Finishinfg Touches

 This is how I start my day.   Whether Eric leaves to teach his classes or sleeps in, as soon as he is out of bed I have the doxie horde with me.  And then it is hard for me to want to get up.  They don’t always lie around like this, sometimes they are all over me.  And you know I hate that.  Also they tend to come and go, jump down at the slightest sound and then bound back in acting like “we found you.”  It’s a great way to start the day.



And when I finally get up and ready to face the world I walk out into our living room to what is our Christmas tree this year.  Although not an original idea, it was one I saw online last year and spent most of the year trying to get it implemented.  First we had to find a wooden ladder, which was not as easy as I thought it would be.  Then, because this was going to be our Christmas tree, I decided to paint it forest green.  We bought premade shelves and I have since decided they also need to be painted but that will wait for later.  Anyway, after the ladder was properly prepared Eric took over adding the lights and then arranging the village pieces.  We are both thrilled with it.

Oh, you may have noticed the big empty space at the bottom.  We decided that with our three doxie babies, who have to get into everything, we would do better to not set up any of the village down there.  We do have three large animated Pooh pieces that may make an appearance before Christmas gets here.

For those who followed the Birthday Month experience, you may remember that the last gift was on “back order” so the month didn’t get completed.  Well, here it finally is. 

The last few years that I worked I used the word “whatever” quite frequently.  It seemed that decisions were made that I thought were either illogical, not well thought out, or just plain stupid.  However I was not consulted for my expertise nor would my unsolicited input be appreciated so I would utter “whatever” and attempt work within the new guidelines.  I became known for the word.  So when Eric saw this clock he knew it was made for me: I agree.

I have nothing creative to show.  I will show what I have made as gifts but they will be shown after Christmas.  This has not been a year for creative gift giving so my offerings are quite small and humble.  But I couldn’t let this season of gift giving go without something made by me.  I am so grateful for my family’s response to my illness that I needed to respond with a little something that wasn’t bought but made.  And the thing I am most grateful for is the gift that God has given all of us who would receive it, that of his son’s sacrifice that assures us of eternal life with Him.  That gift has made everything worthwhile.

Health Update:  I was supposed to start an increased medication this week but turns out my white blood cell count was low (800) so it was put off for at least a week.  Other than that I appear to be doing well.  This pause in chemo therapy seems to be common but it was the first time it had happened to me.  I am having some pain problems with my hip replacement.  I was going to talk to the surgeon about it but my appointment this week was postponed (he had three emergency surgeries) until next week.  I just hope it will take care of itself rather than me having to go back in the hospital.  I REALLY don’t want to do that ever again.

Eric starts a 3 week semester break tomorrow: I will probably be spending more time in the studio for a while.   Have a great week and a Merry Christmas, just in case I don’t get back here for a while,  Gari

Fun Week

Last night DH and I attended a concert called Joy at the Beach directed by Karen, a friend from my working days.  The singing group was formed following Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the Pensacola Beach area, as a way of healing and a promise of rejuvenation.  They have been presenting musical programs now for 7 years.  It was a fun and refreshing program.  And, based on the audience, Christmas is not just for children!


While in Pensacola we made our obligatory stop at Dunkin.   As usual they had cool stuff for sale and we had to get this, a DD t-shirt.  Now I admit that I don’t like Starbucks coffee (too bitter) but I found this really funny and so two of them came home with us. 



Today I added something to our Christmas village scene.  It is the quilt on the right, a feathered star quilt top I finished 2-3 years ago and still haven’t quilted it.  I was very annoyed with the big blank blue wall and remembered that I had this “star” quilt that would just fit that space.  What is funny is that Flight School, the quilt on the left, was first hung as a flimsy and then quilted after that Christmas.  Maybe that bodes well for the Feathered Star. 



Several times a day I walk in the woods with these two dogs.




Note that although we are all walking in the same woods, two of us are going in two different directions.  Sometimes I feel like I am being pulled apart: did you know that doxies are VERY strong?



Sometimes they pull together, a lot like sled dogs (and I am the sled).  We all get our exercise when we go for a walk in the woods.



But besides the exercise we are always running into beautiful things hiding out in our wonderful woods.



