I finally got my act together and got my 2017 calendar ordered. Here are the photos I chose for the year:

Merry Christmas!   Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...except for Allison and me..... Alli was up bright an early, but no one else was up early this morning.  

This Christmas was a 'coffee Christmas' for me - I got a Ninja coffee maker and a coffee bean grinder for Christmas....a good thing, since Thursday morning, the day after our anniversary (where we went out to dinner, and when we got in, I stayed up late talking with our babysitter, and then AJ came in from Chico, and then a couple of his friends came in to spend the night....I was up way too late...) when I turned the coffee pot on, the light came on,...and then faded slowly out.  Not a good sign.  No coffee for me!  I told Ralph I was going shopping at lunch for a new coffee pot, and he told me not to - he had an early Christmas present for me. That night, I got to unwrap one of my presents - the Ninja Coffee Pot (hot or iced coffee - nice!)

Christmas Eve, Ralph had pointed out a present that I needed to open first thing in the morning, so I had an early unwrapping....that was the coffee grinder, so we had fresh ground coffee this morning with our waffles, eggs, sausages, hash browns and Orange Juice. While I was waiting for everyone to get up, I took a walk outside. The frost was so pretty on my plants.

AJ had the dog's attention when he opened presents, and it wasn't even for them!  (They got plenty of their own presents, trust me!))

The annual Christmas party for the bank was last night, and both Ralph and I got all dressed up!!!  I took Ralph shopping earlier in the week and got him new dress slacks, 2 new shirts, black socks, and a new Christmas tie!  Doesn't he look fancy!

We tried to get Alli in the photo with us, but she didn't want to play....

The view from the venue yesterday morning (I was on set-up crew, so was at the country club in the morning, putting up tables and table decorations....and I managed to win one of the table decorations!)  They have one of the best views in Redding.

I managed to get grocery bags finished for the ladies in my department.  They are easy to make, and fold up to fit in your purse.

 

But are a nice size when opened up for groceries.  Now that shopping bags aren't free at the grocery stores, I find myself using my bags a lot more.  I've always thought of myself as using them pretty regularly, but now......I always try to have one with me!

I also made tree ornaments for the department - not the best, but not bad either......

I've been playing with filters on photos....getting cool photos! Here's the original (okay - slightly enhanced already) of some leaves at the Sundial Bridge, and then a couple of different filers.  I love the bottom one - it looks like a painting now!

Monday night, I got a text from a coworker - a photo of one of the 'messy-bun hats' that's making their way through the interwebs....her granddaughter found this - can I make one?  In light grey?  A couple of google searches later, I had a pattern, and plenty of yarn choices in my stash.  Here's a link to the pattern I used.  It just took an evening to make, but I forgot to take a picture! I dropped it off at work yesterday, and it turns out that the co-worker's granddaughter had actually sent me the text requesting the hat (grandmother wasn't sure how to send me a picture....).  If it isn't what she wants, I told them to just send me another picture!

I also finished up two sweater/hat set for a co-worker....

Well, we ALMOST had snow last night.....

I had snowflakes mixed with rain on my windshield on the way home last night, and when I took something out to the garbage, there was more snow than rain falling.  As expected though - it turned to rain pretty quick.  The mountains definitely got snow all around us.

And one more sleeping cat picture - Indy curled up with Jasper.....

Tami finished her quilt!!!  It only took us 4 days together to make her quilt - not bad!  She doesn't have a sewing machine, so all the work was done here at the house.  It was her first sewing project in years, and her first quilting project period, and it came out really nice!  (The color choices were her daughter's - neither of us were fans of the lime green.....it worked out, but...not our first choice.....)  

She used the pattern found here at the crazymomquilts blog - no half-square-triangles needed!  It's the same pattern that I've used a couple of times now - because it is quick and easy.  She now wants to make some bumper pads.....

I didn't get a lot of sewing done this weekend for myself - Ralph keeps trying to share his cold, I think.  I just haven't felt 100%, so I've sat on the couch watching movies and crocheting.  Here's a cowl that I did up, along with gloves that I edged in the same yarn.  (never go to Michael's when they are having a buy 2, get one free sale......just saying.....)  

