What to do...what to do?

As you know, I have been away most of the fall and my Miss Daisy (my A-1 quilting machine) has been covered since the first week in October. I have looked forward so much to getting home to do some quilting.

And now - I have lost my mojo! I can't make myself quilt anything. How do I get started again? I need some great motivation and inspiration.

There - I have said it out loud! Maybe that is the first step. Is there a "frozen quilter's anonymous" group somewhere I can join?

And more holiday fun . . .

We also have this wonderful picture of our Weston with Santa. He looks so like he is tolerating the adults in his world - and he does that with great patience most of the time. I would love to know what he is thinking.

Last night we had a wonderful evening. As Bob said when we finally turned out the lights at 11:30 pm, "It was worth the price just to have such a fun evening". What was the price? Well we met at Costco for some shopping before supper. We have looked and looked at a new big screen TV. Bob has wanted a replacement for our 12 year old workhorse for a couple months. And, to be honest, I thought we would probably keep looking for a few more months. The decision was made more difficult with words like "plasma" or "LCD" or "projection" - and then you get into "DLP" and "1080" and "the right size for your room" and on and one. I really thought it would be next year before we would make the "final decision".

But no - Bob decided to buy last night. Then we didn't have any way to get it home as it was too big for either SUV. So we called our neighbors who have a flatbed to see if we could make arrangements for the next day or so. They said, "Wait right there and we are on our way." So while we waited, we enjoyed a Costco "hot dog" supper. Our son, Stan, called and we told him and he offered to come help us unload it. So, we got back out here about 8:30 pm and not only did they unload it, but Stan had it up and running in minutes. And as we watched him connect it all and get the remote to run everything, we enjoyed great laughter and coffee with Bailey's. It was a wonderful party - the unplanned kind. Now to call the satellite folks to get HD.

We were both so excited when we finally went to bed that neither of us could sleep. Just like little kids - and inside we still are.

Love to remember . . .

Well, I talked with Meagan last night. She is almost 4 and has always had a mind of her own. We looked at the slippers and she wasn't as excited about them as I was so I realized, I should just get them for me. Here is a picture of Meagan with Santa. Would love to know what she is really thinking.

This time of year, I remember my own "little boys". You know, the ones who are now grown up and "Dad" is the name. I wish I had known more then. Here is a poem I love as I remember.

Children are Like Kites
You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground.
You run with them until you are both breathless.
They crash. They hit the rooftop.
You patch and comfort, adjust and teach.
You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday, they will fly.
Finally, they are airborne;
They need more string and you keep letting it out;
But with each twist of the ball of twine,
There is a sadness that goes with joy.
The kite becomes more distant and you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you two together and will soar, free and alone.
Only then do you know that you did your job.
Erma Bombeck

Online Shopping . . .

First - thank you all for visiting the special interview with Ronda Beyer. It was fun to do and I am glad so many of you stopped to enjoy! And - a big thank you to Ronda!

I am doing some Christmas shopping online this morning. It is so exciting to get ready for the big celebration. We are heading to Portland in a couple weeks for some Christmas time with our grand daughter, Meagan, and her mom and dad.

Here is a slipper that captured my heart this morning. They are from Geisswein and these can be seen on "Endless.com". What are your favorite online shopping places?

Awesome Artist - Ronda Beyer

This is the third in a series of interviews with very special quilting artists I know and love. You will enjoy reading a bit more about Ronda and her inspiration below. Be sure you also visit her blog and webshots with links at the end of this interview. What I share here is just the "tip of the iceburg" of her gorgeous qulting. This first picture is of Ronda (baby on the right) and her sister. Can't you just see that cute face with red hair and a wild, creative spirit!

When did you start quilting?
I began piecing/hand appliquéing when I was 18, handquilting when I was 19 and machine quilting when I was 44.

When did you know you had a special talent with color combinations and selection?
I have always had a good color sense. Mom used to say I came from a band of gypsies as I have always loved color, lots of it. I am asked to help put together quilt fabrics and colors whenever I am at my Mom's shop. Note: Ronda’s Mom, Jane, owns Jane’s Fabric Patch in Tillamook, OR.

What has been your biggest surprise as a quilter?
How freeing it is, it allows me to express the personality of a quilt. I was also amazed how quickly I picked it up. I was winning ribbons within 6 months of purchasing my longarm quilting machine.
Here is a picture of Ronda with "Stars for Arden", a special quilt she completed this year in honor of her brother.

When did you decide to design patterns and why?
I have always liked traditional quilts with a twist and loved medallion quilts and could not find anything that truly expressed what I loved, so I just started to create.
Ronda and her friend, Jill Kroll, have a pattern company, Pear Valley Designs and have published several of Ronda’s original quilt designs.

What would you like to do that you haven’t done related to your quilting art?
I want to do a wholecloth. That is what I originally thought I wanted to do when I purchased my own longarm machine. I thought I wanted to continue to work at my management job and quilt my own work.

Who was an inspiration to you?
My Grandma Gert and Mom are my biggest sources of inspiration. As far as longarm quilting, I would have to say Karen McTavish is my inspiration. Her work online is what pushed me into buying my first quilting machine.

What has been your favorite quilting project of all time?
This is easy; "It Ain't Easy Being Green" is by far my favorite. "Stars for Arden" was a very healing quilt for me and a gift of love and admiration to my brother.
Ronda’s “Spanish Rose” quilt is my personal favorite. Here it is hanging at the Northwest Quilting Expo in 2005 where it won “Best of Show”. She is widely known as being the quilter who does magic with bright greens. Below is a picture of her “Key Lime Pie”.

What would be your biggest thrill as a quilter?
This is a hard question because I think each quilt is a thrill, seeing them finished is always a wonderful feeling, leaving me wanting more. Of course winning Best of Show in Paducah or Houston would be fantastic!

Of what are you the most proud when you think of your quilting career?
"Stars for Arden" has to be my proudest hour to prove to the world that my brother who took his life is and was truly a “Star” even though he did not feel that way about himself.
The fact that I could use my creativity to honor his memory makes me happy and proud to be his sister.

What would you like others to know about you as a quilter that you don’t think anyone knows?
I am a firm believer that it is better to try something and fail than to do nothing in fear of not succeeding. I push all my friends and students to enter their work into shows. I like to inspire and motivate others.

You can see more of Ronda’s beautiful quilting at her Webshots albums. And be sure you visit her blog, Ronda's Creative Quilting, as she often posts pictures of work in progress.

Ronda has been featured several times in the machine quilting magazine, "Unlimited Possibilities" as well as in "On Track", the professional magazine for members of the International Machine Quilters Association.

Thank you, Ronda, for being an "Awesome Artist" and a special friend!

Heading home . . .

Tomorrow is Thursday and I will be traveling all day from Laramie to Bozeman. The weather looks like it will be okay - some snow showers, but no blizzard warnings. It is almost 600 miles. I am going to be in Bozeman until the middle of January and I am so excited to look forward to being home to get ready for Christmas. Weston is going to come visit me on Friday morning and Friday night we have our first Christmas party.
So it is good-bye for a few weeks to "The Cottage". I love being here, but there is nothing like being home.
I have a couple pictures of the quilts in my new office that I thought I would share here. Everyone else is still unboxing things and just hanging a couple quilts makes my office look pretty spiffy. Or at least that is "the word from the halls."

Tonight (December 5) the family in "The Big House" (the main house in front of The Cottage) celebrated Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas Eve) which is a Dutch celebration. I got to help out with the knock on the door and the tossing in of the pepernoten and then shared some Bishop's wine and other treats later. I did not know of this celebration so it was fun and filled with surprise. Do any of you celebrate this?

Thank you all . . .

Thank you, Patricia Pressler. for letting me share about you and your wonderful work. And, thank all of you for stopping by and for the nice comments. I will be posting another "Awesome Artist" again next weekend and hope everyone will come back again.