Hi everyone,
Today would have been my mom’s 91st Birthday! Wish we could just have one hour together, but someday I’ll see you! Keep watching for me!
I hope everyone is warm where you live! We just had a super cold night and early morning! Tonight is supposed to be very cold again, but in a few days it’s supposed to get up in the 40’s so that will feel nice… nicer than the 20’s with single digits wind chills we’ve been having!
Who is ready for Spring? I’m dreaming of pretty sleeveless dresses with straw bonnets and gloves! Then before you know it we’ll all be talking about it being May… ESPECIALLY DOROTHY! :o)
Beginning this Friday and then for the next 6 Friday’s I’m going to have a Giveaway… you’ll have to check it out and see if you can be the winner of a very pretty ________! Oh, I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait and see! :o)
But first I have to show you the rest of my goodies from a Sofa Sister who clearly didn’t know when to stop when she was packing this box for Christmas!
There was a lap quilt in there… a “panel” quilt, meaning it was a single piece of fabric that “looked” liked it was pieced together. And of course, it was “sewing” themed! There’s a sewing machine right in the middle of it. My hubby stood on a stool and took a picture of it while I had it spread out on my bed.
If you click on the pictures with your mouse, they get bigger!
There were 3 large gallon sized Ziplock bags inside the box too, stuffed with all different squares of fabrics… pink and blue and white and green and more! At first I just took some pictures with the fabrics sort of spread out…
…but I decided since we all love FABRICS… well, at least “I” do, I thought I could do better than that… so I took them and started making a checkerboard with them… so you could see all the prints better.
Then I decided to try and take some closeup shots…and some turned out okay…others… not perfect…
This cotton fabric is a pretty big stack of these squares, but in person, it’s a pale baby pink background with those tiny rosebuds on it. It’s really pretty!
This is another one of my favorite fabrics… as it’s so clear and crisp! But, “alas” there are only 4 squares of it. :o(
There is a stack of some fabrics that are cut in strips…
…and a nice stack of fabrics that are up to 1/2 yard in length. There are some very pretty ones in this lot too!
I have enough to make the prettiest pink and white quilt and maybe even a blue and white one too! How much fun can one girl have???
Well, that was my fabulous Christmas box from _________! Thank you again and I’ll think of you every time I pick up a piece of your fabric or look at my clock or drink from my mug!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, you really hit the jackpot with this box, Jeanne! The quilt is lovely, and there are so many pretty prints in the fabrics someone sent you!! Gigi suggests that maybe there are some tiny PINK prints that could be used for a dress for her!! (That girl! She has a better wardrobe than I have, and still wants more!) Have fun!!
Oh, Linda, Dorothy, Barbara and Rosemary, I commented on some of your replies on yesterday’s blog.
Charlotte, the jewel game is one of my favorites too! In fact, I played that already this morning! I did not know that you could keep the calendar for years! So you can still play the games and do the puzzles even after a year?
yes, you can! I have several of the previous Jacquie Lawson calendars on my computer. I go and “play” on one or another of them from time to time!
Thank you Charlotte! I would like a jewel game, 🥳 it is probably like tetris and those games make me frantic when they speed up 😂😂😂😂
At present the only online game I play is Freecell. It is just sorting cards.
I have been playing it daily and sometimes getting tired of it. … really
This jewel game is a little like Tetris, but instead of jewels dropping, they are off to the side and you move and fit them in. They don’t rotate (I wish they did) so sometimes you have to get creative to try to get rid of some rows so you can fit the bigger groupings in!
I love to play Freecell!! Also Spider Solitaire. Fun!
Dear Charlotte, I just read your comments from yesterday. I was not able to keep my Advent Calendar from last year. Around October of this year, it stopped working so I deleted it. I would have liked to keep it.
Is the Jewel game the one where you have to make crosses up and down? I like that game.
I noticed last year that there was a man seated at one of the outdoor tables at a coffee shop. He never moved around, like the other folks did. He was always in the same spot. He was wearing a hat and looking to the right. Well, he is in this Advent calendar as well! He is seated in the coffee shop on the far left. He is wearing a hat and reading a book. In one of the Activities (designing a sweater), the sweater I made ended up on him.
If you can find him, please let me know. I wonder if he is supposed to represent someone known to the game designers.
I will keep this calendar up as long as I can. I still have not clicked on 4 of the elves, even though I can see them peaking out at me (smile).
