blechhhhh...

I know it's odd to be following up a post tiled Holiday Cheer with this but there's a good reason, I promise. The Influenza Virus has been playing musical chairs with my family members the past few days and has finally landed on me. The girls were surprisingly good sports and mustered through first, second and third Christmas, only one of which was in our own home. See? That's what happens when your extended family is spread all over the place. And yes, I know I could've asked them all to come to us, but then I would've had to clean. And do laundry. And dishes. Jon was a pretty good sport too and drove us here & there without much complaint. But then he pretty much didn't move from his spot on his brother's couch in Chicago for 2 whole days. Me? I thought I was safe (I may or may not have mocked the situation) but now I feel like my body's slowly dying from the inside out and I will soon wake up as a flesh-eating zombie. Ok, so maybe I've been watching a little too much TV.

There surely is never a good time to be sick, but this week between Christmas and New Year's is like no-man's land, so I guess if I'd have to choose I'd choose this week to convalesce and do absolutely nothing for days. And yes, there is a reason why I'm writing to you from my sick bed: to tell you that I'll extend the QUILT Magazine contest until the end of the week because, 1. the last thing I want to do right now is pick winners and wrap pretty packages, and 2. I wouldn't want to send any unwelcome visitors to my lucky winner. So, you have until Friday to enter. We'll randomly pick a winner this coming weekend and in the New Year, I'll send a flu-free package to a lucky winner. And hey, I am notorious for adding extra goodies to my prize packages so you never know what else you'll get...

Now I'll leave you with these cute pix of Sophie, Sydney and their cousin Asja at the St. Louis Zoo last week. Oh, what fun they all had!!

STL-5

STL-1

In case I don't pop back in here... HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!!!
Holiday Cheer
See below for giveaway!

I'm writing to you from a cozy hotel room in St. Louis where this is the view out my window...

arch

I'm feeling extremely thankful right now and want to share some Holiday cheer with you all. Right before I left, I got a little surprise in the mail... my comp copies of the latest issue of QUILT Magazine featuring a complete pattern & instructions of my Playdate Quilt. Yes, this picture was taken on our hotel bed... sorry, that's the best I could do on such short notice...haha

quilt-magazine-shot

You have no idea how many email inquiries I have gotten for this pattern ever since I showed the quilt at the Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis and for months now I've been saying "Soon, soon, it's coming soon!" but not really knowing when. Well, it's here now! YIPPEEE! Here is what the cover looks like and you can pick it up at most bookstores and news stands right now.

QUILT Mag-issue#120

The best part is... you can actually purchase a full quilt kit for this quilt and make it in a weekend for your favorite kid. The article says that the kits are available at Fat Quarter Shop but I was just notified that they were so popular that they sold out right away. WOW! Luckily, my good friends at Quilt Home have picked up the ball and are offering the quilt kit at limited quantities, so go on and get yours HERE before it's gone.

In case you need a reminder of what the quilt looks like, here ya go...

playdate-bed2

WEB BONUS: You can also go to the QUILT Magazine website and download a free template for a dress for your rag doll friends. ;)

MODKID-rag-dolls-dressed2

***I do have 1 extra copy of the magazine to give away and I will sweeten the deal by adding 1 rag doll panel so you can make these sweet dolls. Just leave me a comment and when I return next week, I will pick a random lucky winner. And... hey, please leave a way to contact you if you win! ***

Don't forget to check out QUILT HOME for all your fabric needs. They carry every single one of my fabric lines and all of my patterns! :)

Sorry I have to be brief. It's been a long day and I have to catch some zzz's before another long day tomorrow. In case I don't pop in back here, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!
Life in a Northern town...

