A Mixed Bag

It's hard for me to believe that I've been off work for a week now and it's almost time to go back! Where has the time gone? I've been so busy with so many different things that it just doesn't seem like I've been on vacation.

Today was more of the same--busy all day with all sorts of different things. A good portion of the day--up until mid afternoon--was spent on more Christmas decorating. I've included a few photos for your viewing pleasure. One of the reasons Christmas decorating takes me so long is because I get sidetracked easily. For instance, it occurred to me that before the BIG tree goes into the tree corner, I should pull out a couple Christmas crafty/ decorating books from the shelves that will soon be hidden in greenery. Then, of course, I had to flip through the Christmas books to decide which I wanted to pull out. That meant dusting off a lot of books because there's a little vent right there in the wall that leads to the outside world, and vice versa--dust and dirt comes in (although it sure doesn't seem to go out the same way!) Anyway, you get the idea. Nothing's straightforward.

A couple weeks ago, I pulled a button-up sweater/top/thinga-majig out of my closet to wear to work. Out of four buttons, one was fine, one was completely missing, and the other two were broken, with half of each missing. How does that happen? Is there a rogue gang of missing socks in the dryer that beat up on unsuspecting garments? In any event, I hung the thingamajig on a hanger on the door knob of the Sweat Shop so I could replace the buttons. Today, when I put the Christmas tree up in the Sweat Shop, I realized the hanging thingamajig would possibly hit the tree, so I had to stop the decorating and do buttons.

By mid afternoon, I was pretty tired of all the decorating, so I stopped THAT and started making a couple quilt backs. The weather's been pretty nice here with highs in the mid-60s, so I went outside on the patio and pinned the Valentine quilt that I'm going to be teaching and the Trees wallhanging.

Inspired by a complete burst of originality, for dinner I cooked leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and broccoli. Bet none of you have had anything like THAT lately! Now don't copy!

With intentions of retiring to the Sweat Shop after dinner to do a little quilting, I found myself instead staring at the pile of men's wool jackets I scored at the Goodwill. Well, I thought, I'll just take one apart and see how it goes. Three hours later, I had taken four jackets apart, and the usable wool pieces are now in the washing machine--hopefully NOT being attacked by rogue socks!

Maybe, after I write this post, I'll wade back into the Sweat Shop and do a little of that quilting I intended to do earlier. But before I go, I bet you're wondering who won the drawing for the two Christmas patterns, right? Hubby picked lucky number 33, and once I counted up the entries, I found the winner is LEAH S! Woo-hoo, Leah! Email me your mailing address and I'll get the two patterns out to you asap!

Oh, and also before I go, here's the next giveaway. Three patterns:

A little wool mini pennies pattern--in honor of the wool I have in the washing machine as we speak; a pattern for a really pretty quilt called Snow Crystals, which you wouldn't necessarily HAVE to finish by Christmas--anytime this winter will do; and--maybe best of all at this time of the year--a pattern for a quilt-as-you-go runner. If you've never made one of these, they make up really fast and look great! I was able to whip out a couple of fast Christmas gifts last year with this pattern, so if you're desperate for some quick gifts for friends, leave a comment and tell me you want in on this drawing. I (or Hubby) will pick a winner on Monday night.

Happy quilting!

COMMENTS CLOSED--WINNER OF DRAWING TO BE ANNOUNCED!