Tick Tock

The lights are hung and the deer are on display.  Hubby took care of the outside of the house.  He got it done over the course of two days.

I, on the other hand, am in charge of indoors.  I'm working on it.  The living room is still in disarray, but the Christmas quilts are on the wall.  yay!

 I took time to visit an estate sale that resulted in an over-indulgence of Longaberger baskets.  After seeing how many I chose, it was completely appropriate that I also purchase the little sign.  Apparently it's one of the maxims I live by.  Who knew?

I continue to work on stockings.  I finished this one for my daughter-in-law yesterday.  I have one left, of the original 8 I had planned to make.  I have begun the embroidery, so I think I might actually have it hanging before the end of the weekend.

 It's going to be a tight squeeze, when the out-of-towners arrive with their stockings, too.  I am more than happy to try to make space.

 The tree is partially decorated.  It is much smaller than usual, so most of the ornaments are remaining boxed this year.  So sad, but also a good idea.  We will have 4 babies in the house this Christmas, which will more than make up for hanging fewer ornaments.

We put the tree on pallets, since we were too late to purchase our usual tall tree.   The extra height from the pallets is a good idea.  I might want to do this every year.

We've made time for a few Christmas parties.  This is the Itty Bitty Christmas brunch.  We have a yearly tradition of meeting at Valhalla for fellowship and gift exchange.  Notice the cute packet of fat quarters, folded to look like a Christmas tree.  Isn't it clever?

 Sew Eclectic also got together.  Our group quilt, "Broken Shell Beach," was accepted into Road to California.  It is our first group quilt, so it's pretty exciting to be part of that show, come January.

I don't have pictures of our guild Christmas party, but we had a bazaar.  I was the lucky winner of this darling wool quilt, made by Itty Bitty Leslie.  I love it so much, I think it will stay up year round.

In a couple of days, the out-of-towners will begin to arrive.  I have many things that need to be finished/wrapped up before they get here.  I highly doubt I will be posting anything more before Christmas, so I will leave you with this:

Merry Christmas, and may God's blessings be with you, throughout the coming New Year!

Stitch Faster! Stitch Faster!

The days of December are drawing closer and closer to Christmas.  This year, I set a grand goal to make stockings for those children and grandchildren who were still using store bought.  I'd made 5 stockings in previous years.  That meant I had 8 to make this year.  And that's just if I want to make stockings for my kids/grandkids.  Husband?  I guess he can wait.  After all, he's been waiting for 38 years.  ;)

Fiona was first on my list.  Not because she's first, but because I'd already made stockings for her parents.  I worked on piecing some of these stockings at retreat last month.  Hers was the only one I finished.

 With her family stockings complete, I moved on to the next smallest family.  Kind of a Dave Ramsey sort of stocking snowball attack of the list.  My grandson was first,

 followed by his mama.

 Daddy was last.  Why the Rudolph print?  When my son was 2, I would hear noises in the night.  Invariably, I would get up, walk out to the living room, and find him running the VCR and watching Rudolph.  This happened almost every night, for months.  He loved his Rudolph!

Next on the list was the family of four.  I haven't finished yet, but I did finish the stockings for the girls.

 I guess I neglected to get a picture of this one hanging alone.

 This is what my work station looks like, when I'm in the middle of the embroidery.

I went ahead and hung the completed stockings, though there are still more to finish.  I'm hoping that they will inspire me to get back to work and finish the rest.  Goals are good!

I hope that all of your plans are coming together as well.  This is a wonderful time of year to treasure friends and family.  I hope that God blesses you, one and all, throughout this season of Christmas.