Will the Grinch steal Christmas?

Good morning, all! Christmas is in two short days--can you believe it?  I had high hopes that my family would all be together this year, but the Grinch (otherwise known as "the flu" ) seems to have other plans for us. Illness, in the form of flu or bad colds, has hit each of my sons' families--in fact, the only ones who are healthy are my husband, my middle son's girlfriend, and myself. They're all at varying stages, too! I'm sad that our plans probably won't come together as we had hoped. We talked about postponing our gift-opening and big Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners, but that won't work because my youngest son and his  fiancée have plans with her family beginning on Saturday. And to push it back further won't work as my husband is due to have his right shoulder replaced in early January. So... we'll see. I told them if they were feeling better that they could even drive up on Christmas morning and spend a couple nights with us. I'm still hoping for the best, even if we are just together for one night! Sigh... I've heard the flu is just terrible this year--how are things in your part of the world?

Some of you have asked for pictures of my tree and, even though it looks to me much the same as in previous years, I thought I'd share a few photos. Not the best photos, but... The ornaments on this tree were all stitched by me and represent 17 years of memories. Stitched through both happy times and sad, each one soothed my soul as I stitched patiently away.

My 2025 Cross Stitch Christmas Tree

 

I had to laugh about this one! I showed my Christmas tree to Mister B via FaceTime and he said that "the star was the best part of the tree and that it wouldn't be good without the star!" Kids say the funniest things!

I just love this Little House Needleworks "Hometown Holiday" series--need to get back to stitching it soon!

And these Birds of a Feather always hold a special place in my heart

The Prairie Schooler "A Mini Merry Surprise" Santas are such fun little ornaments.

I tend to scatter most of my Prairie Schooler finishes throughout the tree. How many can you spot in this photo (hint: two of them aren't Santas!)

I think my tree at dusk is especially pretty... I love sitting in my sunroom quietly gazing at the lights and thinking about past Christmas memories.

We have so many windows and doors in our sunroom that it's the perfect place to capture the reflection of the twinkling white lights. 

My childhood Santa (or "Creepy Santa" as my sons have renamed him!) sits watch over the gifts. He's lost his coat and belt and who-knows-what-else, but he's very special to me!

I had such fun setting up this little baking display complete with five stitched pieces, some vintage cookie cutters, a child's rolling pin (that my sons often used to roll out Play-doh), and some little elves and gingerbread boys. It sits in a corner of my kitchen next to the refrigerator and really brightens up a once very boring space!

My new baking/cross-stitch display--love it!

 

These old cookie cutters were either my mom's or maternal grandmother's. I hope to use them for Christmas cookie making with my grandsons later this week.

How can you not smile at this scene?

Who else loves to bake? I don't get to do nearly as much baking now that my sons have all grown up and left home. I always used to have homemade cookies in the cookie jar when they were growing up. I truly miss those days, but love being able to indulge in my third favorite hobby (after cross-stitching and reading) a lot at Christmas time. I've made eight kinds of cookies so far for Christmas. I'd like to make gingerbread boys, too, so my grandson can help me decorate them. That is one of my fondest memories of when my sons were small: watching them decorate cookies with my dear mother. Mom always had them help her bake and decorate cut-out cookies each Christmas Eve day. Of course, more frosting ended up in their mouths than on the cookies, but that was part of the joy of it! It's such a special tradition and one I hope to continue with my grandchildren.

Baking with Grandma (my dear mother) in the late 1980s. That is my husband with our youngest in his arms, my oldest in front of them, and my middle son on the far left. Two of my nephews are in front of mom. 

I don't just bake cookies, but they are my favorites. I made this Chocolate Eclair Dessert for my middle son's 40th birthday earlier this month. It's his favorite and I can't even count how many years I've made it for him! It's very simple and if you'd like to make it yourself, the recipe I use is very much like this one.

So that about does it for my preparations for Christmas 2025. I'm hoping that my family can all be together as planned, but I'm accepting if that doesn't come to pass. My husband and I are in our 70s now and we don't want to get sick either--especially with his impending shoulder surgery in two weeks. We'll take it hour by hour and see what transpires. Perhaps there will be a Christmas miracle? 

