Rally Hangover

Have you ever worked on something for months, then when it's over, you kind of feel like you have a hangover? You just need to de-stress a bit before you tackle the next big thing? I did so much for the scooter rally last weekend, that Saturday night I told everyone I was going to stay in bed and watch Hallmark movies on Sunday, while they did the last ride of the rally.

Well, Sunday came, and I'm not a stay in bed kind of girl, but I also wasn't up to tackling anything major either. I realized I had everything for the last two Christmas boxes I'm going to have to mail, so I wrapped all the gifts for those, packed the boxes, and got them all addressed and ready to go. I'll likely wait until after Thanksgiving to send them, but, hey, at least they are all ready to mail, and I've got that off my to do list. I always watch Hallmark movies while wrapping Christmas presents, so I did half of what I told everyone. 

Monday I was back to making pajama pants, I made two pairs on Monday, then I wrapped the rest of Christmas gifts I have so far. I was already in gift wrapping mode so it made sense, right? I was hoping to get four pairs of pajama pants done on Tuesday, but instead, after DH left for work, I went back to bed and took a NAP! I got two pairs of pajama pants completely finished when I got up, and two pairs to the point of hemming and waistbands.

I'm trying to keep pajama making to Mondays/Tuesdays, but since I hadn't finished the last two I hoped to make this week, I finished those Wednesday morning. Only four pair of pajama pants and two nightgowns left to make for that Christmas project! 

Since DD#2 is hosting Thanksgiving this year, I decided I'd make her a table runner, but I still wanted one too. After thinking about it, I'm opting to double batt (cotton) so hot pans can go directly on them, and I'm backing them with a Christmas runner. They'll be two holidays in the space of one, with ultimate practicality as far as serving food goes. 

I need a huge rectangular runner because I put all the food on my washer/dryer in the kitchen. DD#2 needs a huge square because she has a big kitchen island but the kitchen sink is in the island too, so a square works best for her. 

This is what I've got so far. I need to press the border fabric before I can cut it. I'll be putting the same border fabric on both. I ended up using every leftover leaf block I had, which in effect, crosses a UFO off my list, since I had planned to use those in a quilt. 

For my Christmas side, I am planning on using gift blocks all lined up. I bought some fun fairy frost for the ribbons on the packages. For DD#2's runner, since it's square I'm going to make a big wreath block. I really wanted to use a diagonal stripe for the border on hers, and thankfully JoAnn Fabrics had some in Christmas colors. Someone at the scooter rally had given me a JoAnn gift card as a thank you for all I did, so it was perfect timing! 

DSIL (DD#1's Husband) was sworn in today as a US citizen! We're having a party for him tomorrow at a local park. Besides buying decorations and such, I personally have little to do for that party, which suits me fine. DSIL (DD#2's husband) smoked chickens for the party, and DD#2 is making the cake. In the morning I'll make five gallons of lemonade, then fill our 12 liter thermos with hot water as well as bring some cold water. DH is smoking 20 pounds of pork today, and making BBQ sauce, but I'm not that busy. Other people will bring side dishes. Sunday we're having a party for my sister,  and aside from dessert which DD#2 is making, all the food is on me, which is fine. It's just family so not nearly as many people as the rally or tomorrow's party. 

It's funny that this weekend DD#2 is making all the desserts, because last weekend I made all the desserts, and I'm making most of the desserts for Thanksgiving. 

If you prayed for safety at the rally, I appreciate it. There were a couple minor mishaps but nothing major, just a few bruises. The raffle went better than any other we've done, and although we haven't had time to finish tallying the numbers, the food pantry will be getting at least $750 which we'll match. Not bad for 50 people participating in the rally. The scooter quilt is in California now, with its new owner.