Santa's Sweat Shop

Christmas is almost here--it's Christmas Eve in the United States. I know for some of you around the world, Christmas has arrived already. I want to wish each and every one of you out there in Blogland a wonderful holiday!

My online Thimbleberries group was reminiscing this morning about Santa experiences, telling stories about their own childhoods and their children's. Hearing these stories reminds me of the magic of the season when we suspend our doubts and logic and allow our imaginations to take over, if only for a little while.

Here in this part of California, we don't really get any snow, but we've certainly had some wet Christmases. When my kids were little, one year when the ground was damp, I went out on Christmas Eve and made "hoof" impressions in the mud, using the rim of a cup to form the prints. I think seeing the reindeer prints on the ground on Christmas morning more than anything else allowed my son to continue to believe in Santa for a few years longer than he would have otherwise!

I've been so busy in the last couple of weeks that I've missed out on doing some of the things that I enjoy during the holiday season. I've had a jigsaw puzzle--in its box--sitting out on the table, waiting for me to find a little time to sit down and relax and put it together. So far, that hasn't happened. I haven't found much time to relax and read. I haven't found time to just look around the house at the beauty of the Christmas decorations and experience that magic and peaceful feeling that comes along during this time of the year. And I think maybe the thing that I've missed most is going to the mall and visiting the tree with the names of children and families less fortunate than our family is. Our tradition--and one that we've not made time for in the last couple years--is to buy gifts for one or two of those kids. More than anything else, when I think of that "missed" tradition, I realize that I need to plan the holiday season differently next year.

We HAVE managed to spend time with family and friends, so that's one very important holiday tradition that we haven't missed. Saturday was spent with my husband's family, and we had a wonderful time. I didn't count the number of people there, but with six kids in my husband's family, and now all their spouses and kids--and the girlfriends and boyfriends of some of the kids--added to the group, I think there were probably about 30 people there or more.

Late Friday night, I finished the quilt I was making for my husband's aunt. I had pieced it several months ago, but hadn't managed to get it quilted until the last minute.

I just used a simple meandering pattern for the quilting. Knowing I was pressed for time, I had decided I wouldn't wash and dry it as is my normal custom. That plan changed, though, when I came home from work to put the binding on Friday night and found it covered with ants. Ants in my sweat shop?! I don't really keep food in there, but I had a tiny little package of Smarties that some Canadian friends had given me a year or two ago, and that may have been what brought the ants. Or maybe they knew is was the "aunt" quilt and misunderstood! In any event, I had to spray all over with ant spray, so into the washer and dryer that quilt went when I finished it.

I know you'll laugh or think I'm crazy when I tell you I had a relaxing day yesterday and then tell you what I got done. But I still have a couple things to make before tomorrow and I'm working in overdrive.

First of all, I finished making a pair of flannel Christmas PJs for myself. I wore them last night and was warm and toasty!

Then I took a little nap. See? That was the relaxing part! After my nap, I cleaned house and heated up some of that leftover meatball soup for dinner. Yum!

Then I decorated this flask as a gift for my son. I had picked up two of these flasks at the flea market for $1 each. During this arty-crafty phase I've been immersed in, I picked up some alcohol inks to "paint" the flasks and then used a rubber stamp for the image. I have another one to make for my daughter's boyfriend. I think they'll like them!

Next, I made some of Kairle's Roasted Cinnamon Almonds. Yum! They are SOOOO easy to make and are really tasty. Go on over to her blog if you'd like the recipe. I'd send you some, but I don't think they'll last very long here!

Finally, I made this picnic tote for my son's girlfriend. It's a pattern by Quiltsillustrated called The Desk Deli.

As you can see, there are pockets inside which will hold utensils, napkins, etc. I'm planning to make a couple roll-up placemats today and a couple napkins to match. Along with the tote, I'll give her a bottle of wine and a Trader Joe's gift card so she can go on a little picnic. My girl boss's birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, and I think I'll make one for her too. Oh, and my boy boss's birthday is next weekend--I have NO idea what I'll do for him, so I may just default to a gift card from Borders or something. "Boys" are so much harder than "girls," aren't they?!

If I don't post tomorrow it will be because I'm spending time with loved ones--relaxing! My son and his girlfriend will be here and we plan to spend some quality time playing games and munching on goodies. I hope you and your family have a joyous holiday!

