an early gift

got a jump on new year's resolutions and have lost 10 pounds since oct! went in today for a blood pressure follow up and not only is my blood pressure waaaaay down (thank you, anthem, for ejecting me from that vile job!), i have lost 10 pounds just by moderating my food intake AND working out in the pool 3x per week. this really makes my day! now only 65 pounds to go to get into my "boston" wardrobe. i've got a gorgeous dress just dying to be worn again. no magic bullets here, just plain old common sense on a daily basis. next goal is to get off the blood pressure meds once and for all.

tree's up!

this year we opted for a bit smaller tree due to space limitations but it's just the right size for our combo collection of decorations. this year is my turn for the 'big' lights plus all the handmade ornaments and those DD and i collected over the years. wasn't it only a year or so ago she was small and painted those ceramic ones? or how about the sequin/bead ones i painstakingly made instead of doing housework? that was during my "sequin" kit phase ! our lives can be told through these holiday collectibles, insignificant items without the valuable memories they evoke. now, just cookie baking and a bit of wrapping remains before our family celebration. this year i am thankful for so many things, not the least of which is i'm not schlepping around malls at this point. ***** on the quilty front, still busily quilting the butterfly quilt, which is a possible christmas finish. i've 2 sides of the perimeter to quilt, plus binding. i purposely left it off my 2011 UFO list because it WILL be done soon.

thank you, judy!

judy so kindly shared a button for the stashbusters' 2011 UFO challenge, which i've posted to my sidebar. this is a tool to motivate us to finish up those UFOs that are haunting us. this is about the 5th (?) year i've joined in and it's amazing to see how many projects i have actually completed during that time. it's a no-stress competitive event against myself really, but others' finishes do really help to motivate me as well.

viking's little brother all better!

this is my to-go machine that i like to call viking's little brother. he had to go to the "hospital" to have the bobbin winder fixed and i just received a call that he can be "discharged" now. i really like this little machine that i purchased last year on ebay for practically nothing. it's light enough to tote and has enough bells and whistles for all i need. it'll be my christmas present to me!

progress picture

this isn't the greatest photo due to indoor artificial light casting shadows, but it gives you an idea of how the quilt is coming along. i'm working on the perimeter squares now, have attached the narrow black border which really makes it zing! i am hoping by week's end to start the binding, which i nearly always do by hand. it's a good TV/dvd task and is a switch from the quilting process. i didn't like this top very much when it was first assembled, but now that the border is on and there's a lot of the quilting done, it is evolving into a real "butterfly" from its ugly cocoon. ****** it's unseasonably warm for december, 50 tomorrow, so we are getting rain instead of snow. once this storm passes, it will turn cold again but without precipitation, so dodging the snow bullet so far.

more stash!

thank you, pink panda fabrics, for sending me these luscious half-yard pieces! they arrived from our canadian neighbor just yesterday and i am simply thrilled with them! you, too, can have these beautiful fabrics, just click on over and order! if you recall, i won these in a quilting gallery recipe submission. **** we have dodged the snow bullet yet again! an hour north of us they have about 4-5 inches but we have nary a flake, simply divine in my opinion. it has been cold but, hey, it's winter. i have plenty of warm clothing. yesterday i ventured out in my new cozy jacket, plus hand-knitted hat, mittens, scarf AND socks! i took my elderly aunt out for lunch. she lives in a residential home for women and looks forward to these little jaunts. she never had children of her own but taught sunday school many years, plus she doted on all her nieces and nephews. i am happy to give her this mini-respite. **** today is the day house decorating begins. i am still quilting on the butterfly quilt, which is at the point where i am sick of looking at it. no matter, it will be a finish soon....i am determined!

"he" was here...

jack frost that is. fortunately he had mr. rainman close at his heels and the bit of snow we got overnight will be gone before day's end. that is just fine with me. those north and west will get the full force of jack's visit and won't see mr. rainman at all, so we are lucky indeed.

jam heaven

today we took a trip to jam heaven, otherwise known as stonewall kitchen. it has morphed from a simple, one-building company store into a megamall filled with all kinds of jams, jellies, mustards, dressings, dip mixes, crackers, kitchen utensils, pancake mixes, sauces for ice cream, brownie/cake/cookie mixes, candies, and all things related that you can imagine. they have also added a cafe that was quite busy serving lunch. their bathrooms are elegant, nice subway tile places with granite countertops and bowls for sinks....very chic. they also sell seasonal plants and today had trees/wreaths/swags etc. if you ever visit maine, this is a must-see place AND a grazing place as well. i tried all manner of sauces, jams, marmalades, crackers, dips etc. i did manage to bring home a jar or two.....tiny jars of blueberry peach and orange cranberry marmalade plus a regular jar of mimosa jam. these will last quite a while as i am not an everyday jam eater, just once in a while. ***** we also saw plenty of christmas trees, the for sale kind and the free kind along side the road. here in maine, the PINE TREE state, there are plenty of free christmas trees for the taking, as long as you can find them in the dark, meaning the 10-finger discount. we buy ours, though....no saw!

deja vu all over again

browsing through quilt shop catalogs, i've seen a number of geometric prints featuring this color combo, black/turquoise/poison green. this fabric is not a new print, rather an old original fabric from the 1950s i'd guess. it's a quality cotton and i've used bits here and there in 30s style quilts, but it's probably later than 30s. the new fabrics in this color tend to be harsh geometrics whereas this is a floral of sorts. it's an oldie but a goodie and definitely a keeper!

a temporary detour and another happy monday

first, i took a brief detour from hand quilting to whip up these on the old viking. i had pulled some scrap solid strips a while back and paired them up and sewed up both sides. then this morning i used my wondercut ruler and made this stack of HSTs (left). this left a bunch of waste triangles (bottom right) that i ironed and used to make the QSTs (top right). these are for an ocean waves quilt, amish style, using charcoal kona cotton instead of black. so, got scraps? make quilts! ****** why a happy monday you ask? well, my family is well, the sun is shining, we are warm, have shelter and have sufficient food for our needs. no, my life is far from perfect but especially this time of year i am keenly aware of so many who lack basic necessities. last night i saw a news feature of a broadway show based on spiderman that is costing around $60 mil to produce and launch. i was appalled and you should be too. no doubt the homeless and poor are in plain sight in new york and this kind of money is being spent for pure entertainment of the affluent? it makes my blood boil. so many have their priorities completely out of whack.