It has gotten windier and colder all day – the last time I looked it was 13 below and very windy from the northwest. I just checked the barn at 9:30 and all is well down there – almost cozy. The cold and snow paralyze Hazel and I’ve learned to just carry her back and forth to the barn. If she got out of my sight and collapsed she’d be dead before I could find her. Yes, I want to leave her in the house when I go to the barn but she is so bored and wants to go out so badly that I give in. Sigh. (TV says wind chill here is -41!)
I’ve spent time in the shop and I could plan projects out there for hours – laying out fabrics and deciding what to make – endless fun!!! Ha!
From my friend Laura – isn’t this just a perfect traditional quilt?
From Connie L :
I spend a lot of time watching the birds – today I had TWO male cardinals at the same time! And a hairy woodpecker, a red bellied woodpecker, a downy woodpecker and the usual blue jays, nuthatches, juncos, chickadees and a whole flock of sparrows and over a dozen squirrels at one time. I’ll need to go after more bird seed very soon!
Stay safe, everyone – this storm is very dangerous and will stay with us until the weekend. Did everyone read Fiona’s comment about skating in the Netherlands? It sounded just like Hans Brinker. I loved it!!!
Yep, it’s brutally cold and dangerous. Loretta doesn’t dilly dally outside either.
The Christmas quilts show is festive. Thanks to all.
I’m finishing the binding on new placemats for Christmas breakfast. I did go out and shoveled some. My glasses fogged up, nose about froze and lips unable to move, but the postal carrier left some mail….junk! All that for junk.
Merry Christmas to all
There is hope. It is only 1 below here, right now, subject to change. I went out this afternoon and shoveled by the back door and the garage door. I was sheltered from the wind, otherwise, I couldn’t have done. The wind was BAD. But, I will get to the beauty shop tomorrow. The Interstate has been closed again. The HP is bringing stranded cars back to town in convoys. If they were lucky, they got stranded in Wall or New Underwood and got to sleep in the gym. Don’t know why people think they can make it?
The wind is supposed to let up tomorrow, I think. It can’t be too soon for everybody. Sounds like you’ll have a couple days of misery. Just don’t do anything stupid. I don’t envy people who are trying to travel.
Love hearing from ladies all over the world. Thank you for the weather reports, activities, etc. Nice to know what the rest of the world is doing?? It is sewing for me as soon as I finish the cards.
Take care, everybody. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Betty in Rapid City
The quilts are beautiful. I’d like to make almost every one I see.
Oh so bitterly cold ,so hard on the animals. Merry Christmas to everyone who reads your blog and especially you and Rick. My wish for the New Year is a very very early spring. I love the traditional quilts the best,that’s what got me into quilting some 40 years ago, I love a simple 2 color quilt. Take care.
The quilts are so very beautiful. Thanks for posting, Mary.
It is -1 with winds at 26 mph here a half hour west of Peoria IL. We stayed in today and baked fruitcakes; I will wrap them in sherry soaked cheesecloth in the morning. We had a virus after Thanksgiving, so we are very late with our baking. We are making springerles tomorrow, another family tradition.
Merry Christmas to all; stay warm and safe. 🥰
Correction: -10 degrees, winds 21mph.
My pups were not happy with -16 today. I had to take Akira out three time before she would do anything. Her feet hurt when it’s this cold! Skyler laid down and curled up in a ball to wait for me to open the door again!
Shoveling was today’s primary job. I had to come in regularly to warm up. I did get a quilt trimmed and ready for binding, but that’s as far as I got!
Keeper is so cute, but Three just cracks me up.
Laura’s quilt is gorgeous. The black background is perfect for all those light and colorful squares. All the quilts today are awesome.
Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope the weather warms up soon.
Since the shop is no longer a retail store, I’d love to see how you are utilizing the space. I can imagine a wonderful studio with lots of fabric storage!
Linda – I will be glad to take pictures!!
