I have bought my first gift.....

The day began like most days.....trying to figure out ALL the things that need to get done. I wrote a list to keep me to task. The list was full of fun things like decorating Oma's home, and pulling out my Christmas quilts.

Yes, the Christmas season is here. The holiday music fills my heart with anticipation of all the joy that will fill the days to come.

But not everyone is that blessed and that is why I bought my first gift today. It is the gift of water...not an expensive gift, but it is a gift that will save lives. How can I ignore what is so critical to a child whose needs go beyond a simple Christmas toy.

As I look forward to the birth of our first Granddaughter, I cannot imagine how sad it would be to know that her life would be jeopardized by a lack of clean water. How can I ignore other children who are equally precious in their Grandmother's hearts ?

So today I made a contribution to http://water4christmas.com and I wonder if you can find it in your heart to do the same. $10 will provide clean water for a child for ten years. Is there any gift under our tree that could be more precious? I think of all the gifts I buy this year, this one will be the most joyous. I may not see the face of the child who receives my gift, but I know it will be a gift of life. How simple the giving, how great the reward.

Can life be any sweeter......

Today we had our second Thanksgiving celebration. With the kids now married and having other families to celebrate with, we have begun our own tradition of celebrating when we can all be together....no regard to which day that will be.

We truly celebrate the Thanksgiving of family....being together to join in prayer, eating a wonderful meal and looking forward to the holiday season to come.

The days ahead will be busy. We will celebrate St. Nicholas, share our dream home in Montecito for a weekend, enjoy Christmas, the yearly Balboa walk and then wait for the New Year to celebrate again.

But all of this becomes even more meaningful when we can just spend time together. We reflected today that no one remembers the gifts we receive as much as we remember the times we share.

I am so grateful for our children. They have accomplished much this year, and even in the hardest of times, they have endured with a strong faith and a knowledge that family will always be there to support them .

We ended our evening by going to Meghan and Dustin's new home for dessert. Their home is festive and decorated with much love.

I look forward to this holiday season and the chance to spend it with those that I love so much. Truly a reason to be thankful......family is the greatest gift of all.

For this we are thankful....

For Jennifer, who invited us to her lovely home and for looking SEW cute in the apron I made her!

For Jonathan and Jill and feeling little Clare kick for the first time!

For soldiers who are home from the war......

For food prepared to perfection....

For the many hands that provided the most delicious dinner....

For children who gave hugs,

and provided laughter and joy....

For family and the gift of being together.....for these things we praise God and thank Him for His blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving....

May your day be blessed in every way.

When you live in the greatest city of all.....

You really need to play tourist in your OWN backyard. So off we went to enjoy the sites of San Diego and we had the BEST time ever!

We took the sky cab to the far side of the zoo and walked our way back to the entrance. Lots to see, and did you know how HIGH you are when you ride the sky cab. HOLD ON TIGHT!!!!

We saw some very sweet elephants....

and not so sweet Rhino's having a bit of an arguement.

Some animals were very tall...

others very teeny....

There were cute and cuddly animals....

....and those that weren't!!!

I got to pet a camel....

and shake a lion's hand.

We can't wait to go back....and dream of taking Clare and treating her to something cute in this store.

Then Jim grabbed his camera gear and spent time photographing this beautiful bay.

and when we got VERY hungry, we treated ourselves to a visit to Little Italy and enjoyed...

the most incredible lasagna I have ever had!!! All in all a very fun day. Thanks for joining in the fun.

Time to Sew and Sew.....

My time at camp is spent teaching and encouraging students, presenting demos, but I am also able to sew when I am not busy with my other tasks. I think you can see who inspired my "sewing time".

This quilt was one I had seen on another blog and just filed it in my "someday" wish list. How wonderful that I now get to make the "Oma" quilts that I have always dreamed of making.

This pattern was in a book that I won in a blog contest. I have had the fabric picked out and put away for that "special time". I just love the simplicity of the design.

What would we do without our "Moda Bakeshop"? This is a pattern that used one honeybun....I chose Oh Cherry Oh. Sew cute!

I actually started this quilt for my niece when she was expecting...and then put it away when we found out it would be a boy. Just had the borders to finish, and now I can't wait to quilt it. I am picturing LOTS of hearts and flowers. So sweet.

This block is for a quilt exchange I am in. My angel now has eyes and rosy blushed cheeks. I hope the sweet lady who will get this quilt will find joy in my block.

Another table runner...this one will be a gift. So that means I had better get busy with finishing some projects and not just starting new ones!

One of the fun things that goes on at camps are "mini classes", and this one shared a fun pattern for an apron. I made this one for someone very special....and the Scotty Dogs should be a very good clue!!!!

The week at camp went very quickly. My heart is full of remembrance for the joyful time I had. Home was the reality check....wash to do, a bit of tidying up the house ( even though Jim did a VERY good job of keeping things clean).

So while I was doing all the household tasks, I set up my sewing machine to make this bitty flannel jacket for Clare. I figured that when she wasn't being cuddled in quilts, she could snuggle in this softness. The kids are getting a bit worried about how many things I am continually making....but that is just the joy of being Oma. I can hardly wait!

Quilts and More Quilts.....

A typical day at camp with the Head Turkey ( am I allowed to call my boss a turkey) doing a demo for a new QIAD pattern. Yes, she was dressed in a Turkey suit to make a point! What El won't do for her campers!!!!

But...if you thought there was only FUN going on at camp, you would be WRONG. There is a lot of serious ( oh well...not always serious) sewing going on too.

This is my "Twice as Nice" pattern made by Marie. She is one of the sweethearts of the camp, always making us fresh delicious coffee and sharing treats and hugs. She said that she has NEVER finished a quilt top at camp. But this time she made all three quilts from my pattern that uses only ONE "Jelly Roll". Hopeless plug for my own pattern, but she sure did a great job.

Marie even gets a HUG from Eleanor Burns for completing her project. Marie looks very pleased.

There were so many awesome quilts made at camp...this one is a "How Charming" quilt and I just loved it to bits!

Kathy made an "All Wrapped Up" and it was just darling.

A sparkling "Day and Night".

Beautiful "Pinwheels and Rectangles".

Here is a "Quick Trip"...one of the easiest and most fun QIAD patterns.

Another "Twice as Nice" ....this time in Batiks.

This quilt was made from a "Layer Cake".

This one just looked like a stained glass window.

Some projects are teeny....

....other's quite large! ( How Charming)

Day and Night....HUGE!!!!

Some quilts just touch your heart. This quilt was made using some embroidered squares that Donna found after her mom passed away. A wonderful tribute and memory.

I end with a preview of El's new quilt that will be published soonest. It is about the history of "Barn Quilts" in the USA. Love this quilt...on my "someday" list.

Tomorrow I will share what "I" worked on at camp.....see you then.