I think I lost the snowball fight. Here’s a newsflash: I enjoyed making the wreaths, said the non-crafter! I think that was because there was no glue or twine or staples involved (laugh).
Dorothy, if you saved the link to that Advent calendar, you could probably download it again!
No, the jewel game is one where you have groups of jewels, one to nine jewels connected in different formations (lines, right angles, squares, etc.) and you have to click on them and fit them into a grid. It’s fun!
Oh, gosh, I never noticed that about the man at the coffee shop!! And to find the sweater you designed, on him! What fun!! I’m going to have to go and look now.
Yes, designing the wreaths was fun, as was decorating the Christmas tree (in the building with the star on it). I didn’t do too well at the snowball fight, either. I need to go back and play some of the games I haven’t done much so far. I just had too much to do, plus not feeling well thru part of the month (sinus and UTI). Maybe now I can do a little more “playing”!!
I liked the wreath because I didn’t have to grow any of the flowers or greens for it! I have a brown thumb!!
I missed commenting this morning so I’ll comment now and then mention it tomorrow. So many comments about the Jacquie Lawson Advent calendars. I get them every year and send some to friends and family. My daughter loves to get them and she and my grandson do them together each loving different parts. I recently got a new computer and was frantic that I had lost several years of the Advent calendars but I went back through my downloads and found them and reinstalled them. Once you pay for it, it’s yours. Dorothy probably could have reinstalled the one she lost. I thought I would have to “redo” them but the only thing I found I had to recreate was anything that was in my “home”. Dorothy mentioned about the man who never moves. I was showing him to my grandson yesterday. I said everyone else comes and goes but he never seems to. She said he was wearing a sweater she created. How funny. I love the games and play them all year until the next calendar comes out. This year didn’t have the Mahjong game so I go back to my Paris apartment and play it. This years was so unusual. Usually the buildings are there and light up when you click on the day. This year there was only the cottage and then the buildings show up when you clicked the ornament. That made each day extra exciting. I’m really easy to please.
I liked that feature, too, Barbara. And did you notice that, in your “home” you started out with several empty shelves and by Christmas you ended up with lots of little houses on them?
Funny, how we all notice different things about those calendars!
Wow, Jeanne, what a lovely bunch of fabrics and that quilt is perfect for a nice wall hanging in your sewing room, if you have a wall for it!
My goodness, what a beautiful array of springtime flowers in the individual pieces! It’s going to be a lot of fun picking out what you want to use first! It seems like there is something for every size of doll you sew for, but I am not sure how much of each piece. However, I am certain that Ten Ping will get something from this stash!
Like you, Jeanne, I am ready for some warmer weather!
Jeanne, I can see you will be adjusting you sewing room again! What a lovely batch of beauties! I am looking forward to seeing which one comes first!
We are in the thirties here, with a high of the fifties. I am wrapped up in my warmest clothes and Peyton is wearing a t-shirt and shorts. That is the way it is around here.
If I get any news about my arm I will let y’all know. We will be packing up clothes to get ready to leave Friday for our 2 week trip to Helen, GA, up in the mountains. We do this every year after New Years, staying in the same place. They have a indoor pool, so we can get our exercise. It is a great time to relax after Christmas.
My dearest friend went to Helen Georgia. She said there is a shop there owned by a woman from the Netherlands and she carries all kinds of things right on her shelves! (wonderful “Dutch stuff”) I hope you enjoy your trip.
I know it will be warm there
Rosemary, the Helen weather says 20’s and 30’s at night, and in the day up to 50’s to 60’s. I hope this sticks, you never now. I hope no snow this year. It looked like snow last year but was solid ice. Even when we go home, and it was night, there was the “snow” solid ice. I could not get out of the car on it with my shoes on, I had to walk in my socks it was so slippery. We were out there in the dark with shovels trying to get into the back of the car to get the food we brought back. Still, we had a great time in Helen like we always do.
Good morning dear ones. Well, Jeanne, this is a lovely wonderful gift!
well, you know, I love fabric…. and I love quilting. With those smaller pieces, you could make some sweet doll quilt blocks too. I also see a lot of adorable blouse ideas, and dresses, and more quilts, and sweet Spring jackets.
You are dearly loved, and very deserving of such a collection of beautiful fabrics.
I am excited to see a little projects come out of a few of these….
The cold: It is cold outside. Do you get wind too? The wind here is a beast. I am in Northern Virginia and we get a perfectly placed wind that comes from the northeast.
