a little bit of quilting

I have been seriously lacking time to quilt on my longarm, but I hope to kick that habit soon!  Right now I am using a poinsettia pantogram on this Christmas quilt--

The quilt blocks were all made by members of my quilt group, the Ham Lake Piecemakers.  At Christmas time, we take up the challenge to use one or two chosen fabrics to create a block.  Then we have a drawing to pick the winner(s).  Our friend, Thora Lee, won this group of blocks.  She has moved away from the area, but still comes back here occasionally so I hope that this can all get done and be ready for her soon.

One big reason why my quilting time has become minimal is the fact that I have been involved with the kitchen and bath renovation at home.  Some days it just isn't conducive to creative work, and other days I just have to be out of the house.  To have our cabinetry all painted, the 2 rooms had to be completely taped off and sealed up.  The fumes were very strong, and we stayed 3 nights with Ben and Brita.  Here are some pictures of how much has been accomplished--

tile floor in the bathroom looks wonderful

counter tops and sink installation looks fantastic

shower is coming together, still some grout left to do on the dark sections

and the wood flooring is now completely done

I really love to see the craftsmanship that goes into all of this.  I regret that I was not at home when the counter tops were done, because I would really like to see that process.  We chose to use a laminate product, meticulously installed by our friend, Dana Lewis.  He can undermount sinks from a certain manufacturer, and the join is flawless!  And now the faucets and drains are in working order, so we can start using them.  Oh, the things we take for granted!

abnormalcy

Well, what little normalcy I had in my makeshift kitchen is now gone!

Here's the corner that housed my Grandma's old buffet and dining room table.

 Today we had to remove all the furniture from the dining room/living room so those original wood floors can be sanded and refinished along with the new.

Here's the kitchen on the right and the bathroom that is under construction is that dark doorway on the left.  The hallway running to the bathroom is all new wood, the kitchen floor was changed to wood several years ago.  So now it is all getting the same treatment.

Sheet rock taping was done today, and big fans are running all night to get it dried.

Messy stuff!

Here's a corner where the original wood is sanded down but still not sanded right next to the wall.  I like all of that light wood!  I hope we can get a really light stain on it.

Now here's a picture from another kitchen, in Sioux Falls, around 1983.  Brita was always a good helper, and that day we were making cut-out cookies.  Brita stood on a chair and the rolling pin got away from her!  There she dangled, not sure what to do next!  She doesn't have that problem anymore, but someday one of her little boys might find himself in a similar predicament!

I don't do this very often, but tonight I took a picture of my dinner!  We were eating at Perkins', and ordered their special stir fry chicken with strawberries.  I have never thought about adding strawberries to stir fry, but it was delicious!

Looks awfully healthy, don't you think?