Christmas Quilting Fun!

We had our quilt guild Christmas party last week.  It was so much fun.  We had an amazing carry-in supper including these cookies.........

Definitely too pretty to eat!

Happy Birthday!!!

Well, yesterday was my birthday!  Look what I got for my birthday...........

Note the bow on the step...........truly makes it a gift, don't you think????

Adventures in the Wizarding World and Beyond!

We had a great trip to Florida's Universal Studios.  We are all big Harry Potter fans, have read the books multiple times, seen the movies and even been to Universal 8 years ago when the first Harry Potter park opened.  

We took this photo to remember where we parked our car at KCI!

We stayed on the property at the Portafino Bay.  We got to take a water taxi to the parks, or we could walk through a beautiful path to get there if the boat was full.  Sarah had her smart watch on and we broke the step record each day we were there.

We spent lots of time in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley and rode the Hogwarts Express train between them 5 times.  We also enjoyed watching the dragon breathe fire down on the crowds several times throughout the day.  He was guarding Gringotts, the wizard bank!

We were also attacked by a dinosaur in Jurassic Park. DD spent a great deal of time in this part of the park which gave the hubs and I a chance to sit and rest.  

We rode the Minion ride 3 times.  This was DD's favorite ride.  The hubs liked the Jimmy Falon Race through New York ride best.........did this one 3 times too.  We also did the Hogwarts castle ride and the new roller coaster inside Gringotts bank.  The hubs and I did those twice; DD did good to make it on those one time.  We also did the Spiderman, Men in Black, and Dr. Seuss rides that we remembered from our last visit.  You are never too old for Dr. Seuss!  

DD purchased an interactive wand so that she could practice spells in the Wizarding World.  

She made it rain on me.

We also enjoyed the Macy's Holiday Parade...........

And the laser light show at Hogwarts Castle............

It was really amazing seeing everything decorated for Christmas!

It was fun, but tiring.  The hubs and I think this might have been our last theme park vacation.  DD is not so sure.

Christi

Catching Up Again!!!

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted!  I have been busy with many different projects and just didn't seem to get around to it.  Also, there are so many vacation photos that it was a little overwhelming trying to decide what to share, so I'm still putting it off until another post.

First off, let me say that I have been in the sewing room a little.  I did some straightening and organizing, and looked over my UFO list for 2017.  I'm proud to say that when I show my Civil War quilt at our December meeting I will have completed everything on the list.  My New Year's Resolution for the year was to finish more quilt projects than I start.  With that UFO list being complete, you'd think I had achieved that.  But when I starting finding projects and listing them on my 2018 list, I have almost twice as many UFO's to put on the list as last year!  How did this happen????

Well...........

Here are the blocks I completed as part 1 of Bonnie Hunter's new On Ringo Lake mystery project.  However I'm way behind on the second clue.  I have all of the pieces cut, but have only had time this week to sew one seam!  And the next clue comes out tomorrow!

And here is the Bonnie Hunter leader/ender project I started in July.  I just need to get the blocks sewn together and then add borders.  I need to purchase a little fabric for the first border and then I plan to add a scrappy border.  I had these blocks all laid out nicely, but Cici has had a week or more to romp through them, so it will take some work to get them ready to sew together again.


Speaking of Cici, she is working her way through the varying stages of Christmas..........

Putting up decorations...........

Taking down decorations.............

And then she moved on to simply rolling around on the quilted tree skirt and getting it all wadded up.  (It is quilted, so she just can't pass up any opportunity to get on or under a quilt!)  Then, she started removing decorations from the big tree.  The hubs told me that if I'd just get some packages under the tree, she'd probably leave everything alone!  (ok, great idea, but first I had to SHOP, then make tags, then make fabric bags to wrap stuff in, etc.)  So, last night I handed him several gifts in boxes with the tags made out and said put these in a fabric (reusable!) gift bag, tie it closed, and tie on the tag.  He did.  NOW Cici is entertaining herself by eating the curling ribbon!  (We've experienced this before and know that it takes about a week for ribbon to "pass".)  

We did have 2 wonderful Thanksgiving dinners.  Our neighbors invited us to their house on Thanksgiving night for turkey dinner.  It was great since we had just arrived home from Florida in the early afternoon.    I made pies that afternoon, squash, pecan, cherry and 

Chocolate Meringue!

We needed those pies for dinner for 11 at our house at noon on Friday.

We had a wonderful time sharing a day after Thanksgiving meal with family!

I'm planning to catch up a little on some things this weekend.
Christi

Airport Time!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are waiting at the airport in Orlando to fly back home after our vacation at Universal Studios.  More on the actual vacation will be shared later.  

I was planning to get this post done before we left, but that didn't happen.  So, while we are waiting at the airport for the next 2 hours, this seemed like a good time to do that post (of course, if I had a sewing machine with me, you know what I'd really be doing!).  DD is watching Netflix on her phone, and I asked her to find something to keep The Hubs occupied, so she helped him find the movies on our itunes account on his phone.  Unfortunately for him, DD is the only one who has put movies on the itunes account, so his selection of movies was "interesting" to say the least.  I think he is watching one of the Hunger Games movies (appropriate for Thanksgiving, don't you think!).

