A Little Bit of Christmas

We celebrated Christmas Eve at our house with Murphy and Meredith and her family. After lots of food goodies we settled down to unwrap gifts. Uncle Murphy won the award for the best presents this year. He gave Adrian a V-tech toy that looks a lot like a smart phone and does all kinds of interesting things - really cool. And he gave Andrew a neat book that also has these buttons on the side that make noises to correspond to the stories within. Also cool. And in minutes, toys had changed hands and Andrew was making off with Adrian's new V-tech! After a quick lesson in sharing, Adrian took control of his impulses and allowed Andrew time to play with his toy. What a good brother!

He is more concerned with all the neat sounds coming out of the toy than actually trying to make it work. That's going to take the efforts of a four year old!

Andrew's book has just enough interest to give Adrian the impetus to be a sharing older brother. He has another similar one at home. And of course, by Sunday, the newness had worn off just enough that both boys were content to take turns with each toy.

Savannah was genuinely happy that she had no one with whom to share her new toy. By bedtime the squeaky had been dismantled! She was very happy that Santa remembered her this year.

A Merry Westie Christmas!

From all appearances, this Westie looks like she's sleeping off a wild and wacky Christmas morning! The truth is, she's just resigned herself to letting her Mama take her picture with a crazy Santa hat!

Such love... Such dedication!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Merry Christmas, Savannah.

Christmas Eve on the Wild Side

Despite a veiled forecast of snow for Christmas in San Antonio, Saturday morning brought about only cold rain that lasted pretty much the whole day. Feeling in a Christmas mood, and just a little sad for the critters in the backyard who weren't having a Christmas meal, I set up an umbrella on the garden cart by the pool and put some wild bird seed in a large pottery dish for the birds. What happened after that can only be described as "A Walk on the Wild Side."

The cast of characters:

Momma Red Bird, who bravely entered the shelter for food.

Cowardly Poppa Red Bird, who let Momma check out the "trap."

The Stealthy Squirrel, undaunted by the presence of Momma Bird, but determined to remove said squatter from the premises.

In a matter of minutes the drama began, as Momma ate her fill and Poppa watched from afar, Brave (and Rascally) little Squirrel began making his move. From the top of the bench he quickly ran down to the pool pavement ....

 and frightened away both Momma and Poppa Red Bird.

With determination in each step, Squirrel makes his way toward a cache of coveted birdseed.

Success! I guess he figured if the trap didn't swallow Momma Bird, all would be safe for him to come and partake of his own Christmas dinner.

And because it was cold and rainy, Savannah was content - well maybe not content, but certainly intent on watching the show from her warm and dry perch atop the sofa in the TV room. Ah, winter!

First Blast of Winter

Our forecast on the news last night was for "below freezing" temps so we diligently covered the lemon tree and brought in the cactus bush. All the pipes have been wrapped and the pool pump was turned on for the night. So it was no surprise this morning to find ice in the bird bath! Poor birdies! I think the official temperature was 27 degrees, but as of 10:00 this morning it is already above freezing.

One member of our family was not too happy about the cold! Savannah, who usually shoots out the door like a rock in a slingshot, actually waited for me to put her warm fleece jacket on before venturing outside. She checked the squirrel feeder before "taking care of business" and heading right back inside. I hear about Westies who love rolling in the snow and getting "snow cone noses" and I wonder what would happen if Savannah ever stepped out into some snow!

Sweet Savannah

Savannah is finally settling down enough that she will sit quietly and watch me sew or snooze beside me in her chair now. This is a huge step in her development, and I think I owe it in part to my little grandsons! Every time they come over Savannah is right there to greet them and ready to play ball. They can have her running for half an hour and, when they leave, she is more than ready to sit in her chair and rest while I work on my quilt! It's the best of both worlds!

I have to admit that she is not totally domesticated though. Tonight I let her out after dark for a brief moment and it took her that long to chase a possum across the fence and up a tree! She still has her preferences and "outside" is at the top of the list. "Sitting in a chair" comes in way down at the bottom! But we're making progress. And when she's in the mood she can be the most affectionate little dog ever. Independent, yes! But still very loving. My Sweet Savannah.

What I Have Learned from My Quilts

I have just returned from Kingsland where I picked up my latest quilts from the quilter. These two were quilted for a purpose. One of them is to go to Meredith's inlaws in Romania and the other will travel all the way to Afghanistan for my great-nephew who is serving there in the Army.