I started on the tons of gloves that I need to Christmas presents - so many gloves, so little time.  I think I'll need 30 or so pairs for Alli's class, and then I need some for me to give.  We just hooked up the Amazon Stick to the TV last night, so I can watch Netflix, etc. now on my TV.   I think I hear more movies calling my name.....

It doesn't matter how many times I ask Ralph to put his coat away, he still hangs it on the back of a chair (I'm going to use it again in just a minute, he said three days ago.....)  Indy said that's okay....I'll pull it down and sleep on it - that'll fix it!  

This weekend, Ralph hung up my newly finished quilt in the hallway.  He had one quilt hung already, but as you have seen in other posts, the quilt was longer than he thought, and it touched the floor.  Indy thought it was a great hiding place!  This time, Ralph hung the new quilt, which is slightly smaller, in that spot, and put the new quilt hanger higher on the wall.  Now, neither of the quilts touch the floor - poor Indy!  He was still hiding behind the quilt, just not very effectively (not that he was too effective the first time - he's a 20 pound cat trying to hide in a flat spot.....)

He found a new hiding spot....

I have covers over the 'extra' couches we have in the computer room - waiting to find their forever home - to keep the cat and dog hair off them.  He is now hiding under the covers....and Luna is playing hide-and-seek with him.  He still can't get completely covered - he is, after all, a 20 pound cat.....

It's done!!!  I finished sewing the binding yesterday - one complete quilt done - and what a project!

This is the Hampton Ridge Quilt that was the project a couple of years ago in my quilt club.  We got 4 blocks a month for 10 months, and the last two months we got the edging and finishing material.  (I didn't actually do the last step - I'm missing a couple of boarders, but I didn't like  flying geese around the edge - the quilt was way too busy with them....at least that was my excuse for not doing 100+ flying geese!)  It took me a while to take it out to have quilted, and then it took me a while to get busy on the binding once I got the quilting done.  I'm so glad it is done!!!!  I'm proud of my work on it, too!

We've had a couple of beautiful sunsets that I managed to get a picture of this week.  The top one I took at the Walmart parking lot - almost everyone going in and out was stopping to take a picture.

I finally decided to tackle quilting a big quilt - I need to justify that new sewing machine, after all!  I started to lay out my backing, and everyone decided to help.  Picot came in first....  

And then Jasper....

Koori decided to stay off to the sidelines and watch (good girl!)

And Luna jumped right in - literally.......

While I was clearing up the sewing room to make room to lay out the quilt, I also found a partially completed lap quilt that I turned into a scarf with the addition of a couple of buttons.....

And I got a texted picture yesterday from a friend/coworker....can you make these for me please?????  The pattern is here at Ravelry - Holiday Cheer Boot Cuffs.  They used some of my stash yarn, and an evening to make...

I finished the hat to go with the baby sweater - I used a pattern from Repeat Crafter Me - modified a bit.  Very cute, but....if I make either again, I will adjust the pattern a bit.  I think the sweater should be more A-line, so I would increase the shells, and the butterfly should be replaced with a flower or something on the hat - I don't like it at all!  Tami loved it though, so that's what counts.  She was over yesterday,and she got her quilt top put together and quilted.  Now all she needs to do is sew the binding on and sew it down.  Not bad for 3 days of sewing!  She might even have gotten that done if she hadn't had mechanical issues with my machine...my fault, too.....bummer.  

The buddies sleeping last night.....

A friend is expecting a granddaughter in January, and we have been working on a quilt together for her.  And then....along came the latest Crochet-World magazine with the cutest baby sweater and hat set.  I have the sweater done - now to make the hat.....

The pink yarn is soft and fluffy, and the pattern went together pretty easily - though the instructions could have been written much better (consistency in writing patterns is a good thing - label the headers the same for left and right sides, there were places where they had you fasten off at the end of a row, and then start again in the same spot...)  Still, a decent pattern.  The yarn is what make it  special though.

Yesterday, when I got out of the shower, Luna was whining very loudly in the hall.  Thinking there was a problem, I rush out in my towel....only to find that she was playing hide-and-seek with Indy. Can you find the hiding cat?

I don't think he knows that his spot isn't 'hidden'.

Speaking of cats - this is Ralph's computer the other day when he left to going to town.....

We really should have named her Dyslexia.....