The bad thing about having a dog in winter is opening the door to freezing weather so he can go to the bathroom. At least I don't have to go out with him.
I spent a big chunk of the week catching up on some projects. One was the applique wall hanging I started over a year ago. It's supposed to be an aspen tree in a Colorado mountain meadow (which it definitely looks like). It took me forever to figure out how to do that two-toned border. The mountains are supposed to have tiny little pieces of white fabric on them to represent snow; but since I'm sick of snow, I left them off. I'm ready for spring.
Our Quilt Club is making a group quilt to raffle off and make money for the club. Each member was assigned 4 blocks, each one 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" square. I did not participate in the fabric selection, otherwise the quilt would have been a lot more colorful. This color scheme kind of depresses me - it's like looking out the window at all the brown and gray. Number 3 was my own design - I actually just sewed together a bunch of my scraps. I think I like it better than some of the other patterns. I've decided that quilt pattern piecing is going to be my February Something Old, Something New challenge. I've dabbled in quilts before, but it's usually applique, like my Colorado wall hanging or last year's bug quilt. Trying to piece those tiny little rectangles and triangles together while keeping all the lines straight and the corners sharp is tricky. I had to start over many, many times. My seam ripper got a good workout.
On Wednesday, I took a class at the Parker Arts Center called, Painting with Coffee. Literally, we dissolved instant coffee in water to make our "paint."
We could paint anything we wanted, but of course I had to paint a coffee cup. I was so inspired that the next day I went to Starbucks and ordered something new - a chocolate hazelnut cookie cold foam brew. I guess that means I can check off another item on my Winter Bucket List, since I usually just order some variety of mocha. The cold foam brew was tasty, but an iced drink on a winter day probably wasn't the smartest choice.
Courtney and I finished our online watercolor class. This week's painting was a desert scene. Courtney's picture, like usual, is very good. She really captured the water reflections in the stream.
Bruce has been taking advantage of the cold by getting a head start on taxes. Charlie usually keeps him company by napping in the chair next to Bruce's desk. He likes to keep his stuffed turkey with him when he takes a nap. I usually put his toy in the closet when he goes to bed at night, because when he chews on it, it makes a weird honking sound.
Janet and Teresa went to a Las Vegas casino party last weekend to watch the Chiefs play in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22.
Bruce and I went to a Super Bowl party at a neighbor's house. I think everyone there (except us) was a diehard Bronco's fan. The host set up one of those football betting squares. I felt horrible for being a winner after the first quarter, like I somehow jinxed the Chiefs. But I guess on the other hand, I won back my original bet. I probably should have gone to Las Vegas, too.
