I am trying to finish up several of my projects this weekend, and had a "helper"....Not!!!  I was putting the binding on Kirby's quilt, and Jessie jumped up and lay down in the middle of the quilt.  Mind you, I was actively sewing at the time, it's not like I walked away from the machine and she decided to do that.  It's tough to move the quilt through the machine anyway - it's a big quilt, and adding Jessie to the mix did NOT help!  I did get the binding on, and it's ready to wash!  Woohoo!  (Note the photo bomb from Luna as well....)

Some scenes from Christmas Day at our house:

Cooper getting his present (he doesn't do toys).

James investigating the people presents.

James playing with her favorite - a paper bag infused with catnip.

Jessie playing with her favorite:

Success! I finished the quilt top for my Christmas tree quilt on Christmas day!  I was hoping to have the full quilt done before Christmas, but that didn't happen.  I had all the blocks pieced together, so just had to sew them together and add top and bottom borders yesterday.  I hope to do some creative quilting on this, not just the random meander that I've been doing - a true learning quilt!

The quilt Christmas morning when I got up:

The quilt Christmas afternoon:

Merry Christmas!!

Just a side note - this is my 2,500 post on the blog!!!  The blog was something I started in January, 2006 as a way to share photos with my mom, and I am surprised that I've kept posting.....

Alex's clean underwear pile of laundry is the best place to lay - especially if we have un-folded them to make it more comfortable....

 

Siblings!  Five minutes before I took this picture, the cats were chasing each other around the house - now they are sleeping together all cuddled up!  Of course, they were sleeping in my desk chair, which meant I couldn't do anything on the computer or any sewing without waking them.  I went in and fixed dinner instead....

I'm trying my hand at another batch of kimchi.  I make a lot of kimchi soup in the winter time, so I might even use most of this batch before it goes bad. Yes, kimchi will last a long time, but it does eventually go bad, at least to my tastes.  I made it in the summer last time, and I just don't use that much of it when it's hot, so hopefully I use it more this winter.  I made Bibimbap for dinner earlier this week, and it tasted pretty good with it!! 

 

I make Allison's bed every morning, so was surprised to see it all disheveled one afternoon.  Then I took a closer look....

Jessie had climbed in under the comforter for a nap.  Lucky for her Alli didn't decide to take a nap too!  Alli is pretty good about not sitting/stepping on the cats, but if she didn't see them, she wouldn't try to avoid sitting on them.

Hi mom!!!

 

Allison helped me (for a few minutes at least) make cookies this weekend.  

 

I was working on Christmas presents (Christmas is a week away!!!) and had help cutting fabric again....

Here's the stack of pot holders I have ready to sew....

My chickens are spoiled!  I'm now growing sprouts for them - all sorts of seeds - millet, alfalfa, mung bean, wheat, barley, clover and more.  It takes 3-4 days to get them sprouted, and I got the cutest jar holder with fancy lids to do it.  The lids are strainers so I just add water and strain it out twice a day, and then sprouts!  I stagger the two jars so the one on the left is after 2 days and the one of the right is after 1 day.  They get half a jar daily.  I need to work on names for the chickens though - we definitely did not use our imagination.  They are called Goldie (the gold Wyandotte) Silver (the silver Wyandotte) Red (the Black Sex-Link with a really big red comb and wattle), and Blackie - the other Black Sex-Link.  It doesn't really matter, since they don't come when you call them (but they do come running if they think you'll give them a treat!)

 

Update on the Christmas quilt - I need three more "trees" done, and need add the background to the five "trees" I do have done - I don't think I'll have it done by Christmas...I complicated my sewing time by corrupting one of Allison's afternoon helpers.  She's been using my sewing machine to sew Christmas presents while she watches Alli, and just started learning to quilt (which means I don't sew while she is here).

One of the reasons I am making this quilt is to learn a few technics - one being paper piecing, and one being making my own templates.  I didn't have an issue making the templates, but I did have a problem remember to move them out of the way when I was cutting - I cut the tip off my big template....oops!

Cookies, cookies, and more cookies!  I made 6 different cookie types on Tuesday, and delivered them to both work and to Alli's day program.  I sent Ronna a photo of the snickerdoodles in process - it used to be her favorite cookie when we were kids....

Now I need to make up a couple more batches for friends and neighbors.....Alli's day program has 35 clients and 12 +/- aides - they need a lot of cookies!  This weekend I'm making them their very own batch of sugar cookies, which I send in undecorated.  I also send in frosting and sprinkles so the clients decorate their own cookies.  Since decorating 5 or 6 dozen sugar cookies is not my favorite thing, it's a win/win situation!

Cindy M and I went to a couple of craft fairs this weekend, and I got a new snowman for my collection, and a pair of earrings....both weak points for my shopping at craft fairs!

 

A new project!  (like I needed one, right??)  One of the (many) crafting emails I get had the offer of a Quilt-a-long making a Christmas quilt using triangles.  Each of the triangles is made differently, and many are using techniques I haven't tried before, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I am a few days behind because I didn't initially have the book with the patterns in it, but I'm catching up.  Sorry about the poor lighting on the photo - late afternoon in the sewing room - but you can see the different triangles.  Except for the backing fabric (snowflakes!) the fabric is all stuff I had on hand from other projects, so it's using up some of my stash as well - a win/win for me - learning something new and not having to go shopping for fabric!

Here's the layout of the triangles for the quilt:

Be very careful when approaching a basket of laundry in my house.  What seems to be mundane can be deceiving....hiding under the towels lurks a vicious killer.....

I left the load of towels on the table while doing the rest of the laundry, thinking it would keep Jessie busy and away from the clothes I was folding, which worked, but....I forgot I had two cats.  James had to come help too.  At least she isn't a vicious killer.  She just wants to hang out with you.  Jessie on the other hand - her claws are lethal!

AJ helped me rake leaves (again!) this weekend - the never ending chore of the fall!  Ripley also hung out with us - she loves being in the front with us, and is very good about staying out of trouble, though I keep an eye out for anyone walking their dog.  Not that I think she would cause a problem, but no one wants an unleashed dog running up to them while they are walking, especially a German Shepherd.  She's very sweet, but....they wouldn't know that.

 

Progress on my newest quilt - almost done!  I started Sunday morning with these blocks done.

And I finished Sunday night with the quilt top almost finished.  I had to order fabric for the border, so it will be a couple of weeks before I can finish it.  I made this quilt from a kit several years ago, and the kit came with enough fabric of the colors to make three quilts, and this is the second quilt.  I had ordered more of the background fabric, but forgot about the border!

 

Finally!  I got 3 eggs yesterday, so either one of the Wyandottes is over-producing (not likely in the winter) or one of the black chickens has finally started laying!  

 

I'm working on my 2024 calendar - so far, these are the photos....I have a few more that I want to use, so may change them up a bit still.  Too many good photos this year!