Best of 2016: Thank YOU!

My week with my grand-guy has come to an end. We found ourselves buried in snow and limited by outside temperatures that only sway between -4 and 15 degrees. We made the best of  it as we enjoyed inside pajama days filled with hot chocolate, movies, naps,and lots of play time! It's such a joy to watch children's personality emerge.  This little guy is funny, kind and so easy to have around. 

 So now with him safely back with mom and dad some three and half hours away, I awake this morning grateful to have one more day of the year to write and link a post thanking you and celebrating the "virtual quilting guild" I have found here in blog land with you.

My Five Thank Yous to YOU:

New this year, I hosted my very first swap! This was soooo fun!!!

Thank you for participating! Amazing to think we collected and traded 6,800 eye spy squares.

Should we do it again this summer?? Comment to let me know your interest.

Thank you for saving your change with me. 

Each July I host our Annual Piggy Bank Challenge and it's always been fun 

to see what quilty treats our accumulated change can buy us. 

FYI: February finds us at our mid-point check-in already!

I myself am off to empty my own change purse after I publish this post.

Also, thank you for your continued participation in our weekly Tuesday Archives linky.

We've had 142 linky parties so far...and many still ahead!

1. Each Tuesday I've posted a quilt theme.

2. I appreciate the time and effort you take to search through your quilting archives for old posts to link under the theme.

3. Thank you for visiting eachother.

 And remember you can find all our past themes in our Tuesday Archives: DIRECTORY

I'm grateful that when Blogger lost my follower list, so many of your commented and emailed to help me rebuild my list and thus help me to not loose touch with everyone from my little spot in the world.

Annnnddddd...of course, I enjoy your continuous support and enthusiastic acceptance of my favorite little photo bomber: Jackson! He's received more virtually sent belly rubs this year than any other!

It truly has been a fabulous blogging year with each of you as my "virtual quilting community".

My 2016 "Word" was FABULOUS...

...and what a Fabulous journey 2016 has been. I wasn't going for the kind fabulous that exclaims, yet the kind of fabulous that finds you just working to be the best you can be. To be happy, creative and content in your own shoes. To notice all the things in  your daily life that make it good. And well, I truly find that with your friendships and your own blogs, that I have accomplished this. I sit here and reflect in gratitude this morning upon my own growth as a quilter, blogger and well, overall middle age lady! 

I blog because it's one of those things that allows me to:

Thank you for a fabulous 2016 blogging year together!

I appreciate you.

Linking with everyone at:

Five and Dime Quilt Finish

I decided to finish this "five and dime" quilt with no border and can't help but think it will make the perfect baby quilt for a little girl. It finishes at 33" x 55"...just right for a crib don't ya think.

I love it's black binding and red with tiny white polka-dot backing.

And though it's hard to see, I used a Lazy Daisy pantograph to add to it's charm.

It's always a good feeling to empty your stash to build one's stash of baby gifts isn't it!?

Annnddd to squeak in one more finish for 2016! Yippee!!!

Belated Holiday Greetings!

My dear bloggy friends, I hope your Christmas was all that you wanted it to be.

 We spent our Christmas on a winter vacation in the mountains.

We enjoyed some wintery walks....

We spent half of Christmas Day at a small, nearby snow resort.

Papa helped our little guy snowboard as his mom was off on the bigger slopes. 

Papa later joined us in the bar...as my son-in-law broke his foot the very first night we were there! I'm not sure what "good" story we ended up with but he was a good sport not being able to snow-board after twisting his ankle falling from a bed trying to turn on a cathedral ceiling fan! 

(As he laid on the floor my husband humorously pointed out the fan switch!)

We got home Monday to find another dumping of snow. 

Luckily Papa had help with the snow shoveling. 

So no Tuesday Archives this week as I'm going to spend the week enjoying having our little guy underfoot and working on a Friday Finish. Today it continues to snow...so were definitively having an inside day by the fire. (I can 't believe the base of our tree below is almost completely buried in snow)

 I'm truly looking forward to spending the week with him and especially enjoy the sound of his l

little voice singing Old McDonald in the background as I write this post and he busily plays. With that said, I'm not sure how much blogging or sewing I'll get done as it has taken two hours to even write this post and I'm now being called to play "Uno Moo"...but who am I to resist!

