Abraham... The snaggle-tooth
wonder.

Somebody is playing in the quilting room...
And it's me, it's me!! Weeee! I am making a wallhanging for DD Eva. She drew me the most amazing picture and I'm attempting to replicate it in fabric. So far, so good. I'll show when I finish. But what a mess! I have projects exploding all over the room and I have decided that is how I like it!Sarah's quilt is coming along nicely- I only spent one hour removing stitches, today. Hey, that's progress. I came to the conclusion that the reason I didn't like the feather meander I started with was because the scale was all wrong. Her pieces are only 1 1/2" wide so I needed to small it down. Now I like. But then, I tried a little something different in the darker areas- thought Bonnie had a good idea there, but what I tried was a little too casual... so picked it all out and will try again, tomorrow. Once I decide what I am doing, really, it's all fun. I am still fiddling with the jacket fabric that I am making. And then there is the quilt I am still trying to finish for my cousin. I have all the blocks together and all the rows together- just need to join the rows. How hard is that? Yet, I'm not inspired to do that just now. I am wanting to spell a word via Tonya. Rejoice. Thought that would be nice for the season. And then, Jenny had a piece of artwork posted a few weeks ago and I wanted to try to make a quilt like it. It was huge blocks of color, different sizes, set very randomly. It was in autumn colors. Do you remember that one? Well, it was cool. Then the feasts began, today.

A few years ago, we started a new tradition where each child prepares a feast for the family. I was aiming for the season to mean more than just Xmas day and presents. Because the really valuable things in life aren't things. What matters are people and experiences. They can't remember what they got for Xmas last year, but they will always remember the wonderful times we had, together. I borrowed the idea, loosely, from Esther and her feasts. At the end of November we draw names for the order that they will go in and then for the month of December, we have about two feasts a week. That's eight kids. The menus are secret. No one else is allowed into the kitchen while the preparations are being made. They pick out simple gifts to give their "guests" and decorate the table- or the room. It sounds like a lot of work, but we try to keep it simple and according to each kids' skills. When all things are ready, they call for their guests to come into the feast. The kids ooo and ahh over the pretty table and all the good smells. Bill reads a short scripture and talks with the kids about it. Then the "host" serves everybody. We have the best time doing this. Tonight was Abraham's feast. He's two. Grandmother always asks what they fixed. He had chicken nuggets, french fries. He made Jello jigglers and sliced some cheese to go with crackers and grapes. I fixed a Texas sheet cake for dessert. He gave the kids each their own Xmas pencil and eraser. You should have seen the look on his face when he invited them in. He was so proud of himself. When it came time to serve the other kids, he'd give them a grape and then, take one for himself. He was stuffed before he ever got his chicken! I helped him cut out the pictures from some of last years Xmas cards to use as place markers. We look forward to this all year. The older kids plan what they are going to do, months in advance. It is amazing what some of them come up with. Bill is always trying to top the kids- he gets Xmas Eve and I get Xmas day. Last year, he strung huge pine boughs from the kitchen ceiling- I have beams, so he could do that. Then he strung little lights in them. He covered all the counters with boughs so that it felt like you were having a midnight picnic in the woods on a starry night. I can't imagine how he'll top that one.