I aintn't dead

I've been sewing quick and dirty quilts for refugees.  Big pieces with micro-fleece backing.

 And then use up the leftovers in a colorful border.

(Don't the leaves make a nice background?)

 

I had the November tea with sherry cake (If you look very closely, you can just see the rose pattern from the doily I used to decorate.  Should have used powdered sugar, as the colored sugar was too big to filter through the meshes.)

 There were applesauce cookies, nutella cookies, turkey salad, and grapes.

The china theme was black and white.  It turns out that one of my nieces has the same china pattern that I selected when I was 18 and building a hope chest.  Ebony and Ivory by Noritake.  Almost 50 years old and still elegant.  But, since I have place settings for 8, and there are usually 15 to 18 for tea, I have to stretch the settings with alternatives.  This splendid hand-painted souvenir from Hawaii that Kyle found for me at an estate sale is about as alternative as you can get.  I adore this one!!



Meanwhile, I am hammering away at the
pre-Christmas stuff.  Updating the address list, starting on the rum balls (I went to the liquor store, bought a quart of rum and used the $5 change to buy two scratch-offs, each of which won $5.  Whoop!  Quit while  I'm ahead!) knitting, embroidering, sewing.  It's half past November and it will be time to ship stuff before you know it.

Have I mentioned that I have joined Toastmasters?  Enjoying it vastly.  A whole new audience for my old jokes.