Holiday Craziness

Have you finished your shopping?  Are the presents all wrapped? Did you finish all the gifts you planned to make?  Is the decorating done?  Have you finished the baking? Christmas cards done?  Are you wishing you had another week in December?  If you are like me, these are questions that are running through your mind everyday!  My answers: yes (I think), no, yes, no, no, almost and yes!  Caitlin and I and Copper the dog, are driving to Louisville tomorrow to meet Peter at our daughter's home for Christmas.  I've shipped most of the gifts there, so I will be doing my usual wrapping - Christmas Eve day. Decorating - didn't do any this year because we were gone for week and then will be gone again next week - feels very weird!  A special thank you to those of you that have shared your decorating on Instagram, Facebook, blog posts, etc. I really appreciated seeing all of it.  It helped me with not doing any decorating here. Projects - Monday and Tuesday were Minkie day - 3 Minkie quilts for Brett's family (can I tell you how much lint those things produce!) Baking - hopefully we'll do some in Louisville, but it's not my thing any way. I even managed to plan and organize our Christmas cards and hopefully they will be delivered to Louisville, where I will finish the process - address, stamp and ship!  Extra week - I would love one in every month!!! 

Do you watch Downton Abbey?  If so, then you have seen the commercial for Viking River Cruises.  Peter and I were on one of their newest ships - Eistla - last week for our Danube River cruise.  We had a fabulous time and I have to say, I love river cruising.  The ship was beautiful and I don't think I ever felt it move - quite incredible.  And it had the part of cruising I love the most - every day you wake up in a new city and you didn't have to haul your luggage around or ride on a bus!  We started in Nuremburg and ended in Budapest with stops in Regensburg, Passau, Melk, and Vienna.  There are excursions planned for you each day - usually a bus and walking tour of the city - and then optional tours.  Each city had at least one Christmas Market to see, so I did a little shopping too.  Here are a couple of photos just to show you some of the highlights.
 

Viking Eistla

Nuremburg Christmas Market at night.

Christmas tree at Market in Regensburg.  That's me dressed for the cold!

Passau, Germany

Church at the Melk Abbey

Matthais Church in Budapest

Castle on the Danube River in Wachau Valley

Schoenbrunn Palace - Home of Maria Theresa - Vienna

Parliament Building in Budapest

Let's take a moment and try to think past all of the holiday craziness and think about 2015 - it's just around the corner and if you're like me, it's filling up fast.  Have you started making plans for workshops you'd like to take, quilts you want to make, vacations you want to take?  Any of these would make great gift ideas for your family.  I've got one that you just might want to add to your list.  Our good friend Ronda Stockton has just opened a new quilt retreat in LaPorte, TX.  If you follow her blog (And Sew It Began), you've had a chance to see her transform this old house she bought into a beautiful retreat that sleeps 16.  Paula and Gloria (Olde Green Cupboard) are teaming up to offer a weekend of fun projects.  Mark the dates on your calendar - February 12-15, 2015 at Ronda's retreat house, Pieceful Stitches.  Here's the link with all of the info: Special Event Opening. Sign up now, there's only space for 16.  I thought a little enticement might get you psyched, so here's the pictures of the projects.

Paula's pieced framed wallhanging

Gloria's armchair sewing cozy

Gloria's pincushion basket

I'll let you get back to your own personal craziness.  Up next here is packing.  Caitlin just called to remind me that winter clothes take up more room in the suitcase!  Sweatshirts, sweaters and turtlenecks - not my usual wardrobe for Florida!

Until next time, happy quilting,
Mary Ellen