Christmas 2015 in pictures

Clearly, I'm blessed with a great family. 

Merry Christmas. 

The Newlywed Quilt

Remember The Newlywed Quilt with feet?

It has finally found its way to its newlyweds. 

I was right, there's room for myNugget under there, too. 

A Quickie

Frannie & I hit the road yesterday for a quickie to Vermont. 

So glad I went. 

Hadn't seen Patty for her 70th. 

And, HRH Claire Ella is in town for all things Christmasy. 

(Bruce, Jeannine, Josh & Petunia were also there, & I saw Scott & Heidi, too)

Here we all are...

There is nothing as good as a 4 year old at Christmastime. 

Especially this particular 4 year old. 

And, I think Patty liked her birthday quilt. 

A good trip indeed!

Good thing, too.

I went to Wegmans this morning. 

It did not go well. 

Kelly arrives tonight.

Things are gonna get crazy. 

Keep kindness. 

Finally...

LThe sun!

It was windy, but I managed to get shots these 3 quilts. 

2 are bound already. 

This one is for a belated birthday gift.

I pieced in Ft Myers on October.

It's one of my last bento boxes. 

Hope she likes it. 

This one is for some cute newlyweds on thier first Christmas together. 

I had fun quilting this one. 

Again, I hope they like it. 

I still have to bind this puppy.

And this one is for Me!

I love it!

It's purple goodness makes me happy!

Sorry for yelling, but Kaffe and shot cotton...just stop.

I can't even. 

And, this baby is so soft and snuggle before washing.

Imagine after?

Uh Huh.

That's right. 

It will live in Ft Myers.

Unless I can't bear to be without it.

In that case, it will travel with me. 

I am not giving this one away. 

Not even if I get the pouty lip from Kelly. 

Well, if my Nuggs wants it someday, she can probably have it. 

Kindness friends!

XO

Most Fascinating

Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner is Barbara's pick as most fascinating of 2015. 

Ugh!

I predicted this, hoping I would be wrong. 

Sadly, I wasn't wrong. 

I'd hoped that we saw the error when she received that ESPN courage award. 

The public outcry was huge. 

But, no.

She gets most fascinating. 

And more publicity.  

I'd blame old Babs aging for this lapse in judgement, but I can't. 

It's what's wrong with us today. 

And I'm not talking about GLBT.

I'm fine with whatever anyone wants to do with thier life. 

Jenner is totally in it for the publicity, adulation & money. 

For Pete's sake, she lived with the Kardashians for 24 years. 

How much more commercial can one be?

I'm all for dressing however she wants. 

I'm not for her acting like she's doing it in the name of equality. 

Hers is a life of privilege.

Those struggling in GLBT community are not privileged. 

They are isolated and many are destitute.

Her face is not the face of this cause. 

Nor should it be. 

Please.

This sheds light on Donald lead in the polls.

It's just where we are as a society. 

Completely focused on everything that means nothing. 

We're evolving into idiots. 

That is all...I feel better now. 

I have some quilts to share, but I'm patiently awaiting sun to photograph them. 

Thanks for listening. 

Be kind. 

Amusement

Today I was at Hens & Chicks, which is a baby boutique here in Syracuse. 

It's adorable, and the carry the same line of cribs that we bought for the Nugg.

So, I went to check out the quality. 

Thankfully, I was very pleased. 

I was really enjoying the shop.

Everything was beautiful in there. 

And expensive. 

I scored these swaddles.

They screamed Princess to me. 

And swaddles are all the rage now. 

And Jenn doesn't have any yet. 

Well, anyway, on to the humor. 

Or what I found humorous, anyway. 

There was a nice salesgirl in the shop. 

You could tell she really enjoyed working there. 

She followed me around and answered all my questions. 

And not in a bothersome way. 

I was talking to her about the new craze in cloth diapers. 

She was a wealth of information.

Telling me it's not only cheaper, but better for the baby as well as the environment. 

How not only is there less waste, but you can reuse them from child to child. 

