Why wait to wear purple when you're old? (portrait in progress)

Because I'm teaching only online, I can set my "weekend" so it works for me and for my students; right now, that's Monday and Tuesday. Those are the days when you'll find me here--

--at the dining room table, Christmas tunes on the laptop, getting my "make" fix.
Three lovely ladies in purple, soon to have eyes and noses and mouths--the work of the afternoon.

Return to Hoop (and a winner!)

Little Max's birth announcement is the only hoop I've made in weeks, which signals that teaching has indeed usurped making in my life of late. I console myself with two thoughts: first, I've been uncharacteristically ill (nothing serious, just annoyance after snotty/coughy/headachy annoyance) this semester, which has no doubt slowed me down, and I will soon enjoy a month off from school. We shall see what happens then, friends!

Meanwhile, we do have a winner in the Modern Blocks giveaway--Alexis! And by the looks of her own lovely blog, I'm guessing this book is right up her alley. Alexis, send me your mailing address (at the email address on my right sidebar), and I will get this baby on its way to you.

As for the rest of you--thanks for your congratulations (and condolences, Crow/e-wise). :-) Some of you called for a photo of my block, and I promise to take/share one if the sun shines tomorrow. It includes felt. And birds. And embroidery. I know this will come as a great shock. Ahem.

The Good News First? (a giveaway)

The good news is that I am apparently a "well-known" designer! The bad news is, they spelled my name wrong. The good news is I've used photo editing software to correct the problem here in my perfect-blog-dream-world! (I promise, though, it's really me.)
The really good news is it's a beautiful book, well-designed, full of lovely quilty projects, clear photos, and concise directions. The other really good news is I'd like to give a copy to one of you. Want it? Leave a comment, and I'll pick a winnah on Sunday at midnight.

Any Asheville folks out there?

I have zero pictures because I left my camera at home in a neck-spasm/tension-headache/prescription-meds induced stupor, but I am currently in Asheville, NC, and I am thinking of moving here in the spring. I'm wondering if I have any readers from here or who have had some serious experience with the area. If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts, make plans to meet up when I return, get your advice on neighborhoods, homeschooling, anything you want to offer. (We have dined like vegan kings and queens since arriving--I can tell you that!

As Promised...Foxes

The foxes, and the evening, were pretty fantastic. (They made their own "squab giblet" treat bags.)
I think the tails were my favorite part.
We spent much of the afternoon filming scenes from the movie. (The line "I consider myself an athlete" is still playing on a loop inside my head.)
Trick or Treat was pretty awesome--when they got recognized (which happened maybe six times) as Kristofferson (Grace) and Ash (Annabelle), they were beyond thrilled; they were invited to a bonfire, chased by a wolf man, and given prizes for last year's costumes by a young couple who remembered the washer and dryer. They said, as they always do, that it was the best Halloween ever. Mission accomplished!