But lest you think that life is all travel, music, decorating, puppies, and wood walks, I have been sewing.  Here you see the results of having ALL of Step 1 and Step 2 of Bonnie Hunter’s Easy Street Mystery DONE!!  And it is only Wednesday.  I even had time to draw the Teapot BOM for December and to pick out the fabric. 
I will be on the road again tomorrow but will be back for the Step 3 unveiling on Friday. 

The last week of Birthday Month

And I am expecting great things.  First there is the laundry, the dishes, cleaning the bird cages, and, well, that doesn’t sound much like a celebration, does it? 
Ok, then, here’s what I am celebrating?  Well, during this month I completed two Christmas quilts and both have been gifted as housewarming gifts to two of my grandchildren.  I also completed two quilts for friends for Christmas, so I can’t show them yet.  But that’s 4 quilts in one month!!
And now?

I have decided to try Bonnie Hunter’s annual New Year’s Mystery, Easy Street.  And these are my chosen fabrics.  Normally I don’t like mysteries but Bonnie has promised that there are not as many small parts as in years past and I have all my Christmas gifts either bought or made so, what the heck, I might as well play along.



So the first step is to make hundreds of 4 patches.  Well, I cut bunches 2” strips out of the gray and black on white fabrics and began sewing them together.  Before Friday I hope to have almost 200 4 patches ready to go on to Step 2.  I don’t know if I will be able to keep up but at least I am up with everyone right now.  If you are interested, a new step will be revealed every Friday through Dec.  I think the idea is that, if we have kept up, we should be able to sew the top together on New Year’s Day……..fat chance!



DH has started getting our Christmas Village pieces out.  I think he is having a great time creating the village this year.  After he hung my quilt, Flight School, he decided I should make another to fill the whole wall (I don’t think so).  But we will have to come up with something for that big blue space.



He also hung up my Twelve Days of Christmas quilt.  Of course I had told him not to put it up until I got the ornaments attached but, what the hay, I can climb on a ladder and stick them up there.  I love this quilt.  It is the first big applique quilt I did and it was really a challenge but I got it done and this is the second year we have been able to enjoy it.
Now, as for celebrations, on Wednesday I will be celebrating my 70th birthday.  It is really funny because I don’t feel like I think 70 should feel like.  But thinking about it I began to also think about what I am most thankful for in my life.  I think that it would be that for all of my childhood I was raised in a Christian home and, even as an only child, was privileged to be surrounded by a loving, laughing, and fun Christian family.  This gave me the background to find a Christian husband and raise our 4 children as I had been raised.  Everything else that I am grateful for stems from the above.  And with that I go marching into my 8th decade.  Coming along?

A Baking Star Is Born

Next month I/we will be married 51 years.  In all that time I have never made a pie.  Every time I thought about it it seemed like it was really hard so I would forget about it.

 

DH came into this marriage telling me he LOVED apricot pie.  Have you ever tried to buy an apricot pie?  Well, they are really hard to find and we have only found a couple of bakeries that made them and none in the last 30 years.

 

Enter the mini pie machine.  Isn’t this a great looking idea?  But this machine retails for $150, currently on sale for $99.99.  I don’t know about you but $100 for something that just makes pies seems a bit high, especially since I lead Weight Watcher’s meetings and don’t eat a lot of pies.

 

However, last week we came across this.  It was under $30 so we thought it was worth a try.

Then we had to buy a rolling pin (never had or needed one before).

 

 

And today I gave it all a try.  See my new rolling pin?  Isn’t it nifty.  I rolled the premade pie crust very, very thin.  And here you see the bottom crust rounds, ready to bake.

 

 

Next I prepared the filling: dried apricots, Splenda, lemon juice and cornstarch.  It looks a little fuzzy here: it looked a little fuzzy in the making, too.

 

 

And here we have the pies after only 10 min. baking time.  Isn’t that impressive?  I realize they are a little misshapen but that is because I need to work on my technique a little.

 

 

I set them out to cool: they were really easy to get out of the machine. 

 

I was so excited with my success that I immediately sent for a recipe book that is especially for making mini pies of all kinds: pot pies, feta cheese & spinach pies, pumpkin pies, etc.  I see lots of pies in our future.  Especially since DH proclaimed the apricot pie a rousing success!

 

While the pies were cooling I spent some quality time in the studio and DH put lighting on our Christmas village. 

Now I just need to figure out how to hide the bookshelves and the niche.  They just seem to be junque collectors.  Maybe I will have to design a quilt curtain for these areas.  What a great idea!