Thanksgiving Blessings

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing,

He chastens and hastens His will to make known.

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,

Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own."

~ Traditional Folk Hymn

"Over the river and through the wood,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,
Oh how the wind does blow;
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go."

~ Lydia Maria Child

Wordless Wednesday - The Horrors of Halloween, 1989 :)

Christmas Thoughts - Holiday Pine Sachets

I've wanted to make these sachets for a few years, and maybe... just maybe... I'll get to them this fall. I have lots of holiday fabric that I think will be nice for this project, and I actually have a bag of pine needles which still smell wonderful (just not that soft, fresh feeling any longer).

These sachets would make nice stocking stuffers or package decorations. They can be used as ornaments, or as sachets in closets and drawers. You can also make several and place them in a pretty basket to be used as party favors.  

I think they're something you can really have fun making - doing them in the usual squares, or even using cookie cutters for some unique designs.  I think a Christmas tree or wreath shape would really be fun.  Here are the instructions:

For each sachet you will need:
2 squares of burlap or calico (5-1/2 inches square)
thread
3/4 cup fresh pine needles
pine oil (optional)
30 inch length of ribbon, 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide
 
-  With right sides facing, sew the burlap or calico squares together (use zigzag stitch for burlap), leaving 1 side open for turning. Seam allowance is 1/4 inch.
-  Clip the corners and turn right side out.
-  Fill the sachet with the pine needles and slipstitch the open edge. Sprinkle the sachet with the pine oil if you'd like a stronger scent.
-  Tie the ribbon in a bow around the sachet, Add a sprig of pine needles in the bow for decoration.

Making Plans

I've had so many thoughts on my mind lately that when I woke up I decided to get dressed, drive thru Starbucks for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte, and then take a long ride through country roads, rivers, and small towns.  That's always a sure way to give me time to think and make plans -- much better than when I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of these things, or can't fall asleep because my mind is busy working :)

It's a beautiful, breezy, sunny and blue skies day with some white puffy clouds, and we were just in the low 70s when I was out.  A nice day for a country ride.

The thoughts and plans I had on my mind??

First, Christmas.  Believe it or not, I have most of my shopping done, with the exception of a few people.  I've been doing it throughout the year when I've been traveling, which is always a great way to find just the right thing for someone.  I know what we're giving the other people on our list, so I just need to get those things over the next month and I'm all set to get things mailed.

I'm in an annual handmade Christmas exchange with several friends from an online group (we've been friends since 1999, and doing this exchange since 2005).  I think I'm pretty sure what I'm making, but will visit the crafts store tomorrow.  I'll either buy what I *think* I'm going to make, or I'll get a completely different idea. 

Also for Christmas... I have some needlework projects that are all stitched but need to be finished (framing, made into pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, etc.), and a few of those will be done for Christmas and used as gifts.  I'm also making a list of some baking ideas for friends and family, which will more than likely end up being a variety of shortbreads :)

The other thing I've had on my mind, which has actually been there for a few years, is a publishing project.  I've been making a lot of notes recently and working on plans and goals, contacts, and everything else needed, and after my ride today I've decided on a March 1st goal for this to begin.  Now that the date has been determined, I just need to start working backwards from there to have everything else fall into place, plan some meetings with friends/contacts, do more research, and get going!  This is a project I'm excited about, and will share more as time goes on.  

I'm curious... what does everyone else do when they have things on their mind and need that special time to do the planning?  Taking a ride?  A walk?  A bath?  Talking it out with someone else?

Joanne

Easter Blessing!

Wishing all of you a blessed and happy Easter! 

He is risen!  

He is risen, indeed!!

In Honor of the 4th and Other Cross Stitch Designs

The last several months I've been working on various new designs and getting them charted and stitched. My progress ended there, at least for now, since I'm concentrating on spending time with our daughter these few months before her move to Canada for graduate school. I'll have plenty of time to get my designs finished (framed, made into pillows, banners, ornaments, etc.) and then print up the charts for sale. In the meantime, since I haven't shared any handiwork here in quite some time, I thought I'd share the designs I've been working on.


I've always had in mind that I'd love to have something in honor of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of our country. I thought it's perfect to share as the first photo since it's date is July 4, 1776. The phrase I selected is at the end of the Declaration and reads, "...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our fortunes, and our Sacred Honor." I found this reproduction fabric in a favorite quilt shop and plan to use it somewhere in the banner.


