A Christmas Carol - My Favorite Book!!

"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the whole city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed; and that was quite enough for him... and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!"

~ Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol" 


 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has been my go-to Christmas book every year since I was a teen.  I love the message and it's such a wonderful story.  Of course, I also love the movies - especially the one from 1951 with Alistair Sim, but I also love all the other versions that have been made, including the 1939 version with Reginald Owen and Gene Lockhart, and the musical version known as "Scrooge" with Albert Finney from 1970.  OK, now that I've typed that the verse "Thank you very much, thank you very much, that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me" is going through my head.

I have several copies of the book in various forms, and I even bought a gorgeous handpainted needlepoint canvas that I really plan to work on one day.  I have all the yarns needed and just need to pull it all out and work on it.  Maybe that would be a good project for 2015.  Here's a photo:

The laptop is running out of power and needs to be plugged in, so I think I'll make some cocoa and grab my book and get back to this great story!!

 

Wordless Wednesday - A Cat and a Book

A Christmas Quote and Craft for the Week

 

 

A CHRISTMAS QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:

 

This is from the introduction in one of my many copies of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".  It's my all-time favorite book and I read it every year.  

 

"The story begins one cold, bleak, biting Christmas Eve, when the fog is so thick and the dampness so complete that wheezing is the only way to breathe, when the clock in the frozen tower strikes the hours as if its teeth are chattering when the afternoon is as dark as the evening, and the evening so dark that even familiar courtyards require groping to find one's way."

 

(Patricia Barrett Perkins, Baltimore, Maryland, 1987)

 

 

A HOLIDAY CRAFT IDEA FOR THE WEEK:

 

A quick candle gift -- Take a plain white pillar candle and hot glue cinnamon sticks all around the bottom.  Tie with a red ribbon and add a sprig of holly.

Finished! Two New Designs Featuring Salem, Massachusetts

Hello Friends!  It's been a busy month getting two new charts ready.  My friend Linda was model stitcher for the two samplers on the "Bits of History" chart, and she also suggested the phrase for the primitive style Salem sampler and bookmark.  Both charts are now finished and available for sale.  You can find out more information on my Of Generations Past blog... or at my Of Generations Past webshop.

Here's the "Bits of History" chart...

And here's the primitive style sampler...

I hope you enjoy them!!

Joanne

A Little Beach Relaxation

Well, for me relaxation at the beach isn't swimming... it's walking along with my camera, taking pictures of the sea and the seabirds.  I'm not a great photographer (and a better camera is on my Christmas wish list), but I love talking to the laughing gulls and having them pose for me,

sitting on the sand and watching the brown pelicans fly above the water, dive for their dinner, and then body surf on the waves. 

People look at me with strange looks on their faces (I guess since I have a habit of talking to the gulls), but for me, it's relaxation at its best.

I have a few big deadlines coming up so this little overnight trip to the sea was all about relaxing and letting creative ideas flow.  Fortunately I have a great husband who understands me and doesn't mind my solo adventures :)

I'm working on a book (non-fiction) with a friend which is currently coming in at around 284 pages.  I'm doing the layout, formatting, copy editing and proof reading.  I've hired my daughter (who does this type of work) to help out since I've set a deadline for the first of September, giving the printer plenty of time to have things finished in time for October sales.  It's going to be a busy several weeks!!

I've also been working on several new cross stitch designs and sent two of them over to my friend Linda this evening - she'll be doing the model stitching on these two as I work on a few more. 

I'll be updating my Of Generations Past blog in a day or so with more information on the new designs.  Be sure to check in there!

Joanne 

An Update from Me

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written.  I seem to be saying that a lot lately - mostly to all my very patient old friends and relatives who are waiting for some newsy snail-mail letters.  I'll have to make a trip to my favorite Starbucks in the next few days to catch up on my correspondence.  Here at home I seem to get too distracted.

