All the gifts I made throughout the year and stored for Christmas seemed to be appreciated and loved by all recipients.  We had Christmas dinner and desert with the parental units on Christmas Eve and I made these.

Christmas Day we shared with the kids in Colorado via FaceTime.

We were able to open presents with them and visit for a while, which was really nice.  It was still not anything like having them here, where I could hug them and enjoy their extended company, but it will have to do for now.  I started thinking about it and realized that I saw Luke the day he was born, and I won’t see (touch) him again until he is walking.  Life…

As far as I can tell, EVERYONE liked what I made for them for Christmas.  Everything fit every recipient, which was a plus!  I think I am going to continue to make or (in rare cases) purchase Christmas gifts throughout the year.  It really saved a lot of stress and $$ at the end of the year.  So, if you are (or want to be, I’m happy to make gifts for those who will cherish them) on my list, please make sure I have your sizes and pertinent information so that I can make you something that fits.

Christmas for me was pretty cool this year, in terms of gifts, also.  I pooled my saving stash with my Christmas gift money (and Scott’s) and picked out this baby.

She is a Janome 9500 and is totally awesome!  I haven’t done any embroidery on her yet, but I will very soon.  Over the Christmas holidays I was able to finish up one of the two wine colored dresses that had been commissioned last year before I went into the hospital.  Unfortunately, I had to refund the deposit to the customer because of the hospital and recovery issue, but I still want to finish the two dresses for Arwen’s Child.  Here is the first one of the pair.  This dress is called Hope and is available.  The dress is size 6 and would make a wonderful special occasion dress for a lovely little girl.  If you visit my shop, please make it one of your favorites.  I would appreciate it!

The second gift I received was an Amazon gift card.  Yep, it is spent!  Those things don’t survive long in my hands.  Here is what I procured with it.

Finally, I did finish one other project over the holiday.  In 1995, I stitched “Blueberry Homecoming” and now I have, framed, it’s twin piece “Raspberry Homecoming.”  Sixteen years between the two but I can cross them off the bucket list.

Here’s hoping everyone who reads this has a super 2012.

DKF

Let’s start with the most important news first.

We had another grand-baby in September. The trip out to Colorado was quick, but full of wonderful memories. Baby Luke Alan Fillmer was born on September 17, 2011, at 10:07 am, in Longmont, Colorado. His hats and socks fit him reasonably well, but his momma and daddy really like the sleep sack that I made for him. He is in it constantly and it keeps him so warm. Important thing to have in Colorado in the Fall.  Here are the four Fillmer Boys (3 generations) within an hour or so of the birth.

Last time I posted, Scott was in Uganda on his first mission trip.  He has since gone back there again and the two trips could not have been more different.  Our church does mission work in such a unique way.  The focus is a personal connection with individuals, not church planting.  Therefore, the last trip Scott went on was an all male, soccer oriented trip.  The guys connected with individuals and, more importantly, the community, by going over and “hanging out” or spending time with those who shared the same interests.  Through this connection, the guys were able to share the love of Christ with many from the community who might not have been touched otherwise.

This second trip had nine members (4 guys and 5 gals) and was all about clean water and the kids.  The story of the trip can be found here: http://www.scottfillmer.com and the photos, as always, are astonishing!  Here are a couple of my favorites.

There are so many awesome photos from this trip that it is worth a jump over to Scott’s blog just to look at the photos.

Ok, SERIOUSLY?  I have to take a minor break here….my computer just bit the dust and the hard drive is DEAD, so this post will be continued when I am back up and running…stay tuned…

The soccer ball is more than just for effect.  They are going over to Buloba on this trip primarily to conduct a soccer camp with the kids.  They will also be helping with installing rain catches on houses and various other tasks that they are led to do while there.  One never really knows what our mission teams will actually get themselves into until they are there and see the need.  If you would like to read more about their trip as they progress through the week, or would like to see Scott’s awesome photos, please visit his site here.  He is also still accepting donations to pay for his part of the trip, as everyone has to raise their own money in order to go.  If interested, you can make a donation right on his site as well.  Every amount helps!

Back at home, I actually finished a Christmas present this past week!

These gloves are “Strata” from the book “Knitting New Mittens & Gloves.”  They are actually two pair of gloves, one fingered, and one fingerless.  They can be worn together or separately.  The person they are for lives where it snows, so hopefully they will be well loved.  The brown yarn is Knitpicks Gloss Fingering and the pink is Knitpicks Stroll.

These were a quick knit (about three weeks) and it was a very basic pattern.  The book has a few more patterns that I would like to try.  I would recommend the book if you don’t already have it.  I have several more projects nearing completion and with Scott gone all week, I should have a few of them to post about for this upcoming week.  Stay tuned.

Quote of the week: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

So, back to the story of Jonita’s rabbit.  I don’t know if Jonita is one of these “fascinated” children or not, but I certainly can not send over a stark white rabbit for her.  She needs to have a rabbit more like her and I am seriously ashamed to say that this is actually the first rabbit of color that I have ever made.  It was fun, but a challenge.  I had to rethink the facial features, since the traditional black eyes would not show up on her.  I think she turned out pretty good.  I really hope Jonita will like her.  What say you?

