Day 12 - Favorite Color

What is your favorite color to sew with? That can be a loaded question. There are so many colors to choose from. Even within the color, the range goes on and on.

I have always been partial to blues. Whether it's blue and white, or blue and yellow. Soft blue or navy.

So recently there has been a book released which would satisfy any blue lovers desire.

 

Come on blue!!!

Happy Quilting.

Day 11 - Snack Center

For the past three years we have put out treats for the delivery people. These people work long hours during the holidays and I hope they enjoy a little refreshment along the way. We get a lot of deliveries during this time of the year. And because we live in the deep south, I find keeping the drinks in a small cooler keeps the drinks cold and more pleasant.

I first heard about this from Susan at Between Naps on the Porch blog. What a great idea that has blossomed.

Day 10 - 31 Day Writing Challenge - Books

 

I imagine you are looking for Quilting books for me to list. And I have a few, but I have always loved to read. And as a reviewer for Net Galley, I come across many interesting and worth while books to fill my time when I am not sewing or caring for my family.

The list could go on, but the post asked for 5. So here goes....

Absolutely Number 1 - My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade
                                 #2 - Fatal Trust by Todd M. Johnson (AND The Deposit Slip is another fav by this author)
                                 #3 - The Noble Groom  by Jody Hedlund
                                 #4 - Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin
                                 #5 - Anything written by Elizabeth Camden

Denise Hunter, Rachel Hauck, Kate Breslin and Rosanna M. White also write great stories.

There you have it! Find some time to read a book. It adds to the therapy of quilting :-)

Day 9 - 31 Day Writing Challenge

A week ago I found I had a problem with my Sweet Sixteen. Something was not going right, so I took it back to the shop where we bought it. Tomorrow's Treasures in Ocala. An hour and half drive for me. Ken got right on it and adjusted the bobbin case so it would run and not break my needles.

While I was waiting I roamed the store and inhaled the lovely fabrics that they carry.

It is a pretty big store and they have such a great variety of fabrics to choose from. I chose this ...

And on Saturday Joann's was having 70% off their Christmas so I added these ...

The selection of greens was slim but I like this one that I picked out.

Happy Quilting on day 9!

Day 8 - 31 Day Writing Challenge

When I was a little girl, I remember having these ornaments on the Christmas tree. I must have been in the third grade when these ornaments first appeared.

How they have survived through all these years I'll never know.

As we were unpacking Christmas boxes, I opened one and found this Nativity that was also from my childhood.

After my Mom passed away they were packed away and only came to the surface when we moved. I'm thinking this Nativity has to be about 50 years old.

When we were first married, I started collecting ornaments with the current year.

Norman Rockwell,

Hummels

Betsy Clarke

Ferrandie

to name a few. When my children were little we stored the glass ornaments away in the attic, but now they are gracing the Christmas tree in our living room. Such sweet memories.

Day 7 - Writing Challenge

What to do this Christmas

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. 

Seek out a forgotten friend. 

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. 

Write a letter.

Share some treasure. 

Give a soft answer. 

Encourage youth. 

Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. 

Keep a promise. 

Find the time. 

Forego a grudge. 

Forgive an enemy. 

Listen. 

Apologize if you were wrong. 

Try to understand. 

Examine your demands on others. 

Think first of someone else. 

Appreciate others. 

Be kind; be gentle. 

Laugh a little. 

Laugh a little more. 

Deserve confidence. 

Take up arms against malice. 

Decry complacency. 

Express your gratitude. 

Go to church. 

Welcome a stranger. 

Gladden the heart of a child. 

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. 

Speak your love. 

Speak it again. 

Speak it once again. 

Christmas is celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning - with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself toward the core of life. Then, only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of that first Christmas - to savor in the inward ear the sweet music of the angel choir; to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse, behind the eyelids, the ray of light that fell athwart a darkened path and changed the world. 

                                                                                             Author Unknown

Wrapped up in Christmas

Okay quilting gals, this one is for you!

 

Janice Lynn and Hallmark Publishing has produced a heartwarming story about a soldier who receives a Quilts of Valor quilt while he is recovering in a military hospital. Broken in mind, body and spirit, the quilt gives him a sense of hope when he thought all hope was gone. He sets out to find the little old lady who made the quilt and thank her. What he finds is not a little old lady, but a young, lively woman who loves her community and church.

Sarah Smith has had her own heart broken. By her aunt Jenny who passed away, and a boyfriend who left. She dives into renovating Aunt Jenny's house into a Bed and Breakfast. Advertising for a handyman, she immediately hires Bodie Lewis when he shows up at the community center.

Sarah's love of all things Christmas enchants Bodie, who as a career military man, never had time for celebrating. But an IED put an end to Bodie's career, and he is moving on. Bodie is leaving, and Sarah is staying. The tug of hearts makes for a complicated relationship. And with the meddling matchmaker Butterflies, things get pretty interesting.

Janice Lynn has written such a poignant story, sprinkled with humor and budding love. This is my first novel by Ms. Lynn. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Net Galley and the publisher. All views expressed are my honest opinion.