No Blizzard for Me

I have been inundated with photos of snow in the Northeast today on Facebook, Instagram, and blogs.

No snow here.  Gorgeous.  67.  

Playing outside kind of day!

But I will admit, I am terribly jealous of the snow.  I grew up in the Chicago and Milwaukee area and haven't seen snow like that since circa early 1990s.

I did post on one photo this morning, saying I was green with envy.  That friend said that I could come over and shovel for her.  I totally would!!!  I loved to shovel as a kid and as a adult.  The feeling of the snow falling softly on my head or whirling viciously.  The quiet.  The dead silence of it all.  The only sound was my own.  The rhythmic scraping of the metal on concrete.   The labored breathe that you could see. The feeling of accomplishment.  The anticipation of the hot cocoa my mom would make me when I came inside. It was one of the few times she coddled us as kids and the very few times we were allowed to have sugar other than a holiday!

If you aren't sure where I am going with all of this, hang on.

Last night, I had a wee bit of time to sew.  Thursday is my "day off" with the boys in school and Button at preschool.  However, the scrapbook retreat set me back on laundry and my day off became ironing and folding day.   By the time homework was completed and dinner eaten, I was had a tiny bit of time to work on something.

I discarded all thought of working on the do.good stitches quilt, Imagination, on Ole Betsy.  I knew I was too tired and I just didn't want to hang out in the garage last night.

I sat and looked at my project bins and had the urge to cut some blocks out for Button's quilt or my nephew's quilt.  

Free Spirit

But then I noticed the new fabric above that I received this week for a commissioned quilt, cluttering up my newly organized closet.  I know it might look the same as other photos in the past, but I can assure you that I reorganized and moved all of my wiring shelving, added two new drawer systems and moved all of my project bins and fabric stash lower.  I also have my Sissix down lower so I am not trying to lift it from above my head.

I looked in there last night and I realized I had a problem already. My two goals this year were to focus on finishing things before starting new ones and never having more projects than the number of project bins I had.   I didn't have an open bin for the new fabric/future project (already breaking one of my rules).  I had collected all the fabric for the Christmas quilt in one of the bins just in case I needed.
If I just finished it?  I would have a free bin!

Easy decision: Finish my Christmas quilt.  

First, I focused on ironing the appliques on.

Then I blanket stitched the edges and went to bed.

Today?
I only had 35 minutes during naptime to do something before going about my mom duties. 

Button was a big helper *said with dripping sarcasm*.
 He was driving me insane until I literally heard him saying "mess" and singing Taylor Swift's song "Trouble" while he dumped all of my beads and buttons from their jars.
How could you not laugh?

My measly 35 minutes?
 I set my timer and pieced the two halves together, ironed, and trimmed the edges to square it up.

All I have left to do is to cut the backing and get her in line for Ole Betsy!!

And the most exciting thing?

  I have a name for the quilt! The name, Figgy Pudding, just never worked for me since all of my Christmas/Winter prints were not the fabric line, but things I had picked up at various quilt shops.  And I think I have mentioned before that I like to have names for my quilts.

 Introducing the quilt that will remind me of my childhood.

Southern Blizzard.