Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

I’m Done

003

Ahhh.

I am done.

Done with the shopping, done with the decorating, done with the running around.  All I have to do from now until Christmas is enjoy the carols on the iPod, tweek my decorations, and wallow in the lovliness of the holiday season.  Oh.  Well, I do have a few presents to wrap.  But I will crank up Chris Isaak singing Blue Christmas and wrap away until I am done.  Gosh, I love it when I get to this point in the season. It's all down hill from here darlin'.

007

A few readers have asked for more pictures of the house, with my decorations, so I am putting a few out there, but seriously, I don't go nuts like a lot of the decorator blogs do.  You will not see any burlap Christmas wreaths, and honestly, if I ever show a chalk board ANYTHING, please kill me now.  I am not that person.

012

My daughter and I have been enjoying sitting around, looking at the lights, listening to music, eating soup by the fireplace and checking things off our To Do lists.  Last night, we were enjoying an especially relaxing evening when I started taking some photos for this blog post.  "You are so not taking my picture" she told me.  Ok, I'm not.

005

I have a few collections:  Santas, Snowmen, some glass Christmas trees my mom started me on, some mercury glass, and my  husband's serious Chritopher Radko habit, but I haven't really gotten anything new in years, and just keep putting out the old stuff, like old people do.

009

My little grandaughter Eva met Santa Claus for the first time this weekend.  Her daddy took her on a train ride that had Santa as a special passenger to meet all the kids, and she was thrilled.  I wish I could show you the expressions on her face.  She was joyful, beyond thrilled and full of excitement to actually see Santa with her own eyes.  There was no shyness, no trepidation, no hesitation.  She embraced him with her arms, heart and soul.  That is the reason I love that child so much.  She is so full of adventure, courage, enthusiasm and zest for life.  What a blessing she is to me.  How much she has to offer this world.  She will never be one to hang back.

010

Her favorite Christmas icon, besides the great Santa himself, is Frosty the Snowman.  We read the book Frosty the Snowman twenty times a day.  She recites the lines of the book along with me.  She loves snowman decorations, and especially loves driving in the neighborhood at dusk to scout out Frosty lawn decorations.  "Frosty!" she exclaims when she spots one.  "Another Frosty" she soon demands, as we go in search of our neighbors Home Depot and Lowe's scores.  One of our neighbors has one of those blow up Frostys that is ten feet high, which is quite dramatic, but her favorite is a more subtle Frosty that is surrounded by fake presents in his lawn.  "Frosty's house" she declares when we pass him on the street.

It snowed in our neighborhood last weekend.  A big snow, that stuck all week.  She was sleeping over that night, and when I woke her up to see the winter splendor first thing in the morning, she blearily peered out the window and croaked, "Where Frosty?"

  004

He's right here Honey.  Right here.

008

42 responses to “I’m Done”

  1. What lovely enchantment you’ve created in your pretty home! Your tree is glorious and I like the groupings of the collections of Santas and snowmen, with seasonal quilts and table toppers to brighten your rooms.
    Snow!!! I imagine that was an amazing, delightful surprise for everyone who is young or young at heart. How cute is Miss E’s love of Frosty. Do I see a snowman quilt in her future?
    I’m with you on decorating, not quite minimally, but certainly far, far less than many folks do these days. Certain decorations hold happy memories of bygone days, long gone family members, and grown up little children and those decorations will be out every year until I’m a wee little lady who needs help to decorate.
    I have one small wall quilt to finish and a few more packages to wrap and I’ll be SO ready to sit and enjoy the week ahead.
    Thanks for the tour – oh, and hi, Sara!!!!
    Hugs!

  2. What lovely enchantment you’ve created in your pretty home! Your tree is glorious and I like the groupings of the collections of Santas and snowmen, with seasonal quilts and table toppers to brighten your rooms.
    Snow!!! I imagine that was an amazing, delightful surprise for everyone who is young or young at heart. How cute is Miss E’s love of Frosty. Do I see a snowman quilt in her future?
    I’m with you on decorating, not quite minimally, but certainly far, far less than many folks do these days. Certain decorations hold happy memories of bygone days, long gone family members, and grown up little children and those decorations will be out every year until I’m a wee little lady who needs help to decorate.
    I have one small wall quilt to finish and a few more packages to wrap and I’ll be SO ready to sit and enjoy the week ahead.
    Thanks for the tour – oh, and hi, Sara!!!!
    Hugs!

  3. What lovely enchantment you’ve created in your pretty home! Your tree is glorious and I like the groupings of the collections of Santas and snowmen, with seasonal quilts and table toppers to brighten your rooms.
    Snow!!! I imagine that was an amazing, delightful surprise for everyone who is young or young at heart. How cute is Miss E’s love of Frosty. Do I see a snowman quilt in her future?
    I’m with you on decorating, not quite minimally, but certainly far, far less than many folks do these days. Certain decorations hold happy memories of bygone days, long gone family members, and grown up little children and those decorations will be out every year until I’m a wee little lady who needs help to decorate.
    I have one small wall quilt to finish and a few more packages to wrap and I’ll be SO ready to sit and enjoy the week ahead.
    Thanks for the tour – oh, and hi, Sara!!!!
    Hugs!

