Once again, Christmas has come and gone

And in it's place are the left over decorations, waiting to be packed up for another year. I love having the same treasures to unwrap every year. We add something new each year of course. Our two main things we add yearly are a dated ball and an animated figure. My mom and dad gave us a Christmas ball that said First Christmas Together 1981 the year we got married. Since then, every year we have added a dated ball. Some years have new babies on the ornament. Some celebrate special things that happened a particular year - the year our football team won the championships. Some celebrate "world" things such as the American flag proudly waving on the 2001 ball. But each is special because it celebrates another year of togetherness. We hang them on a lighted garland around the ceiling in the livingroom.

The animated things are the little dancing, singing snowmen from Hallmark as well as some Santas (one on a motorcycle lol) and a few Nativities. We have a snow globe that I just love. Each night after the children put the ornament on the Advent tree they pick one to play. We have a house that plays The Night Before Christmas that we always save to play the first time on Christmas Eve.

Well since Christmas is over and all the gifts have been given I can update you on what I've been working on. This is Ryan's quilt:



And this is Cassie's:



I had posted a picture of the adorable little tree my daughter made in school. Here's my version of it:



As I was making ours I somehow committed myself to making eight more of these - yes that's right - three days before Christmas and I needed to make eight of these for presents. So Tasha and I started drawing, cutting, stuffing and sewing. And here is the result:



And even though Christmas is over the tree making isn't. We're going to try some in different sizes. But not for a week or so. lol.

I've removed my quilting gadget wish list from my sidebar because I was blessed to receive everything on it for Christmas! But I'm sure it won't be long before some other nifty thing crosses my path that I just "have" to have. lol.

Looking forward to the New Year I'm going to try some things here. I'm going to try to keep my quilting list to a minimum this coming year because with the added hours at work I'm going to be having less time to commit to quilting. So I'm going to gather up a list of things I really, really want to get finished and post them here and try to stay accountable to that list when all the neat ideas my friends forward to me come along. I have a few things I have made commitments to make and a few things I just want to make.

Well before I go here's the latest of Thunder. He got three wonderful presents for Christmas - his duck that he has already chewed the feet off, a box of gourmet dog biscuits and his pillow. And he loved them all.



Until next time, hugs and stitches. Jody