Look at banner, Michael!

Remember that ribbon I sewed on Grandma's sewing machine? The one that I had to re-sew a couple of times because I can't sew in a straight line? When the machine made this noise: "Kkrrchhxt!"?

You remember. Well, all that mess was leading up to some name banners for the sisters. This project involved quite a lot of pinning and measuring and patience. I'm not actually that great at any of those things, which is why I don't block my knitting projects. Do you block your knitting projects? Maybe you do. Good for you, and way to make me look like a total slap-dash jerk. Anyway, the concentration paid off because the banners were not a total disaster. That's one in the bank.

My stars! You're seeing quite a bit of Mother's living room, aren't you? So many shelves filled with so many things. (The Second Christmas edition of things.) What can I say? It's how we Nicolai girls roll.


P.S. Today is the final day to vote in the Lowe's Community Giving Campaign. Follow my link to check it out and help Lowe's decide how to allocate $600,000. What will it be? The National Parks? Water.org? Keep America Beautiful? American Forests? Vote here!