  7. What a beautiful post! Your collections are lovely! I love having the traditional decorations that hold the memories. How fun it is to see the excitement of the holiday through a child’s eyes – I think it makes us enjoy it all much more.

  8. What a beautiful post! Your collections are lovely! I love having the traditional decorations that hold the memories. How fun it is to see the excitement of the holiday through a child’s eyes – I think it makes us enjoy it all much more.

  9. What a beautiful post! Your collections are lovely! I love having the traditional decorations that hold the memories. How fun it is to see the excitement of the holiday through a child’s eyes – I think it makes us enjoy it all much more.

  16. What a happy Christmas blog entry! It’s so wonderful you get to share the time with Little E! I especially enjoyed your description of the train ride with Santa! She’s a lucky little girl…and you’re a lucky family to have her!

  17. What a happy Christmas blog entry! It’s so wonderful you get to share the time with Little E! I especially enjoyed your description of the train ride with Santa! She’s a lucky little girl…and you’re a lucky family to have her!

  18. What a happy Christmas blog entry! It’s so wonderful you get to share the time with Little E! I especially enjoyed your description of the train ride with Santa! She’s a lucky little girl…and you’re a lucky family to have her!

  22. How fun that she likes Frosty! We have a giant Frosty in our neighborhood. It is huge! I’ll bet she would love it 🙂 Although it is rather close to the sidewalk. I just mention that because my dog is afraid of it when we walk by. He keeps looking back like it might just come after him. It’s nice that she is so enthusiastic 🙂 Your home looks so wonderful and Christmasy!! Is that a word?

  23. How fun that she likes Frosty! We have a giant Frosty in our neighborhood. It is huge! I’ll bet she would love it 🙂 Although it is rather close to the sidewalk. I just mention that because my dog is afraid of it when we walk by. He keeps looking back like it might just come after him. It’s nice that she is so enthusiastic 🙂 Your home looks so wonderful and Christmasy!! Is that a word?

  24. How fun that she likes Frosty! We have a giant Frosty in our neighborhood. It is huge! I’ll bet she would love it 🙂 Although it is rather close to the sidewalk. I just mention that because my dog is afraid of it when we walk by. He keeps looking back like it might just come after him. It’s nice that she is so enthusiastic 🙂 Your home looks so wonderful and Christmasy!! Is that a word?

  28. Congrats on getting to that magic place! I, myself, have never been there in my life. Maybe someday 🙂 Seeing the Christmas season come to life through your granddaughter’s eyes is totally precious. My first grandchild (a boy) is due in a couple of months and I’m looking forward to sharing his joy of discovering the world, as I so loved doing with his mother when she was little.

  29. Congrats on getting to that magic place! I, myself, have never been there in my life. Maybe someday 🙂 Seeing the Christmas season come to life through your granddaughter’s eyes is totally precious. My first grandchild (a boy) is due in a couple of months and I’m looking forward to sharing his joy of discovering the world, as I so loved doing with his mother when she was little.

  30. Congrats on getting to that magic place! I, myself, have never been there in my life. Maybe someday 🙂 Seeing the Christmas season come to life through your granddaughter’s eyes is totally precious. My first grandchild (a boy) is due in a couple of months and I’m looking forward to sharing his joy of discovering the world, as I so loved doing with his mother when she was little.

  31. Beautiful!
    Did yuo get a copy of American Patchwork & Quilting? Is it the Feb 2014 issue? I can send you one.

  32. Beautiful!
    Did yuo get a copy of American Patchwork & Quilting? Is it the Feb 2014 issue? I can send you one.

  33. Beautiful!
    Did yuo get a copy of American Patchwork & Quilting? Is it the Feb 2014 issue? I can send you one.

  34. I love your Eva stories, your decorations (no burlap and chalkboards for me either) and your quilting projects. I think we are at the same point in our lives, we have what we like and really no need to add to it! I had to look twice, but I did see your daughter – mine would be doing the same thing!!

  35. I love your Eva stories, your decorations (no burlap and chalkboards for me either) and your quilting projects. I think we are at the same point in our lives, we have what we like and really no need to add to it! I had to look twice, but I did see your daughter – mine would be doing the same thing!!

  36. I love your Eva stories, your decorations (no burlap and chalkboards for me either) and your quilting projects. I think we are at the same point in our lives, we have what we like and really no need to add to it! I had to look twice, but I did see your daughter – mine would be doing the same thing!!

  40. Beautiful decorations and home Nicole. Isn’t wonderful to experience Christmas through a child’s innocent eyes? Your granddaughter is so precious, thanks for sharing about her.

  41. Beautiful decorations and home Nicole. Isn’t wonderful to experience Christmas through a child’s innocent eyes? Your granddaughter is so precious, thanks for sharing about her.

  42. Beautiful decorations and home Nicole. Isn’t wonderful to experience Christmas through a child’s innocent eyes? Your granddaughter is so precious, thanks for sharing about her.