Hi all! I’m in Northeast Texas at 11 degrees, feels like – 1. We had some flurries today but nothing stuck. Hope everyone’s power stays on and pipes don’t freeze 🥶! I have an iris trying to bloom and some ajuga is blooming, put boxes over them. Would you believe they forecast 70 next Thursday! Crazy 😜. Haven’t done much sewing and want to get going again! Stay safe and warm 😻
Hi Mary. ,the rain has start here in wellington, New Zealand saw the terrible weather conditions in the US. , keep warm everyone! Cut cookies from sweet short pastry today with Luna and Stella, they enjoyed eating and sharing cookies with Mummy and Daddy! Happy Christmas to you Mary and everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Just woke up to my granddaughter coughing. Got her cough syrup and water. Still coughing. We have LOTS OF SNOW. No Christmas party for our granddaughter; she will be so disappointed. Daycare/preschool/schools all closed. Probably no Christmas Eve festivities for our family between the snow, temps and sickness at our house & our married son’s house. They were to host Christmas Eve supper and gifts. It’ll be hard to find a time when everyone can gather – sad for the kiddos and our 3 single adult kids will be alone. We had to cancel T giving at our house this year due to Influenza A. Everyone stay warm & safe.
The gym story reminds me of one year at T’ giving late 70s. My husband & I had been to PA for Thanksgiving at my parents and headed back to MI on Sunday. It snowed so bad the turnpike was closed and we had to get off in Maumee OH and spend the night at a high school. Gym mats for beds. Red Cross brought food & drinks about 3am.
Our son and family have a Marne, MI address. They are very concerned about this storm! I see on the National weather service said they have a -14 windchill. Our grandson’s goat had twins yesterday. They are so cute. Stay safe!
Joy – oh, I hope those little goats have a warm bed! Margaret’s family is calving in this weather.
Beautiful quilt show today. It’s minus 11 here in Charles City, -40 with wind chill. Our special Angel hails from southern US but we were hoping she would be acclimated to the frozen north by now (3 years this February). She freezes up immediately and sits down so during these extreme temperatures we put down “pee pads” and she readily uses them. We’ve put down these pads in the past when we leave her alone and she has used them which makes us believe that her elderly owner trained her on these pads. She’ll be fine next week when it warms up.
I finished one charity quilt for our church and have started on a second one. Once this quilt is finished, I can start on my projects. I’ve also started a new punchneedle project too. Keep warm and safe this holiday weekend.
The quilts are all so beautiful. You ladies do a fantastic job of putting quilts together.
Plans to go to my daughters in Chicago is a no go. Working on the sleigh wallhanging, just need to put the bow on and do the quilting. It was easy to put together. I think it takes longer to cut out and decide on the fabrics,lol.
Daughter in Dallas, Texas said it was 10 degree and they were getting flurries yesterday. Very cold for them.
Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!
I cannot fathom those temperatures!!!! All I know is when it is really cold in Florida (which it is) it is hundreds of times worse north of me. I’ve brought my potted plants into my enclosed porch and I will go out this morning and cover the ones that cannot be brought in. Our plants here just aren’t made for this weather!!!! Mary and everyone reading this….. please stay warm!!! This storm is brutal. For those traveling, please be safe. I love seeing everyone’s quilts! Laura — that is stunning!!! Gives me inspiration. I’ll be at church today and my plan is to hunker down tomorrow and not leave the house…. I’m going to make a pot of gumbo in the morning and then I just may spend my time in my sewing room. It’s the warmest and coziest room of the house. Stay warm and cozy all and keep those animals close to us! 🙂
My day isn’t complete until I read a post from you! Please keep them coming.
I hope you and all your fur babies have a wonderful….and warm holiday.
Thanks for the quilting inspiration….you are so appreciated!
Beautiful quilts and sweet lovely fur babies!! Our negative temperatures and wind are forecast to move out of our area today. I hope the forecast is correct.
