A Warm And Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Wishing all of you in blogland a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know in our family we have much to be grateful for. I am also grateful for the many, many new friends I have met through the blogs........amazing, wonderful, creative, supportive and kind!

So back to some cooking, some baking, and bringing out my mom's china that we used in my growing up years. Remembering some wonderful old memories and making some wonderful new ones.

My best to all of you and your loved ones. You have enriched my life so much!!

See you later alligators :-)!!!

What Did I Do At Camp?????

Got a very funny email from a friend saying nice that everyone else made some beautiful quilts at camp, what in the heck did you do??" Well lot's of my stuff was TOP SECRET....... Polka Dot Swap stuff and Secret Santa Swap stuff, and some for me...well here's a peek!!

A stocking for G baby, some secret polka dot stuff, a quilt I worked on for me out of Old Fashioned Charm (all the bits are done I just need to lay it out), and four of these top secret thingamajigs, two of which are quilted and on their way to their top secret locations!! I was very excited to get done what I did and especially my swap things..seems I have been running a bit behind!

Coming home it was so wonderful to have some great mail waiting...the Christmas Cottage swap blocks from Nanette. Each is so cute with such personality. I have a shopping trip planned next week and I can't wait to pick out some wonderful sashing to get these together! Bindings still continue to be the center of my world right now.

Why do I love doing bindings so much??? For the life of me I can't figure this out ....but I LOVE doing bindings. A finished stack on the left (I love the Hungry Caterpillar fabric on the back) and a pile of to do's. Today I have binding pickups at a Starbucks (oh boy), a bakery (that makes the most yummolicious cupcakes-oh no), and a place so secret I can't even mention!!!!!! Think I will start wearing disguises at these meetings.

Here's a few more tidbits from quilt camp. The blue and white quilt is a new pattern that Eleanor Burns is putting out in the Spring. Only thing I can say is WONDERFUL!!!! And she said it is very easy to put together. Loved this garden quilt one of the gals made. I believe it was a block of the month. Notice the cute flower pots all around the edge.

A happy time around Polka Dot Land. Our furry grandchild has been here visiting while his Dad, Mom and baby brother are in North Carolina visiting new cousin Caroline! We miss them all like crazy, but we did get a cute phone picture from them yesterday. Today our girl is home for a couple days so yippee for us, and time to spoil her also!!!

It's very hard to believe that Thanksgiving is peeking around the corner. Time to get out the trusty make ahead gravy recipe and get all the fix ins together. Hope that November has been a good one for everyone!

See you later alligators :-)!

I Am One Happy Camper!!

I am back from four wonderful, fun filled days at Eleanor Burns Quilt In A Day, quilt camp. Wonderful doesn't even begin to describe the great time that we all had. I met some of the nicest quilters from all over the US, and saw so many, many beautiful quilts. To spend four days with 65 women all working on so many wonderful projects is just so hard to describe!!! Eleanor Burns and her crew are some of the nicest people I think I have ever met! Always there to help and lend support and encouragement and make every aspect of our stay the best it could be.

Before arriving at Quilt Camp we first stopped off in the wonderful town of Julian and had a delicious lunch of Pumpkin Soup, sandwiches and tea at the Tea House....yummmy!!! This house was so cute in the inside, with tea cups, teapots and so many pretty things all about. Here we are all full after our wonderful lunch and where do you think we head to next........ we don't want to have low blood sugar while working on our projects!! What a great shop. All the old time candy under one roof. My Polka Dot and Rick Rack partner will be getting some goodies from this place.

....so here is a peek at our work space for our 4 day stay. We had such a nice big spacious work area with ironing and cutting stations, (and my personal little sewing area with M & M's) and not to mention two of the best teacher helpers you could ever want. They were so kind and helpful, and if anyone was in need of a little "reverse sewing", they were there johnny on the spot to get the job done. Anne and LuAnn, you guys were so AMAZING, and so much fun to be around!!! As I was sitting there sewing I overheard Anne talking about being a blogger -- oh boy here we go, a fellow BLOGGER!!! So we start chatting about the different blogs we like which really turns out to be a lot of the same blogs and then Anne says have you visited Red Geranium Cottage?? Oh dear..Sharon is everywhere!!! Turns out that Anne and Sharon have shared a few emails back and forth!! What are the odds! And Sharon, she would like to thank you for your kindness when her mom was ill and for the nice emails you sent her!!! She says she just loves your blog!

Each and every day we had the most DELICIOUS MEALS!!! Oh my word, I am going to have to go to detox to get myself back on track. It was so much fun to have everyone together eating and gabbing and talking quilts!!! Every meal ended with some wonderful tidbits from the crew and Eleanor sharing some tips on quilt making or showing quilts, talking about future projects and always some funny stories told by the girls. I think my cheeks will hurt for a few weeks from all the laughing. My writing just doesn't do the experience justice. I think you might need to go to see for yourself!!

And boy do I have pictures of quilts ......................................

and

And this is only a sampling of all the goodness. Coming home I am fully inspired and ready to charge in to full quilt production! Happy mid November to everyone. See you later alligators :-)!

Thanks To The Goat Gazette!!!

I have been a HUGE fan of Country Threads ever since I started quilting some 24 years ago! They have a great website and a wonderful newspaper that they publish called the Goat Gazette.Since my little bout of laryngitis a week ago, which then actually turned in to a nasty cough, then a nasty cold and back around to the nasty cough, I have been feeling much like a cat with a fur ball (I'm only guessing here) stuck in my throat!! While reading the recent issue of the Goat Gazette I noticed a home remedy for that very thing---1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a glass of warm water - WOW it works!!!!!!! So check out the Gazette, besides all the tempting quilting related paraphernalia to buy, wonderful articles about animals, they can also fix what ales you!!

Today my final package arrived from my Secret Angel Stitcher who I now know is Jantine from the Netherlands. She made me the most wonderful bag in colors that couldn't be more perfect for me, and she has the most amazing handwork! Notice both sides of the bag. Also included were some very yummy sweets and quilt labels. She has spoiled me royally and I am so excited to have made a new friend in the Netherlands! Thanks Jantine, and thanks to Helen for hosting this wonderful swap.

Here's a sampling of the goings on in Polka Dot Land. I managed to make a Minkie ribbon comfy for our little guy. Since I obviously might have something I could pass on to him I needed a stand in for the picture!! All three other photos are bindings for customers! Have to brag about my friend Carol who made this wonderful pumpkin quilt!! Too cute for words in my opinion, and in fact the two quilts in the lower corner of the mosaic are both Carol's! Man can she quilt and quilt fast!!!

Monday I will be off for a four day quilt camp. I will have tons of pictures to share and hopefully I won't get kicked out for coughing!! Happy second week of November to everyone. See you later alligators :-)!

Make Your Choice

Here in the USA tomorrow is our day to step up and make our choice! How wonderful to live in a country where we have this right. So no matter what party you are for, or what you stand for, tomorrow is our day!! Get out and vote people :-)!!!