Life has been busy the last few months as I've gotten back to some designing AND publishing work.  I've spent most of my time since the 1st of May working on a new project which is finally complete and currently at the printer!  I'm excited about it and have been since I first started thinking about it.  I've designed 14 sea-themed pieces which have been charted, stitched, framed and/or finished in another way, photographed, laid out in book format along with some other writings, proofread, and delivered to the printer on Monday.  The booklet is 28-pages and I can't wait to have the finished copies.  I'll be donating $5.00 from the sale of each book to the Audubon Society, to assist with their work in the Gulf of Mexico region.  I'll share more once I have the copies back from the printer... and keep watch for a giveaway at that time!!

You can read a bit more about the project on my Of Generations Past blog.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at the front cover...

Thanks for visiting with me once again!

Joanne

Welcome August

"Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me...

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand and silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ... "

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
From 'The Secret of the Sea'

When I think of August I always connect it with the sea. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I love the ocean. I grew up on Long Island. A short drive north and you were at Long Island Sound... a short drive south and you were at the Atlantic Ocean. As a child we'd join a group from our church for picnics at Jones Beach one night a week. We often had cousins visit from upstate, and a beach day was always included. As a preteen we often spent long weekends camping at a park by the Sound. A short walk from the campsite through the piney area and you were at the beach.

School was still in session in June so I never even considered it summer until the end of that month. July had the 4th of July family barbeque and a few weeks of traveling around the country. August is when we were back home. It was a whole month to just enjoy the summer, the beach, and my birthday (which unfortunately always brought back-to-school clothes, reminding me of what was ahead two days after Labor Day!).



This morning I turned the page on the wall calendar, and then changed the desktop background on my computer to show an ocean scene with a gull in flight. I pulled out Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" to read once again, as well as May Sarton's "The House by the Sea" ... perfect books for August reading.

I'm reminded of something I wrote to friends several years ago on this very subject. It's not about August, but is my own little tribute to the sea ~

I love water! I love looking at it, wiggling my toes in it, chasing waves along the ocean, or driving on winding roads, following the path of a river. I love the salty smell of the sea air, the feel of the sand as it slips between your toes, and the smoothness of the shells washed in with the tide. I've often thought it was because I grew up on Long Island, New York, where many roads lead to water. We had summer evening picnics at Jones Beach; would drive to the docks where fishing boats returned with their catch of the day; took long Sunday drives to the lighthouse at Montauk Point; and we even drove along the coastal roads in driver's education in high school.

I know loving water isn't unusual, and many people spend their summers by the sea. But the water I love the most is the rough ocean after a storm ~ and especially in winter ~ when there are few people on the beach and you can enjoy the peacefulness and the solitary moments ~ listening to the crashing surf, the cry of the sea gulls as they glide past you looking for food, the whistling of the wind intermingling with the crescendo of the waves as they roll into shore, walking barefoot in the cold sand and occasionally wetting my feet in the waves... and experiencing the power of God's beautiful gift of the sea...


Joanne

More Decluttering... Gooseberry

My daughter and I are still in a decluttering mood. We have sooooo many of the Gooseberry Patch books and decided to just keep about 10 of them. We started listing some of them on ebay along with a few other books. If you're interested in any, you can see them here. They're all in excellent condition. We haven't gone through the Christmas books yet, but some of those will be listed soon, too. We're just trying to decide which ones we're actually willing to let go :)

A Bit of De-Stashing & Selling

I keep all my cross stitch charts in sheet protectors in binders, and the other day when I realized I was up to 8 of them (the big, fat 2-inch size) I decided to start counting them. OK. When I got up to 500 I decided to stop and realized that as much as I loved all these charts when I bought them, I was NEVER going to get them all stitched. Some were even ones I kept after stitching them. I don't mark up my charts, so they're as good as new.

As difficult as it was, I finally decided to be ruthless in the crafts room, and pulled out over 100 cross stitch charts I've either stitched (or know I won't get to in the near future), some cross stitch fabric I know I won't be using, some rubber stamps, some books and magazines (quilting, stitching, stamping, paper crafts, etc.), and some regular fabric that I've been storing up for quilts or other crafts projects.

