Winter Wonderland

Today is a sunny, clear, cold day here in IL. What a welcome break we've had for the past two weeks! We got 45" of snow in December and January which is much more than this area normally gets and sometimes it is more than we get in a full winter. We still have some piles at the edges of the driveway even though we had 60*+ a few days ago. Lost tennis balls (four legged friend outdoor activity) have been found along with a January 10 newspaper. It really must have snowed hard on that night since it was buried in a large pile pushed there by the plower. We had a Winter Wonderland for many days and the woods are always a thing of beauty after a fresh snowfall. It is so pretty, but the sunshine and warmth is always a pleasure.

That was the weather-style Winter Wonderland. My quilty Winter Wonderland (www.crabapplehillstudio.com) looks like this, now that I'm finished with the top. I started the redwork last year about the time we went to the lake in April and each evening I would work on it while Jim watched Wheel of Fortune. Finally, in late summer it was finished and the rash around my neck began to appear........I laughingly tell people that pieced blocks cause me to break out in a rash and this quilt not only had a lot of them, but they were either a different pattern, size or fabric. I bit the bullet and got through them. I'd rather do handwork any day!!! Now to get it quilted and I'll get to that one of these days. I've started "Over the River and Through the Woods", also by Crabapple Hill, which is a smaller quilt, but the embroidery is much more dense in design. Hopefully, it will be on the wall with WW come the Holidays this year!