End of 2010 and another Mystery

It's almost over - another year, that is. Time flies so quickly these days. And it doesn't slow down much even if I'm sitting at the computer reading blogs instead of posting :)

And the end of another year also means the end of another Mystery Quilt. This one -

the Miami Valley Album Quilt is is in France right now and the patterns will be in my book published by Quiltmania next spring. I didn't have time before it left but when it gets home I'll embroider names on the blocks - that will be fun. We do have a few kits left so if you want one now you can still order one.

Meanwhile I'm multitasking today. Cullin and Quinn are here for the weekend and I'm refinishing my mother's twin bed for Cullin. Then there are curtains to make. And of course, stitching on blocks for next year's Mystery Quilt.

Have a good New Year's Eve Day. Be sure to watch the blog and your email tomorrow. The women in this family are football fans so tomorrow promises a big pot of chili and football games. But Tara and Kelly got together and cooked up something quilty for those of you that aren't.

Happy quilting.

Merry Day 2 of Christmas

As you can see it was a "White Christmas" here - and just the right kind. It covered the ground well, was great for sledding and snowmen but came off the walks and roads easily. Pep had no trouble driving home from KC Christmas morning, always a worry with snow

To celebrate we're having a 1 day, "Day 2 of Christmas Sale". All of our Christmas patterns and books are Buy 1, Get 1 Free (of equal or lesser value, of course). That's for today only. And we have a few of our neat stockings left - a penny a piece. We'd give them away but our storefront won't let us put -0- as a price. And 1 stocking per customer, please. ( You can buy all the patterns and books you want.)

Here's what I did last week.

I always like to make the smaller grandchildren something. I found this really cute little pattern for pillows. It used fleece and fusible webbing but NOT for my grandchildren. I decided to applique all of the eyes and spots and noses and of course, use mostly Brannock/Patek fabric. It was really a lot of fun. I think Zoie's cat kind of looks like a mouse. Pep said that was "cataflouge". Hmmm! I've been married to him 41 years so I'm kind of used to it. Zoie thought it was really funny though.

Today really is "Merry Christmas, Day 2" for us. Brian and Shannon and their 4 are coming over for opening presents and dinner. Brooke is only 4 months so I didn't make her a pillow, nor did I think Brian Jr (12) or Jake (14) were pillow pet candidates. They agreed :) How embarrassing that would have been?

After a great buffet yesterday, the adults all took naps while children played.

Dueces and Davey had gotten there before us but they shared.

Merry Christmas Day 2 to all.

Almost done

This is what the garden looked like a week ago - not really very neat and tidy - the shapes all blurred and mussed. But I do like to leave a lot of the plants in the beds. It leaves seeds for the birds and for replanting. I haven't bought marigolds or zinnias in years. And I always get some self-starting pepper plants.

So last Saturday afternoon was garden clean-up time. I just try to break or cut the plants off at the ground and lay them down in the beds. The seeds are still there but my Winter Garden shapes are back. After I got the raised beds done, grandson Jake came out and helped with the fallen branches in the back fence row. Then he helped put up the lights on the front of the house.

And got a ladder from the barn so we could hang Pinecones & Hollyberries in the front hall. He does the climbing - I give encouragement - much better arrangement these days.

And Whiskers does his part. What is Christmas without a kitty asleep on a quilt.

Come back if you can on the 26th. We're having a one-day-only "After Christmas Sale" and giving away a few more little stockings.

But meanwhile - the last minute things need to be done - some wrapping and some baking and waiting up for Santa with the grandkids.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us.

We have a winner!

The winner of the Harmony House quilt is Julie Saville (one of the many that emailed Tara their entry). Julie if you will now email Tara your snailmail address she'll get your kit out to you. I hope you enjoy the quilt as much as I have.

We had some questions about the pillow to the left of the quilt. That is "Olive - the other reindeer" pillow from Up On the Rooftop. "Olive the Other Reindeer" is a children's book about Olive, a dog who thought the poem was talking about her. When I did the Up on the Rooftop book full of reindeer quilts, Pep just had to have an Olive Pillow. The book and the pillow are now part of our Christmas tradition.

Sheets on the line getting crispy, clean for tonight. I'm recuperating - slowly but surely. I slept all through yesterday and last night with small only sips of 7-Up and Ibuprofen to keep the fever down. But at 6:30 this morning when I awakened, I felt somewhat human again.

I haven't had the flu this badly since I started getting my flu shots each year. That was after a bad bout turned into pneumonia. Thanks to all for their comments and well wishes. I wish you all could have won the kit.

Day 5

This is Harmony House - one of my favorite Christmas/Winter quilts for the couch,

We only have 2 kits left and we're giving one away today. Just post a comment - anything at all - OR -if you don't have a blog, email Tara at janpatekquilts@yahoo.com and tell her to enter you.

I spent part of yesterday morning changing my bed to my winter quilt (Baskets, Berries & Leaves) and my winter shams. It's a good thing, because I'm going to be spending the day in bed. I started throwing up last night and haven't really stopped. I have 2 wool blankets, 2 quilts and a sheet on the bed and I'm cold. I plan on sleeping most of the day if I can. Have fun and hope you win. (Pep said to have you give me flu remedies - my flu shot seems to have missed this one.)

And a kittie in a big wreath.........+ Day 4 of Salebration

If you haven't read Debbie St. Germains latest post and you love kitties, you need to hop on over and read it. I must say our kitties are a little better behaved BUT that could be because we tie our Christmas tree to the ceiling. Wendy and Davey who came to live with us when their parents (Zoie & Jake) moved to a "no pets" apartment, regularly flattened the small tree Kelly had and took all of the ornaments off her big tree. They are better behaved here but that may be because there is always the threat of becoming a barn cat. (For those of you who flinch at the words "barn cat", our two barn cats Lucky and Oscar live in the grain room with a big basket full of blankets, a warming light and a warmed water dish. To say nothing of daily treats when Tara gets to the office)

This is my cat Whiskers being a wreath ornament up by the office.

Today is Day 4 of our celebration. This is "Kathy's Baskets" one of the 3 kits we have on sale for 25% off today only. It's a great wallhanging for over a Christmas Buffet or for hanging in the back hall by the kid's rooms all winter. Check out all 3 specials on our Specials page. And don't forget to come back tomorrow to have enter our large kit giveaway. See you then.

3rd Day of Saleabration & White Christmas

We're having a Celebration - and a Salebration. Ever since August we've been building a new storefront and redoing our website. It finally came time to transfer things and we hit some kind of glitch. Our website was down for a week. It took that long to transfer the domain name for some reason. But we're here again and my Blog is my new Home Page.

To celebrate we're having a 5 day sale. Day 1 was a Book sale, Day 2 was Freebie Friday and this is Day 3.

Day 3 is Precuts Day. Order any Charm Bundle or Turnover and get a free pattern.

Order any Layer Cake or Jelly Roll and get 2 free patterns.

Just tell Tara what pattern or patterns you want in the comments section.

Then click on "Check out with PayPal." You don't have to have a PayPal Account to use this option. They also have a space where you can use your credit card instead.

Or you can email Tara at janpatekquilts@yahoo.com or call her at 816-632-7632.

This is a picture of the kids on tree day last year. We had our tree day Sunday afternoon

but it was too darn cold to have the kids outside. We didn't get very much snow but we

got a little. About like this. After you play with the precut sale, hop on over to

Minick and Simpson's blog if you like the movie White Christmas. It was great.

Not only is the music wonderful but it brought back fond memories.

The men were all in uniforms and my father was in the Army. Good Christmas

memories. Thanks Laurie & Polly. And save me some cookies. :)