Fall + Friends + Food + Fun = Pumpkin Tutorial

 I have such wonderful friends! After seeing a photo of DIL Katie's pumpkin from our arts and crafts day last week my friend Trish said "I want to make a pumpkin" - so she googled it and came up with this wonderfully easy way of making such cute fall decorations. Much easier than the time consuming sewing of wedges that we did last week. So easy in fact, that prior to this morning she has made 21 of the darling little creatures.

So, what are friends for but to share! And support one another.... Armed with a shopping list Katie, Trish, Annette and I headed to Wally-world for some fall fabric, yarn, poly-fil and leaves...Trish would be sharing her knowledge with us once we arrived back to my studio.

When I added the comment "support one another" that was my lead in to the food part (grin). Without a lot of details here cuz I know you want to get on to the tutorial....our arts and crafts day really stemmed from my cry for help...seems my healthcare provider has suggested a change in lifestyle....namely more veggies, dairy limited to eggs and butter, lots of protein, limited fruit, and going grain free for 30 days...recommended reading "The Paleo Solution Diet" by Robb Wolf and "Wheat Belly" by William Davis. While I am excited about the health benefits, my friends actually found me in tears stressing over the implication of this lofty goal of regaining my health (and potentially shedding some unwanted pounds). Why you ask? Well, I'm not known for my culinary skills  - and I'm what is known unfavorably as a "picky eater"....so today's gathering included Annette steaming some previously unknown veggies for me to "try" and Katie making a delicious Greek salad (which was totally Greek to me - things I'd never eaten before in my life!) For the record, there was a little cheating going on with the Feta cheese, but hey, this is a work in progress.

I think the girls got tickled as I was sorta like a 5 year old in discovering that I could eat things all mixed together (grin).  Did I mention that this was also the day I'd scheduled the Sears repairman to come fix my oven? Seems it's been out since April or May or quite possibly Christmas...pitiful I know....yep...I desperately  needed my girlfriends today!

If you look closely on the table above you will see the orange pumpkin Trish brought over and the smaller one she used to demo. Before you knew it, we all had one or two made.

Okay, okay...I know you are eager to follow along and make your own - trust me, they are like a bag of chips, you can't make just one!

Pumpkins ala Trish

Ingredients (grin)

 Fabric (duh)

Heavy thread, 12 wt to 30 wt

Yarn

Tapestry needle (or large embroidery needle)

"Doll" needle - or large plastic needle - key is to be long and have a large eye for the yarn

Stuffing

Stems from the weeds growing in the pasture or the empty lot next door (as the case may be)

Misc. fall decorations such as leaves, etc.

Sewing machine and typical sewing supplies

Trish has found that the following sizes have worked well in her collection...so cut your fabrics either 6 x 12, 7 x 14, 8 x 16, 9 x 18, 10 x 16 or 10 x 20....and feel free to experiment. She suggests that you make a 6 x 12 first and then play around..

Fold the fabric in half  right sides together (if it were 6 x 12 you would now have a folded 6 x 6).  With a quarter inch seam sew the side opposite the fold, securing each end with a back stitch, forming a tube.  Finger press the  seam open.

Using a running stitch or gathering stitch sew a quarter of an inch on one side of the tube, still wrong side out (see first photo).  Gather and secure tightly with a knot. BYT, thread color doesn't matter, it won't be seen. Next turn the tube right side out and fill with poly-fil or similar stuffing. Not too full, it should feel a little squishie to be sculpt-able.

Upon completion use that same gathering stitch to close the opening. This is harder than it looks (one reason for heavy thread)....don't be discouraged if you end up with a hole and can see the stuffing - it will later be covered with a stem...Tie securely and bury your thread if you know how (not an issue if you don't).

Now it is time to sculpt your pumpkin. Using a large needle with yarn (tied with a knot of course) go through the open top and come out on the bottom, this buries the thread and knot. From the bottom travel up the side again going through the top. I found it helpful to make the placement of my first stitch to cover that one seam - but it probably doesn't matter (grin). Continue going down through the top, out the bottom, and up the sides until you have the desired number of wedges.

Pull the yarn tight to get that desired effect. You WILL have a hole in the middle...

When complete, tie off the yarn and hide the knot.

