Year in review 2011, another stocking, and a gift

It seems weird to think 2011 is almost over and that the next time I will post to this blog will be in 2012.  Of course that means I have to show what I've stitched this year.  If you squint hard, you'll probably be able to see all the pieces in this pic.  My sidebar has a list of them if you want to know names.  (I've not shown all of SDW, but just two different parts of it.)

It's been a fun year of stitching!  Now I just need more funds for framing.  lol!

After finishing my Noah stocking, I realized I have 3 stockings all ready and waiting to be finished.  But wait, there are 4 members in my family!  So of course I had to start a last CHS stocking.  The only one I had kitted up was the Quaker Stocking, so that's the one I started.

I'm using 40ct Meadow Rue (one of the last pieces I had from the old days when the color was nice) along with the called for NPI.  I did throw in a bit of green though.  Couldn't resist.

 It's obviously not done yet.  I love Quakers, but I've gotten rather sick of stitching them.  So this one is a bit of a struggle to get through.  I did want to stitch a Quaker stocking though.  The father type and I used to attend Quaker meeting once upon a time.  And the girl child attended a Quaker summer camp as well.  Somehow Quakers have been a part of our lives, and having a stocking to commemorate that is rather nice.

I got another wonderful surprise in the mail the other day from Faye of Carolina Stitcher.  I was so surprised and touched!

It's a wallet Faye made herself.  Look at the gorgeous fabric!  And I love the button and the pretty zip pull charm!  Thank you so much, Faye!  I will use and treasure this!

Our little Mia does love to get into things.  She fell in love with some packing material from a box and just had to play hide and seek in it.  Can you see her?

I think she felt nice and safe inside all that stuff.  lol!  She's been a bit on the grumpy side since the girl child got home.  I do wish she would accept the girl child and not be a little meanie.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a good one.  I know we did!

 I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012.  Enjoy the last days of 2011!

A final TUSAL, and some music

I'm doing a rare Saturday post to finish up the TUSAL for the year.  Here's a link to the 2012 TUSAL if you're interested.  Fun to do, and no stress either!

I thought I'd show my TUSAL in front of the Christmas tree.  :D

The boy child's school Christmas concert was on Wednesday.  When we got home, I tossed my coat on the ground so I could rush to use the facilities, so to speak.  Well, Mia seemed to fall in love with my coat as soon as it touched the ground.  Can you see where she is?

Here's another view.  She burrowed into the sleeve!

Silly baby!

I'm going to leave you with some music from the boy child's jazz ensemble group.  It's not Christmas music, but hopefully you won't mind.  I hope you enjoy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, happy Hanukkah, or whatever you may celebrate.

I love Noah and Nicholas Mosse -- and mail!

The model stitching is done for now.  And so is Noah.

Noah's Stocking by CHS

40ct. Lentil

NPI

I know, I know, he's not finished into a stocking yet.  I have to think on that.  lol!

(Don't you like the sunrise on Noah?)

Love that ark!

And how cool is that alligator?  (Or crocodile.)

I also have been showered with prizes and gifts lately.  Christ of Tot Hill Farm Stitches gave me this lovely chart of Jane A. Jackson.  Thank you, Chris!  I love it!  (I took the chart out of the plastic to avoid the glare.)

RuthB of The Musing Badger sent me this wonderful prize of a cache of fibers. 

There are a slew of Gentle Arts fibers, a slew of Belle Soie silks, a couple of Waterlilies silks, a few Carrie's Creations, and a Needle Necessities.  All so pretty too!  Thank you, RuthB!

And BeckySC of Beckybee's Stitching Hive sent me this lovely gift out of the blue.  I was so surprised and touched.

It's a beautiful wooden box with Becky's lovely stitching on top.  Thank you so much, Becky!  You are so sweet!  I will treasure this forever!

A blogging friend asked me the other day to show off my Nicholas Mosse pottery collection.  Her sharp eyes spotted a few pieces on the table for our Thanksgiving feast, and she asked to see more. 

Well, I've been collecting Nicholas Mosse Pottery for years and years.  In fact, the pictures of my collection I'm going to show you are from quite a few years back.  I took them back when the boy child was in middle school and had braces.  (Yes, that's the boy child.  lol!)

Isn't he cute?  Oh yeah, and that's my pottery collection.  A bit much, huh?  I'm very good at collecting through the years.  lol!

I've added one or two more pieces since those pictures were taken.  But we'll ignore that fact.  lol!  I'm a devoted fan of Nicholas Mosse, in case you couldn't tell.  We always use my dishes for the holidays of the year.  The kids look forward to choosing which plate they will use.

Sorry for the long post.  I just had a backlog of things I've been meaning to post about so I thought I'd do it in one fell swoop.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  And many wishes to everyone for a Happy Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you might celebrate.  Enjoy all the festivities and celebrations!

