Giving thanks

Instead of starting with food for the Thanksgiving post, I'm starting with what I am most thankful for this year, even though they weren't with me in person. 

My daughter, who is vegan for moral reasons, visited a farm animal sanctuary in Spokane over the holiday where she snuggled chickens and turkeys and pet the pigs, cows, goats, rabbits and other peaceful creatures who are now living a safe life at the sanctuary. 

My son, who had a vegan Thanksgiving with his wife and in-laws in Illinois, reportedly snuggled their little dog for most of the day. 

My parents, below, celebrated at home in California with my brother.  My sisters were in Minneapolis and Port Townsend. Thanks to smart phone cameras and messaging, I felt connected to them all across the miles.

I started the day alone with a brisk walk in the neighborhood. This is the first time in 21 years that I haven't hosted Thanksgiving as a team with my husband for a crowd of friends and family, but thanks to my friend Carol I wasn't alone for long.

Carol graciously invited me to celebrate at her home with her husband, Steve, and a college friend of Carol's who drove up from Oregon. I felt so thankful that I was included. 

Carol eyes the pies.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday.

Have a colorful day

Sew Day color

I hosted Sew Day on Sunday, always a colorful event. Let's start with breakfast. We gave up on serving full breakfasts, so now it's just a little something like pastry and fruit. I found an almond kringle at Trader Joe's and grabbed it because they go quickly and I adore anything with almond paste. It was delicious.

Then Linda J. unfurled her show and tell, a bed-size quilt top for her granddaughter who just got married. Fabulous, and so many points to match!

Not part of show and tell, but I spotted a woman wearing this sweatshirt at Starbucks last week and asked to take a photo:

Then we got down to work. This cute little tree wool appliqué was Linda P.'s project:

Carolynn worked on a poinsettia wool applique:

Linda J. had a wool applique flowered table mat:

Nancy worked on a sashiko octopus!

And I started quilting the baby quilt for my friend's granddaughter:

Then we had lunch, which was white chicken chili with veggies, more fruit and chocolate mocha cookies.

 And I'm leaving you an invaluable piece of dietary advice:

 Have a colorful day

Port Gamble General Store -- a real prize!

Vignette outside the General Store
-- definitely a happy place.

I had a delightful day in a delightful historic town yesterday when I went to Port Gamble with a friend to shop, eat and pick up a gift basket that I won!

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to wander into the Port Gamble General Store when they were having a Christmas open house. They were passing out door prize tickets, so I filled one out and deposited it and didn't give it a second thought.

THEN I got a call from one of the new owners, Juan, this week that I had won a gift basket full of goodies from the store! So I hustled back and was presented it by Greg and had a nice chat with him about Port Gamble, the store and the shell museum on the store's second floor.

The basket was crammed with all sorts of wonderful products from the store, from a heavenly smelling lotion bar to candles, chocolate, Christmas decorations, fun socks, journals and much more.

I love the "Resting Snack Face" bag!

The free shell museum features one of the largest displays of shells in the world and is truly amazing (and colorful). It started as a high school biology project and has continued to grow over the past 40 years with a collection representing 40 different countries (according to a google reference). The Sea and Shore Museum is its official name and it is a non-profit organization.

Equally amazing are the cakes at the Butcher and Baker restaurant in town. Decisions, decisions -- and the towering coconut cake won.

The giant cookies were also tempting. 

Thus fortified, we toddled into the Quilted Strait, where my mission was to buy some bright fabric to supplement my stash so I can make a baby quilt for a niece's third daughter.

Quilt on display at the Quilted Strait.

The main colors in the baby's room are purple and green, and I found the perfect fabric! I've also read that circles make people happy (I already knew that), so I hope these dots will make the baby smile. 

This big splashy flower print is my focus fabric, and I'll alternate it with bright pieced blocks, either in a basket or star design. 

The prints below were already in my stash, but one can never have too many happy colors.

There were even happy circles outside the quilt shop, with these soft pink berries.

After washing the fabric, I gathered these loose threads for a photo. It's going to be a happy quilt!

Have a colorful day

Baking, quilting and rain continue

I've found a couple of keepers and two not so sures while trying new quick bread recipes to put in the freezer for the holidays. The Orange Pound Cake from the last post is definitely a keeper, and so is this tender, sweet Cherry Almond Bread dusted with just a touch of powdered sugar:

Cherry Almond Bread.

I'm still debating whether the Chocolate Peppermint Bread is gift worthy. How could something with those two ingredients not be good? Well, the loaves are heavy, a little gummy and not very sweet. I don't know if there is something wrong with the recipe or my oven or my tastebuds, but I'll have to get some other opinions on it. On the bright side, the leftover chocolate glaze will make good ice cream topping.

Chocolate Peppermint Bread

And then there's the Eggnog Bread, with rum in the batter and Kahlua drizzled on top. I haven't tasted these yet but I wasn't crazy about the batter.

In the studio, I'm working on this stroller quilt for a friend's first grandchild. The colors are soft and gentle with a twinkle of yellow.

Outside, it's been raining all night and all day. I'm not even planning to walk to the top of the driveway for the newspaper in this rain, let alone go anywhere else.

And I'm still collecting quotes:

Have a colorful day

Christmas sewing and baking

"Starry Night," 52 by 25 inches

We've set the clocks back and it's dark and rainy, which means I'm already turning to the brightness of Christmas to pull me through. 

I just finished this wool and cotton quilt based on the Wendy Williams pattern "Flocks By Night." I modified it a little, using more trees and fewer houses and omitting the colorful lights on the trees. I also left out the flock of sheep.

I was planning to sew buttons on the trees for the lights, but after I did the swirling quilting I decided I liked the trees au natural.

Then I whipped out five little stockings for my daughter's five little bunnies, because I'm going to spend Christmas with them!!!

Here are the little cuties.

I can't wait to snuggle with them!

Then there is the holiday baking, which I always start early and put in the freezer. First up were orange pound cake mini loaves. Of course, I had to eat one to make sure they were gift worthy.

I'm also going to make cherry almond, chocolate peppermint, and eggnog loaves -- all new recipes for me. And maybe my standard pumpkin chocolate chip. I have to make a lot, because I tend to go into the freezer before Christmas and eat some before it's time to give them as gifts.

Outside, we still have very nice color on the trees.

 Have a colorful day