Happy New Year!

The turning of the year makes me philosophical. Grateful for the old year and hopeful for the new. Our simple celebrations - Chinese take away and family games leave me time to ponder the passing year and make plans for the new one. I am reminded that seasons, days and years are gift. I want to use the days wisely and focus on what matters most. When musing on time and eternity, poets say it best so I'll end with a poem by Madeleine L'Engle:

"Let us view with joy and mirth
All the clocks upon the earth
Holding time with busy tocking
Ticking booming clanking clocking
Anxiously unraveling
Time's traveling
Through the stars and winds and tides
Who can tell where time abides?

Foolish clocks, all time was broken
When that first great Word was spoken.
Cease we now this silly fleeing
From earth's time, for time's a being
And adoring
Bows before him
Who upon the throne is seated.
Time, defeated, wins, is greeted.

Clocks know not time's loving wonder
Day above as night swings under,
Turning always to the Son
Times begun, is done, does run
Singing warningof the morning
Time, mass, space, a mystery
Of eternal trinity.

Time needs make no poor apology
For bursting forth from man's chronology
Laughs in glee as human hours
Dance before the heavenly powers.
Time's undone
Because the Son
Swiftly calls the coming light
That will end the far-spent night."

-Madeleine L'Engle, The Irrational Season, Chapter 1

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you JOY at Christmas, some quiet moments amidst the chaos of the festivities and all that makes your heart sing. It's been a wonderful first few days of Christmas! We wait til Christmas Eve to start celebrating and then keep the twelve days so we have time to enjoy all that makes the season so special.

First of all we have snow and the children are so happy. And Kate is back from University and Uncle Jeremy from Rome. It's been lovely to catch up with each other.

We've had lots of games around the table.

And lovely meals. We have our Christmas dinner on the day after Christmas that the English call Boxing Day and the Christmas carol 'Good King Wenceslaus' calls 'the feast of Stephen'.

While some of us prepared the meal the others prepared a little show of carols and magic tricks and songs and poems. So the 'Feast of Stephen' was finished off in style!

Now that all the main events are accomplished, I'm looking forward to books and films by the fire and a couple lazy days while the kids play with their toys and we eat lovely left-overs. I must confess that I enjoy turkey sandwiches with lashings of cranberry and mayo just a little bit more than the big meal itself.

It's the Miracle Season!

She loved it!

I haven't had any trouble with my sewing machine for months. But yesterday something went wrong and took ages to sort. I really thought that I was going to have to go to school and tell Mrs Boomer that she couldn't retire yet because the quilt wasn't finished.

By 9:30 in the evening I had it running OK but I'd wasted most of my last day. So I changed the quilting pattern to a simple scallop around the leaves and started quilting. Mrs Boomer's party started at 2:00 today and I was still quilting but I finished by 2:10, ripped it off the frame and rushed to school just in time for the presentation. Everyone who helped applique the leaves was so pleased to see the completed quilt.

Mrs Boomer was really touched. When all the excitement is over and done the quilt will be there to remind her just how much we appreciate her. So many thanks to everyone who helped - it never would have been completed without you!

It'll take a Miracle!

On Monday at 10:00pm the last leaf was appliqued to the block. On Tuesday morning all 144 blocks lay on the front room floor," just like a pile of leaves!" commented my husband. By Tuesday night there were 36 squares, each with 4 seasons making the circle. Mrs Boomer's been at our school for 36 years so we really did need a circle with 4 seasons for each year.

On Wednesday the blocks went from 36 to 4 and then to one. Then a strippy backing was pieced. So far today the backing and wadding were cut and all has been loaded on the quilt frame. It's just gone one o'clock. Will it get quilted and bound for the presentation tomorrow at 2:00? It'll take a miracle!

Leaf-ing Quilt

Thanks to everyone helping to applique the leaves for Kathy Boomer's leaving quilt.

You are appliqueing a leaf on a square and when we put 4 squares together we'll get this circle. I'm hoping to complete 36 circles, one for each of the years that Kathy has been the secretary at our school.

Thread your needle with the thread provided. It's a good colour match and will blend in with the leaf fabric. Make a knot and anchor your thread by making a couple of small stitches under the leaf where it won't show.

Now come up near and just catch the fold of the leaf fabric. Pull your thread through and come through the backing fabric just next to the leaf and a bit under and pull through. Your stitch should be hidden mostly under the leaf. The little bit that shows will blend in with the leaf fabric.

Click on the photos for a clearer view. I'll post some more tommorow. thanks again!