The Holiday Spirit

I've found it! I've finally found the holiday spirit! That feeling of your heart quickening a little bit and a warm glow spreading throughout your body--without even having anything alcoholic to drink! The feeling of goodwill toward man and the giddy sensation of joy and delight in seeing the Christmas decorations all around you--even those darn inflatables! (Well, except maybe Sponge Bob--I still don't get giddy about Sponge Bob!)

And how did this wondrous thing happen to me? Well, let me share it with you--let me spread joy and happiness throughout the world.

Having finally collected from my kids their Christmas lists and having finally decided what to get my hubby (since I no longer frequent adult bookstores, I had to come up with a different list), I got in my car during my lunch hour to head to Walmart. Yep, a trip to Walmart helped put me in the holiday mood! But besides that, and maybe more importantly, when I started up the car and the radio came on, what came out of my speakers really reminded me of Christmases past and made me feel all holly jolly deep within my soul!

Here's the magic that came from my speakers: Just click here--Cheech & Chong's Santa Claus and His Old Lady! Man, I haven't heard that one for a long time, man!

How could I forget what Santa's sleigh looks like? Just listen to this description: "Santa Claus used ta have this really charp chort, man, y'know? It was lowered to da ground, had twice-pipes, candy-apple red and button top. Oooo, clean!"

And do you remember Santa's reindeer? How Santa would climb abord his "charp chort," and yell out, "On, Donner! On, Blitzen! On, Chewy! On, Tavo! C'mon, Becto!"

I don't know. Maybe I caught a bit of that "magic dust" Cheech talks about, but whatever it is, I'm finally getting excited about the holidays! Wooo-hooo, bring it on, Santa!

Oh, and just in case you want to "sing" along with Cheech and Chong, you can find the "lyrics" HERE. Ho, ho, ho!

Last Weekend Before . . .

This was the last weekend before our family starts our Christmas celebrations. Next Saturday, my husband's family will get together for lunch and a gift exchange. The funny thing about that is that early on, when my husband and I, all four of my husband's brothers, and his sister were in our 20s, we decided we couldn't really afford to exchange gifts. Some of us, though, didn't really feel right about not commemorating the holiday in some way, so we started giving baked goods and homemade candies to one another. Once I started quilting, I also started making small quilty gifts on occasion. Others in the family started giving one another small gifts as well. Before long, we were all exchanging gift baskets. Perhaps, then, you can see how this whole thing snowballed into the insanity of Christmas preparations I've been engaged in. In our minds, I think, if we give each other homemade goodies or "little" things, it's not the same as actually exchanging gifts.

As I type this, my husband is laying in bed with a pad and a pencil, interrupting my writing, asking questions about what we have for the different family members on his list. He's off work this week and will work on getting a few things ready as well. A few years back, we discovered "stuff" in a jar. I'm sure you know what I mean. Entire books have been written, giving recipes for dry soup mixes in a jar, cookie mixes in a jar, drink mixes in a jar, etc. He's the jar guy. So this week he'll come up with some kind of "stuff" in a jar to give out with the rest of our non-gifts on Saturday.

Before that, though, I'll have to finish the gifts I'm making for my two work "kids"--my two bosses. I have the girl boss's gift finished and am working on the boy boss's gift now. I think I'll have that done in the next day or so.

Today I pinned two quilts out on the patio. It was damp and chilly out there, but I got them both done. My sweet husband made a Starbucks run and brought me a hot, reviving peppermint mocha to help me defrost. Then it was into a nice, hot bath for a long soak. A few minutes of heaven stolen in the middle of a busy weekend! Ahhhhhhh!

One of the quilts I pinned today is for my husband's aunt--the one my husband set up a Christmas tree for last weekend. I hope I can finish it by Saturday, but if not, I don't think she'd mind if my husband came over to visit her for a bit on Sunday or Monday to deliver her present. Slowly but surely, I'm making my way through the list of family members to gift with a quilt; this year, it's her turn.

I still have to make something for my son's girlfriend--I have that all planned--and do a little Christmas shopping now that I've gotten lists from both my kids. I also thought of something to get my husband--a KitchenAide mixer. He's been wanting one for a long time now, but they're kind of pricey. Still, I figure he's worth it, if only for his kindness in making Starbucks runs when I'm freezing to death! We had one a long time ago, but it broke. Then we "inherited" my mother-in-law's old one when she got a new one, and although it works in a pinch, I think this particular mixer was "born" in the 1960s, so there's no telling how much longer it will last.

