Wanderlust

Panama Cruise 2012, a set on Flickr.

And so it is 2012, and February at that! Time is flying by and we are determined not to let the grass grow under our feet. We spent 18 January days on a cruise from Miami home to California, through the Panama Canal. This was yet another "bucket list" dream, and we had an immensely good time. I am home now, content to settle into the Studio for some quilting. I have two BOMs from last year to finish up, and two for 2012 waiting to get started. Although, if this Spring-like weather continues, who knows what I will end up doing. I am constantly amazed at how busy this thing called retirement can be :)

America the Beautiful

Fall Color Trip 2011, a set on Flickr.

I feel so fortunate to live on this beautiful continent and to have the time to explore its wonders. We set off a few weeks ago to visit family in Idaho and Colorado, and to look for Fall Color. Even though winter was already setting in at the higher elevations, we found lots and lots of golden beauty.

With a little help...

With a little help...
Originally uploaded by JAmundsen
And so I break a five months' silence with this photo of my great kittie, Otis. She was born 20 years ago this spring, and except for a little stiffness in the joints, is plugging right along. As you can see, she is a great assistant in the quilting studio. I've been plugging along on my BOMs--I really like to "multitask," which is to say I have a short attention span.  I get to play with lots of fabrics and watch as the quilts grow.  The explosion of fabric scraps was a boon to my current "retreat" project-- a "simple" old log cabin. I think I may have purchased 4 or 5 fat quarters, but the rest of the fabric came from the stash. The blocks are quite small, 7/8" strips to make into 4" finished. It's taken me since March to get the 576 blocks required. Set in streak-of-lightning design, I think it will be a stunner when done. With all those seams, it will weigh a ton. No hand quilting here, for sure.

Out of the Comfort Zone

Again it has been a month since I have posted.  I have, however, been quite busy with my quilting projects. And we spent 11 wonderful days in Costa Rica. Talk about being "across the county line!"  Being from SoCal, the closest I get to wild animals is when I visit the zoo or a national park. But in Costa Rica I was not more than 10 feet from any of these critters.  The iguana was lolling in a tree next to a little roadside restaurant at Muelle.  The leaf bug was resting on the railing at our lodge in Arenal.  I almost stepped on the cayman, who was eyeing us humans from a secluded spot at the Ecocentro Danaus.  That cute coatimundi was begging for bananas on the lawn at Arenal Observatory Lodge (the locals consider them to be somewhat of a pest.)  And the birds--we photographed toucans and all varieties of tanager.  There were hummingbirds of every stripe.  Alas, we missed the elusive Resplendant Quetzal.  That sighting will have to wait for another trip.  And did I mention the flowers?  The blossoms and leaves of the cloud forest and rain forest are wonders to behold.  Once you leave the city of San Jose, the countryside is beautiful and peaceful.  And the Pacific Ocean beaches we visited could rival ours in Cali.  We ran into local and expat surfers--and a few hippies who evidently don't know that the 60s are history:)

All in all, we had a great time.  There are so many wonderful things to see in this world of ours.  DH and I plan to travel often--until either our feet or our checkbook gives out.  We are looking forward to taking our eldest daughter and her eldest daughter to London and Paris this summer. Hoping to instill some wanderlust in the 14-year-old.

2011 Year of the BOM

Beloved Beauties January IMG_0346
Originally uploaded by JAmundsen
I've been quilting for 20 or so years. I've completed about 100 quilts in that time. I've always done machine piecing and quilting--my early efforts were pretty amateur, for sure. At least when it came to the quilting. When I made the acquaintance of Diane, an accomplished long-arm quilter, I was in heaven. Many, many tops became quilts in that period. It was "so many patterns, so little time."

But now I have a stash that is embarrassing, and a house full of quilts that I love. I need something that will satisfy my need to "sew seams," my need for diversity, and something that will slow me down. I tried online groups, and mostly they have been satisfying, but not something I will continue much longer. This year I will work on 2 BOMs, along with limited personal projects. I'm doing the "Beloved Beauties" quilt from thequiltshow.com. I think it will be a "top out of sight" quilt, and the fabrics are just gorgeous. I will certainly get to practice and improve my applique techinque. The second is "Civil War Chronicles," which will be much less of a stretch, but will satisfy my constant craving to work with reproduction fabrics from that period.

Christmas Count-Down

IMG_0144Count-Down
Originally uploaded by JAmundsen
Having a 4-year-old grandson staying with us means that I have to be very serious about Christmas. We are a secular family, but I've always loved the spirit of the season of giving. I got this really cute kit from Moda and had a great time sewing up the little envelopes, doing the embellishment and filling them up with treats and other goodies. I put it up right after Thanksgiving and Danny has been very intent on predicting what fun thing will appear. December 1st was a candy cane-flavored lollipop with tootsie roll-style chocolate in the center. Yesterday, he got a little slot car to race around on Grandma's hardwood floors. Haven't opened today's yet, but the prediction is that it's edible and sweet. An added bonus is that this is a great way to reinforce his counting skills.

Missing in Action

Earth's Bounty
Originally uploaded by JAmundsen
And so I survived the circus that is Halloween. It is most definitely my LEAST favorite day, but with a 4-year-old grandson staying with us, I was trapped. I did my very best at decorating, making cookies, working on "the mummy costume" and trying to be a good sport----knowing that November, and Thanksgiving would be just around the corner.
Because Thanksgiving is my MOST favorite holiday, with its celebration of family and country. I have been blessed to be raised in a wonderful family, to have married into another wonderful family, and to have children who are caring human beings raising my beautiful grandchildren. And I was lucky enough to be born in a wonderful country, which fact I never forget.
Wanting to pick up a few decorations, I headed to the local Michael's. But it's already Christmas there. My little holiday has been shoved aside in favor of the next great marketing strategy. Not even a little pilgrim or horn-of-plenty. No Martha Stewart mirror decorations, no nothing. It's "make your list and check it twice" time, and "I want, I want, I want."
While we're busy wanting, I hope we take some time to be thankful for the things we already have. OK, I feel better now.