A promise fulfilled.....

My oldest grandson is visiting for a few days.

So far we have seen this....



eaten here....



and made these....



I have taught him to play "chickenfoot"...



and he is playing with our enormous set of Legos right now.... and watching ICarly.

He will go home soon and a promise will be fulfilled. A promise his Mom and I made him over 2 years ago...right after his sister came to stay for a few days.

Nancy

Merry Christmas

to you and yours



I'll be back in 2010.....

Nancy

Design wall Monday 12-21-09

I don't have anything on my design wall that I can show... I am finishing up the last of the Christmas presents and it MUST be done by Wednesday night. What can I say, I waited til the last minute...

Hubby however has a finished design wall project that I CAN show...




Isn't it gorgeous. This is the 4th piece of the bedroom set. We now have 2 side tables, a headboard and this dresser for me. Next is a tall chest of drawers for him and we will be done. He and the Rock Star carried the old furniture to the garage and brought up the new dresser. So I had to empty out the 12 dresser drawers and fit the stuff into 6 drawers. YIKES!! Of course that leads to cleaning out the drawers and that leads to cleaning out the closet and that leads to packing away summer clothes and that leads to cleaning out the storage room and....and...and...

Yesterday was my family Christmas. We generally get together with my family the Saturday before... there are too many grown grandchildren with in-laws to do anything on Christmas Eve and we reserve Christmas Day for just our immediate family. We decided this year to do all snack foods so we had lots and lots of good eats... shrimp and cheese and sausage and dips and hot wings and a veggie tray...and mini pumpkin pies and so much more.... It was so nice to just snack all day..LOL

At some point my kids posed in front of my sister's tree..




second daughter, rock star and first daughter.

And then of course we can't leave out the hubby's...



And every year I make a small gift for all the women in the family. This year I waited until the last minute and almost didn't make anything. Thursday night I was talking to my sister and I mentioned that maybe this year there wouldn't be a little gift from me.... uh oh...that was the wrong thing to say! She said she would be very disappointed... so all day Friday I sewed...and sewed...and sewed...and made these.....



And then wrapped them and I hope everyone liked them. They only take 1/2 yard of fabric and about 20 minutes to make...but when you make 10 of them it adds up to some serious sewing time.

Well, I am off to brave the grocery store... I would wait until tomorrow, but we would starve...

Nancy

A true Christmas story...

Please visit here ...

He's making a list and checking it twice....

As I get older age gracefully, I find it harder and harder to remember what I am supposed to do and when I am supposed to do it..

I print a calendar that has all of my "dates" on it and it hangs on the fridge... but I try not to stand in front of the fridge for very long, because I will find myself opening it up and nibbling...even though I am not much of a nibbler...

What I do is sit at the computer.. so I found the perfect list maker...

I joined up and really it's the easiest thing. They ask very few questions and poof you can make your own list...for each day. You just type in the box under the date and it adds it to the list. I added it as a bookmark on my tool bar and now I can just click on the link and see what I am supposed to be doing...you know...instead of sitting here blogging...

Today on my list -

make meatballs for Saturday Christmas
order veggie tray for Saturday
wrap presents
do laundry

Meatballs-DONE
laundry-DONE

Off to call the deli and order the veggie tray and then start wrapping Christmas... Have to be sneaky as the Rock Star is on Christmas vacation already. He has perfect attendance so he doesn't have to take finals and gets off 2 days earlier than most.

Nancy

PS-Funny Abbie story...(Abbie won't be 2 until February!)
Mom and Abbie driving to daycare at Yeesa's (lisa's)

Mom-Abbie, what do you want for Christmas?
Abbie - presents
Mom- what do you want in the present?
Abbie - um. milk
Mom - MILK?
Abbie - a sippy cup
Mom- a sippy cup?
Abbie - Gamma N'cie present (grandma nancy)

Abbie -Mommy, mommy,mommy,mommy what's that? (pointing out her window)
Mom-It's a big truck. What do you think is in the truck?
Abbie-fish sticks..

Isn't she the cutest??!!!

Santa Baby....

Santa baby, just slip OZ charms under the tree, for me
Been an awful good girl
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa baby, some Boutique FQ's too, light blue
I'll wait up for you dear Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Think of all the fun I've missed
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you'd check off my Christmas list
Boo doo bee doo

Santa baby, I wanna Baby Brown Bird Quilt kit ,
It's not a lot
Been an angel all year
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa honey, one thing I really would like is PEACE
for all my peeps
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa cutie and fill my stocking with some dots, and checks
Sign your 'X' on the line
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Come and trim my Christmas tree top,
With some goodies bought at the Fat Quarter Shop
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in me
Boo doo bee doo

Cookies will be waiting for you with carrots for the reindeer...


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Nancy

Happy Birthday

Grace

Have a wonderful day!!!

Grandma will call you tonight....

Winner....winner....chicken dinner...

STITCHED IN PRAYER
You are the
WINNER

Stitched With Prayer said...

First of all, thank you for this thoughtful giveaway. Now, the reason I would love to have it is to give my niece as a gift. She is in her mid 20's and started quilting just a year ago, she is already immersed in the joy of quilting and finds so much comfort in it after working full time as a social worker in a shelter, then coming home and going to school to get her Masters so she can go into teaching. However, like most young married couples she has to pinch pennies and magazines are a luxury she has to pass up if she wants to buy quilting supplies. She would be so delighted to be getting her own magazine and not having to return them to us, LOL. Plus, it would be a wonderful surprise that would remain forever secret between us. Not even her mother would know where it came from. Now, before I go...GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

Hubby picked your number so send me your nieces address and let's surprise her!!!

Nancy

Tis the Season....

To give...

