Preparations

Yes I have been quiet. I have been sitting on my hands. Well that is not really true. I have been very busy getting ready to spend the holidays away from the cold. Far, far away from the cold, actually where it is SUMMER!!! Of course I will change my mind and wish for cooler temperatures, shortly. Here -Near Chicago it is cold. I’m sure everyone in other parts of the US is aware, because half of the news broadcasts are about the cold and snow in the mid-section of the country. We didn’t get the feet of snow that other areas around us received (Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan), -nope just a few inches, which already look a bit dirty and bedraggle. Of course we had rain first which turned to sleet which turned back to rain then froze with a layer of snow on top. Talk about treacherous driving conditions.



So what has been going on in the meantime? Well I have the baby quilt quilted and the binding machine stitched down, hand work will be done next week. I have the wreath quilt also quilted and the binding machine stitched also, and again hand work will commence next week. Today I will start on my 4” x 4” Crazy Quilt Squares, so I will have something to work on by hand once the bindings are done. I have one smaller project to complete, 2 -4” 4 patches for a baby quilt being done for a Pickle Road Yahoo Group Member. I think picking the fabrics will take the most time. We are supposed to think… Crayola.


Last week I hosted my Bee’s holiday party. What was I thinking when I volunteered? Anyway, we had a potluck that was absolutely delicious. Not much in the way of leftovers. So we are all really good cooks or starving… I think it was more along the lines of good cooks!!!


I also went to another holiday party… These ladies are all Longarm Quilters. I was invited to join, by a friend, when I was looking into purchasing a longarm machine. Well that has all changed because I am not home as much and my so called budget has been spent on plane tickets and kennels for the dog. Anyway it was a very fun afternoon. The best part, for me was when, one of the ladies pulled out a printout from the Internet of something she wanted to make!!! It was from my Flickr page, and was the Mariners Compass I did as the center for a Round Robin a couple of years ago, (it’s not done yet)… Anyway I am flattered….. and my head swelled for a nanosecond, but hey it was a compliment!!!


I have shipped a small fake Christmas tree, battery operated LED lights and ornaments by mail along with lots of other Christmas stuff. It will be like being in San Diego again for Christmas. I have not idea what else we will do for the actual holidays... but it will be different and the is good.
More later....
The countdown begins… So my next post will be from South Africa!!! Hopefully with pictures…