Winter?

It is days like today, that beckon thousands to move to California!  It was probably high seventies, with brilliant blue skies, and a few wispy clouds scattered about.  

I went out early to collect eggs, and knew that we would be spending a good deal of the day doing something outside!  As luck would have it, Gennifer called, and she and the girls came over for some play time and lunch.

 I believe this was right after Noah was very upset because Clairey touched his hotdog!   Prior to this though, they had a ball.  They raced bikes and scooters, and drew with sidewalk chalk, and chased squirrels up into the pecan trees.   Gennifer and I sat out in the sun watching them, and it was so nice!!
After the girls left, Noah talked me into making a dirt race track out in the grove with his hot wheel cars.  While he did his boy thing, I worked in the yard. 
We have great neighbors here.  I am particularly fond of my neighbors across the street, Carl and Sue.  They are about the same age as my parents, and I have been close to them since moving in almost 20 years ago.  They know how much I love birds, and when they are on their travels they find some pretty interesting and unusual bird related gifts to bring to me.  This year they got me a solar cardinal.  I put him in my bed of nasturtiums.

After Noah got incredibly filthy in the grove, I brought him in and stuck him right into the bath.  While he took a long bubble bath, I scrubbed the bathroom floor and hallway floor so I could watch him while I worked.
I have been wanting to get another small point and shoot camera so that I can pop it into my purse and have something with me all the time.  I hate to miss a photo opportunity, but sometimes hauling my big Nikon is not convenient.  Luckily, we found one of Erika's (many) cameras that we had gotten for her, still here along with all of the accessories.  After looking closer at it, I remembered that it had some sort of problem with the shutter not opening up all of the way.  Greg read the manual and found out that by removing the battery and reinserting it, this usually fixes the problem.  Sure enough, it did.  So I have a little point and shoot to play with now.  This morning I was trying to familiarize myself with the settings.  I took these of Ducey while he was in his usual mid morning spot by the big picture window in the front of the house.

Then he got a little irritated with me and jumped down to the floor.  Where I was noticing how neat the kaleidoscope of colors were that were dancing on his fur, made from the stained glass I have in the picture window in that room.  (run on sentence much?)

 This is the stained glass that hangs in that window.  It was a Christmas gift from my husband one year.

I know this is all over the place today.  I took random photos with my little point and shoot, just trying it out.  Gennifer also gave me this Anthro egg dish for Christmas.  I love the shade of blue, and I love how pretty my multi colored eggs look sitting in it!

When she gave it to me, I remembered these three blue fluted custard dishes I had found a while back in a thrift shop.  I sure wish that they had four of them.  But I love them.  These are the only blue dishes I have.   Now I am thinking I need more!

 While Genny was here, I was telling her how much I love my heated mattress pad that my Mom got for me.  She said she was surprised to hear me say that because I suffer so terribly from hot flashes.  Well, about a month or so ago, my friend Dawn from 

Creative Cain Cabin  

was coaching me through some holistic herbal relief from bronchitis, and in our discussions of herbal remedies, I asked her what she suggested for hot flashes.  I should preface this by saying that I had a total hysterectomy at age 40.  I did take premarin for a while.  Then the bad press about it's relation to breast cancer etc., scared me and I stopped cold turkey.  I have suffered horribly from hot flashes ever since, and even though I have tried other remedies, nothing has worked.  Dawn suggested Pro Yam Cream.  My health food store had something similar but called Balance Cream.  Same ingredients though.

I did some research, she did some research, and I feel comfortable using it.  I will bring it with me to the Dr. when I go in March for my "yearly" though. Let me tell you, this stuff has changed my life!!!!  I went from having about one bad hot flash an hour, to one or two a DAY!!!  I am SO much more comfortable!!!  This has changed the quality of my life!  And I hope I can use it as long as I need to.   You use about a quarter teaspoon of this cream daily.  Rubbing it into your skin on your tummy, thighs, or fleshy part of your arms.  I cannot BELIEVE the difference in the way I feel.  I have been using it for about a month now, and can't imagine not using it!!!
I haven't even set foot in my sewing room since Christmas.  I was so busy in December with orders, that now, I want to do some projects for myself that I have been postponing.   My last project was an ipad case for my Mom for Christmas.  In finishing it, I broke my needle in my machine, and also bungled the dimensions of this case.  I made a quilted case for my ipad but my ipad is a bit larger than my Mom's, so I was trying to go a little bit smaller for a much more snug fit.  I don't use patterns.  I can barely decipher one.  So if I ever put these in my shop, I better fine tune it.  But I thought my Mom's turned out really cute.  Even for a book bag or something, which is how I presented it to her for a gift.  I put a book inside for her.

The bag is a light pink quilted fabric.  I put some wool applique on it.  And a black ruffle along the top, and

 black quilted handles.

These colors are not showing up as their true color.  I do quite a bit of sewing.  I piece on my antique featherweight that belonged to my Dad's older sister.  I have a 30 year old heavy duty Viking that I bought from my sewing machine repairman, Ted Lloyd several years ago.  He knew I was in the market for a new machine, and he had refurbished this one, and sold it to me for a good price.  I love it, and it has multiple stitches, and sews very nicely.  But I have been wanting a machine with a little more possibilities.  A machine designed for quilting, with needle down option, and an open toe darning foot.  I also want a blanket stitch for applique.  I have been looking, and have a few in mind.  I am not sure if I want embroidery too?  I would love some feedback from my sewing friends?  If you were buying a new machine, and you do a lot of quilting, but also other basic sewing, what would you buy?  Price is an issue.  I can't buy a 1,000 dollar machine.  Something under 500 dollars is what I want.  What say you, my sewing friends?
So how was that for an all over the place kind of post?  December is winding down.  I have a lot of ideas swirling in my head for projects to do in the new year.  First though, I want to make some simple valances for my daughter Erika's new place.  We were over there last night to hook up Noah's new Wii, and as I was lying on the sofa with Noah's new McQueen pillow, looking around at how cute she has it fixed up, I asked her if she was allowed to put up curtains.  She said yes.  I said let's do it!!!!  I have an idea for something that will look really cute in there.  That is my first project for the new year.
What's everyone doing for New Year's?
Signing off,
XO  Kris