Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Here's my Lighthouse Santa wishing you a Merry Christmas!

We're off on our whirlwind tour of kids and grandkids! We're also celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary! My, how time does fly!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's to a "Quilt-y" New Year!

Santa's Sweatshop ... hmm ..workshop is shutting down!

Okay - time to get serious - does everyone realize that Christmas Eve is THIS WEEK! Never mind wondering where the month of December went ... where on earth did 2011 go??



I've been really busy in the sewing room. I made a db4patch for mom. Using the colors that she can still see, yellow, red and blue - well it got nicknamed the gypsy quilt here! Bright! It arrived and she likes it. I told her it was a 'gypsy' quilt and she said she'd always wanted a gypsy wagon!! It's pictured at the KidVille across from the pool in Crescent City. Makes you want to be a kid again!!



Then I finished Mr D's "Jungle Boogie" quilt. It turned out fun! I blanket stitched around the animals, quilting at the same time. It's even labeled! "Jungle Boogie for Mr D from Beach Nana and Mommy 2011"



And I made 3 pair of PJ pants paired with tops found at Walmart. They're ready to wrap. Mr D gets his first pair - I'm afraid they're going to be enormous on him!! But we'll see! I love all the pants, the robot pants are for Mr M ... and I found that robot shirt ... score!!!

I also finished a name banner for Mr D. Miss P and Mr M each have one, they're crumpled in the doll bin!! Maybe, 3rd time is the charm and this one will get hung up!! There is a sleeve on all of them!!



I whipped up a play mat for Mr M. He loves his cars - they used to have an IKEA rug that was a cityscape that they could play cars on. But something happened to it. So I made this panel - it can be put away easily enough. I also tried a drawstring bag to put the new cars and planes in ... not my best work!! But I'm still trying to see if it can work.



The house is decorated ... and the first batch of cookies are given away and eaten!! So the next two days are wrapping presents and baking cookies for the kids. Hope we can avoid them better this time!!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Here's to a Quilt-y New Year too!!

A Few Favorite things at Christmas

There are several traditions we did at Christmas growing up and raising our own children. They are a big part of all the memories that come rushing into the Christmas season. Here are a few of ours. What are your favorites?

Our Christmas tree skirt has a light back so we can trace hands on it each Christmas. It works well to trace it in pencil and then re-trace it with your favorite permanent marker. We only had 'liquid embroidery' but it worked! It's not perfect back there by any means. But you just love looking at it - again and again!

Start with the adults handprints and then add the kid's handprints each year. If you want to add pets ... wet their feet, make their paw print on a piece of paper, draw around it with a pencil before it dries, then approximate it on the skirt! You can cut around the paper and then draw around it on the skirt ... but it's easier than you think to just free-hand it! After a few years, you have a wonderful circle of hands expanding out. I'm now fitting in grandkids' hands around the edges!!

When the kids were small, at Christmas we had 'bedtime' 10 minutes earlier. They ran to get into their pjs, brushed their teeth and then came back down to the tree, turning off all the lights as they came. We sat around the lit tree and each child (I only had 2!) picked a Christmas song for us to sing. It was magical and we parents didn't mind [much] missing the first 15 minutes of our 9 o'clock tv shows!

When I was growing up, my mom and dad would wrap one present without a box and on occasion we would get to sit supervised, 'feel' it and try to guess what it was. I had a hard stuffed poodle one year ... never did figure it out - too many parts sticking out!! Tail, nose, top of head, those weird legs ...But boy, did I rip into it first thing Christmas morning!

There are certain Christmas movies that we watch every year: White Christmas; Miracle on 34th St; and Love Actually. I'd like to find a copy of the "Best Christmas Pageant Ever" cheap. It was a made for TV special and we loved it!!

I still love receiving Christmas cards [nice segue, don't you think??!] I love opening cards from friends and families far away. And I even love Christmas letters!! Short ones with pictures are my favorites, but I'd rather have a really long one that none at all!

Here's our letter this year! Short and sweet as always. And the names have been taken out to protect the 'not so innocent!'



Happy Holidays from the Boyds

Oh, my - another year just sped by! And a new grandchild joined our family! A&J2 had Mr D in April and he is a true camera hound! He sees that little red ‘focus’ light headed his way and he is all smiles!

Miss P started pre-school this year and loves it – she just missed the cut-off date for kindergarten. Mr M is so busy being 3 that you need an appointment for a hug! Although he is always available for ‘crash cars’.

We had snow and sleet on the coast, and saw our first tsunami up close and personal. We went down to Palm Springs for some fun ‘n sun in February. We came back too early and were surprised by twenty inches of rain in the month of March! Webbed feet were all the fashion!