For each and every one of you, I wish you much happiness on Christmas Day! I hope you aren't dealing with sickness, too... I mused to my husband yesterday about how nice it would be to live in the southern hemisphere where Christmas occurs during the summer months and those nasty flu and cold bugs aren't as widespread. But, not really--I'm happy to live where I do and feel very blessed with my wonderful family! Merry Christmas to all! Bye for now...

My lone September post

Where did September go? I haven't posted in over four weeks! Nothing is wrong--I've just been very lazy about posting this month--both here on my blog and on Instagram. We've experienced the most wonderful September weather here in western Pennsylvania that I can remember. Day after day of warm, sunny skies and very low humidity--my kind of weather in every way! Oh, we definitely could have used more rain--we were actually experiencing drought conditions before the little bit of rain we had last week. Our lawn is very burned out and many of the plants seem to be in shock. Quite a few leaves have already fallen this month due to the dry weather and the experts are predicting that the lack of rain will lead to an autumn without much color on our trees. How's the weather in your part of the world? I say world, because I seem to have more international readers and commenters than I do from the U.S. And I thank you all so much--there are many from Germany and France, a few from Spain and Italy, and a couple from England. I truly appreciate the extra effort you make to translate my blog into your language and leave your sweet comments. Thank you! 

I've noticed that, although I have many Christmas-themed pieces, I have stitched very few pieces that I can leave up for the entire winter. In an effort to remedy that, I stitched this charming little piece by Plum Street Samplers called "A Country Winter." I thought the 40 ct. stormy night Newcastle linen was perfect for this piece. And how about those touches of pink on the barn? I did change a few colors: used Colour and Cotton "Tree Lot" for the trees and CC "Trail Dust" for the deer and tree trunks. I also changed up a couple of the snowflakes.

"A Country Winter" by Plum Street Samplers

 

That tiny "over one" quilt that the snowman is holding is just too cute!

Although this is a small piece (finishing up at 3.5" x 6"), I chose to frame it and I love how it turned out. Using a frame I recently purchased from Franken Frames online, this was such a quick and easy finish. For once, I didn't procrastinate for years on my framing (the way I usually do)... I need to do that more often!

I'll enjoy having this one on display all winter long.

This second framed piece followed my usual method of operation... Stitch something, stick it in a drawer, and years later bring it out and frame it! Yes, this piece called "Be Merry" by Little House Needleworks was stitched almost nine years ago--in December of 2016! You can read about my finish in this post. If you've stitched this yourself, you'll notice I made a few changes to the piece--most notably changing the date to 1895 in honor of my paternal grandmother who was born on Christmas Day in that year. I also used the words "Merry Christmas" instead of "Belle Pepper" which was originally charted (I think that is the name of the little girl?). I don't know how long I've had this thrifted frame in my stash, but I decided it was just too pretty not to use. So, by adding some coordinating fabric and a bit of Christmas-themed ric-rak to the stitched piece, I now have a newly framed Christmas finish. What do you think? 

Finally framed after 9 years--Little House Needleworks "Be Merry"

There was a zig-zag motif at the very bottom which I had already stitched, but ended up removing. It clashed with the look of the pretty ivory, red, and green ric-rak. Below is a close-up of the beautifully carved frame--so dainty and perfect for this sweet piece! I rarely find thrifted frames this pretty, unfortunately. 

Such a wonderful antique frame!

I'm also working on my Christmas ornaments for September and October which I hope to share with you next time along with some Thanksgiving stitching. What are all of you working on this week?

This past Sunday, I spent some time bringing out my fall decorations and decorating our kitchen. 

A corner of my kitchen all ready for fall

I had never decorated this corner of my kitchen before, but I'm so pleased with the spots of fall color it brings. You'll certainly recognize the larger framed piece as a Prairie Schooler--one I stitched way back in 2007 even before I began blogging. 