Our Christmas day will be pretty low key, I think. The Wild Child won't be able to make it home, but my son and his girlfriend will spend the afternoon with us. I had been thinking about a big, fancy-schmancy prime rib meal, but my husband suggested we just have munchie, finger foods, and that sounds just fine to me. I may add a big pot of soup to that menu. We'll sit around and play board games or cards and snack on food and relax--something I think I've forgotten how to do!

Sorry I don't have any photos to share with you tonight, but everything is either a secret or isn't quite ready for its photo shoot. Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to share a few things with you. I hope your Christmas preparations are progressing and you're experiencing the joys of the season!

Hurray for the Post Office! Boo for the Phone Company!

Well, not really "boo" for the phone company, but you'll understand what I mean when I tell you my husband came home from work yesterday (Friday) to find all of our telephones were dead. Surprisingly enough, our internet line is still working, and that to me is the important one! He placed a call for service and I think they're supposed to come out today, but since it's all automated voicemail, there's really no way to tell for sure. Still, fewer telephone interruptions mean I can get a little more done, and you all know I have lots to do!

I love the post office! I sent a few things out by mail on Wednesday and most all of them were received on Friday, including a three-pound box I sent across country to my friend Eileen! The gal in our office mail room tried to convince me to send the box UPS ground with guaranteed delivery by next Wednesday, but I knew the post office service between me and Eileen was pretty good, so I went with good old USPS and was rewarded for my loyalty when they delivered it in two days. How's that for service?!

Yesterday we had our office staff Christmas party/lunch/gift exchange. The gift I brought was a book Tazzie mentioned sometime ago called Porn for Women and a big chunk of chocolate from Starbucks. Porn for Women is pretty funny--it's not "real" porn but has photos of nice looking men doing things like cleaning house and cooking gourmet meals. I ended up bringing home these two "lanterns" that use votive candles--I really like these and I'm even thinking about what I can do to them in an altered art kind of way. That's a project for after the holidays, though!

I can show you, now, the journal I made for Eileen since she's received it and opened it. Silly me sent it off without taking a photo, but Eileen was nice enough to send me one so I could share. I wanted to make something different for her, and besides quilting, I know she loves the nature that surrounds her in her mountain home, and she makes sure she keeps the birds fed through the winter months. So I thought I'd make her a journal with a bird theme. She can use the journal to write in if she wants or to put photos of her quilts in--it's full of blank pages.

Today, after I've refilled my coffee cup, I'm heading into the Sweat Shop to work on piecing a quilt top that's a gift for someone. I finally finished cutting a gazillion red and white strips last night, so they're all ready to sew into braids. If I can manage to stay on my mental schedule, I'll be pinning this baby sometime tomorrow and getting started on the quilting. I hope this is a reasonable expectation, because otherwise, I'm screwed! LOL!

Perhaps my first project after the holidays will be to make a few pillow covers that say "BUY CHRISTMAS GIFTS!" and scatter them throughout the house as a reminder. From the comments left on my last post, I know I'm not the only one who does this, but there are so many other things I'd rather be doing right now! But it's back to work for me--as they say, no rest for the wicked!

A Steady March Toward Christmas

How are all of you doing in getting ready for Christmas? I find myself envying our friends to the north, up in Canada, and in other parts of the world--those of you who don't have a major holiday like Thanksgiving falling at the end of November. Somehow I just can't get motivated to think about Christmas gifts until that holiday has passed, which means I only have a few weeks to get myself together. (Well, I was THINKING of another "S" word instead of "self," but this is a "clean" blog. Sort of. Well, sometimes, anyway. You know what I'm thinking though, right?!)

And darn it! It's at times like these that I really start wishing I didn't have a single ounce of creativity in my body or the ability to bake cookies or make candy. This year I'm not doing any baking or candy-making, but I have been creating, so I can still whine about it a little. I can't tell you how much easier it would be to just go out and BUY gifts like "normal" people. But NO! I can't do that. So instead I stay up waaaaay too late every night and can't seem to find the time to sit back and enjoy the holiday season. And each year I swear the next will be different!

Do you do that? Or am I the only insane one?