If you would like to go outside, you better put on your wind pants over your regular pants, and every small jacket and top it off with your warmest puffy coat. I got an all while puff coat from Land End two years ago, It has a hood and it is long down to my knees.
It has a hood with fur. I have never had a white puffy coat and I do not know how it really looks on me, but I feel like a princess.
Okay, in contrast, my daughter that lives in Richmond (up visiting right now) says they never get wind. haha
Speaking of Princess, my cornish kitty girl Princess (all of 6.5 pounds) runs around the house screaming (not constantly) and then we have to guess what she wants. It could be, “I made a contribution to my litter box” or “I am hungry” or “stand much closer to the kitchen cabinets so I can make the leap to the very top” Just now, it was “more food”
It is very difficult to figure out what she is asking for. This morning she trampled around the house, and stepped on the tv remote and turned on the tv!
Jeanne, I hope you and George and Reuben are doing very good. I hope every one of you Sofa Sisters and also quiet lurkers are doing well. Please stay warm and healthy
Now I have to run and do some annoying phone stuff from Daddy’s Estate. Very tedious and kind of boring.
Love you all, 🥰❤️
Your Princess, sure sounds like a smart one. I saw a video of a woman who had taught her cat to talk. Some kind of a board that the kitty could press a button and it spoke the word of what she wanted. Like food, petting, etc. Sounds like your cat would ace it. 🙂
Oh, use the blues, use the blues, please use the blues. What a wonderful dress could be made using the different blue print fabrics. Several mixed for a skirt and then a bodice and different sleeves and trim. That would be so pretty and could be called the winter ice princess dress. Or spring thaw. 🙂 What a great gift Jeanne received.
It’s cold here too. I think it hit freezing but is now 34. Way too cold for us, but fortunately, I did cover the plants at the other house and on the porch here as well. So, now it will be a repeat of uncovering until tonight.
No games here, but we are heading to the other house to seal a few spots on the roof where other person was able to remove the weather vane yesterday. I wanted it off the roof as there was an incidence recently of lightning hitting one and burning a house. We’re not used to things like that here. The weather vane been up there since 1966, when the house was finished and we moved in. I couldn’t believe that it is still in one piece, but it now resides inside. It is three trees in a row from large to small representing my family. The three of us. 🙂 Can’t wait to hit the warm shower. Keep warm everyone.
Barbara, saw your note about Dickens yesterday. I think I’m going to buy the two girls and their dolls. So cute. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, how wonderful to receive such lovely gifts. Someone truly knows you well! I bet she was searching all year just to find these special gifts just for you.
We’ve had only 2 snowstorms, which is worrying in terms of summer fires but nice for doctor’s appointments. I guess worrying and complaining won’t make a difference — I’ll have to learn how to deal gracefully with what comes.
What a treasure chest you have received, Jeanne. You’ll figure out how to think “in the box.” I’m imagining a patchwork skirt for Kirsten and maybe some Seminole patchwork for Kaya or Josefina. The smallest of your girls should have lots of choices and there’s a Keeper’s dirndl pattern that might work. Joy’s idea of one color, several prints sounds worth considering as you sort colors.
It’s been a strange year, maybe 2026 will bring us some interesting changes. Let’s hope some of them are good.
Good morning everyone, it is 8.45am on New Years Eve here. I won’t be celebrating at midnight this year, Sam and Asher will be at the airport at that time picking up Jono and Kai after their holiday.
Jeanne your parcel was wonderful. The 5 inch squares of fabric are charm squares and are great for patchwork and quilting. I can also see them in dolly dresses. If you cut them down the middle and join them in different fabrics strips going length down you could have a lovely striped skirt. It might be a bit shorter than you usually make but I think it would look great. Anyway, whoever sent it to you was incredibly generous.
Unlike everyone else, especially Dorothy, I really don’t want May to come, we have only just started summer I’d like to enjoy that first. We did get rain yesterday. It was supposed to be heavy rain and thunder but in the end was just rain. I won’t have to water anyway so that is good. It was only 16C yesterday which was cold enough to put on the heating! I have to keep flicking the heat pump from heat to A/C! The east of the South Island is still the place to be in NZ. I feel sorry for all those in camping grounds in the north who have had to pack up and go home.
I had better go, I have a busy day today
Dear Anne, I completely understand. I would not want to wish Summer and good weather away from you.
I promise to hold my Maypril ooohing and aaahing until April 1st. Right now I am caught up in reading Jane Austen spin-offs. That should keep me occupied for the next four months (smile).