Amaryllis

     The weather on Christmas was perfect and that's what we need to remember as we dig out from the blizzard we woke up to this morning. Fortunately for me, one of my wonderful neighbors has plowed out my driveway. Life is good!

                                            
     Here is my five dollar amaryllis that I purchased at Ocean State Job Lot. There are four big flowers and three more yet to open. Wow!

      On a sad note, my cute little pine tree, pictured in my previous post, that I decorate each year with Christmas ornaments  has become a victim of the blizzard. I can't be sure, but it looks as if the top of the tree has snapped off.  Darn!  It was a DPW sapling giveaway on a recycling day about ten years ago and has grown into a fine little Christmas tree which was taller than I am.                                                              

Christmas Greetings

I snapped this photo of Katie on Monday just as the snow began falling.

Also, I saw the cutest holiday youtube video yesterday. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4_EdJ-XkUA It will definitely put a smile on your face.

Scituate Scenes

These scenes were  snapped the other day in Scituate.

Believe in the Gift

      Tonight I went with friends to the National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette in Attleboro, MA, to see the Christmas Festival of Lights.  I had never been there before. According to the info on the shrine's website, there are over 300,000 lights on display. It was freezing cold but beautiful. The theme for this year  is

After strolling the grounds, we attended a concert in the chapel with Father Pat who has a most wonderful voice.

     I would encourage anyone to bundle up and head to Attleboro, MA, to see this incredible, colorful display.
      [One tip though, eat before or after visiting the shrine as the cafeteria there isn't very good.]

For more information and a schedule of events,  go to http://www.lasalette-shrine.org/Christmas.html

                                                

Villa Quilt Completed!!!

        In September I traveled to Meleto, Italy, to attend an art quilt workshop taught by Esterita Austin, http://esteritaaustin.com/. It was awesome! If you click on the link, you will see  a brief Youtube  overview of the trip.

        I am beyond thrilled to report that my piece is finally completed and is now hanging in my living room.  It's a lovely reminder of a wonderful trip.

       Here is a view of the villa's courtyard.

                          
     Esterita (Teri) provided us with a full size pattern of the scene, but I made a couple of  changes. Teri had issued us each an "official creative license," so I turned the above structure into another house and because I loved the rolling hills and fields on the way to Siena, I incorporated those into my background.
The finished piece measures 30 x 24, and the actual quilted piece is brighter than it appears in this photo.
    Here are two close-up shots to give you a better look at the piece. The color in these photos is much more accurate.

     I have many photos from the trip that I hope to make into quilt pieces based on what I learned at this workshop.
  

Open House at A&P Orchids

     I attended an open house with two orchid loving friends at A&P Orchids in Swansea, MA on  Saturday. The greenhouses were filled with wonderful plants. Here is a cymbidium that I purchased. Cymbidiums have done well for me in the past spending the spring, summer, and fall months on my sunporch. I can only hope that I will have similar luck with this beauty.

Monday Night Football

     One of the great things about being retired is that you can stay up just as late as you want. Last night that meant watching every last minute of the New England Patriots crushing the New York Jets 45 to 3. It was awesome!
     I was driving by Gillette Stadium this afternoon, so I stopped to snap this photo. It's probably as close as I'll ever get to attending a Pats game in person.

       I was in the area because I had made a quick trip to the Quilters Stash in North Attleboro, one of my very favorite quilt shops as I needed some fabric to complete the binding for my villa quilt. Hopefully, I will be posting a photo of the finished piece in a day or two. I'm really excited about how it has turned out.

Contoocook Artisan Fair

Yesterday, my friends Donna, Edith and I headed to Hopkinton, N.H. to attend the 33rd Annual Contoocook Artisan Holiday Craft Fair. Donna purchased a beautiful basket to hold  a small portion of her fabric stash, Edith purchased some ornaments as did I along with a pair of earrings. After that we stopped by a smaller craft fair at the depot in Contoocook. A portion of the proceeds of which go to maintaining the depot site.

              
 There I treated myself to a gorgeous rayon chenille scarf.

           I have learned that it is good to treat yourself once in a while.  After this it was on to Daniel's Restaurant in Henniker for lunch. Wonder of wonder, we didn't stop at Quilted Threads, one of our very favorite quilt shops. We did, however, make a quick stop at the Pine Tree Quilt Shop in Salem, N.H.

      Now in case you are wondering, Contoocock, N.H., is about an hour and a half from Boston. Some of us bring our quilts up to Dancing Crane Quilting to be machine quilted by Suki Wright. She is one of the nicest people who you could ever meet and her work is wonderful. And did I mention that a trip up usually includes going to lunch and a stop at Quilted Threads?