Monday, December 12, 2011

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.


51 comments:

Nancy said...

Your Noah looks wonderful! What a beautiful tree you have. Is Mia all ready for Christmas?

Cari said...

Oh I love Noah...he's a handsome guy and saving all those animals.... good for him!! Love seeing your family adventure to get the tree. I can almost smell the pine sap!! Warm hugs to Mia and I'm glad she's OK. Bet she did drink some of that water...silly kitty!! Hugs

Cathy B said...

Noah is looking good!

I like your tree story better than mine! I bet the house smells wonderful!

Annie said...

I'm sure Noah appreciates your perseverance! He's looking very good.

Great post for promoting the holiday mood!

Robert said...

Great start on Noah Margaret. I started Noah when the chart came out several years ago. As I recall I only had to complete the upper part of Noah (I started at the bottom). I just might need to get this one back out as soon as I finish my Side by Side Sampler.

Leneslines said...

Your tree is BIG!!! I won't have room for a tree this year, I will be trying something else, I think. Do miss the smell of pine, though... Mia is... Mia, I guess. Glad she is feeling better. Silly kitty. Noah looks very handsome. Your work is so good!

Myriam said...

Poor Mia! The best for her!

BrendaS said...

Noah is looking great! Fun Fun that you cut down your own tree. It looks so nice and full and beautifully decorated.

Love the way Mia hangs around with your son:)) too cute

Dawn said...

Noah is looking fabulous - what a wonderful (and os to tempting) project! Very pretty tree - and a great family outing.
Does Mia have a stocking?

Isabelle said...

Hi Margaret, your Noah is looking great !! what a beautiful Christmas tree....and you can cut by yourself in the Nature ?? here, in France, it has been forbidden for many years .
your little Mia seems to be also already for Christmas holiday !
Have a lovely day,
Isa

Karen said...

Looks good Margaret... love this stocking! Love the idea of saving part of the tree trunk.. very unique and cool!

happy stitching...

robindefender said...

Poor kitty, I hope she continues to feel better. Your tree looks great, by they way.

Siobhán said...

Your Noah looks great! Nice progress! Loved seeing your getting the tree process. My kids are all positive that they'll get real trees when they're older. I do miss that live tree smell!

Michelle said...

Noah looks fantastic! I loved seeing all the pics from the tree farm too. How fun! So glad that Mia is doing better. Poor baby.

Penny said...

Noah is looking great! Looks like a beautiful area for finding a tree. Collecting the tree stumps sounds like a lovely tradition. :) Hoping Mia is feeling better - I guess cats will be cats. :)

Laurie in Iowa said...

You've made a lot of progress on Noah... he does look a bit like Santa.
Loved seeing the pics of the Christmas tree farm.
Glad little Mia is feeling better.

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

oh I love your Noah ! ...

Have à good day

barbara said...

I love this Noah. If I met him, I'd slip him my phone number. ;)

But how on earth have you progressed so far, so quickly!??

Liz said...

I seem to have missed your posts since the Thanksgiving one Margaret, I wonder where I've been..?
Love your Noah stitching and yes he does look like a young Santa..! Your tree is lovely, I think next year we might go back to real again but we haven't got the height in our living room to have a tall one. We don't really have the same sort of tree farms here either, well not where we are anyway. Hope Mia is feeling better...
Lizzie
xxx

valerie said...

Great start on Noah! It's cool to see photos of the tree farm. I've never done that before. I just go to Home depot and hope a tree doesn't flatten me while I try to hold it up to inspect. Almost happened last week! Have a real tree is great! So happy I did that this year. :)

Jackie's Stitches said...

No tree farms here in Florida! I love your tree and it is HUGE. You must have really tall ceilings. I've noticed your beautiful windows in your home before and this post has a picture of one that captured my eye.

Noah is looking great - I don't think I've seen this one before.

Glad to hear that Mia is feeling much recovered!

Bertie said...

Oh yes he looks like Santa (well a bit) gorgeous stitching Margaret! It's a men thing Christmas trees, looks so heavy!
And has Mia been at the top yet!!
Happy Christmas for you and your family Margaret:))

merumo said...

He is looking like Noah! I usually like USPS over UPS as they deliver almost anything a lot faster from anywhere to me. But maybe yours got affected by the holiday season deliveries? Your tree is gorgeous. Naughty Mia!

Kerri said...

Omg - those birds crack me up! Can't wait till you get to the gator. That looks like a really fun piece.

Your tree is really pretty and I am glad Mia is feeling better.

Chris said...

