Happy Thanksgiving to all ! ! ! !

Enjoy this time with your family!

I'll be back SOON!!!!

joe

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where does the time go? No excuses...I am now recommitting to my blog! Who says you have to wait until January 1st to make a resolution?

ThimbleCreek has been keeping me way busy...but, as Ahnold might say, "I'm BAHCK!!!!!" I have a weekly newsletter, The Gazette. This communication goes out EACH and EVERY Tuesday! It's just chock full of good information and it's FUN (if I do say so myself!). I encourage you to go to our website, www.thimblecreek.com, and register to receive the weekly Gazette!! There are give-a-ways and I hope you'll partake!!

I have a winner to announce...the winner of the book is "MJ"....I apologize for my long vacation from blogging, MJ. Please send me your address and I'll send you your book! E-mail me at jawood88@hotmail.com - THANKS!!!!!

NOW, what's going on in YOUR life? What would you like to share? Seen a good movie? Read a great book? Made a fabulous quilt? Blogs NEED to be two way communication...and I WANT to know what's "up" with you!!!

Next week is Thanksgiving! We all need to reflect on our good fortune...spending time with family and rejoicing. We live in a free country....we are LUCKY! Each and every one of us should rejoice in this freedom and give thanks! I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Now . . . . I hope you will STAY TUNED.....I have something up my sleeve....a CHALLENGE for you!!!! Coming soon!!!!!! I'll be bahck....will you?

joe

I Know, I Know . . . .

I tend to get way excited when I find something I love that I want to share with YOU!

Be forewarned....I am VERY excited about

JULIE & JULIA!!!!!!!!

I recently read the book and could not WAIT for the movie. In fact, as soon as I finished the book, I IMMEDIATELY read Julia Child's book, My Life In France. The movie is based on both books and it is a MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!

I have read a few reviews and I agree with a lot of the reviewers' comments. Meryl Streep is amazing (she is a singular sensation!!!) and Amy Adams is terrific as Julie. I wanted to see more of Meryl simply because I think she's the best actress out there, bar none. But the movie did not suffer from not enough Meryl.

The stories are wonderfully interwoven jumping from Paris to New York. There is a connection between these two ladies that is wonderful to watch. Roxie and I had smiles on our faces throughout the movie. IT IS A DELIGHT!!!! And I rate it FIVE out of four thimbles!!!!

I should also state that you should not go to this movie if you are hungry. Maybe it won't matter, because you'll be ready to eat AGAIN after watching this gastronomic delight. We had a late dinner after the movie - and we savored EVERY bite!!!

Without hesitation I am telling you to GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! I may be premature, but this one is Oscar worthy!! And Meryl should be a shoo in for Best Actress!!!!!

Now, get me to Paris!!! I want to live where Julia lived, cook where Julia cooked, shop where Julia shopped, walk the streets that Julia walked, and live the life that Julia and Paul lived.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bon appetit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I want to give away the book, Julie & Julia. All you have to do is comment back to me - TELL ME WHAT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE PERSONALITY PLAYED JULIA IN A HILARIOUS SEND UP OF JULIA CHILD. This skit is in the movie - and is hilarious!!!!

I needed to share my delight with Julie & Julia with you....no quilting news today!!!!

Enter the drawing today....I'll announce the winner of the book in my next post!!!

Stay Tuned for more......... joe

Wedding Bells Rang . . . .

for Sarah and Adam on July 12, 2009! It was an amazing day - perfect in every way!!

Roxie and I are still in a daze - it takes time to assimilate after such a major event! Here's a couple of pictures of the beautiful couple:

After the wedding, Roxie and I went on vacation - just back from Kauai! We haven't had a real vacation in YEARS and this get away was just what the doctor ordered. We are now back to reality - in a fog, but we're baaaaaaaack!!!

This will be a short post....much to do....LOTS of stuff going on here at ThimbleCreek! We're starting to put together new patterns and kits for all the shows coming up this Fall (How can it be? Wasn't it just Christmas a few weeks ago?)

So, I'll ask you all to STAY TUNED! I'll have more give aways coming very very very SOON!!!!!

joe

W O W ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

That is NOT me, but I went S K Y D I V I N G last weekend with my son, Adam!! It was definitely out of my box, but it was Absolutely . . . Amazing, and Awesome!!! I JUMPED OUT OF AN AIRPLANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was our weekend to celebrate! We jumped out of a plane and then went to Lake Tahoe – it was an incredible weekend – one I will NEVER forget! THANK YOU, ADAM! We celebrated (REALLY celebrated!!) his upcoming wedding. Here’s a picture of us on the ground after our jump – FLYBOYS!!!

Now, speaking of AWESOME and AMAZING . . . my Japanese House block of the month, RYOKAN, is about ready to have it’s second wave start.It is almost filled up…but there are still a few openings. Call the shop NOW if you are interested. (925) 676-5522.

