Three sleeps to go .......and maybe a new tradition...

The Christmas Memory Album.   

Not long before she passed away my mother told me of a gorgeous Christmas tradition and everyone I have told of it loves it.  Unfortunately my Mum introduced it to our family when my boys were a bit too old, then the next Christmas season she passed away so we didn’t feel much like continuing it on, and now it is too late.  In her memory I have decided to pass it on to everyone I know who is having a baby.

First you need a photo album.  I like the ones that have room for a photo on the cover.  Every year take a photo of your grandchild or child in front of the Christmas tree or with his/her stocking or whatever takes your fancy.  You may decide to record other annual Christmas activities.  My girlfriend is going to record each year’s attempt at gingerbread houses.  As well as the photos each year you write a note recording some or all of the following information:

Who baby spent Christmas with,

Where Christmas was spent

Favourite Christmas present

And when they get old enough, favourite Christmas memory.

Imagine the fun you and they will have over the years looking back….

I hope you enjoy this idea.  I really wish we had done it but rest assured I will be doing it for my grandbabies - in the fullness of time that is!

Till Next time............Happy stitching

P.S. Don't tell my boys I published these pics!  Cute huh!

4 sleeps and lots of fun to come.....

Tonight my three girlsfriends - Sandy, Jacqui, Tarja and I -  the four of us make up the SISTERHOOD - had our annual Kris Kringle get together.  Tonight we went to a Chinese Restaurant and then back to Tarja's house to open our Kris Kringle gifts without making a spectacle of ourselves in the restaurant!  This year I was giving a gift to Tarja and I decided last year that every year from now on I will make a quilt.  This year it was Tarja's turn.  Ages ago Tarja was in a quilt shop with me and she saw this bird fabric and walked around the shop nursing the bolt.  She didn't end up buying any but I went back later and bought some and used some of it to make her a pincushion.

The rest I used as my inspiration for this

 enlarging the picture of one of the birds and appliqueing these at the top.

 I straight line quilted the body of the quilt and then bravely did some stippling around the birds.

 

 All finished!

Every year we give each other cards and usually find special ones - three dimensional ones etc - but this year I couldn't find anything that I liked so I decided to write my message on the backs of these.  There will be no mistaking who gets which.  Last night I texted the girls - Santa, Mrs Claus, Elf or Angel.  I made the girls choose one and let me know, without knowing what it was for - they hate that!  Hee hee!!  And then there are the colours - green for Tarja, purple for Jacqui and Blue for Sandy!!!

Tonight!

Yep!  She was pleased!  

The funny thing was after Tarja got over the excitement of her quilt she looked at Sandy and said you get a quilt next year and then the three of them started planning what they wanted for their future quilts!   Very funny.  So much more fun to make them quilts when you know they are going to love them! 

Till next time..........happy stitching!

4 Sleeps to go and the gifts of love keep coming!

I told you a few posts ago that a lovely bloggie friend Tarnyia had offered to do some sewing for our girlie soldiers in Afghanistan - she has just written a post about what she has done  - check it out here.  And I had another lovely email from Maria asking what she can do to help.  I heard back from her telling me that she is going to get her quilt group involved and will be sending me over some blokey quilt tops in a month or so!  How generous!  if anyone else out there is motivated to do something for our Aussie soldiers please don't hesitate to let me know.

There are so many things you can do to help - from sending blocks or strips to whole quilt tops, or backings.  this is going to be an ongoing project for me so anything you are motivated to do will definitely be used and gratefully appreciated.

I will be back later with another post after my sisterhood get together tonight when i can share the quilt I have made and a couple of other things as well.

Till next time......happy stitching!

5 sleeps to go and a gift given.......

This was the highlight of my day.  This is my friend Sevda.  She is an absolute sweetie and a very gentle caring lady.  Earlier this year she saw the quilt blocks I was making for my aunt and uncle and came to me hugging them saying how much she loved the colours.  Luckily I had time to start another quilt for my aunt and uncle which you can see here and I put these blocks away to finish for Sevda.  Today is the last time I will see her before Christmas and it was lovely to be able to give her the quilt in person.  She loved it!  I think I even saw a tear.  She is always saying how much she loves my quilts so it was an absolute no brainer!

One of the joys of the holidays for me is always in the giving!  Happy day!

Can't show you till tomorrow what I have been working on tonight.  It is a secret!  

Till next time....happy stitching!

6 sleeps to go......

Let me see - today I played taxi driver for my son, bought groceries, filled a script, posted the latest laundry bag to Afghanistan and posted the parcel off to my Blog Hop Party Give Away winner, bought a big folding table for our Christmas party, organised the meat for Christmas, our Boxing Day Party and a special dinner we are having with friends on Thursday, was visited by one of the lovely girls from Quilt Group and I made shortbread, and more shortbread and even more shortbread.   Yep!  I don't do bored well!  

