Tuesday, November 23, 2021

CHRISTMAS PASTS 2...






The kids came up on the 21st 

and we had a wonderful time. 

 It was short and sweet 

as they had to go right back home 

but it was all worth it. 





 These days, any time spent together

 is such a glorious treat.  

We had a good meal,

 celebrated Jake's birthday,

 got to see Jacenda's ring 

for the first time in person 

and got to meet our fur great grand baby all at once...




...she is adorable,
 a great delight, super smart,
 and displayed such good manners. 

Her mom and dad had a

 different story to tell

 but at great-grandma's house

 she was on her best behavior.

She took a sunbath...




...and went for a walk

through the autumn leaves.




Kisses were exchanged between cousins,
 but the other cousin (Robin) 
wanted nothing to do with Bean
 and, for sure, didn't want her around me! 
 Kai was infatuated with her 
and wanted to be by her side at all times.




My Great Grandmother's quilt


Before we jump right into the past time,

 I want to show you my 

latest effort in the quilt block saga. 

 I really don't know why I have become so

 fascinated with  quilts lately 
but, for some unknown reason, I have.  

I only own two old quilts. 

 One was done

 by my great grandmother's hand

 and one I bought at an antique shop.

  The only value 

that they have is sentimental, 

especially the one 

from my great grandmother. 

 I have never made a quilt

 in the way that they are 

supposed to be made.  

When the kids were little

 I made them each a "quilt" 

that consisted of 

two pieces of fabric

 with a layer of batting

 between the pieces and then

I tied them all together with yarn. 

 Cute but nowhere in competition

 of any quilt. 


 A funny story regarding 

one of those quilts:

Our son sucked his thumb 

and used his quilt as a security blanket

 at the same time. 

 He drug it every place and called it his noni.

  It was always dirty 

but it was a great loss for him to be without it so I devised a scheme. 

 I cut the quilt in pieces 

so that he could have

 a clean piece at all times.

  Over time, the pieces became so worn that, one by one, they were thrown out. 

 When he was down to the last piece, 

he let it go out the car window 

while driving down the freeway.  

All I could hear from the back seat 

was a teary little voice saying, 
"my noni, my noni"
 and that was the end of that. 

 I wanted something to do one day

 that involved painting 

and I think I thought that quilt blocks

 would be an easy 

and fast fun thing to do.  

They are harder to do (at least for me) than they look

 but I was hooked.  

So here is my latest endeavor

 and how it began:



I bought this picture a few years back 

but, unfortunately,

 it didn't seem to fit in anyplace 

and was not really pleasing to the eye. 

 It was three feet long

 and just a bunch of Ball jars in a line. 

 So as the saying goes,

 when you are given lemons,

 make lemonade and  

I turned it into something else. 

 I ordered a special stencil 

and this is what I came up with:



I am really pleased with it.

  I thought I should have made 

the quilt ends a little smaller 

but after looking at it for awhile,

 it has grown on me. 

 Now it is doing more

 that just sitting in a corner gathering dust.




Now here is the rest of

 Christmas Pasts 

that I promised you.







































































Before I close, 
I would like to share with you 
something that someone sent to me:


"Judy, thank you for a peek into your wonderful world.  There is peace, tranquility and a feeling of safety that all of us look for in today's world but rarely find.  There's a look of the late 1800s but the feel of the safety of the 1950s.  It's good that you've found a way to communicate with people on a level we all can enjoy, recognize and feel comfortable with.  Thanks again for giving us all a little place to come to when things get ugly or unacceptable."


I certainly felt blessed 
when I read this. 
 Thank you so much.
 
 This is the time of year 
for thanksgiving and gratitude
 and I hope you all know 
that the words above
 are exactly what I hope
 that you will take away 
when you read my blog.
  
What these special people in my life said,
 and so much better than I ever could,
 is how I feel about
 each and every one of you 
and how much I appreciate
 all your kindness, your good thoughts and your friendship.




Have a wonderful 
and blessed Thanksgiving.


...Judy...






Happy Birthday, dear Jake. 
 We love you to the moon.

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25 comments:

  1. Lovely post Judy. I so enjoy reading and seeing your fun photos. How special the family came for a visit, even if it was short. Such an adorable puppy. So glad the fur babies liked each other. Your Christmas decor is lovely. Your quilt is wonderful, such precious memories. I am thankful knowing you through Blogland, even though we live rather close to each other. Maybe one day, we shall meet in person. I am wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving. xoxo

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    1. Thanks so much, Linda. Your words mean so much and I appreciate them. Maybe one day, that would be nice..Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving..xxoJudy

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  2. Love your Christmas past. Glad your family and you could have some time together. Such a gift these days. I have a little black and white Boston fur granddog and they are smarties for sure. Glad Kai took to your little Bean. How cute. Have a great rest of the week and Happy Thanksgiving. xoxo

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    1. Thanks so much, Kris. I had only ever seen them in black and white so this was a surprise to me. She really is a little sweetie. Kai and she were so cute together. Robin is just the sweetest but she is not great at sharing her people..Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving..xxoJudy

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  3. Everything is so warm and cozy, Judy. I would like to crawl into each and every photo, gaze at those beautiful trees, snuggle in with what I know would be great cocoa or tea! I'm glad your time with the family was good and I love your quilt pieces. Isn't it fun to get obsessed about something creative that is such fun? nice work! Happy Thanksgiving, Judy!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jeanie. I do get obsessed sometimes. I am obsessed now with Christmas but I seem to be moving slower than I would like..Have a wonderful Thanksgiving..xxoJudy

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  4. Thank you for part two of your Christmas photos. I loved looking at every single one of them. Your house is the perfect combination of beauty and cozy. I never get tired of looking at photos of your cottage. Glad you enjoyed your family dinner and glad the puppies got to meet. Happy Thanksgiving to you and the captain.

