The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.
-Thomas Moore

We are going to the movies, no we are going shopping AGAIN, no lets stay home and play board games, lets just "hang out". Let's make tacos no lets make some chili, how about some potato soup,how about a steaks, I want some of moms ribs, what movies are in from Net Flix? tomorrow we take down the Christmas decorations..oh swell, lets bake some more cookies, lets go get a mani and a pedi...These are the moment by moment decision we face during the holiday season at our house. Life is tough, full of choices, these decisions are all part of our family life. Sometimes we even have to vote! So many choices and so little time! Shocking isn't i??? I'm tellin you I could run the Pentagon, it is one decision right after another!!!!

Well I have a tiny story. I talk about Quilt Boy a lot..he is the center of the world, the rock, the brains, the gentle, brave, loving, wise, man I married 37 years ago!!! He acquired the name Quilt Boy as a result of handling all the business affairs for Silver Thimble Quilt Co. He keeps the books (down the the ever lovin last penny I might add). Manages the inventory, taxes, does the shipping and receiving, shelps the quilts around, sets up my lectures and demos, drives me all over the country side, now he is designing (or thinks he is...that is another topic). He actually is listening to those lectures because every now and then he will say something in quilt lingo indicating he has been listening....shocking! The best part of Silver Thimble Quilt Co for me is having HIM by my side supporting and encouraging me every step of the way.

That being said, the name Quilt Boy, while amusing, is just wrong for a man of such high stature. So I promoted him to Mr. Quilt Boy...still didn't suit him...So I promoted him again to Sir Quilt Boy...nope not right at all.. Then my friend Beth ,began calling him "Quilt Dude". AHHH NOW WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE.....This led to my official act as President (I prefer QUEEEN but who is going to promote me?) of Silver Thimble Quilt Co. promoting him, giving him a raise,(I can't stop laughing) adding to his benefit plan (now that is reeely funny), changed the family crest, his new name shall be "SIR QUILT DUDE" May he use and wear the name proudly! Please remember the "E" in Dude..it is not DUD! We are so happy for this great man. He deserves it, he has earned it, he is the best of us all.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I'm off to shop, or the movies, or cook, or play board games. I'll decide while I'm in the shower.

Have a very Happy New Year. (I'll be lucky if I see midnight...it's way past my bedtime.)

Call it clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.

-Jane Howard

Christmas is still rolling along wonderfully! The kids are all here through the weekend, and part of next week. I LOVE IT! We have eaten and laughed and enjoyed every minute of the season, I truly don't want it to end.

I'm writing my blog to you from my fun new monitor the kids gave me. I wanted a larger one and now I have one that iz kick butt huge. It lights up the whole room and I think I could probably read it from downtown Baghdad !!!! We are also going to link my other monitor to this one so I can use both at the same time...truly an effort to make my office look like the control room of CNN. fun huh?

I think my family is worried about my eye sight and memory as I got a GPS...soooo I was lost and now I'm found......teehee. Let me know your address and I'll be right over.

Here are some fun photos over our Christmas fun.

Every year we enjoy timing my Bother In Law to see how long it takes him to fall asleep after we have all stuffed our faces...This year we wanted to get some family photos and decided not to wake him up. I love this picture!

Tricia made quilts for the girls...She has been busy. I did not make quilts for the girls. I'm sorry I have sinned.

Well, I did make these Christmas raggy quilts (remember how I destroyed Melisa's car?) so I guess this counts doesn't it? Here is my Son In Law...he loves quilts...and I love him!

Ok so Ed woke up and asked when we were going to take the family photo...we confessed...He told us we were being mean to him, so we made amends!

These photos were taken with DD kick butt camera. HMMMMM. New Years resolution do better photos. This could cost some $$$$$$$$$

Tomorrows post...Quilt Boy gets a raise and a NEW TITLE FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL....

I hope you are celebrating Christmas with loved ones and friends. We are enjoying all the excitement of the season (and the calories). It will be a quiet Christmas Eve and morning for us. We are going to go to church in the morning in lieu of opening gifts. Our family gift giving will be late Christmas night when the newly weds arrive....so when you go to bed Christmas night think of us we will be laughing and toasting and carryin on as we say in the south. I'll be cooking Christmas dinner for 12 on the 26th...pray I don't screw up this gorgeous ($$$$$) beef tenderloin! I'll be cooking it al la Pioneer Woman style!

I soooo look forward to 2010. More blogging...tons of quilting...and new friendships to be made! Who can ask for more than that??? See you in a few days dear friends. God Bless !

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Gratitude is a two fold love-love coming to visit us, and love running out to greet a welcome guest.

