Chopper

I made this bear for Jim for Christmas - his name is Chopper. He was made from a kit from Vivianne Galli of Hug Me Again.

Chopper is only about 4.25 inches tall! He was so much fun to make! He has German glass eyes, and his head is on a disc, so it can turn. All hand stitched. It is the softest peach Mohair. I did not age mine as much as she does, and I added a little flower to his paw.

You can visit Vivianne at her beautiful blog, Gotta Share This, where she shows more of her amazing creations! I would love to purchase one of the bears she has made -- someday... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

some sewing... :o)

Here are the two wallhanging quilts that I finished the tops for, over the last few weeks... I think I will be hand-quilting them both... :o)

Carol (Cornfield Quilter) got me hooked on hexagons, and I found this Patriot's Home quilt in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of McCall's Quilting... I left off the outer border, so it would fit on my quilt rack/shelf above my embroidery machine... :o)Beatrice (A Needle In A Haystack) sent me the Schnibbles *Picnic* pattern for Christmas, and this is my version. I had a couple of charm packs of *A Beautiful Time* by RJR Fabrics that I was saving for a special project, and this was the right project! I *LOVE* this - it is SO me!
And everyone has been talking about all the snow... We got our first snow of the season, starting Christmas Day... I took this photo the next morning... :o)

By the way, ignore the dates on my photos - the little knob on our camera is broken that allows you to change the date, or take it off there... Hopefully we will be getting a new camera sometime in the New Year... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Christmas 2009

This was a really fun Christmas! Jimmy will be 3 in January, so it is the first year he has really gotten into it - like asking him, who is coming tonite? *SANTA!*
He wasn't too sure what to think when he got up and saw all the presents! His first instinct was too start unwrapping - but it was a present for Daddy! HA!
He was a big help! Passing out presents to his brother and sisters!

Here is the aftermath - fairly cleaned up! :o) We got a *family gift* this year, a Wii! Jimmy's favorite present has to be his *Buzz Woody* table - you can use markers on it and it wipes clean! :o) *Yes, David is sitting in one of the chairs! :o)

Jim got me 5 roses... These are a *delayed* gift from our anniversary in August. Each anniversary, he has gotten me the number of roses for the number of years, so this year would be five. But August was not a good month, money wise, with Jim just being off work for 5 weeks, laid off... So I didn't get my flowers then, but he surprised me and had them delivered Christmas Eve... Aaawww! They smell SO good!

And all in all, here is what Jimmy thought of Christmas! I think Santa did good this year! :o)

Oh! And I almost forgot the best Christmas present! HA! We have been binky-free for 48 hours now! Jimmy has a *favorite* binky and won't take any others, but he is always just dropping it out of his mouth, and then we all have to go looking all over the house to see where he has left it! (Always a CHORE!) On Christmas Day, he couldn't find it, we ended up telling him, this is it, you just don't have one anymore. He cried a little at nap time, but by bed time, he didn't even care! So 48 hours binky free! Merry Christmas to me!!! (BTW, I did find it later, but hid it so he wouldn't find it. I think it is safe to throw it out now!)

Thanks for visiting! I have gotten a little sewing done over the last 10 days and will have some more pics tomorrow... :o)

a few of my favorite ~Christmas~ things

I thought I would show a few of my favorite ~Christmas~ things! This is besides the wonderful gifts that I have received (and posted about) this year... :o)

This pink Santa bell was a small gift to myself this Christmas... :o)
This is one of the few glass Christmas ornaments that are left from when I was a kid...

This is a beaded Christmas ornament that I made many years ago. (Before kids!) I wish I could find the company that I ordered the kit from, I would love to make more! I also have a green one, that just has stripes on it.

This is the blown glass tree topper that Jim got me a few years ago... Sorry the picture is blurry, our tree is really tall and I had to stand on the coffee table to take this!!

And last but not least, this is a Santa candy cane holder that was my Dad's. :o)

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends! I would love to see some of your favorite ~Christmas~ things, too! :o)

for me...?!

Sometimes this whole internet thing still just blows me away! I am just a small-town girl (hometown population 500!) and to *meet* folks from all over the world thru this computer, is just amazing to me! I have met some of the nicest people thru blogs and groups online!

