Countdown to Christmas Finale

it's the night before

the night before Christmas

it was just a few years ago

I met Buddy-dog

he was in a shelter on the Central Coast

he didn't know what a toy was, yet alone, what to do with one

he was quiet

I got back in my car and I drove home

to this day, I'm so ashamed I drove away

I ran in to a girlfriend that night, told her about Buddy and she said,

finger on my chest, 

"YOU GO BACK AND GET THAT DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!"

that night, I left a hundred voice messages at the shelter

I woke up and was on the road by 4am

driving as fast as legally possible

so that I could be standing at the doors

when the shelter opened

Buddy remembered.

he came running around the corner, and placed both paws

firmly on my shoulders

and peppered me with kisses

he was muddy from head to toe

and had a bite over his white eye

but he jumped right in the back seat of the car and came home with me

that very same day

Christmas Eve Day.

so that's our Countdown to Christmas

story.

no giveaway, no comments required

just this one last story

to be told

follow your bliss; hold closely, those you love

Merry Christmas.

natalie.

and Buddy-dog

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS - SUNDAY'S POST

tomorrow will be the last time we post

for

Countdown to Christmas

why not tell a quilting friend about our giveaway?

soon

family will be arriving

gifts will be placed under the tree

meals will be prepared

and extra chairs will be pulled around the table

Buddy has a suggestion...

pace yourself

as always

please take a moment and to post a holiday pic

on the beyond the reef facebook page

or leave a comment here on the blog

in the spirit of giving

why not tell a friend to leave a comment

they might be

the next name

chosen

for the giveaway

be.do.create

natalie

www.beyondthereef.blogspot.com

Countdown to Christmas giveaway

we're getting pretty close

to the night before the night before Christmas

it has been a great series of shares and comments

and recipes and hearing from all of you!

 tomorrow I'll be able to make a great breakfast casserole

for guests

and I guess some of you learned something new

there is a thing out there called

a

breakfast casserole!!

tonite was the annual boat parade

and the annual lasagna and salad dinner party

(the boat parade isn't really a good phone pic event, I gotta say)

I wore my mother's big old fashioned brooch

tonite

it was my way of

'taking her to the party with me'

maybe it was my grandmother's

maybe it was my aunt's

maybe it was my mother's

brooch

I'm not sure

but what I am sure of

is that there was a little bit of extra sparkle

in my life tonite

because of their memory

we all have memories.

it's what we do with them that matters the most.

let's let those memories sparkle and shine.

instead of bringing a tear to our eye.

enough said.

be.do.create.

natalie.

ps - mascanlon is our giveaway gift recipient for the last post....yaaay!

Countdown to Christmas...still!!

it goes without saying

that a small community

peppered with historic traditional beach cottages

is a wonderful thing

it makes for festive evenings

of visiting with neighbors

people that will happily tell you the history of their house

and how many different sections were added to the original cottage

and why the stained glass windows are installed sideways

it also makes for a gathering of

very

creative types

how many of you have seen these little mice?

they certainly are new to me!!!

since we have started Countdown to Christmas

 I have asked you to post a cookie recipe on fb

or leave a comment here about the spirit of Christmas

but this time I am going to ask that in the next round of comments

you post a link to a tradition that you or your family enjoy

something I am sure that you make every Christmas

I am looking for a breakfast casserole

to serve this Sunday

can you help me out?

be.do.create

natalie

there is still a sale at the shop site

www.beyondthereef.bigcartel.com

Countdown to Christmas - there's still time...

Carol, aka Beulah

is today's giveaway gift recipient!

your comments have been wonderful

the building of dog houses

the making of quilts

the inspiration

I, for one, am thrilled

to hear from all of you

thank you

on another note

I have a little story to share

and a question to ask

a good friend started a wonderful charity when her father passed on

Christmas Day

my friend makes a great breakfast

and a small group of us gather around a big table in the garden

(after all, it's December in California!!)

we make pbj sandwiches

which are then put into sack lunch bags

with a little something sweet and a "cutie"

this year, socks will be included, thanks to another friend's donation

and then my friend and her mother

take the sack lunches into skid row

and feed the homeless

on Christmas day

she and her mother are  

A-Mazing.