It's going to take me awhile to get everything photographed and listed on ebay, but I thought I'd share the items I already have listed. I'll update here at my blog when new things are added :)

Here are the items I just listed this evening. You can find them on ebay here. Each listing includes a photo of the chart/book.


QUILTING BOOKS:
"Louisa May Alcott: Quilts of Her Life, Her Work, Her Heart", by Terry Clothier Thomspon
"Easy Does It - Patriotic (Art to Heart) by Nancy Halvorsen

CROSS STITCH BOOK:
"Something for Every Season" by Leisure Arts (56 designs)

CHARTS:
JBW Designs, Thoughts of Home Sampler
Erica Michaels, Random Thoughts of Spring
Homespun Elegance Purely Samplers, Autumn Motif Sampler
4 My Boys, Autumn Splendor
Bent Creek, Flag 1998
Waxing Moon Designs, Simply Americana #127
Stitches from the Heartland, Yuletide Ginger & Twigs
Fanci That, Folk Art Winter Angel
Elizabeth's Designs, Seasons In Time
With My Needle, Adorn Thy Heart by Ellen Chester

Most of these items are selling at about 50 percent (or more) less than what I paid for them. If you see anything you like, just stop over at my listings on ebay at this link

More updates will be coming :)

A Finished Gift and Some Shopping Finds

Almost two years ago I shared a piece I stitched for a wedding gift for some close friends. Would you believe I misplaced it? I finally found it about a week ago when I was going through some "almost finished" pieces and there it was, sitting in that pile along with the pretty blue fabric I bought to make it into a pillow. I sewed it yesterday, and today I stuffed it, sewed the bottom closed, and added the ribbon. It will be going out in the mail today along with a birthday gift for the bride. Of course, they celebrated their one-year anniversary last June, and are expecting their first baby the end of April, but I think she'll be happy to receive the pillow along with her other gift.

Naturally when I went to buy ribbon I had to walk through every aisle in the store, and I bought these buttons to use on future needlework or quilting projects. I just love looking at all the buttons in stores and it's fun to fill my button jar when I get home.




I saw this book and couldn't resist it. I'm really into knitting scarves these days and when I saw that this book featured designs inspired by the sea, I had to add it to my collection. I spent a long time last night looking at all the patterns and can't wait to begin one soon! Last evening I finished the scarf I was knitting for my mother-in-law, so now I have another present for Christmas completed!



Finally, I just loved this Lion Brand cotton yarn. I recently saw a cute pattern on their website (free) for crocheting dishtowels using the standard ripple pattern. I thought these colors are so pretty together (I must have "southwest" on my mind since I'm planning a trip up to Santa Fe soon ~ one of my favorite places!). I worked on this for about an hour last night and it's half finished. I think it's a little heavy to be used for a dishtowel, and I think it would make a pretty runner for a table. I have a friend who lives in Arizona who'll be having a birthday soon and I think I might include this in a basket, along with a book or two, a pretty candle, some of her favorite tea, and some homemade cookies. It would look pretty sitting on her dining room table.

Joanne

Christmas Books

"The story begins one cold, bleak, biting Christmas Eve, when the fog is so thick and the dampness so complete that wheezing is the only way to breathe, when the clock in the frozen tower strikes the hours as if its teeth are chattering when the afternoon is as dark as the evening, and the evening so dark that even familiar courtyards require groping to find one's way." ~ Patricia Barrett Perkins, Baltimore, Maryland, 1987, as an introduction to 'A Christmas Carol'


I love that introduction from one of my editions of "A Christmas Carol". I have several copies I've collected over the years since it's my all-time favorite book.