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    1. Thanks so much for your wonderful words. I appreciate them so much. We had a great time but always wish it could be longer..Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving..xxoJudy

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  5. Judy, your home wears Christmas, so well. Your house is just gorgeous and all the decorations just add to its warmth and charm. That story about your son and hit noni is so sweet, a cherished memory, I'm sure. I wish you a lovely Thanksgiving and am so glad you were able to see your family. xxoo

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    1. Thank you so much, Kim. I really appreciate all your words. That is a special memory for sure and am working hard to get the Christmas spirit going..Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family my friend..xxoJudy

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  6. What a wonderful quilt that your Great Gramma made and what a treasure you have it. I love quilts and so wish I knew who made them and their story. Speaking of stories, so sorry to hear you son lost his last piece of his quilt, but a clever idea t cut it up into pieces. Your home is so magical at Christmas. So love the pics of past ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Janice

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    1. Thanks so much, Janice. I love quilts too and wish I had more of them. My great grandmother pieced the quilt together from pieces of dresses that my grandmother and her sisters wore (so the story goes) but it was never finished so I don't display it too much, only at special times. I'm glad you enjoyed the look back and hope I can get going to show more of the future times..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  7. Its ALWAYS so cozy and comforting visiting you, glad you had a great Christmas! Its fun to see your different seasons, I so admire the work it takes to make everything so festive. Hope you are having a wonderful thanksgiving, we finished our meal and my husband is napping it off, blaming it on turkey! I'm thinking how much work I have to remove fall and set up Christmas, there is not enough hours in a day!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jain, and I am right with you about not having enough hours in a day and I don't have even half the work you do. I am managing to get some done though but it is a slow process and I have decided that it does not bother me at all. Taking time out for fun although Christmas is fun for me but time consuming. Time well spent..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  8. Happy Thanksgiving my friend!! So glad to hear that you were able to spend it with family!!
    You know how much I enjoy seeing your beautiful cottage all decked out in her Christmas finery...I have managed to finish all my decorating before Thanksgiving so now I can sit back and relax and do some crafting!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind words which I truly do appreciate!!
    Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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    1. Thanks so much, Deb. I envy you your organization to have it all done and enjoying it. I have decided that I am going to enjoy it while I am doing it so it will be a slow process but I don't mind as I could do Christmas all year long..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  9. Lovely post, as always.
    I'm so happy for you to be able to spend time with family, and to get to celebrate your Grandson's birthday!
    I do love seeing all of your projects and decorations. I needed this post to help get me in the spirit of decorating for Christmas!

    Warm wishes..
    ~K.

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    1. Thanks so much, Kerin. We had a great time with the family. It was so much fun. I do hope I helped put you in the mood and spirit. I am plugging away, slow but sure..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  10. So glad that you were able to celebrate the holiday with your loved ones! So nice to have the little one's birthday, too. What a cutie-pie. They are so precious at that age and grow up so fast, as you well know. Your little great-grand pup is adorable, too. Always love seeing your home decorated for the holidays and so fun to see the Christmas' past. I am in love with your red transfer-ware and your great grandmother's quilt. What a treasure! So clever how you repainted the sign. Such a great idea. My children had a 'lovey' blanket, too. It's so sweet that you remember the story of what happened to it. I can't remember what happened to my children's - I'll have to ask them! Always a joy to come visit and catch up with your beautiful world. Sending hugs xo K

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    1. Thanks so much, Karen. I love thinking about that time when the kids were little. I am trying to get some decorating done for Christmas but it is a slow process. I drag one box out and then I have to sit for awhile and rest my back. Not fun, but I am not letting it stop me in any way. It will all get done just take a little longer, and I am enjoying it as I go..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  11. It's wonderful to be able to spend time with loved ones.

    This was such a happy post and I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs.

    My good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks so much, Jan. Time with family is a very happy time and we feel so blessed when it happens. I'm glad you enjoyed Christmas Pasts and hopefully, I will have some Christmas Future to show soon..Happy Monday..xxoJudy

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  12. Judy, I'm just getting caught up on reading your two Christmas past posts. I so loved seeing every nook and cranny of your sweet cottage decorated "over the moon"!!! I even took away a few ideas of things I just must have for my house! It is all so very comfy, cozy and feels like home, just like what the gal said that sent you that lovely 'thank you'. So glad you got to spend Thanksgiving with your family! hugs.. Marilyn

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy