Monday, December 11, 2017

Quiet day at Wazoo

 I went to my block of the month class this morning, but only three of us came. The schools were closed in the county and some people had issues with their driveways and roads, too. With time to kill, I went to the mart of Wal and did a bit of Christmas prep. I found the truck I was looking for as well as another group of smaller vehicles to go with it. I also got some of the needed supplies for cookies. All in all, a good shopping trip.
Back at home, I spent the rest of the day in the studio finishing quilts. The binding is on the comfort quilt, the binding for Carolyn's quilt is ready to be put on, and Dechen's Eye Spy is quilted and trimmed. When I get home tomorrow, I should be able to get those two things done.

I spy with my little eye...a quilt for Christmas!

I used a red check for the inner border and the cute alphabet print for the border.

Bugs on the back with the orange peel quilting.
The binding is solid red.
Tomorrow is the guild Christmas party. I sure hope the county has school back in session so we can all get together and have a grand time!

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Wow! What a weekend!


 We woke up Friday morning to a winter wonderland. It was all so beautiful and quiet.
There were about 4 inches on the ground and the trees, and it was still snowing.



I had a quick breakfast and went to the studio to work.
At 9:30 or so, the power began to hiccup on and off, making quilting on the longarm impossible. I decided to sew on Carolyn's quilt instead.

Welcome to the studio!

The view from my sewing area is a magical one
A few minutes of this hiccuping, then pfft. Power off. I figured it would be a short outage, so I sat by the window and read a couple of quilting magazines while I waited. Nothing happened. Yup. Power off.
Mr Wazoo and I met up in the house and made a plan. He brought in snow in a 5 gallon bucket and we set it in front of the fire to melt. Good for flushing toilets. I found the French press coffee pot and made us some coffee. We lit the fire and soon, the room was toasty and we were fine. Mr W grumbled about the lack of TV, but kept himself busy shoveling a space for Molly to do her business on, and making a path to the shed. I settled in to my hand sewing chair and began replacing blocks on a quilt I am repairing. When It got too dark to see, we turned on the lanterns. Mr W went to bed, grumbling. It was still snowing. 
Melting snow by the fire

The fire pit took on a comical look.

My car did, too.

Molly was ticked off...she does not like snow.
Saturday morning, it was up to 12 inches on the ground,still snowing and still no power. We prepared to repeat the previous day's chores when, poof!, we had power. 24 hours had passed, and we were okay. I chose to decorate a bit, then head down to the studio.

Santas and snowmen!
Our first tree when we moved here was a live tree. Mr W planted it in the yard, and we have lit it up each year.
Its so cute!
The garden is buried!
Gray skies and more snowfall

It finally stopped at a bit over 12 inches, and the sun came out. Mr W went out to play, and I went to work in the studio.

Isn't it pretty?
You can just feel the cold!
Carolyn's quilt is almost done. I just need to do the binding.
Panto:Feather flourish
The backing is Eclectic Elements, too.
I also quilted this comfort quilt
Panto: Dazzle
I cut and sewed this I Spy quilt for Dechen. I'll probably add a border and quilt it in the next couple of days.

Some of the snow melted in the sunshine yesterday and again today, and we have returned to normal; watching Christmas movies and flushing toilets with wild abandon. Sometimes, though, it is good to slow down and enjoy the quiet and the less frenzied pace. I even researched a Janome treadle machine! It would have been nice to sew and still look out and see the wonder of nature.
I enjoy winter, and that is one of the major reasons we chose to move here. I'll be back on schedule, teaching the block of the month tomorrow, and hosting the guild Christmas party on Tuesday. Until then, I'll enjoy one last look at the mountains in the snow.

Keeping track of the weather while checking out the Janome treadle machine on the laptop.

Sunset. Less snow, but still pretty.