Hoping the holiday season finds you surrounded by family and fun too. 

My New Embroidery Machine!

Welcome to the "family" my new-to-me Embroidery Machine!

Yep, I've been keeping an eye out for a good deal...and I finally found a great one.

Merry Christmas to me!!

 I took my introductory class on Tuesday. 

I then spent the better half  of Wednesday's 8 degree, freezing fog day 

learning about VP3 files and uploading software. 

I even figured out how to download a pattern, convert it and get it on my sewing machine!

(This IS big deal stuff for me...as I'm usually a little impatient at this kind of thing.)

Oh the sewing wasn't without some errors...but I just kept telling myself what my instructor said: "Give yourself time to learn" . 

 I got things back up and going in no time. I mean what's a little tension anyways!

It was so fun to watch this little guy evolve...

I had a "dense stitch area"  issue when I switched to the black. Thus, I messed up his little black toes and you'll notice his face is a little "off" LOL! But I'm learning. And our grand guy has a new pillow: 

I just used some scrap minky and flannel to whip this little pillowcase together. He'll love it!

It has "warmed" up to 15 degrees today, but even Jackson won't go outside for a walk. Lucky  me! That means I now have more time to make all the the kitchen towels pretty and enough time to finish the quilt I have on the long-arm before all the Christmas activities begin!

Happily sewing on this Winter Break of mine.

Tuesday Archives #142: Home-Made Gifts

Welcome to the linky party that rejuvenates your old quilting/sewing posts! 

Please click here to read more about this linky party.  

This week's theme is: HAND-MADE GIFTS 

I had every intention of making coaster for gifts this year and can only admire from afar those of you who completed some hand-made gifts this year. (I could always start NOW for next year! LOL!) And....today's linky will be sure to produce many ideas and much inspiration for me to do just that!
Like, Jo's a d o r a b l e premie Santa hats she knitted for their local hospital!

Or Tanya who created a variety of these tea towel sets for co-workers!

How clever to use the applique designs from our previous Lori Holt Bloom SAL.

With Christmas only a few days away....do share (if you can) what you've been up to as a creative elf this year...and as always, rejuvenate older hand made gifts as well.

Holiday Mug Idea

As a teacher, Christmas coffee mugs continue to be the most popular gift received. So about eight years ago I began this little tradition of swapping out all our regular mugs with my growing collection of Christmas mugs. Over the years, it's become a fun little way to enjoy the holidays.

How about you? Do you have an ever growing collection of Christmas mugs?

If so, what do you do with them??

Tomorrow's Tuesday Archives theme: "Made Gifts"

Here's a Good Laugh for Ya!

We ended our week with a classroom Polar Express PAJAMA party!!

(I was surprised only half the kids wore theirs...but hey...the rest of us were warm and cozy.)

I don't usually dress up, but my new cooperating teacher loves dress up days and I may have promised her at the beginning of the year that I would be better at it. Well, she made sure I got better at it by actually providing me with the jammies to wear! (Mom, I bet you are cracking up about now!) Oh Lordy, if we can't laugh at ourselves...then what's left! And....I'm soooo laughing at myself right now!!!!

But look!!! Blue Sky! Unfortunately, it was an artic wind that delivered us this clear, crisp TWO degree day....which now meant indoor recess ALL day! I agree with Deb from Frugal Little Bungalow : We've had enough for awhile. LOL! Hey, at least we were making the best of it! Right!?

Anyhooo...guess what guys!!! I'm now officially on break guys!!!
The sidewalks and roads have been cleared and are now just lined with massive snowbanks. The  getting around is easier and safer and we can get outside.

So today hubby and I will get our final holiday shopping done and then you know where I'll be!
I'm so looking forward to joining the many of you who are already enjoying your winter sewing.