The holidays

Now that I've had my fall/halloween dinner party, it's time to start planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas is a very stressful time for me since I'm in retail. Very little free time available to entertain or even be the recipient of someone elses entertaining. In the past I have hosted a huge Christmas party that has dwindled down to a small gathering on a week night. This year my daughter wants a mother/daughter party so all the girls that are home from college can see each other. I will make time to share in such a fun time with my baby girl. After tasting the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls, a brunch sounds like a good idea.

There's baking to be done, a quilt to make, shopping for gifts, decorating the house and fitting in some of the fun holiday traditions that have evolved over the years. One that I love is an ornament exchange with the women I met when my kids were young. These are the friends that shared mini gym, play dates and the occasional "Moms' Night Out" to restore sanity. Bib and I went to the same Ob doctor and I had to wait for her to deliver Corby before I could deliver. I still tease her about making me wait. Mo and I met when out boys were a year old and we are still best friends. Raising kids together creates a bond that is deep and strong.

Today I get to share the afternoon with my two neighbor boys who are 7 and 5. They asked if we could bake - Lemon Knot Cookies was the specific request. Love, love, love interacting with them and it appears to be mutual. Better get the butter out to soften...

What I never expected from blogging

The nicest thing that has come from starting a blog is the friendship I have developed with Heidi. It started when we were swap partners and discovered our mutual decorating likes and dislikes, love of everything involving our family and home, passion for quilting and an addiction to antiquing and flea markets. Although we live in different parts of the country, Heidi on the west coast and me in the midwest, we have become fast friends. Heidi, I want to meet you!!! We email about the various flea markets, rating each. When I think about visiting a Brimfield or Round Top, it is Heidi that I want by my side.

Heidi has an Etsy shop called Heidi Devlin Designs that has the greatest pillows. She has been very generous in sending me a few. This is one, somehow I can not get my other pictures to download. Visit her Etsy shop for all the designs.

From glorious to gloomy

That describes today perfectly since it is rainy and gray. So maybe a little sewing, baking and decorating is in order. I still have a few boxes of fall decorations to unpack and sort. Some I am just plain tired of and some I don't remember having. I can't decide if that is a good thing or a sad commentary on the amount of stuff I have accumulated. My friends and I joke about being hoarders...

30 minutes later and it is sunny and bright, I guess we'll have a beautiful afternoon.

Days like this are wonderful

Today is one of those glorious days full of sunshine and a cloudless sky. Dinner is ready to heat and I have a bit of time to myself. What do you do when you have extra time? Halloween is on my brain and I am planning a get together for my group of friends. It will be an opportunity to try some new recipes, use my orange and black dinnerware, fill the house with pumpkins and decorations and wait for the screams of "how cute is that". Aren't girlfriends the best thing since sliced bread?!!!

At the beginning of summer a vine popped up in my garden. I was ready to pull it out when my husband suggested leaving it. I now have an assortment of gourds that I can't wait to harvest along with the white baby boo pumpkins that were labeled giant white. I attempted to carve names in a few of the white ones and they seem to be coming along just fine. My fear was that they would rot once the skin was cut. I got the idea here.

Quilt number 4

I am guilty of doing exactly what I said I would not do. I have neglected my blog. Instead I have been busy reading every blog I can find that even mentions the word quilt. I am currently obsessed with quilting and loving every minute of it. Since I started this incredible project, I have made 4 quilts and have a stash of fabric ready for a few more. Online fabric stores do not help me control my craving for more fabric. And the designers are amazing. For Mothers Day I received a gift certificate for a quilt store. Can't wait to get there!

Between cutting pieces and sewing them together, we spent the weekend at my son's college graduation. Such fun and such a sentimental time. You can't help but reminisce about that first day of school, both kindergarten and the day we dropped him off at his dorm. And the excitement when the college acceptance letters came. The past 4 years flew by.

Heidi at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly is having a swap- Vintage Summer Swap. I always enjoy her swaps and my partner never fails to send the most enjoyable package. Stop by and join in the fun.

You might also want to view a few of the cutest pictures over at The Pioneer Woman. Yesterdays post shows her youngest with his face painted as a comic book hero - can't remember if it is Wolverine of Spiderman with his enormous eyes smiling at the camera. Too, too cute!

Quilting madness

I have recently started to quilt and it is like an obsession. Daily I browse the numerous quilting blogs I've bookmarked, constantly adding new ones. Today Jaybird Quilts is hosting a giveaway that is wonderful. Visit her blog to see what I am talking about.

Rookie Cookie: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Rookie Cookie: Overnight Cinnamon Rolls