Hi, Noah, and the Christmas tree continued

So the model supplies didn't arrive until Thursday.  (Sometimes I wonder about the USPS.)  But I didn't start 3 new projects.  Not even one new project.  lol!  Just stuck with Noah.  Here he is so far.

Don't you love his face and beard?  I keep thinking he's a young Santa.  lol!

I did get going on the models though.  And now I'm waiting for one more piece of fabric to arrive so I can stitch the last model.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy seeing where we get our Christmas tree, and our trek to get it home.

This is Abel's Tree Farm up north of us.  Such a nice, friendly, family-owned and operated place.  (No affiliation with the place, just a happy customer.)

This is the boys with the tree.

Cutting the tree down and lugging it to be baled.

They have very large balers, thank goodness!  And golf carts to lug your tree for you if you prefer.

They also have a big barn where you can grab some food or baked treats if you're hungry.  Which we were.  (The boy child wasn't happy about posing for this picture.  lol!)

Here are the boys at home cutting the very bottom off the tree in preparation for putting it in the tree stand.  (This is so the tree has a fresh base through which to absorb water.)  We have quite a collection of these tree stumps.  The girl child used to decorate each stump and put the date on it -- now the boy child does it.  They all sit on the mantel piece.

And you already saw the end result.

Little Mia got sick toward the end of the week.  We still aren't sure why, although I suspect perhaps she drank some of the tree water (which has tree preservative in it).  She seems to be feeling herself again and is hopefully all better.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week.

So I was wrong -- or the hazards of model stitching

So Paulette was kind to me and told me to send her model back even though there was a tiny bit more to stitch.  (Hopefully, Paulette thinks it's just a tiny bit too.)   And my supplies for stitching the next model hadn't arrived yet.  So I had a couple of days to play.  So I started something new.  A hazard of model stitching -- you figure you only have a bit of time till the next model comes, so you decide to stitch something new on the spur of the moment.

It's the Margaret Cottam mystery sampler by La D Da.  I think it's so pretty!  And very La D Da as well!  I haven't put in the last number on the year yet since I don't know when I'll finish it.  (I'm using the called for fabric in 40ct with the called for fibers.)

So then Saturday came and we went off to get our Christmas tree, tramping through the fields of our favorite tree farm up north, and marveling at all the enormously tall trees they had this year.  Just to show you how tall the tree is that we chose:

Tall!!  (The father type is 6 ft tall.)

So we did our usual cutting, driving home, decorating, etc.  And I figured that the model supplies would be waiting for me in the mailbox.  No supplies in the mailbox.  So what does my little mind say to myself?  Ooooh, more playtime!  And what kind of mood am I in now?  A Christmas one of course!  Time for another new start!

(I have to say that this is the first time in at least a couple of years that I've actually been in the mood for Christmas when we've put up our tree.  Yay!  It's really nice!)

So anyway, some friends were talking about those Carriage House Samplings stockings that we all want to stitch up.  And that got me to thinking.  Well, I have this one stitched up.

A Virtuous Woman Stocking

from a Hands to Work retreat kit

36ct fabric with NPI fibers

And I have this one stitched up.   (Please note: neither one is actually made into a stocking yet.  Sadly.)

Sampler Stocking by CHS

40ct Meadow Rue

NPI fibers

And I so want to stitch this one.

(I grabbed the picture from Kathy Barrick's old website.  I hope it's ok.)  

So guess what I started on Sunday?

Noah's Stocking by CHS

40ct Lentil

NPI fibers

I've had this kitted up and ready to go for years!

I'm already thinking about which other one to stitch.  lol!  I know I have the Quaker one ready to go (except maybe for fabric).  But I do love that Pennsylvania German one.  And I don't think I even have the chart.  Sigh.

Anyway, now you understand the hazards of model stitching.  Since there was another reprieve from the next model, it called for a second start.  lol!  Not good!  Poor Sarah Elizabeth Brooke.  (Remember her?)  Two starts while waiting for the model supplies.  I do know that if the supplies don't arrive today (which I think they will), I won't start another project.  I'm in the mood for Christmas stitching!

Mia has been just fine with the Christmas tree.  Unlike poor Chris, whose tribulations with her Christmas tree and her two cats can be read here.  Mia's reaction to the tree as it arrived was pretty much the same as last year, except for a bit more trepidation this time around.  She just didn't like something new to come into her house.  lol!  But she did sniff around and explore.  No real interest in the tree otherwise.

Hopefully, she'll continue to exhibit no interest in the tree.  :D

Some blogging friends have left suggestions as to what to show or what to discuss in my blog as I dive into model stitching again.  So next week, I will try to get to those suggestions.  It's so nice to talk to blogging friends and get ideas and be inspired!

I'll leave you with the picture I used for our annual Apple photo book that we send to our family members each year.  (And yes, we get a copy for ourselves as well!)   (And yes, I'm an Apple girl, through and through.)  Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!