A Very White Christmas

We are having a WHITE Christmas---this is Kodiak loving the snow this morning. We are to be going to our son's for dinner but will have to shovel the driveway before we go. One minute it looks like it is stopping and then it blows harder.

We have added a new kitten to the family, her name is Kallie

Waiting for the next step in a Christmas Mystery---only doing a wall hanging so I am quick on this one.

It is almost Christmas

I have almost finished wrapping gifts, what I have made this year has been 3 fleece blankets for the Gkids, 2 sets of 4 place-mats; 1 set goes to DS#2's GF and the other set to my neighbor next door. I also made a journal cover, 4 coasters that match place-mats, knit a washcloth and crocheted a pot holder.

I just pulled fabric for a Christmas mystery from one of my groups----It will be a fun wall hanging as it has a card theme as the main fabric.

Need to plate up some cookies that DH is wanting to eat, so will do that before they are gone and deliver to friends on the street before the snow gets to heavy out there.

Happy Thanksgiving

There is still a bit of a chill in the air this morning, as we didn't get the storm that was predicted for us. The Farmers Almanac said we would have snow the end of this month and the beginning of December but only on the mountain tops around us so far.

The turkey is stuffed and already in the oven for dinner to be about 1 PM today. All the extras are ready to pop in the oven or go on the stove in a few hours, can't wait for the yummy smells to start drifting through the house.

I haven't made very many Christmas gifts as of yet---some will get going in a week or so. I have made one for DGD-Kayona and given to her as I couldn't find a box to put it in. I have had the Smurfett for a least 20 years and thought they would be cute on a fleece blanket---other 2 Gkids will get different characters.

This other one is a Christmas

swap for the LWC luncheon on Wednesday that I am going to miss, everything was hand made except for the candles---yes you see a spider it is an ornament to go on the tree with a story about the spider's webs turning into tinsel. Already had plans to go to the Crayon Challenge swap in Calif., and I get to visit with my Mom and Nanna. I will be traveling by train as I thought we would have snow by now. Then going over the Sierra's I didn't want to have to chain up. To many times I have been just ahead of a bad storm---you never know what the weather will do.

Furniture Repairs

Well it doesn't look like much but I recovered the seat of the chair. Old fabric on it was wearing thin in the front and tacks were coming through the top, also 2 springs on the underside had come out so I had to repair the hooks for them. It isn't as puffy as it was before but did what I could. Also in this room the dresser has plastic runners that the drawers glide on. Second from the top drawer the runners on both sides were broken----so figured I would just replace the runners----WRONG---couldn't find the same runners so replaced with a set that goes on the drawers and the inside of the dresser. First try on one side was off so took off and raised it and it is still off just a bit, but when you push in the drawer you lift and push in and it looks fine---but no picture of it.

This guest room is mostly in blues as all the pictures have a water theme, even the 2 other items in the room have to do with water----picture has knots a seaman would use and the barometer looks like a captain's wheel.

Another one completed

Yes I have completed another quilt----even quilted it. The pattern is from Quilter's Cache' but it listed as a 12" block, I reduced the block to 9". I ordered my fabric on line and had enough for the butterflies but the background was a bit tight to get all the blocks made. I had planned to use the background for the border but ran short. So a trip to the LQS to get border and fabric to bind it also. I machine quilted butterfly wings in the HST blocks and smaller butterfly's in the open spaces. This quilt will be going to a women's cancer center near Renton, WA after April of next year, 1st it has to make a few rounds of friends and a trip to Calif. to show it off to my Mom and Nanna. I know that there isn't much of the background but it is from the Hoffman collection----mind went blank on it's name---but I knew it would be the backing on this quilt. This didn't make my tops list come down any as this one took about 2 months to make, only about 3 hours to quilt---couldn't believe how fast I quilted it, once I got it loaded on the frame.

Finished Quilt

It seems as soon as I get one quilt quilted I have added to the tops lists with at least one or two more. Yes I completed my Scrappy Trails quilt from the Cabin Fever Retreat this pass March, but I have also finished another quilt top---well it is waiting for borders.

This retreat was put on by the Silver Sage Quilt Guild. They have decided to shut down their guild after 17 years. Well they had a lot of $$$ to spend and made it possible for quilters from all over to attend at a very reasonable price. Saw the play Quilts that was done back in 1992 I think---was very cute. We had wonderful food from the Cafe X at the Great Basin College. We also had a performance at the museum. I met new friends at the retreat and am still meeting with them. This retreat was different from others I have been to because it was not just sewing on the mystery quilt.

A Happy Birthday

This was one of the gifts I opened today. They are FQs from my Internet Group The Quilt Pocket (TQP). One lady is the hostess and we are given a list of 18 and their wishes of FQs. We send them all to the hostess and she shuffles them around to the right people and holds them until it is close to our birthdays and mails them back out to us. My choice this year was for Christmas red and greens as I would like to make a quilt for the living room---my couch is green, red, tan and a bit of blue. I haven't picked a pattern as of yet. I will need to add a few more greens I think.

So far it has been a good day---I had 2 GKids sing to me as soon as I open my eyes and had the present open shortly after I came down the stairs. As I told someone they are more excited about my birthday than me. Well it is one of those birthdays that you can't turn the numbers around to say you are younger---it is the same no mater which number is in front. We will be going to dinner somewhere as with two kids need to find someplace kid friendly and not a drive through.

Frost on the Pumpkin

Yes this morning if I had pumpkins growing in my yard there would be frost on them. When I let the dog out a little after 5 AM it was 21* out there. We were to get some snow last night but it didn't arrive as of yet, maybe some today. Last weekend the Ruby Mountains got a dusting of snow.

