When Life Gives You Scraps - Make Quilts

 

Curling up with a good movie, a pillow, and a warm quilt - that is my idea of the perfect New Year's celebration with one exception - it would be perfectly perfect if, however, we had a fire roaring in our fireplace, but since we don't want to burn down our house, candles will have to do - temporarily.  I cannot wait to have our fireplace fixed.  This winter just hasn't been the same without the warmth of the fire and the crackling and the smell.  I love the smell.  I miss the smell.  I don't miss having the fire department show up in an attempt to put out 10 foot flames shooting from our chimney and raining sparks down on our roof.

 

Memories of 2009.  I'm still workin' on that video.  In the meantime I've been enjoying the holidays with my family and just hanging out around the house - in my jammies and reflecting on the past year and what I can do to make 2010 a better year for all of us.

 

It's been a really difficult year, but not so difficult that we couldn't smile, or laugh, or find fun things to do as a family now and then.  We have a beautiful home and we are all, for the most part, healthy and happy.  We've come through this past year mostly unscathed from the unemployment debacle. There have been a few blunders along the way - like the fall out from Kathleen, and nearly knocking out my teeth when I fell in the driveway from playing basketball.  What a mess that was! But we're doing well.  We're cloaked in the security of each other.

 

Sadly, Bob's mother passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's.  She had faded so much that her passing was expected, although it was still painful.  What touched me was the tenderness my hubby showed in the caring of his mother to drive her home - to her final resting place - 600 miles North of us from North Carolina to Maryland.  I don't think Geneva would have had anyone else drive her home no matter how difficult it must have been on Bob knowing that his mother was in the back of the Suburban in a casket.

 

Thanksgiving and Christmas this year were spent quietly at home with the immediate family and that was fine with us.  We counted our blessings and prayed for a better year ahead.

I sold some paintings this year and enjoyed starting new ones.  I'm working on my largest painting to date - Maya - and I can't wait to show it to you.  36x54 of wind and sea and sailing.  One of my favorite subjects.

 

Tonight, we watched the movie Julie & Julia and loved every minute of it.  If you have not seen this movie, you really must get it.  It's great.  Even my mother found the strength to sit through the movie and enjoyed it.  Something that she rarely if ever is able to do.  

 

I still have lots to do to get ahead of myself in the New Year - I still have January mastheads to create, and stories to write.  Artists to add to Red Easel, and the newsletter to send out.  Bob and I are still trying to figure out how to start our own Rich Media company for artists and creative bloggers and we are discovering that it is a lot of work - but it might just be well worth it someday.  Hopefully something good will come of our efforts.

 

Thank you for stopping by my cozy little corner on the web.  I've made quite a few new friends here on Raisin Toast and I appreciate you all - especially when you comment!  At least when you comment I know that I am not just talking to myself.  What a shame that would be.

 

Happy New Year!  Here's a toast to you, (from my mug of hot cocoa to yours) and to a better year ahead, and that we may all find healthy resolutions to improve our lives and the world around us, and lots of scraps that we can weave together to create beautiful quilts to throw over each other's shoulders.

 


 

P.S. Don't you just love quilts?  I love to have them wrapped around me and I love making them too.  I'm even going to start off 2010 by making this beautiful quilt above called "French Roses."  As soon as I start it, I suppose I'll have to blog my way through the project - especially if I ever hope to finish it.