Happy New Year

Hi All -

Best wishes to all for a very Happy New Year. Hubby and I are staying home tonight and just enjoying being warm inside and watching the ball drop in Times Square.

We had a nice Christmas with family in Virginia - hope you all did too. Daughter, Laurie, gave me this beautiful embroidered (with Duncan and Hamish likenesses) linen table runner and 12 matching linen napkins, also embroidered with a scottie. What a treasure - I love it!!

My New Year's resolution is to get some of my UFO's done before starting anything new - I've got a bunch and need to get the cabinets cleared out of these projects - good luck, right!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Hi All -

Looks like we'll have a white Christmas after our 10+" of snow yesterday. It sure is pretty and I didn't have to go anywhere, so I could stay inside and enjoy watching it come down. Here's a photo of our deck furniture this morning. Now the sun is shining so things are starting to melt.

The pups really enjoyed playing and chasing each other. They looked like little snow balls when they came in and I ended up putting them in the kitchen sink and spraying them with warm water to get all the snow out of their fur. They weren't too keen on that but I think it made them feel better once the snow was out of their armpits!!

My husband says Duncan looks like an Aborigine with his white face.

Take care and keep smiling -

Sundae Quilters Luncheon

Hi All,
Yesterday, despite some "iffy" weather, some of the Sundae Quilters got together for our Christmas lunch at Red Robin. We had such a good time, great food, and lots of laughs. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera but if you'd like to see photos, you can go to Nancy's blog, www.patchworkpenguin@blogspot.com. She has posted some photos and a video of Beth's entertaining tree hat - you've got to see this one - it's great!!!
I've got a few things to get finished before Christmas and have yet to send out a card. I did make up a short Christmas letter to send to friends out of town - now to get them in the mail!! I just seem to come to a standstill at this time of year - maybe it's the overwhelming feeling that there's so much to do and I'd just rather bury my head under the pillow and wait until it's all over - my own personal ostrich syndrome, I guess. But I know that everything will get done and we'll have a great Holiday - it always seems to happen that way. Hope you all have a great Holiday season, too!!

Look What I Got!!!

Last night I went to a "drum jam" hosted by friend Bonnie. This is a monthly get together with all sorts of hand drums, whistles, flutes, didgeridoo's, bagpipes and even belly dancers and a throat singer. What a great time!!! Friend Fran and I helped out by serving up delicious punch and pulled pork sandwiches. As a thank you, Bonnie gave each of us a gift - mine was this wonderful purse. Bonnie has one just like it and every time I see it, I tell her it might "disappear" since I am really coveting it. Now I have one of my very own!!! Thank you, again, Bonnie - I LOVE IT!!!

Signs of Christmas

There are signs of Christmas at our house. First is my Scottie planter decked out with poinsettias...

and then my "Christmas goose" flag ...

and finally, Scottie pups having their first "taste" of snow!!!

Have a great day!!!

Snow!!!

Hooray, hooray, hooray - it's snowing!!! This is the first of the season and it's really coming down right now. I'm like a kid with the first snow - and I can hardly wait to see the pup's reaction to the white stuff!! We're only supposed to get 1-4" and the ground is still warm, so we'll have to wait and see how much we actually get. Since I don't have to be any place today, I can remain excited and just enjoy watching from the warmth of my home. Better fill the bird feeders, too, since our little feathered friends have a tough time in this kind of weather.

Keep smiling and have a great day -

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi All -

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. Our two daughters and their husbands joined us for turkey with all the fixings - yum, yum. Needless to say, we were all "stuffed" - just like the bird. Here's a photo of son-in-law, Mike, modeling his "turkey" hat. I saw this one day and just had to get it for him. He's such a good sport and is even contemplating wearing it to work on Monday :o)

Today is reserved for making turkey soup, quilting and also watching Nebraska play Colorado. My husband is a Nebraska native and we root for the Huskers - GO BIG RED!!!

Have a great day and keep smiling -

Fall Retreat

Hi All -

Went to my Quilt Guild's fall retreat on Friday and Saturday - it was great to get away, if only for the day. Since my hubby's back has been acting up and the pups run him ragged when I'm away, I came home at night and then went back up in the morning. There were about 40 of us there and lots of creative juices were flowing. A few of us worked on Bonnie Hunter's "Chunky Churndash" - we swapped strips so our quilts came out really scrappy. Here's a picture of Nancy's (she's an overachiever and got her top done!!!). Isn't it pretty!! I'm about a third of the way done on mine - will try to finish it up this week.

Fran was working on a quilt for a class she's teaching at the local quilt shop. It's a variation of "Stack-n-Whack" - you'd never guess that by looking at it - isn't it fun!!

Carole was working on a Civil War wall hanging and it came out really nice.

The place where we have our retreat provides meals on Friday night, three on Saturday and a Sunday brunch. It sure is nice since we can sew to our heart's content and we don't have to worry about getting meals, taking care of kids, etc., etc. We have our retreat twice a year - one in the spring and one in the fall. You can see from these few photos that we can get a lot done in that short time - no interruptions makes a big difference!!!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving - keep smiling :o)

Purse Class

Hi Everyone -

It's been a while since I've written - seems like life gets in the way of creativity sometimes. Anyway, our Quilt Guild had Didi Salvatierra as a guest speaker yesterday - she was great and showed us some of her beautiful creations from jewelry to quilting to necklaces, etc., etc. She's really very talented and it was great seeing all of her beautiful artwork. She also taught a purse class on Friday night and Saturday morning using the Lazy Girl "Towne Purse" pattern. I forgot to take my camera to class so all I can show you is my purse - sorry!! I love this pattern. The inside is all finished before you put it together so there are no raw edges to cover. It also has 9 pockets and 1 or 2 on the outside. This is the first project I've finished in class - but I do have to add 4 decorative buttons on each side of the zipper ends. I made mine with short handles but you can use longer ones for a shoulder bag. I'll probably make this purse again - I can just imagine it in lovely summer florals!!

The pups are doing great but I have to really watch Duncan. He's my little escape artist!! He got out of the yard on Friday night just before I was to leave for class (of course) and was hot on the trail of a rabbit. He was zigzagging all over the place and rabbits were scattering everywhere!! Meanwhile, Hamish was back in the yard (good boy!) barking like crazy since he was missing all the fun. It took me about 15 minutes to corral Duncan and get him back home. He was pooped, to say the least, and slept all the time I was at class. The good thing about all this chaos is that I've lost 10 pounds!!!

Take care and keep smiling -

A Different Kind of Plant

Looked out today and this is what I saw on my deck in an empty flower pot (dirt only - no plants). That's Duncan doing his "flower" impression. I think he's an original "flower child".

Sundae Quilters

Got together yesterday with the Sundae Quilters - had a great time and got some more "hexies" done. We have such a great group of gals - here's a photo of the gang that was here. Marie is in the foreground. Nancy, Belinda, Carole and Bonnie (holding Dutchess) are in the front row and Fran, me and Beth and in the back row. We always have lots of laughs - and even manage to get some projects done!!!

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping (and eating)

Yesterday friend Fran and I further corrupted our newbie quilter friend, Bonnie, with a trip to Lancaster, PA. We're working on her getting a "stash" and also learning to start another project before finishing the one you're working on!! We had a great day, starting at Sauder's in Denver, PA, and then on to Burkholder's. Lunch was at Appleby's in between the two quilt shops - needed some calories to keep up our energy. Tomorrow my Sundae Quilter buddies are coming over so it will be another great day -

My Boys Are Men

Hi All - My "boys" had their little "snip-snip" surgery yesterday and are doing just fine. The vet said to keep them quiet for 7-10 days - like that will happen!!! They are so feisty and chase each other all over the place - maybe for a day or two they'll settle down, but I can't imagine 7-10 days of that. Here's a photo of them this morning sleeping nose-to-nose - they're not too happy with me at the moment since I think they remember the car ride yesterday and then what happened after that. I kept telling them that they'd be better dogs, but they didn't believe me.....

Christmas Blocks

Hi All - Puppy play has prevented me from posting sooner - sorry!! I did get a block done for our annual Quilt Guild Christmas Block drawing. All we have to provide is the solid color - either red or green - to go with the Christmas fabric - pretty easy. For each kit purchased, you get a chance to win a set of blocks and then you can put your Christmas quilt together using these beautiful 8" blocks. I purchased two kits, so maybe I'll be lucky this year. Nancy of Patchwork Penguin donated the Christmas fabric and the white-on-white - pretty generous, I'd say!!

Happy Birthday to Me

Yes, today is my birthday and I'm a lucky, lucky girl. My husband, family and friends have all made my day so special!! Between cards, gifts, lunch, etc., etc., they all have made me feel so wonderful - thank you all. Here are some birthday flowers from my daughters, sons-in-law and grandsons that arrived today - so beautiful!!

This photo is sideways (can't figure out how to turn it) and the flowers are from Steph & Mike.

The beautiful "pumpkin" bouquet is from Laurie, Rich and my grandsons, Aaron & Colin.

See how lucky I am!!!

Hi All -

Yesterday friends Fran, Bonnie and I went to the great sale at the Sew'n Place here in Chambersburg. My hubby had given me a gift certificate so I didn't even spend any money!! How's that for doing good!! Anyway, here's what I purchased. I'm going to make another wall hanging for my bathroom. I saw some towels in the blue color that I really liked, and my bathroom has lots of brown, so I thought this would be pretty. The hanging I have now has lots of gold, black and bright stripes, so it just won't go. Good excuse to get more fabric, I'd say. The blue is kind of a dusky blue and my camera doesn't do it justice.

And here's what happens when you have a curious puppy trying to see what's going on.

No harm done, but I did have to "rescue" one piece of fabric from his quick little jaws!!!

My Boys

Here's a photo of my pups - Hamish & Duncan - they are what is keeping me really busy and unable to get into the sewing room with any regularity!!!

More Chunks

Hi All - I've finished chunks 16-18 - finally. I'm getting there - only 7 to go!!!

Busy, Busy

Hi All - Sorry I haven't posted for a few days but life is hectic here. I'd forgotten how much time puppies take - just one more responsibility every day. I must say, though, that they're worth it!! They are really doing well and are pretty much housebroken - just one accident yesterday and that was my fault - I wasn't paying attention. Thank goodness for my "Spot-Bot". We're walking twice a day and I've even dropped a couple of pounds - so life is good!! The pups love to go down to my sewing room and I'm almost finished with another "chunk" of my Celtic Knotwork - it will be done one of these days :o) I've got a few other projects on the back burner and now the Sew-n-Place is having a 30% off sale of all in-stock fabric, so guess I'll be adding more to my stash and will have a few more projects to do. Have a great day and keep smiling!!

Another Giveaway

Hi All -

Cora at http://acraftymoment.blogspot.com/ is having a birthday giveaway - check it out!!! And happy birthday a little early, Cora. We almost share a birthday (mine is on the 29th of this month).

More Chunks

Hi All -

I've finished chunks 13, 14 & 15 - only 10 to go!!! Yeah!!!

Haggis is Homeward Bound

Our little third puppy, Haggis, has gone home to Pittsburgh this morning. His new "parents" came to pick him up and I was a little sad to see him go- - kind of brought tears to my eyes. He is such a cutie and reminded me so much of my Angus when he was a pup. Haggis has a big brother at his new home, Duff, and both met this morning with not too much upset. Duff was a little put off by a "baby" but soon got over that and was ready to play. My husband and I wish all the best to Haggis and his new family - I'm sure he'll enjoy his new home.

I was able to get down to the sewing room this afternoon with the company of Duncan and Hamish. They found a big pillow to snuggle down on and promptly took a nap. I completed one of my chunks for the Celtic Knotwork and started another - I should be able to finish it up (the chunk, that is) tomorrow and will post a photo.

Puppies, puppies, puppies

Hi All -

The puppies are here - we have three right now but one will be leaving on Sunday to go to his new home in Pittsburgh. They are really darlings but I'll be glad to be down to two. One forgets how active they are and THEY ARE INTO EVERYTHING!!! I really have to watch them. Maybe I'll be able to quilt one of these days when things settle down.

Haggis is the wheaton puppy who will be going to Pittsburgh. The two blacks are mine - Duncan and Hamish. Love the sleeping photos - we're aspiring to more of that - both for puppies and people!!!