But I'm making some progress. Yesterday (Wednesday), I packaged up and mailed out the few little gifties that needed to be sent. Tonight (Thursday), I've finally finished the last of the arty-crafty gifts except for a couple for my immediate family. Next, I need to make a quilt, although I can't tell you who it's for. It won't be huge--probably lap size--and I've decided to go with the braid pattern because I think it will look pretty good and go fairly fast. But still, I only have a week to get it completely finished. Then, of course, there are still a few other things to finish for family. Sometimes I drive myself nuts!

Last night our Thimbleberries group had our end of the year party which involved a potluck and prizes. It was a lot of fun! And I'm looking forward to starting next year's club which features a BOM in two colorways--Lodge and Lakeside--as well as smaller quarterly quilts. I've always loved nautical stuff, so some of the fabrics in the Lakeside colorway really appeal to me and seem different from the typical Thimbleberries fabrics.

Saturday night we will go to my crazy friend Lisa's house for dinner. My sister-in-law will be there as will my son and probably his girlfriend, as well as Lisa's husband and her two girls. I'm sure we'll have a great time! I do enjoy the many gatherings of friends and family that take place during the holiday season. And I swear that next year, I'm going to BUY all my Christmas gifts so I can relax and enjoy the holidays!

Remember to make time to spend with your friends and family during the busy holiday season! As for me, I think it's time for me to fix myself a cup of peppermint hot chocolate and head back into the Sweat Shop. See you all later!

In Search of My Inner Artist

Have you seen her? If so, send her back!

I've been locked into the Sweat Shop at night, working on arty crafty projects that use elements of collage, scrapbooking, and altered art. I've always been creative in one form or another, so I wasn't too intimidated to take on these projects, but once I got started, I realized it's much harder than it looks. Creating when it comes to quilting is a whole lot different from creating when it comes to other, more free-form art projects. I think I've finally found my groove though, and I hope to finish these projects tonight and get back to a couple quilting projects that need to be done by Christmas. I'd like to show you photos but I can't right now because the pesky recipients may potentially SEE the photos and that would ruin the surprise. I DID make my daughter a neat little paperweight that I wanted to show you, but you know me--the photo didn't turn out well, and I can't take another just yet because the paperweight is at work on my desk. Rats!

But I will show you this--nothing I created, just something I purchased. I'm excellent, by the way, at purchasing things! Anyway, Santa came home from the grocery store with me last night--

I had seen him before and thought he was pretty cute. He just seemed to fit my "Holly Jolly" theme. But at $20 or so, I decided I didn't really need to invite Santa over to stand around under my kitchen tree. Last night, though, when I stopped at the store, Santa was half off, so into my cart he lept. And doesn't he look happy to be visiting my home?! I think even my husband was a little tickled with him, and he normally moans and groans when I bring something home that he'll eventually need to pack away in the garage.

My heat has continued to work okay this week, thank goodness! We talked to the heating guy on Monday morning, and he ordered a new switch of some sort for the unit. He thought the part would be in tomorrow, and he'll be able to come out and install it without anyone having to hang around the house, missing work while waiting for the repair guy. So, good news on that front--so far. Of course, we haven't had the terrible ice storms that blanket much of the country, but there's frost on everything in the mornings and it's getting pretty chilly out. I would hate to be without heat just now!

I hope you and those close to you are enjoying a joyous holiday season! Back to work for me! Thanks for visiting!

Are You Tired of Christmas Yet?

Whew! I'm nearly tired out. Is it time to take down the Christmas decorations and start decorating for Valentine's Day yet?! Just kidding--I LOVE Christmas and I'm not ready to move on just yet. (Although yes, I DO have a Valentine's Day tree and decorations--just you wait and see!)

I've been wanting to share with you a tabletopper I made for my online group's recent swap, but I had to wait until the package arrived in Canada. It got there yesterday, so I don't have to worry about blowing the surprise. Here's the one I made for my friend Jackie (those are buttons for the "berries"):

And, as it turned out, I received a package from my secret swap person yesterday too. She sent me this beautiful tree skirt, chocolate bars, and some decorations for my tree(s):

I was hoping to finish binding the It's a Wrap quilt last night, but I got sidetracked with shopping. I don't really like shopping for clothing very much, but I finally broke down and stopped to look for a top on my way home from work. I found several things on my list of "clothing necessities," like a new robe, shoes, and a sweater. That inspired me to come home, cook dinner really fast, and head out to another store, where I found all of the other things I needed and have been putting off shopping for. A successful evening of shopping, and now I'm done with THAT for awhile!

