Merry Christmas

Hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas day together.

Safe travels and I will check back after the New Year.

A New UFO!

Our Bee plays Dirty Santa each December and there is rarely a gift I wouldn't love to have in any of the bags. Last night I took my turn to "steal" a handmade tote full of neutral fat quarters. But alas it was stolen away from me. So I decided to open another wrapped gift...and what I had was the perfect gift for me. I have never made stockings...and this gift game complete with the fabric to make these two! I think I will hand quilt these and even make the little wool flower hangers at the top. I think its the nine patch for me, and the flying geese for Go Postal. Thanks Salem Stitcher! Good thing I have almost 12 months to complete them!

December Fun

Go Postal and I have really had a busy December. But most of the presents are wrapped (I think all the shopping he has left is me, and I refuse to help him on that one!), we have mailed cards, and have been to several Christmas programs. I have never attended so many in one December but what fun.

• Calvary Christmas Program (with his Dad)


• Nutcracker (Buddy,my sister and I)


• Casting Crowns Holiday Concert


• Beautiful Star, An Appalachian Nativity (with his Dad)


• Not to mention the cookie parties, our ski club get together and tonight's viewing of Christmas Vacation with my rowdy quilting buddies.

All have been really special for different reasons. Now its just time for some last minute cooking, a candle light Christmas Eve service and then just kicking back and enjoying Christmas day!

We also treated ourselves to a nice dinner out at one of our local wineries Saturday night. We stopped by to pick up a gift certificate and were amazed they had tables available so we indulged. Sometimes the nicest evenings are those that were not planned.

If you get a chance check out the Century Kitchen at Flint Hill Vineyards located just south of East Bend in Yadkin County. I don't think you will be dissapointed.

Almonds

Flying squirrels like Almonds! Go Postal came down the stairs proclaiming we should break open champagne Saturday!


(I had to tell my sister this story...but not let on he was checking squirrel traps first, needless to say she thought he had proposed...I am such a mean big sister sometimes)


We caught one squirrel and the bait in the other trap had been stolen. So at least now there is hope of slowly ridding the attic of these guys. Thanks Dairy Queen for the Almonds!

Tagged

Mrs Goodneedle tagged me to look at my computer and pick the fourth file, fourth photo and publish it. My home computer has been given last rights...so shhh this is on my work computer's hard drive.

This photo was taken as one of my friends was taken out to lunch for her birthday. She has moved on now (Pepsi instead of Hanes) but luckily we still get to see each other for lunch! I miss not having her here at the office.

I think most of my other blogging buddies have been tagged now (I am supposed to select four more to keep this post going) but I will tag Sofia's Mom next, lets see what her fourth photo will be!

Got Fabric?

Interested in purchasing a t-shirt. Leave me a note on my comments page or e-mail me at LeanneM@triad.rr.com

They cost $10 plus shipping and our proceeds are benefiting the Women's Foundation of Winston-Salem. I have sizes Small through 2XL

Born to Quilt

Thanks Mrs Goodneedle for sending me this picture. This is our Bee, dressed a little "un-traditional" for our guild pot luck last night. We are selling the Got Fabric? t-shirts to benefit the Women's Foundation downtown. Our Born to Quilt tatoos look great! Our centerpiece was a Santa riding a motorcycle that sang Born to be Wild....he went home with the Marine that was there collecting toys for the Toys for Tots campaign. Tons of Fun!

Mind Tricks

OK everyone can see its a pewter owl. But when you haven't been getting enough sleep you mind can play tricks on you. I was unpacking Christmas stuff last week and heard skittering noises in the corner above the TV. I looked up and saw this back in the shadows behind a speaker (not where it normally is) The noises, the shadows, not enough sleep...I was convinced I saw its head move and was real. I retreated to my room, and called Go Postal who was already on his way and told him to hurry. I thought in addition to trying to seal up the attic he would have to get the bird out of the house. He was very brave, put on gloves...got a towel to wrap it up and approached the shelf. Needless to say, we then had a good laugh. The noises were real, the bird was not. So far the flying squirrels want nothing to do with peanut butter or almonds. The skittering continues. Not sure if they have another access point or just have enough acorns stored that they can last the winter.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a nice Thanksgiving, my two sisters and their families along with Go Postal,his Dad, Whole Wheat and Dairy Queen shared a meal Thursday evening at my home. The only potential issue with the meal was a little too many green bean ends were put down the garbage disposal at once (OK but this is the same brave sister that fished out the dead squirrel for me, so she is forgiven). Handy brother in law had the trap off and cleaned out pretty fast, so dinner was back on track.



