Happy, Happy, Happy to You!!

Since my last post, I've enjoyed some fun sewing and crafting (and I have photos of those projects which I hope to show you very soon), but this is a glimpse of what's mostly been going on the past month...

...and more to come. Family and friends, that's what it's all about this time of year:) I hope you're enjoying your days and doing all of your favorite things too! Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!!

Marilyn

A Little More Christmas...

Karla hosted a lovely holiday craft day about a week or so before Christmas. We crafted and ate a delicious lunch and crafted some more! There was also an ornament exchange. Lucky me got to bring home this beauty that Beth made...I love it!!


I made this one with little girls in mind...

(front)

(back)

...so was pleased when Shawn and her daughter, Bethany received mine;)

A few more ornaments I put together for the girls in our family...


And a glimpse at our tree that I didn't get up and decorated this year until December 20th! But here it is on Christmas Eve all ready for a visit from Santa, which is what really counts, right?


It was a very merry Christmas day at our house---I hope yours was too!

Marilyn

Merry Christmas to You;)

Sending Happy Holiday wishes with a photo of my recently completed (as in yesterday-recent) bitty blocks mini quilt---made using adorable 3.5" blocks I received in the Traditional Christmas Bitty Block swap!

May hope, peace, joy and love surround you this season and always.

Marilyn xo

Happy Easter!

May all that God has planted within you
rise vibrant and growing this Springtime.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

(Art, "Awakening Dawn," and greeting by Mary Southard, CSJ...courtesy of Ministry of the Arts)


Marilyn

Happy Valentine's Day!

Smitten? Yep, that's exactly how I feel about this tag book! It's the collaboration of the "Be Smitten" Sweet Tag Swap hosted by Mary Ann McKeating! Twenty-plus pages of Valentine love.....and you can see them all too in a slideshow on Mary Ann's blog.

This is a picture of the tags I made for the swap right before I packaged them up and sent them out...

It was a fun swap---thanks, Mary Ann!!

Rick and I celebrated the day of love with a movie and dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is delightful--all of the tables have painted tops, each of them different. This was ours...

...so cool!!

Wishing you much love in your life,

Marilyn

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you the very best of everything in the coming year!!

Marilyn

A Happy Christmas to All!

Out of deep Longing
and stilled mysterious nights,
God fell into our midst
like a small star twinkling in the dark.
May Christmas fill you with an awareness
of how God is fully in our midst.


"Night Sky" photograph and message by Carol Smith, CSJ
E-Greeting courtesy of Ministry of the Arts

Marilyn

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

In the midst of Christmas busy-ness, it was fun to have a craft day at Karla's yesterday. What better time of year to be with good friends!

Even Karla's dog, Twinkle, got in on some crafting fun with Beth!


Add in a very nice lunch and an ornament exchange and I'd call it a party!! I brought this ornament...

(front)

(back)

It went home with Beth...and I got Karla's...


AND one from Beth, who brought one for everyone:)


I adore both of them--there's nothing like a handcrafted Christmas ornament!!

Beth also brought two pages for my Round Robin book...talk about feeling like Christmas!!





On the way back home, I made a stop in downtown Lawrence...


"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, la la la la la la"

Marilyn

Christmas Joy!!!

Our beautiful new grandbaby!

A boy, Liam, born Friday, 18 December 2009 at 1:41am
7 lbs. 2 oz. ~ 20 inches

SWEET SWEET BABY !!!

Marilyn

Ready...Set...Go!

Sooo, the holiday season has started. It began in the most wonderful way at our house Thanksgiving Day---all of the kids and kids-in-law and grandbaby were able to be here for the day. It was a fun, fun time spent with all of them:)

************************
Looking ahead to Christmas, I've decided to make a Christmas-y quilt...


It all started with a Spoonflower fabric designed by Aneela--the tea set, houses, laundry line pieces in the photo--so adorable that I had to buy some of my own! Then yesterday she posted a quilt tutorial in the most perfect style, and off I went! It's been such a fun project that I've had a hard time staying away from it:)

(2 Dec. ETA: Aneela posted the picture of my project on her blog today...I feel like a celebrity, hehee!)