Next, if you are fortunate enough to have a hot glue gun this is where you'd want to pull it out...me? nope. Probably the only gal in town that doesn't, and Trish left her half a dozen at home. No worries, I have various forms of craft glue (Liquid Stitch worked wonders).

Be as creative as you want... Trish had some floral wire that we wrapped around a pen to make tendrils. I thought they added a nice touch.

These were my first set made with the girls from our Wally-world fabric.  After they left the oven-repairmen came so I was distracted for a while....then back to the studio to make this set. Yes, Vera Bradly fans, these are Safari Sunset...I purchased napkins from my favorite pattern and have it scattered in my living room (pillows). These should give a nice pulled together look that will dazzle my friends and family with my decorating skills don't ya think? And yes, they are going to stay stacked. Trish had a stacked trio that was very cute...you are only limited by your imagination!

And I told you they were addictive! Here's my beautiful Blank batiks (thanks Tom, these colors are going to look fantastic in the living room - can't wait to make a couch quilt out of them).

Time will tell just how many pumpkins I'll have scattered over my house this fall. I doubt that I will catch up to Trish...but who knows, I do have an addictive personality  - as opposed to a competitive one (grin).

Yes, this was quite a day. Fun time with friends, learning some new skills in the kitchen with such wonderful taste tests (I can eat veggies!), and having something to show for my day besides dirty dishes - I just love these little pumpkins!....I'm excited about the future, hopeful that I can learn to cook healthier and feel better. It's not as daunting as it was a few days ago. Changing habits is never easy, but...

"with God all things are possible" Matthew 19:26

The Walk

I wanted to share some thoughts I had during my morning walk this past Monday, July 4th. As I walked and took in my surroundings the Lord showed me deeper thoughts.

Let me explain.

The area in which I walk sometimes has a lot of barking dogs. Most of the time they are harmless (behind a fence) and are easily defused when I answer their bark with a sweet response (with no fear in my voice) calling out "hey puppy" as I continue to walk past their teritory. But to be on the safe side I have this big stick I carry with me as there are many dogs not behind a fence. Armed and dangerous (grin) I'm prepared for my journey to the bay and back.

As I'm walking along the pavement I noticed that my stick was in rhythmic timing actually off the road, and at time the ground was rather uneven making my steps difficult.

It was then that I realized not only physically but emotionally and spiritually I'd been walking on the edge of life, teeter-tottering along trying to appear that all was well.

As I neared the bay this caution cone caught my eye, more importantly it caught my heart - reminding me that some of the road I'd been traveling recently had caution warnings that I wanted to ignore...but if I would look further down the road I'd see that the caution cone was really a precursor to the stop sign - these warnings were not to be ignored as they were for my protection.

Many times in my life I've ignored the warning signs....The pot holes on my path were my reminders.

Even things we enjoy and that are good can sometimes need warning signs for our protection. (Our area was under a burn ban, so no fireworks for the 4th of July).

The good news, repentance leads to repairs (forgiveness in a believer's life) and restoration.

He leads me besides still waters and restores my soul. Yes, Lord, I'm listening Lord....

On my return from the bay my spiritual eyes were opened. I began seeing all sorts of analogies on my path...

How sometimes my journey seems dry and barren.

How many times I'm at a crossroad and unsure of the path, or which way to turn.

Then I recognize that I've been down this road before, the brokenness over repeating the same sins, and the grace that patches up my life and covers those sins.

Many times I forget to stop and dump all the worries, cares, concerns, problems and feeling of hopelessness in God's trash can. I forget that all I have to do is clear out the clutter, the unconfessed sin, to continue my journey in restored fellowship with Him.

He gives us pleasures along life's journey, breaking up those hollow times, those times we feel abandoned or that we can't go on. Sometimes its in nature, sometimes through special friends and family.

The sweet fragrance of His grace and mercy....

Many times those wondrous blessings seem scattered and too far in the past...but He calls us to remembrance. To remember the good things He has blessed us with. He reminds us that He heals the broken hearted, that our greatest blessing is His forgiveness. That He allows trials in our lives to draw us nearer to Him. And yes, that there will be blessings again!

And when the way seems unclear, all we have to do is truly look and there will be a path provided, for He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

The path leads home.

The Little Quilt That Grew

I find it interesting that some days aren't according to the "to do list" - you know what I mean...you have certain things planned and think you have it all figured out and it's anything but!

