Mother Nature once again sprinkled her favorite city—Milwaukee—with a powdery dusting of magical wonder...

Oh nevermind the poetic phrases... 10-14 inches of snow dropped on the Milwaukee area Friday. No, I'm not kidding. Winter 2007/08 now ranks #2 in the snowiest winters on record in Milwaukee—95.4 inches. Winter of 1885/86 is unfortunately still within striking distance at 109.8 inches, I suppose. It's getting less pretty. Wednesday and Thursday of last week you could actually see dirt and dormant grass. Someone said they had bulbs sprouting in the backyard. Now, it's all white again. Lots of white.

But there are upsides to this winter wonderland! Being pseudo-snowbound gave me some downtime. My sewing machine was in for a timing issue, but the shop had graciously provided me with a loaner, thank goodness. So I was able to make some progress on some projects.

One was that quilt I started back before the snow started falling this year. I finally decided that a king-size quilt shouldn't be the first project I attempt to quilt on a quilting machine, so I had that monster machine quilted. The woman who quilted it did a lovely job and called last week to let me know it was ready. I sewed on the binding Saturday and delivered it on Easter. Woo hoo!

In addition, I made a set of beaded serving utensils for the quilt recipient. (Nothing like just-in-time gift making. I was a few projects behind.) I got the idea from Make It Mine magazine. Though it's not published anymore, you can still buy a back issue.