Happy Birthday to Me!

One of the most challenging things to deal with while growing up was having a birthday just two days after Christmas! It's not a great time to be having a birthday party or to be getting really cool birthday presents. I remember MANY Christmas mornings being told "That's an extra special gift Cathy, it is partially a birthday present". I was blessed with having to learn how to be gracious and thankful on my special day!
I do have some great memories! My father would always deliver a birthday spanking and it was great fun with a great production! He would catch us, lay us over his knee and count out a whomp to the rear for however many years old we were! With three brothers, two sisters, and Mom looking on, there was much merriment.  One year, I decided I was going to be prepared for that spanking! I padded my pants with kitchen towels (because they were just the right size) and when Dad came looking for me, I ran up the stairs, to my bedroom and headed for the cubbyhole. I was pretty surprised when Dad came into the cubbyhole after me, pulled me out, and dragged me downstairs for my very public birthday spanking. HE was surprised when he realized I had padded my pants. There was lots of laughter that year.  Oh, and when I was 10 years old, I got a teddy bear for my birthday. I still have him:

Here he is! He looks like a baby but this bear is 44 years old!! (hehehe, Thanks Mom and Dad)
When I was a teenager, I remember telling my friend Ann-Marie Caron that if I wanted a birthday cake on my birthday, I would have to make it (because there was usually lots of pie left over from Christmas so we would eat that). So, Ann-Marie showed up at my house one year with a white cake with strawberry frosting, and strawberry perfume (I was really into strawberry that year!!)
Oh, What fun memories!
My friend Kim and I have been swapping birthday gifts for many years. It has become great fun to try and come up with something fun and challenging for her (August 24th). The last several years she has given me quilt or sewing related gifts for my birthday.  This year, I got a package in the mail a few days before Christmas and it was wrapped in birthday paper. I was a good girl. I put it under the tree and waited until my birthday to open it.  This is what I found:

A quilt kit called Blitzen. The fabric is Blitzen for Moda by Basic Grey.  Oh what wonderful deliciousness!  So, I looked at it for a couple of days and decided I would make all those half square triangles easy. I bought some foundation paper, drew a 5-inch square with a diagonal line down the middle and sewing lines 1/4 inch to either side. I printed them off on the computer and laid them on the squares while I sewed merrily away   :)

The pattern calls for 72 half square triangles. Sew them up, cut them up, square them off.

Here's my stack of squares - (144 total) and the pile of trimmings. I think that pile is pretty small so I would venture to say my sewing abilities are spot on!

I am VERY thankful for rotary cutters, mats, and the Tucker Trimmer!  Made this job easy!
If you want to see more, you will have to stay tuned!!!!
Until next time!

Christmas Projects

With a family my size I have finally learned to plan projects in small bites! I have told my kids that I plan to make each of THEIR families new Christmas Stockings. They get to pick the style and the type of fabric, colors, etc. So, we started with Diane's family. She liked the crazy patch and thought whimsical fabric would be cute. Here is what we came up with:

                                                      First we did Grandson #6- Gabe
                                                       (Diane and Isaac's first baby!!)

                                                                    The Back side

                                                                      Then Isaac's

                                         Last, we did Diane's. Kimera picked out this fabric!

                                                           The back of hers is green!

                                                        I love my embroidery machine!

Kathryn has chosen a very clever idea for her family.  They will get them for next year, as will Victoria and Ben!  With a whole year to get them done, everyone should have new stockings! So, when those are done, I will post those photos (next December!)

Catching Up

Wow! I can hardly believe three months have gone by since my last post!
A lot has happened since then.  Louie and I took a trip to Germany to visit Grandson #6 - who was born October 14th.  We were there from October 24th through November 3rd. I thought I would share some photos with you.

This is Neuschwanstein Castle. The home of King Ludwig II. He died (at a young age) before he could finish it but what was done was beautiful! The throne room has a mosaic tile floor like none I could ever imagine! The chandeliers throughout the castle are unbelievable!
Louie and I walked uphill for 20 minutes to get there. Imagine how we felt when the tour guide informed us we would climb 63 stairs before the tour began!  I counted them to see if they were right. Guess what? They were!!!

This is Hohenschwangau, King Ludwig II's parents "summer" home. This castle is located about two miles from Neuschwanstein (down the hill). It was beautiful but not nearly as beautiful as Neuschwanstein. We saw this one first!

My Dear Sweet Husband, Louie. He looks a bit cold, doesn't he? This is hardly the kind of weather an Arizona boy expects in October!!

This is a small lake located between the two castles. The view all around was absolutely breath taking!

This is another view of the lake later that same day, at dusk. You can see the base of the Alps in the background.

This was our first trip overseas and we had a great time. Of course the highlight was seeing baby Gabe, Diane, and Isaac!

                                                                       What a cutie!

Well, that's all for now. My next post will be show and tell Christmas stockings!