Or resell them, would I like to see the ones they have for resale?

And they're so much cuter than the plastic diapers.

Did I know how many chemicals they put in disposable diapers?

You should never let your children come in contact with altered or artificial substances of any kind!

She never lets her 2 kids near anything altered, artificial or not marked organic. 

And she stood in front me, saying this while sporting hot pink & neon green hair!

I'm pretty sure that is altered. 

And not organic. 

It was so hard not to laugh out loud!

But she really was a nice kid, so I held it in, bought the swaddles & left. 

My next stop was Petco, right next door. 

I laughed my ass off the whole time I was in there. 

Pretty sure I'm on the weirdo list at Petco now. 

Who am I kidding?  

Im on the regional weirdo list.

Tonight is out to dinner for Johns birthday. 

John, Jenn, Sue, me and Nugget, of course!

Murray is 'working' in San Antonio.

Where it is warm. 

I hate Murray right now. 

Theyre coming here first to pick me up.

I'm making him bacon wrapped scallops, his favorite.

And I got him a bottle of his favorite whiskey.

I can't believe he's 29.

And about to become a dad. 

Yikes!

Remember the Kindness!

XO

The cat's away...

 Murray has gone to San Antonio on 'business'.

Since when do you need golf stuff for business?

Initially, I was invited. 

Then, suddenly, I was not. 

Golf.

It's warm in San Antonio.

It is not warm here. 

I'm pouting.

I might even be a little pissed. 

I do, however, realize that I will be in warmth all winter.

And he will not. 

So, I'm moving on.

I got up at the crack and finished the tree...

It looks better at night. 

And the nativity

And a few other minor Yuletide embellishments. 

I changed the sheets & the quilt, vacuumed & straightened up. 

And, in the spirit of the season, Alvin left me a gift. 

I dealt with that, too. 

Why does he think he can lay next to me, purring, after he has caused me to deal with such vile excretions?

I still have menu planning & wrapping, but not this weekend. 

Here's how this mouse will play...

(Did I just refer to myself as a mouse?)

I've set up some rendezvousing with girlfriends.

And, Herman turns 29.

And I'll have lotsa time to sew. 

Or excercise.

Or read.

Or watch movies.

Or nap.

Maybe I'll even remember to take a pic or 2. 

Who knows?

Kindness, folks!

December 9

Always a bittersweet day.

The day mom died.

It still warms my heart that she waited for me. 

And I still miss that crazy nut just as much as the day she left us.

Here she is with Tootsie on her last, best day. 

'I'll be seeing you' was her favorite tune.

They sang it on the Frank Sinatra Special last Sunday. 

I guess I'll always miss her, and Daddy, too.

I don't think want to stop missing them. 

I never want to stop thinking of them and remembering them. 

Wouldn't it be fun to hear her voice again?

See her sitting with her prized gams folded to the side?

Or try to figure out what on earth she was talking about?

Or watch her obsessively rotate her place setting?

Or see her scratching a child's back?

So many great memories...I still feel her around me. 

On the quilt front...

Insanity, as defined by Albert Einstein...

'Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.'

I finally broke out my Quick Curve Ruler. 

I'm embarrassed to say I've had it for a couple of years and have only ever made practice blocks. 

More than twice.

So what did I make?

More practice blocks!

Insanity, I tell you.

Oh, and speaking of insanity....

Yesterday, I cleaned the coffee machine with vinegar. 

This morning, Phil told me something was wrong with the coffee...tasted just like vinegar. 

Note to self...remember to empty to vinegar water from well next time. 🙃

Then, I saw a text pic of sweet Claire in her Christmas Jammie's.

I responded in Chinese letters. 

Note to self...look at the message before you hit send. 🙄 

It's getting hot in here and I've taken another of my famous detours. 

Quilt insanity refocus, I'm thinking of making the CQR Country Chic pattern for my Nugget.

And that has to be well pieced, cause Nugget quilts will be laundered frequently. 

I figure if I make a shit ton of Nugget quilts, there's a good chance one will become her favorite. 