On the lighter side, I was looking at our cat Missy one day as she was sitting there pondering (not sure what, but she ponders a lot!). She's a grey cat so naturally looks perfect with pink. The little pot of flowers was added because one of her favorite things to do since she was a kitten (and she's now 17) is to eat flowers :) I think I'm making this one into a pillow and thought the pink floral fabric might look good. I found the salmon pink ric-rac at a quilt store and might use it for one part of the pillow. It actually matches the fabric better than it looks in this picture. Missy has "sent" greeting cards for the holidays to our daughter throughout the years, and this is the drawing I've always done inside those cards as Missy's signature. (Yes, I'm a wee bit silly.) There'll be a few companion pieces to this using our other kitties.


After our annual trip to Santa Fe in January I was in a southwest mood and drew up this little design. It's very typical of the gates and entryways you see along some of the winding side streets in Santa Fe as you head to all the art galleries. Unfortunately the picture is a little blurry. I found a perfect turquoise frame at a local quilt and needlework shop in Austin, and I'll use that to finish this. I already have a few small companion pieces to this charted so I can stitch them when I get the chance.




Finally, this simple little design is in honor of Fiesta, an annual celebration here in San Antonio each April. I stitched two, one using a multicolor overdye and the other using individual primary colors. My plans are to finish them as a small wreath ornament, representing the Fiesta wreaths you see in the area. You can see the little hoops which I'll use as the frames, and then all the colorful ribbons can be seen in the next picture. I also have small flowers to decorate the frames.

Easter Blessings

Wishing the blessings of Easter to all my friends!

He Is Risen, Indeed! An Easter Complimentary Design

I was hoping to have this completely finished several weeks ago, but too many other things came up. So, instead of listing this as a design for sale on my website, Of Generations Past, I thought I'd offer it to all my blogging friends as an Easter "freebie". This stitches up quickly and you can use your own favorite colors. Mine was stitched on 28-count linen and the finished piece measures 3-1/4" by 3-1/4" ~ a nice size to turn into a small hanging ornament. If you'd like to use the same colors I did, they're DMC and listed below the chart.

My New Patriotic Design

Today while joining in on a "virtual party" for my yahoo groups homemaking list (celebrating our 10 years together!), I stitched my latest design into a little pillow. I'll be listing the chart for sale on my Of Generations Past website in a short while.


I love patriotic designs and wanted to do something quick one evening, and this is what came to mind. It stitched up very quickly and would be fun to make into an ornament, a small hanging pillow, or even a pinkeep.


I'd love to have a collection of patriotic pieces to decorate for the summer, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Joanne

A New Year - A New Venture

Of Generations Past

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends! I wish you all a wonderful new year, filled with God's abundant blessings.

I'm starting the New Year off with a new business ~ something I've thought about for quite awhile, and have worked on the last few weeks. I love doing needlework of all types, and have been filling a notebook with various ideas for cross stitch designs and other projects such as quilted items, wool items, knitting, crocheting, and even a few little book ideas.

I wanted to come up with a name that fit everything I wanted to do, and nothing was working. Then one night in the shower as the hot water streamed down, I began to think about all the crafts I love that I learned from my mother, grandmothers and great-grandmother, and the name "Of Generations Past" was created. I think as soon as I stopped thinking so hard, that God and His angels had a chance to step in and pass the name on to me :)

The photo above is of my ancestors, and the little girl in the front row is my mom, sitting on the lap of my grandmother. My great-grandmother is in the row behind, standing to the right next to the men. I love this picture and always wish I could go back in time and join in the family gatherings, which always seemed to be so much fun. This picture was taken in summer 1929, almost 80 years ago.

I had hoped to have my website up and working, but the holidays (and my husband being home on vacation for a few weeks) have delayed the progress. Right now it just says "Under Construction". However, getting the website up is a priority for next week. In the meantime, I've been playing with the cross stitch design software that I purchased the other day, and thought I'd share my first practice design with you as a freebie for the new year. I used one of my favorite poems (and Christmas carols) as an inspiration for this. I hope you have fun with it!

I used DMC 924 for the verse, DMC 926 for the snowflake, and DMC 224 for the heart. I'm adding a pearl to the center of the snowflake, and I'll post a picture as soon as it's stitched!

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen,
Snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.

~ Christina Rosetti, c. 1872



Copyright 123108, Joanne M. Thayer, Of Generations Past

Thanksgiving Memories (Revisited)

"Only one more day and then it will be time to eat.
I didn't take but one bowl of hasty pudding this morning,
so I shall have plenty of room when the nice things come..."

~ Louisa May Alcott, from 'An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving'

Whenever I'm asked about a favorite holiday, I'm always torn between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love Christmas ~ and especially all the preparation for months ahead (I love to make homemade gifts or ornaments when I can)... but I love the simplicity of Thanksgiving, and always think of it as a family and friends day. I send some Thanksgiving cards with personal letters to a handful of family and friends, and really enjoy having this time of year to remember all the special times shared in previous years.

