SUNDAY SAMPLER (picture heavy)

Awakened to another gray and foggy morning--soooo, DH took me out for breakfast and then we shopped for the next couple weeks at BJ's (HELL0 Cape Cod chips ;--))
 Goodbye Mr. Atkins!!)  I guess I'll have to check the "Naughty" box
 for next year already!! ;-ooo

This will be a picture heavy post BECAUSE:

See what Santa Thom got me--a wonderful tripod--loving this!  Perfect gift....

                               {Just had to try a candlelight shot--} 
Prepping my dinner salad for the evening....
one resolution for 2016 is to have ONE big salad every day--and
since we ate out and I had hash brown potatoes (who can resist?? Pas Moi!!) 
no lunch and salad for supper....

AND here are a selection of gifts i received:  (Quite a haul) there are more that
I will post later on ....

FOUR new books--love that Longmire series, two candles for my deck this summer
(See how they are supported on those little low holders?? How neat!!)
AND

                                 TA-DAH:  My new Miguel Ruis Journaling book,,,
                                 600 pages of blank graph papers.....to play with!

I have prepared January's 31 days like this so far:

the circle calendar date stamps every graph paper page,
 the header will be the day of the week and the weather 
(I have to wait for those stamps to come in--DH gave me [almost heh heh] 
carte blanche to shop online for "STUFF" for my other presents from him--
what a sweetie!!  
The lower section will be my foodie & walking section; 
the rest will be my journaling and art stamping and/or sticker workings....
I washi-taped two pages together to  avoid ink bleed-through yesterday--
harder than it sounds actually!!

SO, gals: .  This is my "Fauxbonichi" (FB) (you can see YouTubes on this 
type of journaling online).

                                                              AND

I have sewn the first vertical row (left) together for Steven's quilt and hope to get the 2nd done today.  
I am so excited to see it finally coming together!!

I asked Cassidy (next in line for a quilt) her fave color and it was:
                                                      PURPLE
                               yay!!  a COLOR I CAN REALLY DO A LOT WITH......

I have done 49 circles and am stopping here for now--just too hard
 (emotionally )  for me. 
 Perhaps, I will pick them up in a bit...
and am continuing my Grief Cloth work.

I will be absent for a bit; making my New Year's Resolutions [this year feels like I
want to for the first year in a LONG time] 
and 
generally catching up with myself....a quiet time....

hugs to you all and
                                                       HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR
Julierose, La Blageuse (graeful-euse)

MERRY AND WONDROUS CHRISTMAS

            MERRY-EST OF CHRISTMASES TO ALL MY BLOGGING BUDDIES...
                HOPE YOUR DAY WILL BE MERRY AND BRIGHT CREATING WONDERFUL
                                                            MEMORIES.....

HUGS and many armsful of thanks to you all for your continuing following and lovely posts throught this past year....

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...

I HAVE SET UP THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY CUTTING STATION FOR JOURNALING

I need//want to get back to my word=ey self..

As a child I used to spend all of my allowance on paper products...

And 

HERE IS ONE OF MY "jUNK jOURNALS"; i TOOK A BOOK 

BINDING COURSE ONLINE A FEW YEARS AGO AND

MADE 5 JOURNALS..

hERE IS THE INSIDE WITH WATER-COLORED HEAVY PAPERS

THIS WAS WHEN MY MOM WAS SENT TO A NURSING HOME

AND

I WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT...

THIS REALLY HELPED ME TO DEAL

A TRIPLE FOLD OUT PAGE

MEMORIES TO BE ADDED

I AM  DOING A FAUXBONICHI

THIS YEAR

A FEW MORE JOURNALS AS WELL AS ONE OF MY FAVES 

A LEDGER JOURNAL...

WILL BE POSTING MORE ON THE CONTENTS LATER....

HUGS, TO YOU ALL

STILL QUILTING THO'

AND CIRCLE #48 DONE TODAY...

AND ALL OF STEVEN'S BLOCKS TRIMMED UP

HUGS, JULIEROSE, LA BLAGEUSE

WINTER SOLSTICE FINISH

                              ALL BLOCKS QUILTED (as you go) ; TRIMMING NEXT!!

Our Winter Solstice here on SE CT Coast will be at 11:48 this evening--(I'm pretty sure I will
be asleep when Mr. Sun begins his journey back....but you never know)...

I have to tell you: I made a BOO-BOO and opened tomoroow's present as well as today's
Ye Olde Brain FORGOT that I already opened TODAY's...aaargh--so here is my pix..
(Can you forgive me, Dawn?? lol)

I love that orange--I will use it for  my label on the back--
and look at the lovely Christmas  fabric--(that is tomorrow's!!  oops!!)