AND, we have a WINNER!!! This is for 8 fat quarters of Japanese fabrics by Lecien and my pattern, Fall Baskets. The winner (randomly selected) is QUILTMEPRETTY….you responded on 6/10/09 at 8:46AM. PLEASE send me your name and address (jawood88@hotmail.com) and I’ll get these sent to you right away! THANK YOU all ! ! ! ! ! AND, you must stay tuned. I have more giveaways coming soon – COSMO embroidery floss and a pattern by Brenda from Acorn Quilt and Gift Company! She is wonderful and her work is outstanding! Sooooooooooo, PLEASE STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!

joe

"Vintage" TV R U L E S ! ! ! ! ! ! !

You responded to my TV Trivia Game in DROVES!!!! In addition to responding via "Comments", I also received 78 e-mails!!!! Sooooo, I'm a HAPPY guy!!!! THANKS for playing the game AND C O N G R A T S to LISA!!!!! Lisa is the random drawing winner of the Lecien fat quarters from my stash and my Fall Baskets pattern. You posted your response on May 26 @ 8:33AM. Lisa, PLEASE send me an e-mail (jawood88@hotmail.com) with your address and I'll get these to you!!! Again, CONGRATS!!!

This was just so much FUN, I want to play the game ONE MORE TIME!!! Here's five more vintage TV shows that I remember from my childhood. Respond with the names of these TV classics to have a chance to win 8 Japanese fabrics by Lecien and a pattern!!!!

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We recently hosted a retreat up in the "gold country" - we had a great time and we have more retreats coming this year! Check out our website or contact the shop for more details. You deserve a break from the reality of everyday life - come up to the mountains with us and get away from it all!! Bring your own projects and be prepared to sew, and laugh, and eat, and laugh, and eat, and sew!!! http://www.thimblecreek.com/

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We're having a book signing at our shop with the amazing Denise Sheehan - her new book is The Graceful Garden. It's a beautiful book and Denise will be at the shop to sign your copy on Saturday, June 20th from 11am - 1pm. Hope to see you at the shop!!!

ThimbleCreek, 1150 Burnett Ave #D, Concord, CA 94520

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I am so excited to have a vegetable garden this year! In a few short weeks, my tiny little plants have erupted into a mass of green - with little yellow flowers that will eventually be tomatoes and zucchini - and the corn we will have!!! Yup, I'm EXCITED!!!!! I haven't had a vegetable patch for many, many years. Our son, Adam, gave Roxie a huge antique "horse trough" for Mothers Day that I filled with soil and planted my vegetables - check it out!!!

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You are all just terrific!!! And, this whole blogging adventure is amazingly fun!!! I'm adding two more friends to my list of "friends". Their blogs are chock full of good stuff and both Joanna and Anne are truly my friends. If you haven't enjoyed their blogs yet, what are you waiting for??

Links - http://www.bunnyhillblogspot.com/ http://www.figtreequilts.typepad.com/

Stay Tuned for more summer fun!! Has anyone seen "UP" yet? I can't wait to see this one!!!!

Talk to you again soon.......

joe

WE HAVE A WINNER ! ! ! ! In my first post, we offered a ThimbleCreek kit, Spring Thyme by the lovely and talented Roxie (my wife - am I lucky or what?). Soooo, the WINNER of this kit is (BIGGGGGGG drumroll, please!) . . . . NAN!!!!!!!!! Nan, you posted your comment on May 5th at 8:13am....PLEASE e-mail me at jawood88@hotmail.com and I'll send you your kit!!! This was sooooooooo VERY much FUN for me!!! THANK YOU all for your comments and enthusiasm!!!!


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I HAVE BEEN FEELING NOSTALGIC OF LATE, so here's yet ANOTHER give-away based on your memories of baby boomer television!! Respond to this post with the names of these baby boomer television shows to enter!! I promised myself that I would never say things like "when I was young I had to WALK miles through the snow to get to school" and, yet, here I am saying something likewise parenty - "they don't make TV shows like THIS anymore!" At stake, EIGHT OF MY FAVORITE JAPANESE LECIEN FAT QUARTERS FROM MY OWN PERSONAL STASH!! AND, MY Fall Baskets pattern!!! I'll draw a random WINNER on June 1st!!!


Want to see what you're playing for? (WHO says that??)





Here's the Quiz!! NAME THESE SHOWS!!

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I HAVE HALLOWEEN . . . . on the brain! I am working on a new Halloween pattern and I should be able to finish it by next week while on the ThimbleCreek retreat!! Here's a sneak peek at one block....more to come....stay tuned!!!

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We are going up to the mountains next week for our Retreat! This is ALWAYS a FUN time and we are excited to go!! I'll be back after the retreat with more stuff to share with you!!! Sooo, PLEASE S T A Y T U N E D ! ! ! ! ! joe