"Autumn" from the PS Book No. 50: "Prairie Seasons"

In the little wicker tiered basket are three more stitched pieces--all oldies, but goodies! On the top is a block from Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow which I stitched back in 2012. I changed the lambs that were charted in the block to squirrels. (We really don't have lambs lounging in our woods here in Pennsylvania)! If you'd like a closer look at this finish--just click here. The bottom front piece, "Pumpkin Patch," featuring the little scarecrow and black cat, is from a very old Just Cross Stitch magazine: September/October 1988! Yes, 1988! I stitched it in 2009, the first year I began blogging, but didn't finish it for another ten years. You can see a better photo of it and read about my finish in this post. And finished in a round black box (way in the back) is a Drawn Thread design called "Full Moon" which I actually stitched five times--once for me and the others for four stitching friends at our mini-retreat back in 2014. I love how they turned out; for more information, you can see the boxed finishes right here. 

I love this small tiered basket for smalls--it was purchased at Target a few years ago for $5.00.

In the first photo of my kitchen decorating, you'll notice some homemade raisin granola bars that I baked on Sunday. Oh, my! This was my first time making them and I actually had to freeze most of them to stop myself from putting one after another into my mouth. Really, really tasty and oh, so easy--they were a big hit with my husband!

Bet you can't eat just one! 

 

Homemade Raisin Granola Bars recipe

My kitchen corner cupboard is ready for fall, as well, with pieces by  Homespun Elegance, Bent Creek, and Prairie Schooler. 

This pretty ceramic trio (all of which I've thrifted over the years) adds some welcome fall color to my white countertops. 

So tomorrow October arrives--time to decorate for Halloween! I don't always put up Halloween decorations (even though I have a ton of stitched pieces for the holiday) because my father passed away on that day eleven years ago. But, this year, my little grandsons are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks and I know Mister B will love studying each skeleton, ghost, witch, and bat that he spies in my stitching. He loves Halloween--just like his dad!

Q & A TIME: I had a couple of questions from readers who left no email contact so I thought I'd answer them here since they are very general and everyone might enjoy reading my answers:

1. QUESTION ONE: "Yikes I just learned to do cording. How many strands of DMC do you use ?!! We used the 6 strands as is and doubled it but still did not seem as thick as you do. Thanks!"

MY ANSWER:  The number of lengths of  DMC thread I use depends on the size of my ornament or pillow. For smaller items, I use three 6-strand lengths with my Kreinik corder. That is how I make most of my cording. If I want it thicker, I use four 6-strand lengths. I wrote an extensive blog post on cording back in 2019 that you might benefit from reading. You can find it right here. Good luck! 

2. QUESTION TWO: "Have been stitching for 3 decades, in hand, q-naps, roller stretchers, etc. How do you do such beautiful work so quickly???????????????? Is it the linen, the thread, the technique? Please share your secret!!!!"

MY ANSWER:  Oh, this one actually made me laugh out loud as I don't consider myself a quick stitcher at all! As a monogamous stitcher, I feel that I rarely have much to show, but I appreciate your compliment! I can't say I have a secret, but in three words: I AM RETIRED! Yes, that leaves entire days to stitch, although I rarely stitch more than 3-4 hours a day. I stitch in hand with the good old "stab and stitch" method--no sewing method here. I tried it, but just didn't enjoy it at all... Additionally, I almost always stitch on 40 ct. fabric using one thread. To me, that is much easier and faster than trying to stitch on lower count fabrics and worry about your two threads twisting. I think the most important thing to remember is to stitch whatever way makes you the most comfortable--and remember, it's not a race. Enjoy the journey! 

On to October--can you believe it? Only three months left in 2025 even though it seems like the new year just began. I always get a bit sad at this time of year because I truly miss the warm, sunny days. I do love living in a part of the world where we get to experience all four seasons, but I so wish summer lasted longer. I dread the time change in November when it gets dark so early, don't you? Thank goodness we have the joy of Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to and brighten up those dark months ahead. Wishing you a lovely October and thank you so very much for visiting today! Bye for now...

Although many of our flowers have dried up, I managed to pick this beautiful bouquet from our garden last week--just perfect for fall! 