Quote of the week: “All my possessions for a moment of time.” ~ Queen Elizabeth I

While the kids were at Disney, I had the opportunity to make my son a kilt, which I did not get a photo of…darn it!  I also was able to put the borders on a quilt that William’s Mimi and I are collaborating on.  His Mimi is doing the cross stitch and I am doing the borders and putting the quilt together.

This week I was able to get back to Christmas knitting and completed this uber cute hat for someone special.  The hat pattern is Dead or Alive? by Knitty.  It was a really quick knit and is modeled below by my niece, Martha.  After modeling for these photos, she announced that she would like an octopus hat.  Oh boy…

The Flower Power test sock knit is no more.  Although I really liked the pattern, the socks were not turning out as I had hoped, so frogged they are.  I am using the yarn from the socks for another Christmas present, though, a pair of gloves, and they are turning out much more to my liking.  Photos when they are done.

Finally, Scott was able to take some wonderful photos of Sara, Bryan, William and Baby Luke while they were here.  Below is a sample, but you can see more from the shoot here.

On a fun side note, we (the family when they were here), got to talking about old, favorite movies and who would have them on disc.  I have always wanted to secure a copy of a cheesy movie made in 1981 called Excalibur.  We checked out the local Hastings and sure enough, they had it.  Awesome!

That is about it for now.  We are headed out to the Auburn 4th of July fireworks tonight.  Scott should get some awesome photos of them, as he does every year!  I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!!

Quote of the week: “It is a lonely life, the way of the necromancer… oh, yes. Lacrimae Mundi – the tears of the world.” ~ Merlin, Excalibur (1981)

Bryan was so excited about a present that he has had for me for a month or so.  He said that I would never guess what it was and then he shipped it to me to have it arrive here at the same time they did.  I opened the box and was so excited.  While cleaning out the in-law’s cabin in Colorado, Bryan found this OLD (that is a relative term) sewing machine and he cleaned it up and saved it for me. From what I understand, it was going to be thrown out with the garbage.

I believe the machine works and will be checking it out in the next few weeks.  The best thing about the surprise was that my son thought enough about me to know what would mean so much to me.  When someone knows enough about you to give you a gift that you will cherish, rather than a gift that they would like, it means so much.  But that is fodder for another post entirely.  This week, with my current modern machine,  I will be making Bryan’s kilt, putting a border on William’s quilt, and fixing a few items that the kids needed fixed (hemming a dress and sock repair) before they come back through here on their way home.  So far, the sock is fixed and the kilt is almost finished.

Finally, the visit to the oral surgeon went swimmingly.  The nurse stated, when the tooth was extracted, “I would have bled more than that!”  LOL  The extraction was pretty simple and the hardest thing about it all is having to keep this flipper thing in my mouth.  I will get used to it, I know, but it is so foreign right now that I feel like I have a permanent tootsie roll attached to the roof of my mouth and the spot where the tooth was extracted hurts (boo).  When I have it in you cannot tell which teeth are mine and which are not.  That is the nice part.  That is it for the dental work for a while, save a filling coming up in a few weeks.  Thank goodness!  I will be happy to stay away from doctors for a while now.

Quote of the week:

“Why are you so petrified of silence
Here can you handle this?

Did you think about your bills, your ex, your deadlines
Or when you think you’re gonna die
Or did you long for the next distraction” ~ Alanis Morrissette (All I Really Want)

I also realized that the holiday knitting I have started was going to have to remain a secret until Christmas.  This just won’t do.  I have to share what I am working on, or else, why blog?  LOL  So, I figured out that if I just show them on my blog without any specific recipient details, it may keep those potential recipients who read my blog from knowing who they are for.  This is the best solution I could come up with for this dilemma.  Of course, the baby and kid items are going to be obvious, but the socks, mittens, etc. shouldn’t be so obvious.

On the health front, my doctor, called me on Thursday and wanted to know why the oral surgeon had me come to his (my doctor’s) office for blood work.  Without my requesting it, he said I shouldn’t need a transfusion before I have the tooth extracted and said he would contact the oral surgeon on Monday to let him know.  I am thrilled to report that they hashed it out and I will not have to have a transfusion before the tooth extraction.  I do have to agree that if it looks like I am about to bleed to death that I will go to the ER for platelets right away…duhhhhhh….  I love my doctor!  He just made my Christmas gift list!!

This week, the kids come to visit us on their way to Disney World.  It will be great to see them and spend some time with them without being in the hospital.  I am really looking forward to that!

Quote of the day: “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”  ~Voltaire

This year, the visit to Dallas was different in a lot of ways.  For the first time, I took a good look at the reasons for visiting this particular festival.  When I was growing up, we went to the NPF to visit with family and friends.  As any good Czech, Catholic family would be, my extended family was (is) huge.  I can remember many cousins, god-parents, grand-parents, aunts and uncles, all visiting and enjoying the atmosphere that felt so familiar complete with the food, beer, music, and dancing.  As time has gone by, many of the cousins have moved on.  Some of my grand-parents have passed away and some of them don’t care to come anymore.  My mother, the 100% Czech part of the family, has passed on and my God-mother, who was always the anchor of the dancing part of my family had a stroke a few years back and is in a home, not doing well, from what I’ve been told.

