Happy New Year

Hope that everyone has a safe and happy New Year. I always make New Year's Resolutions, but usually end up not keeping them so this year I thought about skipping them but it just doesn't feel right. I finally decided on two resolutions, 1. Make the most of each day, 2. Finish one UFO a month. What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Last project of the year!!

I was determined to get the borders sewn onto my Christmas Lights project before the end of the year. I just finished. I am really excited with the way the borders look. Thanks so much to Becky, Pat, and Melissa for helping me pick out the perfect borders.

Lots to do, and too little time

You would think that I would realize by now that I can never do everything that I want in the time that I have off. We have two weeks off from work for the holidays, which is wonderful. Most of last week was spent in Mississippi with mom and extended family, it was a wonderful Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas has become the only time that I see several of my cousins, it is always great to catch up with them. Hubby and I came back on Saturday, spent Sunday with his family and it has taken me the last two days to get all of the Christmas decorations put away and our returns made. I have to go to the grocery store today to get the makings for Hoppin John and greens. Then it is off to the sewing room.
I was able to spend one day before leaving with my friends Krisite and Becky to do a little stimulating of the economy. I managed to buy myself a couple of Christmas presents. One is a kit from Little Quilts for Josephine's Sampler, I was determined not to buy another kit, then I saw this one made up and had to have it, the kit features their new line of fabric, Tanyard Creek. Can't wait to get started on it. I also picked up a stitchery pattern from Crabapple Hill featuring snowmen. I even found the polka dot fabric that is used as the border on the pattern and for the stitchery blocks I am using a white tone on tone snowflake print. I like to have stitchery to work on at night while watching TV. Need to get a couple of blocks ready for the football frenzy that will be going on at my house later this week. Kristie also purchased this pattern.

Dear Santa

Did you hear....the wonderful folks over at the Fat Quarter Shop have an "in" with Santa...he's going to be reading the Jolly Jabber Blog! Word has it that Santa will be granting a few wishes that show up over there! I have to say, it's been a while since I've written to Santa, so this is going to be fun! So, Santa...here's a few things on my wish list right now.

I love anything red, and would just be sooooo happy to get the fat quarter bundle of the Cayenne 19th Century Reds, after all red is the #1 Christmas color.









I would also be very happy to get the Blessings Jelly Roll from Bannock & Patek. That would be a wonderful present to find under my Christmas tree. You can never have too many "blessings."



I would also be very, very happy if Santa brought me the Civil War Home Front Layer Cake from Barbara Brackman. I love any fabric by Barbara Brackman and it would be a great addition to my collection.
I think that Santa will probably notice a trend here, I definitely have a thing for Civil War repro fabrics. I live in Atlanta, the city that was given to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present. What better way to celebrate than to ask for my own little piece of the Civil War. Merry Christmas everyone.

Holiday Reading

I love holiday books, actually I love any kind of book, but especially holiday ones. I even have a collection of children's holiday books. I discovered a new one this year, The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan. She is the author of one of my all time favorite children's books, Sarah Plain and Tall, when I saw this one at our book fair I had to get a copy of it. It is a very quick read, but very good, all about the true meaning of Christmas. The Christmas Cookie Club is another new holiday book this year. I can definitely see a sequel to it. I enjoyed the characters and would definitely like to know more about them.

I never know if I am going to like the Elm Creek Quilter's books or not, to me they are real hit or miss. This one I really enjoyed, you were able to finally get to know the new characters and revisit some of the older characters. It is also a very quick read.

All of these books are good, none will probably win a prize but they are entertaining and definitely in keeping with the holiday season. My favorite holiday book of all time is The Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. It is the first book I read every year at the beginning of the holiday season. I am usually not one to re-read books but I make an exception for that one. What is your favorite Christmas or holiday book?

The Tree is Up

The tree is up, finally. I love having a real tree! Last year for the first and I hope only time we had a "fake" tree, there was just too much going on to try to get a real tree and keep it watered. Some people want a tall and skinny tree, I am more of the round fat tree kind of person. This year we have a Frasier Fir, and as you can tell our tree doesn't have a theme, our decorations are a little bit of everything.

The sock monkey cowboy came from Cheyenne, WY a few years ago when we were there for Frontier Days.

I gave this ornament to my hubby for his birthday on Saturday, putting the star on the tree is always his job.

This snowman was made by a friend of ours from one of the pieces of wood that was left over from our cabin.

Joe bought me this cute little snowman the first Christmas we were together. I think it is one of my favorites.

Christmas Lights

This afternoon I had the house to myself and I wanted to work on a Christmas project. I started step two of Carolina Christmas, but decided I want to work on something that I could actually have a chance of getting completed in the near future. I dug out the blocks for Bonnie Hunter's Christmas Lights. I cut the triangles and got it up on my design wall. I really like the way it turned out. Some of the blocks are actually sew together. I already have the border fabrics, so this is something that I could get finished before Christmas. My goal is to get it quilted and actually have it to use next Christmas.

Stepping Stones or Amazing Grace

Last night while working on Carolina Christmas, I felt like one UFO was starring at me, there was a quilt that had three of the four borders on and it was making me feel guilty. I stopped what I was doing and finished it. It is a Bonnie Hunter pattern, Stepping Stones. Earlier this year my friend Kristie organized a fabric swap with several of the Thimbles members for this quilt, the only fabrics of our own that we were to use were the black and white cornerstone pieces. I didn't get to work on mine right away since my fabrics "went missing" for a while, our wonderful leader Pat accidentally took them home with her and it was a while before I got them back. At her suggestion, the quilt is now named Amazing Grace, what was lost is now found. I do fell great getting something accomplished at this time of year. Who knows when it will get quilted.

Carolina Christmas

I can't believe that I am starting another new project. I wasn't going to, but when I looked in my stash and realized that I didn't have to purchase any fabric, (maybe the borders, later) I decided that I would go ahead and start. Carolina Christmas is one of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilts. The mystery actually started the day after Thanksgiving, but I am just now starting mine. I knew when I decided to start it that there was no way I could keep with up the clues. I think clue number 4 is already out, and I have just finished cutting the strips for clue number 1. My goal for next year is to do some major stash busting, and I thought this would give me a head start on it. Anyone else out there following along with Bonnie's mystery?

I won!!

I never win anything, but I did last week. I won Melissa's giveaway from Sweet Home Quilts. Each Friday Melissa announces a give away and I was the lucky winner of not one but five different patterns featuring Moda fabric. I was really excited to get them, as I had almost purchased two of them in the past. Check out her blog for future give aways.

It's beginning to look a lot like.......

Christmas is my all time favorite holiday. I shop for Christmas year around, work on Christmas gifts year around and plan my decorations. I decorate every room in the house. I started decorating over the weekend, I don't have my tree yet, since we get a live tree, that will come next week. I did get out all of my nutcrackers, or the little wooden b*******, as my hubby calls them. I really think that he hates them, he has even had nightmares about them. He shouldn't dislike them so much since he started my nutcracker collection. The first Christmas we were dating, I found one that I liked and he bought it for me. That one was followed by a couple of others that same year.

The next year my relatives started buying them for me. I have all different sizes and kinds.

One of my favorites is the little one int he photo above, a friend of mine brought it to me from Germany. I actually have three from Germany that friends have brought me.

I also have out my Christmas Cactus, which always bloom at Thanksgiving. They were really pretty this year. I have lots more decorations, but in my mind, if I bring them out a little at a time, my husband won't get to upset. He says that he doesn't like Christmas, but I really think that he does, he just doesn't like shopping.