snowball-fight1

snowball-fight2

snowball-fight3

snowball-fight4

Let's see if I can sum up today in stream-of-consciousness style: It started off with a bout of insomnia like it often happens when I have tons of work going on. Which is pretty much all the time. Exhaustion finally did me in sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Then, just as I had finally dozed off, I was rudely-awakened by a phone call sometime around 5:29 a.m. Jumped out of bed and grabbed the phone in a flash (cause you just never know what it could be at that time) and was annoyed to hear the automated message from the girls' school saying that school was canceled due to inclement weather. Inclement weather? Yes, it's snowing. Yes, it's cold. But what's new? This is a Northern town. The kids woke up at their normal time, because... that's what they do. Luckily I have a husband that 1. does not suffer from insomnia, 2. loves mornings, 3. is a pretty awesome daddy. I tried to sleep in but the kids kept coming in my room with their various "important" announcements: "Mama, there's no school today!" Yes, I know. "Mama, the elf is on top of the refrigerator!" Really? "Mama, can I have a snack?" Sure. I finally got up, still with probably less than 2 hours of sleep under my belt and started assembling my next fabric collection for Michael Miller Fabrics. Yes, the one that I've been working on non-stop for the past several weeks. It's finally time to send it in. My self-imposed deadline was end-of-day today... before 5, so I could take it all to FedEx before they closed. Print. Print. Print. All day long. Re-size. Print. Re-color. Print. Almost done! Almost there... Bang! Printer runs out of ink. Yep, the same ink that I have to special-order from Epson... 2-day delivery. Hmmm... can I just send these last 3 designs to Kinko's & call it a day? Can I still make it to FedEx in time? Hey, aren't Kinko's and FedEx the same thing now? Still not enough time. Other end of town. Snowing. Cold. Late. Ugh.

Oh well! At least I can smile when I look at this little face...

x-mas2010-3

And where's the other little face, you ask? Hmmm... most likely inside playing a video game. What else would a 9-year-old-going-on-16 do on a snow day?
NINE!

Once upon a time, nine years ago to be exact, a little baby girl entered this world. She was tiny, beautiful and perfect in every way and we loved her so. She had a crazy, wild tuft of red hair atop her head which was a sign of a most unique personality just waiting to blossom... and blossom it did!

The years went by and when her ninth birthday approached she wanted to celebrate, with all her closest friends and family members, in a place where she could climb to great heights and face her wildest fears.

sophies-9th-bday3

sophies-9th-bday2

During this joyous occasion, our ginger-headed princess learned a few valuable lessons. In life sometimes you have to listen to your elders and follow directions...

sophies-9th-bday5

... and if you play by the rules you’ll be safe and have fun.

sophies-9th-bday4

If you’re afraid to just go for it, sometimes it helps to start small...

sophies-9th-bday6

... and if at first you don't succeed, it’s no big deal.

sophies-9th-bday7

You just get back up, dust yourself off and try again.

sophies-9th-bday8

Then when you’re ready for the real thing, you’ll have the confidence to push yourself.

sophies-9th-bday10

And if you start to doubt yourself and look back, you’ll always see us cheering you on. Because we believe in you!

sophies-9th-bday9

And guess what? Just when you think you’ve reached the top of the summit, there’s an even higher mountain waiting just ‘round the corner.

sophies-9th-bday11

But you’ll soon figure out that after you conquer your first real mountain, each one after that will get easier and easier.

sophies-9th-bday15

If I had one wish for you, it would be that every one of your wildest wishes will come true.

sophies-9th-bday13

And of course, that you can have your cake and eat it too!

sophies-9th-bday14

Happy Birthday, my sweet Sophie!!!

Love, Mama & Daddy

P.S. I don’t follow you around with my camera to purposely annoy the crap out of you. I just want to record every waking moment of your existence... is that so wrong?

sophies-9th-bday12
WWC's 12 Days of Christmas

I am thrilled and honored to have been asked again to participate in Where Women Create's 12 Days of Christmas. Last year was tons of fun and this year it's all about Holiday traditions. I would love for you to pop in there and read mine. In addition I would love for you to leave a comment and let me know what YOUR Holiday tradition is. As a mom of a young family I am constantly looking for ideas to make our Holiday season extra special.

Check out the prize that I've donated to be given away to one lucky WWC reader:

WWC-12Days-Prize-PattyYoung

It's five 1-yard cuts of Sanctuary (my newest fabric line for Michael Miller Fabrics) and 5 assorted MODKID sewing patterns. (Retail Value: $110) Leave a comment on the WWC blog to be entered to win this and several other prizes donated by the wonderful women featured these 12 days...

Good luck, everyone!
Proudly designed by | mlekoshi Playground |