The first time I read it was in 7th grade as it was one of the books we were reading that year in school. I remember having such a difficult time and found it boring. *gasp* Of course, I guess that's the difference with reading it when you're only 12, compared to reading it as an older teen and adult, when you understand the message. Now it's part of my annual Christmas tradition. I read it every year, and I love watching all the movies of it. My favorite is the 1951 version with Alistair Sim as Scrooge, but I enjoy all the others, too. Another favorite is "Scrooge", the 1970 musical with Albert Finney, and I have to admit that "Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol" always held a special place in my heart :)



As I was sitting here catching up on emails the other day I glanced up at the bookcase and decided to pull down a few Christmas books to enjoy this week. This bookcase is filled with some of my Christmas books. There are some religious books, some fiction, and many, many Christmas crafts books I've collected over the years. I think my favorites are the 20 Spirit of Christmas books by Leisure Arts ~ one arriving each year for 20 years! There are more books that fill the bottom two shelves, which you can't see in this picture.








Here are the books I pulled off the shelf this week. Three of them are fun to look at with wonderful pictures, songs, a few recipes, quotes and crafts. The small ivory one on the left is a book of Christmas poems, and the red one in the center contains Charles Dickens' Christmas books.

Since I'm currently reading "A Christmas Carol" once again, I'll leave you with my favorite quote...





"Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed; and that was quite enough for him... and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!"

~ Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'

Sheep, Alpaca, Soy... a New Obsession

Years ago I loved to knit. It was one of the first crafts I learned, and I remember knitting a baby hat and booties for an older cousin's baby when I was just 9 years old. I sat there on the sofa with my maternal grandmother and she walked me through all the steps of understanding the pattern. My mother was also an excellent knitter, but for some reason it was more fun to learn the skill from my grandmother.

Over the years I made sweaters, an afghan, lots of mittens, a few scarves and hats, and several Christmas stockings. But, the knitting got put aside because I started to crochet... and then sew... and quilt, and do cross stitch... well, those of you who love to craft know how it goes.

The last few years I've really been doing more counted cross stitch than anything else, but for some reason I really became interested in knitting again. It could be from my friend Linda and reading about the scarves she was knitting. Or, maybe it's because I came across some of the old notes, booklets and knitting accessories that belonged to my grandmother (which I shared in a previous post).

In any case, I've really gone a little crazy the last month or two visiting a new favorite yarn store called Yarnivore (cute name, huh??). Since I've been away from the craft for a long time I'm sticking to scarves ~ in different patterns, but a lot of the same fibers.






I seem to be really hooked on the boucle type of alpaca and silk blends, like this pink and green one that are in progress.












This ivory scarf is the boucle. The pretty deep red yarn with the gold flecks is part alpaca and part silk and so soft and pretty. But, this yarn was jinxed (it must have been, or why would I have started a scarf and pulled it back out over 10 times!!!!). Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out now. It's a little wider than what you see here, since it's curling under a bit on the sides as I'm working :)






And finally, on my last visit to Yarnivore, I saw this yarn in the tans which reminded me of my mother-in-law. She loves to wear clothes in these shades, and I thought it would make something pretty for her. This yarn is partially made of 70% wool and 30% soy. Neat!

The red yarn is all alpaca and oh so soft!! The teal yarn and scarf are the boucle alpaca-silk blend again. (Yes, I'm hooked on the stuff!)








I'm not spending ALL my time knitting... I'm also reading a lot. Of course, right now I'm hooked on the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street books (about a knitting shop and friends who take the knitting classes), and also the Maggie Sefton knitting mysteries thanks to another friend, Lizzie.
So as you can see, I'm diversifying and doing some reading as well as knitting :)




Oh, and I also got this baby blanket for a friend just about finished. It's crocheted and just needs a pretty scalloped edging before it's sent on its way. I'm pretty sure I shared a picture of it before when it was still a work-in-progress.

Autumn Projects - Week 3

Here we are at Week 3 of our September craft/decorate-along. How did you do last week? I hope you got something accomplished towards the Halloween or Autumn season.