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Also exciting, my copy of the Itty-Bitty Circus book arrived in the mail over the weekend and it's fabulous! Rhonda, the swap hostess for this round, posted a slideshow of the pages on her blog.


I'm not sure if I posted a picture of the Fairytale Itty-Bitty Book when I received it, but it's another cutie!


And so is Tea Time with it's teacup shaped pages. I didn't actually participate in this swap but received one of the books a week after my surgery from one of my itty-bitty swapper friends. It was such a sweet and touching surprise.



Marilyn

Where Did September Go?!

Yep, October already...reminding me yesterday that it was time to quilt the table runner I pieced a couple of weeks ago.

Fortunately it went smoothly and I was able to get it on the table along with my Vintage Spooky Tag Book...


...and, at least in the kitchen, there's a reminder that YES, IT IS OCTOBER ALREADY!

Marilyn

Babies, Babies, Babies! (*Smiles*)

How cute is this little guy?!


To ease any worries, I stayed plenty far away from the nest to take the photos (and I think the telephoto function on my camera did an OK job). These photos are from just last week and already this week, he and his nest-mate have flown the coop! (I'm using "he" and "his" for no particular reason, but really, look at the hairdo...male--no?) I do remember seeing one of them sitting on the edge of the nest Monday morning and had I known that they were leaving for good, I would have wished them "Godspeed!"


Actually the timing was perfect. The nest is in a tree right under our bedroom window and their little "peeps" were getting louder each day and their song was monotonous--just one note. Do birds need time to learn the prettier songs and/or does it come with practice? Hmmm....

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Speaking of Cute Little Guys!


Grandbaby Cole:)
Two months old already!

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AND...Remember about a month ago when I gave you a sneak peek of this quilt top:


Well, I can now share with you that it is a baby quilt for our second grandchild! First daughter and son-in-law are expecting a holiday-time baby, due December 20th! Yippee!

Marilyn

May Day Smiles

At craft day last week, Shawn and Bethany worked on May Day Baskets for Bethany's teachers. This is where I wish I had taken some pictures--the baskets were adorable, all bright and cheery.


However, I can share with you this picture of some of the flowers. Bethany is quite the little crafter and is very generous with her creations on craft days and I was delighted to receive a bouquet of her sweet flowers! They're such a lovely addition to my craft room and they make me S*M*I*L*E!!!

Do you remember May Day baskets when you were growing up? What a fun tradition. My favorite memories of May Day baskets are from the days when my daughters were little and would hang a basket on our doorknob, ring the doorbell and then quickly hide so I wouldn't know it was from them! Aawwhhh, I'm *s*m*i*l*i*n*g* again :-)

Wishing you a Happy May Day!

Happy Easter!

During this Season of
New Beginnings may
God's Easter Promise
fill you with these
Blessings of Renewed Life

Joy-filled hope. . .

Unexpected blossomings. . .

Profound possibilities. . .



Happy Easter!


"Easter Allium" photo and design by Kattalina M. Kazunas.
Card is courtesy of Ministry of the Arts

Marilyn

Happy New Year

Yesterday, I received this New Year's wish from Inspiration Peak and would like to make it my New Year's wish to you also...

May peace fill all the empty spaces around you
And in you, may contentment answer all your wishes.

May comfort be yours, warm and soft like a sigh.
And may the coming year show you that every day
is really a first day, a new year.

Let abundance be your constant companion,
so that you have much to share.

May mirth be near you always,
like a lamp shining brightly
on the many paths you travel.

May you be true love.


Author Unknown

Marilyn

Christmas Bits

I hope your holidays have been good. We've had a lovely time. It's been relaxing and nicely paced and I haven't been able to tell you what day of the week it is for days. I think that's a good sign.

