Year End 2021

Our family Christmas celebration occurred December 28, the first day Julia and our grandsons could gather and it also coincided with hubby’s birthday.  It was a lovely day that included presents, a huge lunch featuring hubby’s favorite menu of roast beef and mashed potatoes and a card game called Exploding Kittens.  Thankfully, the game is not as gruesome as the title makes it sound! 

A friend recently donated fabric to the Tuesday sewing group that I have been a part of for 14 years.  On impulse, I glommed onto it and made potholders to attach to the baggies of cookies I made for the neighborhood.  

There was so much fabric left over that I’m still making them for our Guild’s quilt show boutique in 2023.  What doesn’t get finished before New Year’s Day will be set aside for possible construction later.  I’m ready for some fun stitching.

The Tuesday group also had a Christmas brunch.  It was pretty much a last-minute effort, but the organizers found a small restaurant that opened especially for us.  One member provided these cute little boxes at each setting filled with homemade yummies.

The gathering took place just before the latest COVID surge.  Everyone in our group of 8 was vaccinated and boosted, and fortunately no one got sick.  I missed this week’s gathering due to our family celebration and given the current situation, I am debating about whether to sit out January.  It’s a hard decision because this group is very dear to me but as hubby and I are in the high-risk group we have to give a lot of thought about which risks are acceptable.

Also occurring, since I last posted, was our 44^th wedding anniversary.  There MAY have been a stop at One Quilt Place in Fredericksburg.  

And I MAY have contributed to the local economy.

It always seems like the winter holidays are filled with good days and hard days.  This year’s season began with a family funeral followed by a flare of decades-old family angst.  I'm reminded that a universal human challenge is to savor the joy amidst the pain.

And then, some of us take nothing seriously and just like to nap between the beds.

Finally my last 2021 quote is a goal worthy of a lifetime's pursuit.

Live -- My 2021 Word

...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation....--Philippians 4:12

Top Finished

Hubby and one of his brothers have headed west for a hunting trip.  The other brother who was with us Thanksgiving and his wife have headed south.  They’re all from Wisconsin, so I understand.  That left me with a few days to catch my breath and actually do some quilt related things.

 

If I were to name this quilt, I would probably call it “Sanity.”  Not only was it a Covid handwork project, it saw me through the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, lots of golf and a fair amount of football.  If you’re picking up the vibe that the person with the remote control in his hand has a slightly different taste in television than I do, you’re right. The colors in this photograph are definitely off.  The top is much more in the teal and pink family.

 

The clamshell pattern is one that I have wanted to make for a long time and it grew out of a virtual workshop with Irene Blanck.  Except for the borders, it is entirely hand pieced.

 

Another birthday has come and gone, and with all the out-of-town company in the area, we seemed to celebrate more than usual this year. I received two very nice floral gifts. 

 

The amaryllis bulbs I showed last month have sent up fresh bloom stalks and are still putting on a show.

 

The poinsettia I received for my birthday in 2020 has survived so far and is gradually getting its Christmas colors.

 

Bob and his brother return tomorrow.  Today’s goal is to get some serious housecleaning done.

 

Live -- My 2021 Word

In life, it’s important to know when to stop arguing with people, and simply let them be wrong. --Unknown