wishing each of you...

A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!

 

This snow is what we found waiting for us this morning...and the weatherman predicted *a dusting*!!

when the brothers get together...

I just had to put two more pictures from our *Christmas together* on my blog! Please be patient with me.....but don't you wonder what these two are up too?? These are my college boys (grandsons) and this is exactly how our Christmas went this year...SO MUCH FUN!!

 

Laugher until our sides hurt and the tears rolled down our cheeks! GOTTA LOVE THESE COLLEGE BOYS! Luv ya Dan and Joe!!

 

the fun and the emotion...

We will start with the fun of Christmas Day! Have you heard of DDR (?)...it is the new craze you dance with the instructions shown on the TV as generated from a mat on the floor in response to the movement of your feet!! The grandchildren received the DDR as a Christmas gift. It was at first *just fun* and then became a challenge for the young and the slightly older LOL!! We start with the cousins challenging cousins...this picture is granddaughter and grandson giving their best to the challenge...there are two grandsons on the couch waiting patiently (or not) for their chance at the challenge! Laughter and cheers from those of us not willing to give it a try!!

 

This picture is of the slightly older adults (parents of the cousins) the "sibling challenge", actually my daughter and son challenging each other to have a higher score then the *cousins*...I never did figure out the scoring on the TV screen, but the words *boo* and *perfect* did explain a lot!!

 

These next two pictures will be explained just once. Each year *hubby* handcrafts an item from wood for our adult children in the family! This year he built each couple a bench made from the wood from our previous home! It was a historic house in the community and one that I thought I would spend my entire married life living in! Not meant to be, the state had a different plan...they demolished the house to make room for a road project! The state did allow that we could *PURCHASE* items from the house, which included some of the beautiful wood in the house. For our daughter and her hubby a bench was made from the wood used in the cellar pantry that held the canned goods that we spent hours in the summer canning in preparation for the winter months! The wood is painted and still has the stains from the *jars* that sat on the shelves for the winter months (daugher and her hubby love primitive furniture)!! The bench for our son and his wife is made from the wood of the open stairway in that *historic house*. It is the beautiful *dark* wood that we were always careful not to damage as we climbed the stairs multiple times a day and when we removed it from the soon to be demolished house! Can you even imagine the ugliness that the bulldozer would have caused to the beautiful old wood of that house! OH HOW I MISS OUR HOUSE (my house of dreams)!!

 

 

i wish to say...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and please remember "JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON"!!

 

crunch time...

Even the young get caught in the *crunch time* of Christmas preps! At the last minute *sweet granddaughter* needed to make *special* gifts for other relatives...the *other side of the family* get together is today at 2:00 p.m. and she did it!! The first picture is showing what could have really been a mistake! This one was pushed aside and another one started in its place. PILLOWS is what was decided on...pillows that look like *crazy patch* quilts of old!! The idea is to start in the middle with an odd number sided piece and BUILD on that....she started out well but I forgot to tell her she needed to sew around and around that center shape...she could have ended up with a real mess, and no way out!! Looking at the remaining three pictures you can see she figured it out, did it well. She had completed projects at 10:00 a.m. this morning, probably a total of 6 hours on the projects that were started earlier in the week!! For sure it was CRUNCH TIME with these projects!!
 
 
 
 

I love what *sweet granddaughter* came up with, color wise...she selected *colors* that "look like the person". I am sure she meant their favorite colors, and then using the machine she did the fancy stitching to accent the different shapes in the pillow top!! So we should have two happy aunts and the *other* grandma* should be delighted! The pillow colors are a bit distorted because of the flash, but I am sure you get the idea, red, blue and purples....because they "look like the person"....hmmmmmm I wonder what color I would look like??

when Christmas is near...

 

I am HUGE on tradition ~ just ask my family!! You know "Christmas is near" when the Christmas socks appear, and here they are!! Each year I MUST buy *socks* for my two co-workers in the office, oh yes and a desk top Poinsettia *mysteriously* arrives on their desks the week before Christmas ~it is *tradition* you see~ !! It is so much fun being Santa's helper *HO-HO-HO*! WHY three pairs of socks you may ask....one pair for me of course LOL, but which pair will be mine and how to decide on the other two ??

This year I ALMOST DIDN'T stay with THAT tradition...but I just could not allow office administration problems to get in the way of my *tradition*, my co-workers are very gracious with their gratitude for the continued tradition. I *love* my co-workers in the office...THEY ARE THE BEST! Merry Christmas to Jessica and Linda!!

it starts with the ice storm...

This is a picture from Sunday and the ice storm that hit PA, taken around 1:00 p.m., but it continued with snow, sleet and more ice!
 
