The Weather Outside is Frightful . . .

Yes, with a low last night of 8 degrees and about 5 inches of snow. But look what I got finished. This is the main body of the Kentucky Log Cabin by Judy Martin.

Now on to the borders. Have to cut more strips of lights and darks to make the inside border. Then a whole lot of 2 in. squares in asst. darks for the outside.

Here's my view yesterday about midday while it was snowing. These are the two new houses that were built in my backyard a couple years ago. The one on the left is a nice log cabin BUT they put a red roof on it. Horrible. At least now the snow covers that part, for a bit. This was taken from my little porch outside the enclosed porch

This is the lower drive going up to the garage. I keep a spot like this cleared off for seed for the ground feeders. Mainly the Junco's and dove's. Wasn't too long after I took this that it was covered with birds and then more snow. I still had to clean the final inch of snow off this morning.

Then finally was able to get the flash to work with the background of the snow outside. My little tree all decorated with the tiny metal sleigh and soldier keeping watch beneath.

Schools are all closed today and I don't know if I'll get out to my beauty parlor or not. That ice has to melt a lot on the road first. Sun is shinning bright and it's clear up to 15. A heat wave.

Hope everyone has a great day and lots of quilting.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

Slept late this morning, I guess my body knew I wasn't going any place. Today is my day out but--

Got up and the road was white and since we have quite a hill to go down I wasn't going . It has been beautiful all day. Mid 20's but when I cleaned off the short drive that we have , after the snow plow came through and pushed more leaves than snow over the drive. It still started to get white.

Been fun watching the birds fight for the suet, sunflower seeds and the millet I put on the lower drive for the ground feeders. They know something.

So I decided it was a good time to make those Cinnamon almonds that Kairle had given the recipe for last week in her blog. I'd gotten two pound bags of almonds when I was grocery shopping.

Course the Hubby wanted to know what I was making when he heard the mixer going. He doesn't really like nuts anymore because of his teeth. Terrible to get old.

Oh, these are so simple and GOOD, I like to have a little dish of nuts here by me when I read or am quilting. Better than chocolate to me.

So try them. I know they would make great little gifts.

Tomorrow I'll have a couple snow pictures for you and something else Just need Kim to upload them.

Vintage Glass Ornaments

Silver bells, and red and gold These acturally ring

Seems that I sort of messed up yesterday. Here I see that Kim had put these pictures into two different posts and I didn't notice.

.I wanted to show you some of the old ornaments that I have from my Husbands home.

See this is a whole box of 12 ornaments, different colors. I'm sure they bought these at the wholesale house. Notice the odd hanger. Those you pinched to hook on the tree. The one on the left has most of the color gone now.

Here's another box. Red and green. This box had the price $1.25 box

Now this is a box of big ones. Unfortunately the one eye on the left is gone. Box marked made in Germany which most of these were at this time.

These are the ones I really love. A Santa, The clown, have several different colors, And a different Santa. I usually try to put one of each on the tree. But since I have a small artificial 4 ft. tree which I put on the drop leaf table in the living room there isn't too much space

Another picture of the clowns and Santa's and the box that the live in.

More later

Christmas Memories

Here's a few of the ornaments that I have from my husbands home. His Father and Mother had a Country store that they had built before they married in about 1918. My Father-in-Law built the store first while my Mother-in-Law taught school as long as she could as at that time they didn't allow a teacher to be married.
How times have changed.

Then he built an ajoining store
They evidently had bought boxes or ornaments by the dozen. As we still have some of the badly beaten up boxes.


This is a pair of small peaches like ornaments. Later I have some pictures for Kim to post of others.
On one box it said 10cents ea.


This is the very first angel I bought at the dime store. I had the box for most of the time and think I had paid about $1.25 for it on sale.
Used it up until last year when I bought a new one. This has several lights on it and my daughter asked where it was.



This is a picture of a couple of the old trees, a celluloid

Santa and a couple of the reindeer that my Mother-in-Law always had out. Later I'll show you what I do with them when I decorate. Also another of the old ornaments



Here I have made a Christmas tree out of bulbs put onto a knitting needle I learned to make this in1949 Christmas the very first year I was married. I used to have a small ornament for the top but it got broken

What things we don't remember about thinking back over the years. More will come as I get the Christmas tree out.

I had also sent a picture of the little tree on my porch after I finished decorating it but Kim didn't put that in. Maybe she didn't think it showed up enough, Maybe later.

We at least got missed by this first snow storm in the east. Instead had almost an inch of rain.

Have a great day.

Oh Little Tree, Oh Little Tree . . .

. . . . .Kim just made me go to Michael's on Wednesday and look what I ended up with. This cute little tree to put on top of this little chest that my good friend Patricia from Kentucky sent me for Christmas a few years back. It fits nicely on the windowsill of one of my windows. In one drawer I have a small collection of thimbles. and the other drawers just some other treasures.

This was the only place that I figured was good to put a little tree out here. The tiny ornaments that I got with the tree skirt exchange are on it along with a couple things I found along with the tree. They had a lot of decorations for these tiny trees.