There was lots of golf, lots of quilting, time spent with good friends - it was another wonderful year on the Oregon coast with kids and grandkids close by.

Wishing you and yours the best in 2012

December has arrived! - and we're off and running ...

I don't do as much Christmas shopping and sewing now that we're retired. First, I live in a really small town and there is NO shopping! If the local Fred Meyers doesn't have it - we apparently don't need it!! So we often give money to the kids to buy what the grandchild needs/wants. Easy-peasy, but I do miss the 'thrill of the chase' sometimes!

Small town post offices also have their own special challenges! I haven't been in the post office for months when there wasn't a l*o*n*g line and more than one clerk at the counter. And don't ask for special stamps - they are available online!!!

I have no secret pals nor small sewing group to make presents for. Yes, Scrap Happens, I'm missing you - as usual!

End result?? No looming deadlines! And that's a good thing!

I think I mentioned that I hadn't made a Christmas stocking for J2, A's wife. I swore I had - this is where lists DO come in handy!! When I checked back the last few years - on my list of finished projects each year ... nada!! So when I made Mr D's stocking; I also made one for J2.

A sent me a picture of his stocking ... good thing - I'd forgotten that rendition! The theory was put a plain Christmas tree on the front of the stocking to be decorated with appropriate buttons each year. Never did it!! LOL! L&J had the same stockings, they each had 1 button on them. So, my mission, should I decide to accept it, was to sew buttons on finished stockings! ICK! There's really no room to work with them.

So here is how I did them. You will notice, there are no hands pictured in these steps. I was sewing during naps and no one was available to hold the camera. PLUS I looked down at my cuticles ... water aerobics is not kind to hands!! You will not see my hands demonstrating anything any time soon!



Start with 'findings' aka very small buttons! I got these at JoAnn's and they are the same buttons I used on "8 Tiny Reindeer" last January. Cute, nice colors and just big enough for clumsy 59 year old hands to hold on to!



I used quilting thread - figuring it was strong - and 2 needles!



Thread one needle; don't knot it; take a stitch thru the front of the stocking where you want the button placed. Start from the top and end on the top.



Thread the second needle with the other end of the thread. With each needle, in turn, go up thru one hole and down thru the other hole. Do not go into the fabric of the stocking. It helps to use 'opposite' holes for each needle's 'up' stitch. Pull on your threads until the button is tight against the stocking.



Now, unthread one needle - it's easier. Tie a square knot with the thread under the top edge of the button. Then tie another square knot under the bottom edge of the button. That's it! cut the threads as close under the button as you can.







Give the button a tug - it seems secure. Of course, it could unravel later - I just did these. They seem sturdy enough - time will tell.



Mr M and Miss P show you that they do look better 'decorated'!! Notice those really cute glasses Miss P is wearing?? Not real!! Her doctor said she needed glasses. They went to the eye doctor, talked about the great glasses she could get ... but she didn't need them! Very disappointed, she was!! So when Mommy found this 'fake' glasses at the mall - Miss P got them!

They look like such angels, don't they. They had just 'hip-checked' each other up and down the entire length of the cupboard!! Jockey-ing for 'top dog' position? While I was trying to get a picture ... guess I'm lucky they are not just a blur!

A holding Mr D in the same room got a glimpse of his future parenthood!! We both had to act like we weren't giggling!! Happy Holidays!

Christmas Quilts filled with memories

I wanted to join SewCalGal's Christmas Quilt Show but I just couldn't decide which wall quilt to put in!!! Decisions, decisions - since they are all about the same size - I'm showing you all of them!

Thanks SewCalGal for hosting this. Dear Reader, be sure you head here to see all the other quilts. I've already seen some ideas I want to do for next year!!

Let the festivities begin!!

Starting with the newest ... only because blogger reverses the photos when loading :> Eight Tiny Reindeer from "The Night Before Christmas" by Art to Heart. I finished this table runner last January. I love, love, love Art to Heart - especially their stitchery alphabets - they're wonderful, stylish, easy to read fonts. Because of this project, I wanted to do more stitchery this year ... and I did do 'more' - just not as much as I thought I would! When do we ever actually meet our own expectations!! Here's my blog post where I talk about making this quilt.



Isn't this a great 'door hanger'? A favorite pattern that I can't find right now :< I'll update this post if and when it surfaces. [Anyone?? I know it was very popular!!] This was made in my 'seasonal' quilting period. There were 4 centers of the log cabins that kind-of could be used as the seasons changed. Mom and Dad were traveling to Mexico in their trailer and I made door hangers for mom - not much room in a trailer to decorate or store things. Note the yellow star button. I really like those - as you will see! I had my BIL drill button holes in dozens of them. AND I've squirreled some away for the next project needing them! Thanks, G!!!



