… back to the beginning. . .

The first quilt I ever designed is 'For My Grandmas' (above). 

That was 2005 (?… I think.)

It is a wall hanging size, & when it first came out, almost immediately I got emails wondering if it was available in queen size. I was so busy making other new patterns - I never got back to it. . . until now.

I have been fiddling around with the directions & my calculator, & I'm finally at the 'testing' point. (… not to mention that because this quilt design has a lot of meaning for me I really have wanted to have it as a quilt for my bed…)  So yesterday, I started cutting all the pieces for the star blocks. It was more like cut some pieces. . . take a break. . . cut some more. . . take another break. . . (!) (For the original there were nine star blocks. . . for the queen size - there are thirty-six!) I'm having fun making it a scrappy version (like the original) - using my 'Hill Farm' fabrics. For the next few days - we are supposed to have some more rain & cool days again (& more snow on our mountains) - so it will be perfect for sewing the star blocks. . . & then cutting out the setting blocks. I've been itching to get back to my sewing machine & this will 'scratch' that itch rather nicely I think!

. . . & we've had so much fun with so many of you who have been keeping us busy buying gifts from the website. . . I've decided that I wanted to do one more Christmas special. . . so. . .

. . . starting today through December 25. . . my gift to you is. . . all patterns are buy one - get one free! (…& yes, that includes PDF patterns!)

Simply choose a second pattern (of equal or lesser value) for every pattern you wish to buy, & we will refund back to you the cost of the second pattern. You do not need any code - we will automatically refund the second pattern.  I just wanted to somehow let you know how special you are to me & how much I appreciate you!  (…& if you have ordered a pattern from the website in the last week - mention it in your order & we will look it up & will refund a second pattern choice for you.) 

I know that it seems like this Christmas season has come up so fast. . . but I hope that you will find the opportunity to stand back & enjoy the joy & the special-ness of these days leading up to Christmas.

♥ Bren ❄

… a magical day

I know for the folks who get several feet of snow annually

. . . this may seem a wee bit silly.

But, we found the snowfall that we got today

to be quite magical.

Usually we just get a dusting. . . one day each year,

(I live in the southwest)

. . . & it's usually gone within an hour of it falling.

But today. . .

. . . today it snowed (big fluffy flakes) for over two hours in the morning,

. . . about 2 inches

(& it stuck!)

. . . & then it snowed again - just before dusk -

about another inch or so.

It was mesmerizing.

As the sun was setting, I wanted to 'absorb' as much 

of it's loveliness  as I could, 

so I turned off as many interior lights as I could

& Bailey & sat at the window & just watched the big flakes,

& listened to the silence.

Then I peeked in on Dad & woke him from the little nap he was taking

(so he would be able to sleep tonight!). . .

& then he joined us.

It was a blessing. . .

truly magical.

❄ Bren

… tick . . . tock . . . tick . . . tock . . .

That’s what it felt like this past week.

. . . waiting for the ‘powers that be’ to respond 

when there was a little issue with getting my website cart

to recognize the pdf downloadable patterns. 

(sigh)

(first a little vent. . . then some news!)

I actually was successful installing the software to the website

on the first day (!) 

(. . . although it did take me all day (12 hours) to get the ‘test’ download to work. . .

. . . you would have had a good giggle . . . 

as there was a squeal & a little happy dance involved!)

But then. . . for the last step, the website shopping cart wouldn’t recognize the pdf items as downloadable.

(bummer)

So, the next day, I emailed the software company 

(which is in England), 

& even though it was about 10:30 pm their time - 

I heard back from them within 30 minutes. (bless them!)

They had checked all my work on the things I uploaded 

& let me know that it all looked good. (. . . & I must admit, 

it felt good to have the affirmation that I could do it!) :o)

They looked into a couple of other things & found an issue with the 

id codes & the website shopping cart & suggested that I ask my web host if they had disabled the id numbers in the cart. 

(the software needs to have the id numbers for it to recognize the item as a downloadable item.)

So, I did. . . I sent in a support request to my web host, 

. . . it shouldn’t take long - as it was a simple question. . .