Before the roads became totally impossible *sweet granddaughter* called to ask if she "can come sew" (OH I LOVE THIS TYPE OF PHONE CALL)! It would be really tough to need to say "no" and most times I don't need to say "no" :>)!! She is very capable without my sitting next to her as she sews, or as she selects and cuts fabrics! So it is a *win~win* no matter what!!
 
Remember the *cottage industry* of a previous post, well *sweet granddaughter* needed to make yet another *book pouch* that she has designed for a friend! Here is a picture of the newest version (design) that she has created! Each one she designs and sews *we* like better then the previous one!! Typical designer/sewer as the product is developed it takes on a better personality and becomes a favorite!! The first batch had just a flipped corner with buttons, this one has the "fuzzy" yarn as its decoration on the flipped up corner!! IT IS SO MUCH FUN to watch her design, create and play with making the *book pouch*! What makes me the proudest Grandma is she is confident enough to do HER OWN THING...*she continues to be my hero*!!
 
WHAT DID I DO WITH MY TIME IN THE SEWING ROOM during the ice storm (?)....well I played with my tub of scraps, they are truly spilling over the sides of the tub, and I need to DO SOMETHING WITH THEM...so I made scrappy blocks! I didn't worry about colors, or what I put together ~ I JUST DID IT!! Some of the pieces were already scraps sewn together, leftovers trimmed from previous projects! So you see scraps can become something!!
 

Even an ice storm can bring something fun :>)...if you have a sewing buddy, better known as *sweet granddaughter*!!

in the holiday mood...

The first three pictures are taken at 1:00 p.m. today, the ice is just beginning to build up on the trees in the back yard area! Yes the wooded area is part of what I see everyday in back of my house (woods in front and woods in back),but in back belongs to a wonderful neighbor. They told my grandchildren years ago, they may walk in and enjoy the wooded area anytime! They are very nice neighbors! They have a long curved driveway that is perfect for sledding in a safe area, no traffic and permission for my family to go sledding anytime!! The wooded area way out in front of my house is owned by the Amish, also very nice but that is where the hunting happens and that makes me nervous! Please notice the last picture showing an antique sled and please notice the items displayed on the sled :>)!! The little skates and gloves belonged to my son *years ago*!! Well lets just say they are at least 40 years old ;-o!

The story with the skates, the very first time my son used them to skate he fell and when he hit the ice he cut his head....he refused to ever put the skates on again!! A few years later my daughter wore the skates only a few times, BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK YOU SEE...black is not what girls would wear to skate so it was not long until we purchased white skates! I am not sure if you can see that the skates have a *double* blade (about 1/2" (inch) apart on each skate), made for better skating for young children and *maybe* gave a little more safety to new skaters...except IF you ask my son!! This sled is part of my Christmas display on the outside as you approach my front door.
 
 
 
 

paper quilt blocks...

I just HAD to take my camera with me to school today. On Wednesday as I went on an errand to the 6th grade wing of the building, much to my surprise I noticed that the bulletin boards in the hall were all about *quilt blocks*...involving math equations! The assignment was to learn about .10ths and the math teachers instructed the students to use certain colors by .10th to design a quilt block...and the blocks needed to add up to 1.00. These bulletin boards were just so much fun for a quilter to look at ~ WOW very neat! I asked one of the math teachers if it would be OK for me to take pictures of the blocks and she said "SURE" and then added "one was designed by my grandson"...so here you go a chance to see "paper quilt blocks" and to see my 4th grandchild! You know I have been PROMISING a picture of the youngest grandson...and on the last picture of this *blog* entry he is pointing to the quilt block that he designed. Now he also told me he has a mistake on his block...he missed one .10th square in the color of blue! Don't you love his smile (?) he is just a great kid!
 
 
 
 

I LOVE MY GRANDCHILDREN VERY MUCH, I AM VERY BLESSED!!

a day put to good use...

 
This is the reason I was able to achieve some housework that was WAYYYYY overdue! Early this morning I received the call from the school telling me ~ "NO SCHOOL" because of bad weather! This is how my car looked this morning when I would have headed out to the office, covered with sleet and getting worse as the day progressed. I have been hoping for a day like this one...sorry for the folks that MUST head out to work, but I NEEDED TODAY!! The next three pictures show you a bit of what I did with my day...CLEANING and decorating!! Just a bit of laundry made the journey too, but I did not think you needed pictures of my laundry LOL!!
 
The skate decoration was created by DD, she actually surprised me with this by using *my* skate from when I was a high school gal!! Isn't it clever? I love it and actually thought the skates were LONG gone!!
 
