Witness Protection Program...

Sorry I've been "missing in action" for so long.  Between picking up extra shifts at work, stressing over getting ready for Christmas, and otherwise just sheer exhaustion, I just haven't been up to writing any blog posts.  I've taken pictures...they just never made it to the blog.  I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now.  

In addition to my continuing chiropractic visits, Andy finally started his own chiropractic journey last week after suffering with low back pain for the last 6 weeks or so.  Luckily, he has no underlying chronic disease processes going on like I do, so he should have a little easier path to recovery than I've had.  I could tell this morning that he was finally beginning to feel better because his attitude was lighter and he seemed more like his old self.  

I just got our Christmas tree put up tonight...FINALLY!  

And here's what it looks like with the room lights turned off...

The tree skirt is a vintage round table cloth that I slit up the back!  It works perfectly!  

We have boxes and boxes of decorations that we've accumulated over the years...many that the kids made when they were school-age, but I only put a few ornaments on the tree instead of loading it down.  Near the top of the tree I did include one that Paul made in Cub Scouts using a picture of himself, and one that Erin made in school one year using one of her school pictures.  Looking at all the old decorations brings back such sweet memories.  I wish I had the time, energy, and where-with-all to load the tree down with ornaments, but I just don't.  My neighbor offered her help the other day, and I probably should have taken her up on it...but the house is such a mess that I was embarrassed to think of her coming over and seeing it like this. :(

Paul and his family are coming in this weekend, so I've GOT to get my ass in gear and get the house cleaned and ready!!!!

Ginger is ready for Christmas!  She has a brand spanking new BLING collar in RED to show off her Christmas spirit!  

I'll leave you with this picture of my grandsons, Andrew and Alex...

Loretta

Even MORE Quilt Updates...

Quote for the Day:

"I hope to live all my life for my art, 

without abandoning my principles one iota."

~Gustave Courbet

This quilt update is about my customer's Sailboat Quilt that I've been hand quilting.  

I am almost finished with the second of four rows of sailboats!  I would estimate that I'm about 40% done with the entire quilt at this point.  

Here's a close-up of one of the most recent blocks that I've worked on...

Since the quilt isn't that big, I loaded it into my frame "sideways"...that's why the boats are on their sides.  Maybe we should name the quilt "Titanic" since the boats are all on their sides???

Loretta

More Quilt Updates...

Quote for the Day:

"The more we do, the more we can do."

~William Hazlitt

This past weekend, I finished another quilt.  This one is for the charity, Quilts for Kids and was made from leftovers in my scrap bins!  Per their requirements, this one is machine quilted so that it can hold up to the hospital's industrial washing machines.

Machine quilting is not my forte, but I do the best I can.  So far, I've only done meandering when machine quilting, but I have signed up for a machine quilting class with craftsy.com because I want to get better at it and learn to do other things, like feathers, flowers, etc.  Wish me luck with that!  I probably won't start the class till after the holidays are over as I need to spend time getting the house ready for Christmas company!  :)

Loretta

Quilt Update....

Quote for the Day:

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop"

~English proverb

I bet you thought that saying came from the Bible!  But no, it is "similar" to something that is said in the Bible, but that direct quote is not from the Bible.  But my dad sure liked to quote it to us kids when we were young.  It was his way of getting us to do work!  LOL  It made me think that if I didn't get busy doing something then the devil was going to come inhabit my body!  Or at least my hands!

Okay...onward and upward.  I've got a quilting update today!

I finally finished sewing down the binding on my Blue Ridge Beauty quilt, a pattern by Bonnie Hunter's "Adventures With Leaders and Enders" book!  All it needs now is a label and a washing!

Here's a close-up of the border...

And a close-up of the back and corner showing the hand quilting detail.  I used blue/mauve/beige variegated thread, which shows up better in person than it does in the pictures.

Loretta