My oldest nephew has decided his radio name should be Marshmallow because he doesn't really like it when he's called that, so it will get his attention when he hears it over the radio. So, Marshmallow and I took Georgia on a hike Sunday around Pilot Mt. I was ready to get outside after a day of cooking and 6 hours of powershopping with my sisters starting at 6am. His sister and I were ready to turn in early (in our matching skiing bunny flannel pj's....wonder what Mrs Goodneedle's hubby would think of these)

























We took all four kids roller skating to end the weekend....even Little Man can get around the rink now. I guess it would be good off season training for Go Postal and I if we did it often. My body mechanics don't work the exact way they used to when I could fly around the rink!

More Attic Antics

So this is a flying squirrel. I never knew they look so much like chipmunks. Remember Go Postal made some thresholds at the attic accesses so no critter could get under the doors into the house anymore.....what we didn't count on was that there was a nest of flying squirrels already made in the closet where all my sewing fabric/wrapping paper is kept.

Yesterday my housekeeper called to inform me that a baby flying squirrel was sitting on my sofa table in the living room when she came downstairs. She didn't notice it at first, but Zorro was intently sitting on the back of the couch (less than 3 ft away, not much of a killer huh) watching something. She FREAKED. Her husband came over and they finally got it out the front door.

So my brave sister (mother of two boys) went into the closet after work to investigate. We quickly could smell that this would not be a search and rescue mission anymore...but a recovery. I took the boys downstairs to eat pizza and watch Star Wars. Dead stuff is just something I can't do very well.

She came downstairs with a plastic target bag that was full of rafia and other ribbons....and said the problem was in there. Neither of us were brave enough to fully investigate so we chunked it into the back of my truck that sits outside for my brother in law and older nephew to investigate when they get into town tonight.

I don't know if the baby died and the housekeeper saw Mom...or if it was a sibling that just was more determined to survive by coming down and getting some of Zorro's food. But hopefully the drama is over. Although something still is getting into the attic, I heard it scurry across the ceiling last night about 2:30. That can be a project for the guys after they eat too much turkey.

I never had seen flying squirells....see how I would have confused it with a chipmunk?

Fried or Roasted?

This is the first year I will eat two turkey dinners on the same day. Go Postal's family is having a fried turkey (their church is making them for a fundraiser). I will go the traditional route and roast a fresh turkey from Whole Foods for supper that evening with both my sisters and their families. I haven't made many turkeys...Mom always used the bag, but last year I tried my hand at roasting a fresh turkey. I think because they are not frozen they stay a little juicier and I love the way you can get the skin to brown by not using the bag. What do you like?

I am taking Wednesday off to get a head start so I can enjoy Thursday. It might take two Thanksgiving meals for me to keep up with my sisters Friday morning as we hit all the early bird sales.

Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you and your families have a wonderful day. I know we all have a lot to be thankful for.....

All is Well for Now

My department was told we only lost one person. The planning department I used to work in didn't fare as well. Thanks for the comments/e-mails.

Is My Number Up?

My employer is laying off about 160 folks from our building today... I have mixed emotions about this. Our industry is increasingly difficult but not like many others in today's economy. I went back to school 10 years ago to get an MBA fully expecting to have to make a change someday. If its today, I pray I keep a good attitude and find the next chapter in my career soon. I know there will be others today that won't have the years of service and thus weeks of severance that I do....and have children to support. I pray for them too.

What I can do in 30 minutes at Lunch

With it getting dark so early, its tough to get the yard work done. So yesterday I decided to see if I could get the leaves off the new grass in the back yard. Thirty minutes later...not too bad. We had a lot of rain and wind on Saturday that expedited their fall this year. But looking up there are still a lot that will come down over the next few weeks. The leaf blower was something I had never laid eyes on before growing up in the panhandle of Texas, but what a great invention!

The Critter and I Meet

Remeber Zorro and I have been hearing things in the ceiling above my bed. But I stuffed a towel under the access door from my sewing room closet to the attic so thought I would just ignore the problem for now. Well last night I had to do some ironing, and the board hangs from the back of that closet door. I was letting the iron cool and remembered that I left my cell phone upstairs. As I walk in I hear a paniced scratching sound near my dormer window and look over to see a creature hanging like spider man in the corner. I freaked...its amazing I didn't trip going down the stairs (I only think I hit about two). But who do I call....Go Postal and Dad are both long distance calls and my LAN line phone can only make local calls. So I have to be a big girl and tackle this thing on my own. Zorro is laying on the couch looking at me like...why are you so suprised, he's been up there for months.

I creep back up the stairs and see a chipmunk sitting right in the middle of my sewing room...between me and my cell phone. So I start banging on the door facing and he crawls behind the computer desk...after scratching at a few fleas...Ugh. I get my phone, dart out of the sewing room and stuff a towel under the door.

