Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  If you’re traveling, I hope you stay safe.  Today is a day of thanks and counting our blessings.  God has blessed me in so many ways.  I believe we all think of our families and friends when we think of the things we’re thankful for and I do as well.  This morning as I reflect on what I’m thankful for, strange as it may be, I’m thankful that I am an optimistic person.   This could be a subject for a very long post so I’ll just stop there and say ‘ thank you for taking the time to read my blog, sporadic as it is.  I appreciate that you may some times find it interesting and I’m sure there are times you wonder why I bother…. ‘

Katie

Detours

Yesterday was a dreary, wet day here in usual sunny, bright Arizona.  We need the moisture and I’m so very thankful for it.  Knowing what kind of day it was going to be, I made plans to bind 3 quilts, do some embroidery while I was working on the binding, and hope to have time to start some Christmas gift sewing.  We were also having friends over in the early evening for some clam chowder and a game of dominos.  All was right in my world.  So, I started to set up in the sewing room.  Hubby comes in, “hey, there’s someone here who wants to ask you a question”.  Okay, sewing room on hold.  It’s a friend of ours who hasn’t been able to get into the barber, would I give him a haircut.  Okay, that won’t take long – 3 hours later…… We like to chat, too.  Well, I should be able to get at least one quilt bound and start an embroidery design.  Hubby comes in, “I feel like Mexican for lunch.  Want to go to La Casita? (our favorite local Mexican eatery)”.  Sure, gotta have lunch anyway.  While having lunch my former employer stops and asks if I want anything out of the old office (business closed years ago or I’d still be working for him!)   So, I make arrangements to meet with him in a couple of hours to see what, or if, there is anything I want.  While I have a little time, and that isn’t enough to work on a binding or set up the embroidery machine, I decide to work on some flyers that I’m creating for a function I’ve been asked to help with.  Managed to get 4 flyers assembled and off I go to meet with my former boss.  Picked out a few things that I’ll pick up later but of course there’s conversation to be had…. Have to deliver the flyers I made up as the lady wants to post them at another function that will happen on Sunday.  I was smart enough to drop and run there!  So okay, what did I actually accomplish.  I made a nice pot of clam chowder.  Spent a wonderful evening with my dear friends. ( Both who are cancer survivors over the past 2 years.)  I believe my day was PERFECT!!  Nope, I didn’t get accomplished what I thought I would, but as Scarlet would say, “ tomorrow is another day”.  And today is wetter than yesterday and if there are no detours, I may get a couple quilts completed and some embroidery done!  Yep, it’s the little things that matter most.

Katie who’s thankful for the little detours life throws her way

Just when you think......

Just when you think.. how would you finish that?  For me it's...Just when you think... you have everything under control, you add more to the stack!  I made up Christmas stockings for the local Elk's Lodge Children's Christmas Party:

These are super quick and easy to do.  I did a tutorial and posted the link on the Quilters for Comfort blog.  (I have yet to figure out how to post a tutorial to this blog....)  Some of the ladies from QFC have sent stockings and more are sending but the ladies at the Elks Lodge did not know this.  They received a donation of Christmas fabric to make stockings and started cutting it.  I received a call asking if I'd help sew them up.  Long story short, I, of course, said yes and explained though that they would be receiving at least another 30+.  Well, the fabric is cut, the stockings will be sewn and there will be plenty extra to be stored for next year's party.
Oh, it doesn't stop there.  Once the lady who called me discovered I quilted and that QFC takes the summer to dedicate Patriotic themed quilts for our veterans and troops, she asked if we would make some for the VA Christmas party.  I had to explain to her that I needed to know the need in advance but that I could get her a couple.  Fortunately, I have a couple tops that just need to be quilted.
Oh, no, still not done:  Remember these?

These are "Dump Bags" that I made last year for the VA Christmas party.  I didn't hear back about them, but seems like they were well received and have been requested for this year!  So, not only am I sewing stockings, quilting a couple quilts, I will be making Dump Bags....And working on my own Christmas projects in my spare time.  Thank goodness I work well under pressure!  Actually, I work better when I know I have a dead line!

Off to get something done :-)

Katie