Mom and I stenciled these trees. And we decorated them with collectable quilting pins. Quilted by hand!! Those were the days!



This button tree is so-o cute! It's in "Make it Quick for Christmas" by Debbie Mumm. It was fun to pick out the buttons. Mom didn't care for the pattern, wanted something more 'traditional' - and that's why we made the stenciled trees shown above!



Ohhh, I lived away from home many years when we didn't have the money to get back for the holidays. I made so many of these wall quilts - it was a favorite gift for family and secret pals galore! It's from the pattern "Home for Christmas #124" by Pieces From My Heart. I did change the proportions a little - made it a little taller. The back stitch alphabet was fun. I, of course, was embroidering on dark fabric [I never take the easy way out!] - so I actually marked it on the back and stitched it backwards, giving me that perfect funky look I wanted! Good thing that's what it called for.



The oldest Christmas project still in the house is Prairie Points!! This has to be from the 80s because I remember working on them in NJ - we moved from there in 85 or 86. You stitched them and then 'framed' them in a 14" hoop. I made dozens of these for friends and families. I mailed them home in the hoop, in a pizza box!! It was the perfect size and depending on the kid at the pizza place - I could get a few free clean boxes everytime we went.



There are a lot of the wooden yellow stars through the years. Most of the pictures are taken on our brick-red couch here in the condo. This year ... I want to make new stockings for us. I've embroidered the names - Beach Papa and Beach Nana and the grandkids' names. Just have to decide on the stocking pattern.

Next blog post I'll show you the method I used to add buttons to already made Christmas stockings!! These are decorative only - and I think I got them on fairly securely!! AND the antique Christmas Tree quilt I was lucky enough to get from my Grandmother. See you then.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have you ever done anything and everything to avoid a perfectly good quilt project?? That's how I was treating poor Mr D's Jungle Boogie quilt. I got the free pattern from Fat Cat's patterns. Reduced it, picked all the fabrics from my stash, cut, wonder-undered the applique, added some piano key borders, J2 even helped. Found the perfect 'jungle' backing. Made my quilt sandwich and then just let it linger in the sewing room!!

I promised to work on it this weekend at the Stashbusters At-home Retreat and ignored it all day Saturday!! I did finally machine blanket-stitch 1/2 of it Sunday and Monday - and I was cranky the whole time!!! BUT the most amazing thing happened! DH said he liked it!! Knock me over with a feather!! No 'improvements' just he liked it!!

My DH is great and I love him dearly. But he is not a fan of my scrappy quilting style. He spoils me rotten - but rarely says anything without a caveat about my quilts. I marked it on my calendar!! LOL!

Now that golfing season is over ... I decided to go to UFO Thursday at the local shop - I got 6 pies appliqued down last Thursday. I've been going gang-busters on the Pies and Tarts quilt lately - avoiding other things, probably!

Like my UFO "Over the river and thru the woods." A good friend in Newport and I decided to make 2 of those quilts together, of course, we made them in different colors, less fall, more Christmas? - she did the wonderful embroidery for both quilts and I did all the piecing. But neither one of us got our own 'assignment' done for our own quilt. So we had awesome embroidery, great blocks ready to combine with the embroidery ... but only for a mixed quilt. You'd think that would have spurred us on - to get the rest of our own quilts done. Nope!

I just got a newsy email letter saying she was working on embroidery - I asked if it was the OR&TWs? If not - put it next in line!! [not that being in line has done much for my ORTWs!! It's still in line - the blocks aren't even together yet] ... definitely a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'!! But I still have hope - after all, it IS on the list!

Today I'm furiously working on Christmas stockings for J2 and Mr D. I swore I'd made a stocking for J2 back when they were first together. But they couldn't find it - so I looked back in my 'projects list' for the last few years ... nada!!

As a famous presidential candidate said, "oops!" LOL! Trying to get them done today - we head for Portland tomorrow and would love for them to be up and hanging this year!! In my own defense, despite several pleading emails - I didn't get the picture of A's stocking until noon Sunday!! I've made so many stocking renditions over the years - who knew which one and which way the toe faced!! And good thing I waited ... I'd forgotten about THAT rendition!!

It is a really cute stocking with a blank Christmas tree on the front - the theory was, you'd add a button every year you used it. Guess how many buttons are on the tree - yep, NONE - just the star on top that came with it!! It is a pain to sew buttons on a finished stocking. So now, I'm thinking of couching a bead garland and calling it good!! We'll see - if I wasn't nervous about gluing the stocking closed - I'd try a glue gun!! Needless to say, J2's will be decorated before becoming a stocking! D's is going to be a gingerbread man. Hmm, where are those elves when you need them!!

