Power Shopping

I hit the stores this morning and managed to get all the out-of-town presents bought. Wrapping is for tomorrow. Mailing out is Monday.

We are inching toward actually being ready for Christmas. My daughter came down last night in order to run a race across the river this morning. She and my husband found a beautiful little Christmas tree this afternoon and it is set up in the livingroom. Not decorated yet, but that's for another day. I found this wreath at a roadside stand during my travels today.

We are still camped out at my in-laws' house. The shower door assembly is here, but it will be tomorrow before my husband begins to install it. It then needs to be caulked, and that means another day or two before we can move back home, since we won't be able to use the bathtub until the caulking is dry. Did I mention we have only one bathroom? People I know are astonished that we managed to raise two children in a house with one bathroom. I think it taught all of us courtesy and respect for the privacy and rights of others, not to mention the meaning of a QUICK shower!

I finished binding this little table mat the other day. It is a gift for my instructional assistant at school, a woman of patience and kindness who I know will appreciate it. I tried to get a picture of the quilting in the border. I am rather proud of it because I did it freehand, rather than going through the tedious business of marking it. I am never satisfied with quilt marking tools. I am thinking of trying pounce next, since chalk, soap, and marking pencils all drive me batty.

I went to the fabric store this morning intending only to buy pearl cotton to make the hangers for the lollipop ornaments (yes, I finished 25 of them last night!), and found this beautiful Christmas fabric, made by the same company (Alexander Henry Fabrics) as the lovely orange and green fabric I bought last week. I was already in the checkout lane when I spotted it, but I just had to go back and get some. I cut off a small piece and just finished sandwiching it so that I can make another small mat. (Sorry, the picture is not great, but the light here is fading.) I don't say this very often, but this material is too pretty to cut up and piece, so I am just going to quilt around the designs. It is for my secret Santa. I think (!) I can get it done in time for the reveal on Wednesday. I just needed one more holiday project to work on...


Our dog Shiloh seems to be adjusting to her new surroundings. She went blind about two years ago, so a new environment is a little stressful for her. Luckily my in-laws' house has a fenced in back yard, so she can wander and sniff to her heart's content without us worrying that she'll fall into something. She used to be terribly camera-shy, but now our only problem taking a picture of her is getting her to sit still long enough.