Christmas 2012....time for reflection

Thumbs up! Two days after discharge from the hospital!

The year is almost gone...time for some reflection, and definitely time for an update on this blog, since so much has happened this year! Almost immediately after the beautiful wedding of Sanne and Wouter, we were shocked by the message that my Mom had a malignant tumor in her lung, causing severe anemia. Surgery was carried out on September 21st, and only three months later, we can say only one thing: she's back on track! She was discharged after only 1 week, and has shown remarkable strength and resilience.


In between hospital visits and preparing for the aftermath there was the marriage of a colleague and the 25th anniversary of my old schoolfriend, so some needlework had to be done. The good thing of patchwork and quilting is that on the one hand it helps me distract, while on the other it helps me to organize my thoughts and really brings peace of mind. After the Apple tree quilt (see blog: Wedding Quilt), I looked for other 'treeish' patterns, since I like the idea of a Tree of Life for this occasion. And I found this Heart Tree by Liz Jones (the pattern can be downloaded from the AQS website). It was quite a challenging pattern, but I love the result, don't you?

The start	All hearts in place
The result	Final result of the 2nd Heart Tree Quilt

Before I could think twice, Autumn was over and Winter arrived all of a sudden. Winter in the Netherlands usually means a chaotic day with traffic jam, trains no longer running, and the opportunity for a snowy picture. The next day everything is back to normal and Winter forgotten.

But staying inside, due to weather conditions, gave me the opportunity to get ready for Christmas and with a loads of seasonal fabric in stash I decided to make baskets and filled them with chocolate as a small token of appreciation for family, friends and colleagues.

Christmas treats for colleagues

Christmas baskets ready for 'shipment'

Today, on December 25th, the temperature is almost 10° Celsius, with showers. We are enjoying our time together at home after spending Christmas Eve with Leonore and Florian, visiting my parents in the afternoon and looking forward for Sanne and Wouter arriving tonight. Despite all the turmoil in the past months, I have the feeling that the New Year will bring lots of opportunities in work (finally finishing the dissertation!), family life and quilting. There is a new project on the go, and I will tell you more about it as soon as the first bits and pieces are ready. Happy Holidays and Best of Luck in 2013!

KadK project 121212, the challenge for 2013!