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"The lands are lit
With all the autumn blaze of Golden Rod;
And everywhere the Purple Asters nod
And bend and wave and flit."
~ Helen Hunt

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PORCH SIDE ENTERTAINING

~ Use bales of hay for seats for guests and toss fall-patterned tablecloths over them.
~ Sprinkle cinnamon inside a jack o' lantern for a delicious fragrance on the front porch.
~ For porch lighting in the evening, use apples and small pumpkins as votive holders.
~ Prepare your favorite chili recipe and serve it outside with an assortment of toppings!
~ Serve Hot Mulled Cider for a crowd ~ made in an automatic coffee maker right on the front porch. Here's a recipe:

HOT MULLED CIDER

1 gallon apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red hot cinnamon candies
4 three-inch cinnamon sticks, broken
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Prepare cider using a large automatic coffee maker. Substitute the cider for the water. Place the rest of the ingredients in the coffee basket and brew. Serve hot in tin or enamel mugs topped with orange slices. The fragrant aroma of this cider is sure to keep everyone gathered on the front porch.


(From one of my favorite books, 'My Front Porch... An Invitation to the Charm and Tradition', by Alda Ellis, with paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough. The copyright is 1999 by Harvest House Publishing. I highly recommend it!! If you can find it, it's worth owning.)

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"September: it was the most beautiful of words,
he’d always felt,
evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret."
- Alexander Theroux, 1981

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ANNIE'S OCTOBER HOLIDAYS LINK

I've always loved Annie's Christmas pages, as well as all the other great things she offers. Here's a link for her October Holiday pages. You'll find all sorts of information, puzzles, quotes and activities for TONS of holidays in the month of October. Enjoy!

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"There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as black as they might be.
The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakfast take?' "
~ Anonymous

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This is one of my favorite muffins that my daughter, Jacquelyn likes to bake. I hope you like them as much as we do!!

JACQUELYN'S MAPLE MUFFINS
(Yield: 12 muffins)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

~ In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl combine milk, butter, syrup, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients until moistened.

~ Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes. Test with toothpick to make sure muffins are done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing them from pans, and finish cooling on wire racks.

Christmas in July and a Weekend Quilt Show

We celebrated Christmas in July on my
Homespun Holidays list and had fun exchanging Christmas cards and gifts. My partner was Joni and she sent me these presents. I wish you could smell the simmering potpourri and those orange spice candle tarts! I tried to take a close up photo of the beautiful Jim Shore Santa ornament (he's holding Noah's Ark), but no matter what I did it kept coming out fuzzy. I'll have to give it another try later.






Today I spent a few hours at a quilt show in a nearby town. I love walking from aisle to aisle looking at all the beautiful quilts. This time I only took a few photos and shopped at just one booth...







I just loved this pumpkin quilt!












This is a close up of the stitching design done on a quilt using autumn shades. I loved the way the leaves cover the quilt as the "vines" wind their way around.









I can never resist blue and white quilts. I think they're perfect in both summer and winter since they can represent the sea, sky and snowflakes :)










My friend Linda and I were just "talking" about redwork and embroidery, so I had to take a picture of this antique quilt top that someone had found.













This one has the blue design done in cross stitch. I wasn't able to get the complete design in one photo (and there was no way to back up to get a better angle), so I took a second picture of the side...
















This is what the design looks like along the edges of the quilt.














This quilt is made up of redwork Santas. Unfortunately my camera was on the wrong setting for the first batch of pictures so it's a teensy bit dark :(












I was so happy when I saw this quilt featuring embroidery AND Walking in a Winter Wonderland (which is my favorite winter song!!). This quilt won a blue ribbon...














... and this one has the same design. I think it won Honorable Mention. The funniest thing is that just last night I was looking at this particular pattern when I was emailing Linda. It's from Crab-Apple Hill. I wondered what it would look like finished, and today I had the chance to find out :)





And finally, here's the quilt show brochure and my purchases from a favorite local shop called Country Gatherings. She carries many primitive items (which I love!!), as well as wools for rug hooking and other wool crafts. As I was paying she mentioned that if I didn't already do rug hooking, she holds classes. Hmmmm.... tempting, but right now I'm having trouble just keeping up with my stitching, crocheting, quilting, sewing, knitting, needlepoint, etc. Oh, and she sells the BEST homemade fudge :) :)

Gifts and Souvenirs

Here are some of the gifts and a few souvenirs I bought on our vacation. I needed some birthday gifts for a little girl who'll be turning 2 in just a few weeks, and I couldn't resist the stuffed animals and little tee shirt. Two of the books are for her, too, and the other two are for other children.









