Happy New Year!

What a year! Shew! I'm tired just thinking about it. But smiling, too! I have travelled and seen so many things that I never dreamed. Visited with friends and family that I hold dear in my heart. It has been a great year. I won't bore you with the details, but you can take my word for it!

We will be spending the evening quietly, here at home. Sounds so lovely. I made a pot of funny soup- it'll be funny if anybody eats it! Just some of this and that- with almost no carbohydrates- something else I did this year. I ate way too much! Time to moderate!

These little blocks were designed by Sandra Peterson. (Check out her gallery at www.SPetersonArts.com ) She is a local quilter- who got 2nd place at Paduccah, this year. Nice to know a celebrity, huh? And she's just as nice as she can be. Well, she made up these blocks for a paper piecing class that I had the chance to take this fall. I choose most of my fabrics from a new line of Tonga batiks. You didn't expect more than a brief foray into the world of flannel, did you? I was hoping to finish a small wallhanging of 4 blocks in time for the holidays... but somehow, time got away from me. Wonder how that happens? So, two blocks are done and I am hoping to finish the next two in the coming month. No hurry now that the year is at an end, right? As I get older, I have started to appreciate the winter months more. No, not the cold, but the time. Months stretched out before me with no weeds to worry with, no getting out because the roads are treacherous... just some time. When I was a kid I just hated this time of year- the months between Xmas and Easter. Cold and lacklustre. But now, I see it as a perfect opportunity to slow down and enjoy the time. Time to cook a pot of slow-simmering soup. Time to read to the children- who aren't busting to get outside to play. Time to sew, and quilt, slowly, with no deadlines or obligations. Ahh... winter. It's not so bad as you might think!

Have a blessed year, my friends in blogland. I love our time, together, learning new things, meeting new people, and just laughing at ourselves, sometimes! ~Nina