Christmas Quilt FINALLY finished!

This probably could be classified as the world's oldest UFO (for you non-quilters, that's unfinished object).  Seriously.  The blocks for this quilt were made in a bee exchange back in 1993 or 1994.  That's like almost 20 years ago.  I'm surprised they haven't rotted by now.  I FINALLY put them together 2 years ago and my "used to be neighbor but they moved" quilted it for me.  I FINALLY put the binding on it year before last.  Then it sat for another year.  I FINALLY hand sewed down the binding and it's now finished.  WHEW!  That wore me out just thinking about it.  Nothing like stretching a project out, is it?  LOL  I'm totally doing the Snoopy dance for this finish!! Wanna see?  Here are a few pictures of the world's oldest but now finished UFO.

It is so fun looking at each of the blocks and remembering the person that contributed to it.  This was when I was a brand new quilter and one of my first exchanges.  I was so scared that my blocks wouldn't be good enough.  I guess we all go through that from time to time.  Hopefully the pictures are clickable so you can see the detail of the blocks and the quilting. 

Then several years ago I bought a Christmas placemat kit thingie from my local quilt shop at their after Christmas sale.  It was half price so I couldn't pass it up, ya know?  It sat and sat.  I have no clue why I never made them up.  It was a fun project and worked up really cute.  It was the first time I had done any of the "quilt as you go" projects.  I really enjoyed the fact that once I finished sewing it together, it was already quilted.  Woohooo! Anyway, this year I have two new Christmas placemats.  Here is a picture of one of them:

I have one of our Christmas trees up (actually have had it up for two weeks LOL) but it's not decorated yet.  I've just been enjoying the lights.  I usually put up at least one tree in every room of the house, but I don't think I will be doing that this year.  The older I get the harder it gets to drag all that out and put it all away.  I say this every year and every year I end up doing it anyway.  It always looks like the Griswold's (inside and out!) around here.  I just love the magical twinkling of the lights. 

Anywho, I will be decorating the tree that's up this week so it will be done when Kevin and the family come on Friday.  I can't wait to see my little buglets again!  There is nothing like little children at Christmas....the way their eyes light up when they see all the decorations and packages.  I'm so thankful that God blessed us with grandchildren so we can still enjoy that, even if it's not exactly on Christmas day.  I feel that since the babies are still so little (almost 3 & 4) that it's so much easier for them to be in their own home on Christmas morning.  I want them to be able to enjoy Santa and not have to hurry to get somewhere else.  We are six hours away, and it would just be so hard for them to drag all those gifts here (from Santa) and then drag them all back.  SOOO, we will probably do like we did last year and go up there a few days after Christmas and celebrate.  It worked out fine and made the season last longer, plus we got to be there to celebrate my little Carter's birthday (Kevin's little tax break LOL).

I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  Sometimes in the midst of all the chaos and illness and problems, it's hard to find something to be thankful for at that moment.  But when I sit down and think of it, oh my!  I'm overwhelmed with things!   Little things...big things....and all those in between. 

I hope this Thanksgiving brings you hope, blessings and thankfulness. 

Love and prayers from Texas,