Merry Christmas!

SNOW!

I pooh poohed the idea of snow all day Friday - the ocean is too warm, we're going to get a mess of rain/sleet/ice, the usual for the Jersey Shore. Wrong. This is why we were closed Sat and Sunday.








This was Saturday morning about 10am














This was Sunday morning about 6am.


The photo doesn't show it but it was still snowing.












We're shoveled out this morning - necessary parts, the back deck door isn't necessary so this is the result. It will look like this till it melts!

And we're thanking our lucky stars we bought a snowblower a few years ago!

It's definitely going to be a white Christmas.

The dreaded MALL

It's the week before Christmas & what is every sane person doing who celebrates Christmas? Christmas stuff right? Of course that's not what I'm doing. That doesn't mean I'm ready for Christmas mind you, oh no - not even close to ready! But yesterday I'm at the MALL, the MALL,a week before Christmas! You have to be crazy or desperate to go to the MALL the week before Christmas. Yes, that certifies my craziness. And I'm not at the MALL to just Christmas shop - on no, I'm at the mall looking for the dreaded mother of the bride (MOB) dress. Shoot me now please.

Did I ever mention I hate to shop? Unless it's for fabric or something quilt related, I'm the shopper that retailers hate. I go in, find what I want, pay for it & leave (they like the paying for it part!). Jim, James M, Sara & even Jeremy to some extent LOVE to shop. They like to look at everything, touch most of it & for some unknown reason, like the whole experience. I am the misfit of my family. Shopping is just not an enjoyable experience for me, I'm hot, can't find what I want, the bags are heavy, there's no room in the store aisle to move, there's too many people . . . . . I admit, I tend to whine in a MALL.

So on Wednesday when I told my loving husband we had to go to the MALL, he reached over & felt my forehead. Funny man - NOT. The rehab my Mom is in now is cooler than the one in Salem and since she's spent the last 10 winters in Florida with my brother, she doesn't have many warmer clothes. So, proving the depth of my love for my Mom - who also hates to shop mind you - off we went yesterday to look for warmer clothes for Mom AND a MOB's dress for me.

First off all - who makes these MOB dresses???? They all go from teenagerish to matronly with no stops in between. And BTW? I don't want to wear a gown that rustles when I walk or clings like SaranWrap, has a beaded jacket that weights 40 pounds, is stiff as a board or requires midevil armor for me to fit into. I will admit to frantically searching the internet for something that could be mailed & did order a jacket & camisole. Very nice but somehow I think I need a bottom of some sort to go with it.

In the midst of all that internet shopping, I decided that I was going to be comfortable at Sara's wedding & wear the sort of pants that look like a long skirt when you're standing still. That brought about quite a bit of eye rolling from the bride . . . I was willing to change my mind if I found a gown that met the comfortable requirements and didn't show more cleavage than I was used to. Sara's colors are burgundy & black, she can't dictate what I wear but she can dictate the colors, so the top I bought is burgundy and how hard could it be to find black, dressy, looks like a skirt when you're standing still pants be???? Five stores & SIX HOURS later I had them, clothes for my Mom, presents for the kids and we were out of there.

I'm not going back, I don't care what anyone says. My outfit covers me in all the right places, is the required colors and I'll accessorize with pearls.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Happy Birthday Carol Doak!

Carol Doak was here for two days of classes & celebrated her birthday with us.

During lunch Carol had show & tell from her books. Amazing!

Everyone had a great time! Thanks Carol!

Flag Pole Christmas Tree

Here's a picture of our flagpole Christmas tree. We went energy effecient last year with the new LED lights but I really miss those huge Christmas light bulbs that we used for the previous 25 years!

Holiday Traditions

As usual, the holiday season has not crept slowly upon me, it's exploded into the almost here panic stage. This year I've at least THOUGHT about gifts and been picking little things up during the year but I am NO WHERE NEAR being ready, or even near close to ready. Sigh.

This year I've been going back & forth to Massachusetts to see my Mom who has had a couple of strokes since Oct . Six hour trips in the car give me quite a bit of thinking time (in between being astounded and ticked off at the driving of others! How can you be speeding 10 miles over the limit and have cars passing you like you're standing still?????) I've spent some of the driving time thinking about all the traditions I brought to NJ with me from Gloucester.

