Reflections on 2019

Happy New Year!  Here we are at the start of a new year.  I was thinking about all that 2019 included for us and Wow!!,  what a year.    We began the year with the birth of our granddaughter, Tessa.

 

Grandpa was thrilled and Henry is so very happy to be a big brother!

 

At the end of January,  my son, daughter-in-law and grandson Zeke arrived from California for a visit.  And boy, was it cold when they arrived.  Zeke enjoyed adventuring out when the weather warmed up enough to warrant a bit of time outdoors to get the wiggles out.  And we got to Zeke’s first hockey game  … it actually was my first as well.

 

The beginning of April found hubby and I in Connecticut staying at our favorite Inn.  And I finally found a treadle machine at an antique mall up there that said “Take me Home”.

wp-1578330425719.jpg       And so I did.

                                   

Later that month,  I worked on getting the baskets all made and ready for grandkids on Easter.  And Max turned 9 years old!   

In May, we headed out to California for a visit and that’s when we found out that we were going to be blessed with another grandchild!!

 

On that trip, we also had the opportunity to visit Yosemite.  Absolutely awesome!         

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June and most of July was spent getting our flower and vegetable gardens all set for the season, working in the sewing room on products for craft fairs that would be happening later in the year,  trips to the beach and enjoying evenings doing some porch sitting.

 



The end of July was here and we were off to California again to celebrate my son’s 40th birthday.  That is when they revealed what the new grandbaby arriving in December would be.

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                                    It’s a girl!!!

August was a busy time of prepping for the three craft fairs we would be doing in the following three months as well as taking a road trip to Vermont with a stop off in Massachusetts on the way back to visit the Norman Rockwell museum and a couple of stops on the way home to visit with family.  It was a wonderful trip.

September had arrived and with that, our first craft fair of the fall season was here. 

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  We had great weather in October for our second craft fair,  some help from Max getting our vegetable beds ready for winter and also for Lily’s 4th birthday. 

 

We had another trip to Connecticut and this time we finally got to take the Essex Steam Train and Boat excursion on the Connecticut river. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for the trip.

November was a jam-packed with our final craft fair,  orders received from the fairs, birthday celebrations — including a surprise one for hubby and me — and, of course Thanksgiving and the beginning of holiday shopping. 

 Thanksgiving was celebrated a bit early since I would be heading out to California on Thanksgiving Day which was the baby’s due date.  Aviendha waited  a few days past that and made her entrance on December 3.

                               Welcome Aviendha!                Zeke getting to know his little sis.

There were a few other fun and exciting things that happened this year including a day spent in the city with my sis culminating with a Hugh Jackman concert….. he was fabulous by the way…… and going to a Yankee playoff game.     

That brings us to January 2020.  What will this year bring?  Last year was certainly an eventful one.  Will this one be too?  Right now,  the calendar is a fairly blank slate but I am sure that will change.  There are spring craft fairs to be chosen,  new items to be researched,  lots of family events to enjoy,  a few trips to be decided on and projects around the house and gardens to be tackled.  January is a sort of quiet month that I like to use for planning and dreaming.

What are your plans and dreams for the new year?     Oh, and just a little reminder from my snowpeople friends: Countdown

Just 12 more months until Christmas!   

Bye for now.  Be well.  Happy New Year.

Ginny

 

 

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Twas the Saturday before Christmas….

….. and all through the house there is so much stirring … but there  better not be a mouse! That would mean our cat Myrtle isn’t doing her job.

It has been a very busy few months since I have been here to post.  Last you heard from me I was getting ready for the first craft fair of the fall/holiday season.  It was quite successful as well as the two others that followed that one.  Between replenishing stock , orders that I received and working on Christmas gifts,  well, let’s just say  my machines are enjoying a well-deserved break now.  Here are some of the popular things at the craft fairs this year:

And then there were a couple items that were made just this last week:

 

After the fairs were over, there were birthday celebrations and getting the house decorated for Christmas.  Luckily we had a beautiful, warm day and were able to get the outside lights, etc. done before our early Thanksgiving get-together.         Outside decorations

The reason things needed to be done early was because I was headed to California to be there for the birth of our granddaughter who was due on Thanksgiving day!   She made her appearance the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.  I was so thrilled to be there for the event and also to spend time with her older brother (who just turned 3 yesterday!).  It was wonderful.   And while I was away, my dear, sweet hubby was taking care of getting the Christmas cards written out and mailed,  doing a lot of the Christmas shopping, finishing up the decorating inside and overall, keeping the household running.   He did an amazing job.  Maybe I should go away for two weeks right after Thanksgiving every year?!  No, sweetie, only kidding.

