Simplify

Farewell

The Olaveson fam- all 23-1/2* of us home for Christmas.

After a Vintage Modern sewing marathon and a wonderful week celebrating Christmas in Idaho with the whole family, I finally caught up on my sleep.  However, I stayed up waaay too late last night quilting three (yes, three) quilts.  Tonight I bound them.  So yep, I'll have some mighty sore shoulders and fingers to ring in the new year that I probably won't be able to stay awake for.  Wouldn't have it any other way.  

Farewell 2011.  You'll be missed.  Mostly because I just barely started remembering not to write 2010 on my checks.  

Really, I just want to thank all of you so much for all your encouragement and support this past year.  It has definitely been a challenging one for me, adding a baby into our already crazy mix, but certainly one of the best. Can't wait to see what the new year will bring...

Happy New Year!

Camille

*The 1/2 is my sister Tracy's, in case you were wondering :-)

Feeling Merry

Ornament sent by my cute friend Lisa.  Love her!

Things are all sorts of Christmasy over here.  Frank Sinatra's Christmas album is playing on repeat, tree is twinkling, baby boy is (fingers crossed) finally feeling better, and I started (and finished!) my Christmas shopping last weekend.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been working on a few handmade gifts, and then yesterday in the middle of an especially crazy day the UPS man brought this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A full two days earlier than UPS told me it would be here.  That never happens!  

Thank you Moda for the cutting mat- it is perfect!  Please ignore my linty rotary cutter.

I spent as much time as possible playing with it yesterday and again today (munchkins are out of school, so you know how that goes). So far I've cut 2 fat quarters, 2 jelly roll strips, 4 charm squares and 3 layer cake squares from EACH of the 40 pieces.  I have some major sewing to do.  Please feel free to show up and sew the night away with me. (Please bring DP.)

I told the husband he had to take us to Cafe Rio to celebrate tonight after violin.  New fabric coming just deserves some celebrating, doesn't it?  Preferably in the form of steak tacos.

Christmas, munchkins, new fabric, Cafe Rio and staying in my pajamas today.  

Sewing all night.

Best job ever.

 

A bit slow...

Happy Friday night!  

Tonight we spent a wonderful night at the Live Nativity with some friends. (Thanks Swinns!)  It was amazing, and if you live in the area, I would highly recommend it.  My children loved it and I (no surprise) cried through just about the whole thing.  It was absolutely beautiful, and such a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.  They mentioned at the performance that there would be a recorded version available online if you check back later.  I know I will. 

So sorry I'm running a bit behind today, but thought I better stop in to let you know that Sarah who is 'working on a houndstooth baby quilt and can't wait to see it finished' is the winner of the Vintage Modern package. Yay Sarah!  Email me your info and I'll get it off to you as soon as I can. Thank you everyone for your sweet comments, you sure know how to make a girl blush.  Really, thanks.  

Have a lovely weekend, and Merry Christmas!

 

A Moda Christmas

Recycled tree photo from last year (oops).  Please pretend the laptop is something festive.

Hello there!  Today is my day on the Moda Designer Holiday Blog Hop. At least that's what I'm calling it. Turns out nobody is sure exactly what it is named, but we are all happy to join in. Especially because we all adore Lissa, the brains behind it. (Seen here showing off my stockings and mantel from my market booth.  Isn't she cute?)

See, Moda is pretty fantastic.  I just can't help but feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful company and to know so many amazing people. So thankful for each of them! 

Way back at spring Quilt Market we had these great recipe/block cards to pass out in our booths, and this week we are all sharing them with you.  Here's mine!  Click on the link and print it there, if you'd like.

So basically, visit all these blogs for some great recipes, quilt blocks, and some Christmas cheer.

December 5th

Minick & Simpson
Bunny Hill
Me & My Sister
Deb Strain

December 6th

Kansas Troubles
Fig Tree
Cosmo Cricket
Lucie Summers
Liz Scott

December 7th:

Cotton Way 
French General
Oliver + S
Sweetwater
Ellen Luckett Baker

December 8th

Thimble Blossoms (me!)
Kathy Schmitz Studios
Laundry Basket Quilts
Kate Spain
Primitive Gatherings

December 9th

Basic Grey
Jan Patek
American Jane
Sandy Gervais

Hope you have a chance to visit them all, say hello, and find some great recipes and blocks.  Especially Sandy's recipe.  You'll love it.  Promise. 

To be completely honest, I haven't the recipe on my card this yet, as Moda was kind enough to provide one for me when my new-baby-mom-brain couldn't come up with a recipe last winter.  I'm sure it is delicious though!  I am going to have to try it this holiday season, even though my track record with making pies is less than stellar...  

My absolute favorite recipe at the moment is actually Pioneer Woman's sheet cake, which you should know is not good for you, is unbelievably addictive, and the most delicious thing in the world.  Okay, one of the most delicious things.  You should know by now I'm a sucker for all things chocolate. Really, anything I shouldn't eat.  

Since it is a special day, I thought I would also spill the beans on this:

Yep, our next line of fabric, Vintage Modern. What do you think?? Its got houndstooth, stripes, florals, dots... lots of our favorites.  If you are a quilt shop owner, your Moda rep will be showing it to you in January.  If you are fabric lover, it will ship in May.  My sample yardage should finally be here in a week or two, and I. Can. Not. Wait!  

If you want to win a package of brand new Vintage Modern scraps and all four of my new Vintage Modern patterns (coming soon), just leave a comment below and tell me about your latest quilting project. I'll send the prize out to you as soon as everything is ready to go sometime next month.  Deal?  But hurry, I'll be back on Friday to announce the winner.

So hop to it!  Thanks Moda, sure love ya.

**Comments are closed, see the winner here**

Just a little note...

It goes without saying that I love all three of my boys.  SO much. I don't love any one of them more than the others.  I decided to document boy 3's first year, but will be posting less about him now that he is getting bigger, as I have with the other boys.  Sometimes it is hard to decide how much to share here on my blog... on one hand I want to write about every lost tooth, every birthday, every funny thing that my boys come up with, because good heavens there are so many.  But I do want to keep them safe.  So please rest assured that I do love my two big boys, have throughly documented their lives as well, (to say they have plenty of photos would be an understatement...) and love them every bit as much as my little one.  Promise.  

Double promise. Times 3.

12 months

Yesterday was a big day for this little fellow.  He officially turned one year old.  

Can you believe it's been a whole year since he was born? I can't either.

I mean, how is it even possible that this tiny boy...

...is now this giant one?

Crazy.  

He is now a semi-walker, which means he crawls most of the time, but walks between things and people.  If it is under 6 steps, he'll walk it.  He looks so big wandering around the family room. 

This child was blessed with a strong will.  I don't know where he gets it.

He didn't want to sit here.

Every morning we watch Sesame Street together while sharing a bowl of Wheaties, and he eats tiny bites of my sandwiches and tries desperately to drink my Dr. Pepper at lunch. (Don't worry mom, I don't let him.) Any time I'm eating, he climbs onto my lap and helps himself.  

He squeals each day when he sees his brothers after school, and is terrified of our Elf on the Shelf.  He gives big sloppy kisses and sweet hugs, loves the pots and pan cupboard, and has on more than one occasion gotten stuck head first in his toy bucket with his chubby little legs up in the air. 

He is such a joy in our home.  A little ray of sunshine.  Stubborn, noisy little sunshine, but sunshine none the less.  

Oh, how we love you, Nicholas James.

Even more than last month.