I heard him last night again between the floors so he figured out how to get back out to the attic I guess...and Go Postal is coming over to help seal the gap in the roof sheathing where we think he is getting in.

Then, Zorro gets flea dipped and we spread boroxo on the carpet before a flea infestation hits.

But then on second thought, I can use this as a good excuse for not working on my #4 UFO in our Guild challenge.....a chipmunk has taken my sewing room hostage.

Way to go Red Raiders!

OK, so I have to admit...its a little tough to follow your school when you live this far away....but to beat the University of Texas any year is great for Texas Tech. I was there when it happened in 1988 in Austin. But to knock them off when they are ranked #1 in the nation...awesome. I can't imagine how fun it was to walk down 6th street with the Double T on your sweatshirt after the game and see all those sad burnt orange faces.

Autumn Flyer Train Ride

Go Postal and I gave his Dad this trip for his birthday this year. A snapshot through a moving train window doesn't really capture the beauty. It was an early and cold start in Spencer when we boarded the train at 6:15. This 22 car train had several antique dome cars brought in just for this day. We sat in a normal Amtrak passenger car. We arrived in Charlotesville for lunch and to a sunny 70 degree afternoon.

There was an eleven year old next to us that was with his father and grandfather for the day. He knew all the engines, what time they normally were scheduled to pass and at every milepost what train yard we were approaching. His nose never left the glass.

I would love to return to the area sometime to see the Universtity of Va, Monitcello, and drive on to Shenandoah National Park. But this was a great way to have a relaxing day and spend time with a couple of great guys. We finished off the evening with a BBQ dinner and grateful we were going to get an extra hour of sleep before church!

Halloween Fun

Our Next Relay for Life Raffle Quilt Begins

Mom had these Moda fat quarters in her stash...so I have added some chocolate and more pink dots for the border. There will be a pink ribbon backing fabric from Northcot's Quilt for a Cure line. Hope to get it peiced at my upcoming quilting retreat in the mountains. Its going to be a pattern called lovers knot from the Quiltmaker's Gift pattern book. I will hopefully have it ready to start selling tickets by the New Year!

BYOP

Buddy went with Go Postal and I to a BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) party last night and he came prepared with a pattern book. I carved the skull and cross bones and Go Postal did the Haunted Castle. The little saws and scoopers that come with these patterns sure beat the butcher knives we used to use as kids for details (not to mention safety). Thanks Off Camber for a great party...most people would be scared of all those pumpkin guts all spread on their driveways!

Lookin Spiffy

I was very proud of the deal I spotted when I found this Ralph Lauren suit on the Clearance rack for $119, all it needed was the cuffs to fit Go Postal! We finally had a chance to get it out this weekend when we attended a wedding. His cousins that he grew up with (they lived just across the street) came back home for the event. I hadn't met JB yet as he lives in Kansas City...but it was fun getting to hear a few of their stories. It was a pretty Fall day and the wedding was simple but elegant! And his favorite part....the chocolate truffles they gave away as favors and instead of yout typical punch a big bowl of sweet tea!

Surprise Quilt!

Our Bee made this as a surprise "good wishes" gift for a member that will be having surgery next week. I think we really suprised her. We each started with a snippet of the border fabric and the pattern for this "Hearth and Home" block. I love the way everyone's turned out a little different based on their fabric choices/values. This group suprised me last year with my 4oth quilt, don't quilters make the best friends?

My job was to bind it and I didn't finish it until Sunday morning (sitting at the hotel in Asheville) so I decided what a better way to get a nice photo than to hike with it and display it against God's Fall color pallete atop Tennant mountain.

Tennant Mt Hike on Sunday

Sunday was much warmer....so we headed again to the Blue Ridge parkway. But this time we were on a part I have never been too before, South of Asheville. The leaves had a little more color here due to the higher elevation. We parked near Black Balsam and hike up the trail to Tennant Mt.

Here is Dairy Queen and Whole Wheat at the top with a view of Looking Glass Rock in the distance. We stopped in Hendersonville on the way home for Mexican and it was a great ending to a full weekend of fun.

Los Lonely Boys in Concert

We saw Los Lonely Boys in Aheville at the Orange Peel on Saturday night after the day hike. We had just enough time to eat noodles at Dok Cheys first...yum.

This is a great venue, just look how close we were. I only had my phone on my camera to take this shot. If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn (which Go Postal does) you would really love this band. They are three brothers from Seminole Texas and they ROCK!

