Deer Visitors

These pictures were taken this morning from inside the house. Our owl was also here, in the redbud tree that overhangs the deck.

My Family Holiday Gathering

I treated everyone to lunch at the Hometown Buffet, then to our house for Scrabble, looking at old pictures and video games. I finally got Alyssa, Nick and Tim's quilts to them - Chrissy and Cody got theirs long ago.

Christmas Eve

My reliable "holiday" cactus is blooming for Christmas - it also blooms at Easter and Thanksgiving. I put up the medium size tree this year in the upstairs living room, Christmas slipped up on me pretty fast this year. At UUFD we had a very lovely service on Christmas eve - lots of music, carols and a dance followed by treats brought by everyone.

Snow!

We got a beautiful sparkly fluffy snowfall starting on Saturday evening. Lots of visitors came to our bird buffet.

Happy Winter Solstice!

I had just finished decorating the tree and was looking out the winter and there on a branch nearby was our owl visitor looking at us. (double click on the picture to get a close-up view)

More pictures from Sunday

Kline Gathering Dec. 20,2009

 

 

 

 

Dad hosted his annual holiday dinner today. We ate at Jack's Cafe and then to the house at the farm for the afternoon. It started snowing during the day.

New Kitchen Window

We got a "garden" window put into the kitchen: a badly needed space for plants, the only east window in the house. The plants are happy, and it brightens up the kitchen.

Old Kitchen Window

 

Here is the window as it was before the new one was put in.

Sunday Afternoon with Grandkids

 

I took Alyssa, Nick and Tim to the Christmas teas at the Millikin Homestead and the Oglesby Mansion. We ate lunch at Panera's and went to the library.

Chocolate Charms done!

I have a finished project - Chocolate Charms, made with 2 charm packs of the Moda Chocolate collection that I had bought from a vendor at our QuiltFest in 2008. I got the pattern from Janesville,WI shop on our DQG bus trip July 28, 2009. It was for a table runner, but I doubled the center to make a lap quilt. Bought the border fabric from Stitch and Sew in Arthur,Il on Oct. 19. Finished on Nov. 26.

Owl in Our yard

 

This is a big barred owl that was sitting in our tree yesterday morning.

Lilias Calendar after 32 Years!

 

I first saw this calendar back in 1977 when this calendar was originally published for the year 1978. I had started watching Lilias, Yoga and you on PBS in 1973; and on lucky days when both my babies were asleep at the same time- I could do the practice. I was living near Springfield, saw the calendar in a bookstore at Fairhills mall, picked it up and wanted it, but didn't have the money. When I went back 2 weeks later when I had the money; there were all gone. I've occasionally thought about it, esp. when I've gone by Fairhills mall (the bookstore isn't even there anymore) "oh, I wish I could have gotten that calendar".
Fast forward to the year 2009, and on Lilias' website I saw that the calendar has been reissued with the same photos and text, but just the year changed to 2010. I shouted with joy and ordered it immediately, received it today! After 32 years the universe has granted my wish!
On her TV show at the end she would say something like "thank you for coming to class, and someday our paths will cross" -- well, in 2004 I was offered a free trip to Omega Institute in New York in exchange for accompanying a UU friend there for her workshop on chant; Lilias was there at the same time, so I took her class and did meet her in person! I was thrilled! I went back to Omega for her workshop the following year also - by myself.

Sewing Day with my Granddaughter

Columbus Day Oct. 12, 2009. No school and no work for me! I picked up Alyssa, had lunch out, shopped a little and then to my sewing room. We worked on the quilt she and I had started 2 (!) years ago. A wonderful day.

UUFD Weiner Roast

On October 3 we wentto a member's farm near Assumption for a weiner roast. It was drizzling a light rain and was fairly chilly for the first part of the evening, so we cooked around the fire and then went back inside to eat. Later, the weather started to clear up so we went back outside to toast marshmallows and make somemores.
As the full moon came out from behind the clouds, the coyotes started to sing. When the clouds covered it again, they stopped. It was a fun time, and then I heard a great horned owl as I was leaving. I enjoy weiner roasts a lot, and will always remember the ones when I was growing up on the farm, back in the timber when the elms were dying. We had some big fires! Especially for my birthday party, Dad took my friends back to the timber on a haywagon, Mom made hot chocolate, it was my favorite birthday.

CSA Potluck at the Farm

Last Saturday evening T and I went to the farm near the Sangamon outside of Rochester, for the yearly get-together. A bonfire with veggie soup cooking over it, huge potluck from the many members, goats(frisky), a newborn calf, chickens, etc. A "Mother Earth News", back to the land place IMO. Very cool. The picture is of the veggies we got tonight -Tues. Oct. 6.

Sangamon River in October

On Monday afternoon, I took a walk to the river. Not much rain lately and the river is very low.

Evening Star Block and a FINISHED Project!

Here is my September Evening Star block.
I actually finished something! (I have a lot of quilt pieces, but not so many actual quilts). The table runner is for our Guild bus trip challenge- if we finished a project bought on our July trip to Wisconsin before our fall trip (Oct. 24), we can enter our name for a prize drawing. I bought the pattern-Summer Fans table runner at Life's A Stitch Quilt Shoppe in Janesville, WI and about half the fabric on the trip. It was finished about the time of the Autumnal Equinox, so I named mine "Mabon Fans". I'll take it for show & tell to the evening group guild meeting next Monday.

Midwest Birding Symposium

Terry and I had a wonderful time Sept. 17-19 at the MBS in Lakeside Ohio. We stayed at the Evening Song Cottage Bed & Breakfast, went on a sunset cruise on Lake Erie, heard great naturalist speakers, saw some birds (including an osprey and a caspian tern), ate good food (especially Buckeye Classic ice cream), bought "birdy" stuff at the marketplace, Terry gave me Julie Zickefoose book "Letters from Eden" that she signed for my birthday, and walked around the town with cute little cottages. We enjoyed very beautiful weather and it was all over too soon.

Quilt WIPs

WIPS=Works in progress. In August did a little sewing; two more Dear Jane blocks, my fifth Applique Affair block, and another set of four 6" blocks for the guild BOM project.

Prairie Celebration

Took Nick to Rock Springs Center this afternoon. We watched the "old Time" artisans-a potter, yarn dyer, weaver, blacksmith, etc. Nick watched the blacksmith complete the long process of making the S hook, and he gave it to Nick when he finished. He's standing in front of the tall prairie grass.
Kids were trying the Native American atlatl which was used to hunt buffalo, and Nick made it really fly.
Terry was working there today, and drove the wagon ride when Nick and I went on it. After the ride we went inside and listened to a couple of songs from the bluegrass band that Chrissy and Cody's other grandparents play in.