 

Christmas stitching as Spring approaches

Greetings on what was a sunny (but quite chilly!) last day of February! I always love having this "extra" day every four years, don't you? And to those of you born on February 29th--I bet you especially love it! Can you believe March begins tomorrow? February was a good month here--I felt we got a lot accomplished around the house. So many projects that we've procrastinated about for years are done--the main one being the wallpaper removal in our bedroom. My husband painted our bedroom last weekend and it's so wonderful to have the old wallpaper and chair rail gone and the room looking brighter and refreshed. It really gives me a lift when projects like this are finished. Next up? The dining room! I've been saying that for at least five years now, but that red paint in there has to go. I need something lighter and airier in my life right now rather than the red walls that were so popular for kitchens and dining rooms twenty years ago. 

Unfortunately, due to all of the house projects, my stitching time has been limited. I did manage to get my two ornaments finished for February and March, though. My taste in ornaments is very eclectic--have you noticed that? Last month, I stitched that elegant wreath with the cardinals and the two I have to show you today are just plain fun and whimsical. For February, I stitched yet another Crocette a Gogò design--the little gingerbread boy from the "Christmas Green Chic" pattern. I had a small scrap of a mystery sage green 40 ct. linen left and thought he would look perfect on it. I used most of the suggested DMC colors, but changed the gingerbread boy himself to DMC 167 and chose to use DMC 816 for all of the reds. A simple sage green cording and a row of rusty bells sewn to the bottom finishes him off quite nicely. He is very small--the finished pillow is just 3 inches square!

Too cute to eat! A new gingerbread boy ornament for February.

March's ornament is a bit larger even though I stitched it "over one" on 25 ct. vintage country mocha Lugana. This is "First Snow" by Annie Beez Folk Art and I actually used all of the suggested DMC colors (for a change!). I just love that little snowman head she used to represent the letter "O" in the word SNOW. The ornament is surrounded by cording in the same green I used for the pine needles (DMC 580) and the fabric you see on the larger circle is wool felt. I thought the green and cream checkered bow topped it off nicely. I did move around/add some snowflakes to achieve the round ornament I desired.

My finish of "First Snow" by Annie Beez Folk Art

I've had questions as to how I finish the back of this type of round ornament... Very simple! I just cut out a round piece of wool felt (in a coordinating color) to cover the area and use some spray glue to carefully press it in place (spray the piece of felt with the glue--not the ornament back). Below is what it ends up looking like. I do this to save both time and money on supplies. I'm not fond of bulky ornaments which happens when you add yet another covered fabric round to the back.

The felt covered back on my round ornament finish. Simple, but effective!

 

One additional ornament was sent out as a gift to a special friend who has a family member dealing with a very rare health issue. I just wanted to bring a smile to her face as she and her family deal with a very scary and worrisome situation. This is one you've seen before--a small motif from Madame Chantilly's "Celebrate Winter." It's stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with some added snowflakes to shape it into an oval ornament. I love the little polka-dot bow and brass bell and so did the recipient. Thinking of you, my sweet friend--and sending caring hugs and prayers your way!

I love this motif of the sweet bird perched on the white house and have now stitched it four times!

The only other new things I "made" this month, were some tasty mini-Bundt cakes for my middle son's girlfriend's birthday on Monday. I didn't know what to bake, but decided on these cute little chocolate cakes using the recipe found right here. They were very rich and I could only eat half of mine! I used sour cream in this recipe, but I'll use buttermilk the next time as they were a bit dry for my taste. The recipe made 12, but I halved it for the four of us. Of course, whipped cream and fresh raspberries hopped on to the plate, too! Doesn't this little Bundt cake look pretty?

One of the Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes for a birthday celebration

 

I had a wonderful trip down memory lane this past weekend. We were invited by friends to attend a musical tribute to Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday. I thought it was just going to be a selection of some of the musical numbers, but it turned out to be almost the entire play, dialogue and all! As soon as the orchestra began to play the first few notes, I was immediately transported back to my high school auditorium where our drama club performed Fiddler on the Roof to standing ovations in March of 1972. Imagine that... over fifty years ago and I could still remember (almost) every word to every song. I was one of the "villagers" in the play--no speaking part (heavens, I was way to shy even back then!). The villagers sang as a chorus, did a few (very minor) dance steps, and simply "created magic" as our director wrote in a letter to each of us after our play was over.  I smiled wistfully throughout most of the production on Saturday night as I remembered my high school friends who acted in the play with me and all the fun we had during those rehearsals so many years ago. I also got a bit teary-eyed during the very sad parts as the villagers are forced from their homes in the little town of Anatevka by the Russians (the very same thing that is happening in Ukraine today).  Anyway, it was a night I'll never forget...

