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Banner Hanging

The church Advent banner is hanging, made by the Art and Spirituality Journey Group with directions from The Leader, Mennonite Publishing Network.  Let the season begin, next Sunday.

We used felt for the background fabric and lots of Wonder Under to add the design.  Lots of stitching.  I ended up doing free motion on the dove with all its ins and outs and changes in direction.

On the communion table, we did an urban wasteland landscape, also with directions from the Leader.  Sounds a little strange for Advent, but I think it will work, especially with our urban church under renovation and currently torn-up on one side.  Thanks to Violet for salvaging some of the bricks for our landscape.

Holiday Baby Quilt

The donation November baby quilts are in a holiday theme.  And here's mine.

I don't have a name for the pattern.  The instructions are ever so simple.  Cut 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles from two fabrics and 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectanges from a third fabric.  If your fabrics have a direction, like the snowmen, note which way is up.

Sew smaller rectangles to the top of one group of larger rectanges, using a 1/4" seam.  Your block should then measure 6 1/2" x 6 1/2".  Sew smaller rectangles to the bottom of the other group of larger rectanges.  Sew horizontal rows together first, alternating patterns.  And then, sew the rows together, once again alternating patterns.  That's it. 

Here She Is

Here she is, the pretty Garden Snow Lady, complete with raffia and crystals.  She was fun to embroider and went together easily.  Anita Goodesign.  She's going to work tomorrow.

It's been a busy and happy week.  After my gym time this morning, I had a flash, just a flash, of what an enjoyable habit it used to be to go to Seabury Gym, back in my pre-Ecovillage Berea days.  Maybe soon the flash will become a little more.  I did try two new machines today.

The gym I'm going to is like a gym warehouse.  Lots of cardiac machines, all lined up, and some weight machines, all lined up.  It used to be a Sears Hardware, about a mile from home.  I'm finding that I really like the "stoplight room," where you use the step box for a minute, then go to a machine, then back to the step box for another minute.

One of my goals for the year was to have my Christmas cards ready before Thanksgiving.  Which is in a week.  Not one card is ready yet. 

One of my Thanksgiving Day pleasurers is listening to Splendid Table on NPR.  Questions are as simple as, "How do you make mashed potatoes?" and as complex as "How do you cook turducken?"  And through all the questions, the host is so gracious, even when someone calls and says they just got their turkey out of the freezer.   

Behringer Crawford Holiday Trains

There is a small museum in Covington that has a wonderful holiday train display.  A wonderful year-round train display too, actually.  Totally different than the one in downtown Cincinnati, smaller, no lines, up-close viewing, free parking.  The people who put this together put in more set-up time than I can imagine. 

There were also crafts and the usual paddle-boat fun, fishing off the dock with magnetic fish and poles, using speaker tubes to talk with someone on the floor above or below.  I'm pretty sure that Aaron could stay all day, as long as there were other kids from time to time and regular meals.

Tonight I'm pretty excited to get started on Anita Goodesign's Garden Snow Lady, an in-the-hoop project with seven hoopings.  I always love doing these and I have my fabric picked out with my stabilizer and Decor Bond ready.  In some ways it's not really creative, someone else has already done the creating, but sometimes I like to just follow the directions.  Probably in the same way I loved paint by numbers as a kid.  With Anita Goodesign I always know that everything will fit together well and be nicely digitized.  The directions will make sense.  What's not to enjoy?   

Advent Banner

Last night five of us, with one infant to cheer us on, worked on putting together an Advent banner, to be displayed on December 1.  Lots of Wonder Under, plus a good pattern from The Leader (Mennonite Church USA.)  It still needs some sewing, but the hard part is finished.  Yay! for us.  The completed banner has a dove over the pink and red circles.

It's been a busy week with lots of sewing and embroidery, two quilt guild meetings, plus two other evening meetings.  After delivering dinner to a recovering friend, I'm SO glad to be home on this rainy night. 

Veteran's Day

Yesterday, Veteran's Day, Nora was off school and we went to a movie at Newport on the Levee.  The website said that the first showing was 10:30, but when we got there it was 11:45.  So, we spent a pleasant hour at the aquarium.  I've learned to keep our aquarium passes with me since some of our visits seem to end up unplanned.

The old guy, above, usually sits in a corner, absolutely still, but this time he was out and about.  We saw several new arrivals, plus others we usually don't see because Aaron is skipping on ahead.  Aaron WAS in school and didn't come on this trip.  We admired Mighty Mike without the usual crowd.

We saw Free Birds, with the turkeys trying to get off the Thanksgiving menu.  I can see its possibilities in DVD sales as a holiday movie.  Nora picked out a little stuffed animal at Claire's, we had lunch, and that was our day out.  

What Happened?

Aaron goes to public school kindergarten Tuesdays and Thursdays and every other Friday, more or less.  That's the way kindgarten is at his school.  On Mondays and Wednesdays he goes to Montessori kindergarten. 

Today was his Friday off, and I enjoy only child time with both him and Nora whenever the chance comes up.  I took this picture of Aaron eating chocolate ice cream at Graeter's and wondered . . . what happened to the little boy he once was?

We went to the library and Graeter's and he played video games and read a Bob book.  He is very happy to be reading and does a good job of it.  He loves math.  He's a little boy no more.       

Riddleview Park

My house is halfway up a hill, and to get to the park at the end of the street you go down, a little, and up, a lot.  And there it is, a nice green space on top of the hill, in the city.  There are some nicely marked hiking trails and some new playground equipment.  Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

The grands like to make their way to the park and they always get to the top of the hill before I do.  Who knows why, but the big climber always turns into an ice cream shop.  Yesterday there were pretend Thanksgiving ice cream flavors, pumpkin pie, cranberry, turkey, and the disliked gravy ice cream.  With cherries and chocolate sauce and every kind of drink you could want.  There was no hiking, little climbing, no swinging, just . . . ice cream shop. 

The autumn trees were beautiful, but my picture just looks flat.  You'll have to take my word for it.   

Day After Halloween

I only had five Trick or Treaters and it looks like one of them lost something.