Two posts in two days! Holy Cow!

I'm in such a good mood, so why not!?!

I just finished decorating the tree, and because I have a better camera now, the pics came out great, and I want to share!  We always do a victorian-style tree......lots of beads and glass, and everything else!  It's loaded with ornaments that I've collected over the past 30+ years......and I love it!

 This santa made of dough is the oldest ornament.....over 40 years old.  Made by a friend of my mother's when I was a kid, and it's the only ornament I took from the family tree when I left home.  Well that, and the finial topper and a delicate string of glass blue beads.  Most of the beads are broken now, so they are used on a miniature tree in a bedroom.  But the gold finial is up on top!  It's probably around 50 years old!

 This little snoozing santa sitting on the moon is newer, and he's a kick!  His skinny little legs dangle and move!  See that little quilt block cube in the upper left corner.....I have 3 different ones......from way back when.  They are 1" sides on the fabric cube.  Tiny, tiny piecing.  Love it!

A lovely gifted Swarovski crystal star and a favorite silver pinecone.  I have 30 of the pinecones, and I just love them!  This pic looks as though I have a lot of pink on the tree, but not really.....I guess this little section just got a bunch of it!  The little snowman head.....my hubby loves to point those out on the tree, and then sing, "I......ain't got no bo.....o.....ody"......lol.

 The feather butterflies are on a wire, and sit above the branches as if in flight!  Lovely!  I also love the lobster boat by the blue ornament.

 One of the cornhusk girls with a broom.  Each one has a tool for a chore.  Sweet!  And I love having birds on the tree, perched on branches.  And there's another quilty cube ornament in lime green (below the bird)!

 Another feathered bird, and in the center, a beautiful crystal flocked tree.  It's so heavy, it needs a very strong branch.  It's one of the first ornaments I bought when I was on my own.

A gifted blown-glass moosehead......it's stunning.  And I love the little snowman face!


Ok.......so that's the end of the tree.......how about some quilty pics!?!  :o)

I've been busy making a couple of 'warm hug' quilt tops......hoping to get them quilted in the next week or two.

I used up a whole bunch of blue 1.5" and 2" strips for this strings quilt!  Yay!  It fits a twin bed.

The six blocks in the center were made by Peg from our Wednesday night quilt group for a group quilt we were doing.  But when I collected all the blocks and was seeing how they would be set, I thought her blocks were so pretty, they needed to be made into their own quilt.  I pulled the colors from her fabrics, and made the green string blocks and cranberry and purple borders.  It is a lap size, perfect for a lady needing a throw to keep her warm.

Now that I see it......I wish I'd pressed it before taking pics!  Sheesh!

And the final quilt is for me.......

 Earlier in the year, my friends Pat and Suzanne and I went to a quilt show, and we all bought several bags of 40's scraps.  I then challenged them (and me) by saying, "Let's make 'something' with these by 4th of July!"  That would give us plenty of time!  But I've been thinking about the scraps dang near every day since I got them, and when Sioban from Scraps and Threadtales blog posted an antique quilt she acquired a while back, well.......it MADE me do it!  I loved the look of it so much, and these 40's prints were just like the ones in her quilt.  Perfect!  I added the top and bottom border to make it fit my bed (I have a footboard, so I don't tuck it in, it just lays up next to it.)

Some close ups of the prints.......

I'm really excited about quilting this one, because of all the big open spaces.  I'll be dreaming about feathered wreaths, and swirly designs for a while I think!  I'll post about it when I actually get it done!

I'll have another post, maybe tomorrow, with more pics of the quilt show.  I still have a bunch that are so amazing.....they must be shown!  :o)

Tomorrow I'm cleaning house, and getting the spare bedroom ready......our son, Chris, arrives from Bahrain on Saturday evening!  He'll be staying until just after Christmas, then heading back to Virginia, where he'll be stationed aboard ship.  I'm so glad he's back in the states now!

And......next week, Chris and I will be driving down to NY to see the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City Music Hall!  John and I saw it about 15 years ago, and I cried and cried, it was so good.  Of course, it was our first time in NYC, and this little girl from Seattle, who grew up watching all the old movies and tv specials of NY, and the parades, and the ice skating, and all the glitz and glam of the city.....well......it was just so overwhelming and humbling to think I was actually right there......in person......seeing it all!  A real pinch-me moment!  Yep.....I was a blubbering idiot for most of the show......it was so great!

This time, I will be controlling myself, so as not to embarrass my son!  lol  Our cousin Patti will be joining us, and we'll be staying with her in Long Island for a few days.  It's all so exciting.....I just love little trips!

AND......hubby and I finished our Christmas shopping......together!......on Tuesday, so there is nothing to do now except some baking!  Woohoo!  I'm loving that!  It's so nice when he joins me; it goes so much faster, and I don't have to second guess myself on each item.  We accomplished so much, and had a really nice day together doing it, and Mexican dinner to boot!  Yippee!

We are expecting a Noreaster on Sunday.......so we'll be skiing early next week!  Woohoo!

Life is good!

Ho Ho Ho!

regan