Shannon tagged me - favorite movies

Shannon tagged me. I have to list my favorite five movies. That is pretty hard. However,
I picked fun films I like watching even though I've seen them before. Nothing serious here.

My Cousin Vinny
Down Periscope
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Major League
You've Got Mail

So, Dawn, you've been tagged.

Another Quilt Project

New quilt finished!I am calling this one Heartland. I found the pattern and most of the batik in Denver, although the backing came from Franklin, TN. I got the idea for using this pattern and the colors flying cross country to Colorado this summer. I guess it's easy to figure out that the pattern is reminiscent of crop circles. A friend at school suggested the name Heartland after I told her of my inspiration for the quilt.
Here are two Colorado quilts hung on the balcony rail.
Next in line is finishing the quilting on this Christmas quilt. I actually made the top last year, but I ran into a few snags quilting it and ended up un-sewing the quilting and putting it aside. I got it out this week, and maybe it will be finished in the next few days.

Thanksgiving Weekend

The neighbors on the corner have the best tree - a ginko - and the leaves in the fall turn a brilliant yellow each year. After our first really cold night, they all seem to fall in one day, signaling the end of warm fall days and the onset of more winter-like weather and short days. I noticed that they raked yesterday, so the golden carpet is gone for another year.
Thursday morning, I got up in time to make the traditional pumpkin pies and my mother's recipe of twice baked potatoes. I haven't cooked Thanksgiving dinner in three years, and I guess I may not for a long time. Our new tradition is to go to Greg and Ruth's for dinner along with Nathan and Shannon, his Aunt Dale and his cousin Len and cousin Ricky and his wife and baby girl. We had a lovely day (even though I was under the weather with a nagging virus).
I think the pies turned out perfectly this year. I think there is one piece left.
Louie has been celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday as well. He finds leaves we have dragged in on our shoes and carries them around. He doesn't try to eat them, I don't think, he just likes to have them. It has been gloomy and wet for a couple of days, so he has had a ready supply. What a goof.
And here is Louie, once again celebrating an Alabama win. 36-0. Sweet. Louie loves football days with a house full of people all watching TV with him. Actually, although he will watch a bit of the game, his favorite shows this weekend have been dog competitions. Seriously, he sees the dogs and gets very excited. The best place for him to watch is from our bed so that he doesn't jump at the screen when he focuses and sees the dog.

Allen and I have much to be thankful for. We are blessed with health, our careers, our friends, our family -- especially Meghan and Shannon and our sons-in-law and our wonderful grandchildren, and our home. Our hearts are full.

Just a Little Project

I finished this little mini-quilt last night. It is totally handsewn, a first for me. I hand pieced it, hand appliqued it, hand quilted it, and then put the binding on by hand. I have no clue how people do intricate bed-size quilts by hand. This is just about 10 x 12 inches, and although I had fun making it, I don't see me ever hand quilting a big one! On to the next project, I guess. Maybe something for Christmas.

Lots to Celebrate

Louie celebrates his pug life on a daily basis! He really does bask in all of the attention he gets when we are both home. His idea of a perfect day is walk, eat, pester his people while they try to read the paper, rest on the people bed, steal stuff, walk and visit the neighborhood dogs, sit on one lap, sit on another (he's on my lap while I'm typing this), walk, sit on a lap, play with toys, eat, walk, chew a chew, and go to bed to rest up for the next day of dogdom. Louie has quite the life.
Saturday was a picture perfect day. We celebrated our thirty-third anniversary with a drive up to Fayetteville, Tennessee to their Host of Christmas Past weekend. The trees are unusually vibrant this year. We always miss the midwest fall colors in Missouri, but not this year.
This holly tree makes it obvious that we are heading toward the Christmas season already. We did a tiny bit of Christmas shopping at the Ten Thousand Village sale, and we browsed a couple of antique stores, but then it was time to get home for the Alabama-LSU rivalry game. Roll Tide! We had another win to celebrate after a nail-biter of a game. No school today due to Veterans Day. Novemeber is a great month for days off. Last week, school was closed on Election Day (and what a celebration that evening!!), this week for Veterans Day, then three days off Thanksgiving week. Allen's busy working at home, but I am celebrating my day off with some sewing projects. Last year, Shannon gave me this fun book for Christmas, and I decided to put together the little "Bluebird of Happiness" Christmas ornament like the little stuffed guys on the cover. Louie's helping. The big project underway is layering the quilt top I've finished and starting the quilting on it.

Louie's Halloween

Friday night on Halloween, and Louie is dressed and ready for trick or treaters. He had his choice of Louie the devil dog or Louie the skeleton, and I think he chose the skeleton because of his successful dieting. He is about 23 pounds, big for a pug, but just right for him. He doesn't mind the costume, but he's not so sure about the hood.After a meager handful of trick or treaters, Louie is dead to the world on my lap. Such a sweet boy.Roll Tide, Louie! We certainly enjoyed watching the game Saturday with Shannon and Nathan and their friends Josh and Chris. We fixed shrimp that we got in Gulf Shores over fall break -- shrimp casserole, peel and eat, and a new recipe for shrimp soup. Louie, Louie, where are you? After everyone went home, we were thrilled to stay up to watch Texas Tech beat Texas. Alabama is #1 for the first time since 1980. Louie thought the extra lap time was a winner.