Merry Christmas everyone from SC!! Beautiful quilt show!! The wind is whipping here in Jefferson, SC and is cold, but not as cold as the temps that y’all are talking about. We are supposed to be getting down to 12 degrees which is cold for us and possibly some snow flurries. We are worried about the electric going out as our african grey birds are on three eggs and we don’t want to lose those. The buyer for the babies said that if the electric goes out she would come get the eggs and put them in an incubator so we don’t lose those, so that is a relief.
I still have not been able to do any sewing or quilting because quilt room is still in disarray and not done and we are not going to talk about it again. Probably will not get done until next Spring, but I have been doing some knitting and crocheting and finished a Christmas afghan and stockings. Mary, I will send pictures.
Wishing you all a blessed and peaceful Christmas. Ours is going to be nice and quiet. Just hubby and his son. Just a small meal and no hustle and bustle this year. Not sure if I like it or not. I didn’t even put up a big tree this year as I adopted a tuxedo cat to join our family and he is a wild thing, but I do love him. He is due to be neutered January 9th and they say it will tame him down. I sure hope so. I am really thinking I would like another cat for company for him….Lord, what am I thinking?!? I have 4 dogs now and now 1 cat and still want another cat….but I love my furbabies!!
Love from windy SC!!
The quilt show is gorgeous today! And, love the Santa pillows on Connie L.’s beds.
Below zero here with predicted blizzard conditions. I’m staying inside and baking cookies today. Safe travels for everyone today and Merry Christmas . Thanks Mary, for your blog and sharing with us. Best wishes to you and Rick for a Blessed Christmas.
It’s cold and windy here in Idaho but nothing like the rest of the country is receiving. I couldn’t travel in this weather. Our son in Utah is coming for Christmas so we’ll be keeping an eye on the weather. It will be in the 40’s next week. So weird. Love the quilt show. No sewing for me until after Christmas. Be safe everyone and Merry Christmas.
Reading everyone’s comment is the best gift ! I did find it fascinating that Fiona skates on the canal. We learn so much from each other. Wildfires just don’t happen in our area so when they were happening out west, I learned how they are managed and what people go through. We can’t stop learning.
The quilt show today is so festive. So many I would love to be pulling fabrics for and dreaming of making. I am with you Mary and could play with patterns, books and projects and add my fabric stash to them all day long.
Most local businesses are closed today as are schools, day cares, government offices besides highway crews, so people should be off the roads when the ice hits here as it’s 37 degrees and raining right now. At least no kids or teachers will be stranded at schools now so good call. So now we hunker down for the winds, drop in temps, ice and wait as it will be coming in from Buffalo area soon.
I have a rat terrier/chihuahua rescue that would die if left more than a few minutes in the cold. He immediately stops frozen in his tracks once he does his business and we weren’t there to pick him up, he would die. I got him into a little coat yesterday to get use to it for the next few days. Looking forward to your warm cozy barn post Christmas Eve.
Love seeing all the quilts and I love the traditional ones, too. It’s going to be cold here in Northern VA, too. Not quite as cold as it is for many. It rained all day yesterday and there’s flooding. It’s still raining/sleeting a bit this morning with temps in the 40s, but it’s going to start dropping fast about 9-10 a.m. and will get to a low of 7 degrees. There’s water standing in spots in our yard and on the driveway, so I know it’s on the roads, too. That’s going to freeze and be a mess! We’ve got high wind warnings, too, so I don’t know what the wind chill will be. Hubby will get out this a.m. to double check our generator. It’s supposed to cycle every Friday morning, but no one can remember if they’ve heard it lately! May just mean we haven’t been home when it’s run. Hopefully it’s fine so if the power goes, we keep going! Our son and his fiance are coming tomorrow for Christmas Eve, church service that night and staying until Christmas day. Our daughter is still living at home, so we’ll all be together. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and stays warm and cozy.
Merry Christmas!
I do enjoy your blog Mary, you are just so real 😉
The quilts are lovely, thanks for sharing.
It is cold here in ND as well, windy and no travel advised. Next week will be a totally different picture.
