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What a delight to share in the festivities with Avery. I bet those cookies were delicious. And good for Nora to love her creepy doll that now works. She's a good mama. Enjoy your sewing room, no matter how messy it gets. I'm hoping to be able to get stitching soon in mine. It's been almost 2 years now thanks to the nasty and long lasting vertigo attack I had last year. But I'm expecting to get my machines serviced next month so I can stitch my way through 2019.
by pennifold
27 Dec 2018
Hope it all goes well Karen and that you can get back to sewing. Love Chris
by toogie
29 Dec 2018
Vertigo sure can mess up your life. I haven't had an episode in a while, thank goodness. I hope you can get a lot more sewing in this year. Good to hear from you.
168893Oh Toogie - such wonderful pictures!!! Everyone looks so happy - Avery looks so sweet!! I am happy Nora's doll began to work! And little Gus looks tired!!! Hugs and Love, Laura
by toogie
29 Dec 2018
Thanks for looking! Gus still likes to be held a lot, especially around a lot of people.
95274Such beautiful pictures. Avery looks so happy. I am sure she was the star of the play.
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Perhaps to us Angie but no, her Physical Ed trainer Brad was Ebeneezer Scrooge and really played his part well.
If Avery isn't happy, then something is wrong. That's how we used to know she was sick.
109762These pics were taken at Avery's school, during the visit from Santa. The weather was bad this year so the helicopter didn't bring him, he came on his sleigh. Gus played with her giraffe.
There was a man standing against the wall close to us. We offered him a chair to sit, but he said no,thank you. He wanted to remain standing so he could see the faces of the children as they received their gifts. At the time, we didn't know him, just thought he and his family were there for one of the students.
We found out that he, his wife and their 2 teenagers, son & daughter, bought, wrapped and brought all the gifts the children received! Not only that, the children and wife mingled/talked with the students and their families. The man remained standing but you could see he was touched with emotions. What a blessing for the school, the children and especially the family to not only be financially able, but to teach their children 'hands on' to get involved! How many teenager do you know would take the time for these special needs children. I tear up, at the party, right now too so full is my heart. This is a true example of being Christlike.
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by pennifold
27 Dec 2018
And isn't that what it's all about Toogie? Christian love in action. God bless that man and family for taking time out to bring joy and love to these kiddies. Love Chris
109043Avery made her acting debut, as part of the Cratchit family, in Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Here she is with her family (all but Mason), after the play.
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158553What a wonderful picture of Avery and Ashley - so much love and joy in that photo!
Interesting how your sewing room and mine have the same décor after Christmas - what a mess! Mine looks like JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby and all sorts of other craft/fabric/thread and stabilizer suppliers have blown up all over my room! Yikes!
I look forward to more pictures! Hugs* Deb
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
You describe my room perfectly...have you been here while I was out?...funny hubby didn't mention it, but then sometimes he forgets, until you call or come again-lol
70753Great pictures!! Avery looks wonderful! Ashley looks like she is having fun too. Hope you get your sewing room straightened up.> I think we all have to do that after sewing for Christmas. hehe
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Ashley makes moments special for her kids and she enjoys their excitement as much as they enjoy the moment. She is really good with them.
111092There is nothing like family, you gottta love them, I straighten my sewing room yesterday somewhat, I need to get rid of some things I will never get made, oh well maybe next year, hehhe (had some bad luck yesterday spilled some tea and some of it went on my computer of course it quilt working we dried it out and I thought I have lost it, but this morning it is working yaaaaaaa.
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Yea!!!! Boy, were you lucky! Glad you're up and running again.
As far as those 'things', you can't get rid of them! You might NEED them for some project you haven't thought of yet!-lol
27356Love your stories. It's always good to see pics of our special Cutie - can't tell what she got!
As for the sewing room, some of us can only work our process by leaping headlong into it and stitching till it's done. Others may be neater and not get so much done. Lately I've been hooping stabilizer when I am ready to leave the sewing room, so I'm already "started" when I return. It's just a mental thing! No project, no colors or fabric pulled, just the stupid stabilizer. But, it helps me jump right in.
I got inspired to start a quilt right before Christmas and I gave the first square (finished at 11:30 p,m, Christmas Eve)to one son with the promise of more to come. It's about the little life lessons I've tried to teach, so lots of wordy text and less about the designs. I have 7 squares figured out so far - 5 more to go.
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Wipe your glasses Betsey....Avery is 'holding' the electric mixer. They are making cookies for Santa!
Ashley's dh wanted me to emb a hoodie with just a few days notice. I almost didn't find ANY cut-a-way in my piles, uh-um, room. Almost out, too. I can't hoop ahead as I know not what I'll be doing next.
Now we will be looking for updates on how that quilt progresses...where's the first block picture? Show & tell time!!!
by graceandham
27 Dec 2018
No cell phone minutes, so no camera. Each block takes about 2 hours. I stitched #2 this afternoon. Block #1 went home with him to look at until I finish the others. He wanted steel toed shoes for his job for Christmas - that was a budget breaker. So, the first square had the work boot from Miss Veronica - in with the cartoonish mice set. It says, "Look down and know you are loved." Planning one with the Star of Bethlehem (Sonia Showalter maybe) that says "Look up and know you are loved." Get the theme? Some will be incidents and experiences from his childhood. Haven't quite thought of 12 yet, but 5 are set up in my software program and ready to stitch out.
66506great picture, how wonderful Lova Bella came to live again...hugs ))
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Oh yes, Nora was happy, Mom was happy.... and you know what is said about mom being unhappy.-lol- if not, the saying goes, "If Mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".-lol
Although I must say, Ashley was just disappointed for Nora, when she thought it was something wrong with the doll.
Truth be told, the doll has an odd tint to her skin. Nora's dad picks at Nora and says she's creepy looking. When she was opening her present and squealing about it, her dad said he couldn't understand what she said she got. She told him, "It's that creepy doll, you called her".-lol
The only thing I say is, they could improve the skin tone.
by gerryvb
27 Dec 2018
well you could say she's from another country , she's a foreigner where they have other kind of skin tone
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
She is suppose to be light skinned, but she looks sickly....deathly sick, her coloring is..
740191Good to see Avery and Ashley having some fun. I hope to see some more pictures and pray that your back is better today. Those little paper things in with the batteries can be challenging for some! Love Chris
by toogie
27 Dec 2018
Back is no better but thank God, no worse, thanks for remembering.
Yes, as you say it can be a challenge!-lol-When Marsha pulled the paper out we started laughing and I said, 'well she (Ashley) is college educated!'.
Now I'm not putting down education, just the opposite, I'm supportive of it, so I need to explain myself.
Years ago when my sister was in nursing school, she had someone in her class that wore her boots/shoes on the wrong feet. I told my sister if I'm ever in the hospital I don't want her being my nurse (lol)... so we joke when one of us has one of those 'duh' moments and say, it is because they are college educated..... One of our niece says her husband is 'book smart', but no common sense and sometimes, even he, is smart enough to admit it.-lol
The reason I knew about the paper thing, Avery had a play Elmo phone that you had to pull the paper from the battery compartment before it was activated. The batteries were already inserted and I guess the paper kept them from running down before use, if a button was pressed or got hung up, for some reason.
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