A week ago Friday, at 8:30 pm our fridge started making a noise!! Isn't that always the way!! Appliances poop out and children get sick on Fridays!! DH asked - "what does that sound like??? It's so familiar." I nailed it - "the old pop machine in the church basement."

Yep, even though we didn't know each other during those CYF/MYF years ... both of our churches had 'that' pop machine. That noise filled our small apartment til Tuesday!! But then, the repair man turned it off! All of a sudden, we were missing the noise!! Our food went to our neighbor's fridge [with their permission - they aren't here!] What a pain!! DH was such a cutie - he was always dressed when I got up [5:45 am], ready to go get my glass of milk and banana for me before I left for water aerobics!!

Yes, I keep my bananas in the fridge - can't stand the consistancy of a room temperature banana! This is how I choke one down every day ... can you tell I take some crap about it!! I also 'dip' it into a ramekin of dry cereal ... deal with it!! LOL! AND my grandkids do the same thing - at least when I'm there!!!

DH, Love that man, [I told you I was spoiled!!], but his 'service above and beyond the call of duty' didn't help!! I was a cranky gal til Friday. It's fixed now and so much quieter than it's ever been. Just to be sure it was really fixed, it was Friday, after all! - we planned to restock the fridge Saturday.

Saturday we woke up to 3 inches of sleet!!! It was crazy - it woke us up around 4:30 hitting against the bedroom windows. It sounded like someone was pouring a bucket of gravel in the courtyard!! And our windows are on the inside of a 3 foot covered walkway, on a protected courtyard. We rarely get any weather against them!

We were out of everything grocery-wise - probably had just enough to get us thru the day, but decided we had all-wheel-drive and we should just head for town! I debated wearing my snow boots - but ended up not - thank goodness!

The sleet cover ended by the end of the view point!! 1/2 mile?? I don't think town [5 miles away] had anything at all - the road wasn't even wet!! And I thought the midwest had micro-climates!! Groceries were bought amid giggles of how dumb we would have looked in our snow gear!!

Last night the wind started H*O*W*L*I*N*G! It's supposed to be 'heavy winds' thru tonight. If by 'heavy winds' they mean people shouting "Auntie Em, Auntie Em!!" [remember Wizard of Oz???] they got it right. I put an extra fluffy quilt on our bed last night - it whistled thru all the doors and windows and it not only sounded cold - it was!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you all the best!

What to get the elderly relative that has everything?

My dear mom is 93 and lives in the Independent Living section in one of Lincoln's Legacy Retirement communities. It's hard to find anything - from afar - that is good for Christmas. Trust me, clothing has to be tried on to be sure the size fits. And the best presents usually need to be explained - how you came up with it!! But I think I found a great gift for her!!!

I started this last year and it worked out so well, she ran out and I had to mail more ... during the Christmas season!!! Ho, Ho, Ho indeed!! So this year I doubled the 'order' and mailed it off today.

Mom loves Dark chocolate and Orange. Well, who doesn't!! And it can be a little hard to find. Something to do with commodities trading, I'm sure!!! Trader Joes carries a 'bite-size' candy that's yummy. But last year they weren't carrying it ... so I had to look further.



What's the present you ask??? Boxes of her favorite candy wrapped for Christmas - for her to give away! We need 11 boxes - okay - that is including some relatives!! And one of the medium flat rate boxes at the Post Office holds - tightly- 14!! Three unwrapped, hoping she won't give them away [again] and will have some for herself!! With room for a baggie or two of more candy on the side.

She has so much fun with this. It's prewrapped, ready for delivery. The hairdresser, the cleaning lady, the couples that sit with her at dinner, the favorite nurse and favorite HS gal at the front desk. She feels great doing it. And honestly, that feeling lasts longer than her opening a present - no matter how great - from me!!!

I'm just saying ... think about it!!

I made another DoubleSlice quilt - this one lapsized. A good friend from Newport is battling cancer. As soon as I found out, my thought was - she needs a 'recovery quilt' NOW!!

First we had a poll with mutual friends - what IS her favorite color??? Well, she's pretty colorful in fashion and home decorating!! and our consensus was green-blue-teal-yellow!! Well, favorites or not - here it comes!



I found this perfect backing - yellow with blue, green, teal dots! So fun and sunny ... just meant to be!!



I put some funky fabrics in it - things to look for: some words, houses, rabbits, spools, and anchors, of course. Then I quilted around the blocks with my DSM, tacked it with some stitched hearts. What my machine was up to, I don't know - but some of the hearts turned out kind-of funky!! Oh, well, it's sturdy for washing and that might be a conversation starter!!! (just what is that supposed to be????)

The quilt JUST FIT into another Medium Flat Rate box from the PO. Caution, it may explode when they open it!!