November!?
Holy flying calendars, Batman!
Welcome to another round of to-do's on the
Frankly, I'm tired. Tired with a capital T.
I travelled to NY. I've played a lot of golf.
I've sewn and quilted my heart out. I made
a costume and I made some family meals.
And I ate way too much Halloween candy.
Yes, I did skip two weeks here but I am no
"to-do" quitter [clearly!!] so let's do this!
From last week's list:
1) Quilt Indian Popcorn; settle on a name
DONE!
Sheesh! It seems like eons ago when I finished
this but I guess it was just a couple weeks?
It finished up at 74 X 85.5.
I stuck with November Stars for the name.
(I don't think anyone looks at the labels anyway!)
I chose simple swirls for the quilting, looking
for a feel of the wind swirling leaves around.
And yes, I even got the photo shoot done.
Both #2 and #3 on my list are from the same
pattern: Wooded Whimsy by Corey Yoder.
See below for some notes.
2) Finish Christmas quilt top #1; name
DONE!
Festive Firs -- 66 X 77.5
(I still need to get pics in the correct lighting
so it actually shows as white.)
These were just quick ones on our front porch.
(Pumpkins aren't very Christmas-y!)
Noteworthy: this pattern only uses 30 strips, and
there will be scraps left from those as well In retrospect
I might have just cut my own strips because I enjoy that.
I ended up making good use of the scraps at least
by putting them on the binding.
3) Start piecing Christmas quilt #2; name
DONE!
Joyful Junipers won't be far behind;
I'm waiting till next week with the pics
Noteworthy #2: This is a super-fun pattern but be prepared
for the tiny piecing in those stars to slow it down a bit.
I recommend using sizing on not just the stars but also the
the strips since you'll be sewing on them diagonally.
I did a test and it makes a solid difference!
Other things:
Last Thursday we joined up with our other son at
the Chicago airport and flew on together to NY.
As always, West Point Parents Weekend hits right
at peak fall foliage so I was in absolute heaven.
Jaw-dropping scenes every. where. requiring
occasional reminders to close my mouth before
I drooled. There's just nothing like fall up there.
End of story.
But not this story...
We visited our some of our favorite restaurants...
....and distilleries....
(I just love Bourbon the chonky cat!)
...took in a football game (we won!)....
....and even got to sit in
be wow'd by one of the cadet's classes.
Coincidentally it was the cadet's day to present.
I say it all the time but it's just overwhelming.
We knew Older Brother would enjoy a visit to the
simulation rooms, too. Above real guns are hooked up
for practice--minus ammo but with all the feel.
At this station cadets pair up with media students from
NYU. While the officers learn to immerse them safely
(as possible) into aggressive situations, the reporters
get a feel for real-life battle and how best
to conduct themselves while getting the scoop.
Complicated programs but still your basic gaming control!
I found this amusing. I don't think too much of gaming
but note to parents: military kids actually use those skills!
After a full weekend of fun, the cadet had to get back to
class and hubs and older son had to get back to work.
To kill some time on our way to the airport, we made
a quick stop to walk around Bear Mountain State Park....
...and through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
We discovered several years ago how beautiful
it is, especially at this time of year.
We drove by the grist mill of the famed
Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
And then went for some NY pizza.
A good ending to another NY trip.
I think the cadet really enjoyed having his older
brother see what he's been up to these last years
and I'm so glad we were able to bring him along.
The next family visit will be graduation. I'm sad
our oldest will likely not get the full experience but
she's currently growing a little human. I think all of
us moms have had times where we've missed out
but that pays off later. In my case, I look back
and know it was always worth it. I feel pretty
blessed with our four "little humans" for sure! Lol.
Back home I got right back in the sewing room.
I finished up the first Christmas quilt and made great
progress on the second. And over the weekend I
walked three rounds of golf (over 20 miles!), did
a little more garden clean up and made a
Halloween dinner for the fam.
And now it's time to look at the first week of
November already!
1) Photograph Festive Firs and list in shop
2) Finish Joyful Junipers
3) Start on daughter's winter themed quilt.
And that's that.
I'll see you all next week!
Happy quilting!
Happy quilting!
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