For sweet Gigi and Grandma S.

After being stuck at home with sick kids for nearly a month, last Sunday I headed out for some window shopping and much-needed alone time. I wandered around Macy's looking at the glittery ornaments and fine china, and I was filled with memories of my grandmothers. I lost both of my grandmothers this past year, and as I walked the aisles I couldn't help but feel their presence with me. My sweet Gigi had a love of the finer things, and looking at the finer Christmas decorations I knew which ones she would like and which she would turn away from. Some of the golden wreaths with the frosted balls and greenery and the tabletop decorations reminded me so much of her that I had to blink to hold back my tears. My Grandma S. always had a Higbee's box under her tree, and I can be sure that many of her ornaments came from there. In fact, I have several of her ornaments on my tree now. She certainly was with me on Sunday at Macy's.

When I returned home I still had the memories of my Christmases with my grandmothers playing in my head. Both of them were so dear to me. Christmas is such a happy wonderous time, but for those of us still mourning a loss, it really is bittersweet.

I decided to finish a quilt that had been sitting unfinished on my sewing table for months. My Grandma S. would have loved it. It is Moda Funky Monkey on flannel-it's free motion quilted.



When I was a girl my Grandma S. would make a sock monkey for me each Christmas-all the way through high school. I loved anticipating that present! She was so creative and each year she outdid herself. I would like to share a few of the monkeys she made for me that I have saved:

The one on the left is cowboy (I have unfortunately lost his felt hat), the middle one is runner monkey (the uniform was modeled after my HS cross-country uniform and even has my last name on the back), and the one on the right is girly monkey(hand embroidered dress, bonnet, shoes and purse with a coin inside).

I also have a set of very small, felt ornaments that my Grandma S. made. They are at least 25 years old and they are still beautiful. My kids love putting them on a mini-tree each year, and as I look at the perfectly stitched felt and knotted sequins I can almost see her sitting in the living room with my Grandfather, hand sewing as he watched TV and dozed in the recliner.



These memories are so precious to me, thank you for letting me share them with you.