Santa Came!

I must have been a very good girl this year, because Santa left some very nice goodies!  I got a beautiful watch and some sewing goodies from DH

Santa also dropped off a new large cutting mat, a scallop template, some fabric, and a cute little bag. And a very generous gift certificate for Fat Quarter Shop.

I also received some lovely surprises from bloggy friends.  This lovely tea towel, along with some other cat-themed items and a beautiful ornament came from the very talented Di of Quilting is Blissful.  It's simple but elegant, and the stitching is perfect.  Thanks Di!

Another package arrived from my friend, Maria, of Life on the Block.  I love it!  Thanks Maria.

After all the gifts were opened, our granddaughter came over for the day while her mother was working.  We started the day with a nice breakfast casserole, and then baked some cookies. 

Then we took a break and I gave her a cross stitching lesson. 

We had to clear out of the kitchen so dh could whip up a wonderful dinner, which we planned when DSD got off work.  The two of them had other family commitments later, so dh got a nap and some reading time, and I got some sewing time!  An all around wonderful day.  Hope yours was wonderful as well!

Living life with an attitude of gratitude.....Sunny

One Flower Wednesday

I know, it's barely still Wednesday, but I made it!  And I made my first mini hexi.  I love it.

And now I'm starting to notice hexagon patterns everywhere.

I hope you're all ready for Christmas!  I only have to work half a day on Thursday, then go to a luncheon, then I'm a free woman for 3 1/2 days.  I plan to get some sewing done over the weekend, because we're not doing with much with family this year.

Living life with an attitude of gratitude....Sunny

The process or the result?

I’ve read a couple of blog comments lately that have really made me stop and think. Do you quilt because you love the process or because you love the finished quilts? Do you painstakingly and lovingly stitch every stitch by hand, or do you stitch it all on a machine so that you can quickly have a finished quilt and move on to the next project? I suspect there are as many answers to this question as there are quilters. Personally, I wouldn’t be making quilts if everything were done by hand. I don’t have the skill or the patience. I do enjoy the whole process, however, except for maybe choosing fabrics. Don’t get me wrong - I love buying fabric, I just have a hard time choosing what should go together to make the pattern that I’ve chosen.. I’m assuming I’ll get better with more experience. I like cutting, ironing, piecing, pinning, quilting, and even sewing down the bindings. I’ve always got two or ten more projects in my mind, however, so sometimes I’m impatient to move on to the next project. When I first started, I thought I should only work on one project at a time. I quickly changed my mind about that! Now, when I get inspired, I think I should jump on that inspiration and get a top done, and then I can go back and finish it later, as long as it doesn’t languish in the UFO pile too long. That way, when I want to sew, I can choose between machine work and hand work. Some nights I just want to sit in front of the TV, but I like to keep my hands busy.



I’m also into instant gratification. If I don’t see results in a short amount of time, I lose motivation. So I would have to say that actually putting the blocks together is my favorite part. What do you enjoy the most?


I’ve also read a comment about what makes a good blog. Again, I think there are hundreds of different opinions on that. The main reason I started a blog was just because I want to learn how to do more things on the computer. I was thrilled when I got my first comment and then a follower or two. I didn’t expect that anyone would actually read it! I’ve learned a lot, and made a lot of new friends along the way. I now have friends in Australia, Wales, Scotland, and Greece just to name a few. Hey Di – check out my new header!!


When I read the blogs of others, I’m always looking for inspiration. I’m inspired by the writing, the photography, the humor, the quilts, the kindness, the friendship, and the community. Sometimes I just have time to read a few of my favorites, and some nights I blog hop all over the world and back. So if you’ve taken time to read this rambling all the way to the end, I appreciate it. If you quickly linked to another blog, that’s okay, too. If you’re wondering if I’m ever going to end it, you’re in luck!

Living life with an attitude of gratitude…….Sunny

Christmas prezzies and swaps!

'Tis the Season!    Falalalala lalalala......

Packages have been arriving in the mail!  Yippee!  First, I received my Secret Santa Swap, and I was totally blown away.  Not one, but two of the most beautiful table runners.  One is for Christmas, and one is for every day.

Thank you so much Monica! I absolutely love them.

















Then my kitties received a stocking that they won in Di's pet stocking giveaway.  Of course, Zippy (Zoe) discovered the stocking first, and tried her best to get into it.  I finally opened it and gave her a catnip toy.  The other two quickly joined her and each got their own toy.  I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of Scooter, our old, dignified lady, who wouldn't want anyone to know that she was playing with a toy, anyway.  But here are Zippy and Chloe.

She's actually rubbing it all over, not sleeping!

