… 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

… pretty, pretty rings

. . . especially when they are great big rings holding

skeins & skeins of these beauties.

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to TNNA's 

(The National Needlework Association)

Spring Show in Nashville (I'm so excited!!!),

. . . & I've pulled all of my floss sample rings from both

Weeks Dye Works & The Gentle Art, as they will both be there.

Valdani will also be at this show, so between these three. . . 

I'm going to be in overdyed floss & perle cotton heaven!

I printed off their latest order forms, so that I could check

what I have on my sample rings, & know which flosses I need to get to

get my sample rings up-to-date.

Some folks might think that this would be tedious,

but I had a 'ball'!. . . I kept falling in love with certain colors. . .

. . . all over again, & it was all I could do to not keep stopping 

to plan a new idea for new designs.

Bit, I persevered 

(. . . it's a tough job - but somebody's good do it!).

(Also, for those of you who might be wondering - Weeks Dye Works' colors are now colorfast! (yippee!!!) You can read about it here.)

But. . . until then, I've got three quilts that need to be quilted,

 & two more just getting started. 

(. . . & yes, one of then will have stitchery on it!)

. . . so there's no getting bored around here!

Hope your week is filled with lots of fun things too!

♥ Bren

… such a sweet day

Wishing you the happiest Valentine's Day. . .

. . . & this little cutie-patootie wanted to be sure 

I let you know that he sends lots of 'licks' (kisses) to you!

♥ Bren

… just for fun … to brighten your day.

Ah, . . . it's been a rainy (with a little bit of snow!) day,

. . . & I've finally been able to catch up a little bit on emails & blogs.

Then. . . I get a link to a video. . .

. . . & you what that can lead to.

Yup. . . one leads to another. . . to another. . . to another.

So, just for fun, I thought I'd post my three favorites.

The first one is from a Josh Groban concert. (Josh often seems to sing a duet with an audience member, & this young lady (Maude) was. . . stunning!) 

(Here's another view of the duet. . . it's cute to watch Josh's expression!)

Then. . . there is a little clip from a Michael Buble concert,

where a proud mother convinces him to let her son (Sam) sing with him.

(. . . his reaction is priceless)

Persistent Mother Convinces Michael Buble to Let Her Son Sing...And He FLOORS Everyone! from theremix on GodTube.

And finally. . . this amazing 14 year-old Australian young man (Jack).
A. M. A. Z. I. N. G.

14 Year-Old Has Astonishing God-Given Voice from theremix on GodTube.

FUN. . .! Yes?

I hope they brought a smile to your day.

(. . .they sure did to mine!)

♥  Bren

… catching up

It's been a wee bit more than two weeks since I last posted.

Sigh.

I honestly don't mean to let so much time go by between postings. . .

But 'life' tends to have a pretty powerful influence 

on my abilities to get a post together, 

no matter how much I think about putting a posting.

So, . . . while I wait for Downton Abbey to air tonight,

I thought I'd catch you up a bit with what I've been up to.

. . . For one week mid-January, I subbed (teaching)

 I love subbing - but it was a long week. . . & exhausting.

My wool stash has been calling my name. . . (I love it so!)

. . . keep a look out for some new designs using wool.

I got to get up to Phoenix for a mini weekend retreat 

(& have lunch & catch up with a favorite quilting friend!)

. . . Dad had his birthday. . . 85 years young.

I feel so blessed that he is doing well & that I get to spend time with him.

My Dad's cousin came for a visit & while he & Dad did quite a few 'tourist-y' things, we did make the trek up to the top of our favorite mountain, Mt. Lemmon, to visit the little village at the top & we had a wonderful lunch.

. . . & just today, I am finishing the stitching on my wool (on flannel) 

version of one of Kathy Schmitz's designs from her wonderful book,

'Gather the Passing Seasons'.

I love this book. So much so, that when I was asked to step in & hostess a woolie club at a local quilt shop. . . I chose this book to use for the projects we will work on.

Even though the book was really written for cotton fabric appliqué, 

they are turning out so cute with wool!

(By the way - if you live in the Tucson area, & want to join our little woolie club, call The Quilt Basket & join us! Our first meeting in Saturday 2.9, 

. . . we would love for you to join us!)

I'm also working on getting some more patterns ready as downloadable PDFs.

You have been so wonderful with teaching me how much you like & appreciate them,

so I'm doing my best to make more available for you!

There's a handful of new quilts & designs almost finished, 

but I didn't get any photos yet.

I'll work on that. . . so that you get some peeks!

(peeks are fun!. . . at least I think so!)

Hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

♥ Bren