Oh, what a busy week. You'd think that things would be winding down rather than ramping up now that Christmas has passed. So many things to do - - decorations to box up and tuck away, snow to shovel, gifts to enjoy, plans to make for New Years Eve, snow to shovel, year-end business stuff to button up, resolutions to ponder, snow to shovel and more. I've been trying to get some overdue tasks behind me this week because on Monday, Tara our graphic designer at Palmer Printing who has been enjoying a week of vacation, will be off and running on Every Barn Tells a Story. We can hardly wait.

Wishing you a year of good health and prosperity ....... Happy New Year!

It's never too late to wish Merry Christmas, is it?
Merry Christmas!
We hope that your holiday was magical.

Diane and I saw the first page layout for our book earlier this week. It was exhilarating to see our work look like a real book! Now, we can hardly wait to see the rest.

I had a delightful conversation this morning with Donna Sue Groves, the incredibly talented woman who envisioned the Quilt Trail. It's estimated that the trail has grown to over 2,700 quilt barns scattered across 27 states. Every Barn Tells a Story would not be possible without her. She has been very supportive of our work. Thank you Donna Sue!

You may learn more about her and the Quilt Trail on this site.
http://thehardestyear.com/2009/07/a-patchwork-of-hope-donna-sue-groves-the-woman-behind-barn-quilts-faces-the-challenge-of-her-life/
I'm happy to report that Donna Sue's health is improving which she insists is because of loving and supportive people, many of whom she has never met. By the way, Donna Sue is planning a 10 year anniversary Quilt Trail celebration May 14-15, 2011 in Adams County, Ohio. Be certain, we'll be telling you more about it!

I'm listening to Christmas music while working today. Today's snowfall put me in the spirit.

The music reminded me of my personal story about the Zemke Christmas caroling tradition that I'll share in Every Barn Tells a Story . The story will will accompany the Star Variation block pattern, the barn quilt that hangs on my shed. The extended Zemke family has gone Christmas caroling every Christmas Eve for 55 years. Last year, my immediate family and a couple neighbors caroled in our neighborhood. Give it a try. You'll love the reaction of your surprised neighbors and you may receive a treat (sweets or spirited variety!), too.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Did any of you join in the Black Friday shopping frenzy? Now only 24 days until Christmas. And did you know that in a mere 20 days, the days will start getting longer? Only a minute or so a day, which I know is hardly noticeable, but good for my pshyche anyway.

Tomorrow, Diane will be working with a photographer who will shoot photos of our two sampler quilts (Barn Dance and Star Promenade) for Every Barn Tells a Story. She's also working with Nate, our graphic artist, and Palmer Printing to spiff up the quilt barn photos we took. It's really starting to look like a book now! Could we have picked a busier time of the year to work on this project? What were we thinking?