-Henry Van Dyke

Silver Thimble Quilt Club description: A group, pack, herd of quilt obsessed people who gather officially on a monthly basis to meet, sew, talk, laugh, eat and experience the joy of just being together. Projects and quilt instruction are provided and are optional, learning and quilt instruction... never ending. Joy abounds. Laughter reigns. Camaraderie...excessive. Food, don't even go there with me. Companionship unmeasurable (immeasurable?) (note to Santa...need thesaurus.) Road trips abound. Sideline friendships develop?..heck yeah. Kindness and love present in room at all times, it is a feeling, a way of life, a cult (a good one) you can't help but be swept away when you are there. Exhausting? nope need more...(did I mention obsessed?). 80% quilting 20% fellowship...NO 50%/50% NO..70-30..NO...20/80...NO...60/40....NO...40/60 NO. i DUNNO. Who is the leader of the group? The luckiest person on the planet A QUILTER...and she is NEVER GOING TO QUIT!

An here is a tiny sample of the quilts/projects shown this month. Dear Lord help me remember and give proper credit to each of the makers.....

In the beginning there was this.

Five hours later...there was this. Karin made this Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. Oh MY LOTS OF PIECING. Dear Santa "I want this quilt"...

Sara made this hunters star quilt. I showed it last month...now it is finished. The photo does not do it justice. The quilt absolutely sparkles. Just like the lady what made dah quilt!!!!!!!!

Suzanne whipped this baby up. The borders are very wonderful!!! It is a good good goodie!

Cindi made these binding clips. I have a box with 4 zillion naked clips. Do you think she would put covered buttons on all of them for me?....I didn't think so...

Julie said I have seen this quilt before...I have no memory of this...It is reely wonderful. I have no memory of what I did last night..so there!

Sandra made this quilt. It is red. and she is giving it away..but not to me....sad

Cindi made this one after she made the binding clips. Love the borders...Love the maker of the quilt even more...

Look at this snippet trash thingy...That cat has such personality!!!! SO CUTE. You can't see it but the tail is a fluffy feather...geeezzzzeeee Sheila made it.!

Sandra made this too! busy busy

Sheila (the owner of the cat above) is making this fabulous quilt. The Poinsettias are needle turned...OH MY!!! spectacular.

OK..I apologize...I can't remember who made this quilt. She is hiding behind it. I'll have a meeting with the committee that lives in my head in the middle of the night and remember...so I'll get back to you on this one.

Susan made from a kit we did last year..love it.

Susan again..paper pieced no less! HOLEY DETAILS!

Susan AGAIN..She scorched his tummy and fixed it by scorching it some more to make it look natural.Don't tell anyone it's a secret. A perfect example of using the brain GOD gave her..She gets extra points for that!

Who let this reindeer on the sleigh? Oh Lord we apologize! Hilarious. Teresa!

Kim...from the book Forty Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts. If you are going to live on a deserted island TAKE THIS BOOK...You can make fabulous quilts forever with that book!

Kim again..busy busy. And she is giving both quilts away to COLLEGE BOYS. Those quilts will never be the same.

Ginny..another quilt kit we did a couple of years ago...and now it is no longer a UFO.

Can't remember the maker of this one either. Perhaps I should write all this down. FORGET IT I'm doing good to take all these pictures and get them on this blog right????

Ginny again. I showed this one last month but now its all quilted and everything....sooo purrty.

And so dear bloggers I hope you enjoyed the show. I wish I could express in words how much I love these quilters. They are the most special group on the planet. If you are ever in Georgia on the third weekend of the month..you have an open invitation to visit us. You better wear your depends and don't even think about a diet! Don't worry about bringing sewing projects...we will fix you up GOOOOD.

Your friends are ....your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

-Kahlil Gibran

JOY JOY JOY JOY....It is Christmas week can you feel it? Well I sure can!!! I just ended a weekend of Silver Thimble Quilters, Cookie Swapin, and the annual "Crow Christmas Brunch" here at my house. OH THE OVERWHELMING JOY OF FRIENDS...I can hardly contain myself! There are photos to share, so many...I will have to stretch this into a couple of blog posts. I will work backwards and begin with Sunday brunch.

How do I explain this amazing group of women..."The Crows"?? Talent..enthusiasm, passion, thoughtful, helpful, kind, exhausting, maddening, over the top, hilarious, giving, ..... I give up they cannot be described in words. They are written in the stars and heaven...to be a crow is gift to be cherished and a responsibility to be taken seriously and carved deep in your soul. Are you a part of a group that challenges you and makes you better? If you are count your blessings. If you are not....START ONE, you won't regret it.

