Late last night I finished my 80th and final book for the year 2011.    I read: Isabeau, a novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer by N. Gemini Sasson.
I exceded my goal by five books.

Today was spent stitching at a local shop - as well as munching on the various treats that the stitchers brought.  It was a good day!

I cheked my blog stats - I only blogged 34% of the year.  Guess I need to do better.  Tomorrow is the first anniversary of my blog. 

Happy New Year everyone!!

My house is beginning to reflect the photo.  The ornaments knocked off the tree, by the cats, are now being placed on the piano instead of back on the tree.  The gifts are no longer under the tree which leaves more room for the cats to get into trouble.  I suspect it's time to put things away for the season.

year end clean-up

I decided to clean up a few things late last night (or was that early this morning?).  The January challenge is up to date for 2011.  I got 10 out of 15 completed.  I guess it wasn't too bad since 4 have become WIPs.  One was totally scraped and replaced.  The replacement was finished but not sure it counted.

I've decided to do the January challenge again.  I'm not sure if all 15 items will start in January or not.  January is a very busy time for me.  Anyhow, all 15 items are ornaments.  Yes, ornaments.  I looked at my handmade ornaments and realized I had only made a couple of them.  It's time for more "made by me" and kept by me.

Here is a link for the 2012 crazy challenge.  From doing some surfing, I saw there were some other challenges out there as well.  But this one is the basic, 15 item challenge.

I've also decided to do a WIP challenge.  This one encourages me to work on the WIPs but I don't have to finish them to be successful.   I think that I can handle that.  It also wants progress reports on the full moon, the same as the TUSAL - the thread jar!  Should be easy to remember - I hope anyhow.  You can see a list of participants here.

Lastly I found a reading challenge that I think I can handle.  In 2011, I "completed" it without even knowing it.  Check out the Chunkster Challenge.   In 2011, I qualified for the Chubby Chunkster (and didn't even know about it) by reading the following books:
(The) Girl From Junchow, by Kate Furnivall
The) Help, by Kathryn StockettThe) Russian Concubine, by Kate Furnivall
The) Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson
The) Swan Thieves, by Elizabeth Kostova
Emma by Helen Hoolick
I think that Harold the King by Helen Hollick might have also qualified.

The first five on the list were on the site's recommended list.  And to think that my goal was only for 75 books, regardless of number of pages.  Speaking of which, as of the 29th, the total number is 79 books.  I have two in progress so hopefully I will get one of them done before the New year.

I think 3 challenges will be quite enough for 2012.  After all, life will surely throw me more challenges.

Lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, til it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Matthew 2:9-10

The gifts are wrapped.  The baking completed.  The family has arrived.  Now we wait for Santa for the little ones.

Merry Christmas!

The shopping is done.  The wrapping has not begun.  In the morning the baking will begin. And then the family arrives and chaos begins.  A joyful, happy chaos that only family can create.

I just had to change the photo.  After all, I caught the younger cat trying to swat the ornaments and where does he run after I chase him? - under the tree!  Maybe if I get some gifts wrapped and under there, he won't fit as well??  hmm.  we shall see!

The gift shopping is done!  Now the food shopping and cleaning will commence in the morning.  Perhaps even a little wrapping - maybe.

another new photo

I picked another swirly type tree for the opening photo.  I plan tomorrow to be a swirly day.  I need to hit the toy store plus a couple of other places.I figure the toy store will be the craziest!

Today was a nice and relaxing day.  In the afternoon I had my sampler guild meeting.  A small gathering since this seemed to be a popular day for holiday parties.  However, eeryone brought lots of great food to share and we had a nifty project.

Using two buttons, ribbon and beeswax, we made a little beeswax holder.  I don't have a sample to show you since I didn't take any buttons with me.  Maybe this week I can try to finish mine and remember a photo.  We shall see.

Speaking of photos, here are a couple of my "decorating":

My living room couch and coffee table.  The large pillow in the middle is new this year.  The other two were new last year.

Part of the eat-in kitchen (note the high chair for the grandkids).  All the ornaments hanging from the curtain rod are handmade.  The framed house on the left is stitched by me many , many moons ago.  The "reindeer" was a gift.  On the table, the angel is actually a teapot.  I have six Christmas/winter teapots.  Five are out on display in various parts of the house - only two are in the kitchen area.  There are also two everyday teapots out in the kitchen.

