this and that

alone time leads to pondering....so just some meandering thoughts...before that a couple of christmas decoration photos...

sturbridge christmas...one of my favorite pieces....that mustard is a jo morton print...i love almost every one of her designs

a traditional trip around the world...i love this too...nothing says tradition like this pattern...no longer on the floor, these now hang along with the nativity....

on my bed is this scrappy tree quilt....

too frequently i meet someone who is recovering from or getting diagnosed with cancer of some sort...

as a senior in a new place with limited resources--money, car, social networks--it is very difficult to make new friends and especially one or two besties with whom i can really be myself....my only BFF is the exercise bike...LOL

peyton place had nothing on senior housing....gossip travels faster than the speed of light

good healthcare is the most important asset in the so-called golden years; i am blessed in that

the material trappings of christmas seem meaningless without the comfort of loving family members

hawthorne said it best.."women derive a pleasure...of delicate toil with the needle."  

i tell people who bask in 90-degree temps there is nothing prettier than newfallen snow, especially on the evergreens in the crisp, cold winter air

new england is still in my blood as i felt energized after a brief outdoors in the cold, snug in my woolen trappings

end of year always spurs me on to organize, ducks in a row, make new year lists, daydream hopes and wishes, stay serene....

just this morning in the local news, housing and retail units proposed down the street with IMPROVED LOCAL BUS...sorely needed especially by our complex where many do not drive

and last by request...

family photos on the wall, close by always....large antique frame is HS grad grandmother grace, died in 1929 only 3 years after that, next to parents...below left our gang of four with me holding youngest sister, now 63...next to us is a collage of small photos various family--many of them school pictures...below is daughter's wedding and a few others below that...so even tho i'm alone much of the time, only sometimes feel lonely...

but now back to sewing...there's that gift that HAS to be finished ASAP...i've got a couple of new project ideas swirling around!

getting there

that would be the bow ties project....now that i'm quilting the sashings, i find it's moving along a bit faster than first thought...in a morning, can get 4-5 of them quilted so december finish it will be.   i have a turquoise binding prepped but don't think i'll use it...not sure if there's enough of the plum left either....stay tuned...

sewing time has been sacrificed to get out christmas decorations....tree is up and quite ornament heavy...

and my folk nativity is getting displayed this year...i think it was done last year but no sleeve, so that was done and can hang on the wall now...

and this cheery placemat came home with me from mom's...i thought the teary episodes were under control but seeing her things in my home without her here has been tough...next year i'll do better i'm sure...

i'll post some other decorations in the future.  focusing on gratitudes and blessings daily will get me thru this first holiday without her, i expect.  after all, christmas is a season of hope and joyful anticipation...