One tradition is lights strung up our flagpole in the shape of a Christmas tree. When I was growing up, Mr Hatch, our next door neighbor did this with his 40' flagpole & you could see it all over Smith's Cove. Our 20' "tree" can only be seen from our street but the kids across the street are already wondering when it will go up. Our kids, who thought it looked like a space ship when they were small, would be disapointed to come home for Christmas & find that we hadn't done it - so Jim and I will be freezing our fingers off Thurs. stringing lights & putting real evergreen roping across the porch (which I then spoil the natural effect of by hanging lighted pepperments & candy canes from it - my traditional side warring with my love of bright shiny things).

Going back & forth to Gloucester has given me time in my old hometown. I've watched with interest the building of the lobsterpot tree. Gloucester started doing this about 10 years ago and has a competition of sorts going with Rockport Maine as to who has the biggest & the best tree made from lobsterpots. Gloucester's went up over the weekend - I KNOW Jim will balk at having our own lobsterpot tree & it will be the final piece of evidence for my kids that Mom has finally lost it, but I kindof like the idea. (My Dad was a lobsterman)

A kissing ball was in the trunk when I left Gloucester yesterday morning. Kissing balls have been around since Victorian times - usually made out of mistletoe - but the kissing balls of my childhood were made from evergreens, red velvet bows & streamers and hung outside. When I first moved to NJ, I searched locally for kissing balls & couldn't find a one, so I hauled them home at Thanksgiving. Now I can find them, but I still brought one home yesterday & hung it outside my backdoor.

And I'm pretty puritan in my decoration likes and dislikes. Yesterday, I waited while the garden center made me up a grave basket of just greens, winterberries, pinecones and a red bow. Mind you, the guy had 40 grave baskets out front - all with fake poinsettias, carnations & other unidentified flowers in them. The one I put out for my dad was classic New England, just like he was.

I love the look of houses with all white candles and Christmas trees with all white lights but in my house chaos reins with blasts of colored lights all over the tree, just like when I was growing up. My children, as much as they swore they'd do things different when they had their own houses, all do the same. Little bits of childhood traditions work their way into their lives. You should have seen Sara explaining the Dollar Dance, done at all her Minnesota cousins weddings, to the DJ who will be doing her wedding next month. Jim's family will expect it, my family & Brian's will be perplexed.

This how we get the melting pot of America - blending our regional and family traditions into something we call our own.

Monthly Deliveries

You see a quilt, love the quilt but can't imagine doing it all at once, you love to get packages in the mail that aren't ads, you want to learn a new technique, you love to quilt but dislike choosing fabrics . . . any of these descriptions apply to you? If so, you would love our block of the month programs!

Each month we mail out quite a few packages to quilters all over the US & beyond. (Mailing days are a little crazier than usual at QP!) These are our Block of the Month programs you can participate in:

APRONS!

A 1930's treat! 15 apron blocks, borders and binding will be included in this 12 month block of the month. Included in this block of the month will be the pattern & all the fabrics to complete the top + ric rac for details & pre-made bias binding for the binding! $25 for the first month and $15.95 for the next 11 months + shipping.

CRAZY QUILT!

Indulge your passion for gorgeous fabrics - velvets, silks, gorgeous cottons - and for embellishing - beads, crystals, fancy threads! Join us for a 12 month journey into fancy stitches, threads, fabrics and more! Learn new techniques like puffing, pintucks, bobbin work - all on your sewing machine. Choose from two colorways - jewel tones in blues, greens & purples or pastels in greens, creams, pinks & blues.

BACK TO NATURE

A new block of the month from A Wing & A Prayer! 96" x 106". You have your choice of TWO fabric ways - regular or batik! There are some color changes between the two block of the months but they are from the same pattern. The regular fabric will start in January of 2010 and the batik will start in February. $24.95 for the regular fabric and $26.95 for the batik. 12 months - includes patterns & all fabrics for the top, binding AND backing!



MAGICAL MINIS
starts March 2010
62" X 70" A scrappy mini! Each month you will receeve fabrics for eight 4" blocks and fabrics for the border. Included in this block of the month will be the patterns & all fabrics for the quilt top & binding. First month is $25 and then $14.95 per month for the next 11 months. $3 shipping per month in the US, actual shipping the last month when the fabric will be sent for the setting triangles.

BIRDS

64" x 76"
Twelve months.
Hand or machine applique. Info coming soon.

See one you like? Click here!