AND

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY!!
TO ALL OF YOU....{HEART} YOU ALL.....

HUGS, 
Julierose, La blageuse (senior moment-euse )

SLOW

Here are circles 41 - 45 and today i will be working on # 46; how i will get 365/6 circles together to play nicely I have no idea...but forging on 

And this also is my continuing Slow Stitching --the Grief Cloth

I am making progress--but this "wrap stitch " is a slow worked one....which is the 
point.  I am linking to slow sunday quilting with Kathy and friends....the two small snow drifts at the lower right are my work for this afternoon..but no snow here yet, just in my heart of hearts....

 I am really lovingly working on this and letting the memories--and sometimes tears--flow as I stitch along in this mourning year of mine....
hugs to you all
Julierose, La Blageuse (pleure-euse)

DAYS: 6, 7 & 8

     DAYS 6 AND 7 :"...SEVEN  SWANS A'SWIMMING, SIX GEESE A LAYING..."

Two lovely fabrics--my southwest collection is growing and my scanty plaids will be improved.

AND TODAY:

                                              SEE---"EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING.."
WHAT A LOVELY TABLEMAT--it goes so well with my bowl, don't you think???

AND Here's to you, Dawn;   My DH thanks you ;--))), too.  Prosit!!

                                               
I am still working on my circles each day (haven't dropped out as yet...but to be honest, have thought about doing that--); and still quilting away on Steven's blocks...I have 11 done.....9 more to go.

I can only quilt on 2-3 before my eyes go wonky,....

I also am re-arranging (again,-- big surprise!! lol) my long cutting table into two parts: one for just cutting (and NOT for piling stuff on it , heh heh) and the other for my scrapbooking..

.I still have to move a lot of stuff (stuff and more stuff and those pesky "itsy-bitsy things) so that I can FIND what I have and what I need will be "to hand".

It got cold here this morning--31 degrees and very windy will a windchill of 28+/-; it'll be a
 c-o-o-ld walk --betcha we'll be moving faster than usual --ya think?

hugs to you all --I will be wrapping today

Julierose, La Blageuse (wrap-euse)

DAYS 4 AND 5

ALL WRAPPED UP.....

                                        DAY FOUR...."...FOUR CALLING BIRDS.." 
              hmmmm... I only see one....but a lovely Charm Pack from Free Spirit and

                                 UH-OH...LOOK OUT FOR THE KITTY-CAT....
                               (Now I see why there is only one little birdie)    :--000

                                      DAY FIVE: "FIVE GO-O-OLDEN RINGS."
                                  THANK YOU DAWN FOR THE LOVELY MUG RUG...
Two more days out of twelve that started with a smile.....
No sewing yesterday--just a long afternoon nap...geeze, just like a kid!! ;--ooo
Hugs
Julierose, La blageuse

"ON THE 3RD DAY OF CHRISTMAS.."

"My true friend gave to me.......

                                           " .....a purple ta-a-a-pe measure...(3 French Hens don't travel
                                               well, after all lol)

                                            "AND A PARTRIDGE, IN A PEAR TREE"
merci mille fois, Dawnie....;--)))

Here's the first block I machine QAYGo-ed --

Two lines outlining the star and a criss-cross double line on the two seams all the way across.....
hoping it'll be enough--I DO want the white prints to show as these are the math, music, engineering etc. prints.....

I think that Helga does a nice job quilting evenly,,, (any hitches are due to the human running her)

Can you see the lines--kind of shadowy here....but a crossed star....

19 more to go....hoping to get a few done this afternoon....

It is 59.4 degrees here with a warm, balmy SW wind coming off the ocean--our boardwalk trek was
just lovely this morning....

FYI to anyone interested--BACK on ATKINS--as best as I can during this pre-Christmas food fest!!

Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with chives, 1/2 cup steamed spinach and 3 slices bacon crisped...& black coffee;

Lunch:   Tossed Salad with Mozzarella cheese;

Dinner: (Another!!) Salad with Panko chicken (the panko not strictly allowed, but giving myself
 a bit of a leeway here) + 8 glasses of water throughout the day
 I've lost 2 lbs.....so far.... encouraging....

hugs to all (and a big one to Dawnie, who has made these difficult days leading up to Christmas merrier for me....P.S.  DH thanks you, too....I was a teeney bit irritable--ya think??)
Julierose, La Blageuse (quilting-euse)

12 DAYS. OF PRESENTS!!...

OHMYGOSH--LOOK WHAT ARRIVED FROM 

MRS. SANTA CLAUS (aka DAWN )

at Sewyouquilt2~~

A little present for each of the 12 Days of Christmas

all separately wrapped and dated and labeled.....

