Famous last words...

"...beat the weather."

Right.

My four hour drive turned into a seven and a half hour adventure, due to a snowstorm that started five hours earlier than expected, a mass exodus of Chicagoans to places other than Chicago, and the fact that Michigan has no money and can't afford to plow their expressways.

But I made it home, and Archie was a trooper, sleeping most of the trip on the dashboard above the glove compartment. He got some surprised looks from other drivers as we crawled along at 40mph.

Weather notwithstanding, Christmas was a success, with lots of time spent with family and friends. My Monkey Girl loved her quilt, as I thought she might. There was some admiring of it...

Some dancing with it...

And, of course, some snuggling in it.

My mother cried when she unfolded her anniversary quilt. But because I promised she wouldn't show up all teary-eyed on the blog for all the world to see, we just have Archie, who, outside of a brief confrontation with a camel, inexplicably left both the tree and the creche totally alone. Maybe that was my Christmas miracle?

We spent a day with my brother's little guys (note continued use of my flannel birthday quilt)...

And were entertained with some Chris-tmas carols...

And, of course, there was sewing. Binding, to be exact.

Two weeks of hand sewing can really do a number on your wrists. I finished it on Saturday, and my sister was very happy with the results. She was also happy she didn't have to help.

The return trip to Chicago was windy, but uneventful. The snow is completely gone, though we're expecting some tonight. Time to clean up the mess I left last week -- and get down to more sewing!

Hope everybody's Christmas was wonderful!