Whole Wheat and Dairy Queen sat down on a bench where they could still hear but not have to stay on their feet and listen to the extreme bass. They had about as much fun watching the Asheville crowd come in and leave during the concert.

Tannawah Trail Hike

The ski club did this hike on Saturday and we may have been a bit early for peak color, the parkway was packed. This is a shot from near the top where we stopped to eat lunch, you cansee the Linn Cove Viaduct in the background. It was pretty breezy at the top, we tried to eat along a rock face to stay out of the wind.







Off Camber, Sugar Maple, and Bunny Foo Foo pose for a self portrait near the end of the hike!

Sofia Comes to Visit

Its been four month's since I last saw Sofia...and wow what changes. She is walking and saying a few words. She can shake her finger at you when she knows she is doing somthing she shouldn't be doing, and has her ears pierced. Her Mom and Dad are speaking mostly Spanish to her since she will get English from everyone else. Her first word was bomba which is Spanish for balloon. She is full of curls and smiles and a delightful little lady (ok I am probably a little biased!!) She had fun chasing Zorro (gato) around the house and even sampled his food before I got his bowl off the floor. She will be a big sister in April!!

Buddy's Fair Entry

Pretty good for a 6 year old....Buddy loves to put together Leggo kits, and decided to enter an Alligator in this year's fair. Its fun to go into the exhibit hall when you know some of the artists. I also saw many pretty quilts made by some of our guild members. Salem Stitcher even got a ribbon (not suprising to anyone that has seen her work).

I entered the fair as a child...and even got to go to the State Fair once to compete in the 4H Style Review with a Gunnie Sak outfit I made. Remember those....very lacy blouse, quilted jacket with puffy sleeves and a ruffled skirt (I even found it in a box of stuff from my parents house). But what I most remember about that week was eating a bag full of fried mini doughnuts every day and getting really good at the video game Frogger.

Go Postal and I went Sunday and topped off the evening with an Elephant Ear (I am biking tonight to try and get some of the oil globs out of my arteries now) Fun Stuff!

I'll Play!

Salem Stitcher had this on her blog...I love these kind of exercises....who's next?

1.Where is your cell phone? Both on table downstairs
2.Where is your significant other? Hmm, probably on a ladder fixing something
3.Your hair color? Brown/Gray....
4. Your mother? With her Heavenly Father
5. Your father? Pigging out at his 50th High School Reunion
6. Your favorite thing? Starbucks Latte (I assume we are talking inanimate objects)
7. Your dream last night? Don't remember any.
8. Your dream/goal? Have a secure financial future, then the health to spend it traveling in retirement
9. The room you're in? Sewing/Computer/Dumping Station
10. Your hobby? Quilting/Cycling/Hiking/Skiing
11. Your fear? Becoming a burden for someone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Reading bedtime stories
13. Where were you last night? With Go Postal trying to fix my air conditioner drain
14. What you're not? Organized
15. One of your wish-list items? a 1967 sports car (same model year as me)
16. Where you grew up? Texas and Wyoming
17. The last thing you did? Planted Pansies
18. What are you wearing? Sweats
19. Your TV? Not up with the times....a 25" Sony, not flat screen or HD
20. Your pet? Zorro the Cat
21. Your computer? Full of stuff I should back up
22. Your mood? Melancholy
23. Missing Someone? My Mom
24. Your car? Which one....The Gas Guzzler, The Truck that was my Grandfathers, or the Civic
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? It would be a combo biking/quilting store....called Spokes and Stitches
27. Your summer? Gone
28.Love someone? Lots of someones, but one mailman in particular
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Hard, when Whole Wheat told the story of trying to put chicken bones he found in the yard down his garbage disposal
31. When is the last time you cried? Been a few weeks now...

School Lunch

It really hasn't changed that much....Pizza is the best thing on the menu, and its just so-so. I had a nice time eating with Buddy. One of his classmates asked if I was his Grandma. I know I am old enough to be a grandmother biologically....but thank goodness no not yet. The classes all marched in and went through the line. The kids punch in a code that deducts their lunch from an electronic balance that parents can re-charge on line (I liked that because we had to keep up with little punch cards all week long). Classes all had paper stop lights at the end of their tables...when the chaos gets too much the teacher can flip it from green over to red...meaning No Talking just Eating. Then they line up again and march on to bathroom, spend some time outside then its back to letters and numbers. It was fun getting to see him in his element. He and another little girl were the lunch helpers that day so they had to clean the table after the class had left. They have five minutes before re-joining the class. He needs to watch out for her...she giggled and messed with him all the way back down the hall and even tried to hold his hand, it was hilarious...he just brushed her off and never stopped talking. Ahh First Grade.....

