Morning Glory Studio

dec days | dec 11 currently ...

~sunday 11 december 2016  5:57 pm   

 

 

talking to my friend Pat on the telephone ...

hearing some football game and the microwave beeping...

realizing Norman and his son have finished their phone conversation ...

smelling the pork cutlets  baking in the oven...

frogging the beginnings of my Project Peace cowl...

debating: do I like this yarn?...

thinking: it's awfully fine and perhaps all I need is a cat and/or to be cloned and another pair of hands ...

asking myself  if I really need another knitting project?...

 

reminding myself that the purpose is to bring a little peace into our lives, everyday, especially these days ...

recalling that my mother always said the best present my sister and I could give her was peace (in other words, stop squabbling as siblings are want to do)...  

deciding YES! 

dec days: 9 and 10...

 9 am ~Friday 9 December  ~ 30 degrees Fahrenheit...the day's high!

   

Q: What's the best place to be on a cold, below freezing day? 

A: Why a greenhouse, of course! Especially, one filled with gorgeous poinsettia and other seasonal flowering and green plants. Thus, that is how I spent a very, very, very cold Friday 9 December. I debated a bit about leaving the warmth of home, thinking maybe I'd postpone my errands to Saturday; however, a quick glance at that day's weather forecast showed the day wasn't going to be any warmer and I reasoned,

• that since it would also be Saturday, probably nothing but gridlock on the streets and
• with IKEA on my list, there was definitely going to be madness: in the store, parking lot, etc. Decision made...and I could get there in time for breakfast, too.

I left Norman a note: GONE and made myself a mental note to call him in about an hour or so... After breakfast at IKEA and returning a few items - my real reason for being there - I ventured onward to my next stop: Behnke's Nursery.

Greeting me, this elf and a reindeer:

and this super-sized Elf on a Shelf:

I wondered how Chris - the bébé, now 2.5 years old - would react and made another mental Note to Self: take him and his mom to breakfast at IKEA and also visit here...if it gets warm...

I wandered through the greenhouse - it was toasty warm - and the display area, filled with poinsettias of every size, color description. Beautiful. Peaceful. Another of my favorite things about Christmas...

 

I got quite warm and checking my watch, realized I needed to quit dawdling, zip up my coat and brave the cold to go to the outside area to get some evergreens and a wreath. I wasn't out there too long. Paid for my purchases and left for home! Yep! It was some cold out there. Home, I decided to make chicken noodle soup. Yum! Just the right thing for a c-o-l-d December Friday.

4:50 pm ~Saturday 10 December  ~ 33 degrees Fahrenheit...the day's high!

It's been a lazy day. Still cold. Norman's watching the Army-Navy game. I've been reading and journaling most of the day. I had more ambitious plans when I got up ...but I think my get up and go decided it was still too cold and got up and went! It's getting close to dinner time and sunset. Wonder what I'll put in my 6 Min Diary for today?

Cheers~

fri-YAY!!!

 

 

    Attention! Attention! Attention! As of 6:26 pm, EST, I finished re-stitching the 2nd/last Flower Garden block! Wahoo!

That means I have stitched all 24 blocks and the 4 borders: 2- sides, a top and a bottom.  Wahoo! And so you wonder, what's next? Well, I will look over the blocks to make sure I have actually completed all - just in case I missed a piece of a flower or a leaf ... Next, cut the sashings that will be used to stitch the blocks together and finally, turn the assembled, stitched quilt over to be long-arm quilted: the top, batting and backing all stitched together. The final step will be to sew on the binding. 

And with this announcement, I shall pour myself a glass of wine and bask in my laurels for the rest of this Fri -YAY!!! evening.

Wahoo!

think write thursday | several favorite Christmas traditions ...

 

 

        The tree!The tree! We never got nor decorated our tree until Christmas Eve day... in fact, I think most of our Christmas preparations: gift buying; cookie making; for sure, present wrapping, were allocated to Christmas Eve day. So, you can imagine how we -my sister, 4 years younger - and I whiled away the days til Dec 24: we'd cut branches from evergreen bushes and make our own trees, using cola bottles or jelly jars as stands. And make the decorations from construction paper and pictures cut out from magazines. And we'd find berries, string them and sometimes, hang a bracelet or a ring or some other piece of jewelry for lights. When Christmas Eve Day arrived, we were beside ourselves with anticipation and excitement as we went with my dad to get the tree and home to set it up and decorate it. My most favorite part of decorating the tree was putting on the icicles; Do people still use them? Are they even available ? Some people meticulously hung the silver tinsels, one at a time. Not me; I loved to stand the correct distance and throw a clump at a time. 

These days, ours is a white artificial tree that comes with lights pre-strung. Last year I didn't hang any ornaments...and I'm debating if I will, this year. I have ornaments from decades ago and I enjoy looking at them, recalling the stories that surround most: when I got them; who gave them to me... but  I'm just undecided about whether or not I'll display them...

