Working for Spare Change

I made a decision this week that I don't want to work on anything else until I see some real progress on the Spare Change swap project. Here I am sitting at work, getting paid to work on my quilt. Thank you Mr. F... :)

Merry Christmas

It has taken me 2 hours to get on here tonight, so this will be quick in I lose the connection again or the battery goes from trying so long.

The tree turned out beautifully, the gifts are wrapped and there is tabouli in the fridge and Charlie brought me some of my favorite cookies from Nancy!

I wish you a Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is coming

Believe it or not, we are still in the process of putting our tree up at home so who knows if I will get a photo of it. I tend to drag my feet when it comes to putting up a tree every year but we are getting it done, yesterday I just sat by it all day and late into the night with nothing but the lights on it. I absolutely LOVE having a Christmas tree but I absolutely HATE taking it down.

I work with Surgical Residents and last year and this year a couple of us have put up this little 4 1/2 ft tree that I had in my stash in their lounge.
I wanted to do something different for them since they are there so many hours so I tied ribbon on all kinds of treats and hung them on the tree for ornaments.

They love it and I love doing it for them! Every morning when I go in to check on it, it is empty. I have to say I am glad there are only a couple more days to this decorating. The good news is when it's over, there are no decorations to put away just fold up the tree and put it back in the box.

In case I don't get back here before the big day, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! If I do get back here, I'll say it again. :)

Let it Snow

I heard from Kat in Queensland Australia that she received the apron I sent for the Sassy Apron Winter Swap. It didn't take as long to get to her as I thought it might.

I do hope Kat likes it. She mentioned that she likes the color blue and I love snowflakes and snowmen. I didn't make the apron, I bought it on Etsy and for some reason it isn't showing up in my purchases so I don't have the person's name and I no longer have the package it arrived in.

I sent my very favorite sugar cookie recipe (thank you Nancy) and I also sent the kind of sugar cookies I have made recently (thank you Archer Farms).

Thank you Lucy for hosting the swaps this year. It has been a lot of fun.

100 things

If you want to play, just copy the list and bold the items you’ve actually done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (in a car)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Some of them anyway!)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (not even in the daylight)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia (saw it on my way to China)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (from an airlplane)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (no but have seen it happen more than once YUK)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life hopefully
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (x's 4)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

I've been busy not doing what I need to be doing

I was asked by a coworker to make some coasters for her to give as gifts this Christmas. I got those made and then picked up some thread and started making doilies. I haven't made a doily in YEARS and now I made two this week. These were the reason I wanted to learn to crochet all those years ago.

This one is the same pattern I used for the coasters and then just kept making it a little bigger . It actually started out as a joke because one of our doctors purchased a file cabinet that I said looked like something that would go in a bedroom and his birthday was last week so I said I was going to "whip up" a doily to put on it. Then came this one because I looked ahead in the calendar. Both patterns came from the Crochet Pattern a Day Calendar for this year. I managed to get the finished photo just as the camera battery decided it had just about had enough.

Winter apron has arrived

I got a nice surprise when I made it to the post office Saturday. The apron from my swap partner for the Winter Sassy Apron Swap was there. Katie in AR did a wonderful job on the apron. I was so pleased that it had snowflakes on it. I LOVE SNOWFLAKES!!!!!!

She also sent me a variety of cookie cutters and a recipe for Ginger Snaps and one for Pumpkin Dip. I had just been told by a friend last Friday about how wonderful Ginger Snaps and Pumpkin Dip and then the recipes arrived for me to see for myself.

You can see the detail a little better here. It is a full apron but that photo didn't come out so well. I will try to get a better one later.

Thank you Katie!! I love everything!!

Thank you Lucy for doing these swaps this year. It has been a lot of fun.

The arpon for my partner is on the way but I will wait to post about it until she receives it.