 Here is some more pumpkin magic!  I love the mini version of this pumpkin wall hanging from Cluck Cluck Sew.  I got it pieced before quilt guild last week so that I could show it off.  I decided to use the green as the binding.

Friend Gina shared her big pumpkin wall hanging at the meeting.  This is making me think of pie!  I will be making the pies for our Thanksgiving dinner (tomorrow) when we get home today...........pecan, squash (yes, there is still a lot of squash), cherry, and my favorite chocolate!  

Cici tried to stow away in one of the bags I was packing with stuff to take to quilt guild meeting.  

On a sad note, Sarah's favorite kitten, Jason, disappeared a couple of weeks ago.  I didn't tell her until she arrived home last Friday for Thanksgiving break.  I had been working to get some of the other kittens tamed down to play inside with her.

Do we think this one is relaxed??!!  I was in my sewing room, and she took a nice nap on the top step.  I guess she didn't want to miss it if I tried to leave and move to another room of the house.  Hope she doesn't roll over!

 She is a very playful kitten.  She curled right up on the quilt I brought home from being quilted by Pam.  I didn't even get to unfold it!

I did finally get her off of it so that I could add the binding.  Actually, different kittens laid under it on my lap while I was binding.  I just love this quilt.  It's made with Civil War fabrics using the little nine patches from a guild exchange last year for the centers of the stars.

Here is another quilt made with Civil War fabrics.  Guild members made blocks, and I helped to set this together Saturday (before we left on vacation) at our work day.  We still have to add some borders.  This is one of our charity projects for next year.  We are donating the quilt to the church where we have our meetings.  It is a very old historic church with a beautiful sanctuary.  The roof was damaged in a hail storm over a year and a half ago, and the ceiling in the sanctuary collapsed.  Their insurance company is refusing to pay, they are in litigation, and haven't been able to use the sanctuary since.  They have been holding fundraisers for their restoration project.  We call this quilt "Roof Raising" and it will raffled as one of their fundraisers.  I'm planning to buy several tickets since I love this quilt!

Since it is Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd share this photo.  Kathy showed this tree wall hanging at our last guild meeting.  I might try this one sometime!

I spent some time on a Christmas project as well.

This table runner is pieced.  Don't know if it will get quilted this year or not.  I do have the black binding all made for it though.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Christi

Pumpkin Time!!!!

Sometimes, you just know it's going to be one of those days!  I have been meaning to write this post for over a week now, but something always got in the way of my computer time.  I have spent some time in the sewing room which Cici has enjoyed.  She's not as good with her ball of yarn as she is with all the things in the sewing room!

Happy Halloween!!

What a busy weekend!  Friday, my cousin Susie picked me up and we headed to KC to meet up with another cousin, Erika, for lunch and shopping!  On the way we stopped at Peters Orchard and it was so cold, I had to have a cup of hot cider!!!

I got to see the cutest little girls (who were out of school for parent-teacher conferences) during my visit..........

Birthday Weekend!

So, Friday I headed north, stopped in Bethany and met my parents and we went to Jefferson, IA to see my nephew's last football game of the season.
(pix of me and Carter)
We also celebrated his 16th birthday.  For breakfast on Saturday morning, we had 2 LARGE
donuts from Bunker's Dunkers (best donuts ever!).  I've never put birthday candles on a donut before!  Carter's birthday was Sunday, and my mom's is today, so they celebrated together.

The Initial Challenge!

Our guild does a "Challenge" project each year.  Participation is totally voluntary.  The committee usually gives us 2-3 choices of challenge projects and we vote on one to do.  This year was the Initial Challenge.  You had to use your first initial to come up with your main color, and your last initial to come up with the block pattern.  What fun!  I think it sparked some real creativity.  

I had a beautiful piece of fabric that I loved and after holding it up to all the different spices in my spice cabinet, decided that it was Cayenne and I had another piece that was Caribbean Blue, so made some bear paw blocks..........see how it works??  My color had to start with C and my block with B, my initials!  After I had my table runner done, I found another pattern called Box Social that I really liked.  I still had plenty of the Cayenne fabric left, so teamed it with a Cat Fancy charm pack to make a wall hanging.  I love this wall hanging.

It looks great in my dining room!

Ozark Festival of Quilts

We visited DD in Rolla on Friday and Saturday.  I was planning to make this trip solo and just camp out in the dorm room, but due to the rain, the Hubs decided to make the trip.  We stopped in Columbia first where I met some of my piano students at the music store to select Christmas music..................It will be here before you know it.  I've been playing Christmas music all morning!  

DD took us to see the human resources department where she works on campus this year, and to see the renovated food court and the bookstore (where she indicated some Christmas ideas for me).

We got to attend fencing with DD Friday night...........she's the one on the left!  

Catching Up!

It's time to catch up on the Blog!  DD did come home- can't believe that was 2 weeks ago!  This was how she spent most of the weekend...........

Notice her favorite buddy, Jason sleeping in the chair beside her..........I don't think his feet touched the floor the whole day on Saturday!

Oh my SQUASH!!!