Today the mailman brought a package from Scotland.  I was blog hopping one evening a couple of weeks ago, and saw the cutest tea cosy.  Penny, the owner, was trying to think of ideas to do with her leftover fabric, and I jokingly suggested that she could make a cosy for me.  Well, we corresponded a few times, and she sold this adorable cosy to me.  I'll take some pictures of it in action soon.

I've looked everywhere, and I can't find her blog address to share with you.  Edited:   Penny can be found HERE.

I've made a couple of mug rugs that I'm sending out as gifts.  They turned out larger than I planned, so I have to go back to the design stage.  I'm thinking about organizing a swap after Christmas if anyone is interested.   I have Linda on a list already.

These are my first attempts at embroidery and at applique, so I hope the recipients remember "It's the thought counts!"

Living my life with an Attitude of Gratitude.....Sunny

Rural Americana

Do you ever start planning your blog post several hours before you intend to write it?  I'm not a writer by any means, but I try to have something interesting to say.  Today, I left the house with plans to go to Gettysburg to Boyds Bear Country and the quilt store. 

Four score and seven years ago...     Most of you have heard of Gettysburg - the battle and the Gettysburg Address.  Our area is steeped in Civil War history.  Today, as I was driving along the battlefield, I pulled off the road to take a few pictures.  It was a dreary cold day, and I was trying to imagine what it would have been like to be in the heat of battle.  The area is now a National Park, dotted with canons, old fences, and monuments.

My real destination was Boyds Bear Country, where I was looking for a particular bear for a bloggy friend.  Sorry bloggy friend, they were sold out, but I found something else kind of cute.  I love visiting all the bears, especially at Christmas time.

The next stop was a new-to-me quilt store.  I've been by many times, but not when they're open.  Today was my lucky day.  It's not a fancy store, but they have tons of fabric,  quilting supplies, threads,   stitchery kits, embroidery floss.......    They specialize in civil war prints.  I bought some fat quarters, and I'd love to go back when I have a specific project in mind.  Very nice store, but I didn't take any pictures.

As I was driving home, I was looking for photo ops, and thought those of you who live near mountains would get a kick out of this.  This is a typical ski slope in this area, and the parking lot was packed!  The snow is manmade.  We've barely had a dusting of snow so far.  Not much of a mountain, as you can see.

Next I drove over a covered bridge. For the first time, I stopped to take a couple of pictures and I had actually stopped earlier to take pictures of another bridge.

I was getting close to home when I saw these in a field.  I had to turn around and go back to get a picture.

There aren't many longhorn cattle around here, so they are picture-worthy in my book!
So now you know what it's like to drive through the area where I live.

Last night, I stayed up all night and well into the morning to make this pillow for FNSI.  I had seen the pattern and sample in a magazine, but last night I couldn't find the pattern anywhere, so I just made what made sense to me.  I think it needs something, but I'm not sure what to add.  I also worked on a mug rug, but had to buy thread to complete the quilting.

I keep nodding off while I'm typing, so I guess it's time to to to bed.

Living Life with an attitude lf gratitudee.....Sunny

It's Beginning to Look a lot like

Christmas!

I don't often leave the house after I get home from work.  Tonight I met hubby for our Photo Club Christmas meeting, and stopped to take a few pictures on the way home.  Perhaps this weekend we'll take our annual drive to look at lights.  There seem to be fewer lights this year - I wonder if that's because of the economy?

It's time for another FNSI!!  We're having two this month, and I'm ready.  I need to finish up a couple of mug rugs, and maybe do some quilting.  I'll post some results over the weekend.   Click on the link on my sidebar if you'd like to sign up or get more information.

Living life with an attitude of gratitude......Sunny

The winner is. . . . .

Thank you to everyone who entered my drawing, and for sharing the one word (or phrase) that summed up your life for 2010.  I'm not quite as sunny as my name, and could only think of negative words for my year.  Most of you, however, are full of hope, optimism, and love.  It was so uplifting to read your posts.  I also found some new-to-me blogs, and gained some new followers. 

I'm not technically savvy enough to use the Random number generator, so I printed out all the comments, and used a paper cutter to separate them into strips.

Then I folded them all and put them into a bowl.



Then the hubster drew one strip out of the bowl.

Oh my, I just realized that it's One Flower Wednesday!  I missed posting last week because I was stitching away on another project. 

Now where was I?  Oh yeah, I was going to announce the winner.  Is anyone even interested in finding out who the winner is? 

Marcia!  I'll be sending you an e-mail, so please send me your snail mail address as soon as possible so that I can get your stocking in the mail!  Congratulations!

Living life with an attitude of gratitude....Sunny