Two of the cutest photos from Christmas Day...our grand-dogs:)

Stella (sitting on first daughter's lap)...


and Dexter!


The Christmas tree at church decorated with the ornaments we made from recycled materials turned out looking quite pretty, I think.


I made only one Christmas gift this year...a doll quilt size (19" x 19") wall hanging for second daughter. The colors in the quilt will go well in any room in her apartment so I'm anxious to see where she hangs it.


I made twelve artist trading cards for a Christmas themed ATC swap, which was a lot of fun.



The best part of Christmas has been spending time with all of our kids, my sister, my brother, my niece and nephews. And the food--oh my gosh--the food has been delicious! Rick's birthday is the day after Christmas, so in addition to all of the holiday goodness, we went out for birthday-barbeque and came home for birthday-pie:)

This week, it's the New Year's holiday (which explains why I'm still confused about what day of the week it is) and an excuse for another delicious meal with friends on New Year's Eve--an early meal...our big party days are behind us.

And next week? I guess my treadmill avoidance time will be over. But that's next week.

Marilyn

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a very merry Christmas...

may your holiday be filled with peace, love and joy!


Marilyn
xoxo

A Pretty Little Christmas...Blog Party

Heather (Pretty Petals) is hosting "A Pretty Little Christmas" Blog Party today. She has invited everyone, that wants to participate, to blog about your own Pretty Little Christmas...anything you like...whatever makes your heart sing. Sounds like fun!

So, here goes...WELCOME!

First, I want to show you the Holiday Book that I started making on craft day last week, and have now completed. It was a fun project!


Now, let me show you what makes my heart sing...the Christmas decorations and ornaments that hold extra special meaning...


From my very first Christmas, this angel bell--a gift from Santa Claus. I love her heart shaped lips and chubby little cheeks:)


When Rick was two years old, his father was away at Christmas, in Korea, serving in the army. In the gifts that his father sent back to the family that year, was this Santa and reindeer for Rick. It's great fun...each Christmas, at least once, we sit on the kitchen floor, wind it up and watch Santa travel in a big circle. There is a bell on the back that rings and sounds like an old bicycle bell:)


Giving Santa a little help, perhaps, are these elves...



My mother loved Christmas and always decorated BIG for the holidays! I think it was about 25 years ago that she was running out of room for all of her decorations and asked me to go through some of the older things and keep what I wanted. The elves came home with me and I love them as much today as I did years ago. They kind of remind me of Snow White's seven dwarfs, if only there was one more--maybe it's Dopey that's missing. (hmmm, it suddenly occurred to me how politically incorrect the Snow White story is.)

This angel also came from my mother--she gave it to me because she knew how much I loved it. I photographed her surrounded by the glass ball ornaments because Mom used those a lot in her decorating. She had glass ornaments tucked here...there...everywhere! It was beautiful.


The box that the angel came in is great too. Adler's was one of the big department stores in downtown Kansas City, and downtown was a hopping place when I was growing up. Department store windows were filled with magic--decorated trees, motorized dolls and woodland animals...there were holiday lights everywhere...and huge crowns hung across the streets.


Rick and I have inherited several ornaments, some from his parents and some from mine. I really love them all...


but this little church that came from Rick's family is one of my favorites.


The ballerina ornament was my mother's. I thinks she looks like she could be a dancer in the Nutcracker ballet.


I love the winter ivory clothing this young couple is wearing. Mom loved dolls so it was natural for her to be attracted to, and buy, porcelain doll ornaments.


A tiny bear that was Mom's when she was a little girl. So sweet.


And I just had to share these vintage greeting cards with you!




Lastly, a peace dove that I made two Christmases ago...


May your holidays be filled with peace and joy.

Thank you for taking the time during this busy season to come for a visit!

For more pretty little blog parties, click the button below...Heather has a wonderful list of participants for you to visit.




Marilyn