Happy New Year to All !

I'm hoping 2018 will be a happy and productive year for all of us!  2017 certainly was not my best year, particularly where  quilting is concerned.  I do hope to get into quilting more since Christmas is past --- almost.  I still have to put up all of my Christmas decorations, and that will take a while.  I''m planning on packing it all away in a different manner this year so it will be easier for me to get out just what I want next year.  Also, I must admit I'm still enjoying punching all those buttons that make everything play pretty music, or light up and do silly things all through the house.  I do love it!  It may take me until the end of January to get it all back where it belongs!  Lots of batteries to take out of everything too!

Since I have no quilting pictures for this blog, I'll show a few pictures which will confirm that it will take me a while to get Christmas packed away!  Double click on the picture to enlarge it.

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room - The Village stays in place year round;
Santa is below checking his list of all who came to a party in my home.
It is light sensored, and plays music when someone comes in my front door.
It is by "Mr. Christnas:

Living Room

Den

Den (I didn't make quilt on love seat or couch.)

Den

My Bedroom

My Bedroom; Aunt made crocheted bedspread.

My Bedroom

Yes!  My bedroom too!  The smallest one repeats everything he hears, literally!

Hall Bath

Sunroom

Sunroom (lots of packing here!)

Sunroom (On my Janome sewing machine cabinet; probably the first I'll pack.)

Sunroom (I dread packing all those tree decorations!)

Sunroom (Visible from my front door; on my Singer machine cabinet)

Sunroom

Sunroom (I love this fuzzy Santa!)

Second Bedroom

Second Bedroom - A little village to pack!

Second Bedroom  (These stay on the wall.)

Unfortunately, this has been just a sample of all I'll have to pack away.  Way too much!!

I'd probably drag out most of my Christmas decorations for just myself, but this year, I again had seven church quilters here for our party.  Then five days later had 17 of my 1956 high school Senior classmates here for a party;  now does that tell you how old I am?  Believe me, I'm old!  But I do love my friends, old and new, and we did have lots of fun!  Then on Christmas Eve, I had 10 family members here, which was also a joyful time.  I spent Christmas Day alone, by choice!  I listened to beautiful Christmas music all day on the new Victrola the kids gave me.

Yesterday I took down all the tinsel and lights from the front porch.  I wanted to leave them up through New Year's Night, but freezing weather and maybe some snow or sleet will be coming then.  I didn't want it all to get wet; then I'd have to wait to let it dry out before packing it away.  We are told it will be really cold for about 10 days.  Of course, it won't be like Minnesota or Pennsylvania, thank goodness!

I do plan on packing up the decorations on my sewing machine soon at least.  I'm getting really behind on my Moda Block Heads blocks;  five blocks now to get done, but it won't happen until after New Year's Day.

I have been thinking and dreaming about getting back to my quilting projects.  I haven't really made New Year's Resolutions, and probably won't.  But I do have several things I need to finish in 2018.

I want to get all those Civil War blocks together for sure.  I really like the way Ruth of Country Log Cabins did hers.  You can see it here.  I'll have to make a decision on fabrics for my setting blocks.

I also want to finish that black and white log cabin quilt that I put away before Christmas.  First I'll have to rip out what I had quilted; I didn't like the way it looked!

Of course, I'll have to do something with all those Block Heads blocks when we get to the end of those.  I've not given any thought to how to put those together, but it will be a challenge for sure!

I also need to quilt those two scrap quilts I put together last Fall.

If I get all those things finished in 2018, I'll be surprised!

For part of my DIL's Christmas (and mine too!) I ordered Lea Day's new book,  "Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Lea Day".  Haven't taken time to read very far in it, but I do think maybe I can put some of the ideas to good use, at least I'll try to, on the scrap quilts for practice.  We'll see later.

 Over the years, I've collected so many pretty quilt patterns I'd love to make.  Maybe I can get at least one of them made on  2018.  Seems like I just don't get as much done as I could a few years ago.  Getting old is certainly not for sissies, and I really don't give up easily.  Yet it seems more difficult to do what I want to, in any area of my "want to's".    Or maybe I'm just getting lazy in my old age?

The "Victrola" the kids gave me plays records, cassettes, and CD's, and also FM radio.  I love it!  I've got lots of all three, so I think I'll just continue listening to those wonderful old songs, and go look at my new quilting book!

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL IN 2018!

---"Love"