Now here we are at the solstice and winter will officially be here.  I can’t say that I am sad about that.  I really enjoy all the seasons.   After all the fun and enjoyment of gathering with friends and family and the hustle and bustle of the holidays,  January brings a time of rest and reflection.   I look forward to slower paced days, cozy evenings watching tv or a movie, reading a book,  or two or three,  or just relaxing with a glass of wine or a cup of tea in front of the fire while listening to music.   I hope we have a few snowy days where I can sit and watch the snowflakes slowly fall and cover the ground and the trees in a beautiful soft, white blanket that brings a calm, hushed feeling.

Tonight at 11:19 I will happily welcome winter.     I am excited about the coming week of being with family,  exchanging gifts,  visiting with friends,  enjoying some wonderful holiday food and goodies and then awaiting the arrival of 2020.  What will next year bring?

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

Craft Fair Tomorrow

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to post.  We had a wonderful vacation in Vermont, even if it was a bit chilly and the wifi was a bit sporadic.  It was actually nice to disconnect for a bit.   Especially knowing how busy we were going to be when we got home.

It is time for our first craft fair of the season.  It is a new one to us.  It is set in a park around Argyle Lake in Babylon, L.I. and the weather looks to be pretty nice now that Dorian has gone on it’s merry way.  We had rain yesterday and now it is a nice, sunny day and it should be the same for tomorrow’s fair.

Needless to say, the sewing and embroidery machines have been humming.   Here is a peek at what’s been coming out of the sewing room these last couple weeks:

I think I am going to need a bigger basket.

So, if you are in the Long Island, NY area tomorrow, head over to Babylon and check out the Argyle Lake craft fair.   There will be so many wonderful vendors there and the weather will be beautiful so come and take a stroll around.  Stop by our booth (A117) and say hello.  We’d love to see you.

Time to start packing things up and getting everything organized and the items on the checklist checked off.  Wish us luck.

Bye for now.   Have a wonderful weekend.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

‘Tis the Season

What season you might ask?

The Fall craft fair season.  And the workshop officially opened today.   The cutting department (aka, Hubby) had his rotary cutter and rulers all ready and before long he had piles of 10″ squares ready to hand off to the sewing department (aka, Me!) and  then he switched his attention to some layer cakes.  No, not the eating kind, the 10″ squares of fabric kind.  Shortly thereafter, he had those 10″ squares cut down to 5″ squares that will become zigzag tablerunners in a few days.  20190813_134235.jpg

In the meantime, I was kept busy as the 10″ squares were cut and ready for adding batting.  Those batting squares were cut by my very efficient cutting department last week.20190813_134224.jpg

When the cutting department was finished with all that was on his workbench for today, he left the workshop for a bit of a break.  I felt the need for a bit of background music 20190813_144504.jpg  So I enlisted the help of the entertainment department (aka, my ipod).  Anyone care to make a guess as to what type of music was playing.  Here’s a hint:Elf

Well, as Scarlett O’Hara was famous for saying “Tomorrow is another day.”  But I won’t be heading to Tara;  I will be heading back to The Workshop.   We have three craft fairs lined up right now with two more on the “maybe” list.

Are you working on any projects for the fall or maybe some Christmas gifts?  Anyone doing any craft fairs?   I’d love to hear about what is keeping you busy these days.

See you soon.  Bye for now.

Ginny

Thursday Thoughts

I know it’s July but I had a little reminder today from my little snowmen friends

Yup, just 5 months ’til Christmas.  Of course, those who know me are aware that there are signs of Christmas around my house all year long.   Just a “few”.  Like my snowmen…. but they are actually a winter decoration right.   And I love Christmas trees so why not have one up all year long.   I just change the decorations for the season or the holiday.   There were hearts on it during February,  Shamrock’s in March, Easter eggs after that and now my year-round tree is all decked out for summer       

Luckily, I have a hubby who likes Christmas as much as I do.  Ok, maybe not quite as much but enough to be a Santa collector.  We keep a few of his Santa’s out  all year round too.  Like this little guy      He is just hanging out on a shelf waiting for the rest of his friends to come out of the bins and join him.

When July 25 rolls around each year,  first my thoughts are to say  Happy Birthday to  son #3.  Then my brain kicks into “only 5 months to go” mode and I start thinking about  Christmas gifts, Christmas decor and Christmas products for the craft fairs.  Some really cute snowman fabric is sitting up in my sewing room just patiently waiting for me to work with it.   And I must confess that I have watched a couple of Hallmark’s “Christmas in July” movies.  It helped to see snow while getting through the heat wave.

I have already gotten a few gifts for people and my goal is to be done with my Christmas shopping and wrapping early in December.   Of course, that is my goal every year.   Have you started thinking about your lists yet?

