Decorating for Christmas

We woke up yesterday to our first snow. It wasn't deep and was melted by afternoon but does give the feeling of winter. The temperature wasn't much over 35 degrees F. all day too. Burr - I am not ready for cold weather. I prefer winters with temps in the 40s and 50s but living in Nebraska that just doesn't happen too often.

Now that Thanksgiving is over it is time to get the house decorated for Christmas. Since we have a Christmas party next Sunday at our house it motivates me to get my decorating done early.

Over the years since I started quilting I have made a few quilted pieces I use only during this season. Will be showing them as I get them photographed and posted in the next few weeks.

This first wall piece I made around 1985 - don't have the exact year as I didn't put a label on it. Looking closely at the fabrics they definitely look like the 80s though. There are small prints and pin dots in this quilt.

I hand pieced this entire quilt made up of 2" drunkards path blocks for the funky boarder, and the 1" triangle squares that make the green tree in the center of the quilt. I put the quilt in a large quilting hoop to hang it on the wall. I hand quilted this piece very sparingly. This year I hung an artificial greenery swag over the top of it - like the way it looks so may do that again.

Hoop measures 24" across.

We had a great time this week at family celebrations. Celebrated Thanksgiving with my brother and his family and my mother. My brother and I even re-learned how to play a card game we used to play when we were kids at home. My nieces had never played Pinochle before so after my brother consulted the Internet we found out the rules of the game. My mother had a nice time playing too. She has Parkinson's disease and her right hand and arm shake so much she couldn't hold the cards so I was her official card holder. Was a really pleasant way to spend the afternoon digesting the wonderful dinner.

Yesterday we went to our youngest daughters home and helped them celebrate their youngest child M.'s 3rd birthday. He was so cute - after opening a gift and looking at it he would turn it around and show it around to everyone else. Wasn't sure about blowing the candles out on his cake but got into it after the first candle went out.

The other 3 grandkids all older (6,7,& 8 years old) had fun watching and helping M. play with his new toys too. I just wish we could all be together more often as the kids are growing up so quickly.

I do have a funny story to share about M. A couple of weeks ago he and his family came down to our house for the day. He and I were playing "kick the ball" outside on the sidewalk and later we were walking back to the garage to find something new to do. As we were walking I told him the next time he comes to my house I would have my Christmas tree up. Of course for an almost three year old his favorite response is "why?" He doesn't remember last Christmas so I explained how I put pretty Christmas things around to make the house look nice. After a minute of silence (I could see he was trying to digest what I had told him) he said "Grandma, I am going to be Darth Vader for Christmas what are you going to be?" It was almost more than I could do not to laugh. He was so serious and was thinking of Halloween I am sure. I told him I might just be a reindeer and he said "that would be a good one". You just never know what the little ones are thinking.

Back to decorating....

Lynn