Happy New Year!

This was the view out our living room windows on New Year's Day! Love seeing Mt Rainier anytime but greeting me on New Year's Day, that is amazing!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and that you have all recovered from said holidays! Today is our first day back in the usual routine and I really didn't want to hear that alarm!


I looked back at my projects for 2011 and discovered that I finished:

26 lap size or larger quilts

7 baby quilt or smaller quilts

10 blocks for the quilt block exchange

20+ stemware coasters

Many owl hats

Many mittens

1 liturgical stole

1 tote

1 shower curtain

10 Christmas minis

7 flimsies

I also quilted three quilts for other quilters.

Not a bad year though I think I should have done better. There were just too many other things going on!

I wanted to share my birthday present from my sister. Instead of sending it she gave it to me when we saw each other after Christmas. Not sure what you would call it, maybe a mini design wall? It is flannel on the inside so you can lay out the pieces for a block 

and then you can roll it up for later or to transfer it to your sewing machine. It is pretty cool!

 This is the big item we brought back from our daughter's house:

She found it at the surplus sale at the university for us (we paid, but we couldn't be there the day of the sale). It is an old card catalog cabinet. It is in pretty good shape considering its age and the amount of use it got over the years! I spent a good bit of time trying to get all the floor wax off the stand (most of it is gone) and polishing up the rest. My plan is to use it to store most of the stuff that has been piled in and on my roll-top desk which I never use as a desk (even if it is cleaned off). Once it is cleaned off and my niece has a place for the desk, we will give it to her. It is one of the first roll-top desks made by her father around 30 years ago.

The new year started out with a splash for me. In a weak moment, I said I would do the Polar Bear Jump with some folks from church. This involves jumping from a bridge into the chilly waters of Puget Sound. So when noon rolled around, I was standing with hundreds of others waiting my turn to jump! And jump I did! That cold water is quite a shock to the system - I was instantly exhausted and not sure about the short swim to shore. I made it and got my certificate to prove I made the plunge. The funny thing is I am actually thinking about doing it again next year!


Yesterday, I spent a little time in the sewing room. First I tidied up the sewing table putting all scraps away from the Christmas minis and then I got borders on two of the froggie quilts. I hope to get borders on at least two more today so I can get started on the quilting and binding. Then I will have all the yo-yo eyes to make and attach. Once those are finished I can get the baby girl quilt made and move on to my Relay for Life drawing quilt.