It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

As the weeks quickly tick away here, I am feeling as though Christmas will be here before I can blink my eyes. 

As with most stitchers at this time of the year, a lot of what we create is secretive until after Christmas.  There has been a bit of sewing that can be shown.

Using a snowflake embroidery design, I created a small candle mat.  Hopefully, it will be able to be used past the Christmas season.

Like so many others, I have been trying to keep up with Bonnie Hunter's En Provence Mystery.  I managed to finish Step 3 and finally finished Step 1 too.

Although I probably won't have a lot of time to work on these blocks, I did start on Scrap Dance Waltz - hosted by Carole at From My Carolina Home.  I loved this pattern.

We had a few little helpers to help get the Christmas tree up yesterday.  Of course the ornaments ended up rather clustered and low!  ;-)  It is always fun to have the little ones here for the Christmas traditions. 

Before the train goes under the tree, the children like to set it up and play with it - building bridges with the blocks and running it faster than it can go on the smaller track under the tree.

While we are enjoying the last of the roses before they get pruned back, the poinsettia now has bright red flowers all over it. 

 You can see how big these flowers are when you see my hand in the next photo.

I was recently a winner on Soma's blog and received these gorgeous batik fabrics along with a few of her beautiful patterns.  The photo does not do the colors any justice.  As I told Soma, I have been wanting to make a blue quilt for awhile now and these should be perfect.   

Just to add to the Christmas eating, they have recently opened a Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop fairly close to us.  Oh.my.goodness!  I loved seeing the doughnuts make their way down the processing line only to get placed in your box at the end - still warm.  They absolutely melt in your mouth.....so, how bad can they really be for you? 

Two more weeks from today is Christmas.  Relax and enjoy the beautiful season. 

Christmas 2010

Although Christmas day is over and the house has returned to a little more normalcy, I really love these days.  There is a certain amount of quiet calm to reflect on the wonderful times that we spent with family and friends and to think about the true meaning of Christmas.  I will leave my decorations up until Epiphany on January 6th so there is a lot of time for quiet reflection and I never tire of these days.

Our Christmas was absolutely fabulous.  I love the fact that we still have so many  little believers around.  Christmas is always so special with children. 

We celebrate with a large gathering at our home on Christmas Eve.   Rather than trying to organize a dinner with excited children, we have resorted to lots of hearty appetizers.  Everyone brings a couple and the food is left for snacking on throughout the evening.  It works out well and not one seems to leave hungry.

It seems like the kitchen is always a great gathering place.



SIL, niece and my two sisters.



My mom and one of my DILs.

Opening presents always starts off VERY ORGANIZED!!!  One person opens a gift, starting with the youngest,  and then moves on to the next.  After about six or seven gifts are opened it invariably turns into happy chaos.  As they say, “best laid plans”.  We follow gifts with dessert and the singing of “Happy Birthday” to our Christmas grandson.  There is nothing like celebrating your birthday with ALL of your cousins.  The party breaks up shortly afterwards as there is still assembly of Santa gifts at other homes.  Those late nights of doing that are NOT missed!!! 




Patiently waiting for gift opening.

Everyone finding their seats for the best vantage point.

Happy chaos.

I made the gift cards a little more difficult to get to this year.

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!

Christmas Day started off with Church and then several of the kids came back for a Christmas morning brunch at the house.  The little ones got to play for a few hours before our son and his family headed on home after the fun days spent with us.



A Christmas/birthday hug.

We did not want to let this dolly get away from us.

Our first rollover - on Christmas Day, no less.

There wasn’t a lot of sewing that went on over Christmas as the studio is used as a nursery.  I am always excited to get back into sewing again and there are endless new inspirations as the new year starts.  I need to catch up on my blocks for my Thread Head Quilt Along before I get too far behind.  I will share those in my next post.  I did finish up a candle mat that I made for the gal who helps my mom.



I loved the fabrics on this one.

Several delightful packages have arrived in the mail.  The first was a beautiful centerpiece made my my friend, Midlife Mom.  It fits perfectly on my bare table under my pear tree arrangement.  How did she know that I needed something there????



Perfect!

As well, Micki sent me a delightful quilting magazine from Ireland.   This was the second one that she sent as the first one was lost somewhere in the mail system.  Thank you, Micki, I have really enjoyed some quiet time looking through it.



Thanks, Micki

Lana sent me a wonderful selection of fabrics and a pattern that I won from her Christmas giveaway.  Thank you, Lana, I know that I will enjoy using them.



Thanks, Lana

Speaking of giveaways, be sure to check out Linda's wonderful Giveaway to celebrate her 300 followers and the bringing in of 2011.  Linda is a delightful and prolific blogger and I am sure you will find lots of inspiration on her blog.

It’s hard to imagine that 2010 is coming to a close.  It seems like only yesterday we were concerned about a new millennium and here we are already almost eleven years into it.  Time really does fly.  Our new years will be a quiet dinner with my mom, sister, BIL and our daughter and her children.  Her husband has to work on New Year's Eve.