. . . & they are located in Oregon. . .

. . . I waited. . . (1 day. . .)

. . . & waited. . . (2 days. . . 3 days. . . 4 days)

. . . & then on the 5th day. . . I sent in a new support request, asking if anyone was home. . .

. . . (nothing) . . . I started looking into new web hosts.

Thankfully, I heard back from my web host this morning, 

& they assured me they hadn’t forgotten me. 

(felt like it though. . . enough for me to look into switching everything!)

I’ve heard of several other folks have had issues 

with getting web hosts to respond, & I’m wondering 

if there is a big influx of new websites at the beginning of the year 

& they are overwhelmed with too much to handle. 

(. . . or, they are still napping after their New Year’s ‘celebrations’. . . ?)

Either way, the good news is that within the next 24 hours, 

I will be working like a little bee to get the first round 

of pdf patterns available on the website. 

(. . . & yes, there will probably be another little happy dance!)

So, until that happens, I thought I’d show you what is making the news here in southern Arizona. . .

For us - this is really cold!

Pipe-freezing cold!

It’s kinda cute (after living in Minnesota) 

to hear the news broadcasts here.

They spend lots of time trying to warn folks of what it means when the temps get this cold.

I’m sure that all the ‘snowbirds’ that live here in the winter (folks who live in the north for the rest of the year, & come & live in Arizona for the ‘cold’ months). . . find it funny too.

(by-the-way, it is the afternoon now & we just reached the 30’s. . . I’m doubting we make it to 48 like the forcasters thought!)

I actually like it.

I get to wear my coat & scarf (& even my mittems the other morning),

. . . & it’s a change from the norm here.

(by the way. . . we’re supposed to be back up into the low 70’s by the end of the week.)

The first & last photos on the post are of one of the plants that I’ve been bringing inside each evening.It’s a cute little geranuim that a sweet lady gave me. . . 

& I am smitten with it’s color!

It’s the prettiest coral-ly pink.

Okay. . . I’m off to the website. . . 

Hope you have a great day!

♥ Bren

… homey little touches of Christmas

This year, I wanted to make the house feel really home-y with the

decorations that I pulled out of the boxes this year.

(I took these photos in the evening - with no lights on, 

except the twinkle lights. . . so you could get the 'feel' of what we see.)

So, I picked the 'natural' themed trimmings for our little tree.

. . . little bird nests, fruits, & acorns. (. . . of course!)

There are lots of white lights - that are left on all day too. . .

. . . just because twinkly white lights make me happy!

Then there is a special little milk glass vase that I have 

that holds it's bouquet of peppermint lollipops.

 It has become a 'must-have' part of the Christmas decor 

in the past few years, as we love these seasonal lollies!

(In fact. . . I've been known to hoard some bags of them 

before they disappear from the shelves at the market. . . 

just to be sure we can still have some after the start of new year!

Now, it's time for me to go & make a mocha & sit with my little guy

& enjoy the white lights & my memories of this blessed season.

♥ Bren

… a little blessing & a lot of love.

On December 1, 2012,

In St.Paul. Minnesota,

my sweet niece Nicole married her sweetheart, Eric.

The wedding was incredibly beautiful.

Every detail thought out.

I only had my iPhone with me - but I did get a couple of photos.

(. . . kinda blurry - like our memory of the day!)

(The lantern (top photo) was one of two that greeted everyone 

at the big wooden doors of the chapel, & was in honor & memory

of the great grandparents & grandparent (my Mom).)

Tears. . . even before the ceremony.

The chapel - is set on a lake & is made of stone 

& was an lovely setting for a wedding.

The second photo is of Nicole & Eric as the vows ceremony started.

She looked like a princess & you could see how much Eric treasures her.

The last photo I have is a rare one.

It is of my handsome brother, Scott,  & his beautiful wife, Jodi.

I say that it is rare - because it was one of the rare moments

 that they were both sitting down at the reception!

They made sure to greet everyone (about 300!) who came!

