Post Christmas Post

A friend commented that my blog has been a bit quiet lately. She's right. Between spending several weeks with our daughter Jill, and family, and having access to only snippets of sewing and embroidery time, not only has my productivity been drastically reduced, but so has blogging time.

While at Jill's house, I've continued to make these for "Friendship Medallion." Jill has my old Bernina QE153, so I can sew whenever I'm at her house.

I embroidered another "Snowmen A-Z" block, and the letter "O" for ornament is underway. I think this alphabet quilt may be a 2012 finish!

The kidlets have been my focus - a happy way to consume my time.

Tay, Aesa and Celina

We always take formal holiday pictures...

... but with two little ones (and a frustrated big one), smiling faces are not always easy to capture.

Just before Celina and her dad departed for their Christmas eve flight to the United Arab Emirates, Celina paused for this picture showing off her new Sperry "Angelfish" shoes - a gift from us. For one week, she and her dad are there to join a family gathering of his family.

Tay with his new backpack, standing on the "I Spy" quilt I made.

Not-yet-talking, 13 month-old Aesa says "auh-oh," and manages to communicate everything else by sign language and "ah-uhn?" sounds.

In Florida, grandson Austin is who we didn't get to see in person, but we're grateful for Skype so we could watch him open a couple presents on Christmas morning.

Austin

By email we received this photo of Austin and his friend Daphne. According to our son, "they could be heard in the next time zone." Santa's jolly humor, and patience, is very appreciated.

I read on another blogger's post that she received push-back from a reader about putting up pictures of her family. It's difficult to understand such a complaint when a reader is free to not read a blog post. While I enjoy blogging about many things, particularly quilting, this blog is also about the people in my life. In four more days I'll be wrapping up 2011 posts, and then, for the third consecutive year, I'll order a printed blog book from Blog2Print. For me, it's the best way to remember the things I deemed most important. The book is a tangible record of my interests - a diary, if you will - for my descendants.

By the way, my Christmas present was a gift certificate for a haircut from my favorite - I-trust-her-implicitly - hair stylist in Kansas City. Check out my blog profile photo to see my new, shorter do. Here's how I look from the back. I love the way it lays and moves, and of course, I'm hoping I can make it look like this myself!

I'll leave you with this chuckle. Last week, Jill, Celina and I went to lunch together at a Kansas City Mexican restaurant called Salty Iguana. Inside the door was this sign. Do you 'spose it's a typo, or is there such a thing as "Quiltless Quesadilla"? What does one look like? More importantly, aren't you glad you can get one 50 percent off!?

Linda