This one is for the Mozas. I bought the material in a pack of precuts called a "Layer Cake." There were forty ten-inch squares of at least 20 different patterns, all brightly colored florals. When I saw the package, I knew I had to make something with it for the Mozas in Romania. One of my favorite impressions of that country and its people is the abundance of flowers. Just a quick walk through one of the markets will overwhelm you with bundles and bundles of flowers! A lovely pasttime we noticed is the gesture of bringing flowers as a greeting.

As I began to envision a flower-themed quilt, I picked a pattern that looked as though I were viewing flowers through a window. Adding the black frame around each square completed the picture for me. I hope that Cristi's mother will have the same sensation as she lingers under the warmth of her quilt.

This quilt began to develop in my mind before we went to Russia. My niece's older son, Nathaniel, was just deployed to Afghanistan and, having some involvement with Soldier's Angels, I wanted to find some way to deliver a reminder that we're thinking of him and praying for his safety. This pattern came about by combining elements of other quilt tutorials and several hours of combing through fabric on Ebay and other websites. I put in my order, then left for Russia. When I picked up my held mail at the Post Office there were several packages of fabric waiting for me! I had a great time mixing and matching colors to make the stars.

Now it's up to the postal service to get both of these quilts to their respective destinations. God speed!

Now that I have finished these two and the table runners from my Russian inspiration, I have been thinking about why quilting is such a satisfying hobby. Let me back up to say that the previous three quilts were made solely because I had some new precuts and some new tutorial websites that challenged me to accomplish a project. In my opinion, it was a very sterile reason to make a quilt. In fact, those three quilts are just stacked on a chair in my room. They are not making anyone happy or warm. They have no real purpose.

From the very first quilt I made five years ago, every single one was made for a purpose, or more pointedly, for a person. Quilts, I have learned, are a very personal thing. My quilts have been given to my children and grandchildren, to babies of close friends and family, and to family members. A quilt needs color and design that will perfectly fit the recipient. And now, with three exceptions, all my quilts were made that way. Unless I have a specific person in mind, I don't think I'll invest myself in just "quilting." It's a lesson well learned. 

My Russian Inspiration

Before we left for Russia in September, I determined that I would look for an "inspiration" for a quilt that would remind me of the trip. It didn't take long - three days only - for that inspiration to stand directly in front of me. One of our evenings in Moscow was spent on an optional concert by a group called the Zlatoust Singers. It consists of an ensemble of ten remarkable singers who perform all their songs a capella. We met in a small art museum/concert hall where the acoustics were superb.

For the second half of the program the five women came out dressed in traditional Russian costume and I sat mesmerized at the stunning beauty of their dress. Quite suddenly I realized that this was my inspiration and I didn't have my camera with me. So I quickly beckoned Pat to take some pictures for me, particularly of their gorgeous dresses. He was so busy getting video recordings that he only managed to snap two photos, but it was just enough to bolster my memory.

Three of the singers in traditional dress.

Once at home, I began to mull over my quilt options and look through myriad fabric choices. Meanwhile I received some material in the mail that I had ordered to make a quilt for my nephew in Afghanistan. That became my focus for a couple weeks, and then I began to put together a quilt for Meredith's in laws in Romania. As soon as those two projects were taken to Kingsland for finishing, I was free (project-wise) to order material for my Russian quilt.

Then, Lois called with a date for our post-Russia party and I decided to turn my quilt into a table runner that could be used at the party. An online fabric order plus a quick trip to Joann's put me on the right track. Then I remembered a tutorial I had seen to make a "Quilt as You Go" runner. Being the indecisive person that I am, I couldn't decide which of two fabric colors I wanted to use, so I bought both and ended up making two runners.

This one has a black background and a black and pink floral as the primary panel. The dresses the Zlatoust singers wore had lots of colorful horizontal strips, and I found these bright strips online. I have enough for not just two runners, but another quilt project in my future.

This one has a navy backing and navy floral as its primary strip. I love the "folksy" look of this one, which may be more reflective of the Karelian dancers we saw in Petrozavodsk. And the little doll is from the gift shop on the ship. I passed by the showcase with these dolls multiple times a day, finally giving in to my longing for one. So these will be lovely reminders of our trip to Russia.