This shelf is above my front door,my hubby created it for me a few months ago. He recycles wood, if it has any good parts he uses them with his own design. This is an *antique* house shutter with the original paint (after he cleaned the dirt and grim from it). One side is *country blue* and the other side is *country blue and burgundy*, I am not sure what the plan was originally for this shutter (it is the result of one of those *estate sales* that I attend) LOL!! Hubby then used attic floor boards for backing and sides, from the historic house that the state TOOK FROM US for a road project in 1990! He then added *antique* square headed nails for the pegs (the nails I believe are pulled from old boards the result of a barn renovation by my son and his family, they were not useful for the barn project and will probably be used for fireplace kindling)! I 'tell ya' hubby is very creative, give him a suggestion and he can do it!! Decorating the shelf requires my hubby helping by climbing a ladder!

And what would Christmas decoration pictures be without the stockings...here they are all hung in a row just waiting for things to mysteriously appear in them!
 

Please enjoy just a touch of Christmas decorations at my house! I would guess that more will follow at a later time!! In the meantime I AM THANKFUL FOR THE DAY HOME FROM THE OFFICE!!

empty nester...

Just a few pictures of the beautiful snow that arrived at my house on Wed/Thurs! The reason for the title of this blog entry is...you guessed it, the occupants of this birdhouse have headed south ~ and they are missing this beautiful snow!
 
The remaining three pictures are snapped from my front porch, and yes this is my front yard........beautiful with snow, but OH SO MUCH mowing in the summer!! My house is in the center of 2.5 acres of grass, shrubs and trees!
 
 
 

beginning with holiday concerts...

Here she is...one of the musicians in the family! This is the granddaughter in the family...along with the three grandsons ! WE ARE BLESSED!!
One of the blessings is that the grandchildren are very talented musicians...*sweet* granddaughter plays the Bassoon with the school Concert Band, she plays the Saxophone with the Marching Band, she plays the Piano because she loves to, she dances (takes Ballet and Jazz lessons for this) and she is taking voice lessons....now that is a lot of music in one young lady.
And here she is with the Saxophone in the *holiday concert* of last night, this picture was taken during the Jazz Band part of the concert...) !! Don't forget this is the gal that quilts with me every chance she gets... remember the *quilt* and *cottage industry* blog entries from a few weeks ago...well this is yet another talent of this *sweet* one!!

You may remember a few weeks ago we traveled to the university for a *concert* involving the two older grandsons, both students at Lehigh U...and the third photo is of the two college boys...~love you Joe and Dan! One is very talented with the
Tuba having traveled many places during his high school years having auditioned into *special* music opportunities. The younger college grandson is in percussion, and if it involves anything with percussion he can play it...actually the last concert at the university, he played a beat on a *board*...yep a plain old board!! GOTTA LUV THESE CREATIVE GUYS!! They also play several other instruments and string instruments, if it makes music they teach themselves to play it!!

Now the youngest grandson is also into percussion, and played in the holiday concert last night, but the pictures are so blurry of the youngest grandson...they were impossible to use......BUT I PROMISE pictures of that guy in another *blog* entry!!

I DO HOPE YOU ENJOYED A GLIMPSE OF 3 OF THE 4....THEY ALL BRING MUCH JOY TO MY LIFE!!

quilts of old...

I very much enjoy going to estate auctions, especially if I see that there will be quilts sold! The treasures of old in *good* condition are sometimes very tough to find, and most of all if you find them...they can become very expensive! When I attend an auction and I decide there is a *quilt* I will bid on, I MUST set a limit to my bid...it is so easy to be pulled into bidding beyond the planned amount!

This quilt is a *crazy patch* quilt, made with the most beautiful velvets and carefully hand stitched with the typical *crazy patch* stitching between each color of velvet! This I believe would be typical of a *VICTORIAN* crazy patch, I am still doing my research on this info! The price was right and I won the bid a few years ago on this beauty!!

And this is yet another *antique* quilt that I was fortunate enough to win the bid on a few years ago! The auctioneer told us this quilt is actually called a *hap* but often referred to as a quilt! A *hap* is extremely heavy, and is a crazy patchwork on both sides, with very heavy batting in between and then tied a few places.....this feels like it weighs a *ton* and would have been used for covering laps while riding a *sleigh*, *buggy* or *open wagon* in the winter!! On the picture I have flipped up one corner so that you can see both sides are patchwork and in excellent condition!! I was very excited to hear the auctioneer say *sold* and point to me to be able to purchase both of these quilts at two different auctions!

At some point it is my plan (when I hit the retirement home) that my son and his family and my daughter and her family will each be the owners of these treasures, and they will always remember that *mom* enjoyed estate sales and winning the bid on the "quilts of old"!!

p.s. I am not sure what happened to my original of this post, but in making a correction, I may have sent it into cyber space...but I am hopeful that this entry will stay this time!