I tell you:     I cried and smiled at the same

time when I opened it....;--))))

Thank you so much for your kindness, Dawn

Here are the first 2 days..

A tiny seam ripper--perfect for my hand sewing box

and a cute stripey fabric--I don't have many stripey fabrics

SO perfect....;--)))

SO

Every morning I can open a gift...and lighten my day

on this first Christmas without Mom....

And when I do, I'll be sending a big hug to you DAWN

You are such a generous and good friend....

Hugs, Julierose, La blageuse (grateful-euse)

SLOWLY

WORKING SLOWLY ON GRIEF CLOTH TODAY....

                              THESE TWO HEARTS REPRESENT MOM AND DAD-

                                                 -DEEP ROOTING BACK TO THE EARTH

(They are joined together once more...) I used Jude Hill's "wrap stitch"....on these...

AND 

THIS REPRESENTS ME, MOVING ON....I will be linking up with Kathy....

This afternoon I also finished pin basting all of the blocks for Steven's quilt--all 20 --onto

needle punched batting; now ready to "Quilt-as-you-Go" on them....

Phew--that was a back breaker...but they're ready...tomorrow I will set up my machine for quilting with Helga's Walking Foot

                  ("put your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there..."

                                     another entry in SONGS FOR ALL OCCASIONS ! LOL)

AND HERE ARE MY LATEST TWO Circles of {My} Life..

.My Grand-mere was a "Rose" also,  and my Great Grand-mere was "Julie"--hence Julierose...I love that Mom and Dad put those two names together for me...I can still hear them calling me in french :"Juuulie--with the accent on the Juuu..." Sweet memories....

Hugs to all

Julierose, La blageuse  ( Memento Mori-euse)

THANK YOU BARBARA

Just look at the goodies that came in the mail for me from Barbara ..all these really
adorable "fussy cuts"  
you definitely brought a smile to my face, Barb...

Hugs, Julierose La Blageuse (fortunate-euse) ;--))))

MUTE MONDAY

                                                                         GRIEF CLOTH

                                                           COL 32 :RAW

HUGS,,
JULIEROSE, LA BLAGEUSE

JOYEUX NOEL

OUR LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL FRENCH CLASS MADE THESE WREATHS
              AS A FUND RAISER THIS YEAR. IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE
                                                       TRAGEDY IN PARIS....and

Our next door neighbor's daughter is in that class group, so we decided to purchase one from her....

Isn't this lovely?  And then the class  also decorated them....we just really love it....

As I am really not in any mood to be putting up a tree this year after Mom's death--
this is just enough and perfect for us....
their card read:

                                                                 "JOI ET PAIX"
                                                                   Joy and Peace

How perfect is that.....I couldn't imagine hanging it outside, so it is on the wall adjacent to our kitchen so we can enjoy it there.....I just love the smell of fresh pine boughs....

I will be taking a bit of a break on the blog here ....I will be continuing on Steven's quilt--only
five more blocks to go before I can begin quilting....

And will continue my handworks....and my Circles of {My} Life....and hopefully
"Mr and Mrs Turkey Lurkey" will make an appearance soon....

hugs to you all--be back in a bit....hugs, and hold your loved ones close in these perilous times....
Julierose, La Blageuse (grateful-euse)

365 circles

HERE ARE THE 1ST 27 "CIRCLES OF {MY} LIFE FOR

                                            AUDREY'S 365 Circles group sew along....

I began on Nov 5th to chronicle my daily "feelings" in these months after my Mom died on
June 5th of this year by using fabrics that, for me, display  my state of mind that day.

And I have found  that this daily "circling around" how I am doing with all these unexpected feelings that can overwhelm me at the oddest moments and for the strangest reasons --really helps a lot.

I am using K.K. Buckley's circle templates (of differing sizes) to pre-form my circles--as I am
totally needleturn-challenged (actually, I cannot do it at all!! truth be told ;-0000), I find that having the seam allowance turned under is easier for me to handle right now.

(Altho, today I semi-needleturned that little sleeping moon on my latest circle.)

 But my stitching does seem to be getting a bit  better and I am beginning to relax and let myself
go with the flow more....

thanks so much Audrey for hosting this great sew-a-long....
hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse