I'm still here

I have not wrapped myself into christmas paper and posted myself far away (and if I had, I would have mailed myself to a warmer place like australia), I have just been SO busy.

As Kris at Tag along teddies says; one week is missing. There has been so much to do at my work, meetings, deadlines. And then I have tried to get the house decorated for christmas. My DD came home yesterday and I wanted to have most of the christmas preparations done before she arrived. I almost made it. And I know she will help me with the rest.

And you know there is a lot of secrets going on these days. I have not just been cleaning the house and going to work, I have been sewing a little too. Some christmas presents. Have to show you after christmas because these are secrets projects.............eh....almost secret projects as I give you a little sneak peak here LOL
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T0day the ladies in our little quiltgroup Trådsnellene (The Spools) had the annual christmas meeting with traditional norwegian christmas dinner.

This is the ladies that I use to go to the cabin weekends together with. It is always fun to meet like this. Sewing, chatting, laughing and today eating christmas dinner together. Thanks girls, you are such great friends.

One of the ladies had made these little thread basket as a little christmas present for us. They are so cute. Perfect to bring along to a sewingmeeting to throw all the thread ends in. Another ladie gave us each a little santa figure. And I had designed a little stitchery challenge for them. Can't show you that one yet, because I have mailed it to some other ladies that I know visit my blog. Ooooops perhaps I should not tell this on my blog LOL

Tomorrow I will show you my adventcalendar presents from last weekend and this one. Hope tomorrow will be a relaxing 3rd sunday in advent. I really need to relax now. Now I will pour myself a glass of red wine, light some candles and find some handstitching to work on.

Saying for today:

Take care.

Remember to relax.

A little bit of christmas feeling

Every year I visit this candleshop to get in christmas mood. It is so peaceful and beatiful to go around in this shop. Christmas carols on the speakers and burning candles every where.

Look at the porridge on the table. It is actually candles.

Now I am in christmas mood.

Saying for today:

Christmas Cheer Recipe:
Combine loads of good wishes,
heart full of love and armfuls of hugs.
Sprinkle with laughter
and garnish with mistletoe.
Top off with presents.
Serves everyone!

New books and SSCS

Got these books yesterday. I ordered them last week from http://www.capris.no/ and they arrived very fast. A new norwegian book called Julegleder (christmas joy) that has a lot of fun small projects. There is something in it that calls my attention now. Perhaps christmasgifts. Better hurry up.

And the newest book in the elm creek series. Will save this for christmas reading. This is more like a cook book with a lot of interesting recipes in it, but it is also a novel about the elm creek quilters.

Been quilting on my Leannes House some days now. I hope I will manage to finish it this year, but times does fly so fast right now.

And in the mail there was a note from the postman that a package was waiting for me at the postoffice. I guess it is the SSCS present. All the way from Sydnay Australia to me. Thank you Anita, when I get it home I will hide it for opening christmas eve.

Saying for today:

A good friend is like a wonderful book,
the inside is even better than the cover!

New Block in Joy of Life

Today Bjørg and I had a new meeting preparing next block of Joy of Life BOM. Block number 1 and 5 are finished, and now we start on block number 2. Irene is the one taking the photos and we almost talked her into making bias for us LOL, because there is a lot of bias on these BOM.

It is a lot of work on this block. And I have traced and cut all pieces for this one. We have noticed that block 2, 4, 6 and 8 are probably the blocks with most applique on it. So to have enough to sew on this christmas we chose to make block number 2 now. And we probably will make them in order from now on.

Saying for today:

There's enough warmth in a friend's hug
to warm up the coldest day

First sunday in advent

I am so lucky to have great friends that have sendt me adventpackages. So in my stairs lays packages from Hanne, Nancy and Nadine. To be opened every sunday in advent. I have decided to open one on friday evening, one on saturday morning and one on sunday morning.

So this weekend I was allowed to open package number one.

And this is what was in them. From Nancy some yummy yummy chocolate. I guess you see one is already missing when I took the photo (now the box is empty LOL), from Hanne I got a Tilda stitchery and DMC embroidery yarn, and from Nadine som cute cat buttons. I love this tradition with adventcalendar.

I took my santa stitchery with me to visit a friend today. And her dog who loves me so much, got a bit jealous on the stitchery. She wanted all my attention all the time.

I the post yesterday was to packages. One was Butterfly Gardn block number 7. I am so behind stitching these. Perhaps I get some more time when I have two weeks of christmasholidays. Really look forward to a lot of relaxing and sewing these two weeks.

The other package was from Paulette who was my secret swap friend in the Polkadot and Ric-rac swap. Look what she have made for me. A beautiful BIG drawstringbag in flannel. I love the fabric she has used and I imidiately thought of this was the perfect bag to keep my Leannes House quilt which I am handquilting on right now. She had also made me a kitchentowel with embroidery and polkadot border. She had also added a cute pincushion, three polkadot fabrics and a quilt sign. Thank you Paulette for being my swap partner. I got a little suspicious the other day when you commented on my blog where you told that you too was waiting for your swap package and that you had posted yours to your swapfriend LOL LOL That swap partner was me :)

And this is what i finished today. Working all weekend on it. Block number 2 of 9 in the Joy of Life BOM. So now Bjørg and I will have another sewing meeting this week to prep the next block.

Saying for today:

Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women
has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present

Giggle Button Club

I have now joined Sonyas Giggle button club.
I look forward to receive the first package some time in february.
If you want to join it too read more about it here.

Butterfly award

Someone thinks I am cool LOL. Thank you Katie for this award.

And the rules are:

1. Post about the award

2. Link back to the givee.

3. Place the award on my sidebar

4. Choose 10 blogs that I think are cool.

On bloglines I have soooooo many cool blogs so which ten do I choose???

So I want to give it to all of you out in blogland. But I also want to mention ten of you.

Hanne and Nancy who is very good friends here in Norway. You both give me so much inspiration and it is so fun to be together with you both. Love you! I now are expecting adventcalendar surprises from both of them.....lucky me.

Stina is another good friend from Sweden. She always push (as I need to be pushed, I volountary go) me into new projects and challenges. Hope I reach the deadline january 1th for my Angel Storybook quilt.

Donna for arranging the SSCS. She is doing a great job organizing this. And she also have a cool blog with wonderful photos from australia.

Libby does also have a cool blog. I love her quilting and it is so inspiring to read what she posts. And I am so happy having a Libbyquilt, lucky me :)

Sharon always show so wonderful photos of her quilting, life and friends. It is alway fun to read her posts. She always makes me smile.

My Yellow farmhouse is a great blog that show so many wonderful photos. I get a lot of inspiration from this blog. And she shows so many quilts that I just want to make.

Sonya has a blog that I recently discovered. And she makes the cutest buttons I ever seen. She is also going to start a gigglebutton club, which I am seriously thinking about to join.

Helen for arranging the Stitchers Angels project. It was fun being a part of it and I have met so many new bloggers on this journey. It was fun seeing so many making my Stitchers Angel sewingbag.

Helena does some beautiful stitcheries and I love to visit her blog. I look forward to when her stitchery design is for sale.

This was ten cool blogs, but as I said; this award is to all of you. Because I love visiting your blogs. And I love to disover new blogs and I do that all the time. So keep on blogging.

Have a nice day

TGIF and I will relax with some stitchery and a glass of wine. I really need som relaxing time now.

Saying for today:

Christmas meeting in our quilt group (long post)

Today was the last meeting this year in our local quilt group. Tradition is that every one brings a little present and put it into this santa bag. And during the meeting we get one package each. It is always fun to see what is in the packages. I got some christmasfabrics and gingerbread buttons this year.

And then it was time for Show and Tell.

Bjørg and I showed our Angel Storybook quilts. Of course (as usual) Bjørg is the speedy one and her quilt is finished. I still have to baste and quilt mine. Tried to sneak my quilt down in Bjørgs bag to let her finish it for me, but she is not easy to trick.........so I guess I have to do it myself. I see now that I want to add a border like her around my quilt.

Four girls showed the lovely bags they had made. The design is from one of the girls in our quilt group. Big bags to carry all their projects.

And this quilt is a "warming quilt" that is going to be given to long term deseased children project. We also showed the three quilts we made at the cabin (a post earlier this month). I did not get a photo of it.

January 17th I am arranging a BIG SEWING TOGETHER here in Elverum where we are going to make more "warming quilts" If anyone of you norwegian girls nearby Elverum wants to join just give me a sign and I give you more information. You are all invited.

A beautiful christmas table cloth. Do you notice all the blocks in the background???

Keep reading and you will see what they are furhter down.

A colourful quilt with hearts.

A beautiful christmas baltimore wallhanging.

A cute adventcalendar. I got this pattern and wanted to make it for this christmas, but I guess I have to wait for next christmas LOL Times is running too fast right now.

And I guess there will be a lot of table runners in the christmaspackages this year. Take a look at all these beautiful table runners.

And then there is those blocks in the background.

Next year we are going to celebrate our 10th anniversary in the local quiltgroup and we are going to make a flowerquilt for our big lottery. Look at these beautiful flowerblocks that are made. It will be a wonderful quilt.

Some closeups of the flower blocks.

Saying for today:

Count the night by stars, not shadows,

count your life by smiles, not tears.