So let's talk pajamas for a minute. Remember that pajama pattern I posted? Well, I ordered flannel to make two sets of jammies, and the flannel arrived yesterday. The red/black check with stuff like trees, stars, and mittens is for one pair. The two black fabrics are for another--the larger print will be the top and the small print will be the bottoms (creating, of course, an optical illusion that will make me look like Barbie's twin sister. Okay, maybe not, but I can dream, can't I? Isn't that what jammies are FOR?!) Anyway, the fabric's here but I don't know when I'll be able to sew for myself again, so when I saw a couple pair of cute cotton knit jammies at the department store last night, I bought those too. Is there anything better than new jammies at Christmas time? Okay, yes, there might be one or two things better than new jammies--like chocolate--but jammies are high on my list of comfort items.

Finally, I wanted to show you what I found:

I will understand if you think maybe I've lost my mind, getting all excited over finding a hunk of bark, but here's a decorating tip from me: Keep your eyes open, look around, and think outside the box. Christmas decorations don't HAVE to come from a store and cost money. What I see when I look at this is a pillar candle in the middle and fresh Christmas greenery filling the rest, with maybe a couple old glass ornaments to add a little contrast to the woodsy look and reflect the candle flame. Or maybe the greenery with a small bowl of water, cranberries, and a floating candle. Once the bark dries (it rained here this morning) and I decorate it, I'll get a photo to show you.

Finally, I hope to have the It's a Wrap quilt done by tomorrow's post and up on the wall behind my kitchen tree, so stay tuned! It's definitely turning into a Holly Jolly Christmas! Time for me to put my new jammies on and go bind that quilt. See you tomorrow!

It's a Blow Up Christmas!

On my way home from work, I drove around a corner a few blocks from home, and saw this--or something very close to it--in someone's yard, surrounded by his other Santa and snowman friends:

Okay, how incredibly tacky can someone be? In looking on the internet for a photo of this thing, I found several versions which all looked incredibly similar but ranged in price from about $8 all the way to nearly $200. Who would spend $200 on an inflatable SpongeBob? Yeah, maybe there are one or two huge SpongeBob fans who might, but is there really a market? People are weird.

It doesn't appear that any inflatables will pop up in my immediate neighborhood, but if they do, I'm considering calling my friend Lisa to see if she'd like to revisit the whole adult bookstore experience. I'm thinking that one of these in the front yard, wearing a Santa hat, would be just the thing, don't you?

And since I'm on the subject of Christmas and blow up dolls, I have a funny story to pass on. Perhaps you've seen it before? It's not mine--I've heard it originated with Jeff Foxworthy. If you haven't seen it before, get yourself some milk and cookies, and sit back and enjoy!

CHRISTMAS WITH LOUISE

"As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them. What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings were overflowing, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.

One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and went in search of an inflatable love doll. They don't sell those things at Walmart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown. If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go. You'll only confuse yourself. I was there an hour saying things like, "What does this do?" "You're kidding me!" "Who would buy that?" Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section.

I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour. Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love dolls come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I settled for "Lovable Louise." She was at the bottom of the price scale. To call Louise a "doll" took a huge leap of imagination.

On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life. My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me in during the wee morning hours, long after Santa had come and gone. I filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. I went home and giggled for a couple of hours.

The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy but had left the dog confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more. We all agreed that Louise should remain in her pantyhose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner.

My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. "What the hell is that?" she asked. My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll." "Who would play with something like that?" Granny snapped. I had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut. "Where are her clothes?," Granny continued. "Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran," Jay said, trying to steer her into the dining room, but Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't she have any teeth?" Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, "Hang on, Granny, hang on!"

My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, " Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" I told him she was Jay's friend. A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home.

The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise that sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the pantyhose, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back over his chair and wet his pants and Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car.

It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember. Later, in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to determine the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember from the fireplace to the back of her right thigh. Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health. Louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies. I think Grandpa still calls her whenever he can get out of the house."

It's a Wrap and Inflatables

I finished quilting the It's a Wrap quilt tonight, although I still have to sew down the binding. The next time you see it, it will be done, washed, and hanging on the wall behind the kitchen tree--hopefully tomorrow night. I know this isn't a great photo, but I wanted to share--I've been working on it all day. Isn't it funny how quilts always take longer than you expect them to? Or is that just me?

One of the lead news stories tonight was about the theft of a family's inflatable Santa, taken in the middle of the night from their front lawn. Speaking from experience, I'd suggest that guy check his neighbors across the street, the ones who have had to look at the darn thing since he put it up.