Love Laura’s quilt, and all the rest. People have been panicking all week about snow and cold. I think we’re all pretty well prepared. I’m trying to keep the feeders full; just a miracle the birds survive this weather!
Stay safe Mary. If I was near I would love to go out and visit the barn to just sit and listen to all the sounds drifting around and visit with you and the animals. Maybe we would take a cup of cocoa out with us.
Have a very Meerry Christmas!
Love the quilt pix…and I especially love the cozy animal pix! We weren’t in the blizzard zone here in central Indiana but we did get 2-3” of snow, precipitous temperature drop, and major wind. Air temp this morning is -11, wind chill is -39. I’m not planning to go anywhere! Yesterday I made jars of hot fudge sauce and brown sugar caramel sauce for gifts, as well as a batch of bar cookies. Today I’ll make those no-bake peanut butter/cocoa/oat cookies that beginning 4-Hers make and everybody loves. Yesterday I found a salted caramel version on Pinterest, making those too! Uses butterscotch pudding mix instead of the cocoa. Can’t wait to taste them. Daughter and SIL will get to come Sunday, but my son and his girlfriend have Covid for the second time and won’t be able to. Evan is a med student and said the current Covid virus variant is very good at evading people’s immune systems. Both of them are vaccinated and triple-boosted😵💫 We’ll drive to Indy to get together with them when they are over it.
Merry Christmas to everybody! Stay warm!
Sue – COVID! I thought we were over that! Youve been very busy in the kitchen – if I make anything I’ll be the one eating it all. Our temps are similar.
Mary—-don’t hold your breath on the Covid! Right after I wrote that this morning I heard on NPR that there is yet another variant that is getting around immune systems! And since China rescinded their Covid restrictions people are getting sick (and dying) in droves. Aack! I haven’t had it….yet! Probably a matter of time.
It was -8* here in Oskaloosa this morning. Still have a lot of wind and it’s supposed to be like this until noon Saturday. We are looking forward to next week when it will be in the 30’s. That will seem nice after this week. Enjoyed all the beautiful quilts again. Everyone did a great job on them. It will just be my husband and I for Christmas this year. We do our Christmas with our kids in the summer now. Our daughter lives in ND, and you know what it is like there. They have had horrible weather so far this winter. She has chores to do, so that is not fun. Our son is in Ohio, but their weather isn’t as bad. I want to wish everyone on this blog a Merry Christmas. Take care and be safe everyone.
Jeanine – smart to have Christmas in the summer – after this horrible Christmas I’ll bet others will decide to do the same
Mary You have so many birds and I have tried for years to get them to come but the squirrels seem to keep them away – my mom and dad used to have many…..and going to the barn reminds me of Bethlehem in a way how they must have been so happy to be in a warm place with the animals . Have a Merry Christmas Rick & Mary and all the pets too many to mention!! And stay warm!! I’m at work – but it sure is cold!!
Mareen – you have such a nice protected area on the south to feed the birds! Yes, the squirrels are a problem however.
I have several Cardinal pairs at my feeders as well as doves,blue jays,juncos etc. I have a heated bird bath and contribute this to all the birds that congregate at my feeders. I got the coil heater on Amazon. I feed only safflower seed and black sunflower seed.
Diane – yes, I do the same! My heated water is actually a heated water bowl and I put a rock in it for the birds to sit on. I do have a coil as well. I have not seen a dove – do you mean a mourning dove? Really? And I haven’t had starlings until yesterday and two are here. I sit here. Y the hour watching but today I can’t see out!
Blizzard in West Mich is ramping up, and only supposed to get worse by this afternoon. I can’t see anything out our kitchen windows because of “whiteout” conditions. Joy in Iowa, I live about 20 mi from Marne, MI. there’s a little restaurant in Marne that we like, I’m sure your son would know it.
Mary, my ginger cat is getting to be about the same size as your Ernie. Sassy is like a small dog, and he follows me everywhere in the house.
Loved all of the red quilts today, thanks for posting them.