The card on the window sill beside it is what came with the tree skirt also.
On the narrow wall between the windows I have several mini quilts that I have made.

Hopefully I can get another good picture of the final decorated tree.
This chest is 9 inches tall and the tree about 14 inches.

As you can see out the window over the weekend with all the wind blowing the leaves are almost all gone. Well they have settled along the front of the house so that the azalea's are covered. Protected now from the snows that will follow.

At least at night now we can see the lights of Boonsboro and far away the rest of the valley.

I am almost finished with my log cabin blocks so as soon as I can get another 7 blocks made for the last row I will get a picture. Have the 8 completed rows sewn in strips so am on the way. Then will come the two different borders which will also be strips and then small squares on the very outside.

Back to piecing and other necessary things to do in my household. Need to get to the library this afternoon for more paperback westerns for my husband to read. This is his entertainment besides watching the oldies on TV and Animal Planet. His favorite.

At least I'm not sending you off to play games like Kim. Personally I like the solitaire on Ace Games. This I can get easily on my MSNTV2.

Everyone have a great day this last day of November.

Look what I got

Yesterday I heard a tap on the door and went to see who was there. No one but opening the door and looking down I saw this package and then out on the road with my mail Lady's red car, and with a wave, just like Santa, she left. Well, I had to go out and get the rest of the mail

I knew what it was and looked to see who it was from. Goodie, Jackie way up in Calgary, Canada. She was my secret Hollow sister for the season.

I know Kim has mentioned working on hers and I also said a little about making some ornaments and the coasters. They were for mine.

I had to get this opened and this is what I saw.


The card was in an envelope of course. It is so cute, a Jim Shore but the rest was just like this. All this silver - gold paper squished in around it.

See we were to make a minature tree skirt. Just what I needed for the little artificial tree that I put up now, or will a little later.

There was this triangular box which I presumed might be chocolates. Yes, Hedgehogs, So good.

But there was also three packages wrapped in FQ. Different blues, TB of course. She knows I like blue.


This shows the skirt all opened up with the three packages. wrapped with a big white ribbon.

Isn't this adorable. The ruffle like ruching around the outside is so different. She did a marvelous job. I love it Jackie. and she said she was a little intimidated when she got my name. I certainly don't know why.

I must say a little about Jackie. She , her hubby and sister, who lives in Toronto where at the Thimbleberries retreat two years ago when I went so I have met her. She and I are the senior members of this group but I think I have her by about 10 years.

Opening up the little packages I found three tiny Jim Shore ornaments. So cute.

This isn't a very good picture. But these are the Rooster, a book, and a bird ornaments. Also shows the quilting Jackie did.

This was such a fun swap. We try to do something like this each year. Great remembrances of our true friends.

Winter has really come to Western Maryland. Down in the 20's last night. Was 30 degrees when I went to Curves this morning. The wind has taken almost all the leaves off. Just keep on blowing them away.

This morning at 6 when I came out it was like daylight. The full moon shinning in my window. Beautiful start to a wonderful day.

Now back to quilting on my Snowman runner as it's a Christmas gift. I like to have things done early.

I sure wouldn't get up and go shopping at 4 in the morning like a whole lot of people did yesterday.

Also not into decorating like some other people I know. Getting too old.

Hope everyone has a great weekend to finish off this holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving All

My family has all left and I am tired. But what a wonderful time we had. The two Grandkids home from College were so nice to talk to. My oldest Grandson will graduate in the Spring and is planning to continue his job of cooking at a local country club where he has worked since high school. He has worked himself up to be chief cook and really likes this. We all said he should have gone to Culinary School but he says he knows more about cooking than the fellow who works there that graduated from one.

Anyway I was looking though some of my old quilts and ran across this feedsack sampler that I had forgotten about. Thought you might like to see it.

The blocks were a swap where we sent a small square of fabric to be used in the block and it was to be feedsack. This was on a 30's group.
I love that I got the two sunbonnet Sue and Sam.

Here's a closeup of the center part with the Sunbonnets. As you see I do like blue.

I saw this in the grocery store the other day and thought I should have a red one also. It is loaded with blossoms and is just starting to open.. To our Canadian friends, Thank you for growing such lovely flowers. I think the last African violet I bought was grown in Canada.

Now here is the new lamp I bought yesterday. It is wonderful and in case you're wondering about the Dalmatian hanging from it. Well. all quilters either have a cat or a dog. This is mine. We would love a cat or dog but with DH not being stead on his feet any animal would be more of a threat that a friend.


Then I just turned around and took this picture of the rest of the porch. That's my keyboard on the little table and the TV is my monitor with the printer underneath. The wall there is really the outside of the house which is native stone. This was a screened in porch that we had enclosed. Then the window over the sink was so high short me couldn't see out of it, so our cabinetmaker knocked out the stone and made the window lower, it is just over the sink and then suggested we leave it open. Sometime men are really wonderful. He did everything I wanted and more. So this is my little world. At the other end is my design board. This space is about 27 x 6 feet wide. But so handy to the kitchen.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day with the family like I did. It was worth getting tired over.