today I went looking for those short 'spread' spreaders

they look like frosting spatulas but they're only about 5" long

does anyone know what they're called

and where I can find them?

as always, please leave a comment or a cookie recipe

and the name of those spreader thingeys

there are still gifts under the

beyond the reef

tree

to be sent to some of you

be.do.create

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Countdown to Christmas giveaway

are you still with us?

have you grown tired of being appreciated?

tell a friend!!

it's still

Countdown to Christmas

at

beyond the reef

 I couldn't just pick just one person

today

so I will send ALL of you that posted on our last post

our two new patterns

from

Fall Market

I believe Gill is in the UK, so if I may, I will send you pdf files?

please, send your snail mail addy to the email below

and, oh,

by.the.way

just in case you were wondering

we still have Thursday thru Monday

of our own

gift giving

right here

so please, tell a friend

leave us a cookie recipe on facebook or pinterest or instagram

leave us a comment here on the blog

and tell us

what is your all time best gift

GIVEN?

(we have some more tutorials coming up this weekend)

be.do.create

natalie.

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

 natalie@beyondthereefpatterns.com

scottylover

is the next person who will be receiving a thank you package from us

we are thankful for all of you

today I had the great opportunity to be with a friend

that moved across the ocean

well

don't feel too bad for her

she moved to

Hawaii

but I really love our 'new tradition' of a day of

gift shopping

lunch

stories

during her visit to the mainland

for the holidays

sure I miss the days when she lived just a few streets away

and would pop over unexpectedly for coffee

but

seeing her during the holidays for this gift shopping + lunch + talk day

once a year

is a perfect way to say

hello, I miss you, so great to be with you during the holidays

this is why I wanted to have a

Countdown to Christmas

because I don't always get to see all of you

we may only touch base

a few times a year

I wanted to say

great to be with you during the holidays

please leave us a comment, tell us a spirit of the season

story

about someone you may only see once or twice a year

someone you treasure

leave a note for us on facebook

or post a cookie recipe on the fb page

or tell a friend!

be.do.create

natalie.

remember, we still have sale items on the shop site

www.beyondthereef.bigcartel.com

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Countdown to Christmas

continuing

Countdown to Christmas

if you look closely you will see it

the happy

the jolly

little bits of the season

tucked here and there

the hibiscus dishes that my very good friend started collecting

the tree that was gifted right from a friend's table

(and I know when I put mine out, that hers are on her table too)

the star with real glitter turning that wonderful dark patina

they are all around us

not the things but the people

the stories

the happy

the jolly

we have been posting each day to let you know

how much we appreciate all of you!

you are the happy, the jolly in our days

thank you

is there something special you bring out each year around this time

something that reminds you of someone near or far

leave us a comment

or post a recipe on the facebook page!

tis the season....

be.do.create

natalie

www.beyondthereef.bigcartel.com

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

Countdown to Christmas Again!

oh oh.

here is yesterday's post!

we are thankful for each of you

and want to say thank you by showing you some project

ideas

and by having a giveaway!

CarrieP. was our last selected winner; CP, please email me the details

string coasters

quilt as you go or quilt when they are pieced

trim and bind and you're done!

here are the pics

go to your scrap basket

pick a theme and iron your strips and pieces

if they are too big for these little 4" coasters

grab your scissors and trim away

layer a backing fabric, some insulbright, and cover the top in scraps and strips

these are started with a center strip

and I "flip and sew" until the piece is covered

if you don't 'quilt as you go'

flip over and add more quilting

for these little items, I "covered" then "quilted"

square up/trim

go to your binding scraps bin for some 'ready made' binding

(you do keep your binding scraps, too, don't you?)

make sure you check the binding scrap length...and bind!

it is a season of giving

and of thinking of others

if you have the time to make your gifts

these are a great little item

put them in a small basket, tie some raffia around the basket and the coasters

and let someone know you are thinking of them

remember to post a cookie recipe on our facebook page

and please

leave us a comment telling us

"who would you like to 'surprise' with a gift?"

be.do.create

natalie

www.beyondthereefpatterns.com

remember, there is still a sale going on 

www.beyondthereef.bigcartel.com