I have a free year of American Patchwork and Quilting to give away...


Want it?

Tell me why and tell me fast...I will draw someone Sunday night so I can mail it off on Monday am...

Nancy

Baby, it's cold outside...

Which is why I am inside...all nice and warm...having some hot tea and working on a couple of surprises...

It is 23 degrees here and we have 40 mile an hour winds....

Tomorrow is the last shopping/lunch day that Nancy and I will have with Anne. Anne and her family have been in the states for 3 years while her hubby is stationed here with the Australian Air Force... The 3 of us met each other in a local redwork club and Anne was the one to ask her to her house to sew. We started meeting once a month and had such a good time. Most of the time we didn't get a lot of sewing done because I we tend to talk too much. I hope to remember to take the camera...

ah...lunch time... homemade veggie soup just like Mom used to make...

Nancy

GAH!!!

That button was pushed at my house this morning...I went into my online bank account to find us OVERDRAWN!!

PUSH BUTTON....PUSH BUTTON.....PUSH BUTTON....PUSH BUTTON...PUSH BUTTON

It started Friday when I headed into town to make a deposit. I didn't have a preprinted deposit ticket so I swiped my debit card and the clerk pulled up the account. She hand wrote the ticket and I got my deposit receipt. Sounds good so far doesn't it?

Then Sunday...hubby and I balanced the checkbook and pitched all the paperwork...

So far so good...

Yesterday I check my online balance and we are OVERDRAWN!! No way... panic sets in and I transfer money from saving to checking and cross my fingers that this morning it will have all balanced itself out and I can transfer that money back in to my savings...

NO!! The deposit is gone..

So I searched here...



and then here...



and could not find my deposit receipt...

So I got into this...(top up people...it's 32 here)



and drove here...



After a little tough talk with the lady behind the desk...it's fine now. No one knows what happened. She said she would be able to tell me Thursday after the deposit was posted and she can read the notes. I don't care how it happened, but it has taught me one thing....

save my deposit tickets...

Live and learn...

Nancy

be back tomorrow....

December 7
Debug Windows 7.


Today was my quilt guild Christmas Party.... we ate and played rob your neighbor and everyone had a wonderful time...
I won two FQ's and one of those thread catchers with a pincushion and magnet.. It was the only wrapped package and there was some fierce fighting for it...

Nancy

To my sister.....

HAPPY 61st BIRTHDAY TO MY "older" SISTER!!!!

woops, almost forgot...

December 6
Fax family Christmas newsletter to Pulitzer committee for consideration.

a night out....

Continuing with the Martha Stewart list.....

December 5
Get new eyeglasses. Grind lenses myself.

Yesterday hubby and I celebrated 38 years of marriage... We did what we normally do on our anniversary... which is go out to eat and then Christmas shop...

He surprised me by getting home early. And believe me, I was surprised. Dishes were still in the sink, bed unmade, bathroom a mess...

We hung around a bit and then took off to do some Christmas shopping. I would love to share what we got, but there are members of my family that occasionally pop in here and it would ruin it for me...
Then off to O'Charley's for dinner. Hubby had BBQ ribs, fries and this wicked caramel pie which he said was SWEET!!! It looked like they had just poured caramel sauce into a pie shell and covered it in whipped cream...lol I had talapia and steamed broccoli and a cup of coffee while he ate that piece of pie...

I have some sewing to do today ... back tomorrow..

Nancy

Welcome home...did you bring me anything?

No? Not even a t-shirt or a cheesy key chain? Oh... well... vacation is over, you start back to work immediately...


December 4
Repaint Sistine Chapel ceiling ecru, with mocha trim.

Nancy

head down....

December 3
Using candlewick and hand gilded miniature pine cones, fashion cat-o-nine-tails. Flog Gardener.

I have my head down sewing, sewing, sewing... I have a quilt that needs to be delivered today to Two-border Pat. It's a Christmas present and I hate giving it to her this late.

Back tomorrow

Nancy

do you miss me?

December 2
Have Mormon Tabernacle Choir record outgoing Christmas message for answering machine.

Sunday. I got the call early, around 9am. . and I am so sad.

Hubby left Sunday am to drive to Oklahoma for 4 days. I had borrowed his truck on Friday to go shopping and it happened.

I left my cell phone in the truck. I don't have my cell phone. It's in Oklahoma and I won't get it back until late Wednesday night. I feel as if I can't leave the house now. I am afraid to venture out and shop, which I really need to do since I only have two items bought for the rock star and nothing for hubby. (grandkids are done thanks to Cyber Monday!)

What did we do before cell phones? I remember having flat tires, getting lost and wanting to verify the shopping list and not being able to reach into my pocket and call someone. I remember changing flat tires, finding my way eventually and just winging it if I missed an ingredient. Now we are an instant society. If I am at Target and forget why, I can reach into my pocket, flip open my phone and call someone and ask.

I am lost.... and a prisoner in my own house... until Thursday.. then I can go out again.

Nancy

The list....

Last year I wrote this post.... Pat left a comment that we should all do it this year. So starting today, I will head up a post with the daily idea...let's see how many of you can keep up...

Today, December 1st
Blanch carcass from Thanksgiving turkey. Spray paint gold, turn upside down and use as a sleigh to hold Christmas Cards.

Now if you didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving (or you are not in the USA and don't even celebrate Thanksgiving) I will allow you to make another card holder. Maybe using the netting from the rolled pork loin? Stiffen with some glue and spray it gold? Or did you have ham? Maybe you can make something in the shape of a pig? If desperate, maybe you could use, oh, I don't know....FABRIC??? How about fabric...?

Would love for you to post a photo on your blog?? Can't wait to see what you come up with..

Nancy