Hello!

Well hello there!  Here it is, Presidents' Day weekend and Valentine's Day all in the same few days.  How quickly February passes.  And today is the birthday of one of our nieces.  Party on!

It's been a beautiful day.  Snow was forecast overnight, but it didn't begin until about daybreak.  It's cold, very cold as in the teens, and so even though it snowed almost all day, we got maybe three inches of very light, fluffy snow. We are supposed to get more over the weekend so we'll see how it goes.  

I don't have a lot of Valentine decorations, but I did make that runner last year with a kit from Shabby Fabrics so this is its first appearance.  I do love it!

I still use the four red hearts on sticks that Daniel gave me when he was five.  They warm my grammy heart each year when I get them out. Treasures, that's what they are.  

And of course, we must have the appropriately colored peanut M&M's in a bowl.  

I'm continuing to stitch away on my counted cross stitch.  I ordered a few more patterns for the Prairie Schooler Santas from more recent years and they came.  I saw a framed piece someone from the Instagram group for the Santas did and I'm hoping to do something similar.  It will probably take me a year or so though, so don't hold your breath!  :-)

And last, I ordered a new Instant Pot cookbook by the Six Sisters and it came.  I think it's going to be a good one!

Hope everyone is keeping warm!  This cold seems to be affecting a large part of our country.  But it is winter! ♥

Happy Valentine's Eve...and Other Stuff

Here we are, almost half way through February, and tomorrow is Valentine's Day. The only room where I have Valentine's decorations is the dining room.  I did add a thing or two this year, though. On the table is this little setting:

The hearts on a stick in the vase were a gift from Daniel last year.  He bought them on the day we spent together while Ann took her friend Dayna on a round of doctors and hospitals.  Every time I look at those four hearts, I smile.  And I'm smiling, too, because Dayna's latest MRI showed further shrinkage of her brain tumor and a PET scan showed no active cancer cells!  Her doctor told her she's in uncharted territory and gave her three weeks off of her chemo.  She's enjoying renewed energy and a trip to Mexico with her sisters and mom as I type.  

I liked the leaves I made for the knob of the china hutch last fall so much that I was inspired to stitch out a Mary Engelbreit heart for this season.  Such a simple addition sure adds a lot:

Here's a bigger view of the whole hutch including a candle with a seasonal wrap:

Several years ago I created a banner for the embroidery club I taught at the quilt shop.  There's no mantle over our fireplace to place it under, and I couldn't figure out where else to put the banner, so I'm embarrassed to say I never put it up. This year I had an idea and it worked--under the dining room window:

Here's a longer range view showing the banner, the table, and the ultimate Valentine's decorating essential, a bowl of appropriately colored Peanut M&Ms:

Meanwhile, our hearts have been heavy this week as our friend, Steve, seems to be losing his battle with cancer. Steve, just a few years older than our kids, has been a good buddy of Dan's, is one of the pastors at our church, and with his wife, Tina, has provided us and many others, with an end of the holidays party known as Italian New Year's for a number of years.  As a couple, they have touched many lives near and far. We and hundreds of others are in prayer for this family that includes two young sons.  ♥

Table Runners

A confession.  I love table runners!  I love to make them, I love the look of them!  Itty bitty little quilts, scattered here and there on the tops of tables.  As a quilter, I get a lot of bang for my little buck--not much fabric, not much work, lots of color and comfort.  What a deal!

Before Christmas I made up a new pattern, Waffle Time by Atkinson Designs, in the Moda Sentiments Christmas fabrics and it was just right.  I made it for our new coffee table, but in the end, it wasn't right there.  However, it was just right on the dining room table.  

I decided that to justify my purchase of the pattern, I should make another runner.  With the new living room furniture, the need for more runners is obvious.   (Smile) Since Valentine's Day is coming up, a runner for the holiday seemed a logical choice.  I found a couple of matching prints in the shop's mark-down area (Free Spirit's Valentine print from several years ago) and said, "Sold!"  The fabric features those conversational hearts so reminiscent of grade school Valentine's parties. I added some mottled red and pink fabrics, and last night finished this:

Kinda like going from classic to kitsch, but there you have it!  It's a versatile pattern, and this new runner will look great with a big bowl of pink and red peanut M&M's!  Or maybe a bowl of those hearts.  :-)