NYE Mystery 2010, Designer Mystery BOM and Fabric Gifts

This is last month's Designer Mystery BOM Block Six "Hung by the Fire" designed by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson of www.meandmysisterdesigns.com and it went together fairly well. I still have one more to go (it is in progress) and I am sure the next one will be arriving soon--don't even ask what step I am on on Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll (Two, haha) and yes I am still assembling the last block on Carolina Crossroads too. I am so far behind but I no longer think I am first! I work quite a bit next week so don't think I am catching up anytime soon. Oh well, there is always summer, right?

This gorgeous fabric was on my wish list for Christmas and I was lucky enough to get it! I love the colors and can hardly wait to bust it open! It is by Moda and is called Basic Grey Origins.

Kathy's fabric choices for Ann B. Smith's NYE Mystery 2010.

My fabric choices for the same mystery. You may notice that the circus fabric is the same one Kathy used in the last year mystery...I decided to go ahead and use it again this year because we have a hunk of it left and because we are doing crib size quilts this year. DJ will be joining us for the day and we will teach her some about sewing, ironing and mystery quilting so we didn't want to stress about keeping up and we didn't really need two more lap size quilts this year so crib size it is. Seems we can always come up with babies to give quilts to.

So yesterday we got everything cut and marked. Or Kathy cut it all cut and I got it all marked. We are all set for tomorrow. We even have our burgendy beef roast and crock pot all set and just about ready to go. It will make for a really nice New Year's as always.

A Little Bit of Christmas

Dj and I went to Zoolights with Stephanie, Butch and Kari this year just before Christmas. The batteries in my camera were not charged (don't ask it was a busy day!) and so we were stuck using our cell phones for pictures and mine had gunk in the lens so the pictures were blurry...so this is about the best picture we have from Steph's phone and it isn't that great, but we did have a great time!

My favorite part is the musical coordination of the lights and the Christmas tunes. All the gals I was with were Deaf and they were equally (or almost equally) impressed by this section of trees.

My daughter Hannah wasn't with us for Christmas this year, but she sent thsi lovely Packer gnome which was a big hit with me! You can also see I have lost almost fifty pounds in this picture (with plenty more to go, but I am off to a good start).

Kathy got me lots of great presents..most of which I had requested and she had bought before we broke up. She wound up moving out on Christmas Eve day...and took Joe and Rosey with her, but she spent most of the day celebrating the holiday with us and came back Christmas Day for several hours too. She moved in with a co-worker and we will stay good friends and see how time changes us. Kathy gave me lots of fabric and a book to help me with teaching interpreting. And of course she got me a Nook which I really love. I have already started reading Marlee Matlin's new book "I'll Scream Later."

Randy got me a quilting book I didn't already have, an illustrated "Life of Pi" book which is cool.

This picture is of me with the musical snow globe that DJ got me. She had it engraved to say "I gave my heart to you, November 17, 2010" which means alot to me. She put a lot of thought into it! She also got me this perfume I wanted "Sadie" and ordered me a book from Weeks Ringle...so someone there had to take a video relay call :) Very cool.

Christmas Eve we had Jade, Daisy and Felina over (all Deaf) to have enchiladas, and red rice and such and exchange gifts. It was really nice and Jade gave me a gorgeous green cover for my Nook that says "choose an author as you choose a friend" on it. It is perfect. Daisy got me a lotion that smells really nice too. They were good company and a nice break...I guess my family got together at my brother's house. He did text and ask me to come a few hours before it started. But we didn't go. Mackenzie flew in Thursday before Christmas so it was nice to have both my "boys" here for the holidays.

They spent some time with their Uncle Sam and cousin Christopher (who turned 21 today) on Christmas Day....so snapped this pic of them with cousin Ben and Uncle Sam today. (Left to right...Mac, Ben Sam, Coleman) what a good looking bunch of men!
I haven't done any sewing at all...none. at. all. Kathy and I still planning to do NYE mystery. Will get together on Wed to get fabric picked out and cut....I miss it, I miss sleep too.

Roll Roll Cotton Boll is Rolling!

Can you say BEHIND? I know, I know...this is not a word you associate withe me....but my life has completely been a whirlwind the last month and I am indeed behind. First off my son was in the hospital in ICU with problems related to his diabetes and that was just the beginning of the craziness that was apparently November and most of December. He is fine now. My longtime partner and I broke up and my roommate is moving out and she is moving into his room. My new girlfriend has moved in and while my life has been insane everything is falling into place just right and it will settle down. So awhile back I started part one of Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll (Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville's current mystery) and tonight I finally finished it! Nevermind that clue five comes out tomorrow. I have some of the stuff cut for clue two and three....but clue one is done!

My new girlfriend and I went to see my first quilt hanging in a show quilt. It was an amazing show and I am still impressed by the whole thing. Here are some pictures of the book they put together for the show. I wish I could have a picture of the quilt hanging there, but it was pretty high end and I didn't think it would look good to be snapping pictures!


This is my bio (and a few others) in the book.

And the second quilt in is of course my "Outside the Box" quilt designed by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr in "The Modern Quilt Workshop" and is my third one of this pattern. You can see some other moderns on those pages and my new friend Michelle made two of them and the donation/raffle quilt for the show too. Very impressive and I love how hers turned out!

They didn't wind up hanging my second quilt (Flock of Triangles) after all, but they still have that one there too. I can now cross that off my bucket list. DJ and I dressed up though people there were REALLY dressed up. They had champagne and snacks (horses doovers, lol) and it was a beautiful environment and show. There were many gorgeous quilts and it was an honor to have mine hanging up among them. The benefit was to raise money for autism so I hope it raised a lot!

I also put one of the blocks together for Carolina Crossroads...still have quite a few to go on this one...but will get to it over break I hope! We did manage to set up our tree last weekend and I have been wrapping presents and getting things in the mail and some cards out and all that this week. Theme of the month: EMBRACE CHANGE!