Our Thanksgiving these days has usually just been the three of us, but we still set the table with the pretty china, and have a special meal. Our daughter (23) is a vegetarian (and has been for over 10 years), so we always have several side dishes. My husband would be happy with just the turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy :) All three of us love the leftovers for the next few days, and a favorite thing is to make turkey soup.

When we lived in Tucson we always had a house full of people including family, friends, and some more casual acquaintances from our church. I'd do the turkey and one or two things, and everyone would bring a side, appetizer or dessert. I'm glad that our daughter got to experience these special celebrations when she was growing up so she can have wonderful holiday memories, too.

I still think my favorite Thanksgivings, though, were as a child. I was just going to write about it again, but realize I did last year, so I'll just copy it here (after all... it's time to go make the dressing and peel the potatoes). I hope you don't mind the "rerun" :)

~ Joanne

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In some ways, it's my favorite, because it brings back wonderful family memories... and traditions that began in the late 1800s. My great-grandmother was from a large family that was very close. After all the children had married, a tradition of Thanksgiving gatherings still continued for well over 70 years.

Thanksgiving Day was spent at my grandparents' home where several of the generations of cousins and friends gathered ~ and I loved sitting at the special "children's" table since my grandmother always ate there, too. There were stories to tell, news to catch up on, and a lot of wonderful food... much more than we could possibly eat, but everyone's favorites were included. I remember all the men going out for a long walk after dinner "to walk off the heavy meal and all the desserts" (there were always three pies ~ pumpkin, apple and mince), and all the women chatting and laughing in the kitchen as they put leftovers away and washed and dried the dishes. I think this was the scene in many homes back in the 1950s and '60s..

But, the holiday celebration didn't end there. One of my great-grandmother's sisters and her family owned a dairy farm on a mountain in "upstate" New York, and that's where we went for the weekend. Those are some of my best memories ~ sleeping in the feather beds, playing with all my cousins, and being pulled around on a sled in the snow by my cousin's pet goat "Herman". Yes ~ it almost always snowed there that weekend, and anyone who knows me knows that snow is one of my favorite things.

We always arrived late that Friday evening since my father and grandfather had to work that day. On our way up we would stop at a "scenic outlook" for our picnic dinner of turkey sandwiches and chicken bouillon to drink. My grandmother had a regular ritual for preparing all those turkey sandwiches each year and placing them in the crisp waxed paper and folding it a certain way. They always looked like little gift packages, and were prepared and wrapped with love (and she always cut the crust off my sandwich *smile*).

The first thing I'd do when I woke up on Saturday morning was run and look out the window to see if there was snow. Then it would be time to run downstairs, stand over the heater to warm up, and have breakfast. The main thing I remember about the breakfasts was the hot cocoa made with some vanilla in it ~ it always tasted so good and special in the great big mugs. My cousins and I would all go out to play, and when we'd come back in ~ wet and cold from the snow ~ we'd hang our mittens and scarves on a line in the kitchen to dry near the stove. Even though we were cold I was always thirsty, and there was an old well-worn tin measuring cup that was used for quick drinks of water. The water was delicious and icy cold, and the cup kept it that way. Isn't it strange, here it is over forty years later and I can still "taste" that hot cocoa and water!

The weekend always came to an end much too soon for me, and as we'd pull away in the car, we'd look back and see everyone standing on the porch waving goodbye with handkerchiefs and dish towels. We could still see them waving as we drove down the mountain, and it was something to remember until we drove back up that mountain the next Thanksgiving weekend... to spend a short time together once again, making more special memories.

Happy Halloween

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said,
"Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said,
"But we don't care."
The third one said,
"I see witches in the air."
The fourth one said,
"Let's run, and run, and run."
The fifth one said,
"Get ready for some fun."
Then whoosh went the wind,
and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

~ Author Unknown

A Stitching Weekend

This weekend I hope to get some work done on at least one of my current Works in Progress!










I think the Prairie Schooler "When Witches Go Riding" is a priority, since I'd like to have it ready to go by Halloween.








This design is the Gardening Thread Pack from Little House Needleworks. I'm making it for a friend who loves to garden, and unfortunately when I was straightening and cleaning before we went on vacation, I put the chart some place safe. Always a bad idea, lol. I know I'll find it one of these days, and I hope it's in time to get this finished before Christmas. It was supposed to be a September birthday gift, but I sure missed *that* deadline!! I thought this light green gingham would be a fun fabric for the project. I'll make it into either a small pillow, or into a tote bag. Right now the tote bag idea is foremost in my mind, since I thought it would be fun to fill the little bag with some Burt's Bees items :)











Finally, this is Quaker Turtle by The Workbasket. The colors are off a bit in this photo. The fabric is light grey, and the floss is a deep, but bright, red. My husband is an alumni from the University of Maryland and I thought this turtle would be cute to stitch and make into a stand-up pillow (in keeping with a "terps" theme and using one of the school colors ~ red!).