The bride & groom are coming home this week from their honeymoon 

in the warm, sunny Florida Keys. . .

. . . to a lot of snow that has fallen  while they've been gone!

The weekend was a fast trip for me & blur!

. . . & I'm looking forward to my next visit

. . . hopefully in March!

Hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

♥ Bren

… there always a little time. . .

This last weekend I have been in Minneapolis 

for my niece's wedding.

It was a beautiful wedding.

Stunning.

I will post a couple of photos this weekend.

I planned to take a bunch of photos - but I was too involved with other things 

& I only pulled out my iPhone a couple of times. 

(bad blogger...)

The trip was too fast. 

Usually when I go to visit, I stay for at least a week,

 & there is time to putter around.

Not so - when there is all the wedding dinners, rehearsals, 

& running around that a necessity when you are on the brides side.

(Also, I was traveling with Dad this time - & I was the 'driver'.)

But. . .

There is one place that I must go to when I go to the Twin Cities - 

& this time I made sure to make the time to go to one of my favorite quilt shops,

Eagle Creek Quilt Shop.

Eagle Creek Quilt Shop is in a little town southwest of Minneapolis,

& it is worth the trip!

It is in an old train station & has incredible atmosphere. 

In fact, this time my sister-in-law (the mother-of-the-bride) came with me 

(she needed an 'escape' after the wedding weekend!)

& for the first time - a train came through. . .

. . . & it whizzes right next to the station/quilt shop!

I pulled out my iPhone & tried to get a decent photo.

Can you see it?. . . right outside the window!

(Trust me - we could also 'feel' it!)

I picked up some plaid wool (I always do!),

 & some green prints for a project I'm working on.

(I never leave there without something!)

The photos at the top of the post are of a couple of the hydrangea plants that are along the path from the parking area to the front door of the shop.

I just loved the way they have 'dried' & are preserved right on the bush.

It was so fun to get to be where there is already some real winter weather happening.

(. . . which means that, yes, I did need my mittens a couple of mornings, & I even had to scrape the car windshield & windows one morning!)

But - I must admit, it was nice coming home to some milder temps.

(Sometimes, I do feel spoiled living here in Arizona.)

Hope you are enjoying the beginnings of this incredible season 

of celebrations!

♥ Bren

. . . our little piece of winter. . .

I know that many of you have had so much snow that you don't want to even think about getting any more. . . but this morning. . . here in Tucson,  Arizona . . . this is what we woke up to. . . & we are very excited!

Bailey didn't seem to mind it at all!. . . 

. . . he came out with me (me still in my jammies!) to the front yard to capture all we could. These were taken a little after 6 am. . . &  although the sun hadn't risen yet, I wanted to get as many photos as I could, because I knew that the soft fluffy snowflakes could turn to rain at any moment.

Here's my sweet little rosemary topiary at the from walk. . .

. . . & here's a shot of our street . . . no drifts (not even close!). . . but we are loving our  up to 1" . . . & it has sparked our wonderment & awe of the beauty of it all. . .

. . . & we will be needing to rely on our memories of it all. . . as it will be in the mid-70's by mid-week!  (. . . I just love winter here!) 

❅

♥ Bren  

… a wee bit chilly

(Okay. . . actually. . . in my heart I want to say how incredibly cold it's been. . . but in respect for all the folks who live in the midwest & east that have had such overwhelming amounts of snow & cold. . . I wont. . .  (quite).)

But. . . oh my! For a town in southwest Arizona, we have had quite the chilly temps! For several days, we broke the records (some back to the 1800's, & some for all time) for overnight lows & daily temps. I have lived here for 20 years & every winter we have a few nights of a hard frost warnings when we have to cover over the small plants, but we actually had a few days where the highs didn't even get out of the 20's (F)! It was down into the teens overnight & with wind-chill, we actually hit 0°! If we would have had any precipitation - we would have had quite a bit of snow. ❅  . . . But we didn't. . . just cold. (. . . um, I mean *chilly temps*.)  If it weren't so serious - it was kind of amusing to hear the evening newscasters trying to warn & teach folks about how easy it would be to get frostbite & hypothermia.


