Many thanks to NatureVideo for posting so many great videos! My favorite in this list of top 10 cute animals for 2014 is the Dumbo octopus.
You might wonder why I am posting this. It’s because I’m trying to reduce some of the stress in my life. I, and most everyone I know, has too much to do, not nearly enough time to do it in, and is not really ready for Christmas (or the new year for that matter). 5 minutes of cute animals did, in fact, make me smile and slow down just a bit. I hope the video works the same way for you :-).
Click here to see the video on youtube if it doesn’t open in this post.
That got your attention, didn’t it! As I am plowing through the enormous pile of everything that stacked up while I was gone, I found that I had ordered more fabric. It’s really nice, new fabric from Moda (slideshow below) and I’m happy to have it but we have to turn around and count all that fabric in about 2 weeks for end of the year inventory. Neither Lorna nor I want to do it.
From now until January 1 all the fabric on the website is 25% off. Enter fab25off in the coupon code box of your order form and the discount will be applied.
I will send a newsletter about this sale after Christmas. For now it’s just you all who know about the sale! If I run out of a fabric, it’s gone, so if there’s something in particular that you want, order sooner rather than later.
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And now I am going to turn my attention back to the pile of work that I have been ignoring :-).
The most magical part about a week at Disneyworld are the memories that you bring home with you. We will also have photos taken by the Disney photographers (which should be good!) but for now I can share a few taken with my phone and small camera…
It’s not Disney without princesses, and boy, were they good!
Some of the coolest visual memories that I have are from the Very Merry Christmas evening spectacular. It’s extra, but worth it. The light show on the castle, the Christmas parade, and the fireworks were, in fact, spectacular!
We visited all of the parks!
Jack saw his first ocean mid-trip…
We got rained on at Hollywood Studios but I got some photos between showers…
All in all, it was a great trip. We didn’t think about work for a whole week! And, while we are all ready to be home, we’re also sad to be leaving. That is the sign of an excellent vacation!
I am captivated by his definition of magic: “Magic is an artful performance, of impossible things, that generates energy, delight, and wonder”. Yes, that’s magic—and that’s why I love watching magic. I don’t want to know how it’s done, I embrace the wonder!
The more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize that this statement could also define quiltmaking. What we do is artful. Quilting looks impossible to those who do not sew. And quilts bring delight and wonder, and they energize. Who knows… maybe we are magicians with fabric! It’s certainly something to keep in mind as we sew.
I hope you enjoy both the TED Talk, and the ideas Larry Hass presents.
This will post as I am on my way to the Magic Kingdom (in Florida) where I will be happy to embrace all kinds of magic
Last year, I decided to have our end-of-the-year inventory sale before Christmas. I’m doing the same thing this year. If you get my newsletter, you know about the sale already.
From December 3-10 everything at pieceocake.com will be 20% off (excluding Stella lamps and any eBook that comes from C&T). Enter DECSALE in the coupon code box and the discount will be applied. (If you forget to enter the code, Lorna will still give you the discount.)
I grew up in Oklahoma City and at this time of year B.C Clark Jewelers always has a before-Christmas sale that they advertise with a famous-in-Oklahoma jingle. Once you hear it, I promise that you will never forget it :-). Every time I hear it I take a trip in the way-back machine to my youth…
In what is becoming a tradition, I am leaving town tomorrow and will be gone during the sale. Lorna is staying home with Elanor, Bear, my mom, and your orders! She actually prefers to handle lots of orders without distractions… and sometimes I can be a distraction. She’ll work hard to ship your orders quickly but depending on the volume, it may take a little longer than normal to ship. I may run out of some things. Lorna will order more of whatever we run out of if she can. She will let you know if something is backordered.
I leave tomorrow for Disneyworld with Jack (7), his dad/my son/Lorna’s husband, Christopher, and Jack’s best friend—his other grandmother, Judy (Lorna’s mom). Three adults to one 7-year-old is actually going to be a very good thing. We are each looking forward to this trip. Disneyworld is all lit up for Christmas which will make it especially magical.
I’ll post pictures on facebook and instragram if you want to follow along. If I have time, I’ll write some blog posts but mostly I hope to just chill out with Jack, Chris, Judy—and Elsa, a princess I have grown quite fond of :-).
Sara sent her version of my Tree O’ Life quilt. She says:
I started this in 2012, finished it but forgot to send you a picture. I had “Live well” but changed it to “Love God”. There were a few things I messed up on, but went ahead and just went for it! I figured you and the other people who buy your book would be the only ones to notice.
After Christmas I’ll hang it back up. It has a place of honor in my home.
Thanks for your lessons in the gray shades of gold for the background.
Sincerely,
Sara
Made by Sara Ashauer
I actually don’t mind one little bit when a quilter changes one of our patterns and makes it her (or his) own. That’s part of the fun of quilting! Congrats to Sara for doing just that and for finishing her wonderful quilt!
Piece O Cake Blog 