As the thermometer is climbing to those 80’s and 90’s or, ugh, even higher,  sit down with a glass of iced tea and let your mind wander to days with twinkling lights, snowmen dressed in colorful hats and scarfs and that jolly little elf in the red suit.  See if you get any inspirational thoughts for that perfect gift for a special someone.

I’m off to write some lists.  Keep cool everyone.  Bye for now.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Sunday Snippit – Cabin Fever Heat Wave Style

Usually when I am planning out what we need from the store and what needs to be taken care of in preparation for a couple days spent in the house, it is because we are expecting a blizzard.   But not this weekend.   It is going to be hot, hot, hot!   We did head to the beach Friday morning for a few hours.  The big heat hadn’t arrived yet so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to relax and enjoy the sound of the sea gulls and the ocean waves hitting the shore.   And those waves sure were crashing.  20190719_092422.jpg

So what do you do to prepare to spend a couple days indoors because of heat?  Well, I don’t know about others, but for one thing,   get up real early to water the flowers and veggies outside to help them get through the day. I actually didn’t do that but my sweet hubby did.   And then we did a very small bit of weeding that really couldn’t wait, went out to run some errands and then, we were home and settled in with the a/c.

My sewing room is upstairs and just way too hot to spend time there.  What?  No sewing until Monday!  Ha,  think again.  It’s a different type of sewing but well suited to a day spent inside.  I printed out my pattern pieces and picked my fabric for three more blocks from The Farmer’s Wife sampler.

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And then there is always reading.  Nice summertime beach reading  …. just not at the beach.    20190720_221629.jpg

The difference between winter and summer cabin fever : watering instead of shoveling, salads and sandwiches instead of simmering soups or chili  and drinking lots of water instead of hot chocolate.

So we are ready for another day spent inside.  It’s looking like we could get a break in the heat on Monday.   What do you do when you are spending a few days in your “cabin”?  If you are dealing with this heat wave, keep cool, hydrate and take advantage of a bit of downtime to do some reading, slow stitching,  or watch a good movie.   Hmmmm, maybe I’ll watch a few episodes of Downton Abbey.  I can do my hand stitching while visiting with the Crawley family.

Be well.  Keep cool.

Bye for now.

Ginny

Sunday Snippit on Monday

It sure has been a busy couple of weeks.  I missed posting last Sunday.  We had a quick visit with family and returned home on Monday.  I almost missed this week too but it’s  just one day later.

It has been pretty busy in the sewing room.  I made 5 sets of placemats.  Haven’t made them in quite a while.   I enjoyed putting them together.

I really like the wine bottle fabric and I can see some wine bottle gift bags made out of it.  The other four fabrics were very cheerful and summery.

While spending my time in the sewing room I was listening to a podcast of Leah Day’s.  (her podcast is called Hello My Quilting Friends if you want to give it a listen). Her guest was Stephanie Socha and the topic was organizing and decorating your quilting space.  (Stephanie also has a podcast: Make and Decorate with Stephanie Socha Design)  As I was listening I started looking around the sewing room to see if the way I organized my room was in a purely functional way or did it add to the decor of the room.  It made me think, what does the decor of my sewing room say?   So when I was finished sewing, I took some pictures of my space to see what vibes the different areas gave off.  Did they say utilitarian and functional or was there an element of fun and smile-evoking spots?

As I looked at the pictures,  I saw that there are things that bring a smile to my face in all corners of the room.   Yes, there are the functional parts like the two spaces that store my books and patterns and the pegboards that hold my scissors, rotary cutters and acrylic templates.  But mixed into those areas are items that are purely there just because they are “me”….. like the quilted Yankee wall hanging,  the “Officially Retired” sign and hat and the Charlie Brown clock that plays Christmas songs on the hour (ok, not ALL year;  I remove the batteries for that function in January).   And, while most of my fabric is either in the closet or in drawers,  I love seeing my Jelly Rolls displayed in a re-purposed cd tower.  Of course, the three machines in the room make me smile by just being there. Having pictures of my 4 boys when they were little hanging over my Featherweight, a stuffed puppy by my embroidery machine that reminds me of a very special grand-dog and a jar full of  thread on wooden spools that were from my grandmother and my aunt makes those areas even more special.

My conclusion was that yes, I try to keep my tools and supplies neat and organized and handy but I also see things in that room that definitely say  “This is Ginny’s sewing room”.    Do you have a room or a space somewhere that speaks to your likes, interests and  passions?   If you do,  I’d love to hear about it.  Leave a comment below and tell us about it.