Here. . . in Southern Arizona. . . Incredible.

The photos are from a couple of the fountains that we have in the backyard that became frozen. (Too bad there weren't any birdies there. . . they could have had some great ice-skating parties!) (click on the photos to see all the frosty goodness!)


Okay. . . (again). . . I actually was quite excited about all this! It is great fun to have such a difference in weather here. . . & to get yo wear my wool coat!  (Although I did feel bad for the folks who travelled here to get away from the winter weather back home.)


And. . . to end this little post in a fairy tale sort-of way. . . we should be back into the 70's by Monday! 
☺
Hope you have a great weekend! (. . . keep warm!)


♥  Bren

… silent night

Wishing you a wonderful celebration of this most precious . . . holy night.

Merry Christmas!

♥ Bren . . . (& Bailey too!)

… a little sigh … a lot of snow!

Well, I finally made it.


After  cancellations, & reservations on three different flights trying to get from point 'A' to point 'B' (Tucson, AZ to Minneapolis, MN). . . I'm finally here. Whew(!)


I got the dreaded call on Saturday afternoon - telling me they had cancelled the flight I had reservations for (since it had to connect through Chicago - & the big storm was headed towards the area). . . & then I was told that everything was sold out & the soonest they could get me here to Minneapolis was late Monday evening. Problem was that I needed to be there no later than Sunday evening so I could be there on Monday to be there for my brother - now that he is at home. (. . . a 2 story home. . .)  I took the reservation . . . but I knew that I needed to get there earlier. So after scouring the Southwest website - I found that there was one more flight on Sunday - leaving from Phoenix - that wasn't sold out - but only had 2 seats left. So, I called Southwest (again) & after being on hold for what felt like forever - I got the very last seat. . . on the very last flight leaving Phoenix. The Phoenix airport is quite a bit farther than flying out of Tucson - but it sure is nice to have the option once in awhile!


I got to the airport in Phoenix several hours before my flight. . . (just in case!), & while I was waiting, I sat & stitched & ended up getting interviewed by a local news station! A lady started up a conversation with me about the delays & when she heard that I had come up from Tucson because my flights had been cancelled - & that I needed to get out that day (Sunday) - suddenly there was a cameraman, a microphone & lights! Then after she asked all her questions & got all my info, the cameraman asked if he could take a couple more takes of me sitting there doing stitchery. Let's just say, I could never e-v-e-r be an actress. I never was so nervous doing stitchery in my life!   (. . . & usually stitchery is so relaxing!)


I woke up to the view above from my window. . . the rising sun on a lot of snow!. . . That's a lot of effort you see there in the 2 - 4 ft. piles of snow that was shoveled, blown with a snow blower, & then repeated about every 2 hours as the snow was falling that fast. (Then. . . after most folks had their driveways all cleared - it seems that's when the snow clearing trucks come to plow the streets. . . & then there's a huge pile of snow at the end of everyone's driveway. . .! Again!)


We had a good day though - Scott my brother, made it down stairs. . . (a huge thing when you've just had your hip replaced 5 days ago!) & when the nurse came - he got a good report. (. . . even after he almost fainted from having to stand so long when he had his surgery dressing changed.) So, we are taking it a little bit each day. Tomorrow I get to venture out a bit & drive over to Starbucks to get him his new favorite - the Caramel Apple Spice drink. He said it's like drinking a caramel covered granny smith apple. Umm. . . yum. I may just have to break my little (ha!) Mocha habit & try one myself! . . . & with all the cold & snow . . . I'm sure it will even taste better than ever!


I will try to get some more photos up in a day or two. I didn't get any outside because I could only be out for about a minute or two. . . & then it felt like my nose was about to fall off! Sigh!. . . at time I really do miss Minnesota. . . but I don't miss the brutal cold!  Thankfully around mid-week it might even get all the way up to the low 20's!. . . Woo-hoo! Then we can spend all sorts of time outside!  ;o) 


Take care everyone!


♥ Bren