This year, the festival was fun, as it always is.  However, that is the interesting thing, this year, Scott and I realized that the NPF is always the same.  We always arrive the same day, go to the same venues, see the same art vendors downtown and the same bands in the halls.  The parade never changes and the menu at the dance-halls, although contains some authentic Czech fare, has not changed in at least 10 years.  Seriously, the menu consists of Barbeque Beef & Klobase, Parsley Potatoes, Green Beans (not sure what is Czech about that), Sauerkraut (German?), and Czech Pastries (Kolaches).  If you stay until Sunday, you get Pork Roast and Dumplings (Knedliky).  The tunes played are now 50% Czech and 50% Country and Western.  The one new thing the festival did this year was bring in a magician, yes, that is right, a magician, to entertain.  I think it was this last development that actually sealed our decision (see below).  Although we had a good time, we will not be attending the NPF for several years to come.  Perhaps absence will make the heart grow fonder.

Don’t get me wrong here, I am actually impressed and pleased that the folks in Ennis can still keep a folk festival alive in today’s culture and society.  I know it is insanely difficult to reach the younger generation and I applaud them for trying to do things each year that will draw the younger crowd.  See this post for more information on how the NPF folks could better reach the younger crowd.  The beef I have with the management of this festival is that the young are being reached at the expense of the purity of the culture.  My question is this: WHAT IS CZECH ABOUT A MAGICIAN??

My reasons for taking my money and time elsewhere are not only due to the festival changing, but due to out growing this festival and a desire to see how other Czechs hold their festivals in other parts of this country and beyond.  Therefore, next year we will be heading for the Wilber Czech Festival in Wilber, Nebraska.  In an effort to start a new tradition with the younger folks in our family and to try to carry on the Czech heritage, we have asked our kids and grand-kids to join us in Wilber, as well as my parents.  All have agreed to wear costumes for the event.  I will be making those and posting progress photos throughout the next year on this blog.  It is nice to be excited again about attending a Czech festival.  I am sure the festival in Wilber has many of the same issues, namely, familiarity to those who attend every year, but it will be new to us and we are looking forward to it.

Finally, I leave you with photos from this year’s festival.  I do have a video of Scott and I dancing, but am working out a deal for cash to keep it from being posted.  HaHa!  As I said, we did have a good time, but also a reflective one.  Enjoy ~ až později

The trip to the festival:

The King and Queen Competition:

Czech Musicians (one of these is my cousin:

Random photos of fun:

I did receive an awesome new t-shirt that I bought last week.

And, also in the mail, a fabulously decorated tatting shuttle that I won from entering a contest on the Lace Lovin Librarian’s blog.  Not only did she send the shuttle, but she included two balls of thread.  Cool!  If you are interested in tatting, I recommend following her blog.  She does great work and makes pretty shuttles, too.

That is about all for this week.  Next week’s post should be a big one from the Polka Festival.  Have a great Memorial Day!

In lieu of a quote of the day, I leave you with my favorite cartoon of all time:

This is the third week of May and it was in the mid 40s last night.  For the past three days we have had rain, wind, and huge clouds covering the sun.  It is Alabama in May, it should be approaching 100+.  Strange!!

With the weather like this, I have had lots of creative time with my knitting needles and my sewing machine.  This week I made a new hat for Luke.

While doing this hat, I confirmed that I really like to do colorwork and so you will probably see lots more colorwork socks in the days to come.

I also found a free pattern on the internet for a very simple zippered travel pouch.  Here is a link to several: http://tipnut.com/makeup-bags/.  The one I used is one of these, but I forget which one.  The other day I realized that since I will never have just one project going at a time, I should come up with a way to grab a particular project and go…  This travel pouch is perfect for sock knitting.  I can put the yarn, needles, completed sock #1 and sock in progress #2 all in the bag.  Having lots of awesome prints in my stash from my quilting days makes the choices of fabrics for the bags endless!  Here are two of them…

Saturday, May 14, 2011, was my 45th birthday.  My mother-in-law made a quilt for me and surprised me with it at dinner.  The most wonderful thing about this gift is that it is a quilt.  Since I have been a national quilting teacher and am able to create virtually every type of quilt out there today, everyone just assumes that I would have lots of quilts lying around my house.  I have none.  The ones I made were either never finished, or given away as gifts.  Funny, the last thing you really want to do after working on teaching quilting all day, is go home and quilt.  So, I now have a beautiful quilt to call my own.  Awesome!  Photos to come later, though, since she has not quilted it yet…Boo

Finally, this week, our little blue truck, the one we got from David when mom passed, has died.  On a bright note, we still sold it for a nice sum and the buyer had it shipped to Indiana.  Who knew that we had an enthusiasts vehicle in our possession?  We are back down to one car for a few weeks.  Ah well, life goes on…

Quote of the Week: “Do not use a cannon to kill a mosquito” Confucius (551-478 BC)