Happy New Year's Eve !

I read a beautiful quote in a new quilting book yesterday. It is a good way to end the year and start a new one. With reflection and hope! My love and friendship to you all gals!

"The Patchwork Quilt is really a symbol of the world which must come: One new design made out of many old designs. We will stitch this world together yet. Don't give up." Pete Seeger.

Whirly Gig Mode!

So this month has been a whirl alright. I can't even get these photos in the right order and that seems to be how it goes these days. So much has happened here since October 1st when the remodel began and the Handiquilter was delivered to the Fort. We managed to fit in work, walking the dog, picking out every blasted knob and fixture for the kitchen. Lived out of the bathroom and garage for a kitchen, had Thanksgiving, library retirement parties, made quilts, played with baby boy, went for a train ride, drove to S.F. to pick out tile...had book club dinner, read book club book, and finally had Christmas with the family and three square meals cooked in the new kitchen. WooHoo. So, things should quiet down by Easter I would think. Time for a nap!


The Big Ol Quilting Machine Arrived!

Carmen and Lulu on Christmas Morning with Teddy....
Lil Red and Great Gpa!!
The Living Room is almost free of sheet rock dust...almost

Christmas Eve morning the plumber and the contractor showed up to make things work temporarily so we could have our dinner! Hooray for them. And for Kent who arranged it all, the true spirit of Christmas indeed!

First pot of spagetti fired up on Christmas Eve..notice those exclusive plywood board countertops!
We had our cookie party...love Carmen's Sims and Obama cookie...She thought the dragonfly looked like a medical symbol so it says "House, M.D."
The cookie party girls grow up. This tradition has been going on for over 17 years...before they could hardly hold the sprinkles!
Alice's Retirement Quilt from the Library...
Book Club dinner...our book club is 29 years old this year. We haven't changed a bit.
We fit in a trip to the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train...with dear old Dad...in a snow storm.
All the new cupboards before the "accident"...and boy was that scary. Our dear cabinet maker fell from a ladder and our house was full of emergency personnel! He broke several ribs and took a ride to the hospital in the ambulance. We were at our lowest after this happened. Scary.
The old dining room dismantled above...stay tuned in 2010 for the new dining room!
The day Teddy saw the front of the house come off. I almost fainted at this scene!

So if I don't talk to you until next year, Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and Day. I hope you get to fit in some quilting time. I sure hope I get too! xoxo Pam

No Peeking!

This morning in a blur of carpenter's hammers and cabinet people trying to button up this remodel, I heard a squeaking coming from the gorilla room (where we say there is a gorilla because we don't want anyone going into the MESS). Look what I found. A very naughty boy named Teddy who grabbed his present out of the gift bag. Looks like Miss Froggy has a new boyfriend. Don't tell me he isn't a little person in a bichon costume!

Library Gal Current Reading List with Color Trends!

I watched Quilting Arts a couple weeks ago and they had a wonderful segment with the incredibly interesting and articulate Luana Rubin (and owner of equilter.com)on upcoming and current color trends in fabric, interior design, etc. Shortly after watching the show, I was straightening up my bedroom and stacked my current reading choices up on the bedside. Whoa. Talk about your color trends! All the books were compatibly color coordinated! Go figure! I decided they even matched the current ginko leaves outside my bedroom door. Add a beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabric to stage them on and voila...color trends galore! Kind of a fun moment! All of these titles are interesting and I am almost done with Olive Kitteredge and have finished The Help. The No. 1 Ladie's Detective Ladies is of course entertaining as usual. The Laura Childs mystery is good cozy fun surrounded by a tea shop, and so happens to take place in Charleston, South Carolina so you know I had to read it as my sweetie girl is living there now. Happy Reading Quilting Friends!

Santa Struck!

This is such a fun photograph for me. I think it says it all when it comes to the magic of Santa...that is my daughter Carmen who is now almost 21...she is in the Santa trance for sure! Hope all is going well for you all as we get closer to Christmas! I have all my shopping done and if I can get some sewing in, everyone will get what they truly want! Can't ask for more than that!