Here's to a Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!

After all is said and done, isn't that what it's really all about?

Whether we are happy or not?

Polly and Juice got in the spirit for a very brief moment to help

their Mom wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Make your own destiny and CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY !!!

Do things that make you HAPPY.

Be around others that are HAPPY people.

We will be celebrating the new year safe and sound at home - my favorite place to be.

I wish everyone reading this a Happy and Healthy New Year. - Patsy

A "Basic" Christmas Blessing....

A "Back to Basics"

Christmas Wish

for you......

May you always have a roof over your head...

...a quilt to keep you warm.

May you always have clothes on your back

to stay warm and cozy.

May your garden be plentiful...

...and enough food to nourish you.

May you have some fabric in your stash

to nourish your creative soul.....

....needle and thread to carry you through to the next project.

And may you all have many friends and family to share it all with!

God Bless ALL of you

this Holiday Season!

Thank you, Marty and 'Polly'

Patsy and 'Juice'

I'm taking a blog break for a bit to get ready for my family's Christmas. Be back when I can......thanks for tuning in!

Having FUN the last weekend of the year!!

I got the S.E.W. letters at Goodwill this week. The feather pillow and size 6 1/2 shoes are in my lost pile bin. I would love it if they found their way home. The pillow was left downstairs and the shoes were under an iron bed up stairs in the loft???????Anyone?????Cat's mine.

The final group of guests added many great memories for the walls to remember and talk about. There were flying monkeys

and flying chickens

And scrapbooking and quilting being done. I rearranged the log cabin "gathering room" in hopes that more GATHERING would be done.

This weekend more folks sat and enjoyed the roaring fire than I can ever remember in all four years of businessIt could have something to do with the snow coming down outside and the de-stressing before Christmas insided.

Many brought hand projects to break up the steady sewing giving our tight shoulders a break once in awhile.

I finished the first 'Postage Stamp Quilt' top with my previous guests 2" squares donation. This group were donating as I was pressing them down to the fusable. How appropriate to have one completed top, the last and final group for 2008!!

Here was a 'rouching' project that Chris gave a quick demo on. Some of them 'ran' with it and were making flowers like experts in no time.

There was some stained glass window shimmers getting assembled by Chris Daly who sells on Etsy too.

Then there were a few projects getting done as well...

Gift suggestions

In case your family and friends are hinting for Gift Suggestions -- I do Gift Certificates in any dollar amount. Just give them my number, website, or email- homestead986@hotmail.com

We are preparing for a dumping of 9-12" of snow starting this afternoon.

Good time to get some quilting done! Patsy

Guild Christmas Party

Deer camp broke up Sunday with the remnants of hunting left for the clean-up. Empty beer boxes, photos on the table from the 'deer cam' (hunting is high tech now) and time out taken to watch the Packer game, Brett's Jets.

And the retreat was quickly transformed to Christmas. O.K., forget the "quickly" part. It actually took all of two weeks.

The scene was set.......

The halls were decked.......

The candles in the windows to welcome the weary travelers......

The homefires burning.......

The candlelight glow warming the room....

Goodies for all......

The table was set......thanks Jenell and Sandy

Gifts were wrapped with care......

Each year our Piecemaker's Quilt Guild meets the first monday of December to get together, exchange a little something that looks homemade (no pressure here), bring an hor d'oeuvre to share, and enjoy each other's company.

We also plan for the new year - each volunteering where we can. No officers, no rules, no guidelines or bylaws. Just lots of relaxing fun. Oh, and don't forget Show 'n Tell.

Even on Party night, there were some great sharing of the latest treasures. Some soon to be given as gifts, I'm sure.

This weekend I get to be a guest at my own retreat again. I can't wait! Wine by the fireplace, hand projects and good conversation. That is what I look forward to. And marathon piecing of course!

Oh yeah, on to show 'n tell........................

There was old needlepunch and new. The round project was done with women's silk stockings pre-WWII.

Take time for YOU as the whoopla gets crazy! Patsy

Deer Camp show n tell

Many of you retreat goers know that I am off my usual schedule due to "Deer Camp" when my husband takes over the retreat with his brothers, friends, and ours sons.

In all fairness to cover what happens here, this is their Show n Tell so bear with me if you aren't into this sort of thing. This is our son, Brady proud of his 9 point buck. He said he hadn't bagged a buck since 13 years ago so he was due. We do not shoot for the thrill only. We eat the meat as well, sometimes making jerky, canning some, and freezing some. We also do what's called "Herd Management" on the 700+ organic acres, where you let the young bucks go and let them grow up into very large bucks (takes 4 years). They figure this one was 3 3/4 years old. Close enough.

**I am still working on that 2" square postage stamp quilt off and on. I am affraid that I will probably have to wait till next weekend to finish it, however.

I have been busy decorating for Christmas - our guild Xmas Party is monday night already so I have been working on ladders like crazy. I will give you a photo tour very soon! - patsy

A Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Marty and I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. This holiday often gets overshadowed with the onset of Christmas and the ending of Halloween/Fall and I often thought how sad it is that folks were missing out.

THANKSgiving is so important and we often don't reflect on our many blessings. I am guilty of dwelling on the small stuff - the worries.

So here I am reminding myself and everyone to take the time to reflect on the things to be Thankful for. I want to thank all of you for being a part of my life - whether you are a guest here at the retreat, a faithful reader of this blog, or a friend or relative. I appreciate all of you.

And a thanks to my Mom who is pictured here making dinner rolls for Thanksgiving feast. At the age of 91, she still makes the best bread.

She was working so fast, I apologize for the blurry photo.

Happy 'giv'en !!! Patsy