Quilt hung-- Check!

 I have been meaning to hang a Hawaiian quilt that Berenice made for a long time in this guest room. Finally got it done today. One of my kids with a good eye...or someone... Suggested a blue throw pillow in the corner to tie it together. That might be next.  It's a baby quilt. She only made two Hawaiian  baby quilts, and Gayela got the other one. Jannea got the full-sized Hawaiian quilt. Berenice worked on these for YEARS.  I should know the name of the pattern, but I don't.

I may need to add a center hook to the little rod for more support, but it's finally on the wall. It's only taken me two years!

Sewing seems to be a good thing to do on days like this---below freezing temps. Indeed! It was negative 1 degree this morning. The whole country is in a big deep freeze. 

Game night!

 A couple in our Ward (the Larson's) invited us over for dinner and games this past Wednesday. She made some delicious Manicotti, with salad and beans on the side and yummy brownies and ice cream for dessert. 

We played "Golf" with cards. We've played with them before. HE is really good and always wins. 

Mike and I played again at home a few nights later so we would remember the rules better. I beat him soundly. Ha 

But we played on Friday night and it was (according to an email I received from Red Lobster), National Chocolate Cake Day. Mmmmm. Chocolate.  So we celebrated.

Here's the caked Mike made. Now picture it with raspberry sauce covering it. Double Mmmmm.

We should do a better job staging our food photos, because this photo does not do it justice.

Saturday morning the 27th, I got ALL if Eric's denim quilt tied. Now it's on to binding them. {Sigh} That part is always harder for me. 

Eagles, eyes, and stuff

 I took Mom to lunch at Applebee's today. We BOTH had chicken won ton tacos. We drove to get my filthy car washed . Then she had an eye appointment with Dr. Taggart at Walmart. She got glasses there a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't happy with them. She also was not pleased with the eye exam at Anderson's office that produced the glasses prescription. (We got the glasses at Walmart because they had a better frame selection.  And better prices). So,back to the drawing board. Her eyes are not terrible, but HOPEFULLY, this  new prescription and new glasses will help her see better. She doesn't plan to use them all the time. They are bifocals.

After the eye exam, she did a little shopping in Walmart, then we went for a drive. I figured up and over the hill would be nice. Driving past the aquatic center, I spied a bald eagle, and it looked like it was diving into The Lake at The Hill! So I turned the car around and while driving through the parking lot at Cross Hollow intermediate school, there was another HUGE bird soaring above the field there at the school. I don't know if it was an eagle, or condor or buzzard, but it was VERY large. And circling over some dogs, to boot! 

Anyway, we drove back to the Lake at the Hill, but the hat was locked, so we couldn't get too close.  But there, standing on the ice, were not one, but TWO large bald eagles! I took a picture, butit didn't turn out. I've never seen bald eagles in town before. 

The pond is full of several circles of open water where they have pumps that circulate the water, and on a couple of the open areas were lots of ducks. In this photo, the eagles are just black dots. Too bad. They are big, majestic birds.

Denim Quilts, One and Two

 Really more like 6 and 7. I really don't know just how many of these I have made. I have always chosen to save junky, worn- out jeans to be made into quilts. During a couple of our moves, boxes of old jeans were tossed out since I'd not gotten around to making one in those past years. Kids, you know? I was busy. But, eventually, it happened. Yay! And then one actually got done, and another, and another.

I've not been very good at "pretty" quilts. I did try. Once. And I have solicited help with Grandma Autrey quilts, so some of those are getting done. Sort of. But, it does feel good to spend some time on these old projects. Eric doesn't have a denim quilt yet, so this latest one is for him. Binding the two will take time, but I'm so close!

The first one in progress had a LOT of Facebook "Likes" when I posted this photo. 😀

Mike helped me to put this one, number 2, onto the frame. That's a tricky part for me. It's for Eric.

It just feels good to make some progress!

January 18...Christmas decos put away

 This is probably the longest I have ever left my decorations up. I've enjoyed them all this time, truly. Even this very evening after dinner, I thought about going in and turning on the tree lights...but there was no more Christmas tree. :-(

What I do not relish are the multiple trips up and down the stairs to my basement storage room. I should have counted the trips it took. It was a lot. I wasn't lugging py phone along with me, so I don't even get credit for the steps. Drat.

And I somehow collected MORE stuff!  I thought the goal at this point in time was to slowly get RID of the excess. But this year I gained a (cute and meaningful) Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus ceramic decoration that Laura Autrey made for Mom and Dad. Mom gave it to me, but if another family member wants it and will fondly remember Laura each year it's used, I'll gladly pass it on!  It has a light, too. [ Mom rearranged it better when she was over here later so the light is behind the and Mrs. Claus is kind of patting Santa's back.]

And I got a new little wooden block / hand- painted nativity ( silhouette -style) deco from a fellow  Primary worker. And a couple of lovely wooden Nativity ornaments for the tree. (I do like nativities.) And I also took Mom's glass bead strands for Christmas Trees from her Christmas decorations.  I like beads. And I received a small wooden tree set to go with my Christmas Tree collection that my ministering Sister made and gave to me. Oh! And wall decor in a frame for my birthday that has year- round decor signage to go in it, not just the Christmas one... And I also added a new set of Christmas Tablecloths. The amount of stuff is getting larger!!

Definitely time to downsize. Help me out here and let me know what you want, kiddos.