Let the FUN begin!

I've put out my Christmas things and that included hanging ALL the stockings!

It makes a pretty display.

The tree is up and the Santas are out as well.

I left the cottages in the closet this year as I haven't a place to put them.

When the lighting in the great room is better I'll try making a video.

Or,

maybe I'll just take photos.

I have three of the quilts pinned and one of those half quilted, will pin 

#2020 today for the second time!  

I tried a new way of sandwiching them for pinning  

which left the back a mess of wrinkles.

BIG wrinkles.

So,

Unpinned and back to the old way.

Just really wish for a longer picnic table when I have a big quilt to do!

All my shopping is finished as well.

This is the first time I've been done so early 

but,

Knowing I was going to be out of town 

and not going out in Nashville I spent a lot of time shopping on line.

Being sure they would arrive before I left.

I'm leaving gifts in Nashville

Bringing gifts back from Nashville

And dropping off gifts in Columbia on the way home.

THE VIRUS requires adaptations.

 

Flipflops at the farm

 

That's what I'm calling these quilts.

Flipflops at the farm 1and 2

The final RSC projects are flimsies.

They will also get fleece for the backing.

My youngest son and his wife bought a 5 acre "Farm" 

They will need quilts.

 These are a nice size for Ryan and Izzy.

I really thought these blocks would be ugly all together

but I think they are cute!

I'm into a pin basting frenzy now.

I did "Big Blocks" yesterday.

Will do one of the Flipflops today,

and #2020 tomorrow.

The last Flipflop is waiting for more fleece to come in the mail.

Keeping busy and loving it!

The "Big Block"top

 

I finished the top  of "Big Blocks" this week!

I'm always surprised at how much I like these scrap quilts

once they are assembled.

I also have the backing stitched together 

and

the binding all stitched!

This one is getting fleece instead of cotton and batting.

It will never "Krinkle" like a regular quilt 

but it is much lighter while still being cuddly and warm!

I've been doing little else besides stitching this week.

I got a bit anxious about getting tops put together 

and decided to just sit down and do it.

Two Flipflop tops will be done by Sunday.

Then next week I'll be sandwiching four quilts to take to Nashville with me.

I'll have LOTS of time down there so I will need LOTS to do!

Finished!

All done.

I think the red cording is the biggest pain of the whole thing!

It's cute and there are only a few mistakes,

none of which I can find!

Completed in record time thanks to THE VIRUS!

 

Veteran's Day

The National World War I Memorial in Kansas City.

The only World War I Museum in the States.

Here in the States there isn't much going on for Memorial Day. 

While the Museum is open they don't seem to have any events planned for this year.

Last year they had a big event.

As far as I know I had no family members serve in World War I.

I once asked my Granddad Hickam why he didn't serve.

He said that he was in town (Rich Hill, Missouri) waiting for the train into Kansas City to enlist but when the train came in it carried the news of peace so he turned around and went home.  He was pretty young as well-then too old for World War II.

In other things,

I am on the LAST snowman on Izzy's stocking! I think I'll have it ready to hang Saturday!

The hash tag quilt is too BIG!  I have to take off a couple of rows before I can add the borders.

There are left over blocks-probably enough for a small quilt.

I'm sewing the sashing on the big blocks-only I didn't buy enough yellow!

Oh darn, I have to go back to the Quilt shop.

There are leftover big blocks-four of them will go into a cute pillow for Ceili, the others? 

Think I will have to begin a quilt of orphan blocks!

No yellow flip-flops have been sewn.

You'll notice that I haven't worked on anything except RSC quilt tops.  This is why I won't do any next year.  Keeping up with them means no other sewing gets done!

The house is clean,

The yard work finished,

I'm practicing my instruments (piano and guitar),

Reading non-fiction and

Quinn and I have been walking every day.

Staying busy in a sort of relaxed manner.

 

Of leaves, ugly shoes and elections

All week long I've put off dealing with the leaves.

Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year but it does have challenges.

Leaves from four maple trees being one.

About 10 am I put on these ugly shoes

The ones I wear when I mow, can't you tell? 

They were once white now mostly green.

Anyway, I mow/raked the front yard.

Hauled six - I think - wagon loads of leaves back to the garden.

First load went on the blueberries.

Hope that keeps the squirrels from digging in the peat moss!

When finished, I started on the side yard when---OOPS

I ran out of gas!

(too bad, so sad.)

So I had to go get more.

Tomorrow I will mow the side and back yards.  

Most of the leaves are on the ground, but I might still need to mow one more time.

Now for the final part of that title.

The election.

I cannot remember feeling so anxious in a very long time!

Nor feeling that anxiety over so many days.

The longer it went on the less I could focus on anything.

I finished off a whole bottle of whiskey in the past 10 days!

Now that it's official and Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr is our next president and Kamala Harris our next vice-president it has eased some.

Still waiting to see what temper tantrum 45 and the Republicans have.

(All the noise so far has been about illegal voting/counting which is just so wrong.)

I don't expect him to leave easily.  

The Secret Service may have to escort him out.

I expect demonstrations from his supporters, and some of those may become violent.

Still some anxiety there.

I have done some sewing. 

The hash tag top is ready for borders and then sandwiching.

I got out the big blocks and will lay them out today to begin sashing and assembly.

Izzy's stocking is coming along.

All good at this moment!

Now I'm going to clean myself up and put these ugly shoes on!

Then it's off to the studio!