I suspect that we are all doing the same thing right about now. We’ve spent so much time working on Christmas in the past month that we need to play catch up during this last week of the year.
I have not had a chance to be in my studio for about two weeks. Two of my quilting friends have donated close to 500 yards of fabric to Scraps on a Mission, which makes quilts for people at our local hospitals. One of the Empty Nesters wanted to get a project like this started, and I offered my assistance. Now I spend my time cutting out kits for ladies to assemble this summer, and I am the keeper of all that fabric! I’ve organized it into six boxes, plus a box of kits, and that seems fairly manageable. I’ve washed part of it, and now I need to press some of the fabric that I want to cut. My goal is to get the cutting table cleared off, and two projects set up for cutting in the future.
AND….I have a quilt on my design board that needs to be sewn together. I have plenty to do in the quilt section of my life.
Do you still iron? For the most part I’ve found clothing that doesn’t need a lot of pressing, but I have a FULL to overflowing ironing basket at the moment. The napkins from Thanksgiving, white antique pillowcases with the crocheted or embroidered trims, a couple of small table cloths, my Mother’s Christmas apron, and an immense stack of quarter-yard pieces of quilting fabric all need to be done. I may set the board up in the living room and iron after dinner until I get it done!
I’ve been crocheting squares for Share A Square 2010. If you’re not familiar with this group, please click on the link to the right for more information. I’ve encouraged the members of my exercise group to make six-inch granny squares, and so far we have created 98 squares. I find that I can make one square while I watch (or listen to) a one-hour T.V. show. Over the past 45 days I’ve made about 30 squares. If I can make the time, I’d like to make two more before I send off my current mailing, so that I can say we have made an even one hundred! And, of course, this is on-going.
One of the reasons I need to clear off the table in the studio is to make a sorting area for personal papers. I hope this is a project that won’t take more than a day or two, and the sooner I get it done, the better. DH says I keep EVERYTHING. He’s almost right. There are a few insignificant things I throw away during the year. Which means, that before I do our taxes, I need to sort through all this stuff to determine if there is anything which needs to be kept for taxes. DH and I will need to be meeting in the basement on a nightly basis in the future to destroy documents. He gets to work on things for the company, and I will need to work on our personal papers. I doubt we need to keep the gas and electric and phone bills from 20 years ago. Besides, I want to reuse some of the binders to hold my cooking magazines!
I also need to file the papers I’ve been collecting on my Mother’s behalf. I’m pretty sure that I can get things down to several three ring binders, and I’ll check with the CPA to determine how long those will need to be kept.
I might see the top of the desk again, soon! What a pleasant and amazing thought that is! lol
So, I assume that most of you go through this same procedure, of catching up with your lives following Christmas. I wish you smooth sailing and great success as we move toward 2011.
Daily Archives: December 29, 2010
Which Day of Christmas IS this, anyhow?
It doesn’t really matter which day of Christmas this is. They’ve all been very pleasant.
Dear Husband and I were Empty Nesters on Christmas Eve, and chose to have dinner at Mother’s church, followed by the traditional candlelight service. Christmas Day we traveled to celebrate with his children and our grandchildren. I swear, the girls could open a toy store!!! *S*
This year has been very laid back, and low key, and comfortable. I didn’t get the tree decorated, but we’ve really enjoyed the lights. I was battling with two fake trees that had light problems, and decided to quit fussing with the smallest one. We have a fake Sitka spruce tree that is up year ’round with ornaments that my quilting bee has given to me. Dear Husband felt that tree was enough! And you know…..I think it was, too, but it was in the foyer so that everyone would see it as people came into the house. As we wrapped gifts, we put them under that tree. Perhaps next year it will have a more prominent place in our living room.
The last few days before Christmas I made non-Christmas cookies. With the exception of Russian Tea Cakes and Sugar Crisp which I only make at Christmas, the rest were cookies I might have made through out the year. DH asked for Spicy Nut Slices. I used a store-bought peanut butter cookie mix as the base for fudge tarts. I tried an apricot/walnut/coconut bar cookie that wasn’t “much of a much” as my Mother would have said. I tried a pumpkin cookie that made SEVENTY-TWO COOKIES!!! I have them with nuts, and without, with icing, and without, and some with nuts AND icing! lol I guess this was the year of the pumpkin cookie!
I boxed a lot of those cookies to give away, but there are all together too many of them left. DH has more restraint than I do. I’m getting a lot more sugar in my diet than I usually do.
I did get decorations up around the house. I started with wreaths, swags and garland outside, and then put up two fresh evergreen wreaths inside. I love the scent that I can smell from my recliner. Stockings, mistletoe, the elf that Mother made, scented candles, a candlewick angel my oldest sister made, and other odds and ends that are always a part of our decorations made it up. I have the quilted wallhanging that Mother and I collaborated on hanging in the hallway with a paper-pieced wallhanging that features Christmas fabrics.
We didn’t ignore the traditions, we were just making a few new ones. *S*
I hope your Christmas has been as lovely as mine, and I wish the best for you this coming year!