Which leads me to Laurie! :o) I *met* Laurie of Indulge Your Shelf when I had her as my partner for a pincushion swap this summer, and we have many similar interests, so have kept in touch via blog posts and emails ever since... Jim even ordered Christmas ornaments from Laurie's Etsy shop, back in August, for my birthday! Well, yesterday, when the mail lady knocked on our door, I was greeted with a HUGE box -- from Laurie! What could this be?!?! Laurie and I often *drool* over the same vintage things and awhile back, we had been chatting about these Christmas wreaths on a blog, made from vintage Christmas ornaments! So apparently, Laurie decided to try her hand at making one, and SHE SENT IT TO ME!!! It is absolutely gorgeous! Am I lucky or what?!?! Be sure to click on the photo, to see it better! It even has the cutest little Santa tucked in there! (I do still believe in Santa!) Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Laurie! This was so sweet of you! (I will surprise you when you least expect it...!)

And here is a photo of the kids the other night. They are in Chorus, and we went to their Winter Concert. (Whatever happened to Christmas programs with CHRISTMAS songs?!?!? Public schools, ggrrr!) They enjoyed dressing up and singing... Jimmy behaved fairly well, except for tumbling down the bottom two bleacher rows! OOPS! He is alright - was running around again two minutes later! :o)

Thanks so much for visiting! And do make sure to go visit Laurie and tell her hi too! :o)

cookies and flannel... :o)

This weekend we baked our Christmas cookies....
I think Jimmy liked the cookies! :o) He even helped with the sprinkles this year! He had alot of fun! :o)

Lots and lots of sugar cookies.... Some peppermint candy cane cookies, too! :o)

And I finished up my little flannel quilt - this used Kiddie Christmas charm squares from Moda.

It is YUMMY! (Even if I do say so myself!)

Thanks for visiting!

gifts from Beatrice

I was lucky enough to be paired up with Beatrice in a FRIENDS swap this summer, and we have emailed back and forth ever since. She lives in France, which makes it even more interesting for me, coming from such a small town in the middle of the USA!

Yesterday, I received a lovely package from Beatrice for Christmas! She sent us each a Pennie Pocket that she made! They are just lovely. She told me that the green one for DH, the paisley one is mine, the two red ones are for the girls (they are still discussing who gets which one), green with snowmen for David, and snowmen for Jimmy. They are just lovely!

And yes, those are chocolates you see! There are still a few pieces left! :o)

Thank you so much for the gifts, Beatrice! The Pockets will be cherished Christmas decorations for years to come! Merry Christmas to you, dear friend!

Be sure and go visit Beatrice's blog: A Needle In A Haystack :o)

Boy Scouts and quilt finish

I finally remembered to take a photo of David in his full Boy Scout uniform the other night. Gotta love a guy in uniform! He was going to a City Council meeting, where one of our local scouts was receiving an award. David has 7 merit badges on his sash, with 3 more badges coming. He has been in Scouts since first grade, and still loves it. (For those that are not familiar with Scouts, you start as a Cub Scout in first grade, then during fifth grade, they *cross over* to Boy Scouts. David crossed over to Boy Scouts in February 2009.) I am proud of him! (Oh and he got a much-needed hair cut the day after this pic! HA!) This was a quilt that I just finished up for a customer, she is giving it as a Christmas gift. It was alot easier than it looks, and has 5 borders, which added to the size quickly, with alot of visual interest. I love the way the blocks create a secondary pattern. :o)

I am working on a little flannel quilt for us now. I had a couple of *Kiddie Christmas* flannel charm packs, and found some additional yardage, and am making a little throw for on the couch. It is going to be yummy - I love flannel! :o) Hopefully I will have a picture to show soon. We are baking Christmas cookies over the weekend, so that may delay the quilt some... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Christmas Tree and more...

As promised, here is our Christmas tree this year! See, the story is, the first year that I was divorced, the kids and I got an artificial tree. I HATED it! (I cried!) So the next year, Jim and I were together, and I said how much I hated that artificial tree and we went to get a real tree. (Which has always been what I have had, forever.) So then, our tree always ends up HUGE! And Jim always said, well, you said you wanted a nice big real tree... :o))) Thank you, honey! :o) So here it is lit:
And here it is without the Christmas lights on, so you can see the ornaments. LOTS of special ornaments on there. :o) Jimmy even helped put the ornaments around the bottom. (Notice the clusters of ornaments! HA!)