If you have an inflatable something-or-other sitting in your front yard, I don't mean to offend you. Seriously, I've seen a few yard displays with inflatable figures that looked just fine, and I kind of like those big inflatable "globes" with all kinds of stuff going on inside, but it just seems to me that a lone plastic inflatable Santa is kind of pathetic.

A few years back, the renters across the street from us put up an inflatable snowman next to a much smaller inflatable Santa/chimney combo. They just stuck them both right out near the sidewalk with no other decorations to make them look at all attractive. From our living room, we had to look at them night after night, and I hated those things! In fact, I considered sneaking over there at night and stabbing them to death (the inflatables, not the neighbors). Boy was I excited to see them sitting in a heap on the grass that first morning--I thought someone had beat me to it! That night, though, they came back to life, much to my dismay!

We have new neighbors over there this year, and when I noticed they were stringing up Christmas lights outside a few days ago, I watched with some apprehension. No, no inflatables, thank goodness! Just a tasteful display of Christmas lights and a Christmas tree in the window, which is pretty much the same thing we have.

Yes, I know I'm a Christmas decorating snob. I don't know why that is or why I'm so hung up on the whole Christmas thing. Yes, I even drive myself nuts sometimes. I wonder if there's a 12-step program?

Well, the weekend's over, and it's back to work in the morning. Time to turn out the lights in the Sweat Shop and head to bed. I'm glad you could stop by and visit!

Cat for Sale

Anyone want a cat with a delightful personality but a proclivity for knocking down and breaking glass Christmas ornaments? No? Probably just as well because I'm pretty attached to her, but gosh darn it! This morning she was fascinated by the ornaments hanging from the valance in the bedroom--which hung there last year and were ignored by her. She's pretty mischevious, though, and decided this morning that she wanted to bat one down. All I can say is that she's no longer on Santa's list of good little cats.

Can you stand more Christmas decorating photos? I'm at the stage where I'm trying to finish up the last bits--which happen to be a couple trees--and fine tune some of the decorations I put up earlier. By "fine tune," I actually mean "change things around a little." I won't bore you with a lot of chat--I'll just tell you what you're looking at 'cause you KNOW my photography skills aren't always the best!

The tree in the Sweat Shop.

A close up shot so you can see the cute button and bead garland (Target) and one of the Williraye ornaments (Target again) and rusty-looking bells (where else? Target!).

Remember the sleigh I painted? I decided to move it to my son's former room, put a lighted tree on it, and enlist a friendly bear to pull it along.

Do you have any of those old wooden spools? I stuck a candle on top of one and tied a bow on--fast to do and I like the way it looks.

Thought I'd just show you that platter I mentioned the other day. My husband still hasn't noticed it--or at least he hasn't said anything! It's the green one at the back with the penguin.

This is me. No, not really! LOL! I was in JoAnn's today--YET AGAIN--and decided to take a look at their patterns for pajamas. I haven't sewn clothes for a long time, but my girl boss and I were talking the other day and she mentioned that she likes to make herself a pair of PJs every Christmas. That sounded like an excellent idea to me, because I never seem to find any in the store that I really like all that much. Anyway, I doubt I'll have time BEFORE Christmas to make a pair, but maybe after. And what was I doing in JoAnn's again? Well, my personal Christmas decorating consultant, Missy, was at work today and I was telling her about some issues I have with decorating the tree in the kitchen, and she sent me off to JoAnn's for some crystal-ice-encrusted branches. So I was forced to go--not my fault at all! Really! I'm waiting for some ornaments to arrive via UPS that are scheduled to be here by Friday and then I can try to get that one finished up. In the meantime, I have another to decorate for my daughter's former room. I think I have six trees. Yeah, I know I'm nuts. But I love Christmas!

More Christmas

Are you getting tired of my decorating yet? I am! But frankly I'm just too pooped tonight to think of anything else to entertain you with, so I'll give you a few more photos. (I still have two more trees to decorate plus a little more--just a warning of what's to come!)

My son's room. Doesn't that photo look blurry or is it just my tired eyes? The camera didn't TELL me the photo was blurry!

I had to move my unfinished quilt tops into a larger basket, so I decided to decorate it while I was at it. Sure makes me feel less guilty if I can turn unfinished "work" into something pretty! But yep, there are a bunch of rolled up quilt tops hiding behind those pinecones and stuffed animals! I'm such a slacker!

