Christmas and Secret Santa

It was Christmas for us this past weekend. I'm sorry to say 99% of my pictures are blurred.  These guys don't sit still for much. They run in the door calling to each other and off they go.  Little Michael included.  Michael is now 11 months old.  He's been walking/running full tilt since he was 9 months old when he decided if he was going to do what his big brother and big sister do, he'd better be faster about it.   He thinks there is nothing he can't do and insists on trying. He only has one tooth. Technically, he is an infant.  He thinks he's five.
At dinner Saturday night we adults could hardly hear ourselves talk because the kids were laughing and singing and telling jokes so loud.  I just sat back and reveled in it.  These are their golden years and someday we'll look at these pictures and wish these years back.

 Saturday night the ice came.  I prayed hard that we wouldn't lose our power.  We do so easily lose power and I had a house full!  But we were very lucky.  The apples that are still hanging on the trees, the ones the deer can't reach, were covered and looked like candied apples.

It really is very beautiful but there are 200,000 people along the southern part of Michigan without power, meaning no heat, lights or anything, till maybe after Christmas.

 I wasn't supposed to open this till Christmas, but this weekend WAS our Christmas so I cheated the calendar and opened my Secret Santa gift.  This absolutely beautifully made sewing basket is just gorgeous.  Jenny in Australia made it for me.  And the detail she put was so special.  My name is on the yo-yo flower.  The year of the SSCS exchange is dated on the button holding a tape measure.

 Inside are pockets...and look!  I've already started to fill it!   Now here's the other amazing part.  I've been using a pretty box for my supplies.  I keep in on the table next to my stitchin' chair and it has my needle case, scissors, threads for the current project, hand cream (lavender), finger pads and tape measure.  The other day it broke.  I was making the room presentable for Christmas, picked it up wrong and it broke.  I wandered the house looking for something suitable and finally gave up and put everything in a zip bag.  So my question is, How did Jenny know this is EXACTLY what I needed???
Thank You so much, Jenny!  It's perfect!!

 She included some photo cards made by Chookyblue, the wonderful woman who organized this whole Secret Santa exchange.  It was through photographs that I "met" Chooky.  Wandering around the blogs one day a couple of years ago I found Snappyfriends and asked if I could play along.  Through that, I discovered her Secret Santa exchange, and well, the rest is history.  My blogging is doing exactly what I wanted it to do.  Introduce me to quilters around the world who would become friends.

Notice the card with the red quilt and black cowlet.

I know they're called calves! But cowlet seems to fit Cops.  The quilt is Jenny's and Cops is Chooky's and the picture is taken on her property.    If you follow Chooky's blog you've met Cops and a few other critters, too.

Jenny, thank you so much for the VERY special gift.  Love it all!!