Keeping Warm at Christmas Time

We live in Wisconsin and it's definitely winter here right now. We have more snow than I have seen in years. It reminds me of the winters we had when I was a kid. Lydia spent the afternoon today digging tunnels and sledding down the snow piles in the front yard. While doing so, MY fingertips went numb from the COLD while working on my laptop IN THE LIVING ROOM. When my brain finally registered that my fingers were numb and I was shivering I checked the thermostat and discovered the furnace had stopped working. The fireplaces are keeping us toasty until the furnace fixer guy can get here (tomorrow morning hopefully).

Lydia opened the package with the American Girl brush, then the packages with the American Girl outfits, and still was surprised as could be when she opened the box with the American Girl DOLL in it. She named her Erin (my brother's girlfriend, Erin, was with us and may have something to do with that). I think the doll will be well loved.

Erin read my blog post about the sewing machine and so Lydia got the Alex Sew Fun sewing machine for Christmas. Lydia and I already made a purse with it for her doll and we will make many more projects with it. It's so cool! And so is the purse they got me which is one of my favorites on Etsy! Thanks Uncle Matt and Erin.

The scarf I started on September 23rd did not get finished in time for Christmas but I am making progress. I am thinking of snazzing it up with some beads and ribbons. We will see what I can come up with. My new goal is to finish it in time for Lydia to actually be able to use it before the winter is over.
I spent last Saturday at the quilt shop and caught up on my quilt. I learned how to "stitch in the ditch". I am hoping my next post of the quilt will be the finished product! There is just one more class on January 8. I have decided to sign up for the intermediate quilting class which will be with the same group of ladies and I'm also considering a class that meets monthly which will be for smaller projects like bags and table runners. I am going to give quilting a bit more time before I decide if I like it or not. I love the finished projects I see and would really like quilting to grow on me.

For those of you who haven't already, I recommend you Elf Yourself for a good laugh. You have until January 2. This was the extent of our Christmas card this year but it could also be used for best wishes in the new year.

Quilting May Not be My Thing

I have found quilting to be more stressful than enjoyable. The measuring and cutting kind of drives me nuts. It seems you have to be so precise. Then I am always worried about sewing my seams too big because I have had to rip apart and re-stitch more than a few squares. I was nearly in tears at least once because of that. I started this quilt back on October 18 but it seems so long ago. I have two more classes left which will involve putting two borders on this puppy and then I am done. I am not sure if I will ever make another quilt. We'll see. Maybe two is a charm. I will never look at another quilt like I did before actually making one. I now understand all of the work that goes into one of these things.

Big Cheese Week

Lydia was the "Big Cheese" at school this week. We visited her class on Tuesday, read a book and had lunch. The teacher decorated the bulletin board with pictures Lydia brought from home. She was line leader. It was a really big deal! We made these snowman pupcakes (what Lydia calls them) last night for her last day of Big Cheese Week. I got the idea from this recipe at MarthaStewart.com. The noses were carved from gummy bears (recipe calls for gummy fish...couldn't find 'em). I didn't have the recommended decorations for the eyes so I used what I had...food coloring and toothpicks. These pupcakes are a bit tedious but they sure are cute. Lydia was very proud to share them at school today.

Holiday Baking

I had a lot of fun with my cousin and sister today while doing some holiday baking. We made at least 12 recipes it seems like. I am not sure. I lost count. The first image is a picture of the owl cookies we made. The picture isn't that great but I think they turned out pretty cute. This particular guy seems to be missing an ear.

It's going to be a busy week. I am nearly done with the scarf I am knitting Lydia and want to finish it for Christmas. I have lots of quilting to get done before my next class on the 18th. I am at the point where I need to decide how I want to place all of the blocks and then sew them together. I am considering going with Lydia to a beading class this Thursday. Then, I was watching Martha Stewart earlier this week and they made this cute pop-up Christmas card that I want to try to make.

I was seriously considering these Singer sewing and knitting machines for Lydia for Christmas this year. She is 6 and may be old enough but I don't know if she has the patience or perhaps attention span yet. I tried to teach her how to stitch on plastic canvas this weekend and she didn't seem to be able to focus long enough on it to pick it up. I think she was interested but just wanted to know how to do it without focusing, if that makes any sense.

Get the Bikes - Check

I have been missing in action due to a back injury, migraines, and being dog tired from having my thyroid all out of whack.  Just wanted to let you know I am still here.  We picked up our mountain bikes this weekend and although it was 19 degrees outside today we took them for a good ride and they are so nice.  The picture is of my husband as he is leaving for work for the evening.  He's done with work in a few minutes (10 PM Central) and I am going to wait up for him to make sure he makes it home before turning into an icicle.

P.S. - I have quilt class tomorrow and I don't have my homework done!!