Happy New Year

I spent New Year's Eve cleaning the kitchen, watching the House Hunter's International marathon, preparing the black eyed peas, taking a shower and watching Pride & Prejudice yet again.  Riley went outside three times during the evening and we went to bed at 12.30.  I wished Riley a Happy New Year and told him he was going to be 4 this year.

Even with good intentions I managed to eat three cookies, four clementines, one See's caramel and a bag of microwave popcorn during the afternoon and evening. Fa La La.  I skipped dinner.

This morning I closed the bathroom door on the tips of my fingers.  The magazine photo above is from a Martha Stewart publication and it's what I should have made for the 12 by 12 challenge.  But it's NOT what I made.  What I made is my impression of Jude Hill's Slow Cloth or woven cloth.

I started with a small pile of velvet scraps from this huge bag of velvet someone gave me at an annual quilt chapter UFO auction years and years ago. I tugged at the packed in velvet in the bag and came up with emerald green, burgundy red and my last handful was a very small piece of a deep purple which I will say is eggplant. I tore the velvet scraps into strip-like shapes and started attaching the strips to a base of batting.  A scrap, also.  I remembered that Jude isn't this improvisational.  Jude tries out fabric quite a bit before sewing anything together.  This might be something I want to work on in the New Year.  Have a plan first might be the way to go from now on. 

I also added some very nice silver gray silk.  Because all these dark colors just turn into so much muck when placed together.  This Colorplay isn't my favorite challenge.  Can you tell?  And, because I was channeling Jude during all this work, I am hand stitching everything.  Using brighter shades of the three colors plus some sliver thread I found yesterday but haven't sewn with yet.  I keep telling myself that I am only making a background.  I will think of something interesting (oh, please) to go on top.  It doesn't look promising.  By the light of the New Year, the work looks even less promising.  I even glanced at some Jackson Pollack hoping to see something I could work with.

I found an unsliced (no spiral) ham at the grocery yesterday and plan to make White Trash Ham with Nigella Lawson's cookbook and a 2 liter bottle of Classic Coke.  Gives the ham a BBQ taste which is very nice.  We'll be having au gratin potatoes and Brussels Sprouts.  There's one last slice of the Pumpkin Cheesecake for G and I will have clementines.  Sounds like a good start to the new year's meals.  The ham has finished it's 2 hours of poaching and is dark, sweet and salty.  G has been called into work because four of his employees had "too much party" last night.  He is unhappy and Riley is devastated.  No walk in the snowy woods, off leash, with his favorite person.

I haven't made any resolutions for the year, haven't chosen a "word" for the year but I am pretty excited to be in the "vanguard" of Baby Boomers turning 65 this year, signing up for Medicare etc.  I always like to be first in line (a Baby Boomer trait).  There are 19 years of other Boomers right behind us.  By the time the rest of them finish signing up, I'll be nearly 85 and have gotten my fill of Medicare and Social Security.  I hope.  I have noticed "words" for the year on posts today.  They seem to work for people. The only words I would choose are "clean"  "simplify"  "relinquish"  "reorganize". All of which have much to do with "letting go".

While watching House Hunter's International, I thought it would be fun to move to Europe (anywhere) and live there for a few years after we actually retire (who knows when that will be).  I am getting an email course in making decisions and the first was to "state your dream" and then make baby steps towards that dream.  This makes sense.  If you know where you want to go, it's easy to see what steps and actions have no place in your plan.  And those unnecessary things fall away.  Making life simpler. If we do plan to move to Europe in a few years, then I need to get rid of things.  And the remodeling of this house is more about resale and less about what I might want.  Because, dear readers, if I go to Europe I am not taking anything with me but a suitcase.