I have many, many more things in my WIP boxes, but thought I'd share these three since they're in the current working pile.

Happy Stitching!

Joanne

My Weekly Project Update

A few posts ago I shared the information for the first week of our autumn projects craft-along on my Holiday group. I feel great that I accomplished a few things by pulling out projects that were done, but never finished. It made things easy for me to complete this first assignment. I thought I'd share some photos before I post this current week's information.



This little scarecrow was stitched over 10 years ago, but never got any further than the dresser drawer. I pulled it out the other day, added a backing fabric, stuffed it, added the two pumpkin buttons and the raffia. As you can see, it still has the pin in the bottom, but that will disappear later today when I stitch up the bottom opening.







This is the Prairie Schooler Autumn Leaves design that I stitched two years ago. I wish the picture were brighter so you could see the beautiful fabric that I used for the borders. It's deep shades of autumn colors with a design of leaves, with gold accents. Hopefully once it's ironed, the bottom opening stitched, and hanging on the wall, I can get a better photo where you can actually see the pretty fabric.














I didn't have enough of the one fabric for the backing, so I used another pretty piece I had that features autumn leaves :)











Here are my autumn yo-yos, which I sewed in August. I'm going to sew them into a table runner in the next couple of weeks.









And here are some more yo-yos. They're not autumn, but since they're made from patriotic fabrics, I think it's perfect to share today since tomorrow, 9/11, is now known as Patriot Day here in the United States. For these I decided to do very small yo-yos and used a juice glass as my template. When stitched the yo-yos are about 1 inch in diameter and very cute! I like having the bag of circles all cut because it makes it easy to just pick it up and stitch a few whenever I'm in the mood. I plan to use them for a few different projects like table runners or candle mats.

Happy Easter

Wishing all my blogging friends a joyful and blessed Easter!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Things have been busy since our spring semester of school started back on January 21st, and I just haven't had too much extra time to update my blogs. My needlework has suffered, too. So, I thought I'd stop in today to wish you all a happy Valentine's day, and to share some pictures with you.



First of all, on a homemaking list we had a Valentine's Day swap, and I received a box filled with fun things from my friend, Susan. Aren't the fabric scrap ornaments she made wonderful? I'm going to put them in a glass bowl on the coffee table. The colors are so cheerful and bright and will add a nice touch of color! (There were also some heart lollipops which weren't added to this photo, but you can seem them in the next one.)











We had a card exchange on both my homemaking list and my holiday list. It was so much fun to open all the envelopes and find such cute cards and great handcrafted gifts. It's fun to be in groups with such talented friends.







Back in January I was so sad to see that one of my favorite shops was closing after being there for eleven years. I loved visiting this shop whenever I needed gifts and was so sad to say goodbye. I went to their shop for the "going out of business" sale and planned to buy lots of goodies to put aside for gifts later in the year. Instead, I bought myself a gift. I spotted this handmade antique cabinet with nine deep drawers, and knew instantly that it would be perfect for all my floss. I spent much more than I had planned, even with the great discount, but it's well built and sturdy, and looks good sitting at the foot of the bed in my crafts room (which is also the guest room).



(I moved it to the side of the bed for photo purposes, since I couldn't get a good angle to take the picture with it resting at the foot.)



I'm so happy that I can fit all my floss in this cabinet ~ DMC, Anchor, and all the specialty threads ~ since it's so nice and large. Now I can empty the two large plastic containers that are sitting on one of the shelves in the closet and give those away. I'm sure I'll have no trouble filling up that empty space, especially the way I keep visiting the quilt shop and buying their beautiful bundles of fat quarters.

Our cat, Dinsdale, decided he wanted to be in the picture. Or maybe he just wanted to show the perspective of how much bigger the cabinet is compared to him :)













As you can see, the people at the shop painted the inside of the drawers, but left the outside "as is". I think I'll leave it, too, since I like the distressed and used look.














Finally, here are two of my current WIPs. I started Christmas Tea back in December and made great progress. Unfortunately, I had to set it aside because I've been having lots of trouble seeing in the evenings due to allergy problems (I'm not a fan of Mountain Cedar, and I'll leave it at that!). I hope to get back to this soon so I can finish up the design. I changed colors a bit and am using a pretty overdye blue for the bird on the left. The one on the right will be in red.