Can you tell I like teapots?  I do have a pilgrim one for Thanksgiving.  One of these days, Iwill find something I like for Halloween.  I have a couple of really floral ones for Easter/Spring/Mother's day.  They aren't totally my taste but since they were gifts, they are staying.

a little late

I kept saying that I had my photo of my thread jar for the end of November.  I finally took it off my camera earlier today.  I needed photos of my grandsons for a Christmas party tonight and they were still on my camera so now most everything is off.  And the camera is all ready for the holidays.

Now here is my very belated November thread jar:

 At the rate I've been stitching during December (not hardly), the December jar will be pretty empty.  I won't empty it until the end of December and then I'll start on the New Moon schedule set up by Daffycat.  I posted the schedule somewhere in the last couple of weeks.

borrowing again

First off, the new photo header is how I feel after today.  I did a whirlwind of shopping today!  The wind was also whipping around outside and definitely swirling the rain around.  The next few days should be a lot like this tree as well.

The Twisted Stitcher had a great link on her blog today.  A Christmas tree filled with Santas - mostly Prairie Schooler.  She also has s few other themed trees as well.

Thanks for the link!

Thanks to Stitch Bitch and Needleworker Not in Paradise, I learned that Erica Wilson died yesterday.  Here is a link to her obit:

I remember going to England with 5 of my sorority sisters, and only one other was a stitcher.  She came home with some hard to find (in the US) Erica Wilson books.  I haven't taked to Fran in years. I wonder if she still has the books and how much did she ever stitch from them.

Watching our oldest grandson has kept me from some of the news but it certainly is creating a bond that wouldn't otherwise be there.  Meanwhile it has also slowed my stitching way down and has caused the holiday shopping to come to a standstill. 

I changed the photo to a lovely Christmas home scene.  My house won't look like this but meanwhile I can enjoy it online.  Perhaps this week-end the tree will go up, along with numerous other things happening.

Saturday was a wonderful day of stitching.  It was the annual Hoosier Stitcher Christmas party.  Lots of hours of stiching and eating and talking and stitching and laughing and stitching,etc.  For me it was still lots of coughing too. It totally wore me out but I enjoyed it so much!!

I actually did accomplish a fair amount of stitching too!  I came home in a great mood and stitched for another hour or so before I fell asleep on the couch.  Hubby had to wake me to go to bed.

I need more days like that!  Maybe the New Year will bring me some.  I can hope anyhow.

changed

I changed the photo today.  Yesterday was more about decorating with bulbs and today about decorating with candles.

We put up our tree on the 3rd sunday in Advent.  In the early years of our marriage, this was our compromise between puting up the tree at Thanksiving and the day before Christmas. Yes, our views were that far apart!

But I start decorating around the 1st of the month, just a few things everyday, very gradual.  It's a lot easier than everything at once, less time and eases us into the holiday mood.

I hope you holiday decorating is going well.

I searched the internet and found some delightful Christmas scenes to be used for my header.  Ironically I found 24 of them and here it is the 7th of December already.  So you may not see all 24 this year but who knows in the future.

Speaking of the 7th - Today is Pearl harbor Rembrance day and the 70th anniversary.  This is an anniversary we should never forget, just as we should never forget 9-11-2001.  I don't think any of us wants our country to become a battleground.

If you see a soldier, thank him or her for what they do - even in peacetime, but especially now.

PS.  I found this somewhere out there in cyber space.

Appreciation can make a day, even change a life.

Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.

~Margaret Cousins

Day 12

This day 12 of being sick.  This is really old already!   I am not managing to get anything done, go anywhere or do anything other than be miserable.  Someone want this???  It's cheap - I'll give it to you for free !!!!

TIme to sign up for the 2012 Totally useless SAL - http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2011/11/totally-useless-stitch-long.html

Photos are taken of your ort jar on the new moon and posted for all to see.

Last year I did this at the beginning of each month since I was too late to sign-up.  Matter of fact, I still have November's photo still sitting on my camera.

Anyhow, here are the dates for 2012:

There are 12 2012 New Moon Dates:

January 23
February 21
March 22
April 21
May 20
June 19
July 19
August 17
September 16
October 15
November 13
December 13

Books for 2011

My goal for 2011 was to read 75 books.  As of yesterday, I have read 74 books.  Since I have 3 that are currently being read right now, I think I am safe in saying I will reach my goal.  I think I have posted the entire list on the sidebar.

I haven't decided if next year's goal will be higher or not.  There's a lot more already scheduled in my life for next year.  Not the ordinary things either (like EGA, ANG or DAR meetings) but big things (son coming home, teaching my pilot class, teaching at EGA Seminar, niece's wedding, trips, etc and not in any particular order).  After reading what I just wrote - maybe I'll just keep the goal the same to be safe.