Christmas 2017

Christmas Eve started out with snow around noon!  Yikes! I was a nervous wreck...kids weren't coming until 4 or so, as Amber had to work until 3.  I didn't want the kids to drive in the storm but they each said "it's Michigan...not a problem".

..and to add to the bad weather, my poor son came down with the flu!  He had a fever and stomach issues and was so sick.  I felt so bad as we've never not been together for Christmas!  He did manage to smoke the brisket we were having for dinner!  And it was delicious!

We love to have appetizers for our dinner and along with Darrin's smoked brisket it was delicious.

We always do the 'family Christmas pictures' first then we eat...I'm doing them out of order!  HA

Minus my sick son....sniff, sniff

My babies are growing up!!!  Where did those grands go!!

Nick got a pizza box with 'dough'!

Amber got a lot of travel items for her trip to Europe with Auntie during spring break!

My SIL got a new quillow from me!

I made it extra long for him!

My last post was about the Christmas gift I made for my son and daughter......

because Darrin had the flu and didn't come, my daughter got to open her book and box of memorabilia alone.  This was her looking through the her box of memorabilia... 

 AND the book

we both shed tears but I think she was happy with her book!  My son opened his Christmas Day...I know he was surprised that I kept so many of his 'papers'.  Both kids said "where did you  keep all these at?"  

And Kris (DIL) and Dawn got me an InstaPot!!!  And lots of essentials to go along with it!!!  I even got 3 cookbooks for recipes to make!  I am so excited but I need to see if I can stash it  in the car and take to Florida!  We pack every inch of the car so I am going to have to be very creative in my packing!  Stay tuned!  

Missed Darrin but it was a wonderful, fun filled afternoon/evening...we even played two different games that Nick suggested I get.  Every year I like to buy some game for us to play.  We even got grandpa to be the reader for The Game of Things..the other game we got was Exploding Kittens.  Both were fun to play...hope the kids play this winter!  But they might wait until grandma gets back in the spring!  HA  Which, as you are reading this, we'll be in the car heading south!!  Florida here we come!

Surprise Christmas Project

This is the big project I've worked on and off through the summer and fall....A family tree book of my children's fathers family for their Christmas present!   The past month I have uploaded 277 pictures.... I've researched both Jerome's (kids father) mother and father's sides of his family.  Thank goodness for Family Tree software and Ancestry.com!
 What a journey/task this was...but also so interesting.  Dawn and Darrin are each getting a book and the pages are identical.  I also have some memorabilia I've saved that I put in some nice cases for each of them.  I've saved report cards, wedding invitations, birth announcements, notes from my daughter...even my son's letter from the Marines releasing him from service because he broke vertebra in his back.  I know he will be shocked I kept that!  I have a letter my daughter wrote me in '84 when she went off to college!  So sweet!

Each book is organized starting with their dad's info/birth/schooling/etc.  Pages/sections are uploaded with pictures of his younger days, followed by our wedding, being a father, a hairdresser and then printouts of each side of his family tree starting with his father's side then his mother's side.

My daughter's front album cover

My son's front cover

Each page is on scrapbook paper that I decorated with little items purchased.  I had to make sure I purchased two of everything - remember each book is identical!  Talk about a production line!!!  But I am good at organization!  HA

Younger days

I found newspaper  clippings and his yearbook pics - he won a beard contest in 1960 when he was in college and won a shaver!  

Hairdresser days!

Being a father - I had 3 pages of pictures of Jerome with the  kids and I

Another page of being a dad

Some of my son's pages

Some of my daughter's pages

Just an example of one of the family tree info

This was quite a journey for me as well.  Looking back on Jerome's life, our life and the kids gave me time to reflect on life itself.  Jerome passed away in 2000 but he is still part of the kids life.  He and I remained friends after our divorce and I know that is what contributed to our kids being the great adults/parent/aunt they are today. We've always respected each other and we'll never forget "J".....

Packing up!

Today, I got the car washed and packed the back seat with my sewing and art supplies!  My car will now sit until next Wednesday! 
Bob said that I'm ahead of schedule but I don't really see that I am.  I always get the back seat packed up so I know how many space save bags need to go on the seats so I can put the dogs crates on top.  It just raises the girls up so they can see outside a little better.

I had another picture of my sewing supplies but I can't locate it!   The picture above is just some of my dyeing/art supplies.  I'm taking some thermofax screens my friend Mary gave me along with screens for deconstructed screen printing. 
I don't take as much as I used to and this year I'll be working on a T-shirt quilt, which will take up lots of my time!  Saves on what I need to pack!

 And look closely...on the left side beside the fireplace is my little pocket wall quilt!  It looks nice beside the fireplace!

Monday was Bob's BD so we headed off to Black Rock restaurant.  It was a really good meal..especially for us who don't eat a lot of beef!  We each cooked our own 6 oz. sirloin on the lava rock and it was delicious!  Very tender!  We got a coupon for  a free dessert so when we get back home we are going back to get another meal and dessert...they look huge so we'll have to pace ourselves!

We started off with the onion ring tower!  Yikes!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all!  I'll have one more post in before we leave showing my big gift for my daughter and son this year!  Hope they are as happy with their gift as I was to make it!

Now you see it...now you don't!

