12 Days of Christmas X 2

I had some friends that had sent gifts, including two different sets of 12 days of Christmas gifts. 

Let's just say that after encounters with Jeff's families attorney, and later mediation my soul was feeling pretty bruised and battered, and any Christmas spirit I had was left lying in the fetal position in the gutter.  

I will start with the gift from Barbara of wont to be quilter.  Barbara is always making a Christmas quilt, along with her normal gifts she makes of quilts to her family.

Cute penguin wrapping paper. 

 Gorgeous Christmas fabric.  Yep that blur is Bobbin. 

A better picture of the fabric, and yes another blur of Bobbin running by.  Bobbin feels that every gift should be hers personally. 

Yep Bobbin does stand still.  When she wants me to hold her, and I am trying to do something.  Like wrap Christmas gifts. 

Kris from Kris Loves Fabric sent me a 12 days of Christmas.  Each day had a cute card, with a "What I love about Colette" note in side and a Bible verse.  They made me laugh, and the Bible verses were so timely.

The disemboweled strawberry pincushion.  I love text fabric and text fabric...sometimes ok all the time what you get is a surprise at seams.

 The Lattice Cherry Pie pincushion.  Bobbin thought this was especially for her. 

 Cute buttons and a zipper pull.

 Bobbin helping again.  Oh and Lucy too. 

 A pile of cute patterns.

 A Snowman punch needle kit

 A Santa Punch needle kit

 A chicken punch needle kit.  Cuz us chicken chicks stick together.

 A Piping Hot binding kit.....

 Quick Curve Ruler and pattern.  Kris we need to have a sew day and I will show you how to quick curve it is easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

 A McKenna Ryan kit.  OMG Love the gold finches on the thistle!

 This very cute Ackfeld hanger with the barn, tree, wheelbarrow and garden.  I have an idea of what to make to use it with, it would actually be finishing up a small pile of UFO blocks.   

Chicken fabric!  Love the bright colors.  And the Sebastian fabric.  Sorry to say, but Lucy has some of those same facial expressions.  

So many great fun gifts.  Thank you so much Kris. 

I also received another set of 12 days of Christmas from Dawn at SewYouQuilt2.

One thimble...reminds me of a band aid.  LOL

 Two fat quarters.  Oh these are yummy I see a Christmas quilt in my future!

Three spools of thread.

 Four Pincushions.  These are all so cute!

After eating for the past few days.  I need to exercise, but I feel like this pig.  Is she exercising or is she laying on the floor contemplating that she needs to exercise?

 Selvedges.

5 cookie mixes. 

When you want cookies fast these are awesome. 

6 packages of Candy Cane hot chocolate.  Sounds fabulous.

 7 Balls for Lucy.  Um no Bobbin not for you.

 Here mom let me help. 

I want this one.  Lucy doesn't need all of them.  See the dog is a blur I swear it isn't my picture taking.

8.  Gift card wallets.  See the blur of the assistant foot.

9.  Christmas ornaments.  

 Obviously Bobbin wanted one.  They were immediately confiscate and placed out of Bobbin reach.

These are all so cute. I can't choose my favorite.  The walnut snowman, the spool snowman, the heart with peace.....

10 charm squares aren't these yummy!  I love the asterisk/sputnik motifs. 

11.  Buttons or pins or button pins. They are cute.

Ssshh don't tell Dawn but I count over 11.

12.  Needles in a needle book.  This is awesome.

Darn I forgot to get pictures of the outside with a cute spool block!

Then there was a package that Bobbin was going wild over.  She actually tried to carry it away.

 A blanket, soft and fuzzy....kind of like Jeff with the picture of Jeff on our wedding day.  Here you see Bobbin inspecting. 

 A bit better picture.  Oh heck who am I kidding there is no way to get a good picture of anything with Bobbin around. 

And Aunty Dawn would not leave Bobbin out. 

We got an awesome squeaky bone! 

Thank you to all three of you lovely ladies.   I love sharing with my family, the fun I had opening them.  You made my Christmas full of laughter and fun.

I Like Thursday 7

Christmas is over, are you one of those that take your decorations down right away, or wait for a few days?  I haven't quite decided which way I want to be as of yet. Maybe I should go and buy some of those red totes to pack my Christmas decorations away each year, instead of the jumble of boxes. 

I like finding misplaced items I love.  When I moved in many of my belongings were stored in the basement and attic.  I was a wanderer, and never seemed to alight in one place for long.  I also felt like I had a 4 year shelf life with my relationships.  After 4 years they went south, and I moved on.  Because of those feelings I never really unpacked and added to the household to make it my own.    Imagine my delight when I discovered a box of my kitchen items.

