The Last of 2010..

I must say this year has been a bit hectic for us with some very unpleasant events but faith kept telling me things could be worst and I counted my blessings every day......plus four beautiful grand-daughters.

Some of those blessings are the wonderful friends I made through Blog land ! I know my blogging was sporadic this year but I do hope to be more dedicated in 2011. As mentioned the challenges were plentiful but being able to connect with some of you via e-mail was so uplifting and I thank you all for the support I received from you throughout the year! Sending you all a big girlfriend hug♥♥♥

Some wonderful events took place also and those are the ones I like to blog about!

Like meeting my friend Michelle http://thel7quiltco.blogspot.com/ in person and enjoying a wonderful dinner together in Arkansas ... (Both Gerald and I top this as the number 1 highlight of our vacation to Texas.)...

Our trip to Amherst to attend Karen Neary's workshop at the Fibre Festival was without a doubt a very special event.

The project Meadow Song
was exciting to do and I enjoyed working in all the different patterns she choose to make this quilt so exquisite... Pinwheels, appliqués and YoYos...

All put together .. let me introduce you to ....

the Meadow Song by designer Karen Neary....
I made it with "In the Pink 11 by Henry Glass "

published in the Spring 2010 issue of the

and on ***...the front cover...***http://quiltersconnection.ca/

I pray for the best for our world in 2011. Even though there may be "stress-ors" along the way I know I can always find serenity in a piece of fabric, cut it and piece it back together to make a quilt... and that I will have continued support and inspiration from all of you;

and can count on your guidance if the blocks don't always fit!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Back in the Sewing room

Yippee! I finally made it to sewing... My new machine is all set up and it fits perfectly... Husqvarna......had to move over......... And the first piece I made on my new machine....

#7 Mystery Block of the month from "Fat Quarters" ...



I was a little behind the Layer Cake Quilt Along This is last week's block. I choose the fabric "Bliss" and I am not fond of it too much( too bright for my taste) so I am picking only a few blocks as I think I will make small projects with them. Maybe table toppers or runners????


Now for an update on the

I do hope I did not miss answering anyone's e-mail as they were coming in with inquiries about their Secret Santas. If there are still some missing their gifts I would like to think it is because of the mail service. For those of you who have sent their gifts and have not heard from your Secret Santa recipient, maybe you could connect with your partner to see if they received your beautiful gift? Also if there are any who have not had the opportunity to send the gift yet I think it would be a good idea to let her know your gift is just being sent. I was able to visit most of your Secret Santa posts on your blogs and I was drooling with all the beautiful gifts that had been made.

Thank you for taking part in the Secret Santa Swap sponsored by the It was a wonderful experience for me as I got to meet a lot of new friends in "Blog land".

I did get quite a few requests for the recipe for

click on the photo or the Cranberry Cheesecake recipe ....... for the link to the recipe....Enjoy!

Families are forever.......

In french "La famille c'est pour toujours!" Embrace your loved ones....




Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I wish you the best of the New Year...




On Dec 20th we lost one of our family members... My mother-in-law Edith Comeau Tufts passed away peacefully in her chair at home three hours after she had distributed her Christmas gifts and hugged us all. Even though she was 91 we were not expecting her to be spending Christmas 2010 in Heaven...It was a shock! She was a remarkable women...mother of 15 children. (14 Still living grand-mother of 35 and great-grandmother of 15, and a member of the Order Of Canada.
and yes, she was a quilter...

The gift, still wrapped and hand written in her hand writing...

"We shed tears because she is gone... but we smile because she has lived.

.





These were the mug mats I made for the hostess at our Tufts family supper...
(I am very excited to report I used almost all of the Fruitcake Fat quarter bundle.. I don't like to have too much Christmas fabric left over at the end of the Christmas season)

This was my contribution to the Dessert menu...

Cranberry Cheesecake.. and it is YUMMY!



Also...

the Cherry Balls.....

A favourite with the kids....

Everything was wrapped and ready way ahead this year.. and "I did" question why I was so efficient????

Even if we don't know what's in store for the future there is ONE who knows and looks after us!

So Christmas morning .. Gerald is excited....

when he opens a massage chair pad .. no more tired back after curling....

In my stocking I get books...

My favourite kind of books....


Quilting books.....





Then... Gerald gets the big box out...

And Voilà

Oh! how excited I am!

This morning was the day I was getting this baby to run.. but we woke up at 3:00 am with no electricity... it lasted all morning and well into the afternoon.. the generator is not hooked up in my sewing room but I got to read the instruction books so now I am ready....

Noël 2010

Greeting card generated with Smilebox

More preparations

The meat pies are a favourite on the menu at this time of the year.... Made with three kinds of meat... pork, beef and chicken.Growing up mom always made her meat pies with wild rabbit.. but I have out grown that and I know it would not go well with our children. They would not be passing their plates for meat pie......Gerald doesn't like a thick tea biscuit crust so I make a thinner crust...

and of course with all that meat it makes a big batch so I freeze them .. Perfect for unexpected company over the Holidays....

You know when your children are young and just before bed they say,"Oh by the way mommy we have a bake sale tomorrow at school".

Well this still happens when they get to adulthood... Quote, "Mame, I need a gift for someone who loves snowmen" unquote... As I said on my post on FB .. I love that my children will always be children♥♥♥

Snowmen.. it is. This was for Second daughter Liette's Secret Santa at her School...


Made with "Fruitcake" by Basic Grey .. designed by "Moi"

Now I am off to bake some more for a potluck at work...

Hugs........

Enjoying my Christmas pieces

I am still getting my Christmas decorations out..... and doing more of the stuff I mentioned on the previous post!

This was a fun project to do and one of my very first appliqué pieces.... I quilted it in the"Primitive Quitling ( Pearl Cotton Thread and large quilting stitches) the small children enjoying naming the big blocks
And this year I have a special piece under my tree......
'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend'... which I made at designer Karen Neary's workshop last year....

Now for the....

Wow! and more wow! is the expression I have as I visit your different blogs and see all your beautiful projects you made for your Secret Santa!

I hope everyone will honor their commitment to the swap. I have received quite a few e-mails to say you have not received your gift yet and would like to communicate with your partner or your partner has not acknowledged that she received your gift. PLEASE NOTE I do not give out anyone's e-mail address without their permission....Remember there are some Inrternational participants and it takes time for the parcels to arrive its destination!
Thank you all for participating!

Holly Jolly Bingo, Mystery Block #6 and other updates....

Yes it's back....B I N G O
Click on the badge and head on over to "In Stitches" and join the fun for

another Holly Jolly Bingo...

And now for my November block...for the Mystery Block of the month I think all these blocks are so cute....

What have I been up to... besides.. shopping, baking , decorating.... wrapping...

and attending all kinds of Christmas parties?

Well, visiting Santa of course...with my grand-daughters...


Here is Laurène....
And Ariane...

and Miss Émilie.. hiding from Santa in her Aunt's arms... non! non! non! is how she greets the Big Guy!

I have been enjoying a good book...It really put me in the true Christmas spirit ...

Catherine was my favourite character in this book ...such an uncomplicated lifestyle!

As for my sewing I am finishing projects and enjoying the leisure time in my sewing room...watching Christmas movies... and the Christmas Daddies telethon...

Well I must go bake some more for our office party tomorrow!! Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas Season.. I enjoy this time "of preparations" just as much as the big day...

We did have bit of snow today .. our first one to stay on the ground...and it looks really festive tonight....