When I was a young wife and mother of two,
I was fortunate to not have to work outside the home.
I was able to give all my time
to my family and my housekeeping
and I was very happy to do so.
As the kids grew older and started school,
I wanted to take advantage of
having my own little paycheck
so, I could add to my growing love of
antiques and crafting
and not put any burden on our household budget.
I went to work for an elderly lady that I had met.
She was, then,
probably close to the age that I am now.
I cleaned her house, ran errands for her,
and lunched with her regularly.
I think, in the beginning, I was probably more
of a companion to her,
but we became close friends.
She was an accomplished and interesting woman.
I could sit and listen for hours about the dinner parties she hosted in her day
and of all the exciting travels she and her husband had taken around the world.
She came from the Sacramento area,
to what was then, their summer home in Santa Cruz.
After retirement, they moved there permanently.
It was a very modest home, that sat on the cliffs,
with a spectacular view overlooking the ocean.
The outside, although surrounded by
beautiful flower gardens,
did not leave a clue as to what was inside
She had the most wonderful collection of
antiques I had ever seen
and there were many stories as to how and why
they had been acquired.
Our love of old things was the great bond between us.
In time, I rarely left her house
without a beautiful hand painted piece of porcelain
or some other beautiful something
that she had generously gifted to me.
Unfortunately, during our time together,
she lost her only daughter
and then her husband of many years
and as her health started failing,
she decided to move back to Sacramento
to be closer to her grandchildren.
Sadly, I never saw her again until her funeral,
but every time I see one of those beautiful pieces that now belong to my collection,
I think of Mrs. Mac and
all the good times we had together
and how much she taught me.
As I was cleaning out the cedar chest
that we turned into a TV cabinet,
I came across this beautiful quilt
that she had given to me.
It was one that she said an aunt had started
but never finished.
It is all hand pieced together with beautiful soft colors in silk, satin and brocades.
It is in wonderful shape and a very heavy piece.
It measures about 6 feet by 6 feet.
I don't know why this style is called 'crazy quilt'
as it is a beautiful work of art.
I always plan a theme. Do you?
Even though the decorations remain
mostly the same from year to year,
it just gives me a satisfied feeling to know
that they are put together
with a certain thought in mind,
even if I am the only one who knows it.
I've tried to give you a small refresher course
of some of our Christmas's past during this post.
I'm sure you will notice the great similarities
between the past and the present
when all is said and done
but, hopefully, my rendition will live up to
what you would expect
A Crazy Quilt Christmas Cottage to look like.
Not quite a Hallmark movie...but close.