That's not always a bad thing. Unless you are some what of a control freak (grin).

Take this past weekend for example. One thing that went according to plan were my plans to attend a women's conference at my church, Calvary Houston, Friday night and all day Saturday with the theme Abounding. What didn't go as planned was this quilt...mainly because there wasn't a plan!

Well, that's not the absolute truth, there was a goal at least...a goal to try to use some left-over parts and fabric from a previous project(s). Ya'see, several years ago I decided to re-do my living room moving from blue to these colors. I don't even know what color family to call this because it's so foreign to my color pallet of brights and more brights...but it fits my living room nicely. I'd made curtains, pieced a borders quilt wallhanging from a class sometime back in 2008 (it's still waiting to be quilted) and even covered one of two rocking chairs (the other is a UFO)...and oh me oh my, there's still fabric from this beautiful collection! What to do, what to do?

Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

I Corinthians 15:58

Abounding. Means overflow, over doing it, abundance. Yep, I had an abundance of fabric that for sure, so Sunday afternoon while mulling over some of the topics from the conference I decided to work on turning my parts and pieces into something useful.

I wish I'd of thought to take pictures of the process, but didn't think of it until the little parts had grown....

I started out with the diamond in the center that has the rose, added the flying geese next to it and then just went about playing on the design wall - The diamonds in the rectangles were previously pieced as were the flying geese and the half square triangles and tri-triangles used for the pinwheels. The interesting part was piecing them all together.

One of the Abounding themes was Abounding in Service with the key verse the one quoted above. Our speaker was Kym Hindt, pastor's wife from Calvary Houston and founder of our women's ministry. She shared that what we are doing will matter now and in eternity, that we should work hard doing things God's way and not just being busy and burdened. That we should live our Christian life with future vision, to see needs and move to meet those needs. She also stated that to have vision for the future you must be strategizing during the present, preparing and planning...

In a way, that's how I approached this little quilt. Trying not to make it a burden by just being busy working in the fabrics, instead envisioning something useful. As each part was added I'd plan for the next...hum, if I add squares to the pinwheels that should be about the same width as the diamonds and flying geese...gee, I think it needs a little something to separate the design elements and that stripe will work nicely...oh and then why not add the scrappy collection of leftovers...now what about a long strip on the side to give your eyes a place to rest before adding the diamonds...and so the process went as I reflected....

Kym went on to share that abounding in service also included a sense of flexibility, being willing to shift our plans to His plans, in other words, live with the attitude of "if the Lord permits" or "God's will" and recognize that living in Him means to give Him permission to change my plans, and then exercising the choice to be flexible, to just keep moving - allowing God to lead, accepting His opening or closing of doors as He sees fit. When He says move, be flexible and move.

Abounding in service also means doing a job to the best of your ability until its done, commitment to follow through to completeness as well as being faithful in the present. In other words don't quit what you are doing now or become discontent because you look at everything as a stepping stone to what you want to do in the future. Just be faithful in the little things. Keep working.

As my Sunday afternoon of sewing and thinking was coming to an end I reflected on my work... I'd added the half square triangles top and bottom, figured the math for the floating strips to be able to add the drunkard's path blocks (quarter circles for my non-quilting audience) and was ready to pronounce it good. I'd managed to use up a lot of fabric. Loved using the Go cutter for the drunkard's path blocks, the accuracy in the cut made sewing the "pie" to the "L" so much easier. Yep. I'd used up a lot of scraps, actually running out of the green/yellow combo and having to improvise with the pinks to complete the border. Yes, there was still fabric left over, but there's always scraps, right? time to call it quits.

Kym admonished us to not waste time mourning over closed doors (the what if's of life) but instead recognize God as authority - when God closes a door you are at a crossroad - the choice is to go towards the open door or sit and fret over the closed door (which is truly just a waste of time). We should learn to look for the open door with eagerness, not ignoring it - because it may not always be open. What opportunities await? What you do today in service is preparing you for the service of the future, preparing for good work... so be committed to the present and seeing things through to completion.

An opportunity arose today, a window of time was provided....I chose to walk through this open door and embraced the challenge of working towards completing the work I'd begun....