I even managed to get some pics of some of my favourite Christmas things.  This Christmas stocking was made for me by a friend - all hand embroidered!!!  How lovely is that.  So much work!

 These are the two I made for my boys when they were a lot littler and still believed in You Know Who!

 And you might remember my Christmas Quilt from the Quilt Retreat I went on last year.  It was up in the local quilt shop but I have reclaimed it for Christmas.  It has replaced the mermaid quilt just for Christmas.

 The hanging arrangement isn't the best but it was done in a hurry whilst help was available.  Next year I will do better and will probably even add to this collection.  I have a lovely stitched mini quilt that a friend made but I have put it somewhere very safe.......grrr.

 I love all these wall hangings for various sentimental reasons.  This tree is special as my mum embroidered the tree - she did four or five of them and I finished them off - each one was different depending on who it was for.

 Mum also embroidered this panel too - cute!

 And you just got to love the toad!  I did another of these for a cousin who loves frogs.

 And this is my gorgeous kris kringle gift

 I didn't  get to my machine today but I was determined to make some progress on something - I managed to cut out the pieces for three more star blocks for oue soldier girl quilts - seven more to cut

 and I also cut the pieces for a modified disappearing nine patch quilt for our horse loving soldier girl.  Need more fabric for this one which I hope to get tomorrow.

More errands and cutting out and so on tomorrow!

7 sleeps and counting .......my blessings!

I love blogging ....and I love my blogging buddies and I think I must have some of the nicest and I count them as some of my blessings!   First my friend Celia and her friend Jennifer sent a whole bundle of blocks to me for my quilt group to turn into quilts for the five female soldiers we have names for in Afghanistan.  Then another lovely bloggie friend, Tarnyia, said she would like to do some too.  I just received an email from her today saying she has 15 purple nine patches, 20 girly nine patches and one quilt top for us.   Woo Hoo Tarnyia!  That was a lovely surprise too.

This morning I had another lovely surprise - our friend Warrant Officer passed on six thank you messages from guys who have received quilts and laundry bags.  We are not doing it for the thanks but it sure is lovely when we hear from them.  One commented on the importance of warm beds and clean, dry laundry.  Another said he had been using his pillowcase for laundry and that meant his bed contained an inordinate amount of feathers from a worse for wear pillow!  I think I will be making a pillow case - planning to search out a good tutorial - I know I have seen a few!

I love Christmas - the decorations, the food, the baking, buying and giving gifts, wrapping, the carols - all those sorts of things.   As I have mentioned before I live with three Grinches.  My husband tries for my sake but the boys don't seem to care one way or another - except for their wish list.  I often wonder if any of them would notice if I didn't decorate.  I just can't bring myself to find out as I can only decorate once a year so if I went on strike that would be once every two years  - too long.   I also love Christmas movies - I am an absolute sucker for a Christmas movie - the more heart warming the better and yes, I have been known to shed a tear. That explains why I took myself off this morning at 930am to see "Arthur Christmas".  My husband pointed out last night that it was down to one session a day so I figured I better get along if I wanted to see it.  I am so glad I did - lovely movie!!!!!  I love the little details - One of the characters wore a military style uniform.  I wish I could get some of the Christmas camouflage material- red and green blotches with black Christmas Trees with stars stamped over the top.  It would make great Christmas stockings for little boys and not so little boys!  Each uniform had snow flakes instead of military pips!  Yep, it was a lovely movie.

It put me well and truly in the mood to come home and make two double batches of my Nanna's shortbread recipe.  I can share photos but my Mother said this had to remain a family recipe and although she is not here anymore I still respect her wishes.

 I have been making lots of different cookies over recent days and weeks and freezing them for gifts.  Today I packed up all these.  The three on the left are for various people like the music shop guys and my lovely gardener.  The other SIX tins are for my husband to take to Melbourne tomorrow for his workmates and staff.  The large green tin is full of shortbread for the staff morning and afternoon teas this week and the other five red tins are full of a variety of cookies - about six diffferent cookies in each if I remember correctly.

 My girlfriend gave me this tin for Christmas last year  - it is on loan to my husband only.

Life got in the way of sewing today - exciting stuff like folding laundry, tidying up, and not so boring -  lots of baking  and Christmas Newletter writing and printing etc.  Lots of errands to run tomorrow - wish me luck - I want to do some sewing!!!

Till next time.............happy stitching!

Still 8 sleeps to go ................just!

But more important than that right now - we have a winner - 

Quilting Mama said 

spent my 10th birthday travelling in your Outback with my family.  I would love these Aussie friends to remind me of that awesome adventure!  Thanking you in advance.  HA!

December 11, 2011 10.23PM

Well, Quilting Mama - you need to send me your address so I can get your parcel of goodies in the mail!

Congratulations and keep watching after Christmas everyone else for a special give away to thank my wonderful followers.

Till next time...............happy stitching!