This is a picture I took about 5 days ago and it is about 25 miles to the mountains up at Lamoille Canyon. The Aspen trees are turning yellow to gold this time of year, very beautiful. Soon they will close the road going up the hill.

Service Banner

Well it has been a week since I last posted---but I have been stitchin, yes I just finished making a Service Banner for a friend---his son

is in the military and I don't know if he has gone overseas as of yet. I had tried to print the write up of the Service Banner on muslin for 2 other banners I had made and the fabric wants to wiggle in the printer so on this one I left the top of the back label open like a pocket and typed on photo paper---it is heavier than the printer paper---and tucked it in. All I need to add is a dowel and want to make a gold cord to hang it up by.

I am a member

Yesterday was my initiation to the Lamoille Women's Club, it is a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), along with 2 other ladies. We had a delightful lunch, the Access Air ambulance people came and gave their speech for new membership should we need a helicopter ride to the hospital. I will get my name tag next month. They have things going on every month with this month a booth at the Lamoille Harvest Festival, next month they have a Chili Feed/Craft show----I never knew these things went on. They have the Ruby Views News each month and there is a whole column about me being a new member. Our group is 90 years old this next year and we are planning a party in the spring.

Billing Questions

I just had to call my phone company for a problem on my bill that came today. With all the automated stuff you have to listen to to make sure you don't get transferred to another person and hope you don't get cut off----yes has happened many times. Well as I spoke to Bonnie, very nice English and polite, I could hear many voices in the background. I mentioned it to her and she said 400+ people in her office. I said all on one floor and she said yes----WOW. Then I asked where she was and she replied Florida, I said at least she was still in the US, and then she took care of my billing problem.

I can remember back when we owned the liquor store, I had to call in some orders. Most of the time I spoke to a person right away and then there were a few companies that had automated systems. It would be press this number, then listen to the menu and press this number and so on. Now we can't phone any business with out the menu to listen to----have you ever just not pressed a number and waited for the operator of the business? I found sometimes it worked better.

Apprentice Electrician

Yes I got to be an apprentice electrician the last few days, as we are setting up the wiring for a hot tub. So I have pushed and pulled 3 wires through 3/4" inch PVC pipe and glued all the 90* angles and couplers to the pipe and laid it by the house starting from the electrical box around the outside of the fireplace to where we want the hot tub on the patio. DH calls to let the hot tub people know the wire is in place and they say they need 4 wires. Now DH is getting upset and doesn't want the tub---I really didn't want one as it is one more thing I have to take care of. We had a tub when we lived in Beatty for a year and sold it before we moved. I used it but DH went in it maybe 3 times. Now we are waiting for the electrician to call back.

Balloons were popping up all over

As I walked through my kitchen this morning I saw a hot air balloon being filled with air. Behind my house is the parking lot for the Mountain View Park next to the Elementary School. This weekend is the Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival. On the Friday before everything starts they have a bunch of hot air balloons launch from the schools in town. I took over 20 pictures this morning---no I won't show them all but I watched as they filled the "Obsession" balloon and lifted off over the house tops. It landed about 2 miles away. For about 2 hours there were at least 6 to 8 balloons up in the air over the town. They even floated over the house.

Just a tip for you all make sure your camera batteries are fully charged as I would have taken more but when the batteries run down there isn't much you can do. Then I am still learning how to put photos on the page.

That's all for today! ! ! !

Another Finished

Yes I put the last few stitches in the binding of my Chain Events Runner - this design is from Dorothy Young Designs. It has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years and I am trying to whittle down my quilt tops (20) and get things finished. So I decided to use it as my opening banner.

This last week I have joined the Lamoille Women's Club, a community service club that meets out in Lamoille. Beautiful little town up against the Ruby Mountains. They have meetings once a month with a nice lunch before the meeting. Well they have many groups that are working on service projects and activities---one is a sewing group that meets on Tuesday at the club house, I went yesterday and was welcomed warmly. I have been looking for a group to join to just sew and talk to women----and I have found it. I do have to drive 20 miles to get to it plus we have a pot luck lunch.

Well we are getting some ugly looking clouds and expecting some thunder and lighting so better get going.

Challenge done

I was given a challenge back in December '07, to make a quilted project in reds only---why red, well that is the color of the crayon I picked. I could use any hue of red. The only thing we could add was black and white. So it took about a month to decide what to make and one of the first things that came to mine was Red Work. Well this internet group I belong to has wonderful people and I was sent an assortment of patterns from Maggie in Maine. I used the one called Soap Suds Derby. Another lady, Estee from Wisconsin showed a picture with red work and log cabins and so I made a smaller version of it. I also received a piece of fabric from Jenny in Australia---she passed away in April of this year, which makes that piece very special. We will show our creations at a lunch in December, and get our new challenge for the next year.

I thought I was blogging

Well the 1st message didn't go anywhere so I will try again. After reading quite a few blogs I thought I would give it a try. I see I have lots to learn.

A little about me---well I am a retired business owner, really 2 business, but the last one was in Beatty, NV. DH and I ran an RV Park for 12 years and then we both retired and moved to northern Nevada. I am a "Jane of all Crafts" as I like to dabble in assorted crafts. The one I have hooked on to the most is quilting and have stayed active for the last 10 years. I did a little back in the early '70's but then got married and had a couple of kids, got into the liquour store business, cub scouts and kids in sports so quilting was put way back on the activity level. Yes I have 2 grown sons with families of their own, raised a DGD from the time she was 5 until she turned 18 and she is out on her own and also have 3 other GKids, 2 girls and a boy from my 2 boys. I have just joined the Lamoille Women's Club to get active in some community activities. They meet once a month with a luncheon before the meeting which lasts about 2 hours. They also have a sewing day once a week that I might join in on maybe other week and then a small group that just got started with a couple of other ladies here in town.

Well lets give this a try and see if it shows up.