I'm all over the place today, aren't I?

Cuckoo..Cuckoo

I've also finished up a few more....

Here are 2...

And 2 more....

This monster....

That Pat Sloan & her machine binding...love it!

I did a couple others, but have no pictures. 

I really should be better about keeping track of my work. 

I've said that before....more than twice.

(Have I mentioned that once I admired a quilt at a friends house....

And then she told me I'd made it for her.  

How embarrassing is that?  A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

I'm decorating the house for Christmas today.

We experienced some electrical problems while assembling the tree.

(Murray insisted this Bethlehem Lights tree was the finest in the land. 

Murray got hosed once again)

Up til now, my entire Yuletide effort has been switching out the quilts. 

Today, I shall tackle the tree & nativity. 

I'm streamlining the decor this year as we head south shortly after Christmas. 

So much work ... so little time to enjoy it. 

I've been Bah Humbug for a few years now. 

I wonder if my Nugget will reignite my Christmas spirit. 

I had been complaining about the lack of sun.

Sun was out today...that's something, right?

And it wasn't frigid.

It wasn't warm either. 

Why do I reread my posts?

Makes me want to hit delete. 

Please don't forget the Kindness. 

XO

What the devil?

I checked Facebook this morning & every single post in my newsfeed was about Trump.

Then, I switched on the morning news...more Trump. 

Then, the news at noon...more still. 

What is wrong with people?

Why are we even talking about that?

People are freaking out. 

The election is next year. 

Surely, he will self destruct by then. 

This is crazy.

The more attention we give to these insane rants, the longer we will have to endure them. 

Publicity, good or bad, is still publicity. 

Thank you for listening. 

Now I shall enjoy some soothing squash soup. 

That kind of a week

It was 'that' kind of a week. 

We buried my FIL on Wednesday. 

But not before we were moved by the kindness of family & friends. 

I had 2 sisters and a QBFF make the effort to support me, which I needed.

Murray had numerous old & new friends, some of whom traveled a great distance, and family to comfort him. 

And, let's not forget our kids, Kelly, John, Jenn & Jimmy. 

I was so proud of them. 

And Nugget as there...in utero.  

We have so much.  

Another great surprise is how AWESOME my MIL is handling this whole thing. 

She was gracious, calm and composed. 

She surprised us!

But, it's still sad to say goodbye.

Especially for my Murray. 

In his words...it's not tragic, but it's still sad. 

Eloquence. 

We got home LATE Wednesday. 

And listened to the horrible news out of California as we drove. 

Terrorism.

Really?

What is happening?

At least Tony doesn't have to think about that. 

Thursday, I took to the studio, but was clearly out of sorts. 

This happened....

I fixed it today. 

It's trimmed and I'm still deciding if I should border it or not. 

While I was thinking, I decided to visit the dreaded binding pile. 

I got halfway through my favorite Christmas quilt and this happened. 

Of course it did.

It's been 'that' kind of a week.

Murray & I hit the DHT for the Friday fish fry...

Then to get more thread at JoAnns. 

It was buy one get one...

Who can't use a dark blue?

No one. 

Especially if it's free. 

While shopping for thank you notes, we got the Chooch a Christmas baby at Target. 

How she loves her babies!

It was 'that' kind of a week.

A lot to be grateful for.

A lot to be sad about. 

A lot of life. 

Keep Kindness....

We need it. 

Thankfulness

We had an emotional Thanksgiving. 

All our kids were here for dinner.

Herman is holding my Nugget. 

We played cards, pictionary and enjoyed each other. 

Family is everything. 

Saturday, the guys were watching football.

So, Kelly & I went hiking.

2 miles, 4650 feet up. 

My legs still hurt...3 Epsom salt baths later.

We had our head in the clouds.

Literally.

The view would've been better if the sun was out. 

But, this is Syracuse...not Fort Myers. 

After, we grabbed a martini as a reward. 

Then made gingerbread houses. 

