Ain't that good news !

I got a bit of wonderful ,inspiring news yesterday that gives me something new to sink my teeth into.

The holidays are not over !!!!

Crazy ? No. It is simply the way extended family schedules happen. We will be gathering with my In Laws to celebrate Christmas on January 17. My husband is the oldest of 6 children, all of whom are active, busy people with active , busy children of their own, and simply getting together is a major feat. Then add another sticky factor- my mother in law is now in a nursing home, wheel chair bound, and getting her out and about in the snow is tricky at best. So it was decided we will gather on this day at the nursing home in their multi purpose room and celebrate. This presents me with an opportunity to do a creative project- something I have been itching to do for a while now !

My mother in law is a collector of things ( camels, lighthouses, hot air balloons and flamingos). She also loves to wear sweatshirts, and collects them from all over. In her younger days he collections got to be a bit much, and space became a real problem. Her health began to decline, and she was no longer able to collect as much as she wanted. About 2 years ago she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and Dementia, andsome odd turns of events have made it nessisary for her to live in a nursing home. Good thing is she has friends there and 24 hr a day care. Bad news is she really cannot have much in the way of her collectables there. She is also wheelchair bound. My inlaws are the type of people who have everything, so gift buying for them has always been a trick. Last night as I laid in bed I was thinking of possibilities , and it dawned on me hat I could make my mother in law a lap quilt, with two of her current passions appliqued into the design - light houses and hot air balloons ! Not only would such a thing be useful and plesant to her eye, but the two symbols are very optimistic and hopeful. She will never regain her former youthful health, but there is always something better to come along. I am really excited to make this !

In other good news, I am totally falling in love with my Pilates game and the Wii Sports Resort. My most intense love with the Sports Resort game is the canoeing feature . It is so completely true to what real canoeing feels like that it is amazing ( only difference is you get no drag from the water and you cannot back paddle). I am making a commitment to doing 30 minutes of rowing 3 times a week , and yesterday I got lost in the fun and discovered that I had been rowing for 45 minutes- and SWEATING ! This is a minor miracle for me , because I do not sweat ( it's a thing with my adrenal glands). Later in the afternoon I did 20 minutes of Pilates, which is also turning out to be a love love thing. I have lost a lot of flexibility, but slowly it is coming back. Nick really loves this one as well , and we can do the exercises together while talking about all kinds of silly stuff. Makes the time go by pretty quick !