Thanksgiving Week

I love Thanksgiving week. I always take this week as vacation and get to spend some quality time with my Granddaughter as her school closes for Parent/Teacher conferences. I always knew that Kylie was one smart cookie, but now she has the proof - Straight A's on her report card - it doesn't get any better than that. She reminds me so much of her father it's not even funny - I don't think that I ever got Straight A's - except maybe in art. Yes, I am one proud grandmother!

After spending the better part of the week with Kylie, I've come to the conclusion that I don't ever want to grow up - it's just too much fun being childlike. Don't they call this Peter Pan Syndrome?

I picked up Kylie on Saturday afternoon for a "Girls Day Out" and we started off at Joann Fabrics for a papercrafting demo. I always hoped to get into scrapbooking, but so far all I've ever done is some retail therapy and amass a lot of stuff that I planned to use one day and never have. Thankfully, I didn't purge it when I was in my "clean it out" mode. Joann's was demo-ing one of those fancy new Cricut machines and as they were setting the bait to reel us in, I thought twice about spending $400 for a machine that I may or may not use -- then there were the cartridges that go along with it. Whoa, this could be an expensive new hobby. Oh, did we ever get caught up in the possibilities of the things that we could make with this machine, but as we browsed the aisles of Joann's, they had a Sizzix Big Kick machine that was hand crank and 40% off both the machine and die-cuts. Now that was more like it. After we left Joann's, we went to lunch and Kylie's head was just swirling with ideas of what we were going to make.

Here's Kylie at work with cranking out all of the designs.

Let me tell you, this was the best money ever spent. I have never had so much fun playing with little pieces of paper and glue and seeing the happy smile on Kylie's face as she was creating her masterpieces. The time spent together laughing, talking and being creative was priceless.

Kylie did take time to dote on "the boys" and they loved every minute of it.

I have a few projects that I've been working on that are quilt related and I hope to get back to them once the papercrafting bug has let up.

This is an embroidered pillow top that just needs a backing.

This is the background for a Country Santa that needs to be appliqued.

and, finally a Christmas tree quilt that needs to be quilted and I'm still playing with the prairie points that will rim the edge.

I'm hoping that posting these half-finished photos of works-in-progress will shame me into finishing them. Do ya think???

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful that I had so much fun spending time with my granddaughter.

Early Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came early for us this year. My granddaughter is going to be spending Thanksgiving with her mother's family, so we decided that we have so much to be thankful for that we would celebrate early.


I spent most of Saturday cleaning my house - and believe me it sure did need it. I should be charging those dust bunnies rent. The weather was dreadful, so it was a good day to stay inside. I had my "to-do" list and it felt oh so good to cross off all those tasks that I've been putting off. This was also my first attempt at cooking a turkey and I was a little nervous, but since it wasn't officially Thanksgiving we could just call and order from KFC if it didn't turn out. Thankfully, it was as easy as it looked!

The "boys", Toby & Bailey, knew that something was up and were excited that we were having company - or should I say they were planning who would spend the most time with Kylie.

Dinner was so relaxing and enjoyable - no pressure, just good food, good company and good wine. I was on my A-game today and everything was timed perfectly.

You know how people get really sleepy after eating turkey, we'll I have two tired and exhausted pups (yes that photo is really two dogs sleeping together) and now I have the rest of the evening to do whatever. It doesn't get any better than this.

Life Goes On

I'm sure that anyone still reading my blog would think that I would be gushing about the wedding, but that didn't happen. Another curveball in the game we call life. Once again our family has learned that no matter what .... life does go on. These things happen for a reason and you don't dwell on it - you just move on.


Enough doom and gloom and on to happier things.


How about those Phillies - 2008 World Champions!!! My son, granddaughter and I went up to Philadelphia to see the parade - 28 years in the making and it was worth every minute of it. Twice in my lifetime the Philies have won a world championship. I've never seen sooo many people in one place at one time. The closest thing that I can imagine is Times Square on New Year's Eve which I've watched on TV and wondered "are those people nuts to want to be in a crowd like that" -- YES! But, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm glad that I got to experience it.


I won't go into how the crowd roared when Chase Utley dropped the F-bomb on "live" TV! Way to go Chase.........


Another piece of good news - I got a new sewing machine - a little 12-pound Janome Gem 760. A great little machine to take to all of those classes that I plan to attend. I'm not having a lot of success with forcing myself to spend time in my sewing room, so maybe if I take a few classes, I'll get my MoJo back. It would probably help, if I took the machine out of the box.....maybe.





My friend, Deb, and I have been sewing Stockings for the Troops and that is easing me back into sewing a little. I'm not setting the world on fire sewing these things, but it is using up a lot of Christmas fabric from my stash.


I've been keeping busy with two houses, too. My mother's house is almost cleaned out and I need to do some rennovations before moving in. I've also been clearing out my own house to downsize before moving. Oh my, the stuff we keep. I do get into these binges of "Use it or lose it", but it is so hard to get rid of your own stuff. Now, I'm looking at stuff to "use it or move it."

I can't believe the Holiday season is almost here and for us it will be bittersweet without Mom, but once again life does go on.