Here are some photos of our brunch. The food was fabulous and I served RAZMOSSAS. OH MY! The pictures are in no particular order..and with comments (I hope that is ok.)


Our Christmas table set and ready (sans all the chairs) for the feast to begin.

Everyone settled in with goodies and holiday cheer! Almost time for the wonderful gift exchange.

Here is Sharon who figured out how in the heck we would organize ourselves and do the gift exchange.. she figured it out prior to everyone having three RAZMOSSAS! Good thing to I was not in a figuring out mind set...I was in a Razmossa mind set.

Oh and by the way see the Razmossa in the glass on the table? Next year I really must serve them in Champagne flutes instead of pint sized wine goblets....rimmed in sugar...oh we apologize!

I got this beautiful Blue Work pillow from Shannon...Isn't it gorgeous? I slept with it last night. Mr. Quilt Boy asked if I was going to sleep with it every night...I told him no and he should not put his head on it...don't even breathe on it....

Vicki got this wonderful floor cloth. Peggy painted it! She was so thrilled...well wouldn't you be thrilled to get that???

Vicki made this darling wool pin cushion for Sandy with our guild logo on it. She also gave Sandy a photo book with pictures of Quilts that are painted on BARNS around America. I think Sandy must have a thing about quilts on Barns..i dunno..but then Vicki gave Sandy this......

Holey BARN signs...Maybe Santa is bringing a barn to Sandy on his sleigh! Maybe Sandy is going to put the sign on her house...WOW this was unbelievable...it was terrific....and heavy! Wait till Sandy gets home and tells Bob to hang it!

Sandy made this wonderful wool work picture...and it was framed and so fabulous. Aren't you wishin you were a CROW NOW????

BERRIES AND BERRIES AND BERRIES...appliqued! I peed in my pants! Jean made this baby for Peggy. BEFORE SHE HAD SHOULDER REPLACEMENT SURGERY...87 ZILLION BERRIES. I may never recover from the beauty of this quilt!

Shannon got this fabulous wool table runner from Leisa...which I will be stealing from her home in the very near future. This workmanship and thought these ladies put into every stitch is a thing to behold! I would love to BEEEHOLDING that runner.

Look what Julie made Suzanne...Redwork pillows...many hundreds of hours of stitching. My fingers cannot type the words to tell you how wonderful they were. I may have to put these on my things to make in 2010.

Leisa got this fabulous Lori Smith wall hanging from Darlynn...oooohlala...those tiny blocks are so skillfully done and quilted. SIMPLY WONDERFUL.

Sharon made these sheets and pillows and pillow cases for Margo. Paul and Margo just build a wonderful log home in Social Circle (thank goodness Sherman managed to miss burning that town to the ground) (end of Southern History lesson) Margo was thrilled with the sheets. I'm sure Paul will love them too! teehee

Sharon BA made this wooly candle matt and a hand quilted table runner (no photo) for Debbie she was thrilled. Lucky lady.

Wendy made this beautiful wool basket runner. I think I'm seeing a trend here...We are women who live in the deep south. We don't wear wool...we put it everywhere else!!!!! neat-o huh?

Suzanne made Nemo (that's a nickname) a wonderful tote bag with goodies stuffed in every pocket (no photo) and also gave her this WONDERFUL antique sewing box...she was a happy little crow!

I don't know how to describe the next gift...or person. She is the most generous, kind, altruistic, fun loving, non stop talker, dog loving, dog rescuer, smart, wise, healer, cow obsessed and general all round sweetie pie. She got a cow candy thingy that poops out pez or candy while playing jingle bells...and she also got from Nemo a wool appliqued journal with all the "saying, phrases and general stuff written down in the journal that are direct quotes from her"...it was a B.S.- O - Meter book. given in love for sure! Look at Debbie sitting on the sofa next to her listening to every word...hahahaha I just cracked myself up again.

I didn't get a photo of what I made for Julie. Remember my tree skirt? She has wanted one for the longest time...so that is what I made her...and I gave her a Pioneer Woman cookbook. Julie needs to practice her cooking. (oh lordy I'm really kidding now!!)


So we settled in to gorge ourselves with unbelievable food. We all sat at one table, held hands and thanked God for our many, many blessings. Which include the petit fors Leisa had specially made for us with little crows on them.....mine is gone...eaten with love!

I have been writing this blog for 75 hours and downloading for 300 hours. That's all...I know you are happy I'M through talking. I'm sorry for going on for so long...I won't do it again.... Until tomorrow when I tell you about the THIMBLES show and tell! Right now I need to go eat some more Christmas cookies. I'm trying to see just how much weight one can gain in one week.