bread, celebration at Kay & Pete's, gingerbread man

I got my computer chores done and bread dough made before SKYPE-ing with Janice on Wednesday morning (12/13).  SKYPE worked perfectly…and we had a wonderful time for a little over an hour before I headed upstairs to get some breakfast.

Have you ever read any book by Mary Higgins Clark?  When I stopped at the library last Thursday I knew I hadn’t ordered enough books to keep me busy during the week, so I headed to the shelves to pick up 3 of hers.  It’s been a long time since I read anything she’s written and while I was waiting for my bread to rise, I finished THE LOST YEARS.  What an interesting premise and what a page-turner book!  But then, her books have always been almost impossible to put down.  Her daughter also writes books (with one word titles), but in my opinion she doesn’t hold a candle to her mother. 

Joanne stopped by to gift me some treat bags which will certainly come in handy next year as they are the larger size and I don’t have many of those left.  Linda M stopped by to drop off a turkey carcass (for me!) and a hat and scarf for donation to Clinton School.

I headed back to my studio and Michael was still running his emails; this picture is captioned ‘a boy and his dog’:  

I got a double length of backing loaded up once again 

and started to layout another couple of quilts of valor.  

I don’t really want to create 2 more quilts that I have to bind when I already have 2 on the 'to be bound' pile, but I figured I need to use this time when I don’t have customer quilts to get some of my own done!!!  The bread came out of the oven beautifully:  

and Michael ran 1/2 a loaf over to our neighbors Anne Mary & Jim.  They have been on an emotional roller coaster since the end of October with their granddaughter.  She has had a life threatening illness that no one seemed to be able to diagnose.  Finally just yesterday they figured out it was an auto-immune disease and have started her on the right course of meds.  It will still be several weeks to months before anyone knows how well it is working and whether or not she will be left with residual symptoms.   

My honey took off to the movies (3 billboards) around 1 PM and Pat picked me up close to 2 PM for my doctor’s appointment.  I was home by 3:30 and threw in some laundry before heading back downstairs.  I worked until just after 5, then headed upstairs to make some Homemade Bailey’s.  We were invited to a neighbor’s house for a pre-Christmas celebration and I thought they might enjoy it as a gift.  We had a wonderful time, with lots of great food, 

and socializing with our neighbors, 

Phil & Evelyn

our hosts Kay & Pete

Bryce

Susan

and when we got home we read a little, and watched TV for a little before bed.

I have to share this picture with you.  My friend Janice convinced her co-workers that they could make an inexpensive, 6 foot gingerbread man as a decoration in their office…here’s the result:  

Is this not FABULOUS????  I think the total cost came to maybe 7 bucks with the decorations….too terrific!