This book, Creatures of the Desert World, was one of our daughter's favorite books as a little girl. It's a pop-up book :)











This little board book is really sweet. It actually covers quite a bit of information, too.














The little embroidered baby coyote on this shirt is really cute.









And finally, here are the two stuffed animals. It's not often that you see a prairie dog who's bigger than a coyote, but such is the world of stuffed animals :)

Books of 2007

* 01. Patriot's Dream, Barbara Michaels (January)
* 02. The Princeton Impostor, Ann Waldron (February)
* 03. Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates, Mary Mapes Dodge (February)
* 04. Crewel World, Monica Ferris (February)
* 05. A Stitch In Time, Monica Ferris (March)
* 06. Framed in Lace, Monica Ferris (March)
* 07. Hanging By A Thread, Monica Ferris (March)
* 08. Sins And Needles, Monica Ferris (March)
* 09. Labyrinth, Kate Mosse (April)
* 10. Uncommon Grounds, Sandra Balzo (April)
* 11. The Ghost at the Table, Suzanne Berne (May)
* 12. The Quilter's Homecoming, Jennifer Chiaverini (May)
* 13. American Bloomsbury, Susan Cheever (May)
* 14. China Bayles' Book of Days, Susan Wittig Albert (Ongoing)
* 15. The sea lady : A Late Romance, Margaret Drabble (June)
* 16. Unraveled Sleeve, Monica Ferris (June)
* 17. Cottage For Sale-Must Be Moved: A Woman Moves a House to Make a Home, Kate Whouley (July)
* 18. The Giver, Lois Lowry (August)
* 19. Decaffeinated Corpse, Cleo Coyle (August)
* 20. A Murderous Yarn, Monica Ferris (August)
* 21. The Haunted Bookshop, Christopher Morley (September)
* 22. A New England Love Story - Nathaniel Hawthorne & Sophia Peabody, Louann Gaeddert (September)
* 23. Forever, Pete Hamill (September)
* 24. The Crucible, Arthur Miller (September)
* 25. What I Learned From God While Quilting (September, ongoing)
* 26. Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick (re-read, November)
* 27. The Call of the Wild, Jack London (November)
* 28. High Tide at Noon, Elizabeth Ogilvie (November)
* The Bible - Ongoing

Enjoy the Small Moments

This morning I was looking at a book I have sitting next to the computer, and one reading on enjoying the small moments jumped out at me.

I've been so busy the last few weeks trying to finish up some crafts, get some much-needed straightening and homekeeping done, getting gifts wrapped and mailed, working on Christmas cards and letters, doing the usual tasks like laundry and grocery shopping, and trying to finish up this semester at school and getting my students ready for their final on the 19th. I've had plenty of time for myself, too, to check my favorite blogs, keep up with email and my lists, enjoy some holiday movies and shows, and taking a day to visit my favorite quilt and needlework shops. But I haven't paid attention to the small moments. That's what the chapter in the book was all about, so I thought I'd share it with all of you :)



This is from the book 52 Simple Ways To Make Christmas Special by Jan Dargatz (1991).

ENJOY THE SMALL MOMENTS

Advent is a good time to make a decision to enjoy the "small moments". Pick them from the myriad of dazzling impressions and savor them, as apples plucked from a heavily laden apple tree.

"But, how can I decide that?" you may ask. Just do. Say to yourself, "I will find beauty and pleasure in many small things this season. I will savor each moment as special. I will gather memories as the ripe fruit of this season. I will choose to receive what God and others give."

Become Attuned in a New Way Capturing the little moments requires only that you choose to activate your senses and become attuned in a new way to what may have become ordinary.

~ Chose to smell Christmas. Crush a small twig of evergreen in your hand. Stop to stir up the potpourri at least once a day. Stick cloves in oranges and scatter them throughout the house. Simmer a blend of holiday spices in boiling water on your kitchen stove to fill your house with a holiday aroma.