The artist is Greg Brown.  I wish I had more.  The top picture is called "Cookin"

 This print is called club veg.
I had seen these post cards years ago and purchased 5 of them.  They make me smile. 
First date.

 The escape.

Reclining Salad.  

I also found this little paddle that I had painted many years ago.  I love the Lily of the Valley I painted.

Christmas Eve we were treated to quite the snowstorm.  I shared the short video on Christmas Day.

I like it when it snows.  Do you feel like a calm overcomes all of mother nature as the snow falls? There is this intense quiet and it almost feels like you are the only one remaining on the planet.   I will say I find it even more spectacular at night, especially with the moon and stars.  

I like to keep the porch and walkway swept off, if you do the job during the storm it isn't quite so "big".

Here is a good idea of the snow accumulation after about 2 hours.  I laughed because I was outside caring for my chickens and 15 minutes later the steps and walkway looked like this....

I like my garden geegaws in the snow.  Jeff's fabricated gazing ball.  (A Bowling Ball with metallic paint).

I like the sticks of sage, lavender and anise hyssop.  Interestingly enough the Bible references hyssop in several verses as being used in cleansing and purification.  The hyssop in my little herb garden grows abundantly!  Boy do I feel the need for cleansing as of late. 

I don't think you can see it but my decorative yard chickens are under this layer of snow, along with some lavender.

I like the tracks in the snow.  I think I have some hares in my fields that come over to explore near the house.  I threw some carrots out yesterday.

These I have no clue what they are, but they were interesting.

These were my tracks I left after walking through the field.  You can see there is about 8 inches of snow there.  I was trying to get a picture of a bird of some sort in my tree.  I watched it for a long time from inside the house, but couldn't get a good picture of it.  The camera seemed to like to zoom in on the screen. Outside,  I managed to focus it in, when you are zooming at a distance like that it is tough to keep still so I ended up with a picture of .... it's lower portion.....

 As it was taking off.

I am pretty sure what was in my tree was a great horned owl.  No this isn't the owl, I had to find a stock photo.  When I zoomed in on the head I saw the unmistakable face and tufts. 

I was sad I couldn't get a picture, but to see it, and the colors in the sunlight was awesome.

I love the days after a snowstorm even though the temperatures outside felt like they were -2 when I was wandering around taking pictures.

The blue sky, and sun glistening off of the snow, the weird wave formations that the wind makes.


Winter is officially here, the winter solstice is past and the days will become longer as we make life transitions toward a new and bright future. 

Gift Reveal

Christmas is over, my children all received their gifts so I can share what I made them.  Nothing huge or spectacular.

I made each of my daughters, and myself a small Christmas Wall hanging.  It is only 6 inches wide and about 20 inches long  I found the hangers on sale this summer during a Christmas in July sale and ordered 5....I had plans. What is really funny is that I had 3 made--OK not completely but at least sewn, not quilted,  before Jeff died.  In the hullabaloo that followed I lost the three I had made.  I came across one in June, which reminded me what I was doing for gifts, and resigned myself to making 3 more.  Did I start them?  Um nope just wasn't feeling much of anything at the time.

I am talking to my mother and lament that I lost the gifts I was making.  I have found one, but cannot locate the other 2.  My mom's comment is aren't you making me one too?  Um no wasn't really planning on it.    Hence the reason for ordering 5 hangers during the Christmas in July sale.

Late August and guess what I found?  Another one! Now I have 2.   Still not quite prepared.  I resign myself to making the others, so buy fabric to make one of the daughter's  in the colors that she likes to decorate with for Christmas.  Did I start to sew the 3 I need? Yep,  nope.  Oh you know me too well.

Here was the teaser I shared.

End of November/1st of December and guess what?  Nope I have not started to sew my 3 to make up for the ones I am missing.  Nor have I found the one.  I decide to get on the ball and get them finished.  I cut backgrounds.--shown above when I realize that I keep buying the same yardage over and over, and decided to make one more.  I go on a search for the fabric to make the screw threads, and the bulbs.  And guess what?  I found the 3rd one!  I also realize I am a hanger short so I order one more. I started working and finished the 4 by December 11th and they were in the mail to my mother that day with almost all of the west coast gifts.  One for each of the 2 daughters living in Oregon, one for my mother and one for my sister in law.  Each with the super cute wire hangers.

I finish the one for the daughter that lives next door, and I put the last stitch in my binding on the 23rd so it can hang with my Christmas decor.

I used Aurifil embroidery thread to make the wire that connects the bulbs, and it actually ran through my old Singer 66-14 pretty well.

I quilted around each bulb and the screw portion with a shiny metallic thread.

Turned out pretty cute.

In January I had also decided to make my daughters microwave bowl cozies.  Four for the oldest in her kitchen colors green and gray.

 Four in the colors of the middle daughter's kitchen colors with baseballs of course because they love baseball.