Dad's Skyventure

My Sisters and I gave Dad a flight in a WWII aircraft for his birthday....and this was the week his flight was scheduled so they drove up. Here he is taking off in the AT6??

He takes off! We had about 15 minutes to wait. Little Man asked Grandaddy all morning if he was scared. Then after he took off, he kept asking if Grandaddy was coming back. Buddy got to leave school a few minutes early so he could also watch the flight.

The pilot offered to do a roll, but since it had been about 40 years since Dad's Air Force days....he passed.

Everyone enjoyed watching him experiencing his gift, he said he went to bed dreaming of his next mission!

Swan Creek Vineyard Wineries

Go Postal and I at our picnic spot overlooking the vines at Raffaldini..... between rain showers.



The Ski Club took Sunday afternoon to visit 4 of the Swan Creek wineries in Yadkin County. First we stopped at Dobbins Creek, they have a great new tasting room and I enjoyed their Pinot Grigio a lot (I even took one home). Second we visited Laurel Gray. This winery is named for the owners two children and their tasting room used to be the milking barn. They feature wonderful products from a nearby Amish store as well. The next stop was at Raffaldini, they had added a new inmpressive tasting room since my last visit and have always had beautiful gardens. We had out picnic there and even though it showered off and on it was a wonderful afternoon. You really feel like you are in Italy in this little corner of Yadkin County. Final stop for the day was Swan Creek. There are five wineries in this group (we didn't stop at Buck Shoals since we had visited before). They have even gotten their own Viticultural designation. They sit at the base of the Brushy Mountains and the soil is great for grapes! My only advice...plan more time, just sitting on some of their decks and enjoying the landscape with a glass of wine will be a great way to spend an afternoon. If you like wine, check them out you won't be dissapointed.

Check out their website for more information: http://www.swancreekvineyards.com/

Happy First Day of Fall

I love Fall. We ending summer with a beach trip...now its time to do all the great things Fall has to offer:

1. Hikes in the Mountains

2. Coming home to a crock pot full of chilli or soup

3. Planting Pansies

4. Fall Festivals - Apples, Music and other fun

5. A porch swing and a quilt to snuggle under

Hope this Fall doesn't fly by as fast as Summer did....

Ready for the Beach

Can you believe I haven't been to the beach yet this year? OK, you can't really count the 30 minutes we spent at Wrightsville the day we helped Go Postal's neice move some furniture to her new apartment. But tomorrow we take off for Cherry Grove...with great friends from the ski club. It will be some past due R&R. I love the beach in September! This place is called Hazel's Child. Their parents built it right after Hazel took out most of North Myrtle Beach. Saturday night will see 25 folks gathered in the upper unit eating boiled shrimp, corn, baked potatoes and the most delicious baked onions I have ever tasted. We will have to take some long walks to balance the amount of food I plan on eating!

Fannye's Flower Garden

Our Guild had a founding member that was right to the point and knew more about quilts than anyone I have ever met. She taught me a lonestar pattern in one of my earliest quilting classes. We lost her a few years ago and her family donated some of her unfinished items to our guild. Last night we had an auction....and I had jumped right in for my favorite. This is a hand pieced flower garden pattern, but each hexagon is first pieced using two fabrics giving it a very non traditional flower garden look. I will have it quilted and it will be used/displayed in my home as a tribute to a great quilter. We miss her!

In Town Retreat

All 10 members of my Bee were able to participate in another day of sewing on Saturday. It amazing what you can get done when there are no other distractions (except for the occasional boggie break when LP's tunes get cranking) Not sure the church vacum will ever be the same....but we decided to make them a quilt for the next fundraiser so maybe they will let us still "borrow" their space again.

I got the second of my two rail fence quilts tied....hopefully they will be ready to show on their respective twin beds in a few weeks in time for my Dad's visit at the end of the month.

Final Day at the Pool....This Summer

Mary and I mowed our yards, washed and waxed our cars, and took the boys swimming on Monday. It was the last day of the year for this season. Here they are demonstrating their skills. Buddy is going off the slide (although all I was able to capture was the splash so I didn't post the picture) and Little Man (above) will jump from the side and go WAY under. He can't quite get himself back up but maybe by next summer he will be swimming too.

I finished off the evening at a guild meeting where the guest speaker was all about Aprons (her website http://apronmemories.com/). We were told to wear an apron (and almost every memeber did). Granny M seemed to always have an apron on....I wore one that I think my Mom made in home ec back in the 50's. Mrs Goodneedle snaped my picture....you can visit her blog today to see it. All in all.....a Great Labor Day (even if I wasn't at the beach!)

http://strawberrypatchquiltworks.blogspot.com/