home with one.

Trip to Denver

Mount Evans – highest highway in the US. The road narrows, and there are no guardrails on the one and a half lane hairpin turns up high, lest you get too confident in your driving. It is literally a breathtaking drive.  What kills me is that while I could barely breathe, bicyclists make the trip that took us several hours up in our car.

We took the cog rail up to the top of Pike’s Peak. So much fun!  The incline is 25% in several stretches. We saw mountain goats scampering across the mountain, and Allen spied a marmot up top.

And yes, we went to a half dozen quilt shops. Plus we visited with my dear in-laws, Joan and  Frank. Since our July visit, they have moved to an assisted living home, and Joan has been recovering from surgery at a life care center. We love them so, and hope that they are soon settled in their new home.

Fun with the family

Georgia just is growing so quickly! Today, she had her first peas at Grandma’s house. We are going to have a sleepover on Wednesday night. Shannon is going to the Creative Connection in St. Paul, so we are helping out Nathan one night. Shannon’s new magazine Stitch Craft Create is about to go to the printer (and I have a quilt featured — a simple Christmas quilt using Anna Griffin  Christmas fabric).

Back to school

Yup, a cow. School has been stressful with lots of changes and too much to possibly fit into a day. I have a student teacher this year, and then yearbook is still my responsibility, not to mention the Continuous Improvement Plan. However, Butterbean, the dairy cow, came to visit, and it was a welcome fun reprieve from the daily schedule.

Foundation fix – That is a hole. A very, very deep hole. We had our foundation repaired, at long last. Here in Southeast Huntsville, many homes have foundation issues due the ground we sit on. Our house sits on a rather steep hill, and the footings under the center of the house and the ones at the northeast corner of the house had begun to fail. The deepest hole to reach bedrock on that corner was thirty feet deep. We signed the contract for the work back in the snow storm, but we were #32 on their backlog. They did the work over seven days in the hottest week of the summer, blistering 1o0 degree heat with high humidity. But it is finished, and the bill matched the bid. On to the next project.

Lots of sewing and quilting projects…

I did this little project today. I wanted to try doing a selvage project like I have seen others on the Internet do… so I made a new cover for an old sewing machine stool that I use like a little table in my sewing room. I bought a new foam pad, and Allen bought a new electric staple gun. My “free” project with scraps is complete. It looks even better with a baby.

I have actually accomplished quite a bit of sewing (Red Cross quilt, quilt for Shannon’s magazine, Civil War blocks, Morris Tapestry quilt, Bama quilt), but I will post more about the quilting another day. This little project was started on our Denver trip. I cut the wool felt leaves with my Sizzix Big Shot, and I appliqued them and then added embroidered details. Then I added a patchwork border. I like the bright fall colors.

Ozzie, of course, continues to keep us laughing. He had a good vacation at the hotel, uh, the kennel, while we were gone in July. He’s pretty happy that it is now football season so that he has Saturday company. He enjoyed a nap with Georgia this afternoon.

I  have a couple of weeks until fall break, and aside from the break from school, we are really looking forward to going to see Bridger and Tap and their mom and dad!  Sorry Oz, you are not invited.