Stay safe everyone, and Merry Christmas to all.
The wind is howling outside and for some reason I love to hear it but I am inside and cozy. I feel for our homeless as many refuse to go to shelters even though there are many extra open shelters. They are even sending buses around to round them up. Unfortunately there will be causalities.
The quilts are lovely and I love the pillow shams I think they finish off a bed because it makes it look more made up. Pull up the covers put on the shams and BINGO looks like you spent more time on it.
One of my all time favorite Christmas movies is called COME TO THE STABLE. Mary stories remind me of it. Brings back memories.
May everyone stay warm and safe and have a BLESSED Merry Christmas or any other holiday you celebrate. May 2023 bring happiness
Stay safe, Mary. Here in Georgia we had 9 degrees over night with a high today of 22. Very windy. Lost power over night but thankfully it is working again. Saw a few snow flurrys.
What lovely quilts today. I love Laura’s with the blue setting squares. I think I will work on some charity projects. One is sewing down the binding on a quilt for homeless veterans. Should keep me warm while working on it.
Have a Merry Christmas.
It’s been super cold here as well with horrible wind chill temps (for Texas). Yes, that first quilt is a beautiful repro quilt–absolutely gorgeous as are all the rest of them! Such cute animal pix too!!
I hope everyone stays safe with those very cold temperatures. We’ve had colder temps here in Vancouver, BC and more snow in a very short time. Monday night going into Tuesday morning we got 1 foot of snow in 4 hours. This is not normal for us. It closed our airport for some time, passengers and crew were stranded on their plane for up to 12 hours. They are limiting flights in and out of the airport still, many people won’t get to their destination for Christmas. Today we are getting snow again but storms from Hawaii are coming and with them will bring warmer temperatures. This morning it is 25F and will warm up to 45F by tomorrow but, in between they are calling for freezing rain which is so treacherous. It turns the roads to sheer ice as it lands. They are telling us to clear drains as there will be heavy rains and we have about 18” of snow so flooding is expected.
On a happier note Merry Christmas to everyone. It is so nice to read your blog every day. I really look forward to it. I haven’t quilted for a few weeks. We will be having 27 of us for Christmas dinner so many days of prepping to try to make the day easier.
I’m hoping after Christmas to layer my red and white quilt and get it quilted. Mary I purchased your Christmas morning pattern a while ago and have turned your wall hanging pattern into a quilt. I will send a pic as soon as it’s done
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
All the scrappy quilts are my favorite. Laura, it is stunning. Weather is not my favorite today.
It is 11 in the morning, the sun is shining, the flag is blowing gently and the thermometer says 9 ABOVE!!! The storm has passed. The news said 700 travelers were stranded in Wall. I don’t know about Wasta and New Underwood. The Interstate is still closed, but they will be out there getting everything plowed. Sunday it is supposed to be 40 degrees. That means we will be melting like mad. Wonderful moisture and we really need it. And after nasty cold and the temp gets above zero, how can it just feel balmy?
Interesting how we remember stuff. At least 70 years ago, my Dad would walk up to the gas station to see what was happening. The truckers would be stranded and there weren’t motels. I remember him calling Mom to ask about bringing someone home, and her answer was ‘pick out a couple CLEAN ones.’ Those were the good old days? I still giggle about ‘clean.’
By all means, do NOT risk your life going out on the sub zero temps, no visibility, strong winds. NOTHING is worth it.
In the mean time, Three knew that you had that beautiful south window ledge built especially for him. He must think he is in heaven. Do you see him running out into that nasty weather? Smarter than the average bear! And I’m off to the beauty shop.
Betty in Rapid City
Merry Christmas everyone! Love the quilts and the fur babies! Thank you Mary for sharing with us and giving us a platform to share by.
We will be having warm wet weather this next week in the 40s for daytime and 30s at night. Slush! Glad I got new boots! Time to go feed my birds.
Love the quilt from your friend, Laura. Any chance she will gift me with the name of the quilt pattern?