Another photo that catches those alien red balls on my tree. Really, though, I was taking the photo to show you the quilt--I don't think I showed you this one before. This is a Thimbleberries pattern (Starlight Pines) that I half sized--and it's still big enough for a throw.

The kitchen tree so far. I think I'm taking the pinecone/berries off and using those for the tree in the Sweat Shop, but I'm waiting to get a box of lime green ornaments and a box of turquoise blue ornaments I ordered. So, this is still a work in progress, but mainly I wanted to show you the tree skirt I made from Marcie's cute, free pattern. The Holly Jolly "It's a Wrap" quilt will hang on the wall behind the tree once I get it quilted.

The Christmas quilt hanging on my bedroom wall. This is one I made a couple years ago.

Guess what? I think I've figured out what to do about the slighly barren look of the space where I have my Holly Jolly letters. I remember seeing some flat-ish glittery snowflake ornaments at Target in these colors I'm using. I think I'll stop by on my way home from work and see what I can get. I should be able to use some tiny nails to hang them around the letters and spark that area up a bit.

And guess what else? Today I went to JoAnn's where I found they have 3-packs of Christmas trees on sale--you get a 2' tree, a 3' tree, and a 4' tree for about $15. Of course, one of those boxes came home with me. I needed one--maybe two--trees but I couldn't pass up a deal, so I settled for three. They also had some fun Debbie Mumm Christmas "stuff." A couple of Christmas dish towels, a quartet of snowmen ornaments sitting on jingle bells, and a platter with a penguin came home with me too. Shhhhh! Don't tell my husband about that platter! He has fits when I bring new dishes into the house. He's not real observant sometimes, so it might be a few days before he notices the platter sitting in my hutch and then I can tell him I've had it for awhile! Then again, sometimes he notices things right away. He DOES enjoy the decorations and sometimes he'll wander around looking at things, but he's already given the hutch the once over, so maybe he won't look at it again for awhile. We can only hope.

Okay, bedtime for me--tomorrow's another work day, darn it! Oh, and a special preview just for you: If you've avidly followed my Saturday Day of Beauty posts and have missed me posting anything for the last several weeks, I'm seriously considering shaving my legs on Saturday, even if it means a loss of warmth in my lower extremities. So, if you're following along on this routine with me, sharpen up that razor or get out the Ginsu knives, because it's been awhile now and we'll probably need some sharp blades for cutting down that forest we've been nurturing. But I figure it's always nice to pay special attention to personal hygiene and beauty during the holiday season, don't you think?

Finally, don't forget the next section of the Hometown Christmas quilt is "due" by the end of the week. Sharon, are you listening? Sharon? Go on over and ask Sharon to show you her Hometown Christmas, okay? "See" you tomorrow!

Back to Work!

My vacation's over and it's back to work for me! I'm incredibly tired tonight and I've stayed up waaaay too late--as usual--but I was on a roll and trying to get everything done, more or less. Yes, there are many things I thought I'd get done while I was on vacation--like taking in and hemming a few pairs of pants--that I didn't quite get to, but I'm happy to say that the house is just about ready for Christmas and it's nice and clean! I think the only thing I have left to do is decorate my tree for the Sweat Shop--and maybe a tree for my daughter's former bedroom, but I'm undecided about that. I need to make a trip to JoAnn's for a few things, so maybe I'll look at their trees. Or not.

Besides the decorating, today I shampooed the rest of the house--my daughter's room, my bedroom, and the other half of the hallway. I also decoupaged some Holly Jolly and Christmas Past fabric onto my Holly Jolly letters and used Gorilla Glue to attach thumbtacks to the back. Not ideal but it seems to have worked--at least for now.

Anyway, I'll just share a couple photos with you before going to bed to get my beauty sleep.

"Holly Jolly" of course! It looks a little stark in that space, so I'll have to find something to liven it up a little bit--not sure what though. And remember that Santa cookie jar on the left? I decided since we aren't eating cookies, I COULD fill it with our 100 calorie snack packages.