(This was written on Thursday, but somehow didn't get posted until this morning - Saturday.)

The Hubs planted our garden this year.  He asked about a few things I wanted and then just went to it.  I didn't realize he was planting Butternut Squash.  I don't like them, but he does.  I don't mind fixing one occasionally, but they are so difficult to cut up.

Of all the things for the garden to produce in abundance, it was the butternut squash.  We predict there are at least 100 out there.  He just keeps saying, "I only planted 6 seeds!"  Here is the wheelbarrow load I picked last week and brought up to the deck to wash off.  Now, I try to carry a handful to the basement every time I step outside.  

Goals!

I'm so excited............an ENTIRE day at home!  I have 3 goals for the day:
1.  Banana Bread
2.  Blog
3.  Sew with Cici

We can check off number 1.  I made banana bread first thing this morning.  DD loves banana bread (I put chocolate chips in mine), and requested some.  We are heading to Rolla on Sunday for a short visit so will take it to her.  She wants us to go to church and hear the bell choir (which means an early morning for us since church starts at 9!).  Then we'll take her to lunch and to Walmart (ugh!) and visit just a little before heading back.  She has 3 big tests so needs most of the afternoon for studying.  We'll stop for a short visit with cousins on the way back and also at a REAL (not Walmart) grocery store in Columbia.

While the banana bread was baking, I spent some time cleaning up emails and watched 3 Missouri Star Tutorials!!!!  There are so many things I want to make.  AND, fellow guild member and friend Gina told me that I NEEDED to start more things so I would have more UFO's for my list next year!  Remember that New Year's resolution about finishing more things than I started?  Well, I think it was successful because I have about cleared the UFO list.  Everything on my list of things started before the beginning of the year is either finished or off to be quilted!  

So, what am I working on?

Welcome Lizzy!

I did not need another sewing machine, but when this bargain opportunity came along, I just couldn't pass it up.  Meet Lizzy!

Lizzy is a Singer 201.  The machine was in great shape and runs wonderfully.  Lizzy has a great stitch.  Notice the cute little pin cushion I found in one of the drawers.  I got the silver polish out and shined it up!  The cabinet (which I love) needed some cleaning and a little repair (thanks hubby for the repairs!).  And, I have moved further down in the attic room.  As I was doing a little work on Lizzy yesterday (sorry, I was having too much fun with Lizzy to blog!), I got to thinking that if I moved DD's books out of that book shelf, it would be a great place to store quilt books and maybe even MORE FABRIC!  Friend Gina and her hubby Dennis stopped by to give Lizzy their stamp of approval and Dennis commented on my stash.........it's not very big!

The Eclipse is OVER!!!!!

Yes, I survived the eclipse and all of the activities at the community center and museum.  Due to the cloudy weather, not all of the planes came in........none of the jets showed, but this helicopter did.  

And lots of other small planes as well.  

We had a huge crowd and everyone seemed to have a good time.  We have deemed it a success because just before totality, the clouds parted and we did get to see it!

I was in charge of carving the shark watermelon for the brunch.  As I was working on the teeth, I wondered if this was how my dental hygienist feels?!  I even massaged some fruit fresh into his teeth and gums to help prevent plaque buildup.  It was definitely a hit at the brunch.  

Fortunately someone texted me a photo, because I didn't get to take any photos that morning.

DD did make it back to school............here is the last morning at home, with Jason, her favorite kitten.

Both he and Cici seem to be having "Sarah" withdrawals.  Cici has gone back to attacking the stuffed animals and knocking them down the stairs.  I have been letting Jason in when I am home.  He's a good sleeper!

And yawner!

I got my red nine patch quilt back from quilting.  Cici immediately put her stamp of approval on the quilt.  

There's nothing like a good stretch on a quilt!

The binding is all finished now.

Since I wasn't home to make eclipse food, I made alien jello cups for DH on Wednesday.  They were pretty cute.

We also had a "date night" in the sewing room Thursday night.  (We've had date nights where we drive to all the corn fields and check moisture, so I figured we were due for date night in the sewing room.)  He helped me lay out and trim some battings for quilts to be quilted.  He even did a little ironing!  Then Friday, he took me to Columbia to shop for piano music for my students, and to purchase a backing and batting for another quilt.  He found the perfect flannel for a backing.  I just need to get it sewn together now.  

I am actually working on this blog while we are waiting in the ICU at Boone Hospital.  DH's mother is here.  We found her unconscious on the floor last night and they took her to Columbia via air evac.  She had gotten choked on something and passed out.  We were lucky to find her when we did.  She has food particles in her lungs, so they are doing a procedure now to remove them.  She will probably be here a few days.  DH's siblings are all trapped in Texas now due to the hurricane flooding.  When it rains, it pours!  Literally!

We are in charge of the feeding of the cats at their house now.  I snapped this photo of the cute little kittens hiding in the flower bed.

So, even though the eclipse is over, I am still looking for a little down time.  I did get some cleaning done and went through my closet to purge it of clothes that don't fit.  I'm also really missing DD and all the house cleaning she did over the summer.  Dusting is next up on my list.  I didn't dust all summer!

Have an amazing week! Christi