Where does time really go?

I know it's bad when a non quilty friend calls to ask if I'm ok. "You haven't posted on your blog since December 18th!!!!!" Let me go back and recap.

December 19th was our big Hanukkah Celebration at school. I arrange the entire day. The whole school (125 kids, 20 or so teachers ) cycle through various stations. The culmination of the event is a gathering (which I lead) with songs, candle lighting etc. My duties, in addition to arranging each station, setting up, shopping, finding volunteers (I had a great PTO helper with this one), included arranging an entertainment basket for a family in our school. ( The dad of the family has been deployed to Afghanistan. ) Now realize that I love doing all of this. As a matter of fact, it was all my idea. I just didn't know two things. One, was that either parents don't read school mail, the tough economic times were too much for families to be able to provide for another family (the entertainment basket was to be a school wide collection), or I didn't provide enough in the bombardment of information, but we only received 3 donations to the entertainment basket. There I was the day before the party, shopping, with my own money, and filling up the basket! Two was that I was going to be incredibly sick the day of the party!!!

Imagine my trying to oversee all of the activities, food and volunteers all the while trying desperately not to throw up all over everyone! (it was especially delightful picking up the 22 doz. donuts and smelling Krispy Kreme donuts all the way to school!) Luckily the volunteers were fantastic and ran the stations beautifully and the teachers just carried on. At one point, I went into the office, closed the door and laid down on the couch. Naturally, that was the exact moment my NEW BOSS chose to walk in the office!!!! Ugh! I was miserable, not sure if I was contagious and trying so hard to make it to the big gathering so I could lead songs, be cheery, and pretend like I was having fun! I didn't make it! Twenty minutes before the big gathering, I had to leave. It was awful. I had to leave my "baby", my gathering, the party I'd planned for so long and go home. I felt awful, just awful for one full day and not so great for about 5 more. Ms. Minkee the cat, never left my bedside the entire day I was sick. The next day, Ms. A and C2 arrived (after postponing their arrival by a day) and we created a new Hanukkah custom. Hanukkah Pizza! There was no way I was going to make latkas!

Before the Hanukkah sickness, I was furiously quilting and tying! I made 12, yes you read correctly, 12 fleece blankets.

After I'd made 11 I decided to make one for myself.

This is a pile of a few I made. All totalled, I made 4 Cleveland Browns blanket while the rest were various prints. Of the 12, 2 were 2 1/2 yds. instead of 2 and 3 were 2 1/4 yards. That's a lot of tying!!!! My next few posts will show the rest of the things I made for my family. I didn't buy them gifts this year. They were all handmade. The photos aren't grand. I was still half sick and could have cared less about taking pictures!!!!!!!