Trees and tops and pondering

My new look is the result of some window gazing.  Out my kitchen window I can see my poinsettia, my dwarf Hass avocado, and my ornamental pear tree.  The picture in my header is what the blossoms on the ornamental pear looked like last year about this time.  It was gorgeous!  This year it's looking quite bedraggled.  The poinsettia grew very tall this year--the new canes reached even higher than this pic from last year:   It has bloomed continuously since October but now is starting to lose its leaves.  I'll cut back the canes next month and start fertilizing monthly (if I can remember to!) so I get the really deep dark green leaves next season.

Over the weekend I completed two small quilt tops.  I got the borders on the baby quilt for my nephew and am thinking about the backing.  Can't decide if I want to piece it or not, what with all the busy-ness on the front.  Hmm, pondering.  I also put together a mini from some leftovers from Grant's Diamonds quilt (pic of Grant's below).  I'm thinking about hand quilting that one.  Hmm, pondering.

Grant and I went to a baptism Sunday for his grand-nephew.  It was an unexpected trip for me, as I had plans to work and then sew while he took his mom, but she was feeling under the weather and didn't want to get the baby sick, so I told Grant I'd go with him; I knew he didn't want to go alone...but I told him my fee was a stop at JoAnn's fabric store on the way home (I'm sneaky that way).   

Though I was baptized myself as a baby, I've never been to one since and Grant's first and last time was to the baptism of the mother of this grand-nephew!  It was very interesting and the rector? deacon? explained everything that was happening in a very friendly and down to earth way.  It was the only baptism taking place so just family and friends were there.  They fully immersed the baby in the water and he didn't even cry (it must have been heated!). The parents took forever to get him dressed in his new white clothing afterwards, to laughter, and nearly missed the finer points of the end of the ceremony!  Lots of pictures were taken and we had a lovely luncheon at our niece and her husband's house, to which we had not been before. Didn't get to hold baby Jake as he was being hogged by a cousin the whole time, but we did get to meet him for the first time, little cutie.  It was a gorgeous warm day and Grant and I enjoyed spending time away from home together, however brief!   We talked about where to go for our 25th anniversary next month and if we want a party.  Hmm, pondering.

Believe it or not, the trip to the fabric store was the first time Grant has ever accompanied me to one.  I picked out some very unexciting white background fabric on a bolt, and while I waited to have it cut, Grant went to wait in the car (he didn't QUITE bolt! hee hee).  I always like to cruise the remnant bin and came home with some nice pieces that were 50% off, including a piece of microfleece that will be the backing to the quilt for the granddog.  The pieces got cut for that Sunday as well and I'll put it together tonight.  Tomorrow I plan to get pics of all three completed tops.  Maybe I'll manage a triple finish for January!  Hmm, pondering...