13 ladies and 1 very nice little boy attended Nimblefingers today. Elaine L. came back for a visit and brought her son Caidin and her spinning wheel with her. Caiden visited us regularly when he was in his mama's belly as well as after he was born so we do like to keep up with him. Edie, Alberta and Nancy were also back again today. Unfortunately Edie goes back to Tuesday dialysis but it was nice to have her back for 2 weeks anyway. I hope Alberta and Nancy will keep coming. Marguerite brought her granddaughter Alexandra with her today to do a little knitting while Marguerite and I added some quilting stitches to the quilt. I had put out a selection of quilting books that had belonged to Betty Seminary so several of the ladies went home with new patterns to try. We are sorry to hear that Cathy M. is out for 8 weeks of physical therapy. Next week I will be out. I'm going to Texas to visit my 93 year old mother for a week. While I'm there my sister and I will hit our favorite quilt store "Creations of Kerrville" and spend most of our days sewing. It's always very relaxing and this trip it should also have the advantage of being warm. Hallelujah!

13 ladies attended today. It was a special day--Alberta, Edie and Nancy returned to us. They changed the day of Edie's dialysis for the holidays so she got her sisters to bring her in. We've missed her so it's nice to know she missed us too. She brought a Christmas card and a Santa wreath for us. It's so nice to see her again. And Alberta and Nancy haven't attended for several months. I hope they'll keep coming too--somehow the group doesn't seem complete without them. Fran brought in some wonderful pizelles. We gobbled them right up. I brought in some chocolates and they didn't stand a chance against us either. Marguerite brought her granddaughter Amy who kept very busy making an ornament and a potholder. I was secretly jealous of the potholder-making; I haven't done that since I was a kid. Kathy O. brought in her granddaughter's finished quilt. It has a bright pink polka-dot border! The perfect quilt for a pink loving little girl. Today's discussions were on how important it is not to reorganize your sewing room; the proper way to blow your nose; various local concerts seen or not seen by different members; some funny family stories and of course I filled Alberta, Edie and Nancy in on the keen determination to reuse tea bags by my thrifty group of ladies. A fun time as always. Happy Holidays to all!

Today we went out to lunch for our holiday party. 13 of us attended. We went to the Gold Coin for Chinese food. Almost all of us took supper home in a bag. There was lots of talk around the table as usual. I listened to a recitation of all kinds of cabbage recipes on one side of me and an update on the health of Betty Seminary, one of our sometimes ex-member, on the other. It's hard to keep track and hard to keep up with the conversations when you get a bunch of ladies together. I did learn though, in calling absent friends that our old friend Edie, the blind lady, has changed the day she goes for dialysis so she hopes to return to the group again. I'm flattered that she has remembered us fondly all this time. It will be great to see her again and we've missed Alberta and Nancy who we haven't seen for about 6 months. Remember, we will not meet on the 16th but we will meet again on the 23rd. See you then!

14 ladies attended today. It was another big day for show and tell. Fran brought in the silk comforter she bought in China. The silk part is the batting inside. It is so soft and all made from 2 little silk pods. It was beautifully machine embroidered on some kind of acetate. Fran says its too hot to use though so she's a bit disappointed. Kathy O. brought in another of the quilt tops her daughter gave her to finish. This was a pineapple pattern in navy, gray and yellow. We all loved it! Tina finished hand piecing the lone star she has been working on. She still needs to put in the background but the star is finished! And Cathy M. brought in a finished invisible 9-patch Christmas table runner. (Sorry it's sideways--but you can see the quilt pattern anyway). Hattie made it back today so we watched the Betty Smith film again because she hadn't seen it. It's really a great film, not just because it's about Betty but it is so well made! As a short documentary it was better than many that I've seen. I'm so glad the Village Quilters had it made. Pat H. came in with animal crackers, homemade chocolate/peanut butter candy and a large pile of fabric squares which she laid out to make an invisible 9-patch quilt. Linda O'C was working on button bracelets. Cathy Y. and Hattie were knitting. Deb and Marguerite were painstakingly hand piecing blocks. Fran brought in her Christmas challenge block (a Santa Claus block) for another group that she belongs to. Everyone was busy and everyone was happy. Next week (Dec. 9) we will be having our Christmas luncheon at the Gold Coin restaurant (across the street from the Slingerlands Price Chopper plaza) at 12:30 p.m. The week after that (Dec. 16) we will not be meeting at all. Then we're back at the library on the 23rd.