I have been working on 4 lap-size tops during the summer. I added some appliqué to each one to make them a little more special. Here are some pictures of the tops ready for quilting. I'm using the campground’s Rec Center for more space. They have the sturdy lightweight folding tables. Perfect for spreading out!

The Bug Quilt

Painted Cats

Where's the Cheese?

Flowers & Hearts

Happy New Year!

Gosh, we are half way through January already. I have been hand-quilting on my hoop. I am almost done with the blue chain quilt. Soon I will need to get to busy on making some binding for this king sized quilt. I will be so happy when it is done!As predicted, we are getting a lot of rain. At least, the weather has been warm. We have been in the high 40s. I am staying indoors trying to get as much done as possible before April. I am ready to get back on the road and see more of our country. In the meantime, I have been adding to 'My Google Map' all the quilting information I can find - shops, shows, and museums.

Oh, and I made another Patch Abilities mini-wall quilt for winter. I love the tall hat! So cute!

I have also been working on some appliqué for the tops I sewed together during the summer. I am adding some flowers and hearts to this crazy eight pattern.

The cats have the best idea for taking care of a lazy afternoon - a cat nap!

Or two!

Happy Quilting!

Merry Christmas!

I hope this finds everyone surrounded by loved ones enjoying this wonderful time of the year.









This year has been a mixture of great joy and sadness for us.



My sad news is the loss of my Mom. In November, Mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She decided not to take treatments to prolong her life. She moved in with my cousin Linda who invited her to stay during her illness. My brothers and I were able to visit her at the same time while she stayed in Vancouver, WA. In less than six weeks, Mom was in a coma and passed away quietly on December 16. Mom will always be remembered for her sense of humor. Even when she was in pain, she would joke about being ready to party after her nap.

We are so thankful to my cousin Linda and her husband Bill for easing the pain for Mom during this difficult time. We do not know what we would have done without them.

Our joy is our full-timing lifestyle. We are still enjoying our life on the road. Gail and Don, owners of American Sunset RV where we are work-camping put together a Christmas potluck party for all the work campers and monthly residents. Don roasted two very large rib eyes while the rest of us brought lots of delicious side dishes. No one left the party hungry. As a matter of fact, there was so much left over, we had lunch the next day. Tasted twice as good the second time around. Yum! I have decided that I like this new tradition of holiday potlucks. I don’t have to do as much cooking, but I do get to try new dishes and walk away just as stuffed.

We decorated the coach’s dashboard with a 2-foot tree and some small Christmas favorites. Of course, the cats think the tree is there for their entertainment. They like batting at the decorations and leaning on the tree when we are not looking. The windshield has also been decorated with flashing LED lights powered for 150 hours by two AA batteries.

I made a mini quilt using "Holiday Cheers" clipart by Rebecca Carter. I find great clipart from different artists at pcCrafter. Here are some close-ups of the Santas.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Mice

One of my friends and co-worker showed the rest of us how to make these cute mice. I wanted to share these with you. Easy to make and a great project for the kids!

Ingredients:
1 jar of Maraschino cherries with stems
1 bag of Wilcox chocolate melt candies
1 bag of 1/2 peanuts
1 bag of Hershey Kisses
1 tube of red decorating gel
Wax paper

Hold stem, dip cherry in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Press unwrapped Kiss to the chocolate covered cherry. You now have the mouse's head and body with tail. Add 2 half peanuts between the Kiss and cherry for ears. We used peanuts, but I would think sliced almonds would work just as good. Add eyes and nose with red gel. The mice will be ready to eat or decorate within a couple of hours. Cute garnishes for your cold dishes during the holiday season.
So Cute!
Enjoy!

White Christmas by The Drifters

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, we have not been blown away from the high winds and we have not needed our kayaks to get to work just yet, but it is only November. For the past week, we have had 35-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph. Our Bluebird (motorhome) does give a little shake once in a while. Thank goodness it is built very solid and sits low to the ground. I feel very safe and cozy during these storms.
This is a view from our kitchen towards the living area. We do not have slide-outs, but it is an extra wide which seems to make the difference between tight space and feeling cozy for us. My sewing machine and laptop are sitting on the dining room table. I often move them to the chair when we eat.


Of course, with bad weather comes plenty of opportunity to quilt and read. I have been getting some hand quilting done along with a couple of more mini holiday quilts for my window. I did not get the Thanksgiving one done, but here are a couple pictures of my Turkey Tom. I could not find a pattern I liked so I used some clipart and blew it up to the size I wanted for the mini quilt. I get my clipart from PC Crafter. They have quite a variety of artists and art work.


Here I am getting some quilting done while watching TV. The sun actually came out for a while. About an hour later, we were having another down pour and high winds.

Hitch is staying entertained by watching the hummingbird. I’m amazed that tiny hummingbird can fly in this bad weather. He feeds all day long no matter how bad the winds are blowing.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!