I'm thrilled to report that my youngest son and his girlfriend returned safely from their vacation in Oman with glowing reviews. He said one of the best things was that where they were staying was within a two-hour drive of the mountains, the beach, or the desert. In fact, they even spent a night in the desert at a remote camp. I have since learned that Oman is considered the "Switzerland of the Middle East" due to it's neutrality so I guess I had nothing to worry about concerning their safety after all, did I? But, a mother always worries--even when her "baby" is 35 years old!

A beautiful view of the sun over the sand dunes in Oman sent by my youngest son

 

We've had a couple of huge rainstorms this past month and when that happens, we get what we call "the second pond," in our back yard. Oh, the deer just love to come visit it to get a drink of water and romp and splash through the giant puddle. Here they are with white tails flashing danger after they spotted me walking toward them... There were actually nine deer in the yard at that time, but the rest are out of the photo frame. I think that's the most we've ever seen at one time! Now, do you understand why growing flowers or vegetables outside of a fenced in area is impossible in this area?

The deer romping through the water in our "second pond" that forms after heavy rains.

 

And I saw my first robin of Spring last week--always such a joyous and welcome sight! Although this hasn't been a hard winter here, I still look forward to the beauty of spring--the longer daylight hours, the pretty pastel flowers, the smell of the fresh air wafting through open windows. Ahhh... I spotted these two new With Thy Needle and Thread designs last week (when I was buying some overdyed threads online) and I just couldn't resist them. How about you, are you buying/stitching anything fun for Spring? 

Two new additions to my Spring stitching line-up!

 

I want to thank you for your visit today! I'm so glad when I see your comments pop up letting me know who has stopped by... Thank you, each and every one, for your very kind emails and your words in the comment section. I do appreciate each of you--I hope you know that! Wishing you a wonderful March ahead filled with warmer days and lots of sunshine. Bye for now...

Welcome, March!

Winding down the year

The final days of each year seem to signal the end of yet another chapter in one's life history... It's always so hard to believe that another year has flown by so quickly, isn't it? We end the year on such a busy note with the preparation for Thanksgiving in late November right into the excitement and bustling days of the Christmas season. I have to admit, I'm truly looking forward to the peace and quiet that a new year brings--how about you? 

Our Christmas was nice, but not quite the "whole family together" time that I had pictured. My middle son came down with some sort of stomach flu and neither he nor his girlfriend were here on Christmas morning. The hardest part of his illness for him? Having to miss out on our traditional once-a-year homemade cinnamon rolls (you can find the recipe right here)! Oh, we saved a couple for him, but it wasn't quite the same as sitting down for  Christmas brunch with the whole family. We also saved his presents and the ones he had given all of us and opened them two days later when he felt well enough to come over again. Unbelievably, not a single one of the rest of us got sick!

Another odd thing about Christmas this year was the weather... it was such a warm and rainy week! We did get a bit of sunshine on Christmas Day itself, but that was it. And the temperature... it was 60° here in western Pennsylvania--the eighth warmest Christmas on record! I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually missing snow right now.

As the end of this year draws near, I have a number of folks I'd like to thank--there are just so many kind and caring fellow stitchers out there! I enjoyed opening each gift and card so much and  want to share what I received for Christmas this year...

From June in England: a beautifully stitched card, a sweet Tralala chart, some finishing accessories and a Christmas towel. Thank you, my friend!

 

From Manuela in Germany: the cutest little snowman card, a pretty-in-pink hexie mug rug, and two floss tags. Thank you, my friend!

From Cindy C. (cindycstitches on Instagram): a beautifully stitched ornament featuring Santa and his deer. Thank you, my friend!