Unfortunately, all this fun took place after we received a sad phone call early Thanksgiving morning. 

My father in law had passed away in the wee hours of the morning. 

He was almost 90, a good long life. 

And he'd been suffering. 

But, it's still sad to say goodbye. 

Especially for my Murray. 

And my mother in law...his wife of 64 years. 

He was her everything. 

My Murray has written a beautiful eulogy to be delivered at his funeral mass. 

And he spent 2 great weekends with his dad before he left us. 

He fed him his last good meal....ravioli!

Please pray for my mother in law and my Murray. 

Rest in peace, Tony.

HBD2me

I woke early to Murray playing the Beatles It's your Birthday. 

I thought it was going to be a good day....until his iPad randomly followed it with The Bitch is Back by Elton John. 

We had a good laugh about it. 

I got up and looked out the window to see snow. 

It's the coldest day of the week.

Of course it is. 

I may or may not have made some online fabric purchases to soothe myself. 

Addiction is real.

Then I took a long hot shower, followed by a long hot bath. 

I noticed in the tub that the discoloration from my FL foot event is finally gone.

That's something...right?

While I was bathing, Susan text & invited me to check out the new Weight Watchers program they're unveiling today. 

Then to lunch. 

WW followed by OTL...the irony. 

What the hell...I'll check it out. 

What's better than stepping on a scale on your birthday?

Stay tuned. 

Barb text me to wish me a HBD, and revealed I share my day with Miley Cyrus. 

Wow...Miley Cyrus....classy. 

This day needs updates as it plays out. 

I may have a sitcom episode in the making!

Update:

Kels called...she's coming up this weekend. So excited...we're going hiking. 

I got texts from the newlyweds...I'll see them Thursday. 

It's 10:30 and things are getting better. 

Update.

I'm home from my outing. 

Weight Watchers was a bust. 

Susan was mistaken.

They aren't rolling out the new Oprah plan til December. 

And I gained 2.5 pounds. 

Fun Fun Fun. 

We also went to Barnes & Noble and Marshalls. 

I scored these for my Nugget. 

Baby girl stuff is so stinkin cute!

Baby Boy called to wish me a HBD. 

He told me his professor threw a hissy today cause everyone's phone was ringing. 

Threw them all out of class.

I was afraid to inquire if the phone belonged to him. 

His jaw feels a bit better today. 

I think he's grinding at night again. 

He says he's not. 

He knows everything. 

We had a nice lunch at Core in North Syracuse. 

Healthy & Delicious. 

I appreciate Susan's efforts to make my day!

She's a good friend. 

In the spirit of the day, I missed 2 chances to talk to Claire. 

Who wouldn't prefer a weigh in to speaking to the cutest kid?

Ugh. 

She did leave me 2 adorbs messages tho. 

And J9 send an ice skating video. 

Little Chad Carr, a 4yo with brain cancer, died this afternoon. 

While I don't want to sound cold, this feels like a blessing. 

He didn't suffer, outlasted his predicted life expectancy and has really shed light on childhood cancer. 

He didn't die in vain. 

I will pray for this young family as they grieve. 

I cannot even begin to imagine.....

Update...

I had a good laugh with my sister over the day. 

No one makes me see the humor like Meem.  

Murray is stopping for a bottle of wine.

DWTS finale is tonight. 

Update...

Happy mail

Pics from the wedding finally!

And cards from Barb & Aunt MJ

Update....

Phils dad has taken a turn for the worse. 

Prayers appreciated. 

Update..

Carlos went home. 

I'm going to bed. 

I guess I'm glad I kept track of the day. 

It's been pretty eventful.

At least I can read this when I can't remember it. 

Which will be in about 15 minutes. 

Keep Kindness ... You just never know. 

Odds & Ends

Today is Jammie Day #2 this week. 

Phil has gone to NJ to visit his folks.

And I went to Wegmans yesterday, which was traumatizing. 

I deserve to be comfy.

I've been working on a layout for Nuggets quilt on & off the last few days. 