Noah is looking great.
It looks like you woke Mia up and she kind of looks grumpy :) LOL

marly said...

I think Noah has a great face and I love his birds. Glad Mia is better!

Sylvia said...

Noah is looking great! And your tree is fabulous. Glad Mia made a full recovery.

Annemarie said...

Oooooh, you're stitching Noah's Stocking as well! I've been itching to pick it up myself. Now that the dreaded coat is done, the rest doesn't seem so daunting, does it?

That is one TALL tree! Beautiful! Loved the pictures of your guys manhandling that tree.

Mouse said...

oooo well done on Noah you were good weren't you ..lol ... love the tree getting photos and hope mia is feeling a wee bit better ... has her list been set to Santapaws yet ???
love mouse xxxx

Giovanna said...

Great going on the stocking, it's a really charming design.

And This Little Pig said...

Natural trees are just beautiful. Love Noah, hope Mia continues to feel better.
LiBBiE in Oz

Dona said...

Margaret, Noah does look like a young Santa! I love those stockings!

Beautiful tree and it sounds like a very fun outing for the family.

I'm so glad Mia is better. I never would have thought the dangers of tree water!

The Scarlett House said...

I'm going to stitch Noah one of these days. I love it, too. Your adventure to get the perfect tree makes me wish I was there to trudge through the woods with you.

Mindi said...

Poor Mia! Hopefully she stays out of the tree water in the future.

I love seeing the pictures of the tree trek. I love the smell of having a fresh tree in the house during Christmas, and even remember going and cutting our own when I lived in Washington as a child.

Noah is looking fantastic! You really did get a lot done on him, and that curly beard is so cute.

Cathy Lloyd said...

Hi Margaret! Your handsome Noah is to die for! Love it! I'm sure you all enjoyed your day finding just the perfect tree! Glad Mia is up and going again!

Ranae said...

Noah is fantastic, love the birds
We get a fresh tree, but haven't cut our own for a few years now.
Love the pine scent, I don't think I will ever get a fake tree

Natalia said...

Looks like a fun day for you all, Margaret. Nothing like a fresh cut Christmas tree. Noah is adorable and I am so glad that Mia is doing better.

Carol said...

I'm really amazed at how much stitching you got done on Noah, especially at this time of year, Margaret!! He is one handsome guy :)

I'm sure your tree is even prettier in person--how nice to be able to get a real tree. We haven't had one in years as my middle son is allergic to them :(

Have fun stitching the new model!

Sally said...

Wow Noah looks amazing Margaret!

Your tree is gorgeous. Lovely photos of getting the tree:) I hope Mia is well on the mend now.

Sherry said...

He really does look like a young Santa! This will be beautiful like everything else you do!

Melanie said...

Heeee! Young Santa! OMG, now I will never see him as anything else.

Glad to hear Mia is feeling better now. I just bet she ate some pine needles or something. They can't help it. lol

Catherine said...

Noah is looking great! Love the tree farm pics! Glad Mia is okay!

Zlata said...

Your Noah stocking looks great!!! Hope you finishing it all, becouse they're wonderful!
And the Tree... oh, it's so big and beautiful!!! Near to it will be a great holiday mood!

Anne said...

Noah is looking great! I love the bees :D Bees are one of my favourite insects next to dragonflies!! Hope your boys didn't hurt themselves hauling that massive tree!! Sweet lil' Mia in a basket!!

Donna said...

I just love that stocking. I hope Mia will stay away from the tree water :(
Your tree is wonderful. I will post a picture of ours soon. Its fake and the tree stand broke so we improvised

Jean said...

Your Noah is lovely and really coming along.. Mia likes to sleep where Emily likes to sleep.. Your tree is beautiful..

Berit said...

Okay, I adore Noah, and the Journey of a Tree from Farm to Hearth is wonderful! I think it is great that you have a tradition of stump-memento creation.

Karoline said...

Noah is looking lovely, great progress

Sherry :o) said...

those trees are huge - what a fun time. We haven't had a fresh tree for many years - I break out terribly with hives decorating and then for days afterward it is so itchy...so fake tree and pine candles.
Stitching is great, as it always is from you!!
Love the deocrated tree - merry, merry to Mia and her family!

Diane (di) said...

Margaret, Noah looks wonderful. Beautiful, beautiful stitching on him. And could there be any better smell than a live tree? Yours is big and gorgeous!! :) So glad Mia is better.

Jenny said...

What a pretty tree and what a beautiful tree farm - love the snack table. Mia is too cute! Say hi to her from me, please.