Around Here

After a beautiful spell of warm and sunny weather we had a small snowstorm on Tuesday which gave us a few inches of very wet snow, or, as Ben said, "icy concrete."  It's been cold enough that it all hasn't melted yet, though it will soon.  I was tickled to spot this snowman up in the park today when I took That Handsome Dog Gus up there for a morning walk.  

The next few days will be quiet ones as most folks that I spend my time with are away or very busy this week.  Ben has gone ice climbing and Paul and I are managing the home front.  I always miss Ben when he's away, but I do love a few days on my own, and I will have Gus and Paul here for company.  I've planned to do a little mini quilt retreat right here at home, interspersed with a few chores and a couple of fun lunches out with friends.   

Over the weekend I got a head start by making this year's "Caring Hearts,"  little 5" blocks with appliqued hearts.  When area quilters are facing health challenges or are grieving,  their fellow quilters send them a heart as a small token of care and comfort.  This is a totally optional activity, but it's one that I like as it reminds me that everyone has their struggles and provides a way to connect and offer support.  I make up the blocks the first of the year and have them ready to mail out with a card and hand-written note when the quilt guild sends out a notice that one is needed.  

The cute block on the left is what I made for people undergoing surgeries or dealing with other health issues.  I was aiming for something smile worthy.  The "Hope" heart on the right is for people who are grieving a death in the family, often a husband.  The rose and word fabric was actually designed for Valentine's Day, but I ruthlessly cut it up to use just the "hope" motif.    

 

I also worked on a large quilt for charity made out of big scraps of African animal fabrics that I've had forever.  It had to be a certain size which was a bit of a challenge since I has working with fabrics left over from other projects.  (Yes, that's a long measuring tape pinned up on it to check the size.) I finally did work it out so the top is the right size AND I made a back out of several other fabrics, but didn't photograph it since I never got it up on the design wall.  It's ready to layer and baste together with the batting, which is always a big job so it will wait awhile.   

Mostly I've been working on small pieces known as "Journal Quilts," and I'll tell you about them on Friday.

We went out to dinner with our friends Sandy and Gina and we had our photos take to prove that even here in casual Boulder we do sometimes get dressed up to go out!  The man at the next table told us how great it was to see men in suits again!  I noticed he wasn't wearing one.  Too funny.

Did you notice that my hair is getting longer?  I'm growing it out so it will look better under the baseball hats I wear hiking.  I took this selfie the other day when I was shopping with Dawn and came across a foldable white ball cap at Costco.  You can see that my hair isn't flipping up under the hat like a clown anymore.   

We've had two dinners over at Dawn's recently and I have to tell you, that girl can cook!  Last night it was lobster mac and cheese; very yummy.  And the week before some fabulous lamb chops cooked out on the grill.

Speaking about food, we got an Instant Pot on Friday and promptly made chicken soup in it, which was delicious.  I'm going to have some for lunch right now!