TEN MINUTE BLOCK

I've made this block before and when lived in Texas my guild had a workshop to make donation quilts out of this block.  So, now that I'm in Oregon, I offered to demonstrate how to make the block in my guild here.  In February, I will be doing that, so I decided I needed to make a couple samples to show them.

The first one is a table runner made out of a charm pack.  It is super easy and with a charm pack, I didn't even need to cut any fabric!  This charm pack had been in the bottom drawer long enough, and the fabric is lovely - Hemming House by Bannock & Patek for Moda.  It took less about an hour to put this top together.

This next top will be a donation quilt, as the guild I belong to donates to a few different places, a hospital, for one.  I cut all the pieces for this to 8" and each block finishes at 15",  so it is 45" square.  

I will quilt these before the demo and have sample blocks in various degrees of progress to show how it is done.

On my daily walk, I pass this tree, which always amazes me because of its size and the covering of moss.   I wonder how old it is.

I think I have finished all my Christmas sewing and the shopping is almost done.  I have some cookies and appetizers in the freezer already and more to make.  My sister will be visiting after Christmas!  How are your preparations going?

QUILTER'S CHRISTMAS PARTY

Today is the Quilter's Christmas Party put on by SewCalGal and we are supposed to tell something about ourselves.  I have been blogging about quilting for 5 years now and my blog has been mostly about that, because that's what I started it for.  But, lately I have been lucky enough to become involved in a very special family.

First, I will backtrack a little.  Years ago my DH and I were missionaries in Colombia, South America and our boys had a particular science teacher while we were there.  That science teacher and his wife had a little girl named Carrie.  Carrie grew up and married Gavin Jones.  They became missionaries in New Guinea, where Gavin is a helicopter pilot and Carrie is a public health worker.

About six months ago, another friend of mine asked me if I had heard that the Jones couple were expecting quintuplets and I hadn't, so she directed me to their blog.  I started following their blog and when they asked for volunteers to help with the babies, and since I love babies, I sent in my name.  (Besides, I'm a grandma with no baby to rock as they live too far away!)  The Jones'  live just 5 minutes from me and I am going there once a week to help with the babies.  For me, it is fun and I'm very happy to be able to help in a small way.

You can visit their blog to find out all about them.  The quintuplets have an older brother who is 8 years old, so they went from 1 boy to 4 boys and 2 girls!  Can you imagine???

Gavin and Carrie holding 4 of the babies.  One baby, Seth, is still in the hospital.

David and Will

Seth - he needs extra treatment for his lungs.

Marcie and Grace

 If you go visit their blog, you can find out more about their work and the daily life of a family with quintuplets.  It is quite a challenge and they need our prayers for strength in the every day challenges that most parents face - times 5!

One last picture of Grace that is so cute:

Gracie showing off her head bow and her cannula: "This is my cannula and I am not ashamed!"
She had an excellent pulmonologist report, praise God, and we are starting to decrease her time on oxygen each day.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions started when I was a child.  My grandmother and aunt would make lefse every year - a Norwegian potato pancake that you put butter and sugar on and roll up.  I got the recipe from them when I was in high school.  When I got married, I started making it myself and although I can't say that I made it every year, I probably did make it the majority of them.  I have already made some and it is safely in the freezer for Christmas Eve.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and remember the One whose birth we are commemorating.