From Stasi in Virginia: an adorable (and very appropriately named!) ornament. This is a design by Mani di Donna. Thank you, my friend!

From Vickie in Wisconsin: a charming little star ornament. Thank you, my friend!

From Claire in Canada (blackberryhill1 on Instagram): The most darling woolen strawberry adorned with a sweet angel and a Santa Claus floss holder. Thank you, my friend!

From Robin in Virginia: a beautifully stitched Silver Bells ornament. Thank you, my friend!

From Cindy in Tennessee (cindyderosa on Instagram): a lovely blue bird ornament. Thank you, my friend!

From Martina and Gabi in Germany: sweetly stitched cards which I plan on making into ornaments. Thank you, my friends!

From Nathalie in France: some pretty pastel ribbons, lip balm, and incense. Thank you, my friend!

What a lucky stitcher I am, wouldn't you agree? And thank you, too, for the lovely Christmas cards I received from many of you... Sandy P., Marilyn, Tricia, Barb R., Karen Y., Lee, and Kim H. I do love receiving a real Christmas card in my mailbox even though that tradition seems to be fading away these days. Just call me old-fashioned! 

As Christmas draws closer, I move my newest dozen ornaments from the garland going up my stairs to our tree and replace them with stitched ornaments I've received from so many of you throughout the years. These will stay up until the new year. 

My garland now bears many, many ornaments sent from stitching friends over the years.

Both sides are covered with so many wonderful gifts!

Here are the six lovely new ornaments I received this year.

The saga of Mister B and the elf... Do you all remember the photo of the little mechanized elf I showed you in my last post? For those of you who missed it, here is the impish fellow once again...

The little elf was met with a lot of suspicion by Mister B!

I was sure that my 3-year-old grandson would love him. Wrong! He was quite wary of him and  simply stared at him with wide-eyes for quite a while. At first he refused to go near him, telling me, "he looks dangerous!" He slowly got up his nerve to draw closer and proudly told me, "I touched his hat!" And, after being told many times that the elf's saw wasn't going to hurt him (that it was actually made of wood), he finally got up his nerve to touch it. Watching the whole scenario develop over a few days time was so cute. He was very proud when he and the elf finally became "friends!"

Mister B's not quite sure if that elf is to be trusted or not!

It was such fun watching Mister B discover each one of my Christmas decorations--the Nativity Set, the little tree on my kitchen table, the Christmas lights shining around the house and in our neighborhood...

Helping to rearrange Nonna's little Christmas village

As always food (well... sweets to be exact!) was a big part of our holiday. I ended up making my grandmother's homemade caramels, slowly stirring them for nearly 2 1/2 hours. Oh, they were delicious--so smooth and buttery! My husband nicely wrapped each one in wax paper--the part of making these goodies that I really don't enjoy.

Gram B's yummy homemade caramels--a Christmas tradition

I've been asked for this recipe many times, so I thought some of you might like to try making them for yourself. Just make sure to have a good candy thermometer and lots of patience!

A very special family recipe

 

Of course, Christmas cookies were also on hand and below are some of our favorites. 

I sure went through a lot of butter in my baking this year!

We spent an afternoon decorating gingerbread  cookies a few days after Christmas. What fun to watch my grandson with some of his "creative" decorating style (read that: dumping a lot of sprinkles on to each and every cookie!). And, of course, those were his favorite ones to eat, too!

The more sprinkles, the better!

I could go on and on posting photos of our Christmas, but I'll  leave you with this last one.

Christmas morning with Mister B!

So, that's a wrap on 2023... it was a quiet year for us. I have to say I'm relieved after the ups and downs of the previous few years. We do hope to travel more in the coming year... We realize we aren't getting any younger and know that, one of these days, traveling will be out of the question. Do you have any plans for your coming year? Whatever they may be, I hope your new year is filled with much love and laughter, good health, and happy days. Try to enjoy the simple things in life... often they bring the most joy, don't you agree? Thank you, one and all for taking the time to read my little blog, leave a friendly word or two, and inspire me with all of your stitching. I'll see you next year! Bye for now...

Wishing you all the best life has to offer in the New Year!