Happy New Year!

Well, here we are staring down 2017.

Let's check in on 2016:

12 quilts finished.

6.2 miles of white thread went through the sewing machine.

And we took our annual family selfie this morning. I am seriously squinty eyed from wearing contacts. I have started wearing one contact for near and one for far and it takes my eyes an hour to get used to it every morning. So, first thing? SQUINTY. Awesome. LOL

in 2017:

I really hope to get back to this space a bit more, BUT Instagram is just so easy.  The blogger app is not supported anymore and won't work on my new ipad, so I have to sit down at a computer. I take most of the pics on the ipad.  This is going to require some actual work on my part methinks.  However, I hardly took any pics of the kids this last year. So few it was hard to pull together my yearly calendar.  That makes me a teensy bit sad.

One little word. I didn't choose one last year I don't think? It didn't seem necessary really. Or maybe I didn't give a crap. Three kids is definitely a circus (14 doctor visits in October this year!) and I just do what I gotta do most of the time right now. I always think oh, things will slow down now, but really, they never do.  But anyway, this year generosity seems like the word for me.  Not just things (although that has been part of it), but of spirit.

I read an article on facebook this morning that said that actually the big problem for women is not the actual doing of all the things, but the thinking about all the things. That's truth, isn't it?  It had never occurred to me that even though people are helping out with things around the house that it never feels like they are helping because my brain is still holding ALL THE THINGS. It's a lot. And it's worn me out this year. The kids are beyond the diapers and bottle stages but now my brain is certainly bursting at the seams with all the things I have to do (and remember and think about) for each of them. You can read it here.

Life is definitely a crazy journey, and at nearly 42 I do know this - as soon as you think you have got one thing figured out it all gets turned on its ear and you have to start all over again.

So, there you have it. 

I have to live with this Christmas stuff up for one more week for that project and then I can take it all down and get back on with the quilting of all the things! (and the never ending minding of the children, of course.)

Happy New Year to you.

Christmas

Christmas has come and gone in a flurry, but I'm working on a project that means we will still be in the thick of it for another week around here. (Even though I am dying to get on with it already.)

Like everyone else I feel like the weeks fly by me. 

There were some good Christmas bits - this sweet doll.

Some annoying bits. (This idiotic toy.)

There are pics of the boys, but only on the camera.

Some wonderful gifts for me, this lovely pile was just one of them.

Despite my swearing that it would be Christmas light at our house this year, something came up and I had to go full out.

Here are few more touches this year, all new ideas for us:

Back to the vintage tree with me this year.

So, that was Christmas.

I'm trying out gluten free over here. Actually I have been for a few weeks. I have been having a ridiculous amount of rashes and it's a last ditch effort to calm that crap down.

I'm trying to squeeze in one more quilt this year.

I'm trying to keep the kids from wrecking all this fragile stuff.

I'm planning my next quilt.

I'm looking forward to a trip to the fabric outlet in January.

I'm thinking about blogging. This was my lowest blogging year since I started more than 11 years ago.

I'm still working on some deep, fundamental personal changes over here too.

I will hopefully pop in tomorrow with the annual family new years photo, the year in thread report, the year in quilting report and my one little word of the year.

Until then!

Merry Christmas to all

I decided to try the Christmas jammie photos this evening instead of tomorrow morning. The kids are always WAY too wound up to do it on Christmas morning. BUT! The light at night after church is so bad. Maybe Christmas eve morning is really the ideal time? My kids have been bouncing off the cotton picking walls ALL DAY though, so...

As usual there was 99% monkey business (I am looking at you Grant) and 1% picture taking.

 Oh oh, almost a decent one!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The nativity

One day I was staring at the Christmas tree and had the brilliant idea to put the nativity under the tree. We always have our tree screwed to the big shipping crate (it keeps the tree secure and raises a rather short five foot vintage tree to much grander heights). I put the figures in there but it took me awhile to get the inside painted a dark blue and get the lights in there. I used copper wire lights (Amazon) because I wanted them to be like stars. 

Sammi woke up yesterday and noticed it for the first time. "Mama! It looks so real."

