And she's back

Two weeks is entirely too long to spend away from the blog but I was working on all sorts of top secret Christmas goodness so there wasn't much to talk about. First, THE QUILT.

I spent so long working on, fretting over, sweating over this quilt. Would I finish it? Would it fall to pieces in the washer? Would my darling mother love it as much as I hoped she would? The answers are yes (but barely), no (because it started to happen before the quilt and the washer had been introduced) and I think so (she'd better. . .). I saw this quilt in a book back in the spring and knew that it was the one I had to make for my mom. What I didn't notice was that it was a pattern for advanced quilters. The only thing I can think that took it to the level was the appliqued flowers. Which were miserable. Which caused me to sew through my fingernail. Which made me cry for an entire day. But it's over and I'm very pleased with the end result. And as Hova would say, I'm on to the next one. . .

The Jay McCarroll quilt is on its journey now. Glad to be doing something that will stay here in my house so I can admire my handiwork daily. And I've got LOADS of projects running through my brain. Oh for another two days in my week. . .

This tied with the quilt for best-gift-I-gave-this-year -

There was a seller on etsy that I had been watching for a while. He had the loveliest picture of a Dachshund that I coveted. About two months before Christmas, I was bored and surfing the interwebs and thought I'd stop by and see if he had anything new in his shop. Lo and behold, he was offering custom dog portraits. I thought this would be a perfect gift for the boy. And I'm not going to lie. It didn't hurt that it would live here with me too. The listing was for a pencil drawing of your baby in costume, but it was only for one baby (and obviously that wouldn't work for me) so the negotiations began. Poor man had no idea what he was getting himself into. We finally settled upon this. I'm thrilled with it. And so were my friends and family. So much so that he's had three other jobs come his way because of me and I've heard rumblings about a few more. If you're so inclined - and please be inclined - here's a link to his etsy shop. He's out of town for a bit but please check back. You'll be glad you did. And mention that you found him through me. He's promised me a job as his etsy agent and I'm trying to convince him that I deserve commissions. . .

And then there was the New Year. Being a good southern girl, here's what the boy and I had for dinner last night -

Hoppin' John (these are only the peas) for luck,

Collards (fresh from Scott's parents' garden) for money,

And peppery cheddary cornbread for spice! Fine. I made that last one up. But who couldn't use more luck, money and spice in their lives?

If I post them here, I'm more likely to follow them, right? My New Year's resolutions, in no particular order -

1. Lose 5 pounds.

2. Go to the gym without scowling about it (will help with resolution #1).

3. Cook at home more (will also help with resolution #1).

4. Try a new recipe at least once a week. (I took care of that one twice last night. Lee Brothers, I love you!)

5. Make three more quilts.

6. Learn how to knit a sweater.

7. Learn how to knit a pair of socks.

8. Stop procrastinating over the unpleasant things.

9. Start Christmas crafty projects for 2010 early. Like now.

10. Be generally more fabulous.

Happy 2010 to all of you. I hope you have a year filled with joy, love, luck, money and spice.

XOXOXOXOX