And here is Jimmy and Lizzie putting sugar water in the tree stand:

Here is Jimmy earlier this week - he plays hard, and then he crashes... :o)

And I thought I would show the Explorers Belt Pouch I made for David for Christmas. (The second one is for Jim.) It has two pouches for a little flashlight and knife, or compass... :o) These have a loop on the back to go on your belt.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I have been working on alot of Christmas projects, but not much to show you, since some of the items are for a certain someone that reads my blog... :o) Have a great week everyone! :o)

Christmas Baskets wallhanging ~WINNER~

Can you believe it is the end of November already!? But that means it is time to choose the winner of the Christmas Baskets wallhanging! Yeah!

The winner is comment #5, Kwiltmakr! So email me (janda082803 at yahoo.com)your mailing address, Kwiltmakr, and I will get the wallhanging out to you right away! (I know, I know, I have your address around here somewhere, from earlier this year, but I cannot seem to find it anywhere!)

Thanks everyone for commenting, and for visiting my blog! I wish I could send you all something! :o)

I will be back tomorrow with pics of our Christmas tree! It is HUGE! Jim never lets me down when it comes to getting us a tree! :o)

Flag folding

Today, we attended a flag folding ceremony by our local VFW. The Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were invited. Did you know that when the flag is folded, each fold means something? Here is what was read, explaining the symbolism for each fold:

1st fold - A symbol of life

2nd fold - Our belief in the eternal life

3rd fold - Made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world

4th fold - Represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

5th fold - Tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, *Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.*

6th fold - For where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

7th fold - a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is thru the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

8th fold - a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mothers day.

9th fold - a tribute to womanhood; for it has been thru their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

10th fold - a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

11th fold - in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

12th fold - in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

I found this all fascinating. It gave me a whole new respect for the flag. In the picture below, David is the Scout facing the veterans folding the flag, with the darkest pants. (He is wearing his Merit Badge sash.)

And here is a pic of Jimmy, he was filling his dump truck with rocks during the ceremony... :o)

Not much sewing going on this week. Jim has pneumonia. He still has been going to work, while on antibiotics. Cannot afford to miss work, with 4 kids, and Christmas QUICKLY approaching!

Thanks so much for visiting!

P.S. If you have not signed up for my Christmas Baskets wallhanging give-away yet, please do! You can see my post and sign up HERE.

Scarf and desk...

I finished knitting this scarf this week. The yarn ball was from the Etsy shop of Misfit Yarn. It is so fun to work with this yarn! Ssshhh! I have another one made like this in pinks, for Anna, and one in oranges, for Elizabeth, for Christmas... :o) But this one is mine! The girls ooh-ed and aah-ed over it the whole time I made it! Boy, will they be surprised! :o)

And I thought I would show (again, for those that have known me for awhile) my desk. I put the little hexagon baby quilt, as a table topper, under the lamp! :o) The desk was my dads. The lamp was his too. (In the same spot!) And the little thermostat, to the right of the lamp, belonged to my Grandfather. He passed away when I was less than one year old. (Just like Jimmy and his Grandpa.)

As always, thanks for visiting!

hexagons

I just finished my first hexagon project! (Hey, Carol!!!!) This was so fun! I had seen others doing hexagon projects, and had wanted to try one, but... When I saw this Just One Pack Doll Quilt tutorial over at Moda Bake Shop, I figured that would be a great way to start! It is all hand-stitched. I used the Nostalgia charm pack, by Moda. I am addicted... Planning my next hexagons project, as we speak... :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Christmas Baskets wallhanging ~GIVE AWAY~

How about a give away to help you decorate for Christmas? :o) I decided with Christmas quickly approaching (too quickly!), I would do a little give away of this Christmas Baskets wallhanging!

This wall hanging measures about 18 inches x 35 inches. The 8 basket blocks are machine embroidered. There is no quilting, but cute little Christmas colored buttons in the corners of each block.

All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post! It is that easy! I will draw the winner on November 30th, so you will get the wallhanging in plenty of time for your Christmas decorating! So are you in?! :o)

P.S. If you would like to pass the word along about this give-away, you can right click and save the block photo. I am not gonna keep track of who blogs about it or who becomes a follower. Everyone will just get one chance, by leaving a comment on this post. Hope that is ok with everyone! :o)

Sister wallhanging

I finished up this wallhanging for my sister, Laura. I had her come over and look thru my fabric stash and choose all the fabrics she liked, then used a few from what she chose. I only had to buy one additional yard to complete this wallhanging! :o) The saying blocks are from a Sisters panel that I bought earlier in the year from Shabby Fabrics. (I also have 2 daughter panels, and the Psalms 23 panel.) I hand quilted around the stars and the outside border. I am going to give it to my sister at Christmas. :o)


Here is Jimmy's new trick - he can curl up his tongue! He gets that talent from his Daddy and his sister, Lizzie! The other day he just walked up to me and says *look mommy* and this is what I got! :o)

Thanks for visiting!