Another Christmas favorite tradition is listening to Christmas music, ranging from popular tunes to The Mormon Tabernacle singing Handel's Messiah. My dream, once upon a time, was to sing the Messiah at the Kennedy Center: every seat in the opera house is filled  with plain old folks, some who can sing and others, like me, who can't carry a tune in a bucket...but we all love the Messiah. Alas, tickets to this event are coveted and I've not been so lucky. But I can listen to a CD and I do!

Finally, I have to include Christmas cards and letters --- the hearing from friends near and far if even just once a year. As a child, I remember Sunday delivery of Christmas mail... Even today, tho' sending and receiving cards has tapered off, it's still a delight to get a card from an old-time friend or former work colleague. Following in my mother's tradition tho',  I send New year's cards...

What I most remember and savor about Christmas are the feelings and memories that remembering and revisiting traditions - some old, some new - bring. 

Go  here to read others' memories of their favorite traditions. And enjoy revisiting your memories too.

Cheers~

dec 7 | @ the computer...

(sunrise today - 7:07 am)

        I don't normally catch sunrise from the front of the house...but this morning, when I looked out the window, I was pleasantly surprised to see it. I quickly grabbed my coat and ran outside to capture. Today has been quiet...still resting after wearing myself out yesterday. I had some tasks to complete here at the computer. And this is where I have spent the day: catching up on emails, blog reading, etc...even stitching a bit on the last flower garden block! At 6 o'clock, I am going to join an online event so I'll probably continue the stitching...

But first, here's the story of late Monday evening:  About 11:40 pm, I was @ the computer, putting the finishing touches on that day's blog post. Norman was closing up shop to go to bed and setting the security system. All of a sudden, the quiet is shattered with the tell-tale sound of  the alarm's panic. My fingers froze and my heart started beating fairly rapidly...and I hear his voice - words not repeatable. His phone rings...but he can't answer it because it's  in the basement. So, I wait for my phone to ring... "Hello. This is X -Security Company...and so we go through the drill:

• "Yes, we set off the alarm..."
• "Yes, everything's alright..."
• "No, we don't know what happened..."
• "OK...we'll wait"  (The company rep tries to cancel the call to the local police - no can do). ..
• "Yes, the police arrived ...and we explain the situation and they say...
• "Fine..."  and off they go. 

I finish and publish the post. We retire for the evening. And no, we don't know what happened. Just that it did. Perhaps because I was @ the computer at a time when I'm normally not.

 

 

 

 

 

dec 6 : the story of today - decorating

 

        The temperature has hovered  between 41 and 43 degrees Farenheit all day, accompanied by rain, drizzle and even a bit of sleet. Fortunately, not cold enough to freeze or make sidewalks and roads slippery. Today: perfect for focusing on the #1 item on today's list: Dec -or-ate!

Since about 10 AM, I have been on my feet, setting up the tree - it's artificial; pulling out ornaments, moving chairs here, there, nah, back here, there, nah... listening to Christmas music (enough of stock market babble and mindless chatter about the latest tweet from...) and generally making myself tired...so, I'd  stop for a rest, read a bit and then, resume my project.

It'a 4:50 PM and I have gone as far as I can, today: the tree is assembled and waiting for me to don the ornaments. I'm debating if I want to bother...last year I didn't and enjoyed the lights just as much...Next on my list is to visit my favorite nursery to buy poinsettias, evergreens for the mantle and the dining room table and possibly the window sills; and a wreath for the front door. I think that'll "dood it," as Norman is fond of saying. Maybe I'll go poinsettia shopping on Friday; it's supposed to be a sunny day and that will make for a nice outing - plus, I have to return some items to IKEA and both places are in the same direction on the same main thoroughfare: US 1. Hmmm, sounds like a plan. Yep, I think that's what I am going to do. 

For now, I'm going to pour a glass of wine and rest my weary bones. Read, stitch and rest. And probably hit the bed early. Last night I was up waaay past bedtime; tomorrow I'll have to share that story! Til then, have a great life.

Cheers~

dec 5 | six minutes diary ...

 

 

Note: I had a 7:30 pm concert  at the University of Maryland this evening and found myself sitting in long traffic queues as I made my way  from Columbia MD...so, I decided to stop at my favorite restaurant -Panera-en route to home for a late lunch/early supper of autumn squash soup and a half sandwich.  Afterwards, since I found myself sitting in traffic again, I stopped at IKEA for a cuppa coffee and to pick up a couple items... and called Norman to tell him that rather than wend my way home, I'd just stay near the University and go straight to the concert...since I generally travel with my iPad and WiFi is becoming more available these days, here I am at IKEA again, the perfect setting and opportunity to pen my daily post... 

Today has been busy. So in keeping with the 6 min diary format: here's what I did:

1 - Attended quilt meeting. Mondays are quilt association meeting days and the first Monday of the month, we celebrate members' birthdays and have the monthly business meeting. 

