Back to the Grind....

yes, today it was back to work for another abbreviated week. No, I am not liking my job any more than usual but being rested and relaxed does help a LOT! I got quite a bit of quilting done on the mini-fall swap quilt this weekend and plan to finish it by this coming weekend. I just couldn't push myself as I did need quite a bit of catch-up R & R after the quite stressful month we've had around here. With a small immediate family and hardly any close extended family, I don't get a lot of gifts at Christmas, just a few that I really enjoy and this year was no exception. When I was married, all I had to do was generate a list of things and usually received most of them. It wasn't any fun, no surprises, but for many years I haven't had that even, though I wouldn't change getting divorced at all. Now Christmas means primarily an intimate family dinner and get together, which I really anticipate and enjoy. With Dear Mom at nearly 83 and my siblings all middle-age, each day with all of them still here is really precious for me. ***** Left work with a bit of snowing falling but no real accumulation--fine with me. Tonight I'll relax, do a bit of laundry, some quilting and get ready for another day. How I wish I could look forward to going to work every day....that would be pure heaven

Merry Christmas!

As family tradition dictates, we celebrated Christmas Eve with our clam chowder dinner and sharing of gifts. Santa brought my mom a Bose wave radio/CD player and she is thrilled! Brother and SIL got warm woolen handmade socks and winter hats; I got a quilt calendar and a raspberry velour hoodie; Sister got a concert ticket and an Amazon gift card (for those downloads!) and a good time was enjoyed by all. It isn't Christmas at all without family for sure. Ours has dwindled down to a precious few, with DD living in another state, both nephews also ensconced elsewhere, and our other brother & family also far away, but it was a nice celebration. Some families grow in number as time passes but ours has gotten much smaller. It will be a quiet day with good music, relaxation and just plain enjoyment. I wish for you the same.

Ahhhhh...

finally got a chance to sit and quilt for a few minutes last night; soooo relaxing! After that I slept soundly all night, which was sorely needed. After the funeral, came home and spent time tidying up and getting re-organized. It has been quite a stressful time. What woke me this morning was a mini-nightmare that DD had lost her job, not even a remote possibility, but still unnerving to me after all that has transpired these past few weeks. After a full day at work today and an abbreviated day tomorrow, I can finally unwind all the way. ****** The quilting pattern I'm using for these squares is a stencil that came with my quilt marking class at Nashua last year. It is the perfect size for these 5" squares and a retro Amish pattern to boot. After all the christmas decs are put away again (some of which I'll be flinging to the local thrift), then I can get out all my quilty stuff again. Our apartment's space limitations don't permit having all that stuff out together. ****** Thank you, Brenda, for todays GRIN....she writes, and I paraphase, "Dr. Oz' prescription for inner peace is to finish things, so Brenda finished the box of oreos, a bag of Doritos, a Prozac prescription, a bottle of Tequila, a bottle of white Zinfandel, the cheesecake and a box of chocolates and now reports feeling a LOT better".....like who wouldn't?

Snow's Here...

but not as much as so many others have gotten, for which I'm really glad. It has been very windy, blizzardy wind, but not too much accumulation. Spent Saturday visiting with DD and DSIL who are in New England attending to her father's affairs. I delivered the last of my gifts to them and we hugged and kissed and shared holiday wishes. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and equally wonderful son-in-law. I tell him he's my favorite even though he's my only; he is a gem and seems like he was always part of the family. Lazing around this morning finishing the tree, a leisurely breakfast and now to work on my room, readying it for the week and relaxation time coming this week. My cousin's funeral is Tuesday and we are trying to remain joyful in the sorrow, ever mindful of the true nature of this event. I missed church again today but perhaps will be able to go sometime soon; I am there in spirit nonetheless.

Rest in Peace....

In this season of birth, today we are saddened by but celebrating the homegoing of two family members. First, my ex-husband, father of my only child, passed away after a brief but devastating illness. Then a cousin, the 4th in two years, has died from a lingering illness, both cancer. The former, my only marital partner and the only man with whom I've been intimate, father of my dearest child; the latter, a cousin near in age, the baby in his family, the delight of my dear aunt. Our family, as Christians, believe the Bible says that to be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," and know these two people now commune with saints in a glorified body, free from pain and suffering, free from earthly and worldly cares. My daughter and her half-brothers grieve the loss but rejoice in knowing there is no more pain. My cousin's family also grieve but know their loved one is back in the dear arms of his loving parents and other family members. It sounds corny to some but we do believe this and take great comfort in this belief. There will be tears and dread of traditional formal recognition but the secure knowledge of their fate has brought sure relief.

Another Beauty!

Bonnis has given permission to use this badge on my blog for her latest mystery. I'll post it in the sidebar with the link. I absolutely love Bonnie's scrap quilts, they are gorgeous, and since I have plenty of scraps in these colors, I'm going to be doing this one after Christmas. It'll be my machine project, that and assembling a blue/white thousand pyramids for the July Maine show. Always plenty of projects, eh?

Lest You Think....

I lounge around in the evening eating bon bons and such (though my figure does support that!), I've been making these ornaments, sewing on all those little sequins and beads. These, along with the 2 ice cream cone ornaments I made earlier this year, will be adorning other trees this Christmas. Though they do come out cute, and I have toyed with the idea of making lots of them to sell, they are quite labor intensive but oh-so pretty with the lights on the tree. I am finished with all my Christmas sewing for this year, which is a tremendous relief. I do have little time to sew during the week so I am glad to be done with time left to relax and enjoy the holidays. Next on the list is my mini-Fall swap quilt, all basted and ready to start, perhaps tomorrow. All that's left is cookies to make on the weekend and a very short week next week (off Thursday and Friday) with plenty of time to sew. I might also get some reading done as well. ***** Yesterday it became apparent why I don't really like this job. There is no real job satisfaction. At the end of the day after dealing with cranky and angry billing people all day long, I can't really say I accomplished anything besides answer the phone and push data around the computer. Not really much gets resolved, and I end the day exhausted from constant repetition of the same info and telling people "I don't know." They want concrete answers and because I am not able to see a situation thru to its completion or know much about processes in other areas, I don't get any real job satisfaction. It's like being on a data assembly line where I send emails and post notes for the next person who will be working on the claim. Oh well, perhaps Santa will come thru with a job that more closely suits my skills and desires...I'll be sure to hang my stocking.