Task Completed! CQJP hanging and ready to enjoy!

I cannot tell you how good it feels to have this project completed!  I kept reminding myself of my new word - FOCUS - and it did help me stay with this one project until completion.  I have it hanging on a decorative rod in our bedroom and it fits in nicely.  On a side note I might add that I don't plan on doing a full sized bedspread or any large project like this again soon.  I guess I like more 'instant' gratification.  Perhaps it is my short attention span resulting from my advancing age.  I also have a new found respect for quilters who create large beautiful pieces.  I have always admired them but now I add 'respect' to that.

If you want to see close-ups of the blocks they are on a separate tab, above.  Each block has a key representing 'keys to the past'.  The colors were determined by the monthly birthstone beginning with January Garnet top left and ending with December's Turquoise in the lower right.  Each block also has a feather, a bird, butterfly or dragonfly symbolic of  how time has flown by so quickly.  The homes are from paintings I did of houses, most that were part of my life as I was growing up, and the block next to each is of my family members that lived in the house.  The November block is of my kids and and their first home, along with my granddaughters (and grand dogs).  The last block is my husband and I from when we were little with our siblings (me with my brother on the left; he with his brother and sister on the right) and as we grew up and then along the bottom photos as we dated, with our family, and on our 40th anniversary with our grandchildren.  Center of the block is our wedding photo. 

Warm days will soon be a memory, at least until next summer, so I thought I would share a couple of my warm sunny day photos with you.  I had to laugh at this first one.  Our silly cat likes to lay in the sun but apparently needed a bit of a respite from the sun so she tried to crawl under the branches/leaves of my airplane plant (a/k/a spider plant).  It made me giggle.

I recently bought this gorgeous lace table cloth at an auction and decided to hang it on the clothes line to give it that fresh outdoor scent.  Love the lace and love the homeyness of sheets etc. hanging outdoors.  

Another accomplishment this summer was selling my mom's home for her.  She moved into an apartment, leaving her beautiful, well cared for home.  My oldest granddaughter, Lauren, used to spend days at this house with my mom and dad when she was little and asked if she could see the house one last time.  This is a photo in front of the house the night before possession was taken by the buyers.  Lauren (in the purple) and my mom to her right are about the same size now as one got bigger and the other is getting shorter.  It was bittersweet.  We all loved that house and the memories but knew it was a lot for mom to take care of plus she now is around other people in her senior apartments and seems to really enjoy her new lifestyle.  She has always been a caretaker and it is about time she could relax and enjoy herself and some free time. 

She still owns a farm and my DH keeps the area around the sheds mowed for her.  While he was mowing I decided to draw one of the sheds which is actually supported by a couple of tree trunks.  I think tearing it down will be an upcoming project.  It was a really nice day in the country that day and I enjoyed sitting undisturbed and drawing this old piece of memories.

I haven't decided for sure what my next UFO project is going to be, but I hope to get (re)started on something this week.

OMG it feels good to have that CQJP 2012 finally done and I'm thrilled it turned out decent!!!