'Tis No Longer the Season

Geez, two weeks since Christmas and what do I have to show for it?  Well, for one thing, a clean house.  You see, we traditionally host an open house on New Year's Day and that's my excuse reason for cleaning house at least once each year!

So Hair of the Dog went on as planned on a beautiful 60-degree day.  The last couple of years I have enhanced my traditional menu of legendary chili with a second pot of  crustless chicken pot pie.  You'd have thought it was a junior high dance as all the guys assembled in the kitchen and the gals around the dining room table.  We were having such a good time, I forgot to take pictures.

Monday I was in recovery mode, Tuesday was Devo where I put the binding on this baby quilt ...

... which was my practice quilt on the new longarm.  I thought for sure I took a picture of it after quilting; alas, I did not and it has been passed on to one of the Devo gals to turn the binding.

Wednesday was grocery day and Thursday included a church committee meeting.  In between all of the normal activities I've been prepping and packing for my annual retreat at Rock Island State Park.  I've packed six projects, plus a leader/ender project, so stay tuned for daily updates.

Today, being Epiphany, it was time to take down the Christmas decorations.  It didn't take long because I didn't do much this year.  In fact, every year it gets less and less.  I had one small tree where I hung ornaments that were small and particularly meaningful.  Like all the ornaments my mother-in-law made each year for all her family and friends.

Those ornaments were always attached to a package of beaten biscuits, a Southern delicacy like no other.  

I use many ornaments collected in our travels ...

... and recording special events in our lives.

The family always groans when I insist the grapes go on the tree.  

That ornament was on my very first Christmas tree, 77 years ago!