I want to have some churn dash blocks in it.

Here's what that looks like. 

It's true, I do sometimes return to the dark ages and use graph paper. 

It's kinda nice actually...

Like the pioneer days...

Or not. 

I limped along and finally finished longarming this puppy. 

What a nightmare. 

I was having thread breakage in a big way...and I was dwirling, for Pete's sake!

Drove me nuts. 

I tried everything, and figured I was just gonna have to break down and call Amy when I got thru it.

I thought Lola was finally protesting her way into getting her SR fixed. 

With about 8 inches left to quilt, I ran out of top thread. 

Once I put the fresh cone on, my troubles were over. 

Good grief. 

I have some thread boogers to deal with, which I will do as I sit in front of the TV. 

And then repair it. 

Can someone please tell me why I like quilting?

Next up...the last Christmas flimsie. 

Or the last Bento Box. 

I haven't decided. 

This made me laugh.

You can touch my quilts anytime, Tom.

***scatter kindness, we need it***

Another Day

Can you believe that Murray said the sonogram pic of my Nugget was creepy?

That's the most offensive thing he's ever said. 

I'm still deciding if I can stay married to him.  

To relieve myself of dark thoughts regarding my hubs, I decided to quilt up a flimsy I made in Florida. 

It's uber girly, wildly colored & pieced, &, best of all, made entirely from my stash!

I plan to snuggle my Nuggs under it. 

Hopefully, a lot. 

I did hearts & daisies allover. 

Lightweight batting so after a washing, it shall be perfectly soft and yummy.

With my stitch regulator in a mood, I've been forced to stitch on the fly. 

It's so much better, easier to move the head gives me nicer curves and less fatigue. 

And with all the practice, my stitch length is even relatively consistent. 

It's also forcing me to slow down some, which is good, too.

Even after I resolve her issues, Lola & I will be non regulated most of the time. 

It's just better. 

I took Frannie to Dr Stacey this morning. 

It was time for her 6 month blood work.

And she looks skinny since I got home & is limping pretty bad in the early morning & evenings. 

She's lost 5 pounds!

Stacey said not to panic, that she's not too skinny and actually less weight is better for her arthritis. 

I can't remember the last time she weighed less than 70 pounds. 

She also gave me a script for her pain in the evenings. 

After her blood work comes back, I'll fill the script. 

I'm hoping the warmer weather after Christmas will get my girl feeling better. 

When we got home from seeing Stacey, she ate her breakfast & took to her bed. 

And that's where she's been all day. 

Poor Baby....see her booboo?

Of course, she was delightful & cooperative (sorta) at the vet. 

She tried to hide under my chair, but gave in quickly and only wimpered a little when her hips were examined. 

That makes it even more sad.

***kindness***

Binding Quilts & Family Madness

Yesterday, I got my hairs did. 

In the words of my crazy mom, this was a corporal work of mercy. 

I feel much better now. 

Today, it was very cold out. 

I stayed in & got 3 quilts bound, which can only be done if you don't have to get dressed all day. 

Full disclosure... I am still in my PJs & it is 5:30pm. 

No sense dirtying any clothes at this late date. 

Anyhoo, they are Christmas quilts.

Binding is torture for me. 

Life would be infinitely better if one of my quilts magically bound itself every time I poured a glass of vino. 

Clearly, God is not a quilter. 

In other news, J&J had a sonogram of our little Nugget today. 

John told me they saw her yawn!!!

Why are Maizee's not invited to obstetrician appointments?

Don't they know I'd love it?

I have decided I will make a churn dash quilt from my Houston purchases for her. 

I think I need at least one more pink & one more neutral. 

Guess I'll have to go shopping. 

Or, I could probably find something in the stasheroo. 

Stay tuned. 

Some not so happy news...my FIL is supposed to come home from the hospital today.

This is very worrisome for us. 

He is starting hospice care & my MIL is responsible for most of his care. 

It's a struggle to get old people to be reasonable. 

Please pray for them. 

***spread kindness like confetti***