Since I missed stitching, I decided to try something different that I thought I could see in the evenings. I bought 10-count Tula fabric and started stitching one of the Prairie Schooler Santas. I'm going to use some leftovers of different fibers I have here from previous needlepoint projects, along with the DMC and overdyes. My local cross stitch shop had models of a few Christmas projects done on the large count fabric with silks, wools, DMC, ribbons, charms and buttons, and they looked like fun. When I'm finished, I'm going to stuff it, weight the bottom, and use it as a stand-up decoration.

Wishing You All A Happy New Year

"A Flower unblown; a Book unread;
A Tree with fruit unharvested;
A Path untrod; a House whose rooms
Lack yet the heart's divine perfumes;
This is the Year that for you waits
Beyond Tomorrow's mystic gates."

~Horatio Nelson Powers

Dear Friends ~

I wish you all a happy and wonderful New Year, filled with God's abundant blessings! Thank you for visiting me throughout the year. I love spending time with each of you!

Hugs,

Relaxing Times

The few weeks before Christmas were so busy with finishing up the school year, writing finals, grading papers, getting the house "company ready", and preparing for Christmas.


My stepdaughter was here for a week before Christmas (she's 24, our daughter 22), and we had a great visit. We spent some time here at home relaxing and decorating the tree, had delicious and nourishing meals, went out for a few dinners, did some sightseeing, spent a day down at the beach (wading... not swimming!), spent an evening at the River Walk enjoying a Starbucks treat on their balcony, looking at the lights and people-watching, did some shopping, and exchanged our Christmas gifts and "opened" stockings after a traditional Christmas dinner before she left on the 23rd. As you can see, I've included several pictures from our day at the beach.


We've been relaxing ever since, including a quiet Christmas Day here at home. The day after Christmas I needed to buy a few birthday gifts for a friend, and we went to a favorite country shop in a nearby town. On our way to the coffee shop across from the courthouse, I took this picture of their gazebo in the center of the traffic circle in the heart of the town. It's really pretty at nights with all the lights!


My husband is on vacation until the 2nd, and our daughter and I don't have to go back to our teaching jobs until January 21st, so we have lots of time to relax. I plan on getting some cross stitching done, some projects finished (being made into pillows, banners or pinkeeps), and some quilting done, as well. And, of course, I'm already making lists for next Christmas :)

Spicy Potpourri

Earth is so kind,
That just tickle her with a hoe,
And she laughs with a harvest.

~ Douglas Jerrold

SPICY POTPOURRI

You may want to make lots of this and use it during the holidays ~ it makes a wonderful gift!

1/2 cup dried apples, cut into pieces
4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 whole nutmeg, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons allspice
1/2 cup whole cranberries, dried
2 tablespoons whole cloves

Mix together and place in a bowl. You can also place some potpourri in small cloth bags and use it as a tie-on for packages.

Sunflowers and Planning

"The sunflowers hung their banners out in the sweet September weather;
A stately company they stood by the garden fence together,
And looked out on the shining sea that bright and brighter grew
And slowly bowed their golden heads to every wind that blew."

~ Celia Thaxter

This morning I've been going through some pages I printed out several years ago for a literature class, and thought I'd share the above quote. As you can probably tell, it was a collection of autumn quotes and poems :)

I have most of today free, so I decided to do a little lesson planning this morning for my literature class next week. I have that completed, and now I'm trying to catch up on some emails and blogs while I have another mug of hazelnut coffee. I'm hoping to catch up on laundry today and a little straightening that's much needed, and then I can have tomorrow free to work on some Christmas gifts. I think I'll also pull down the summer sea-theme decorations and begin decorating for autumn.

Last evening I was bringing my calendar up-to-date and realized how little time there is until the holidays arrive! I always think of the holiday season beginning in October with Halloween, and then there's Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. It always goes much too quickly for me. So, I'm hoping to get my time planned out so I can get things done that need to be done, and still have lots of time to enjoy my favorite time of year.

All the holiday catalogues are beginning to arrive and I just love looking through them. I do shopping online throughout the year, so I've also started receiving emails from a few companies with special offers. It's always so much fun to sit in front of the computer late at night in pajamas, having a mug of cocoa, and doing Christmas shopping :) This afternoon I'll be looking through the latest catalogues that came in ~ Gooseberry Patch, Current and Lang. One of my all-time favorites should be here in another few days ~ the one from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I already have a good portion of our gift giving taken care of, but it's always fun to find little items to go along with themes.

Time is passing quickly as I sit here, so I think I should finish up my computer "work" and start some of those homekeeping tasks I mentioned earlier!