Still reflecting on things gleaned from Kym's session on Abounding in Service...we should have forbearance with people patiently allowing God's spirit to work in their lives - this reminded me of song lyrics "I'm not who I was" - we all grow at different rates, learning things at different times, being patient with others as they too are working through things...and how we should have fruitful fellowship by being a team player, serving together, a co-laborer not trying to do everything in isolation....serving together, getting along...profound simple truths to pattern our lives after. As we all know, life is not always a picnic in the park.. but that facing opposition with challenge is not a reason for retreat. That adventure in ministry (life) is to get in the battle and face it with courage. The greater the challenge, the greater the victory!

Part of my challenge with growing this little quilt was what to do next... and then realizing that there wasn't enough fabric for my final border!...the solution to this challenge was a green corner stone (grin)...and you just thought I did that on purpose!

I certainly have enjoyed the process of this quilt. I had absolutely no idea what I would end up with as I began with parts, scraps, and a little knowledge of how to do a borders quilt. It was a challenge to think of the next part, to "do the math" to make it all fit. But I kept moving forward, committed to finish what I'd begun. Just like we sometimes encounter difficult people in our paths I encountered a few difficult blocks that weren't perfectly square or didn't want to lay flat (grin), but I knew the quilt needed those parts to be successful so we worked it out. All about growth isn't it? Either personal, spiritual, or yes, even functional as in quilting...

The Little Quilt That Grew....may it be a reminder of the need for growth in my own life...

There is so much more to ponder concerning the Abounding Women's conference... Abounding in Faith, Abounding in Hope, Abounding in Love, and Abounding in Grace...if you are interested you may want to visit the Pillar's of the Word website - CD's of the conference are available.

One Tired Puppy!

Me, not Pixxie (grin)

Wow, 10 days of Houston Quilt Market and Quilt Festival are now history.

Pixxie missed me. Can you find her among the quilts?

Totally enjoyed myself. Wonderful co-workers in the A-1 Quilting Machine booth - new friends as well as deepening relationships with other friends. A-1 dealers are the best - most helpful to each other and they take good care of their customers. No matter where you live, if you are in a market for a longarm you owe it to yourself to contact the local dealer and take a test drive of our machine. You will love it.

Pixxie and I are digging out. I got a late start this morning because I decided that the alarm clock should be turned off! Lots of emails to catch up on, needed to balance Quicken after all my purchases (I think I spent more on parking and food than I did goodies), and hubby and I had a nice catch up time as we spent more time than I'd like to admit cleaning up the kitchen (lets just say we ran out of things days ago and switched to paper/plastic!) The washing machine and dryer have been humming most of the day....

Have to say my fondest memories of the Houston show this year is all the gals who came by to say hello and introduce themselves (and the hubbies too - always love to meet other hubbies who support their wives passion of quilting) . My only regret is not having enough time to really visit and to take a photo of each and everyone. Those of you who came by may not realize this, but you greatly blessed my day. I am sincerely humbled and honored that you read my blog and that you wanted to tell me so.

ya'know, I've always rambled....and in my early days I would sometimes journal....I started this blog just as a way to write the 'rest of the story' because my posts to online forums would end up being sooooo long. I never really guessed that anyone would care enough to read about my little life. I've done nothing spectacular, haven't invented anything, or discovered anything, or traveled the world over having tales to tell of my adventures....just livin life and enjoying it.

Maybe that's why you read about me, cuz I'm just like some of you. We have something in common and it's a nice way to feel like we are 'normal' cuz we've found someone else that enjoys the same thing we do, has the same struggles, similar passions, or what not. I find it simply amazing that there are so many of us that are alike, yet uniquely different. We can relate, share joys, share sorrows, offer encouragement, offer advice, give a kuddos when it's needed, and just plain ole laugh or cry together.

Many of you have shared with me that you share my faith in Jesus, God's Son and Savior of the world. That's probably the most important thing anyone could share with me...simply because that means we'll have all eternity together to get to know each other. Isn't that a mind-boggling thought! There are times that life here seems hard, or times that life here seems so short, but when I put things into the scope of eternity I have to realize that this world is not my home and the greatest joy of living here is living for Christ and sharing that God loves you and wants you to share in the eternal home He has planned for you. It's wonderful when like-believers come along side and encourage me in my journey and I hope that in a small way I can encourage you in yours. Reminds me of the verses that tell me not to be weary in well doing, and to do good to those in the household of faith....hold on, be steadfast, stay strong....there's a wonderful reward to those who overcome.

In the meanwhile, as I live out my remaining days on this earth I continue to be thankful that I have a husband who loves me, grown sons who make me proud, the cutest little tail wagger, and a host of friends. I am grateful that I have the ever-changing, never boring passion of quilting. There's so much to see and do just within this small pleasure. Yep, I'm one tired puppy but I'm sew happy and so full of joy.

Thanks for being there my online buddies! I truly appreciate you!

Ma-Ma and Me

The call. The one you dread. The one you know will someday come. The one that takes your breath away and knocks you to your knees. The one that says "Karen, Ma-ma is dead". Thirty minutes ago. The words still have that hollow ring in my ear.

That's all I know right now. Don't know when, don't know how, don't know what the family will need to do. Just know that my precious 97 year old grandmother who I am so blessed that I was able to see last week, one week ago today, to celebrate her birthday is at this very moment being welcomed into the heavenly home, greeted by those gone before and being ushered into the very presence of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

A sad day for those of us left behind, a reminder that our time on this earth is short. A temporary separation, for I know I will see her again. Parting is sweet sorrow, but the hope of eternity softens the blow.

Jesus, thank you for the years you have blessed me, and my children, with a precious grandmother. Be with my mother now as she has lost her mother. Be with the rest of our family as we remember our joy of knowing her and what she has meant to us. Thank you Jesus that because of Your sacrifice on the cross for my sin that I too will meet You one day in Your glory and spend eternity with You and with all who have called upon Your name. Be with us now and comfort as only You can comfort. Thank you Lord for the friends who are already surrounding us with love.

Perserverance (and Prayer)

Monday. Who would have thought.

A wonderful Monday! Typically Mondays are met with a groan. Not today.

Woke up to the radio DJ talking about having an "attitude of gratitude" and things just went up from there.

Who would have thought "normality" would have been so long in the coming. So easy to want to give up, to be discouraged. Yet how many verses and numerous songs do I know that talk about "waiting on the Lord". Umm humm.

And then there was that little sermon yesterday that is still mulling around in my head (and my heart)....speaking on being "armed" for spiritual warfare....the topic "weapon of prayer"...certainly something to think upon today - good thing I took notes! (1) the frequency of prayer - always. (2) the diversity of prayer - general requests and specific requests (3) the power of prayer - praying in the spirit - when we don't know how or what to pray the Holy Spirit in us leads and guides (4) the watchfulness of prayer - being careful of sinful interruptions that separate us from asking God's forgiveness (5) the perseverance of prayer - that was sorta my keyword today - not giving up, but keepin' on keeping on. Prayer is hard work, but we grow when we are challenged to persevere. (6) our object of prayer (in the context of Ephesians 6:18-24) is to pray for the believers that they might be strong in spiritual battles and (7) the perspective of prayer - to be a bold witness. This has been a good series, and if you are interested in the real meat of the subject be sure and check out Calvary Houston and download the podcast to listen to on your computer or iPod.

Okay, so back to Monday. My Monday. Perseverance. Normality. Well, maybe not totally normal, but a new normal, a good start to a new routine. At least it felt more normal than I have experienced for the past three weeks with travel and guests and not having time to quilt for hire....but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

It's good to have goals, and it can be discouraging when there are road blocks to those goals...but instead of dwelling on the past failures or temporary detours and giving up, a little perseverance kicked in this morning -- by way of an alarm clock! Yep. I actually made it back to the Y today for my water aerobics class -- haven't been in over 3 weeks and it felt soooo good to be back in the water. Never mind the class is at 7 AM!! It's Texas, and the water was warm!

A great way to kick off my Monday, love the fact that I can shower at the Y after class and be ready to meet my day. Home by 8:30 AM and ready to face the longarm! And this time not for workshops or practice quilts or even my own project, nope. Time to re-establish normal and load a customer quilt! And boy did it feel good!


Of course, it helps to have a pretty quilt on the frame (grin) Even though these aren't my colors (purple, lime green, anything bright and bold) I really loved the batiks. And I loved the freedom. This little quilt is a shop sample and I had free reign to quilt as desired. My machine was really humming, it was timed perfectly and I couldn't have asked for better tension (yes, even on batiks front and back and with a batting that's not number one on my list).


Had to throw in a Karen's Special Butterfly for good measure. The quilt just needed it (grin). A few times I had to remind myself to perservere - especially when the phone rang or an email came through. I needed to remain focused and do my best to get this little quilt done today.

Ah, but interruptions are a way of life. Not all interruptions are bad, as in the case of today. A most pleasant interruption. New customers. A couple of ladies from across town had made an appointment to bring their quilts tops by today. When I say 'across town' you have to realize down here we mean an hour or so away, a real effort sometimes with the ever increasing traffic. These ladies multiplied. I had an appointment with two and four showed up on my door step. When quilters gather you know it's going to be a fun time.

And it was. I managed to squeeze in a lot of yaking while measuring and 'taking in' a quilt. Design ideas discussed. Thread chosen. Paperwork complete. Time to get back to quilting. Did I mention that it's always great to be listening to uplifting music while quilting? That or a good audible. Today it was music and I have to say I was very happy in feeling at home with a familiar routine of normal.


So what do you think? The lighting in my studio doesn't lend itself for good color sometimes, especially in the evening, but trust me, the colors on this baby are pretty. How could anyone go wrong with batiks! They are just yummy.



Ya'know, machine quilters are kinda weird in a way. We tend to look at the quilting more than the piecing...and when you have a busy quilt...well...the back is what really tells the story... so I took a bunch a'bunch of photos of the back. Can you tell I had fun today? If you double click on the photo I think it makes it bigger (grin)





Perseverance paid off this evening too. That and prayer (#2 SPECIFIC prayer)....seems on the way to my summer ladies Bible Study I found that my cell phone didn't want to work...said I wasn't activated or something silly. Now I'm a coward when it comes to going without my phone. I know, my ultimate trust is in the Lord, but the way I've figured it, He's provided me with common sense and a cell phone, so I never leave home without it. Hum...I don't want to miss Bible Study, but I don't want to travel into town without a phone....

Son #1 is my wireless cell-phone guy. No kidding. He works for one of the major companies. Used to be in sales but is now in customer service. I think he was good at both, he's a people person and he knows his stuff. Well....seems over the 4th of July weekend Son #1 and his cool buddies had gone to the hill country to do some river rafting. I get this email on my blackberry from one of his friend's number that is actually from my son informing me that his blackberry didn't make it down river, but that everyone else was alive and well so not to worry.

First thing that comes to my mind when my phone doesn't work is I bet Son #1's deceased phone has something to do with this. So I detoured on my way to church to his house. Chalk up another one to perseverance. Keep knocking till the answer comes!

Sure enough, he's home and on the phone and the internet with his company. Seems when they reactivated his number on a new phone that they actually pulled up my number instead of his (two blackberries on the same family account, simple error I guess). Twenty minutes later I'm be-boppin' down the highway to my study, knowing good and well that the only praise and worship I'd be hearing tonight was on the radio and from my own singing in route.

Yep, I arrive about 30 minutes late. To my utter surprise the entire parking lot is full, I couldn't find a place to park! What a wonderful problem to have. Surly there must be several things going on at the church tonight, couldn't all be women. As I find a place to park I see a gal heading towards the new sanctuary. Hum. I made that mistake last time - we still have our studies in the "old" worship center...I was glad I was late so I could direct her. Come to find out, this was her first time there. Who knows, perhaps in God's sovereignty He allowed me to be late so that this lady wouldn't have been discouraged, given up, and possibly gone home because she couldn't find the group ....who knows? All I know is that my perseverance to NOT give up and go home myself paid off. We had a record crowd of ladies for our summer series Bad Girls of the Bible. If you are local please check out Calvary Houston and join us. If not, wait for the CD's of the series, and/or check out other studies. I know you'll be blessed.

Tonight's study was on Tamar...I'll save some of the thoughts for another rambling...but have to say that it's amazing what you can learn by reading the stories in the Bible -- it's always applicable to our lives today. Throughout HIS story I am reminded of His mercy and grace AND forgiveness. Things keep reminding me to persevere and to "wait upon the Lord" - wherein lies my strength.

Yep. A good Monday. A great start to what promises to be a fantastic week. I mean, just look at Pixxie! Can't you tell she's glad to be back to work too!