"But these three kings need to be looking at the baby."

"And the animals too. Can I move them?" 

Sure kid why not.

After all, that baby is the star of the show!

(Sam is infinitely more religious than the boys. It's interesting to me how some people seem to be born faithful and others born skeptics.) 

Last flea market finds of 2016

Well, now Jack is down with the puke (which has been dragging on for thirteen days in case you are counting.) it's really better to just have to juggle them all sick at once if I'm being honest. This is dragging on forever and I'm sure it's my turn soon. Oy.

I've managed to scrounge up a few Christmas things as it barrels town on us. No more time for junking till the new year at this point!

Dave and I snuck off for a few minutes to a vintage Christmas market AND a cristkindle market. It's somewhat embarrassing but the vintage market mostly just felt like my basement had exploded. I did pick up this German gnome planter. 

And a small sparkly tree ( the pics are awful, company was coming and I needed to put them away quickly!). 

In other places I found a set of shiny mica ornaments, maybe homemade?

A few more putz houses for the putz tree.

More foil bells. I thought I had a lot more of these than I found in my bins this year. 

And a ton of tiny bubble lights! These are so fun, too bad they will have to wait till next year. 

Santa baby

The kids are slowly (7 days apart) falling victim to a stomach virus so tonight we will be missing the preschool sing along. I'm sad about that - the preschool years are so short and it always makes me feel very in the spirit. 

We took the kids to see Santa just before thanksgiving. He teased the little kids about asking for the opposite of what they want, and they are still amused by that. (Sam is such a tiny thing she is wearing the same dress as last year.)

Sam started to write out her list then quickly decide cut and paste was much more efficient (and Santa thanked her for the pictures). Basically she'd like a lot of art stuff and one very very very hard to find toy.

Grants list was trains with a side of trains please.

Jack asked for an anki overdrive and computer stuff (a chair, headphones). 

And some random grant artwork . I think it's him and dad? He's sleeping off the pukefest of last night it I'd ask. 

A quilt finish - civil war bear paw

I've had a little bee in my bonnet to work with indigos for awhile now. Don't ask me why - it's completely out of my usual comfort zone.  My quilty wish list for this year also included a two color quilt. So, let's kill two birds with one stone!

 The bear paw seemed an obvious pattern choice.  I have to say I am completely smitten with how this turned out. My points are pretty damn good and the colors are striking.

I bought almost all the fabric at the Missouri Star Quilt co when we passed through there back in October. They have a whole shop of just reproduction fabrics.  It was a slow start though - I could not seem to find enough blues that I liked (perhaps because this is out of my wheelhouse, eh?).

 It is HUGE. I didn't measure after washing, but it was 90x108. I wanted it bed sized.

 When it was out in the daylight I could tell I have had that yellowing problem again. I have no clue why? I never figured it out the last time either, but I was not washing this thing again. I need to go back and check my notes on the batting on the last quilt this happened to.

 There is a little bit of cheddar in two of the blue fabrics.

 And a not true to the period polka dot on the binding. I had to. First I was totally out of the other fabrics and second, I always use a dot for the binding. It's my fav.

Details:
Bear paw pattern in 14 inch blocks
Civil war repro fabrics for blues, a downton abbey repro for the center white
Muslin for the back (it felt true to the period fabrics)
Cotton batting
90x108
Start - Nov 2016, Finished - Dec 2016

Now, what shall I make next?!?!

Christmas Card Photo time

Ahh, the time of year when we drive mama totally insane trying to take a Christmas card photo. As usual there is plenty of arguing, fighting, yelling, demanding, threatening and general mucking about.

I am not even sure which one I put on the cards this year?!?! LOL

Three kids is a handful, that much is certain. 

Sammi said to me in the orthodontist the other day - Mom, what happens to your teeth when they fall out? The tooth fairy comes. That's not possible, fairies aren't real! Well, I don't know then Sam, I just know the tooth fairy comes. What does she do with them then? If you ask teen titans Samantha they say she eats them, so I have no clue. LOLOL (My kids love teen titans, I think its so gross or something. Tooth eating!! Blech.)