I was watching Design Matters TV and Linda Kemshall showed how she made a quilted wall pocket using an old quilt.  Well, you know how I enjoy cutting up my old quilts (now that my bud, Mary, showed me how easy it is to do this!)....so this was easy for me! 

I found this piece hanging in my sewing room and thought it would be perfect to cut up since it's small enough and there won't be much waste!  (because what would I do with the left overs! HA). 

And here is my finished wall pocket! 

My only dilemma is where to hang it!  HA  The colors don't go with any of my rooms so I'll have to think on it.  Or perhaps it will be a gift to someone...I sewed a D ring on the back so it hangs on the wall.  I didn't have any dried flowers so I just cut up some Eucalyptus!  Works for me!

First 'real' snow of 2017!

Yep, our first real snow has occurred this week!  We've had a dusting or two a few weeks ago but this week almost 8"!  Yep...it's Michigan!!!

Dogs are lovin it!  Which really surprises me because Gigi doesn't like to get her feet wet but she loves the snow!  HA

So pretty!

Back of our house faces the woods which are beautiful in the winter

Hard to see the snow falling

My first dog area shoveling!

It is so pretty...at least if you are able to sit inside and look outside!!!  HA  You can't tell in the pictures above how much snow is falling!  It was a lot!

  But soon we'll be in sunny Florida...although, my friends are telling me how cold it is in Ocala...only up to the mid 40's this week.  For me, that's perfect weather...with the Florida sun it feels more like 60...but that's still cold to those Floridians!  HA  Wimps! 

A few chores finished!

I am making great progress...getting those projects slowly but surely finished!  The one 'big' project is all finished and wrapped!  Woo hoo!!!  And I finished my knitted cape/shawl/whatever!  In fact, I've worn it twice!  First time was this past Monday at our fiber meeting/luncheon.  

My buds: Carol, Mary, Me and Lois Ann

The gals liked it and when I wore it to dinner with Bob he liked it as well!  I don't have a picture of me wearing it...guess I need to do that!  Another item to put back on the list!  It looks really nice with a black turtle neck and black slacks!  My favorite non color!  HA

And I packed up my sewing supplies and art supplies for Florida.  I won't pack in the car until next Friday or Saturday.  I feel like I am missing something to pack!  Each year my stack gets smaller and smaller!!!

Art/dye supplies

Sewing supplies

This is a picture from 2015...see the difference!  I'm not taking my beading supplies or my acrylics...worse case, I'll have to buy supplies if I need them.  I have a t-shirt quilt to make which will take up most of my time this winter.

We don't leave until the 27th but I like to get the back seat/floor packed because that's where I put the dog crates...well, actually they go on the seat but I pack bags/boxes whatever to make a nice flat area across and over the whole seat.  This is our 14th year packing so I have this part down pat!  HA  

And I am taking my hex's with me to work on at night!  Love the colors...in fact, now that my knitted project is finished I've been stitching on these at night.  I did order some new needles so i can start another knitted scarf on our 2 1/2 day trip south!

Gifts are all wrapped and under the tree!!!  I am so excited about Christmas and gift giving this year!  You'll all see why after Christmas!  Shhhhhh  it's a secret!!!!!

Just for my girls!

I made another batch of dog food for the 'girls'...it's cooked ground turkey, steamed carrots, zucchini, spinach (all chopped), brown rice and peas!  Girls love it!  They each get 1/4 cup along with 1/4 kibble twice a day.  I've been doing this since mid October and so far so good!

Kalee has had issues with pancreatitis and little Gigi has had several episodes of bile in the a.m.    I've had them both on kibble and some Hills ID canned food and episodes were down quite a bit.  But some friends of my sister posted this recipe they had started their large dogs on (one of them is in remission from cancer).   I thought I'd give it a try and so far so good!  I feel so much better feeding this to my dogs.  I'm still keeping on kibble for some of the vitamins until I can research what they need.

 There are so many books on cooking for your dog.  Who knew!  I did get one book from the library that I read but for the life of me I can't find the name of it!  It's not in my history list on the library web site and I just don't remember!  It had some good recipes but I'll keep researching.  

Until then!  The girls will just have to settle for 1/2 cup a day!  OH, and they each get a spoonful of baby oatmeal before they go to bed at night!  Vet suggested this so they have something in their tummy.  Do I love my girls or what!  HA   

19 Days and Counting!

No, not 19 days until Christmas...19 days until we leave for Florida!  Yikes!  I am never ready to  leave our home or family or friends....that is until the cold wind/weather gets to me.  And, I have to admit, it's starting to get to me.  We had over 40 mph winds this past week and even today...temp was only a high of 27 degrees and windy!!!  Brrrrrrrrrrr

Wish I could show what else has taken up so much of my time this past month!  I'll be able to share after Christmas!!!  It has been a lot of work but I know it will be appreciated by the recipients!  How disappointed will I be if they aren't! 

 But I have been knitting at night on the Summer Night  pattern.  I'm using a tri color yarn of black and grays...and I hope to finish up this weekend. 

I also found these buttons but not sure which one I'll use...I like the solid color but.....we'll see once it's all stitched up!

This is the sample that was in the yarn shop.  It's not as long as the pic on the pattern web site.  I like it shorter, hence, what drew me to make this. 

So that's my story for now!  Looking forward to the weekend for wrapping Christmas gifts and doing some knitting!