Happy 12th Birthday!

Happy 12th birthday to my trio - David, Anna and Elizabeth! I cannot believe my babies are 12 today! Seems like just yesterday they were little babies, although I have to admit, I can barely remember those days! It is all such a blur of bottles, diapers and lack of sleep!
Worth every minute, tho! I have the best kids! All three are on the High Honor Roll in their first quarter of Jr High! They are growing up so quickly, into wonderful young people! Oh my, next year they will be teenagers, tho! ACK! :o)

This pic is more like the craziness that usually goes on around here:

Thanks for visiting! I will be back tomorrow with a wallhanging that I am finishing up tonite for my sister for Christmas... :o)

October 30, 2009

Two years ago today, my Dad passed away. These two years have been the hardest of my life. I am SO thankful that I have Jim, by my side through all this. I couldn't have made it through this without him.

I would like to introduce you to Teddy. When I was 6, I was in the hospital for eye surgery. I got out of the hospital on my 7th birthday. My Dad hated hospitals. He came to see me, but could never stay more than a few minutes. (I am sure it did not help seeing his baby getting surgery.) But he brought me this bear. This makes Teddy 32 years old. I LOVE teddy bears. I still have my two favorites from when I was a kid, Teddy and Brownie (I will show him some other time.) Teddy is well loved, as you can see. I just had to replace his feet paws because the one lost all its fabric and the stuffing came out. I love Teddy.

As promised, here is my Psalms 23 bracelet, that I received from Tricia at Notes of Sincerity. (If you missed it, you can read about our exchange on my Gifts From Friends post.) This bracelet has been a comfort and came at exactly the right time. Thank you again, Tricia.

The Lord is my Shepherd, (white)

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green (green) pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters (blue),

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness (clear) for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (black)

I fear no evil; for You are with me,

Your rod and Your staff (brown) they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil (yellow); my cup overflows (purple).

Surely goodness and love (pink) will follow me all the days of my life;

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord (gold) forever.

Psalms 23
(Version from Tricia's Etsy shop)

I love you Dad! I cannot believe it has been two years. I wish time could have stood still. I am glad the last time I saw you, you were happy, and that I told you that I loved you. And as always, you said *me too*.

gifts from friends

This week is not my favorite week, as we are coming up *too quickly* on the 2nd anniversary of my Dad's death. But I have some very dear friends out there in blogland. Their gifts have arrived over the last few days. They weren't gifts because they knew I would need cheering up, but isn't it amazing that it works out that way...

First, I received my gifts from my Stitchers Angel. I didn't get a card with it, but it came from A. Armstrong in England. (Yeah! I heard from Anne, my Stitchers Angel! Here is her blog: An Cala Quilts.) There is a long, double-handed oven glove. A needlecase, and a lovely heart with cute beadwork attached. And rose candles!

Here is the closeup of the needlecase (with a clever magnetic closure) and the lovely heart! Thank you so much A Armstrong! These gifts will be treasured always!

I also received some Christmas ornaments! I am participating in a Christmas ornament swap thru a quilting swap group, and received these BEAUTIFUL ornaments! Thank you again, Althea! These are beautiful and will be displayed proudly on our tree!

And last, but certainly not least, is Tricia from Notes of Sincerity. Tricia and I have been talking back and forth for awhile, about Dads, especially. I had been wanting to get her Psalms 23 bracelet that she offers on etsy, and as we were talking, we decided to work out a trade. I sent her an embroidered pillow, one of my totes bags and a little fabric basket as a bonus... In return, I received her BEAUTIFUL Psalms 23 bracelet. She included earrings for the girls, and they just love them! She made Elizabeth's in orange and white, and Anna's in pink and purple, their favorite colors.

She also sent me this lovely keychain - pink and roses, just my style! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Tricia! Your friendship has been a blessing to me!

You are probably wondering where the BEAUTIFUL Psalms 23 bracelet picture is? I will show it to you in a special post on Friday... :o)

Hugs to all my friends and friends-to-be out there! Thanks for visiting!