And since I'm showing you letters, here's the "Noel." They seem to be reflecting the flash too much, but they look pretty good in the space, which can be seen from the front entryway; to the right is the kitchen and to the left is the hall leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Back in the kitchen, here's my hutch. The hutch is a dark green, and I like to decorate with red and white for the holidays. I can then leave some of it up after Christmas as we move toward Valentine's Day. In fact, I have a Valentine's Day tree. Really! Wait until you see it! But one holiday at a time. Oh, and those "dolls" on top of the hutch--I bring those out every couple years and stick them somewhere in the house. These guys are "vintage"--they were my mom's many years ago. Since I'm going for a slightly retro look this year, they seems to fit.

The front bathroom--I just figured you'd want to see the runner I put up on the wall.

And a stitchery and paint (acrylic with textile medium) pillow cover. This is in my son's former room. I tried to get a couple photos in there, but the flash reflected off the window in one, and the other didn't turn out very well either. I'll have to get a few more photos another time.

And, finally, the quilt on my daughter's bed. I took a shortcut on the applique when I made this a few years ago. I traced the shapes of the holly leaves, berries, and bow onto a lightweight nonfusible interfacing. I then sewed that to the fabric, "good" sides together, cut a slit in the interfacing and turned the pieces right side out. After pressing them, I pinned them to the quilt and sewed them on while I was quilting the quilt. It worked out just fine! I'm sure I'll use the technique again someday.

Time for my beauty sleep, so I'll say goodnight! Thanks for visiting, and I'll "see" you later!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

Okay, maybe it's not QUITE looking a lot like Christmas around here, but at least I got the tree and the living room done. I'm never quite pleased with photos of Christmas decorations because they just don't capture the glow of the Christmas lights. And for some reason, the camera flash does weird things to the red balls on the tree. I call this my "gay guy tree." Politically incorrect, I'm sure, but what else can you call a tree covered with a bunch of elves, fairies, and butterflies? Actually gay guys probably have much better taste, but we like these decorations--for now, anyway. I suspect I'll want to do something different in another couple years.

When the kids were growing up, we always had a soccer tree because the two of them were mad about soccer. Once they moved out, though, I changed the tree.

Actually, what it's looking a LOT like around here is a supreme MESS. I sorted many of the boxes of Christmas decorations and distributed them to various rooms. I have "stuff" piled here and there--stuff to decorate with and stuff I took down to make way for decorations. But I know that underneath all that mess, my house is fairly clean. By the way, I "tested" out the new rug shampooer today and did the carpets in my son's former room and The Sweat Shop--works great! It's probably a sign of some deep-seated psychosis, but I get a bit of a kick out of dumping all that filthy water afterward--it's kind of like a pat on the back, knowing that I did an excellent job busting the dirt! I should have take a photo--or maybe not. Just take my word, okay? It's MUCH cleaner than it was before!

In the midst of decorating the living room, I had to stop for a few arts and crafts moments. Here's the first--the "before" photo.

I was really tired of gold deer--in fact, I was so tired of gold deer, I haven't put them out for the last few years. The only problem is that the large area on top of the entertainment center needs something . . . well, LARGE on it, and these deer work fairly well. If I could come up with a better idea, I'd change it, but inspiration hasn't struck yet, so I decided to repaint the deer a bit more realistically. Here's the "after."

Then since I really liked the display on Warm Pie, Happy Home's blog with the sled, quilt, and books, I wanted to recreate something similar. So the other day, I pulled out a boring old sled and gave it a crackle finish. Tonight I painted some holly leaves and berries on it. Here's how it came out.

I also had this carved wooden Santa who had gotten a little wobbly over the years, so my husband was nice enough to take Santa to the garage and give him a sturdier base. I love the folk arty look of this guy, although my kids think Santa's doing something naughty with the tree. Take a look. Naughty or nice?

Remember how moms used to lick their fingers and smooth down kids' hair? Do you ever do something like that to quickly remove pet hair or lint? Well, I was trying to get a little cat hair off a quilt and I didn't want to climb off the step stool to go get a damp sponge, so I tried the damp finger thing. The first attempt didn't quite get it all, so I repeated the steps and now I think I have a hair ball in my throat. Maybe I DON'T want to come back as a cat in my next life after all. GACK!

That's my decorated mantle. I figure if there's a home invasion robbery, I can grab that spear that's holding the wreath and defend my property. You'll notice there are no stockings hung with care. That's because my stocking is 6 feet long and looks pretty silly up there, so we don't bother. When my husband and I first got married and didn't have much money, we agreed we'd just do stocking stuffers. That's when I bought myself a 6 foot stocking. I may be sort of blondish (grayish), but I'm not dumb!