I finished up the 6 cozies for the youngest daughter on the 23rd of December, late in the evening hence the darker colors, really truly the colors are amazing.  Glad I had the others made by the end of February, or I would have really been struggling.

I just love the VanGogh Sunflower fabric.

The complementary fabrics that look like his brush strokes.

Those are the gifts I made.

What did I receive?  These are what I received from my family.

My daughter bought me these socks.  But they have disappeared mysteriously?  Bobbin?  Lucy?

My mom sent me a calendar from the feed store near where I grew up and of course it has antique tractors!  I also got a yard of chicken fabric.

My parents also sent me money so I bought a new hair straightener....mine seemed to have grown legs and left my house and ventured down the driveway to the house next door.  Months ago I discovered! 

I received my gift from my sister late this afternoon.  

Rogue soda from a manufacturer in Oregon, Coffee, and a coffee cup.

 Love the coffee cup.  Portland has many bridges, and when you see them you instantly think Portland.

My daughters also banded together and bought me a rolling sewing machine case.

They make me laugh.  Obviously their motto is go big, or go home.
I looked and asked, "Is that the size I told you I was looking at?"
I was told, "Oh no, we decided you needed the biggest one."
ROFL.  OK I really can't complain.  I will say a machine, pressing mat, cutting mat, and project box, rulers,  as well as the project will fit in that case easily.  I mean my suitcase when I travel isn't even that large.  I could take Bobbin with me also.  But I will say I love it.

So this post is getting kind of long.  I will share more of the Christmas bounty I received Friday.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. 

Around noon on Christmas Eve this started.  As I write this post it is still snowing. 

Let's just say that the quiet of the day reminded me of the song Silent Night.

May you all have a blessed Christmas filled with love, joy, and family.

I Like Thursday #6

I will admit this week has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. 

1.  I like mediation.  I went to mediation with Jeff's family over his estate and the great aunt's estate.  The mediators were great.  When it begins you sign an agreement to be respectful, listen, listen to the other side not interrupt.  After several grueling hours I am so very happy to say that everything is finished.  The great aunt's will stands.  I now own the farm, the home Jeff and I shared, as well as the aunts acreage and her home. 

2.  I am thankful that I have learned what I can only describe as kindness from my mother.  Kindness is a willingness to put aside ego and your wants to fulfill someone else's.  The aunt's desire was to die in the home she was born in.  I kept my promise to her.  The aunt's other desire was that I love and care for Lucy the cat.  Jeff's desires were that he be cremated, no service, and that his ashes not be given to be distributed to be put into jewelry, all ashes were to go into an urn and be interred with mine in our final resting place.  I can say that I have fulfilled those wishes, and continue to stand by those commitments. 

3.  I am thankful for this gorgeous sunrise this morning.  The colors were so spectacular.  I cannot even begin to describe them.

Isn't it amazing how light just looks washed out, but that same light as it enters the lens of our eye is so much more? 

4.  I am thankful for snow even though I am not always thrilled by the initial impact.

 

 I love seeing the tracks in the snow. 

Bobbin is not always a fan. 

5.  I like that the local dairy opened a retail outlet in the little town near me.  Oh to get fresh milk, cream, buttermilk, ice cream.  Jeff would have loved it but what would have sent him over the top was this tractor.

6.  I like when someone tells me something is hard to figure out how to do it, and discover that it was very simple.

Jeff's families super secret family cookie recipe.  They all made it sound like it was the most difficult thing in the world to make.  Samantha and I banged out 3 batches in a couple of hours in the afternoon, frosted them, and let the kids go with the sprinkles.  What a fun time to remember the great times spent with Jeff.  Even though we missed out cookie nazi. 

7.  I like finding a recipe to make at the last moment that is so simple, you are almost embarrassed.

Ok maybe not gorgeous but I make 3 dozen of these peanut butter cookie cups in about 1 hour.  Peanut butter cookie mix, you can add peanuts, and peanut butter I chose not too.  Bake in those mini muffin tins, and remove, pop a peanut butter cup in the center.  Awesome. 

8.  I like the random things that we have found of Jeff's that end up in weird places.

Last spring Jeff and one of the boys were working outside and he lost his hat.  We later recovered it, and being busy outside I just hung it on the swing and forgot it.  Imagine my delight as I was walking out to feed the chickens in the snow when I saw a movement and the hat caught my eye.  I decided to leave it where it was.  It makes me smile. 

I like feeling at ease, what a spectacular Christmas gift to have all of this behind me, and I can move forward with life.  Right now I am doing some charity work, but maybe later on I will get a job, but now is the time for healing from the hurt, sorrow and loss.  What a great time of year for a new beginning.  The day of Winter Solstice....where the light begins to overcome the darkness.