Maybe my shoes are too tight?

It's that time of year again when I feel like I am too busy for Christmas.  Even when I don't have a ton of gifts to make, the whole Christmas season just takes up too much of my time.  So it's a good thing I like that color, since I seem to be turning into the Grinch!

Unlike the Grinch, I am not trying to steal Christmas.  I just want the time back that Christmas steals from ME!   I have made some of the cookies, done some shopping, mailed half of the cards and decorated my house.  Hubby thinks I could skip that part, but I really enjoy having different stuff to look at every year for the holidays!
















 I haven't had time to sew with all that going on, so this is what I was working on the last time I DID get to play in the studio.  I dug out the blocks I made in the Xcentric class the Museum Quilt Guild did last October with Anita Grossman Soloman.  I didn't have enough blocks from the piece of fabric I used for the class to make a very big quilt, since this was all that is left of it.  I did this to give an idea of what I started with to make this piece.

 I took these scraps to the store and found some pieces I felt looked good with this and made my own striped fabric with those fabrics!  
One of them was a stripe, so I got extra and made blocks with that one, too. 

This is what I ended up with.  The blocks in the center are all from the original fabric.  The ones framing the center are the strip pieced ones.  It still won't be huge, but at least it's big enough for more than lining the crate for the next batch of kittens. 





When I trimmed the blocks to size, I ended up with this pile of bits.  I thought it looked pretty cool.  I even toyed with the idea of making something with them- for long enough to take this picture.

I haven't done well saving the planet lately. Sadly, I'm not alone in this- which you know if you followed the news from the recent climate change conference in Qatar.  We can't wait for any government to do it- it's up to us!!  We do not want some future beings from an advanced society coming here and finding all of the buildings and the garbage shaking their heads and saying they could have saved themselves so easily!!!  Do everything you can!  Use less stuff.  Repair, don't replace.  DO NOT USE DISPOSABLES when there is another option- and make your voice heard to those who complain that it's the only way.  It is NOT!

I am grateful for:
My friends who made me enjoy myself even when I was grumpy.
My husband who puts up with me being grumpy.
Christmas cookies ( and elastic waist clothing)
All of my foster babies have found forever homes!
Winning the boss lottery.