I hope you have a good week.  I’ll be in my sewing room a bit each day enjoying all the special things in there.  Keep cool.   See you soon.

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

Sunday Snippit Time

It has been a busy week for sure culminating with a day spent in the city with my sis ending with a Hugh Jackman concert.   Absolutely phenomenal!  Words cannot aptly describe what an amazing performer he is.

With the 4th of July on the horizon, I did  have some time in the sewing room to work on some red, white and blue things.   First there was this paper pieced star made with Fabri–flair.  It was a lot of fun to make.

It looks cute on my mantel with a tin barn star, some seashells and little lights.

I also got a new pair of scissors that fit right into my red, white and blue theme for the day.  (do you love them BFF?)  I have designated them to be my batting and stabilizer scissors.  Now they will stand out and I won’t grab the  fabric scissors by accident.

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I also pulled this kit out of the closet and put it in my basket.

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It’s a Missouri Star Quilt Company kit that I got a few years ago.   Will it be completed by the 4th of July?  Heck no!  But at least it isn’t in the dark confines of the closet any longer.

I dressed up a couple tables in the house with some patriotic  decor.

The temperatures have gotten themselves up to summertime thresholds, the vegetable  plants are flowering, the herbs are growing beautifully and adding nice fresh flavor to our summertime dishes, there is red, white and blue gracing various surfaces around the house and the beach has become a destination on our weekly calendar.   Welcome summer.Summer sun

And let’s not forget our friends to our north who will be celebrating Canada Day on Monday, July 1.   Canadian flag clip art    Why don’t we just declare this week  one big holiday and have one full week of celebrating the two very special days with each other.

Have a good week everyone.  Talk to you soon.

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

 

Sunny Sunday Snippet

Well the sun finally reappeared on Friday afternoon!!   It was a wonderful thing.  People slowly came out of their houses and looked in amazement at the bright, shiny object in the sky.    Hubby and I got to spend an evening sitting outside on our front porch for the first time in ages.  OK, maybe not  actually ages, but it sure felt like it.

My tiger lilies were happy to see the sun too and showed their joy but opening up and bringing more smiles to our faces to see their wonderful,  graceful blooms.20190623_101437.jpg

The following day, we got to plant the last few flowers we bought for our garden but had been unable to get into their proper places because of the weather.  We are now enjoying these lovelies

And then to bring a bit of summer into my sewing room, I had a request for two sets of placemats.   I spent Saturday evening sewing up these cheerful sets

Sunflowers and beach pails…. yup summer is here.   I know some of us were wondering if it ever would arrive but it did indeed.  A bit later than usual but hopefully it will stay around for a while.

Have a wonderful week all.  We are off to the beach tomorrow.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

Sunday Snippit & a little rant

I found myself being very annoyed earlier this week which is what my mini-rant is about.  What has happened to respect and courtesy?   I remember the days when, if you were driving and saw a hearse with cars following that had the “Funeral” signs on their windshields and had their 4-way flashers blinking,  you would show some respect and courtesy and not cut into the procession of cars.   Apparently,  there were quite a few people on the roads on Thursday that do not subscribe to that way of thinking.  It makes me sad.  OK, end of mini-rant.

On Friday evening, after a day of catching up with laundry and housework,  I  wanted to spend some time sewing but didn’t really have the energy to stand at my cutting table and prep my next project so instead I opted to sit in my comfy chair, watch the Yankee game and work on another block from the Farmer’s Wife book.

This was block #33 of the 99 in the book.   As I complete each block,  I  keep them in individual plastic bags and put them in a basket.  20190616_220400.jpg

I think I’m going to need to get a bigger basket in the not too distant future.  My bff in California and I are working on these blocks together and it will be interesting to see how different each of our quilts will turn out.   Sharon, it’s time to pick our next batch of blocks.  33 down and only 66 more to go!

Of course, I have many projects on my to-do list to keep me busy but the next book I will be making blocks from is

20190616_220416.jpg   However, those blocks will not be done by hand.  I will be stitching them on my Featherweight.  I am also not sure about making a full-on quilt  from the blocks.  Since many of the blocks are kitchen-specific themes,  I am leaning towards making a wall-hanging for the brick wall in my kitchen and  potholders, placemats, etc.   I have a while before I need to make that decision though.

I cannot end this post without sending out Father’s Day wishes to all those special men out there who, even if they are not their actual dad, are role models,  encouragers,  advisers, supporters and givers of love to younger people in their lives.  I hope you all had a wonderful day.  (and don’t forget to teach those younger people not to cut into a funeral procession  — oh, wait, I was done with that rant wasn’t I) .

Bye for now.   I hope Monday treats you well tomorrow.

See you soon.

Ginny