~ Choose to see Christmas with new eyes. Stop to stare. Don't whiz by the elaborately decorated Christmas tree at the store's mall entrance. Pause for a moment to enjoy its beauty, to take in the design and color and texture. Take time to watch the icicles melt from the edge of your roof or to watch the ice webs form on your windowpanes.

~ Choose to hear Christmas in a new way. Listen for the sound of those Salvation Army bells. Kenneth always gives his two little girls, Carolyn and Cathy two quarters before they go shopping, "one for each pocket." And then they "Listen for the bells." The secret mission of each shopping trip is to find at least two bell ringers and to give each one a quarter. "Listening for the bells keeps their minds less focused on the abundance of toys in the store windows," says Ken. "And it gives them an opportunity to give at Christmas. All in all, the girls probably contribute only a total of ten dollars, but I think they have a sense that they are truly involved in the charity of the season. I hope that their giving will beocme a lifetime pattern."

~ Choose to enjoy the many textures of the season ~ the slippery wrapping paper, the embossed greeting card, the satiny ribbons, the velvet skirt, the taffeta dress, the fur-trimmed coat, the wooly mittens, the mohair sweater.

~ Choose to taste Christmas in small morsels. Choose just one bite of everything from the buffet table. Savor each bite fully. Try a new flavor of tea or coffee. Give yourself five minutes to nibble a cookie.

Make Christmas a sensory sampler. Gather its small moments and weave them together to create your own holiday tapestry of sights and sounds and smells and tastes and sensations.

Projects to Enjoy!

I love Debbie Mumm designs and have a few of her quilting books. I also love the desktop designs she has available for the different seasons. I was just looking at her website and found these wonderful "freebies". You'll find different autumn ideas for scrapbooking, quilts, decorating and other projects, and there's also a great archive for various projects for different seasons.

So, if you have some spare time at the computer, and you love to craft, you might want to spend some time at her site and have your printer ready :) Lots of great ideas for Christmas gifts!!

I think I'm going to spend a little time looking at the shopping section. I just noticed there were some really cute fabrics, as well as stationery items (something else I can't resist!).

Presents, Stitching and Flowers

When I opened the mailbox today I was greeted by a package from my good friend Heidi in The Netherlands :) She told me she was sending a belated birthday gift and I knew she had made something, so naturally I couldn't wait to see what was inside.

First, I love the way she wrapped the gifts, using fat quarters of beautiful autumn fabric and tied with raffia...



(That autumn paper with the leaves was sitting on the table since I had just been writing a letter to my friend Denise in New Jersey.)

I opened the small package first since it felt "squishy" (don't you love that technical term?? hehe). What I found inside is the cutest little pincushion you could imagine. Here's a picture from the front...



And here's a picture from the side...


The bottom of the pincushion has a "Handmade By Heidi" label which you'll see in a later photo.

The other package held a book which I can't wait to start reading! It's called, What I Learned From God While Quilting.

Here's a picture of the book, fabric, bottom of the pin cushion, and the pretty notecard. Don't they make the nicest gifts!!??!! I have several pretty notecards and postcards I've received from Heidi, and I think I'm going to put them in a collage frame and hang them in the guest room (which is also my crafts room). They're always too pretty to be hidden somewhere.



I recently finished stitching the Prairie Schooler design "Thanksgiving Comes Again". I really had fun with it (although the bottom portion seemed to take forever... I think I had too many interruptions). I've pulled out my fabric and this week (really!!) I'm going to make the banners I've been talking about for months now. I can't wait to see this finished piece, along with "Pumpkin Patch" and "Autumn Leaves" hanging in the living room.




And finally, here are some sweet little red flowers that popped up in several places in our yard. They do this each fall, and are always such a pleasant surprise. This photo was taken of the flowers that popped up in the front flower bed, amongst the hedges. (Just ignore the branches and "nut shells" that the birds and squirrels have been sending down from the Live Oak trees, lol.)