2-  At the gathering, I stitched a bit on the Flower Garden block. 

3- After the meeting, I introduced two quilters to a nearby yarn store so they can begin the Peace Project, too;

4 - Leaving the yarn store, I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a few magazines and books - some as Christmas gifts; some for me to read;

5 - Sitting in IKEA,  5:15 pm - 5:45 - prepped this blog post and 

6 - Bought some stuffing for pillows;

7 - Attended the jazz concert. 

And this is what I saw today:

1 - birds flock;

2 - sky change from cloudy to bright blue, kissed with wafts of white clouds;

3 - four window washers, hanging from their seats, suspended on ropes as they scaled down the side of the building;

 

4 - quilts, glorious quilts during our weekly "show and tell" session; I especially liked this rendition of a Gee's Bend style quilt; the fabric used is corduroy form the quilter's children's clothing...

 

5 - a boat beside a shed;

6 - an adorable moose at the yarn store's checkout counter - its body is a ball of yarn and;

7 - the forest and the trees! 

Tonight at the concert I heard the University's Jazz Bands' annual winter concert play a great selection of tunes from Duke Ellington and Count Basie's eras...

and if I had a pencil or crayons with me, I'd draw a picture of these trees outside the Clarice Performing Arts Center, bathed in red and blue lights...but since I didn't, I hope the photo will do!

It has indeed been a busy and fulfilling day! Time now to turn in and get some rest so I can get the decorating done tomorrow. The weather's supposed to be yucky; a good day to stay inside.

And how was your day?

Cheers~

 

 

 

 

dec 4 | gettin' roun' tuit...

 

        My day began when I looked at my phone - about 6 am - and was greeted with the above message! From my friend who lives in Oregon and who was at Standing Rock last month, after the election. I was so excited but restrained from texting back...after all, there's a 3 hours' time difference.

 

sunrise @ 7:10 am

                This morning's sunrise was rather muted but lovely just the same. As the morning progressed, grey clouds took over, forming a perfect backdrop for a quiet Sunday. 

I had every intention to begin decorating today, but n'er really got roun' tuit...

About 6:00 pm, I managed to unearth my trusty snowman calendar and set him in his usual window spot. I've had him for at least a decade and each year, I look for a new one but nothing strikes my fancy quite like he does.

Tomorrow's my weekly quilting group day, ending with a concert...so, looks like I won't get roun' to decorating til Tuesday; that'll work!

Any surprises on your Sunday?

Cheers~

 

 

 

dec 3 | slow saturday ...

 

Today has been a PJ Day... in the background, Christmas music playing, setting the mood for a slow Saturday. I approached the day very leisurely...until 3 PM when we left for a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items, including wine.

Earlier in the week, I finished stitching the Flower Garden top border!!! I almost turned somersaults - well not really, just in my mind!

Today, I prepped the two blocks I had to redo (change the background) ...so, now they are ready to be restitched. Then, I'm ready to start assembling the entire quilt - well, after I cut the sashing. Sewing the sashing and the blocks I do on the machine and then my quilt is off to be long arm quilted . It would be grand if I can get it ready before 2016 closes...with perseverance, I think it's possible - even with Christmas just three weeks and one day away! 

Christmas just three weeks and one day away! What?! Oh wow! Guess I'd better get busy and start decorating...tomorrow. How are you coming with your holiday preparations?

 Cheers~

P.S. The photo shows the two flowers I cut from the purple background and a few examples of some cards a couple fellow quilters made - yep, some even make greeting cards.  The print is from IKEA...

dec 2 | a peaceful day...

 

 

            Today it's colder and quieter...the end of the week and little progress made on starting any Christmas decorating . After MSQT, and feeling a tad out of sorts, I started  setting up the foundation pages for my December Daily/Journal Your Christmas album. On my "to do" list for awhile but I never seemed to have gotten roun' tuit... Naturally, time expands when you're having fun... so, what I thought was going to be a quick 20 -30 minutes activity stretched into a couple of soul-soothing hours. Peace. Needed peace.

Just about the time I finished, Norman, who also has been feeling out-of-sorts, returned from his walk ... Peace. Needed peace.

I decided to take a walk, too; seemed like the thing to do. A chance to clear my head, to focus on Mother Nature's work at hand as the earth prepares for the winter. T'was a brisk walk through the park. On my route home, I opted to go a couple extra blocks to take a photo of a buck's head that is mounted on the side porch of a house in the neighborhood. For years, I've tried to capture a photo, unsuccessfully. Today, for some reason, I remembered that I could zoom in with my iPhone - I was eager to see if it would work. It Does! 

Tonight, I join friends for a concert at the University of Maryland that is being presented in collaboration with The Migration Series I blogged about here. My friend Margaret and I  are looking forward to the event. Peace. Needed peace.

I hope your day has been filled with peace.

Cheers~